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WHO WORRIED OVER 2.5M FILIPINO SENIORS YET TO RECEIVE JAB By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Willie Casas

THE World Health Organization (WHO) representative to the Philippines on Friday expressed worries that more than 2.5 million senior citizens in the country have not received even a single COVID-19 vaccine shot.

“Vaccinating these older people is one of the effective ways [to save] lives during this pandemic,” said Dr. Rajendra Prasad Yadav in an interview with CNN Philippines. He renewed his appeal to local government units to convince their constituents, especially seniors and those with Next page

VOL. XXXV • NO. 362 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 •SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Govt gearing up for ‘new normal’

2.5M SENIORS STILL UNVAXXED. File photo shows a senior citizen from Pasig City,

92-year-old Dolores Payawal, receiving her Johnson&Johnson vaccine against COVID-19 last year. Facebook page of Mayor Vico Sotto

Alert Level 1 to set up shift from pandemic to endemic COVID state By Willie Casas

HE government is preparing for Alert Level 1 and the eventual transition of the COVID-19 pandemic to an endemic state, in which the community accepts the virus as part of daily life, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Alert Level 1 would be the country’s “new normal” as restrictions are eased—although the mandatory use of face masks would be the last to go. In the country’s five-step alert Next page

VAX WITH A VIEW. A health worker administers a dose of Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 to a child during the launching of the pediatric vaccination in Boracay as Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr and Testing czar Vince Dizon witness the inoculation on Friday, February 11, 2022. Danny Pata

DILG to look into Cebu policy accepting unvaxxed foreign tourists

3,630,637 3,788

91,147

54,854

3,484,636

5,652

By Othel V. Campos and Vito Barcelo

ure to accept unvaccinated foreign tourists starting March 1, which is opposed to the national policy that THE provincial government of Cebu limits entry to fully jabbed leisure failed to consult the Department of and business travelers. Health Undersecretary Maria RosaHealth regarding its latest meas-

rio Vergeire said Friday the Department of the Interior and Local Government would coordinate with the province to discuss the issue. “The DOH was not consulted regarding this measure or protocol for incom-

HOW DO I LOVE THEE? LET ME COUNT THE CHOCOLATE BALLS.

An employee of a flower shop presents a unique bouquet made with chocolate balls days before Valentine’s Day on February 14. Norman Cruz

(As of 4 PM, February 11)

Napolcom asked to suspend Bislig City police chief

Marcos leads SWS survey on presidentiables at 50% By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta DAYS after the official kick-off of political campaigning for national elective positions in the 2022 polls, the latest results of the preference survey conducted by the Social Weather Station showed presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. still dominating the ratings game. In a press statement, the Marcos camp said the latest SWS commissioned survey from January 28 to 31 showed that the former senator enjoys a firm grip on the top spot and has even gained seven percentage points after increasing his numbers from 43 percent in October 2021 to 50 percent in January 2022.

By Rey E. Requejo THE National Police Commission has been asked to place under 90-day preventive suspension the chief of police of Bislig City in Surigao del Sur pending investigation of the administrative charges filed against him for his alleged inaction on a request for police assistance to stop crimes, including failure to enforce election gun ban, from being committed inside the

ing travelers like foreign nationals,” she said in a media briefing. “The IATF has protocols that every local government must follow. We will discuss this at the IATF and

ILO urges PH to probe crimes vs. unionists THE Geneva-based International Labor Organization, disquieted by new grave allegations of violence and intimidation against trade unionists in the Philippines, has called on the government to probe extrajudicial killings and assaults against workers. “In these circumstances, given the extreme seriousness of the allegations and their repeated

Comelec unfazed by critics, defends ruling on DQ case By Vito Barcelo, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

nature, the committee urges the government to take all necessary measures to address the issues of violence and intimidation raised and, in particular, to conduct prompt and effective investigations into all allegations of extrajudicial killings of and assaults against trade unionists, so as to determine the circumstances of the incidents,

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) defended the decision of its First Division to dismiss the three petitions seeking to disqualify presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in the May 2022 polls. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the poll body is not saying that failure to file an income tax return is not a punishable

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022

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level system, Alert Level 1 is declared when case transmission and health care utilization rates are low. Earlier the independent OCTA Research Group said Metro Manila was already classified as low risk. Vergeire, however, refuted this, saying the National Capital Region remains at moderate risk with an average daily attack rate of 12.53 and with a 7-day moving average of 886 cases per day. “Even as cases in NCR are declining, our metrics show that it is still under moderate risk, not low risk. I don’t understand why our metrics don’t align because it’s confusing people. DOH is the official source and we are using metrics that show NCR is still classified as moderate risk,” Vergeire said. Vergeire said under the new normal, restrictions will be very specific or will only be implemented in areas with high risk of infection, while the capacity limit in establishments, whether indoor or outdoor, and in transportation will be removed. “But what would be retained would be our self-regulation,” Vergeire said.

People would still be expected to maintain minimum health standards— with masking, washing of hands, physical distancing and maintaining good ventilation indoors. Among the restrictions, she said, the mandatory wearing of face masks would be the last to go, because they afford protection, not just from COVID-19, but also from other respiratory diseases. Dr. Edsel Salvana of the DOH-Technical Advisory Group said the easing of the rule regarding face masks would be done gradually. “Maybe outdoors first before the indoors, and the vulnerable population may possibly hang on to their masks a little longer. And for instance, during long trips in airlines,” Salvana said. Vergeire said they are also working on making private establishments and public spaces safe to the public through the issuance of Safety Seals. The National Capital Region is under Alert Level 2 until Feb. 15. A group of doctors on Friday cautioned against relaxing COVID-19 restrictions in Metro Manila to Alert Level 1, saying it presents a risk of another COVID-19 surge. “Maybe it’s better to be cautious before lowering the alert level,” Dr. Mari-

car Limpin, president of the Philippine College of Physicians, said. “We do not need to lower it right away.” Limpin noted that the country’s current COVID-19 tally was understated, and said it would be “more detrimental” for businesses if cases rise again. The Philippines logged 3,788 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total case count to 3,630,637. This is the fourth time in as many days the daily cases tally remained below 5,000. The positivity rate was at 14.7 percent, based on 32,795 people tested for COVID-19 on Feb. 9. The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were National Capital Region (Metro Manila) with 470 or 13 percent, Region 6 (Western Visayas) with 455 or 12 percent, and Region 11 (Davao Region) with 453 or 12 percent. There were 72 fatalities reported Friday, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 54,854. The DOH also reported 5,652 new recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries to 3,484,636. There were 91,147 active cases, of which 3,261 were asymptomatic; 83,145 were mild; 2,986 were moderate; 1,443 were severe; and 312 were critical. Nationwide, 34 percent of ICU beds,

33 percent of isolation beds, 30 percent of ward beds, and 19 percent of ventilators, are in use. In Metro Manila, 24 percent of ICU beds, 29 percent of isolation beds, 28 percent of ward beds, and 17 percent of ventilators, are in use. The DOH said all regions in the country are now considered as “low” to “moderate risk” for COVID-19 aside from Region XII. Vergeire, during a press briefing, said Region XII has a two-week growth rate of 28 percent. Vergeire said, despite this, the total bed utilization and ICU utilization rate in all regions, including Region XII, remain at low to moderate risk. At present, the national health system capacity is also at low risk. Vergeire said the DOH observed a continuous decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the country as cases averaged at 6,103 per day this week, less than half that of last week. OCTA said NCR may be classif ied as “ver y low risk” for COVID-19 by March. OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David said the projections indicate that new COVID-19 cases may decrease to around 200 by the end of February from the current average of 600 new infections per day.

Napolcom... From A1

DILG... From A1

premises of PICOP Resources Inc. In a complaint-affidavit filed before Napolcom on January 27, 2022, Francisco J. Buencamino, the courtappointed Rehabilitation Receiver of PICOP Resources Inc. and its affiliate, New Paper Industries Corporation, sought the suspension of Police Senior Supt. Michael Lozada, chief of police of Bislig City, and other unidentified cops to stop them from “potentially harassing witnesses” while the administrative case against them is being investigated. PICOP Resources Inc., formerly Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines, is a multi- billion-peso wood-based industry operating the only fully-integrated pulp and paper mill in the country. Citing Rule 16, Section 1 of Memorandum Circular No. 2007-001, or the Uniform Rules of Procedure before the Administrative Disciplinary Authorities and Internal Affairs Services of the Philippine National Police, Buencamino asked Napolcom to hold Lozada and his direct superior, Caraga PNP Regional Director Chief Supt. Romeo Caramat Jr., administratively liable for failing to act on the call for police assistance to prevent the commission of crimes and for defying a lawful order of the court. In particular, the complainant accused Lozada and Caramat of neglect of duty, irregularities in the performance of duty and misconduct or malfeasance for committing wrongful, improper or unlawful conduct motivated by premeditated intentional purpose. “Because of the high position of respondent Lozada, there is a potential that he may unduly influence the witnesses. Hence, respondent Lozada must be placed under preventive suspension because of the severe gravity of the charges, and more importantly, to prevent him from potentially harassing witnesses,” the complaint stated. The complaint against Lozada and Caramat stemmed from their alleged failure to act on Buencamino’s call for police assistance following incidents of unlawful entries by a group of persons that took place at PICOP Compound last month. On January 20, 2022 around 1 p.m., Buencamino said there were unidentified people who went inside the PICOP Compound at Tabon, Bislig City, against the will of PICOP and its workers. “These people forcibly dismantled and cut the properties of PICOP with intent to gain, particularly metal items for transportation,” he said. On January 21, 2022 around 10:50 a.m., PICOP caretaker, Roel Quidiay Laguna, reported to the PNP Bislig City.

DILG, of course, will coordinate with Cebu,” she added. Vergeire reminded local government units that measures crafted by the pandemic task force must be implemented nationwide. “The policies that the IATF issues mandate all LGUs to follow because these protocols must be implemented nationally so that we can continuously protect our borders and we can prevent further transmission of diseases,” she said. Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia signed on February 9 an executive order allowing the entry of unvaccinated business and leisure travelers to the province beginning March 1. The travelers, according to the order, need only to present a negative RT-PCR test result taken 48 hours prior to departure from the country of origin, get swabbed upon arrival, and undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their second RT-PCR result taken on the fifth day. The national government, through IATF Resolution 160-B, allowed the entry of foreign tourists on February 10 but only those who are fully vaccinated. Elsewhere, while Boracay welcomes fully-vaccinated local and foreign tourists, it is also offering booster shots for island visitors, the Department of Tourism announced. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat announced during the launch of the “Resbakuna sa Botika” program at the Watson’s Pharmacy City Mall Boracay that the vaccines would be administered by licensed pharmacists on the island. “The Philippines finally opened its borders to inbound leisure travel, a de-

velopment we have been waiting for after nearly two years. We expect Boracay Island, our crown jewel of tourism, to once again fill up with travelers from around the world. The ‘Resbakuna sa Botika’ Program will provide an added layer of protection to the island’s domestic visitors. This will impact on the tourism industry and all the Filipinos whose livelihoods depend on tourism,” she said. She stressed the program would make it even more convenient for the island’s population to gain access to life-saving vaccines, and bring the boosted vaccination rate closer to 100 percent faster. Based on the Department’s data, 17,910 of the targeted population of tourism workers on the island have received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. About 2,671 workers or 15.29 percent have been given booster shots. “This number is expected to boost the confidence of tourists in travelling to Boracay, knowing that the people who make their stay wonderful are protected,” Puyat said. In addition to the island’s already high vaccination rate, the DOT sustains inspections related to accreditation, minimum health and safety guidelines, while the Safety Seal certifications are continuously being conducted by the DOT’s Boracay Field Office to prepare Boracay tourism establishments for the anticipated influx of visitors. As of February 7, 2022, 81 accommodation establishments and 1 travel and tour agency/operator in Boracay have been certified under the Safety Seal program. A total of 24 establishments—including the island itself – have received the Safe Travels Stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council.

About 12,956 rooms in 314 accredited accommodation establishments are available for local and foreign guests on the island. To make travel more interesting, the DOT will soon unveil new tourism products on the island that include Boracay Biking Tour, Boracay Food Crawl, and the Boracay Wellness Workation Program for those who want to work remotely on the island. Puyat reiterated the importance of maintaining a close coordination between public and private sector, as well as regular stakeholder discussions on how the tourism on the island can be improved. “I am looking forward to our discussions on how we can further improve Boracay’s recovery. It’s always good to hear your perspective and opinions on the situation. I assure you, the DOT respectfully takes these into account whenever we formulate our policies and programs to bring forth a safer, stronger, and more inclusive tourism industry,” she said. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 foreign visitors while at least 6,000 overseas Filipino workers and balikbayans arrived in the Philippines on the first day of the implementation of opening of the country’s borders, the Bureau of Immigration said. BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the agency recorded over 8,000 arrivals, about 30 percent of which are foreigners on the first day of easing restrictions on fully vaccinated foreign travelers. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the bureau was projecting that arrivals could rise up to 10,000 to 12,000 per day in the coming months. The government started to allow the entry of foreign nationals arriving from visa-required countries and restricted foreign nationals subject to certain requirements.

co-morbidities to get their jabs. “We also encourage and appeal to the governors and mayors to do everything in their power to vaccinate our priority groups,” he said. At the same time, he commended the Philippines’ effort to vaccinate around 70 percent of its eligible population. At present, nearly 60 million Filipinos have completed their COVID-19 vaccination. However, only 8 million have availed of their booster dose. The Department of Health (DOH) announced on Friday the third phase of its vaccination drive has been extended until Friday next week, Feb. 18. The vaccination drive was initially scheduled from Feb. 10 to 11. “We are extending our Bayanihan, Bakunahan III program until next week,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in Filipino at an online briefing. “We are urging each and every one to get vaccinated with our primary series or get booster shots to achieve maximum protection on our way to the new normal,” she said. Vergeire said 662,318 Filipinos were vaccinated during the first day of the vaccination drive, of which 442,346 were primary doses. A total of 219,972 people were also given booster shots. Vergeire said the government remains hopeful it will reach the 5 million target. Earlier, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) urged employers in the private sector to allow their employees to accompany their children for vaccination without considering them absent. The DOH said 52,262 minors aged 5 to 11 have been inoculated against COVID-19 since the vaccination program for this age group began on Feb. 7. Of these, only four children experienced mild adverse effects following immunization, such as pain at the injection site, rashes, a slight increase in blood pressure, fever and vomiting. Vergeire said the minors immediately recovered. She assured parents that the vaccination sites were prepared to address whatever adverse effects their children might experience after receiving their jab. Vergeire said children below 5 years old had the highest case fatality rate among the pediatric age groups from March 2021 up to January 2022, aside from December 2021. Meanwhile, Vergeire stressed that the Health Department never mandated parents to vaccinate their children. “This is purely voluntary, we are asking for the consent and the assent of kids,” she said. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has also said that parental consent is still necessary after the government removed the provision that the state may give the necessary consent for the vaccination of minors aged 5 to 11 years old.

of a law punishing it.” The resolution also stated that “the said omission became punishable only through the enactment of the Tax Code.” The Comelec official also explained that failure to file an ITR is not by itself tax evasion, noting that these are two different offenses punished differently under the law. Earlier, the Comelec First Division promulgated its resolution dismissing three disqualification cases against Marcos due to “lack of merit.” These are cases filed by martial law survivors through Bonifacio Ilagan, Akbayan party-list group, and National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Commissioner Abubakar Mangelen. Jimenez said that “the characterization of lack of merit basically refers to the fact that all of the allegations that supposedly pointed towards the disqualification of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. were basically dismissed.” Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson declined to comment on the

Comelec decision. “We have no comment because as I said, in our campaign, we will rise on our own merits, presenting our platforms, our programs, our plans,” he said. Another presidential candidate, Vice President Leni Robredo, said the decision was difficult to understand because it said there was no crime, even though there were convictions before the regional trial court and the Court of Appeals. She said the decision posed more questions. Aksyon Demokratiko presidential candidate Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said he hoped other Filipinos would not emulate Marcos by not paying taxes. PROMDI standard bearer Senator Manny Pacquiao said they were not surprised by the decision, which he said would have no effect on their campaign, which is to convince people that the Philippines needs a leader who will not cheat and steal.

Marcos’s running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, welcomed the decision. “Of course this is a welcome development for the UniTeam,” she said, noting that the Marcos candidacy and the campaign would go forward. Meanwhile, a civil society group on Friday said they will file a motion for reconsideration next week to overturn the Comelec First Division ruling. Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA) said they would file their motion either on Monday or Tuesday next week. Petitioner Bonifacio Ilagan said he lamented the ruling. “The decision as penned by Commissioner {Aimee) Ferolino has merely strengthened our doubts regarding the integrity of the process,” Ilagan said. Retired Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon, who said she would have voted to disqualify Marcos, said Ferolino should inhibit herself if a motion for reconsideration is filed.

The ILO added there were 17 cases of red-tagging, intimidation and harassment, including against leaders and members of the ACT (Alliance of Concerned Teachers), the Kilusang Mayo Uno, the Philippines National Police Non-Uniformed Personnel Association Inc. and other workers’ organizations. Other incidents the group raised were 12 cases of forced disaffiliation campaigns and seminars, including for public school teachers, workers at a beverage producing company and palm oil plantation workers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the

committee of experts on the application of conventions and recommendations said the high-level tripartite mission had not yet taken place but that, in view of the Philippine government’s request for guidance, a virtual exchange was organized by ILO in September 2021. The committee also asked the Philippine government to provide information on the progress made in the adoption of Senate Bill No. 2121, which seeks to fix legal gaps and institutionalize a system of accountability by criminalizing red-tagging and providing penalties as deterrence thereto.

Govt... From A1

Marcos... From A1 In second place is Vice President Leni Robredo with 19 percent. Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and Senator Manny Pacquiao were tied for 3rd and 4th respectively with 11 percent each, while Senator Panfilo Lacson has 6 percent. Robredo recorded 20 percent in October but went down by one percentage point to 19 percent in January, which reflected a -1% fall.

Comelec... From A1 offense or that it’s okay. “It’s wrong to say that the Comelec is saying that there is no offense in failure to file ITR because the Comelec said there is. But there was a point to be made about the difference between mala in se and mala prohibitum,” Jimenez said. “This is a very important criminal law principle. What it says is that a crime mala in se is a crime that is by itself naturally wrong…But there are some offenses that are mala prohibitum, which means they are considered wrong under the law, only because a special law exists that criminalizes it,” he said. Jimenez was clarifying a portion of the Comelec First Division’s resolution on the disqualification cases against presidential candidate Marcos Jr. which reads that “the failure to file tax returns is not inherently wrong in the absence Earlier this week, poll results from independent groups – Laylo Research Strategies and Tangere – showed Marcos was even leading in Robredo’s traditional bailiwick, the Bicol Region. Laylo’s result in Bicol from its January 2022 survey had Marcos leading with 51 percent as compared to Robredo’s 33 percent. In a January 2022 survey by Tangere, the country’s biggest online market research panel, Marcos led all presidential candidates in Bicol with 45.27 percent voters’ preference as compared to Robredo’s 25.57 percent.

ILO... From A1 including any links to trade union activities, determine culpability and punish the perpetrators,” the ILO said. There was no immediate reaction from Malacañang. Among the grave allegations raised were the extrajudicial killing of 10 trade unionists, and 17 cases of arrests and detention following police dispersal of a protest and police raids on union offices and unionists’ homes, the agency said.

WHO... From A1

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UPMG recognizes print media’s ‘HeADliners’ for 2021

For centuries, print media has been a source of credible news and information. Even as new challenges emerged, such as the advent of digitalization and the COVID-19 pandemic, the medium persists through the trust and goodwill it has generated through eons of public service. “Print media in its traditional form has already been challenged by digitalization even before the COVID-19 crisis,” Jay R. Sarmiento, vice president of the United Print Media Group (UPMG), said at the organization’s first general membership meeting of 2022. “But print media is resilient. We did not allow ourselves to run out of ink, mainly because print media offer something very valuable and that is credibility. Against the wide sea of fake news, the trust on a reputable source of information becomes all the more important. We are able to maintain our integrity in delivering fair, professional, balance, and accurate information. No doubt, the power of print in providing high quality and credible information is what sustains us,” Ms. Sarmiento, who is also the sales and marketing director of PhilSTAR Media Group, said. In recognition of the media agencies and advertisers who maintained their faith in the print industry and supported it through challenging times, UPMG held its 2021 HeADliners Awards. The awards honored the industry’s biggest supporters: the media agencies and advertisers both in the public and private sector that have kept print alive through perhaps the most challenging time of print’s centuries-long history. The winners for the “HeADliners” of 2021 are as follows: Media Agencies are Starcom, Mediavest, Touch XDA, New Directions, and IPG MediaBrands. Advertisers - Public Sector are Go Negosyo, Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, PAGIBIG Fund, and Lungsod ng Makati. Advertisers - Private Sector are Toyota Motors, SM Supermarket, Ortigas Land, PLDT Smart, and Isuzu. Champions of truth, fairness, and accuracy In receiving the award, Tricia Camarillo-Quiambao, IPG Mediabrands Philippines CEO, said that her organization will continue to support the print medium as it sees the values it brings to the Filipino public. “On a personal note, my roots are in journalism, which has a lot to do with print, so I am a believer in its vanguard qualities: trust, credibility, integrity, authority, discipline, truth. These will have a very important place in the future of our industry,” she said. Thermina Ann Akram, executive director at GO Negosyo, said, “Through the years, print media has been our channel to promote the advocacy of entrepreneurship. And we have utilized print media to provide inspiration to Filipinos through true stories of success, and now the value of vaccination so we can move forward from this pandemic.” Meanwhile, Elmer Harold Grande, chief of the communications management division at CITEM, said that the print medium helps their organization with its advocacy to promote Filipino entrepreneurs. “We at CITEM firmly believe that the media serves as our partner and ally, not only in sharing at what we do at CITEM, but more importantly in amplifying our message that the Philippines is a major player and a top-of-mind sourcing destination for top quality products in the home, fashion, lifestyle, and food sectors as well as creative talents and services. With this award, we look forward to a longstanding partnership with our friends from the media, and a rekindled spirit to continue championing the ingenuity, artistry, and excellence of Filipino enterprises,” he said. Kalin Franco-Garcia, vice- president at Pag-IBIG Fund, shared her history of how she built a relationship with the UPMG’s print media and publication companies. “You might ask, why was the marching orders from our CEO then to build a relationship with print media? Why print? The answer is that print is powerful. It has plenty of uses and the power lies in its credibility. When you print something in black and white, it is perceived by the public as the unassailable, incontrovertible truth,” she said. Mila Gonzales, supervision administration officer at Lungsod ng Makati, said, “In this digital age, print media remains highly relevant and reliable as the communication tool. The city always puts a premium on accuracy, fairness, and transparency in public information. Hence, its continuing investment in print advertising.” Elvin Luciano, assistant VP of marketing services at Toyota Motors Philippines, said that print media has been instrumental in the company’s performance in the Philippines. ”Toyota has been an industry leader in the Philippines for two decades now and that feat would not be possible without the help of our friends from print media, and without the power of the print media, which you have been graciously sharing with us through the years. Especially now in our challenging times when industries and businesses from all over the world are transforming and evolving,” he said. “As Toyota embarks on our transformation journey, we are also excited to see how the print media will evolve and transform in the coming years, and we will be joining you in that transformation,” he added. Echoing the sentiment, Robert Carlos, assistant division head for sales at Isuzu, said, “As we diversify our marketing efforts to different channels, we continue to support print media and value the amount of exposure it provides for us to be able to reach our target market.” Barbie Atienza, UPMG president, said that through a united front, UPMG, together with its partners, can overcome the challenges it is facing and play its part in keeping print media as an established and trusted source of news and information. “We know for a fact that even before the pandemic itself, we have been facing challenges – both in our business and operations – with different factors involved, with the emergence of new media, with the different outlooks as far as advertising and marketing are concerned. But we remain steady. As they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going,” Mr. Atienza said. “That’s what we wanted to do with the association and with the industry. We try to keep ourselves afloat by keeping ourselves together, with strengthened unity, by getting everybody together, getting our acts together,” he added. Mr. Atienza further noted that UPMG plans to continue offering learning opportunities for its members and partners so that they could navigate current and future issues better, and establish a Print Congress to pursue its perpetual mission of sustaining the credible nature of the print industry. “If you want your messages to come across as truthful, credible, and reliable, then you know what channel to go to. As they say, if it’s in print, it must be true. In the midst of fake news and misinformation, this is certainly most important,” Mr. Atienza said. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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Education still Win priority in Senate

REELECTIONIST Senator Win Gatchalian has vowed to prioritize the recovery of the country’s education sector from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, vowed to continue to push for the safe reopening of schools and the resumption of face-to-face classes. He added that his legislative agenda will also focus on improving both the quality of education and the country’s public schools where about 90% of learners nationwide are enrolled. The World Bank estimates that learning poverty, or the percentage of 10-year-old children who cannot read or understand a simple story, is at 90% in the Philippines. This figure will likely worsen because of prolonged school closures. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) also estimates that the yearlong lack of face-toface classes will result in P11 trillion in productivity losses over the next 40 years. “Our job is not yet finished. Our advocacy is to push for the welfare and rights of every student towards quality education. Macon Ramos-Araneta

De Lima: Comelec must rethink rules REELECTIONIST Senator Leila de Lima on Friday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to reconsider the election campaign permit system embodied in its Resolution No. 10732. De Lima, a former election lawyer, maintained that the Comelec should revisit its new guidelines before it unnecessarily constrains the candidates’ right to campaign effectively. “With the start of the campaign period for national posts, we are now realizing that it is an unnecessary added burden to political parties and candidates,” said the senator, who is still in jail on drug charges. She noted this is the first time that the Comelec has implemented a permit system for election campaigns. “Undoubtedly, this is because of the pandemic and the need to prevent the spread of the virus in campaign activities,” said De Lima. “However, the guidelines contained in the COMELEC Resolution, even without the permit system, are sufficient enough to ensure safe election campaigning,” she added. Under Comelec Resolution No. 10732, in-person political gatherings such as campaigning, rallies, caucuses, meetings, conventions, motorcades, caravans, and miting de avances would only be allowed if permitted by the Comelec Campaign Committee (CCC), which is in charge of regulating activities related to the May 9 polls. Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez reportedly said that the rules were made “not for convenience” but for safety amid the pandemic. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Keep alert levels —Minguita Padilla

ALERT levels should be kept while the country transitions from a COVID-19 pandemic to an endemic state, said Dr. Minguita Padilla, the Partido Reporma senatorial candidate. Padilla, a health advocate, also said alert levels should be imposed depending on the location and the percentage of the vaccinated population. “You cannot do Alert Level 1 in places that have been hit by (typhoon) ‘Odette,’ where residents have not yet been vaccinated,” she said. She said 35 percent vaccination level is not acceptable for Alert Level 1. “So, we cannot do it for the entire nation. We still have to decide depending on the vaccination rate,” the ophthalmologist noted. “But I still believe for campaign areas, for example, where people gather, only the fully vaccinated should be allowed to enter the campaign venue just to be safe.” Those allowed entry, she said, should still wear their masks, “at least until we’re totally out of the pandemic.” With increased vaccination rates and reduced cases of COVID-19 infections leading to hospitalizations, she also agrees with the plan of the national government to push for a pandemic exit soon. Macon Ramos-Araneta

BBM eyes Rody blessing as he, Inday Sara visit Valenzuela City By Rey E. Requejo

VIZCAYA WELCOMES SARA. Lakas-CMD Vice Presidential Candidate and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte gets the warmest welcome from supporters in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya during the continuation of her Mahalin Natin Ang Pilipinas Ride via motorcycle to the north of the country (see related story below). Ver Noveno

LED BY 5 EX-NEDA CHIEFS

Over 100 economists, gov’t execs back Leni By Rio N. Araja

ICE President Leni Robredo on Friday expressed her gratitude to economists, retired military officials, diplomats, and former government officials who endorsed her candidacy, saying it gives her confidence that they who have served the country in earnest believe in her capacity to be the next President. “They are all very capable and wellrespected individuals who have devoted a good part of their lives working for the government,” said Robredo’s spokesperson, Barry Gutierrez. “That they believe VP Leni should be the country’s next President because of her leadership and her qualifications is a boost for the campaign, and we hope this can inspire and encourage others to

support her presidential bid.” Over 100 economists and five former National Economic and Development Authority chiefs have backed the presidential bid of Robredo in the May 9 elections. “At this time when our country is struggling to recover from its deepest economic crisis since the 1980s, we believe that the government’s

role has never been more indispensable,” the Economists for Leni said in a statement. “We, the undersigned economists, express our full support for the presidential bid of Ma. Leonor ‘Leni’ Gerona Robredo,” they added. Those who signed included ex-NEDA chiefs Ernesto Pernia under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte; Solita “Winnie” Monsod, the Socioeconomic Planning secretary under the late former President Corazon Aquino; Cielito Habito (Ramos administration); Dante Canlas (Arroyo administration); and Emmanuel Esguerra (Benigno Aquino III administration). Other signatories were former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas deputy governor Diwa Guinigundo and economist-lawmaker Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo.

TITO, PING IN TAGUM.

Lacson-Sotto tours Davao Norte cities, Reporma bailiwicks

Supporters swarm vice presidential candidate Tito Sotto while running mate Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson has a gaggle of women following him (inset) as they toured Tagum City in Davao del Norte on Friday. Louie Sauro B. Millang

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

Isko ‘overwhelmed’ by 12-hour motorcade through Laguna districts RESIDENTS in Laguna came out in droves Thursday and crowded the streets to cheer and express their overwhelming support to Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso as the “Team “Isko” motorcade wended its way around the 16 municipalities of the 4th District of Laguna. The Laguna sortie was the longest motorcade so far for Moreno and his Aksyon Demokratiko candidates lasting almost 12 hours from the 10 a.m. jump-off in Sta. Maria town until the 9:30 pm sign-off in the municipality of Pila. The Feb. 8 motorcade in the City of Manila only lasted 7 hours after it was cut short for the 5 p.m. Proclamation Rally at the Kartilya ng Katipunan.

F2F INSPECTION.

San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora inspects face-toface (F2F) classes in Pedro Cruz Elementary School in the city on Friday as it once again opened its doors to children whose parents allowed them to attend ‘regular’ classes again. Manny Palmero

FORMER senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is “hopeful” of receiving President Rodrigo Duterte’s endorsement as the next Chief Executive for the May 9 elections, his spokesman said Friday. Lawyer Vic Rodriguez said getting Duterte’s backing is a “big boost” to Marcos’ bid for Malacañang. Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, also said Thursday she was hoping to get the President’s explicit support. Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte on Thursday held a grand rally in Valenzuela City, Metro Manila’s vote-rich industrial center, where the formidable tandem and UniTeam’s entire Senate slate were formally endorsed by local government officials led by Mayor Rex Gatchalian. The UniTeam was well-received by thousands of their supporters, who expressed optimism the tandem, together with their senatorial bets, is the best team to lead the country in the next six years. “Well, kami ay hopeful. Kagaya ng sinabi rin naman I think ng nakararami kundi man lahat ng presidential candidate, it could be a big boost to get the endorsement of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” Rodriguez told TeleRadyo. “Hindi kami inosente sa ganun. Gusto rin namin makuha ang endorsement ni Pangulong Duterte but hanggang nga sa ngayon e siguro nag-iisip pa ang ating Pangulo. Maghihintay kami at patuloy na aasa na makuha namin ang kaniyang matamis na oo,” he added. In a taped public briefing aired late Monday, the President said he was not supporting any of the presidential candidates in the upcoming national polls but believed all the candidates were “qualified.” Marcos and Duterte’s charismatic presence worked with the crowd as they were greeted with screams and shouts of joy shortly after they arrived at the Wellness Entertainment Sports (WES) Arena where the event was held.

Besides Santa Maria and Pila, Laguna’s 4th district is composed of the municipalities of Sta. Cruz, Cavinti, Famy, Kalayaan, Luisiana, Lumban, Mabitac, Magdalena, Majayjay, Paete, Pakil, Pangil, and Siniloan. Laguna is a vote-rich province with 1.9 million registered voters. Everywhere Moreno proceeded, thousands of screaming and cheering supporters jostled for position in the crowded streets, all trying to shake or just touch the hands of the 47-year-old Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer, and warmly welcomed him with open arms in Laguna. It was as if whole towns and villages stopped their daily

chores just to get a glimpse of Moreno. Workers, public utility vehicle drivers, store owners, market vendors, construction workers, farmers, parents carrying their children, senior citizens, youth, and members of the LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer and intersexed) community were all there, everybody cheering Moreno as he and his team passed on top of a medium-sized flatbed truck with a make-shift roof. Some mothers and fathers even raised their children asking Moreno to touch their heads, with some even asking him to embrace their children, to which Moreno happily obliged. Rey E. Requejo

Speaker: Sara will make good vice president By Maricel V. Cruz SPEAKER Lord Allan Velasco on Friday said he believes Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte will make a good vice president, as he reiterated his all-out and unconditional support for her candidacy. Velasco likened the vice-presidential frontrunner to the majestic Philippine Eagle that symbolizes courage and compassion. “Mayor Inday Sara possesses a clear vision, is courageous, has integrity, honesty, humility, compassion and clear focus. There is no doubt she will be a good vice president,” Velasco, a close friend and ally of the presidential daughter, said while campaigning for her Friday morning in Cabanatuan City.

The House leader issued the statement as his team joined the Luzon leg of Mayor Duterte’s Mahalin Natin ang Pilipinas Ride (MNPR), a month-long national caravan that is taking her from Davao City to various parts of the country. Velasco, who is running unopposed in Marinduque’s lone congressional district, is also supporting the Pusong Pinoy Party-list, which is running under the platform “Labanan ang Sakit at Kahirapan.” Thousands of people lined up along the highway in Nueva Ecija as they waited for the arrival of Mayor Duterte and her team. The caravan was headed for Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Friday afternoon.

ON the fourth day of their campaign, presidential hopeful Sen. Panfilo Lacson and his running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, toured Davao del Norte after securing the support of their allies in their hometowns of Imus, Cavite, and Quezon City. Davao del Norte is considered a bailiwick of Lacson-Sotto in Mindanao by virtue of their strong alliance with Partido Reporma stalwarts former House Speaker Pantaleon ‘Bebot’ Alvarez and incumbent Governor Edwin Jubahib, who committed solid support to campaign for their tandem. Shortly upon arriving at the Davao City airport Friday morning, the tandem went straight to the Panabo Multipurpose Tourism Cultural and Sports Center, where they were welcomed by around 2,000 political allies and supporters wearing white campaign t-shirts. Present in the socially distanced indoor assembly were the mayors, vice mayors, council members and constituents of Panabo City, Tagum City, Island Garden City of Samal, Santo Tomas, Carmen, Kapalong, San Isidro, New Corella, Asuncion, Dujali and Talaingod. Speaking before the crowd, Jubahib stressed Filipinos are in dire need of incorruptible leaders with good hearts and pure intentions to serve the public. They vowed to solve the age-old problems plaguing the nation such as insurgency, unemployment and poverty, among others. “And I strongly believe that the people who can help end the problems of the Philippines are none other than Senator Ping Lacson, Senator Tito Sotto, and our candidates for senator,” the governor said. Sotto spoke about their platforms geared towards ending corruption, including their flagship Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) program. He said this would induce widespread social and economic development in the poorest communities of the country.

Opinion Who will an all-Duterte appointed COMELEC serve? THE Commission on Elections’ (COMELEC) First Division on February 10 released its decision junking the three consolidated disqualification cases against Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. by a 2-0 vote. The vote of former Commissioner and Presiding Officer of the Division, Rowena Guanzon who retired on February 2, was excluded. Guanzon, before retiring, has made public her vote on the case, which favors the disqualification of the dictator’s son from running for president in the May 2022 national elections. Guanzon’s separate opinion was also earlier submitted as she accused the ponencia, Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, of intentionally delaying the release of the decision until after she, Guanzon, has retired. Thus, instead of the 2-1 vote, the decision became a unanimous 2-0. For Guanzon, Marcos Jr. clearly committed a crime involving moral turpitude when he failed to file his income tax returns (ITR) for the years 1982 to 1985 (four years) while he was the sitting Ilocos Norte ViceGovernor. He was convicted and sentenced by the Regional Trial Court for non-filing of his ITR. Such conviction was affirmed by the Court of Appeals (CA) although the CA removed the prison term as decided by the RTC. However, the decision penned by Ferolino said that “The failure to file tax returns is not inherently wrong in the absence of a law punishing it.” According to the decision, the penalty of perpetual disqualification was not provided for under the original 1977 National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) and that such penalty only came into force on January 1 1986 when Presidential Decree 1994 became effective. This is quite interesting because both the Quezon City RTC Branch 105 decision in 1995 and CA verdict in 1997 have convicted Marcos, Jr. of the crime of non-filing of his ITR for four years. If there was no crime, why was Marcos convicted in both Courts? As a non-lawyer, I’d like to ask: does the COMELEC’s First Division decision have the effect of reversing the rulings of two Courts of Law? Does the COMELEC decision imply that the RTC and CA erred on the Marcos tax evasion cases? There are other pending cases before the poll body on the matter of Marcos’ candidacy. One is an appeal to the en banc of the petition to cancel his Certificate of Candidacy (COC), and another disqualification case, the lawyer of which is former COMELEC Chairperson Christian Monsod. Therefore, this is not finished yet. The consolidated petitions decided by the First Division may also be appealed to the en banc. Thus, the COMELEC still has to deal with this matter. Talks are rife about a scenario where

these cases against Marcos will drag for some time, that these may be decided after the elections. People say that should the tandem of Marcos, Jr. and Sara Duterte win, the former may be disqualified. By that time, the rule on succession will kick in, and another Duterte may become the next president. Is this scenario too strange?

They should have the strength of character to adhere to their mandates. Well, the reality is, the May elections will be in the hands of the COMELEC – whose officials are ALL Duterte appointees. Guanzon, Former Chair Sheriff Abas, and former Commissioner Antonio Kho all retired last February 2. The COMELEC is supposed to be composed of six Commissioners and one Chairperson. However, since Duterte has not (yet) appointed a new Chair, Comm. Socorro B. Inting, being the most senior Commissioner, has become the acting Chair. Unless Duterte makes new appointments, there will only be three remaining Commissioners – Marlon Casquejo from Davao, Aimee Ferolino who worked as an election supervisor in Davao del Norte, and former Manila Chief City Prosecutor Rey Bulay who is from San Beda and said to be a fraternity brother of Duterte. Pending new appointments, instead of seven, there are now only four COMELEC officials who will compose the en banc that may decide on the remaining cases against Marcos, Jr. These four officials will also oversee the very crucial May elections. Of course, the electoral body’s structures and systems are in place all over the country. However, should major problems arise, only four, instead of seven members of the Commission will decide on matters that will affect the lives of more than 100 million Filipinos. And even if Duterte fills the COMELEC vacancies, ALL officials will be his appointees. Who will an all-Duterte-appointed COMELEC serve? This is a valid question especially since the value of “utang na loob” is quite strong in the Filipino culture. Will an appointee go against the perceived interests of his/her appointing power when such interests violate the law or will result in injustice? Hopefully, ALL political appointees will have the needed strength of character to adhere to their mandates. This should be of interest to all political camps. For now, there are no concerted moves from the various groups to make sure that the people’s will will prevail. Specifically, Vice President Leni Robredo being the major opposition, and her camp should prepare to ensure that the elections will be clean and honest. We want the people to choose wisely. And we want those choices respected. @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

Bitter row erupts over Anne Frank betrayal book By Jan Hennop IT WAS meant to put one of World War II’s greatest mysteries to rest, but instead a new book about young diarist Anne Frank has stirred up ghosts from the past. A heated debate has erupted over “The Betrayal of Anne Frank” by Canadian author Rosemary Sullivan after it named a Jewish notary as the prime suspect in giving up Anne and her family. Dutch historians and Jewish groups have criticized the “sensationalist” book, the result of a six-year cold case investigation, while its local publisher has halted further reprints. But the former FBI agent who led the probe, Vince Pankoke, angrily hit back this week alleging that the “venomous attack” may have been motivated by the book’s controversial conclusion that a Jew was responsible. The book caused an international storm when it was published on January 18 with its claims about the betrayal of Frank, a Jewish teen whose diary was published after her death in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. It identified Amsterdam notary Arnold van den Bergh, a Jew, as “most likely” the

man who in 1944 gave up the location of the canalside annexe where Frank penned her diary during two years in hiding, most likely to save his own family from the Nazis.

The controversial book claimed that a Jew was responsible for the discovery of the Franks’ hiding place. Researchers said they used modern criminal investigative techniques, complex algorithms and witness statements -- and most tellingly a note given to Anne’s father Otto shortly after the war which named Van den Bergh. ‘Speculative’ But there was a fierce reaction in the Netherlands, which is still haunted by guilt over the deportation of more than 100,000 Jews during the war. The results were “extremely speculative and sensationalist”, the Amsterdam-based Central Jewish Consultation (CJO) organization said. “There is no smoking gun or hard evi-

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EDITORIAL

A grim power scenario

S THE country gears up for national elections this year, a climate and energy policy group has forecast a possible power shortfall across the Luzon grid this summer, particularly in the weeks before the May polls. Alberto Dalusung III, energy transition advisor of Institute of Climate and Sustainable Cities, said his group ran scenarios using data from the Department of Energy and National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, the Quezon City-headquartered privately owned firm created by law in 2009, which is a consortium of three corporations: Monte Oro Grid Resources Corporation, Calaca High Power Corporation, and the State Grid Corporation of China. The major power lines of the Luzon Grid are the overhead SucatAraneta-Balintawak and HermosaDuhat-Balintawak transmission lines which both serve the Metro Manila area, with the latter also serving the Central Luzon provinces of Bataan, Pampanga, and Bulacan and has been in service since 2000 and June 1994, respectively. Dalusong painted at ANC’s “Rundown” a conservative scenario which

has forced the group to think “that we will fall into what is called red alert status (which) means we don’t have enough capacity for the load and a certain reserve margin and, because of that, there might be blackouts in the grid during that period.”

So much is at stake. That is rather a frightening scenario, particularly if it should happen during the counting of ballots cast – which is a ferocious mnemonic of what happened in the same national elections six years ago. This early, officials concerned should leave no lines unattended to ensure that there would be a stable power supply during the elections, when the people will stake their future in the next six years and beyond, and doubtless help economic rehabili-

tation following the nearly two-year pandemic. So much is at stake. Should the pessimistic scenario be uncontrollable, power rates, now an unforgiving hammer on many households but particularly, increased rates in power would necessarily be a backwash. Which means Filipinos in the affected areas would have to disproportionately reduce consumption during critical hours of May 9, when more than 65 million registered voters shade their ballots for their leaders during the next three to six years. At the same time, major establishments would have to reduce their power consumption by running their own generator sets or employ what is known as “voluntary load curtailment.” Aggravating this downbeat scenario is the perceived paper-thin stock in the few weeks to and after the elections. It is encouraging that the group has promised to monitor the situation. But officials must not wait for the monitoring of results. They must posthaste get down to the nuts and bolts of the situation and address, where possible, the projected power deficit.

Teaching us how to conduct our democratic process

Allowing a foreign government to assist the country in the conduct of our electoral exercise in the name of doing us a favor amounts to allowing others to carrying out our sacred obligation as an independent state. Foreign assistance to hold an election constitutes a violation of our sovereignty more so because this particular election has reference

to the election of our leader who will lead the country. Their participation, even as an observer, violates our basic right as people and as an independent republic. To begin with, one reason why our relations with other countries, particularly with the US, have badly deteriorated is the habit of American policymakers to interfere in the guise of assisting us in democratically holding our electoral exercise. Such assistance or participation is anachronistic to our claim of independence. No matter how the foreign observers conduct themselves in wanting to project themselves as impartial and neutral, there will always be complaints of irregularities, cheating or fraud. There will always be a party who will feel aggrieved by the result of the election. Even an observer who issues a statement in support for or against any of the protagonists could automatically pull him out of his status as an independent observer. The complaints of irregularities become now the entry point of foreign observers to meddle in our electoral contest. From an observer status, he now becomes an active party to an event which otherwise he has no business participating in. The party who feels aggrieved can question the result of the counting. This explains why the opposition easily calls on the US to initially act as referee and later on prejudge the result because of misplaced reverential respect. Their attitude about the policy particularly with China

dence. The findings are... mainly based on one note, written after the war,” CJO chairman Ronny Naftaniel told AFP. Van den Bergh died in 1950 and “cannot defend himself”, Naftaniel said, adding that the investigation “would never stand up in a court of law”. Jewish organizations in the Netherlands have asked that the book be removed from local shelves, and the Swiss-based Anne Frank Fonds foundation president John Goldsmith told Swiss daily Blick the findings “bordered on a conspiracy theory.” The book’s Dutch publisher Ambo Anthos last week said it was putting all reprints on ice and apologized “for not adopting a more critical stance,” local media reported. The publisher did not respond to a query from AFP. Dutch holocaust historians also raised doubts. “Although the research is impressive, the story simply has too many loose ends,” Johannes Houwink ten Cate, professor of genocide and holocaust studies at the University of Amsterdam, told AFP. Documents showed Van den Bergh and his family went underground by the beginning of 1944, months before the Nazis arrested the Franks, said Ten Cate. “Why would Van den Bergh later risk giving up his own hiding place? It’s beyond belief.”

‘Disparaging remarks’ But those behind the book, published internationally by HarperCollins, struck back this week. Author Sullivan said in a statement on Monday that the probe was “professional” and “thorough”, adding that the book was a “compelling portrait” of a time when people faced impossible choices to save their families. Pankoke meanwhile insisted that his team’s theory remained the most plausible, in a statement on Wednesday. “I was shocked at the disparaging remarks put forth by critics of our investigation,” he said, adding that it was “now time for me to respond and set the record straight. “At least in our theory, there is a pattern of evidence, backed by witness statements, and a copy of a piece of physical evidence presented... by Otto Frank himself,” said Pankoke. One of the main reasons for the furore was the contention that “Jews were forced to turn against one another”, along with a misunderstanding about how criminal investigations are conducted, he said. But he too stressed that by identifying a suspect, they were not necessarily condemning him. “Our message from the very beginning of our investigation was, and always will be, had it not been for the Nazi occupiers, none of this would have happened,” Pankoke said. AFP

FOR a foreign country to get involved in an election in the name of observing its “democratic process” may appear counterproductive to what it seeks to achieve. Anybody who volunteers to offer his services to help the Philippines in its electoral exercise is up to something contrary to what our people expect to happen. The traditionalists have their misgivings to the proffer of the US embassy to assist in the conduct of our electoral exercise when strictly speaking, the holding of an election is something nobody should be allowed to participate or interfere.

Observers, they say they are.

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

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

is more than enough to forewarn our people of the policy direction where the opposition candidate is heading. What the foreign observers are doing does not really matter. After all, it is not their duty to prove the allegation but to solely discredit the authenticity of the election result. This is why the opposition is so eager to see the government invite foreign observers from the US and from Western Europe. They are concerned about making sure their interests coincide with their investment in this country such that the outcome of the election could not affect their business dealings here. Even the popularity of the top candidate can easily be pulled down. Any statement to present as rule-based often becomes mere presumptions. The claim is often accompanied by their monopoly and control of the media. This is enough to overcome the belief that the more popular candidate lost to a foreign stooge. The men of the Church vouched how exceedingly honest and holy their candidate is. If US can succeed in convincing a substantial number of people that the opposition candidate won, they can demand to annul the result of the election or to sow intrigue to some adventurist members of the Armed Forces to overthrow the duly-elected President, which reason why they insist in being allowed to observe, or a process of making a monkey out of our own foolishness. There is no way their stooge can be defeated as she claims despite being illogical and mumbling on what word to say. Today, they fear the old electoral cheating done in the 2016 election can never be repeated. The head of the Comelec who is now on the run in the US did not have the nerve to return for fear his “padrino” is no longer around to defend him. According to the charge’s d’affaires of the US embassy, Heather Variaba, the embassy “looks forward to discussing with Comelec of being part of any election process or observation program that Comelec hosts.” rpkapunan@gmail.com Full version on www.manilastandard.net

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Binay: Govt should give farmers more water sources

DOJ: Removal from WPP won’t affect drug case By Rey E. Requejo

By Joel E. Zurbano FORMER Vice President and senatorial candidate Jejomar Binay on Friday said farmers should be provided with more irrigation facilities and water sources to increase agricultural productivity and keep food prices stable. Binay issued the statement from the Province of Quezon, where he is on the third leg of his campaign sortie in Southern Tagalog. Of the country’s 3.1 million hectares of irrigable land, Binay said the National Irrigation Authority’s (NIA) total developed service area stood at around two million hectares in 2020. He said that these could be further improved through the construction of small-scale irrigation facilities. “Aside from depending on large-scale structures like dams, the government can build more small-scale irrigation facilities including Small Water Impounding Project (SWIP), small diversion dams (SWD), small farm reservoirs (SFR), and shallow tube wells,” Binay added. The SWIP, SWD, and SFR collect rain or stream water in a containment structure or reservoir. Shallow tube wells, meanwhile, draw water from aquifers for irrigation use. The former vice president said these structures can also be used for aquaculture, as well as ﬂood prevention and control. “Instead of rainwater merely wasting away and causing ﬂoods, we can store them for future productive use, especially during dry months,” Binay said. “In the long-term, the government can entice more Filipinos to go to the agricultural sector by improving irrigation facilities, providing farming inputs, as well as developing a critical mass of agricultural professionals in the country and investing in research and development,” he added. In 2020, the country’s agriculture sector contributed 10.2 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), a slight increase from the 9.2 percent registered in 2019. The sector has steadily declined from 2015 to 2019, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed.

PLAYTIME FOR CHILDREN. Children play at the playground of Barangay H2 in the Dasmariñas City on Friday morning after the province of Cavite was placed under Alert Level 2. Parents are urged to still follow health protocols and show a vaccination card. Jr Josue

Transport groups press for P10 jeepney fare T RANSPORT groups are asking the government to return the P10-minimum fare for jeepneys, amid increasing fuel prices.

Transport groups earlier ﬁled a petition to increase the minimum fare to P15. Fuel prices continue to rise, with diesel prices ranging from P57 to P60 per liter. In 2018, the price of diesel ranged from P42 to P49. Pasang Masda president Obet Martin lamented that drivers and operators may not be able to afford the P57 per liter price of diesel. He said transport groups are asking LTFRB chief Martin Delgra to consider their petition. He also asked the public for “understanding,” noting that jeepney drivers earn only P150 to P200P250 per day due to the fuel price hikes. The LTFRB said it cannot immediately decide on the transport groups’ requests. The LTFRB also said it will need to con-

duct the hearing on the petition, set for early March. Oil ﬁrms have increased oil prices for 6 consecutive weeks. The Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan (AGHAM) meanwhile expressed concern over the series of oil price hikes. AGHAM president Angelo Palmones said there is a need to protect Filipino consumers from the volatility of international oil prices. “Fuel prices are continuously increasing and consumers are left with no choice but to pay more for oil. It’s not just the motorists who are bearing the brunt, but also other industries whose cost of production and operations are affected by higher oil prices,” Palmones said.

As of February 8, year-to-date adjustments to stand at a total net increase of P6.75 per liter for gasoline, P9.15 per liter for diesel, and P8.45 per liter for kerosene, according to Palmones. AGHAM said that as an oil-importing country, the Philippines is exposed to the volatility of international oil prices, which have been rising due to disparity in supply and demand, and the geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine. AGHAM, meanwhile, lauded Manila Electric Co. for the lower electricity rates this month. Meralco announced its rates went down by almost P0.12 per kilowatt-hour in February. “Usually, when oil prices go up, cost of electricity also increases since power plants that supply to Meralco are also affected by movements of global fuel prices,” said Palmones. With Alena Mae S. Flores

CSC warns civil servants not to engage in ‘electioneering’ AS THE country begins the ofﬁcial campaign period for the 2022 national elections, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) reminded civil servants not to engage in electioneering and partisan political activity. The CSC said in a news release on Friday that such acts are prohibited under the Constitution and other laws and statutes, with the aim to ensure that civil servants are focused on the discharge of their duties and functions and to insulate them from politics. Electioneering and partisan political activity refer to any act “designed to promote the election or defeat of a particular candidate/s or party/ies to public ofﬁce”, according to Commission on Elections (Comelec) and CSC Joint Circular No. 001, series of 2016, dated March 29, 2016.

The prohibited activities include; forming organizations, associations, clubs, committees, or other groups of persons for the purpose of soliciting votes and/ or undertaking any campaign for or against a candidate/party; holding political caucuses, conferences, meetings, rallies, parades, or other similar assemblies for the purpose of soliciting votes and/or undertaking any campaign for or against a candidate/party; making speeches, announcements, or commentaries, or holding interviews for or against the election of any candidate/party for public ofﬁce; publishing, displaying, or distributing campaign literature or materials designed to support or oppose the election of any candidate/party; and directly or indirectly soliciting votes, pledges, or support for or against a candidate/party.

VALENTINE’S DAY DISPLAY. Couples pass by wedding gowns displayed at the Venice Grand Canal at the Bonifacio Global City. Malls across the metro have begun decorating and preparing their shops for Valentine’s Day. Norman Cruz

SSS starts refunding P105m payments from pension loan borrowers By Rio N. Araja THE Social Security System on Friday announced that it has already started refunding one to two months of loan payments collected from its pension loan borrowers under the pension loan program (PLP) in 2020 effective Jan. 20. President and chief executive ofﬁcer Aurora Ignacio said the pension fund would refund P105 million worth of

pension loan payments to 25,231 pension loan borrowers. “We understand the predicament faced by our PLP borrowers which is why they opted to file their loans to SSS to further finance their medical and immediate financial concerns brought about by the current pandemic,” she said. PLP offers financial assistance to retiree pensioners for their short-term needs and the refund of their pension

loan payments would greatly help them cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, she added. The program was launched in September 2018 to help retiree pensioners with their short-term ﬁnancial needs by offering a loan at a low-interest rate of 10 percent per annum with a maximum loanable amount of P200,000 payable in six,12, and 24 months. The pension loan payment refund is

based on Circular No. 2022-002 in compliance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act. Under the law, banks, quasi-banks, ﬁnancing companies, lending companies, and other ﬁnancing institutions, both public and private, were directed to give a 30-day grace period for borrowers’ loan payments without incurring any interest on interest, penalties, fees, and other charges.

Don’t use platforms for polls, celebs told By Vito Barcelo

FAST-FOOD JOINT AS A VAX SITE. A popular fast-food restaurant in Paco, Manila serves as a vaccination site on February 11. Vaccinators administered boosters against COVID-19 from AstraZeneca. Vaccinations and booster shots are still being given to the unvaccinated. Norman Cruz

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) reminded showbiz personalities not to use their platforms to endorse political candidates because this could be considered as “donated advertising time.” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said only candidates, and not their celebrity endorsers, should take a leave from their shows or programs. “Under election laws, candidates who have programs should take a leave from their programs. We do not refer to endorsers but again it’s good practice to not use their platforms to campaign because it will become an issue in terms of using these

platforms for campaign purposes,” Jimenez said. Meanwhile, the Comelec said it is strictly implementing campaign regulations, including those on social media. “The fact that these regulations are imperfect should not be taken as a signal by the people or by the concerned individuals to take them lightly. So we will be enforcing the rules and we will be ﬁghting for their implementation throughout the entire campaign,” the poll spokesman said. He added that mechanisms have been set in place for candidates to report their spending on the use of social media during the campaign. The 90-day campaign period for national posts started on February 8.

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday expressed confidence that the removal of alleged drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa from the government’s Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Program (WPSBP) will not affect the pending drug cases in courts against him and those against his fugitive co-accused Peter Go Lim. Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento stressed that the prosecution will no longer use Espinosa as a witness in the drug cases. Espinosa has pending illegal drugs cases before the regional trial courts in Manila and Leyte. Since then, he has been detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). However, with his removal from the WPSBP, Malcontento said the prosecution has asked the courts to transfer his detention to a facility under the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. “We filed a motion to transfer him to a regular jail,” he said. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra had notified Espinosa that he was being delisted from the coverage of WPSBP. “Your coverage under the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Program (WPSBP), upon the recommendation of OIC Deputy Director Atty. Eleanor Rachel M. Angeles, National Bureau of Investigation, effective immediately, in view of your continued commitment of various violations inside the detention facility…” “Accordingly, the termination of your coverage carries the accessory coverage of your wife and dependents,” Guevarra said. The DOJ chief stressed that under the memorandum of agreement, Espinosa agreed to “abide by WPSBP policies, restrictions, directives, rules and regulations.”

IN BRIEF Binondo bridge set to open in April, says DPWH THE P3.3 billion Binondo-Intramuros Bridge Project will be open to trafﬁc by April this year as the mega project is already 92 percent completed, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said. Public Works Roger Mercado said that works at the Binondo Intramuros Bridge Project are progressing well and on track for the planned opening this 2022 Holy Week. “At 92 percent, we are rushing to finish the newest landmark in Manila with its iconic basket-handle tied steel arch”, according to DPWH - Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain. Completing the up and down ramps at Binondo and Intramuros has been a priority. The ramps at Binondo side are located at Muelle dela Industria Street for up-ramp and at Rentas Street and Plaza del Conde Street for down-ramp. Also ongoing is the construction of ramps at Intramuros side with an upramp at Riverside Drive and down-ramp at Solana Street. The project is ﬁnanced by a government aid grant from the People’s Republic of China. Vito Barcelo

Napolcom opens PNP online entrance exam THE National Police Commission (Napolcom) announced Friday that its Online Examination Application Scheduling System (OLEASS) will be activated on Monday. The nationwide exam will be on April 9 for the Philippine National Police Entrance Examination (PNPE) and April 10 for the PNP Promotional Examination, Napolcom Vice Chair and Executive Officer Vitaliano Aguirre II said in a news release on Friday. The OLEASS at www.oleass-napolcom.com shall be opened noon onward on February 14 for the PNPE for applicants with family names starting with A and B; February 15 for applicants with family names starting with C, D, E and F; February 16 for G, H, I, J, K and L; February 17 for M, N, O, P and Q; and February 18 for R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z. For the promotional examination, the server will be available starting noon on February 19 for Police Officer 4th Class Examination (Corporal and Staff Sergeant); and from February 21 onwards for Police Officer 3rd Class Examination (Master Sergeant, Senior Master Sergeant, Chief Master Sergeant, and Executive Master Sergeant); Police Officer 2nd Class Examination (Lieutenant and Captain); and Police Officer 1st Class Examination (Major and Lieutenant Colonel).

World

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022

Republic of the Philippines Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Kagawaran ng Pananahanang Pantao at Pagpapaunlad ng Kalunsuran National Capital Region

New Zealand COVID protest grows after police draw back PROTESTER numbers outside New Zealand’s parliament swelled Friday as police scaled back efforts to clear anti-vaccine demonstrators involved in violent clashes a day earlier. A festive mood prevailed at a makeshift tent settlement inhabitants have dubbed “Camp Freedom,” with music and dancing as police looked on from behind barricades. It was a stark contrast to the fiery scenes Thursday, when a phalanx of officers attempted to evict the protesters, arresting 122 people and using pepper spray to quell scuffles. Wellington police described the hands-off tactics as a “measured approach,” pointing to the presence of children among the crowd. “Police are continuing to monitor and contain protest activity at parliament grounds,” Superintendent Corrie Parnell said in a statement. “Police have identified a range of different causes and motivations among the protestors, making it difficult to open clear and meaningful lines of communication.” Activists have been camped on the lawns of parliament for four days in a protest that began Tuesday as a copycat of a “Freedom Convoy” action by Canadian truckers in Ottawa. The parliamentary precinct has been declared closed to the public but the measure has not been strictly enforced and the number of protesters on the lawns increased from about 250 to around 1,500 throughout Friday. A protester named Carrie, who declined to give her surname, said the activists remained committed to their goal of ending vaccine mandates. “The way the police handled us has shocked us all to the core,” she told AFP. “What they did yesterday was way beyond any of our expectations. Brutal, absolutely brutal.” New Zealand requires mandatory COVID vaccinations for people working in sectors such as health, law enforcement, education and defence, with those who refuse the jab facing the sack. Proof of vaccination must also be shown to enter restaurants, sports events and religious services. AFP

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that SERVEQUEST, INC., (Owner/ Developer), has filed with Department with the reclassification from BP 220 (Economic) to PD 957 (Medium Cost) condominium units at MILLE CASE RESIDENCES PHASE 1 (Bldg. Due Tre Quattro and Cinque) located at Summit Circle Road, Purok 1, Brgy. Bayanan, Muntinlupa City. The project was issued Provisional Certificate of Registration No. 136 and License to Sell No. 220 both dated on December 01, 2021. SERVEQUEST, INC. has issued an Affidavit of Undertaking dated September 29, 2021 to submit an Accredited Socialized Housing Compliance pursuant to DHSUD Department Order No. 003, Series of 2021, as its compliance to Sect8 0f the Republic Act (RA) No. 7279, as amended by RA No. 10884. That within the first half of the time of completion of the main project the owner/ developer of the main project shall secure the Certificate of Registration and License to Sell of the Socialized Housing Condominium Project within the project located at Summit Circle Road, Purok 1, Brgy. Bayanan, Muntinlupa City and its accreditation as compliance project without need of notice or demand from DHSUD regional office. All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon. Absent any legal impediment the abovecited project is deemed cancelled and a cancellation in evidence thereof shall forthwith be issued after five (5) days from the last publication. Quezon City, Metro Manila, Feb. 03, 2022.

COUNTERBALANCE. (Left to right) Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a photo before the Quad meeting of foreign ministers in Melbourne on February 11, 2022. AFP

(MS-FEB. 5 & 12, 2022)

Manila

US, Asia Quad allies meet

Standard ERRATUM TODAY

to deepen bulwark vs. China

HE top diplomats of the United States, Australia, Japan and India opened talks in Melbourne Friday on deepening their Quad alliance, hoping to blunt China’s expanding power across the Asia-Pacific region.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison kicked off the day by highlighting the group’s importance in building cooperation among democracies, while making a thinly-veiled allusion to his country’s troubled relationship with Beijing. “We live in a very fragile, fragmented and contested world,” he told the visiting officials. “We stand up to those who would seek to coerce us,” he said. Without mentioning China by name, Morrison said it was a “great comfort” that the three fellow Quad members understand “the coercion and the pressure that Australia has been placed under.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that even though Russia’s threat to Ukraine occupies Washington right now, the longer-term issue is China’s rising power. “To my mind, there’s little doubt that China’s ambition over time is to be the leading military, economic, diplomatic and political power not just in the region but in the world,” he told The

Australian newspaper on the eve of the talks. The Quad was first launched in 2007, but only took root a decade later after China agManila gressively projected its military power into the Standard TODAY South China Sea, and following violent border clashes with India. While the four held joint naval exercises in 2020 in the Bay of Bengal, the meetings in Melbourne are aimed at deepening cooperation across other fields like fighting Covid-19 and coordinating on critical information technology issues, including the global rollout of 5G telecommunications networks. Blinken said they were seeking to develop and “affirmative vision” on a range of challenges, such as agreeing on technology standards, and cooperating on health issues and climate change. The COVID-19 pandemic has been central to giving the grouping greater meaning beyond its image of trying to “contain” China. The four countries used the Quad framework to commit to distributing 1.3 billion vaccine doses, with more than 500 million already delivered, according to Payne. As for Washington, the meeting is a chance to reaffirm its decision to make Asia and the Pacific the centrepiece of foreign and defense policy, even as the White House and Pentagon are currently consumed by the potential for a Russian invasion of Ukraine. While Ukraine is “front and center” in Washington right now, Blinken said ahead of his arrival in Australia: “The world is a big place.” AFP

Musk ‘confident’ of Starship orbital launch this year

Australia warns koalas ‘endangered’

AUSTRALIA officially listed koalas across a swathe of its eastern coast as “endangered” on Friday, with the marsupials fighting to survive the impact of bushfires, land-clearing, drought and disease. Conservationists said koala populations had crashed in much of eastern Australia over the past two decades, warning that they were now sliding towards extinction. Environment Minister Sussan Ley said she had designated koala populations as “endangered” to offer them a higher level of protection in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland. The koala, a globally recognised symbol of Australia’s unique wildlife, had been listed as “vulnerable” on the eastern coast just a decade earlier. “We are taking unprecedented action to protect the koala,” the minister said, highlighting a recent government promise of Aus$50 million LACK (US$36 million) to protect and recover koala habitats. Environmentalists welcomed the koalas’ new status but condemned Australia’s failure to protect the species so far.

“Koalas have gone from no-listing to vulnerable to endangered within a decade. That is a shockingly fast decline,” said WWF-Australia conservation scientist Stuart Blanch. “Today’s decision is welcome but it won’t stop koalas from sliding towards extinction unless it’s accompanied by stronger laws and landholder incentives to protect their forest homes.” Conservationists said it was hard to give precise figures on koala populations in the affected eastern states. But estimates by an independent government advisory body – the Threatened Species Scientific Committee – indicated that koala numbers had slumped from 185,000 in 2001 to just 92,000 in 2021. Alexia Wellbelove of the Humane Society International said east coast koalas could be extinct by 2050 if no action was taken. “We can’t afford any more clearing,” she said. The Australian Conservation Foundation said its own research showed that the federal government had approved the clearing of more than 25,000 hectares of koala habitat since the species was declared vulnerable a decade ago.AFP

ELON Musk delivered updates on SpaceX’s efforts to develop its interplanetary Starship rocket on Thursday night, but stopped short of announcing a firm launch date for an orbital test or new missions, despite considerable buildup ahead of the rare presentation. Addressing an audience at the company’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, south Texas, the tycoon merely said: “I feel at this point highly confident that we’ll get to orbit this year,” while hinting at a potential pivot to launching from Florida if the company encounters regulatory hurdles. Musk was speaking against the impressive backdrop of the spacecraft in its fully-stacked configuration, standing 394 feet (120 meters) tall, with a matte black upper-stage placed on a shimmering silver Super Heavy first-stage rocket. Together, they make the biggest spacecraft ever built: taller than even the Saturn V rockets that took astronauts to the Moon during the Apollo era. Made of stainless steel and designed to be fully reusable, Starship is also intended to be the world’s most powerful rocket, and will be capable of lifting up to 100 metric tonnes to Earth orbit. SpaceX envisages the ship carrying crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars and beyond – and last year, NASA awarded the company a contract for a version of Starship to ferry astronauts on the Artemis program from lunar orbit to the surface. In his first detailed progress report on the project since 2019, Musk recapped his ultimate vision for colonizing Mars as a “life insurance” in case of catastrophe on Earth, and as the first step in expanding humanity’s footprint beyond the solar system.AFP

There was an error in the DENR Administrative Order which was published on February 11, 2022. The Administrative Order should have read as: DENR ADMINSTRATIVE ORDER NO. 2022-01 And not as published. For this we apologize, thus this erratum (MS-FEB. 12, 2022)

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC Promo Name:

Text-Only Facebook & Messenger Zero- Rated Program Mechanics

Service Description: DITO Telecommunity in Partnership with Meta will be launching Text-Only Facebook. This program will allow DITO subscribers to stay connected with a text-only version of Facebook. DITO subscribers will be able to like, post, share, comment, and message their friends and family without data charges. Videos and images will not be available under this feature unless DITO subscribers switch to paid mode with standard data charges from DITO. Service Availability This feature will be available to all DITO subscribers in DITO via mobile data access Feature Launch Date Availability of the feature is scheduled on February 15, 2022 and will continue to be made available until both parties decide otherwise. Request for NTC Approval Launch of Text-only Facebook service with free data to DITO subscribers Mechanics 1. DITO Subscribers need to turn on their Mobile Data Access while using their DITO Sim 2. Subscribers need to log-in to their Facebook App or if they are accessing via mobile browser, they need to log-in to free.facebook.com 3. Upon successful log-in, a pop- up screen will appear detailing the difference between regular and Text-Only Facebook. The user must select the “Text Only” option to be able to post, like, share, comment and message without data charges. However, upload and download functions for content such as pictures or videos will not be available. (Text Only Mode: is when a DITO subscriber turns on the Text-Only Facebook feature that will allow them to like, post, comment, share without incurring data charges. Viewing of videos and images will not be available under this feature but will be accessible if the subscriber decides to switch to paid mode that will incur data charges.) 4. If the subscriber decides that he wants to view pictures and videos, a pop- up screen will appear, and the user will need to select “Use Data” to be able see the video and image content provided he/she has data credits 5. If the user decides to switch back to Free Mode, he/she may do so anytime by clicking “Go to Text Only” button on the upper right corner of the screen. Coverage and Availability Text-only Facebook is available NATIONWIDE where DITO network coverage and services are available. Free Data will be enjoyed by DITO subscribers upon entering and only while in “Text only Mode” as defined herein. (MS-FEB. 12, 2022)

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC DISCOVER Zero- Rated Program Mechanics Service Description: DITO Telecommunity in Partnership with Meta (formerly Facebook) will be launching “DISCOVER” which is a mobile app and web browser that enables DITO Subscribers to browse text on the internet without charges for up to 10Mb per day. Discover supports only low-bandwidth traffic such as text and icons when using free data. Video, audio, and certain other types of data-intensive traffic are not supported when using Discover without data charges. Beyond this, users can purchase data to view and access all photos and videos on the internet. Facebook Discover will be made available to subscribers even when they have 0 balance. Service Availability This feature will be available to all DITO subscribers via mobile data access Feature Launch Date Communication and Promotion of the feature is scheduled on February 15, 2022 and will continue to be made available until both parties decide otherwise. Request for NTC Approval Launch of Discover Service with free data to DITO subscribers capped at 10MB Mechanics 1. 2. 3. 4.

DITO Subscribers need to turn on their Mobile Data Access while using their DITO Sim Subscribers need to download the DISCOVER APP or if they are accessing via mobile browser, they need to log-in to discoverapp.com Upon successful acceptance of Terms and Conditions, the SEARCH screen will appear. And the DITO user may start searching the web for the information they want to access If the subscriber decides that he wants to view pictures and videos, a pop- up screen will appear, and the user will need to select “See Photos” to be able see the video and image content provided he/she has data credits from DITO.

Coverage and Availability DISCOVER is available NATIONWIDE where DITO network coverage and services are available. Free Data will be enjoyed by DITO subscribers upon entering and only while in “Free Mode” as defined herein. (MS-FEB. 12, 2022)

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

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022

Business

S. Korea’s KEPCO purchases 51% of Mindanao coal plant Vehicle sales fell 11.2% in January By Othel V. Campos AUTOMOTIVE sales fell 11.2 percent to 20,765 units in January this year from 23,380 units year-on-year after a strong holiday spending a month before. A joint report Friday by Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association Inc. showed a 25.4-percent decline in sales from December’s 27,846 units. “The industry anticipated a bleak growth last month. Historically, every first month of year is indeed sluggish coming from higher growth sales performance recorded every holiday season,” said CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez. Sales in December last year were the highest since the the pandemic hit the Philippines in March 2020. Passenger car sales in January dropped 20.7 percent to 5,784 units from 7,295 on year and 31.5 percent from 8,447 units in December last year. Sales of commercial vehicles dropped 6.9 percent to 14,961 units from 16,085 on year and 22.8 percent from 19,399 units in December. Sales of light and category 5 trucks and buses among the commercial vehicles, however, posted a slight recovery. Sales of light trucks rose 0.3 percent to 334 units from 242 units and 14.9 percent to 85 units from 74 units in December. Sales of the AUV and light commercial vehicle segments in January, meanwhile, declined 21.4 percent to 2,452 units from 3,118 units on year, and 3.5 percent to 11,893 units from 12,318 units, respectively. Both segments posted a downtrend on month-month sales with AUV registering a 23.7-percent drop from 3,215 units and LVC by 22.5 percent from 15,340 units in December 2021. Sales of category 4 trucks and buses fell 10.3 percent to 217 units from 242 units on year and 35.8 percent from 338 units in December 2021. “Unfortunately, we cannot dismiss the impact of tighter restrictions reimposed in January as new cases of COVID-19 rose, particularly in NCR and nearby provinces, resulting in a lukewarm reception for big-ticket items spending,” Gutierrez said, referring to the National Capital Region.

By Alena Mae S. Flores

ISTED SPC Power Corp. and affiliate Intrepid Holdings Inc. are acquiring the 51-percent majority stake of STEAG GMBH in STEAG State Power Inc., which owns and operates a 210-megawatt coal-fired thermal power plant in Misamis Oriental, for $51.99 million.

SPC Power, formerly Salcon Power Corp. and owned by Korea’s KEPCO Philippines Holdings Inc., said in a disclosure to the stock exchange that it and unit IHI and STEAG GMBH signed an agreement on the purchase and sale of shares of STEAG GMBH in SPI on Feb. 10. STEAG GmbH is a German power company that runs coal-fired power plants in Germany, Turkey, Colombia

and the Philippines, while STEAG State Power Inc., or SPI, is an independent power producer and a special purpose company established to own, finance, build, operate and maintain the first coal thermal power plant in Mindanao. “This acquisition is in line with the objective of SPC to support growth and address the country’s need for reliable, affordable and sustainable power sup-

ply,” the company said. SPC said STEAG GMB sold its 51-percent interest in the outstanding capital stock of SPI, with the SPC acquiring 40.5 percent and IHI, 10.5 percent. SPC said the transfer of the ownership rights would be equivalent to the sum of the consideration for the common shares of $33.889 million and the consideration for the redeemable shares of $18.110 million and interest accrued on the shares at the Locked Box Interest Rate. Locked Box Interest Rate means an amount equal to the interest, accrued on a daily basis, at a rate of 4 percent per annum calculated over the period starting from Jan. 1, 2021 until the completion or March 31, 2022, whichever is earlier.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, February 11, 2022

-162.26 PTS. 7,270.36

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

844,791,870 116,591 9,036,785,418.62 111 78 50

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

51.2670

Japan

Yen

0.008621

0.4420

Pound

1.355800

69.5078

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128289

6.5770

Switzerland

Franc

1.080847

55.4118

Canada

Dollar

0.786225

40.3074

Singapore

Dollar

0.743826

38.1337

Australia

Dollar

0.716500

36.7328

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652872

136.0048

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266553

13.6654

Brunei

Dollar

0.741070

37.9924

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.030656

1.5716

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.9593

Euro

1.142800

58.5879

Korea

Won

0.000833

0.0427

China

Yuan

0.157416

8.0702

India

Rupee

0.013320

0.6829

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.239120

12.2590

New Zealand

Dollar

0.666900

34.1900

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035908

1.8409 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF Nepomuceno firm to hike solar output

NEPOMUCENO-OWNED renewable energy firm Raslag Corp. (RASLAG) plans to expand its solar power generation capacity to 250 megawatts (MW) in the next 10 years from 23.14 MW. RASLAG has lined up the expansion of three solar projects in Mexico, Pampanga that wants to complete within five years due to the growing demand for renewable energy, domestic economic expansion and a global trend toward sustainability,. The company said it is nearing the completion of its 18.011 MW RASLAG-3 solar power plant, which is set for commercial operations by May. This will nearly double RASLAG’s generation capacity this year. The company also began work on he development of the 35.2-MW RASLAG-4 solar power plant and acquired the site for the 60-MW RASLAG-5 Solar Power Plant. “Within the next 10 years, RASLAG plans to further develop its project pipeline with the aim of scaling up its generation capacity by more than 10-fold to 250 MW,” the company said in a statement. Alena Mae S. Flores

PH enjoying trade surplus with Europe

2GO’S DONATION. The staff of 2GO Group Inc. prepare relief goods for families affected by Typhoon Odette at the company’s

warehouse in Palawan. 2GO transported tons of relief goods port-to-port to ensure the prompt and timely delivery of essential goods to typhoon-hit areas. Behind the scenes, its people, who were situated in the typhoon-stricken region, move heaven and earth to make sure the needs of the many were served.

Cemex says net income last year down by 26% to P726m By Jenniffer B. Austria CEMEX Holdings Philippines Inc. (CHP) said Friday net income in 2021 declined 26 percent to P726 million from P985 million a year ago mainly because of foreign exchange losses. Cemex said in a disclosure to the stock exchange, Friday full year sales increased six percent to P20.9 billion on higher volumes. Cemex’s domestic cement prices, however, fell two percent due to product mix. “Despite the challenges of COVID-19, adverse weather and rising input costs, we are proud of our accomplishments in 2021. We embraced health and safety, enhanced customer experience, and advanced in our sustainability tar-

gets,” said Cemex president and chief executive Ignacio Mijares. The company expects cement volumes to continue recovering this year, with construction activities to remain a driver of the country’s economic growth. “The 2022 national budget is the highest in Philippine history, 11.5 percent higher than the 2021 national budget, with 17 percent allocated to the Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Transportation,” said Cemex. The company allocated P6.21 billion in capital expenditures for 2022, with P4.76 billion set aside for the expansion of Solid Cement plant in Antipolo, Rizal and P1.45 billion for main-

tenance and other capital spending. Completion of the $356 million expansion plan has been delayed to March 2024 due to construction delays. The company in December terminated the contract with the previous party that covers the construction and installation of a 1.5-million, metricton-per-year integrated cement production line. The termination was due to delay in the implementation of installation works. Cemex this month engaged two new contractors, Atlantic Gulf and Pacific Co. of Manila Inc. and Betonbau Philippines Inc. to complete the new cement production line. Shares of CHP on Friday dropped 4.6 percent to P1.04.

Century Properties Group pegs interest on P3-b, 5-year fixed-rate bonds at 5.75%

JAPAN LOAN. The Philippines and Japan sign a 253.31-billion-yen loan ($2.2 billion) agreement representing the second-tranche of funding for the construction of the Metro Manila Subway Project. Leading the signing ceremony are Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III (left), on behalf of the Philippine government, and Eigo Azukizawa, chief representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency. With them are Japan Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa and Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan. Dominguez thanked Japan for continuing to extend financial support to build the Metro Manila Subway, one of the flagship projects under the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program of the government.

CENTURY Properties Group Inc. set the rate for its P3 billion, five-year fixed rate bond offering at 5.7524 percent per annum. “We are happy with the strong capital markets condition, allowing us to price the issuance at the tighter end of the range of our indicative spread” said CPG’s chief finance officer Ponciano Carreon Jr. The first tranche of CPG’s P6-billion debt securities program under shelf registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission will have a base issue size of P2 billion, with an oversubscription option for another P1 billion and will mature five years from listing or in the year 2027. The bonds are expected to be listed and traded through Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. on Feb. 24, 2022. The company said P1 billion from the proceeds will fund capital expenditures

for the horizontal affordable housing developments of PHirst Park Homes Inc., a joint venture with Mitsubishi Corp. The balance of the proceeds will be earmarked for partial debt refinancing and other general corporate purposes. “This marks the fourth capital markets transaction of CPG, and we expect this offering to be very well received by a broad range of investors. We are honored to be a reliable partner of the CPG group in achieving its growth ambitions,” said Ryan Martin Tapia, president of China Bank Capital Corp., the sole issue manager, sole lead underwriter and sole bookrunner for the offer. CPG said that as of September 2021, PPHI launched three new projects with total expected revenue of P2.9 billion. These projects are strategically located in General Trias, Cavite; Baliwag, Bulacan; and Tayabas, Quezon.

TRADE with the European Union remains brisk, with the Philippines enjoying over €1 billion in trade surplus after exports to the EU hit €7.2 billion against imports of €6.1 billion in the first 11 months of 2021. “We see that the new Philippine trade figures are approaching their pre-pandemic levels. This is a positive indication that trade relations between the EU and Philippines remain strong, amid the global economic crisis,” said EU delegation in Manila head of trade and economic affairs Maurizio Cellini at the launch of Doing Business in the Philippines (DBIP) 2022 Publication Friday. He said the Philippines enjoyed almost €2 billion in preferential access trade to the European market under the EU Generalized System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) during the period, with the GSP utilization rate in the range of 75 percent. The Philippines is eager to resume talks on the new proposed preferential trade access agreement that will replace the GDP and GSP+ trade schemes with the block, but the EU Parliament is yet to finalize the requirements for joining, said Cellini. Othel V. Campos

Holcim’s testing lab obtains DPWH nod

LEADING building solutions provider Holcim Philippines Inc. joins other world-class local companies after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) accredited the company’s materials testing laboratory as fit for government infrastructure projects following the recent upgrade of its Bulacan plant. “Many thanks to the DPWH for accrediting the materials testing laboratory of our Bulacan plant, which is supplying a number of important infrastructure projects in Luzon.Technical support is important for such projects so this accreditation can further strengthen our customer’s confidence in the quality of our products coming from the Bulacan Plant,” said Holcim Philippines president and chief executive officer Horia Adrian. The company’s cement plant in Norzagaray passed the DPWH audit on the facility’s compliance with the department’s standards on laboratory competency, quality management system, customer reliability and products. The accreditation is valid until November 2023. Othel V. Campos

Gross international reserves slightly declined to $108.45b in January on foreign debt repayment By Julito G. Rada THE gross international reserves settled at $108.45 billion in January, slightly lower than $108.79 billion in December, pulled down by foreign debts payment and decreased value of the gold holdings of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The BSP said in a statement Friday the latest GIR figure represented a more than adequate external liquidity buffer equivalent to 10.3 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income. It is also about 8.6 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 5.9 times based on re-

sidual maturity. “The month-on-month decrease in the GIR level reflected mainly the national government’s payments of its foreign currency debt obligations and downward adjustment in the value of the BSP’s gold holdings due to the decrease in the price of gold in the international market,” it said.

Data showed that the value of BSP’s gold holdings as of end-January declined to $9.18 billion from $9.3 billion as of end-December 2021. The net international reserves, which refer to the difference between the BSP’s reserve assets and reserve liabilities, also went down to $108.45 billion in January from $108.79 billion

in December. Michael Ricafort, chief economist of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said the GIR in the coming months could rise to new record highs amid the continued growth in the country’s structural inflows from OFW remittances, BPO revenues, foreign tourism revenues and foreign direct investments.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022

LeBron, Durant draft rosters for All-Star tiff on Sunday

PBA RESUMPTION. NLEX Road Warriors’ KJ McDaniels scores against Meralco’s Cliff Hodge in the resumption of the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday. The Bolts won, 110-100.

US coach: Miller capable of top 45 in winter games Y

ANQING, China—Asa Miller has the tools and skills of barging into the top 50 in giant slalom of alpine skiing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the Filipino-American’s coach said on Friday.

“We’re going to see some good skiing from Asa. And if he skis what he’s capable of, he’s capable of top 45, easily,” said Will Gregorak, who arrived here on Thursday to oversee Miller in his second consecutive Winter Games. Gregorak, a former world top 50 alpine skier giant slalom and slalom when he was racing for the US team, said Miller has improved a lot since Pyeongchang 2018, when he finished 70th

Aldeguer, McDaniel lead PH U-23 roster By Peter Atencio ANOTHER member of the talented McDaniel siblings, and the son of a former La Salle Green Archer have made it to the Philippine men’s Under-23 national football team slated to see action in the coming ASEAN Football Federation Championship 2022 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from Feb. 14 to 26. Their participation will help the squad get ready for the coming Southeast Asian Games. Griffin McDaniel is the younger brother of Malditas booters Olivia and Chandler, key players of the Philippine National Women’s Football Team that made it to 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The 21-year old McDaniel, a midfielder for the Laguna Stallions FC, traces his roots, along with his sisters, from Pampanga and Davao, where mom Lindy’s parents are from. His dad Clint, a soccer coach, and their family are from Laguna Beach, California. On the other hand, Aldeguer won the MVP honors for La Salle Zobel in the junior division of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, and was encouraged by his father Dino Aldeguer, who was part of the 1999 team of the Green Archers when they won the UAAP cage crown. The Philippines is bunched with hosts Cambodia, Timor-Leste, and Brunei Darussalam in Group A. Matches are scheduled to be played at the Morodok Techo National Stadium and Prince Stadium. The top team from each group, along with the best second-placed team will advance to the knockout stages. Also in the roster are midfielders Oskari Kekkonen, Oliver Bias, Dennis Chung, Sandro Reyes, and goalkeeper Quincy Kammeraad.

among 110 competitors. “I see him develop not only technically, but as a competitor,,” said the 31-year-old Gregorak. “He understands himself a lot better and ski racing is such a very variable sport that anything can happen on race day. So you have to go to the game charging with a lot of intensity—and there’s always a lot of risks involved.” The giant slalom event starts at 10 a.m.

on Sunday at the Ice River course of the National Alpine Skiing Centre. Miller, whose campaign is fully supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission, will also see action in slalom on Wednesday. The 21-year-old Miller, Gregorak observed, never backs down from a challenging course on the slope of Xiaohaituo Mountain. “My first impression of the slope is it gets steeper and icier, it’s a very legit hill so it’s going to be an intense and high level skiing,” he said. “But Asa is not backing off from the very intimidating pitch, skiing confidently and looks like he’s doing very well mentally to prepare

himself on what type of skiing he will put down on the race deck.” Miller said he feels strong for both events after getting accustomed to the Ice River for almost two weeks. “In GS [Giant Slalom], you have more time and the terrains is a little bit bigger so I am more slightly comfortable,” Miller said. “GS is my strongest discipline, but I am close to equal [for slalom].” “Slalom is much faster, the terrain is much smaller so you have to move much quicker,” said the Economics sophomore at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. “Slalom and giant slalom are different disciplines for the slightly different skills set.”

CAPTAINS LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets have selected the team rosters for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, as revealed in TNT’s presentation of the NBA All-Star Draft. The matchup between Team LeBron and Team Durant in the 71st NBA AllStar Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, airing live at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States and reaching fans in 215 countries and territories in 59 languages. In the NBA All-Star Draft, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was selected by James with the first overall pick. Joining Antetokounmpo and James as Team LeBron starters are Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Chicago Bulls guard/forward DeMar DeRozan and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić. With his first pick among reserves, James selected Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić. Team LeBron’s other reserves are Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul and Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet. Philadelphia center Joel Embiid was selected by Durant with the second overall pick in the NBA All-Star Draft. Joining Embiid as Team Durant starters are Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young. With his first pick among reserves, Durant selected Phoenix guard Devin Booker. Team Durant’s other reserves are Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, Utah center Rudy Gobert, Chicago guard Zach LaVine, Milwaukee forward Khris Middleton, San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns. Tatum, who was selected to the NBA All-Star Game as a reserve, was drafted with the starters as a replacement for Durant, who is unable to play in the game. Warriors forward Draymond Green, who is unable to play in the NBA All-Star Game, has been assigned to Team Durant because the player who replaced him (Murray) was selected by Team Durant.

‘Shiffrin’s DNFs can happen to anybody’ YANQING, China—A DNF (Did Not Finish) can happen even to the best of them, Asa Miller and dad Kelly said on Friday, two days before the younger Miller competes in men’s giant slalom of alpine skiing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. “It happens to all the top skiers, even to the best,” said the 21-year-old Miller, who didn’t DNF in his Games debut in Pyeongchang four years ago and finished 70th among 120 participants. “Look at any race and some of the best do not finish.” Mikaela Shiffrin, the two-time Olympic champion and one of the most recognizable in the games, had consecutive DNFs in women’s giant slalom and slalom earlier this week. The American icon crashed in all her runs, spending no more than 20 seconds on the Ice River, the ski course that reared its brutal side to the gold medal favorite. Kelly Miller, an active ski patroller at Mount Hood in Oregon for 27 years, said the key to avoiding a crash is to train and adapt to the course days before any race. “Every race course, how it’s set and the snow conditions change. You try to understand all the variables and plan

how to ski it,” Kelly Miller said. “But sometimes you are off and can’t recover from a mistake. I’m sure she [Shiffrin] will come back.” Shiffrin did come back in the Super-G but her time didn’t push her to a medal finish. Also a three-time World Cup champion, four-time slalom world champion and winner of 47 World Cup slalom races, Shiffrin DNFed in a slalom race only three times in the last eight years. “Really what is more surprising is that DNFs are so few,” Kelly Miller said. “In the 229 career Olympic, World Cup and world championship races that Shiffrin has entered, she skied out of a race course just 14 times and has done so only three times in the last four years.” Shiffrin’s previous DNF in slalom before Beijing happened a month ago in a World Cup event in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. Asa Miller’s American coach Will Gregorak, who arrived here Thursday, said a fraction of a mistake in a second could instantly drive anybody off the course. “That’s what happened to Shiffrin,” said Gregorak, who raced in the World Cup 23

Shown here are (from left) Kelly Miller, Asa Miller, PSSF President Jim Apelar and American coach Will Gregorak

times for the US team. “The sports skiing is one of the sports where people only pay attention when the Olympics comes around. But the nature of the sport of skiing to go on Shiffrin’s level, it is miraculous that she finished the races, as she does attacking, as hard as she does.” “The simple reality of skiing is that a pretty minor mistake or even not a neces-

sary mistake, just the lack of anticipation of a piece of snow can take you out of the race extremely, quickly, and that’s extremely common among at any given race so it’s always unfortunate that it happened to Shiffrin in the Olympics,” he said. Gregorak said that the most difficult part of the hill is right at the start gate itself.

Hamilton returns to Mercedes factory ahead of season

Lewis Hamilton

SEVEN-TIME Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton was seen at the Mercedes F1 factory last week as the team prepares for the upcoming F1 season. Although his participation in this year’s championship is still in doubt following the contentious end to the 2021 season, Hamilton made his way to team HQ to complete pre-season tasks required if he does race. He also shared some videos of himself doing physical training and preparation. Hamilton’s recent activities indicate that he is preparing for the F1 season like he would for any other, but this should not be construed as a guarantee that he

will compete this year. Before making a definitive choice on his commitment this year, the 37-year-old is awaiting the conclusion of the investigation into last season’s last race. Hamilton lost the championship to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after race director Michael Masi failed to follow the rules correctly in administering a late-race safety-car period. Other than a brief message on social media last weekend in which he said, “I’ve been gone. Now I’m back,” Hamilton has remained silent since the race after the events in Abu Dhabi are said to have left Hamilton disillusioned and causing him to lose faith in the FIA. As part of the investigation of the

race’s incidents, the concerned parties are scheduled to engage with representatives from the governing body this week to discuss the events of Abu Dhabi and what lessons can be learnt from Masi’s missteps there. Following that, FIA single-seaters chief Peter Bayer will meet with president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to review the findings of the investigation before the two deliver their suggestions to F1 president Stefano Domencali and the teams at a meeting of the F1 Commission on Monday, February 14. Hamilton is anticipated to wait until those findings are released before deciding whether or not to return to Formula One this year.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022

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

Home/Design

Greenhills skyscraper P rimex Corporation recently led a toppingoff ceremony of the Primex Tower, the tallest skyscraper in San Juan.

WORK LIFE BALANCE AT RLC

These days, the term “work-life balance” has become more aspirational, with more people spending time at home—not necessarily to live, but to work. “We at RLC Residences strive to continue shaping spaces that help Filipinos raise, live, and connect in all areas of their lives,” said RLC Residences marketing head Karen Cesario. RLC Residences offers ‘walk-break’ areas such as the flower garden, garden walk, and outdoor area at The Radiance Manila Bay in Pasay. Meanwhile, the Magnolia Residences in Quezon City lays out a children’s playroom, an outdoor playground, and a tree house. At the Trion Towers in BGC a hobbyists’ nook for homeowners who are into handicrafts is allocated, including a gaming room for individuals who are into video games, as well as a knowledge room (Inset), a space perfect for catching up on the latest bestsellers.

The P5-billion glass edifice, a ‘Grade A’ LEED-certified tower, is the flagship project of the Primex Group. The building stands on a 1,944 sqm lot bounded by three streets at EDSA corner Connecticut and Florida streets at the Greenhills commercial district. The project has 29 floors dedicated to commercial and office spaces open for lease, or sale. The penthouse will be an exclusive residential floor and a total of ten floors are on tap for parking. Pullman Manila, a 5-star destination hotel, will sit on the upper 11 floors of the 50-storey Primex Tower. The hotel will boast of 194 guestrooms, an executive lounge, meeting rooms, function rooms, an all-day dining restaurant at the sky lobby, fitness center, a rooftop restaurant and bar with a serene view of the metropolis skyline.

RENOVATE TO INNOVATE

Revamping the office for future success

TORRE LORENZO ON TRACK. Real estate developer

Torre Lorenzo Development Corporation (TLDC) recently confirmed that scheduled property turnovers remain on track despite limitations encountered across the real estate industry brought about by the pandemic. TLDC turned over 3Torre Lorenzo on P. Ocampo Street (formerly Vito Cruz) corner Taft Avenue in Manila and Torre Lorenzo Malate (TLM) on Malvar Street in Malate, Manila in December 2021. The 35-storey premium residential development Torre Lorenzo Loyola in Katipunan, Quezon City was topped off (Shown in photo) and will be turned over in 2023. TLDC also launched a second residential tower at Tierra Lorenzo Lipa in Batangas, the city’s first urban lifestyle center and mixed-use development. Development is likewise ongoing for 5-star accommodations and amenities at Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort in the Davao Gulf. TLDC recently launched the Lease to Own program which offers flexible pathways to property ownership where potential buyers could move into an available unit while paying towards ownership of that unit. The Lease to Own program was piloted in Tierra Lorenzo Lipa in Batangas and Torre Sur in Las Piñas.

Growth at the crossroads

UNCOMPROMISED LIVING.

Philippine Realty and Holdings Corporation (PhilRealty) remains committed to building not just developments but communities that enable residents to experience urban living in a safe and comfortable environment. The company was one of the first developers to combine the concept of horizontal subdivisions and vertical living in the Philippines through its mid-rise project, The Alexandra in the Ortigas Business District. Later, La Isla Condominium, offered 28 apartments at spacious 270 sqm to 580 sqm cuts, each offering superb views of the city. PhilRealty also developed Skyline Premiere and The SkyVillas in the One Balete Compound in Quezon City as a prestigious address for homeowners who appreciate luxe living in the comforts of home. These developments offer the laidback charm of the New Manila area and features large cuts, bi-level apartments, kitchens with a service entrance, maids’ quarters with toilet and bath, and utility areas with open-air ventilation. For more information about PhilRealty’s properties, visit www.philrealty.com.ph.

SM DEVELOPMENT Corporation (SMDC)’s Gem Residences is being noticed by investors who recognize its value and potential. As SMDC’s first premiere development in Pasig, Gem Residences is seen to transform C5 into a residential and lifestyle corridor, in the same way that SMDC spearheaded Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA)’s transformation into a residential avenue. Gem Residences is built to adapt to the lifestyle changes brought by the pandemic. With ample, functional spaces, residents are not only given a sense of security and privacy, but also a sense of community. Gem Residences also has an integrated commercial strip that brings all your essentials and everyday luxuries within the comforts of the property. For more information about Gem Residences, visit https://smdc.com/properties/ gem-residences/

MORE companies are now adopting a hybrid work setup, a move that is making the planning of optimal office ecology more complex, said investment management firm Colliers. “In a hybrid work setup, businesses must reconfigure their offices not just to accommodate these changes, but also maintain a sense of safety in the workplace and create an ideal work environment,” explained Patricia Cruz, associate director of office services – tenant representation at Colliers. According to Cruz, hybrid work is here to stay and the one challenge with this type of work setup is the fluidity of office needs because the number of employees coming to the office may fluctuate every day. As a semblance of normalcy starts to return in the Philippines and around the world, and more employers are already implementing or planning their employees’ return to office, setting up the workplace in such a way that it integrates collaboration with protecting workers’ health is of utmost importance, said Cruz. “This plus maintaining the workplace flexibility that employees now enjoy.” Colliers urges companies to evaluate the potential benefits of renovating their offices with the following considerations in mind. Ventilation systems Health experts have emphasized the importance of ventilation in minimizing the risk of transmitting Covid-19. “The absence of proper air circulation in an enclosed space allows coronaviruscontaining aerosols to stay suspended in the air longer than they should and reduces the safety of the workplace,” said Cruz. This can be achieved by as simple as opening windows and using

fans to exhaust room air to the outdoors, to using portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) fan/filtration systems to enhance air cleaning. Office ecology How different teams should be positioned relative to each other and how you plan for them to interact are crucial when planning out your renovation, because your goal is to make the workplace more productive and efficient across different business functions and at the same time allow room for social distancing. Pain points of your office space This might also be the time to assess the condition of your workstations, fitout, electrical systems, and plumbing to see what needs work, said Cruz. “Talk to your employees – they will be more than willing to provide feedback on how the office can help them work better.” Collaboration areas While important tasks are accomplished while employees are working remotely, many teams are struggling with generative work that brings about new ideas. To encourage this, consider huddle or informal meeting areas to inspire collaboration while maximizing the use of your office space, said Cruz.

Wellness areas “Wellness” will be the buzzword when we all return to the office – and rightfully so,” Cruz said. Businesses are encouraged to allocate spaces where employees can conduct activities that are beneficial to their well-being, such as a quiet “inspiration” rooms where they can take a breather, or even open spaces where groups can safely socialize or exercise together. Renovation costs Lastly, talk to a project consultant or a fit-out contractor to conduct a test fit-out to determine what needs improvement in your office space and what solutions can be implemented while staying within your budget. Renovating the office is just a small part of a larger shift that companies must be proactive towards: changing work dynamics, cultural norms, and a competitive hiring landscape where the office says a lot about the company. Colliers encourages companies to reassess their current office in terms of space optimization and its adaptability to changing cultural and operational considerations. How people collaborate and perform work have changed forever and the workplace must now be agile and adaptable to these changing work dynamics. “Companies that adapt to the changes brought upon by unprecedented events will be able to retain their existing talent and even attract the best ones,” said Cruz. “It is our belief that how the workplace is designed and used reflects the behavior and culture of an organization.

Tech & Gadgets Integrated approach proposed to bring down online predators TWO advocacy groups are calling for stronger measures to curb Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children, saying that the effort should be integrated among various stakeholders— from the government, private sector, civil society, to the communities and families—as the world commemorates the annual Safer Internet Day webinar held on February 8. The online streaming event was hosted by Globe in partnership with from UNICEF Philippines, Internet Watch Foundation, CitizenWatch, and Bantay Konsyumer, Kalsada, Kuryente. “We can only be truly digitally ready if we can guarantee the safety of our online spaces especially for our children,” said Bantay BK3 convenor Professor Louie Montemar in a statement. “The worsening online abuse and exploitation of children is an alarming development and must be addressed immediately, decisively, and adequately.” Atty. Tim Abejo, co-convenor of CitizenWatch, a group seeking to protect the interest of Filipino consumers, says there are existing laws against OSAEC, but their implementation and execution should be strengthened by the government with the support of the private sector. Government collaboration with the private sector, ISPs, social media platforms and online content providers should be strengthened, so that they are able to actively detect and prevent OSAEC instead of being cowed by fear of violating data privacy and cybersecurity laws. “ISPs should not be burdened by more regulations or sanctions,” he said. “A system must be put in place where they will be empowered to report OSAEC offenders to the proper authorities.” All these, he said, should be accompanied by educational or awareness seminars for parents, children, communities, and educational institutions on OSAEC. A deep, dark problem “The exponential rise of online activities has created a borderless hunting ground for online criminals who prey on internet users,” said Montemar. “This has been a problem even before the pandemic; the COVID-driven lockdowns only magnified their prevalence and reach.” Government revealed last year that transaction reports related to online sexual exploitation rose from 19,000 in 2019 to 47,937 in 2020 when mobility restrictions were imposed to halt the pandemic. The median age of those involved in these transactions is 11. According to CitizenWatch, the Philippines is a center of child sex abuse materials production in the world, with 80% of Filipino children vulnerable to OSAEC. Studies have shown OSAEC is usually a family-based crime, where the abuse has persisted for many years. The situation is worsened by economic difficulties brought about by the pandemic where workers have lost their jobs and other means of livelihood. Other factors include free online connectivity, the widespread use of cellphones, the irresponsible use of technology, and insufficient computer literacy of children and their parents, as well as the myriad online payment facilities now available. Moreover, some cultural beliefs contribute to the prevalence of OSAEC, such as a) if the children are untouched, they are not harmed; b) OSAEC provides easy money and almost everyone does it; c) children are expected to help the family financially; d) one should not interfere in the affairs of other families; and e) technology is only for the younger generation to learn. What is worrisome is that OSAEC is committed not in the “deep web,” but on the surface of the internet, through easyto-access apps and even social media platforms. A web of laws There are several existing laws that define and punish OSAEC acts. These laws are the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 (RA 9775); Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (RA 9208, as amended by RA 10364); Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (RA 10175); Child Abuse Law or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act (RA 7610); and the Revised Penal Code. “As is always the case, however, there is a gap in implementation that allows OSAEC activities to thrive with impunity, victimizing our children,” Abejo said. Abejo further pointed out that “there are also laws that conflict with the implementation of the above legislation, and which make it difficult for the authorities to go after online predators. They are the Anti-Wiretapping Act, where evidence of OSAEC acts secured through wiretaps is admissible, the Data Privacy Act, which prevents ISPs or social media platforms from releasing the personal information of OSAEC violators, and the Cybercrime Prevention Act which deems unconstitutional the collection of traffic data.”

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY12, 2022 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Keep your heart, money safe from online love scams

OVE is in the air and cybercriminals can smell it, too. As the world celebrates another Valentine’s Day, Kaspersky explores the risks wrapped in ﬁnding relationships online, the possible toll it can incur monetarily, and how users can keep their hearts and ﬁnances safe from romance scammers on the internet.

Romance scams are on the rise since 2020 when the pandemic first hit the world. With limited physical movements, the internet, particularly social media platforms, have provided a critical connection for people. Kaspersky’s own research finds that more than half (53%) of social media users around the world have used social networks more during local and national lockdowns than before. The same research also revealed 18% of the 1,007 adults surveyed to represent Southeast Asia (SEA) use social media mainly to find romance and the majority (76%) confirm that social media has provided them a vital connection during the global health emergency. In addition, close to a quarter (24%) of the respondents from SEA said that they have formed real-life, in-person friendships with people met initially on social media while another 18% admitted that they dated someone they’ve met on these platforms. This blossoming way of finding a partner, however, also comes with emotional and financial risks. For instance, in 2021, law enforcement agencies from Singapore and Malaysia worked together to track down a group specializing in romance scams. The syndicate was allegedly behind at least eight scams in both countries, including the case of a 41-year-old Singaporean woman who ended up losing a total of $28,000. Another Kaspersky research - “Mapping a secure path for the future of digital payments in APAC” –revealed that almost one in two (45%) in Southeast Asia (SEA) lost money because of love scams online. Most of the incidents here only cost less than 100 USD (22%). However, it is worth noting that the victim’s age and the possible cost of a romance scam seem to be overlapping. With losses amounting to less than $100, the two oldest generations (Baby Boomer and Silent Generation) logged the highest percentage, both at 33%. The most senior age group, on the other hand, lost the most with nearly two in five of them admitting to losing $5,000 to 10,000 from love scams online. Lastly, a small portion (8%) of Gen Z said cybercriminals have incurred more than 10,000 USD from romance-related threats. “When we were younger, we tend to be more curious and a bit more reckless. When we become older, we have a lot of time in our hands and, usually, retirement

funds in our bank accounts. Cybercriminals know these realities as well as our human tendencies to be lonely and crave for a company when forced to be alone inside our houses,” says Chris Connell, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky. Regardless of platform or app, warning signs of online dating scams include: Demonstration of strong emotions in a very short time. A quick move from dating sites or apps into private channels. The scammer asks you a lot of questions about yourself. This is because the more they know about you, the easier you will be to manipulate. Their story is inconsistent. Scammers sometimes operate in teams, with different people hiding behind one identity. So, if the person you’re talking to seems inconsistent, be suspicious. They don’t have a digital footprint. Whilst some people don’t use social media and try to minimize the amount of personal information about them on the internet, it can be suspicious if you can’t find any trace of a person online. No video calls or face-to-face meeting. People who are scammed generally report that the other person made constant excuses to avoid going on camera. The obvious reason is that they don't look like the person in their profile

picture. They also want to avoid being identified to prevent being tracked down afterward. Requests for money based on personal hardship—for example, for a sick relative or a failed business. How to avoid online dating scams Avoiding romance scams means carefully scrutinizing any online relationship that develops too fast. Here are some more ways to keep your heart and wallet safe: When using social media sites, don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know. Avoid revealing too much personal information in a dating profile or to someone you've chatted with only online. Take things slowly. Ask your potential partner questions and watch out for inconsistencies that might reveal an impostor. Use reputable dating sites and keep communicating through their messaging service. Fraudsters will want you to switch to text, social media, or phone quickly, so there is no evidence on the dating site of them asking you for money. Never give money to someone unless you also have a relationship with them offline. If you do make a date with someone outside of cyberspace, be sure to let people in your life know where you'll be, to be on the safe side. To read the full report, please visit https://kas.pr/b6w8.

Mariwasa’s new vinyl flooring collection ideal for homeowners MARIWASA Siam Ceramics, Inc. is well aware of the importance of sturdy and stylish ﬂooring. This is evident in their recently launched vinyl tile available in 30x30cm and promotes

style, comfort, and quality. Homeowners can continue their daily activities and even engage in rigorous ones without worrying about breaking their tiles or leaving unwanted marks on

the floor. This also saves them a lot of time and money from purchasing products or availing services to address scuffed floors. Aside from the quality of the material, Mariwasa’s 30x30cm vinyl floor tiles come in a variety of designs to meet consumers’ preferences. It also comes in shades of brown, marble, and wood patterns that are easy on the eyes and invoke a friendly and warm feeling. For years, homeowners are interested in building a house with personality apart from being sturdy. Such a goal could be achieved by using durable material that can also meet the different design preferences of homeowners. Fortunately, Mariwasa developed a design that maintains the cozy vibe while giving off a sense of luxury through the “Meteor” vinyl floor tile, which features earthy yet regal tones, such as bronze in an intricate pattern. For homeowners looking for a more modern approach, the vinyl tiles come in bright and minimalistic shades that are chic and easy on the eyes. Having them in a room can liven up

the space while presenting a relaxing aura. Plus, these designs are easy to work with, making them an ideal choice for homeowners who value the overall look of their home aside from its sturdiness. The material is also budget-friendly, giving homeowners a chance to achieve the house of their dreams without blowing their pockets. The recommended areas of application for Mariwasa’s vinyl tiles are in living rooms and bedrooms, where homeowners usually feel relaxed and seek comfort. These are some of the areas of the house that get the most foot trafﬁc. In addition, since the vinyl tiles come into the most contact with homeowners, Mariwasa developed the material to feel light and comfortable as they pass on by. With Mariwasa’s new vinyl tile collection, homeowners can enjoy sturdy and stylish ﬂoor tiles that are easy to install, maintain, and practical. For more information, visit www. mariwasa.com.

Filipino businessman envisions a fully digital future INTEGRITY in business is a critical ingredient for long-term, sustainable growth and success. Eugenio Ynion Jr., a self-made multi-billionaire founder and CEO of Shiptek Solutions—the developer of the home-grown end-to-end logistics orchestration solution, XLOG, is leveraging technology and blockchain to provide seamless and more efficient solutions to stakeholders in the industry. Strategic partners Shiptek has made inroads in cementing strategic partnerships with some of the leading players in various industries, both domestic and global. Among its partners in the Philippines is the UnionBank of the Philippines, one of the most prominent bankers in the country and is also the most aggressive in digital initiatives, particularly in the fintech and blockchain spaces. A critical collaboration between UBP and XLOG is the launch of the Philippines' first blockchain-enabled supply chain financing embedded in a logistics platform. The deal enables stakeholders in the logistics industry to access end-to-end logistics technology for operational efficiency, real-time monitoring, online documentation, and flexible payment arrangements on the blockchain. In the third quarter of 2021, XLOG on-boarded Cebu-based Gothong Southern Shipping Lines to leverage its capabilities to expand GSS' portfolio and ensure excellence in operational efficiency. The long-term impact of the partnership can be immense, as XLOG provides a single platform for its services. CMA CGM deal But its most significant relationship was forged with French shipping and logistics giant CMA CGM (Compagnie Maritime d'Affrètement and Compagnie Générale Maritime) that allows shippers and forwarders access to CMA's global services, while

having access to other transport services on XLOG—creating a perfect synergy between the two platforms. Something personal On a personal note, Ynion's most significant contribution to his community and the country is his ambition to transform a once decrepit center and image of physical and moral decay in San Pedro, Laguna, into a symbol of life and hope. His vision could lay the foundation to transform his quiet corner as the country's digital hub in the Philippines and the country a fulcrum of innovation and ideas in the Asian region. But Ynion has a far more extensive plan for Barangay San Antonio. He wants the transformation of the village to play a critical role in harnessing the varying effects of digitization by bringing the Philippines closer to becoming the next innovation hub in the Asian region. Under UBP's concept, one of the priorities of the campus will be the development of talent that will fuel its innovation initiatives. The facility will also serve as the bank's satellite office in the Southern Greater Manila Area. As for Ynion, the vision is to continually co-develop with more unicorn startups from Israel. It currently employs a thousand to date. "If they have a sandbox where businesses are allowed to move more freely and experiment (with new products and services), we have a SandHub in San Antonio," Ynion explained. "It will be a playground for all innovators all over the Philippines. Here they can meet experts like Dr. Justo A. Ortiz (chairman of UnionBank and certified in blockchain application in the fintech space). We will have regular town hall meetings to be attended by the best and the brightest in the fields of blockchain, data science, artificial intelligence, and fintech," he boasted.

Eugenio Ynion Jr.

RAMON L. TOMELDAN Editor

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022

UASON Racing (TR), the country’s leading motorsports events company, sees the growth of the Esports racing community and the introduction of hybrid racing events for 2022 as new platforms to make Filipino racing dreams ‘pandemic-proof”.

Motoring

Tuason Racing sees growth in 2022

Celebrating their 23rd year, they have been known to be the team behind some of the most festive race events in the country. These, among others, include the Ford Lynx Cup, Ford Focus Cup, Ford Fiesta Cup, the GITI Formula V1 Challenge, and one of the largest racing grids in Asia - the ongoing Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Cup, which saw an astonishing 70 cars/ participants on one race grid. On the flip side, Tuason Racing is also a road safety advocate and was able to conduct several successful online seminars for companies and students. When the pandemic hit, Tuason Racing did a pioneering pivot into Esports by launching the “Race for Frontliners” and the homegrown esports race series, the Formula V1 Virtual Cup. In addition, TR also helped Toyota Motor Philippines in organizing the Toyota Gazoo GT Cup. With the new year, Tuason Racing

Special deals on all-new Honda Civic S Turbo (with Honda SENSING), BR-V up for grabs HONDA Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) is pleased to announce this month’s exclusive special offers, including the All-New Civic 1.5 S Turbo Honda SENSING and Honda BR-V. Furthermore, with the extension of “Choose Your Own Deals” campaign, customers may avail different promo features from February 1-28, 2022. All-New Civic 1.5 S Turbo Honda SENSING The newest offering in HCPI’s model lineup, the All-New Civic 1.5 S Turbo Honda SENSING was officially unveiled in the Philippine market. Featuring a new clean-cut look along with a range of hightech features, the eleventh-generation model sedan now comes with standard VTEC turbo engine for a powerful and engaging driving experience. Furthermore, for the first time, Honda SENSING is now available across all variants of the All-New Civic. With all its superior safety features, this iconic model boasts a 5-star safety rating under the new 2021 ASEAN NCAP assessment, giving customers better safety and peace of mind on the road. BR-V – Combining Style, Power, and Practicality Another well-loved vehicle, the BR-V showcases a sleeker design, advanced features, with its spacious and comfortable cabin that keeps the driver and its passengers at ease throughout the entire trip. The BR-V is powered by the 1.5 Liter i-VTEC Engine, mated to Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), which delivers a smooth, refined and fuel-efficient driving performance. The BR-V achieved a 22.58 kilometer per liter fuel mileage in the Fuel Economy Run conducted with the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP). In addition, its safety features make the BR-V worthy of its 5-Star ASEAN NCAP rating in the Adult Occupancy Protection (AOP) category. Awesome Discounts

Choose Your Own Deals On top of all on-going promotions, to give customers freedom to choose their preferred package that fit their needs, those who will purchase a brand-new Honda vehicle this January are entitled to choose one (1) Choose Your Own Deals promo package:

believes that Motorsports in the country has nowhere else to go but up, given the success of the previous year amidst the situation. “For 2022, I think we have made some of our programs pandemic proof. We really were sidetracked by the Pandemic, but last year we were able to make changes that allowed us to continue the on ground races safely. The Streaming of races also allowed us to reach more race fans.” One of the company’s focuses will be on growing the esport racing community. The “digital life” has been pushed forward and is believed to be another career path where Filipinos can be successful. “We saw the growth of this segment in the younger generations; from 2020 to 2021 a 3% increase in participants was seen in both of the virtual racing series we organized. We now understand how gaming has become a useful way to speak to this market.” Quipped the Vice President for Business Development, Jeanette Tuason. The couple also sees how hybrid racing events will become the trend for wheel to wheel racing. Last year’s successful activation of on ground races will be the foundation as they welcome race fans back to the track without alienating their online fans.

Motolite Excel DIN: Better priced, designed for PH weather

MOTOLITE has introduced in the market its Excel DIN-size batteries that are particularly designed for Philippine weather and road conditions, giving European car owners a better-priced yet very reliable alternative when they replace their imported batteries. The Motolite Excel DIN (short for Deutsches Institutfür Normung or German Industrial Standard) is guaranteed to last up to 70% longer compared to other batteries due to its solid German engineering.` DIN-size batteries are mostly fit for European vehicles, although there are already some Japanese, Korean, American, and Chinese cars that are powered by this battery type. Most car manufacturers, including Toyota, Ford, and Chevrolet, are now shifting to DIN sizes. The Excel DIN is highly recommended for vehicles such as Audi Q5 with startstop, BMW 1 Series with start-stop, Volkswagen TS Multivan, Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI, Passat 2.0, and CC 2.0 TDi - among others. Motolite also improved other features like the reinforced upper frame to make it more robust against grid growth and corrosion and rounded edges to avoid instances of sudden internal short circuits. It has an optimized wire design that lowers electrical resistance and improves current distribution. It also has product-specific container ribs for better resistance to vibration and redesigned element rests for effective channeling of plate residues in the course of battery use The Excel DIN is currently available in select Motolite outlets in these sizes: DIN44, DIN55/R, DIN66/ R, DIN55/H, DIN66/H, DIN77, DIN77/H, and DIN88. Visit also Motolite’s official website www.motolite.com for inquiries and to learn more about Motolite’s products and services, especially the Motolite Res-Q, the country’s only mobile application that offers free roadside assistance for flat tires, overheating, emergency fuel, and battery replacement.