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Marcos is PDP-Laban bet

Cusi leads party’s national executive panel in signing resolution By Jimbo Gulle and Maricel V. Cruz

RESIDENTIAL candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has gained the endorsement of the PDP-Laban wing under Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi -- the faction supported by President Rodrigo Duterte -- the ruling party said in a resolution Monday night.

In Resolution No. 26, Series of 2022 of its National Executive Committee, a copy of which the Standard obtained last night, the PDP-Laban Cusi wing formally endorsed Marcos Jr., who has been leading most presidential surveys with less than 50 days left before the May 9 polls. The resolution noted that Marcos “is the candidate whose platform is most aligned with the development program of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.” It also said the former senator “received the most endorsements from several local councils of PDP Laban.” These include the party’s councils in Ilocos Sur, La Union, Bataan, Bulacan,

Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Oriental Mindoro, Camarines Norte, Masbate, Aklan, Negros Occidental, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Zamboanga del Sur, Davao del Sur, North Cotabato, Caloocan City, Malabon City, Mandaluyong City, Pasay City, Paranaque City, San Juan City, Valenzuela City, Malolos City, Ormoc City and San Pedro City, the resolution added. “(Marcos) is the candidate whose vision of governance is most aligned with PDP Laban’s 11-point agenda,” the Cusi-led party added. The group also noted it had previously endorsed Marcos’ running mate, Davao City Mayor Next page

IN SPOTLIGHT. This screengrab shows presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. being interviewed in the ‘Kandidatalks’ program on TV5 which aired Monday. Inset shows Lakas-CMD vice presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte waving Philippine flags during her and Marcos’ grand campaign rally in Potrero, Malabon City on Sunday. Ver Noveno VOL. XXXVI • NO. 40 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Rody signs law liberalizing foreign ownership of telcos, airline, media THE Philippines eased restrictions Monday to allow 100% or full foreign ownership of airline, telecommunications, mass media, railways, and logistical or shipping operators, as it seeks to boost jobs and spur activity in the virus-

hit economy. The archipelago nation of 110 million has long struggled to attract foreign money, as red-tape, corruption and political uncertainty scared off investors who instead pumped billions of dollars

into neighbouring nations. The amendments to the 85-year-old Public Service Act are the latest effort to woo foreign investment and increase competition in sectors long dominated by a few local players.

“I believe that with this law, the easing of foreign equity restrictions will attract more global investors, modernize several sectors of public service and improve the delivery of essential services,” outgoing Next page

Atong Ang, cops linked to ‘e-sabong’ abduction By Macon Ramos-Araneta

E-SABONG PERSONALITIES. Six persons give their testimony to the Senate Committee on Public Order and

Dangerous Drugs inquiry into the controversy surrounding online cockfighting and 34 missing persons connected to the gambling sport on Monday. They are (clockwise from top left) a witness named alias ‘Arvie’, e-sabong operator Charlie ‘Atong’ Ang, Carmelita Lasco (mother of Ricardo ‘Jonion’ Lasco Jr.), Princess Montanes-Lasco, Patrolman Roy Magdayo Navarette, and Police Sr. Staff Sergeant Daryl Gaceta Paghangaan. Senate PRIB

Russian nukes to trigger China ‘invasion’—Du30 PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday warned of a Chinese “invasion” of the country should Russian President Vladimir Putin decide to use nuclear weapons in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Duterte made the remarks during a Malacañang ceremony where he signed several measures into law, including the amendment to the Public Services Act (see banner story -- Editors). “Kung talagang maipit si Putin at pindutin iyong pulang button, wala na. Then my thinking is... pag mag ganun ‘yan... China will invade... sa intelligence briefing, tatamaan talaga tayo,” the President said. [If Putin is pressed to a corner and he presses the red button (for a nuclear launch), that’s it. Then my thinking is... if it comes to that... China will invade... in an intelligence briefing, we would really be hit.] Next page

A COCKPIT worker tagged gaming operator Charlie “Atong” Ang as the person behind the disappearance of a number of online cockfighting personalities, while five policemen were tagged by at least four witnesses as behind the “kidnapping” last year of an e-sabong “master agent” in his Laguna residence, a Senate panel revealed on Monday. Ang immediately denied the claim by panel witness Alvin Indon and said Laguna provincial police chief Next page

Biz groups, firms back gov’t on return to on-site work By Jenniffer B. Austria, Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz and Alena Mae Flores SOME business groups and big real estate companies on Monday said they favor government moves to get workers back into offices to stimulate spending, in contrast to business processing out-

sourcing (BPO) firms that have asked for more time to shift their workers away from work-from-home arrangements. In a joint statement, 13 business groups — made up largely of real estate and retail companies -- said encouraging workers to return to their offices and other workplaces will help revive business activity and key economic

First oil price rollback in 12 weeks: P11.45/liter for diesel, P5.45 for gas By Alena Mae S. Flores OIL companies were expected to cut pump prices by as much as P11.45 per liter for diesel and P5.45 per liter for gasoline today, Tuesday, to reflect the softening of world oil prices, which slid back to about $100 a barrel last week. Kerosene will also go down by P8.55 a liter, the companies said, after world oil

prices declined for five days last week. Petron Corp. said it would roll back its prices at 6 a.m. today, saying these adjustments reflect movements in the international oil market. Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, PTT Philippines, Cleanfuel, Seaoil Philippines, Total Philippines, Chevron Philippines and PetroGazz, and Flying V. issued separate Next page

centers in the country. They also echoed a government argument that doing so would support the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that have been hurt by the pandemic. “We now look forward to heightened business activity, which will benefit the entire nation and spur its Next page

Monthly subsidy for poor families raised to P500 By Joyce Pangco Pañares PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday ordered Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III to increase the monthly subsidy for poor Filipino families from P200 to P500. “I told Sonny [Dominguez] the feedback from the ground, that this P200 monthly ‘ayuda’ (cash aid) is too small. I told him to look for money wherever possible,” Duterte said. “[P200] cannot sustain a family of three, or four, five – those who are really poor and have plenty of children,” he said. According to Dominguez, the P200a-month subsidy would go to the bottom 50 percent of all households and will be on top of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) conditional cash grant that can reach up to P3,450 per month. The subsidy will run for a year, for a total budget of P33 billion. Next page

DPWH: Coastal bypass road not ordinary highway THE Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) on Monday defended the construction of the Davao City Coastal Bypass Road that was designed to be a sturdy project not only to ease traffic in certain areas of the locality but also protect it against the wrath of nature like storm surges. In a memorandum dated March 21, 2022, DPWH Regional Director Rey Peter Gille said that the road, one of the agency’s flagship projects in Davao, is “very different” from ordinary highways. Next page

Plane carrying 132 crashes in China, deaths confirmed GUANGZHOU—China Eastern Airlines confirmed there had been fatalities after a jet carrying 132 people crashed into a mountain in southern China on Monday, shortly after losing contact with air traffic control and dropping thousands of metres in just three minutes. The Boeing 737-800 flight from the city of Kunming to the southern hub

of Guangzhou “lost airborne contact over Wuzhou” city in the Guangxi region on Monday afternoon, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The jet was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members. China Eastern confirmed late Monday that at least some people involved Next page

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

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Smartmatic: NBI says no poll breach By Maricel V. Cruz

LECTRONIC voting technology firm Smartmatic on Monday maintained its system was not hacked following the claim of Sen. Imee Marcos last week of a “serious security breach.”

The committee, chaired by Negros Occidental Rep. Juliet Marie De Leon Ferrer, in an online meeting Monday, continued its discussion on the latest preparations of the Commission on Elections for the May 9 national elections. Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, Jr. of Dasmarinas City in Cavite, committee vicechairperson, raised the ballot printing process, as well as the absence of representatives during its printing process. “And that is the reason why everybody is doubting whether or not these ballots printed or reprinted are actually accurate or not,” Barzaga said. Comelec Commissioner George Garcia clarified that not all of the reported 5,992,763 printed ballots are totally defective. He said as of Monday, the 21st,

Comelec had identified 105,853 purely defective ballots. He also invited the committee to observe the random sampling of the ballots that were printed without the watchers, observes and representatives of various political parties. The panel also discussed the issue of the alleged breach and compromise of the Smartmatic system. Smartmatic Legal Counsel Christopher Louie Ocampo issued a statement stating the Automated Election System (AES) source code and software were subjected to extensive audits both locally and internationally. Ocampo also said that Comelec’s servers and infrastructure were independent and that the poll body never shared electoral data with Smartmatic.

Quoting the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Smartmatic lawyer Christopher Louie Ocampo told the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms that “the election is safely above the fray.” “The NBI itself has also publicly stated that Comelec’s servers are offline and under heavy security. It has categorically and emphatically stated that there has been no hacking of the Comelec infrastructure. Any which way you look at it - the election is safely above

the fray,” Ocampo said. Marcos, following an executive session, claimed that based on a Facebook post by a group called XSOX, a contractual worker of Smartmatic leaked content of his work laptop. Ocampo denied that the alleged incident compromised the upcoming May elections. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms has tackled the issues on ballot printing and alleged hacking of Smartmatic’s system.

Rody... From A1

Hugpong: Bello a ‘narcopolitician,’ must be probed

President Rodrigo Duterte said as he signed off on the changes. Republic Act 11659 amended the 85year old PSA and identified the following as public utilities, which are subject to a 40 percent foreign equity cap. • Distribution of electricity • Transmission of electricity • Petroleum and petroleum products pipeline transmission systems • Water pipeline distribution systems and wastewater pipeline systems, including sewage pipelines • Seaports • Public utility vehicles • Any industry not included in the list will remain as public services and will be liberalized, the measure said. Prior to the amendment, foreigners were restricted from full ownership of companies considered to be public utilities, which include telecommunications firms. Analysts say this has stunted investment in telcos and resulted in a duopoly that is disadvantageous to consumers. The new law reclassifies mass media, telecommunications, railways, airlines, and logistical facilities as public services from their previous classification as public utilities. AFP

DPWH:... From A1 “The Davao City Coastal Road was designed as a composite highway structure that serves as a road access, a coastal shore protection structure and a breakwater that protects the city from sea wave actions, water surges and shore erosion,” he said. “The entire length of the coastal highway also included a bridge that connects sections of the highway in a deep section where the mouth of the river is located,” Gille added. In the memorandum addressed to Public Works Secretary Roger Mercado, Gille said the project has an estimated cost of P33.772 billion to date. The amount covers P28.497 billion for civil works and P5.275 billion for the right of way. “In view of the above cost estimates, the cost of the road component alone of the project is P910.171 million per kilometer. This cost is for an 8-lane road designed for the coastal road. Therefore, for a 2-lane road, the cost is more or less P227.542 million per kilometer (or P227,542 per linear meter),” the memorandum read. Maricel V. Cruz

First... From A1 announcements of their price cuts. “This coming week, we hope for the best,” Energy Undersecretary Gerardo Erguiza Jr. said. Erguiza said the worsening of the pandemic in China lowered demand

Plane... From A1 in the crash had been killed, without providing more information or giving details on any survivors. “The company expresses its deep condolences for the passengers and crew members who died in the plane crash,” the airline said in a statement. The disaster prompted an unusually swift public reaction from President Xi Jinping, who said he was “shocked” and ordered an immediate investigation into its cause. Hundreds of firefighters were dispatched to the scene in Teng county

PH has 13% less COVID-19 cases than week before By Willie Casas THE Philippines recorded 3,572 new COVID-19 cases from March 14 to March 20, 13 percent lower than the cases reported in the previous week. The Department of Health (DOH) said in its weekly case bulletin that the daily case average was 510 cases. There were 805 severe and critical cases currently admitted. Of 3,473 ICU beds, 17.8 percent were occupied while 16.6 percent of non-ICU COVID-19 beds were in use, the DOH said. Of the new cases this week, only one was tagged as severe or critical cases. Meanwhile, more than 65.1 million people or 72.41 percent of the government’s target population are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The DOH said 11.5 million have received their booster shots. At least 6.5 million senior citizens or 75.31 percent of the target A2 population have also received their primary vaccine series. There were also 655 more verified deaths last week. The DOH counted 577 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, bringing the nationwide tally to 3,674,286 cases. The country’s active case count decreased to 45,201, according to data posted on the DOH website. There were 45,339 active cases recorded on Saturday, with 525 new COVID-19 infections.

enforcement agencies fighting the proliferation of prohibited drugs,” the HNP said in a statement late Monday. HNP’s chairperson is Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Bello’s rival for vice president. Based on the claims made by Bello during the Comelec-sponsored vice presidential debates on March 20, the HNP said “it is apparent that he holds information about the illegal drugs in Davao but deliberately kept it from the

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police.” “It can be said that Mr. Bello is a narcopolitician in a way that he withheld information crucial in the government’s anti-drug campaign,” the regional party said. “Because of this, HNP has already requested for an investigation into the extent of Mr. Bello’s knowledge and involvement in the illegal drug trade in Davao City,” the HNP added.

ful PDP-Laban representative. Earlier, Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., on Monday lamented that biased “fact-checkers” have been coming out with “findings” that what he said previously was not true, when in fact the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer did not say what was being checked. In a pre-taped interview for the “Kandidatalks: Negosyo, Trabaho at Kalusugan” by Go Negosyo aired Monday, Marcos was asked how he intends to deal with fake news, and promptly brought up his problem with biased fact-checkers. “There are what we call fact-checkers, but these fact-checkers have an agenda. That is why all they fact-check (is) one side of the story. Let’s get rid of those,” he said. He did not identify which fact-checker or group was involved, but said, “Eh kami biktima kami ‘dyan eh (We are their victim).” “A lot of people have fact-checked me and said that what I was saying wasn’t true. I didn’t say anything like that, but they insisted I was saying fake news. I didn’t say anything like that. They just made it up,” the former senator said. Marcos further said: “They fabricate things that I say and then brand them as fake. So, let’s make fact-checkers that

have no agenda; no political agenda, no financial agenda, whatever. They only exist to fact-check.” Marcos also disagreed that his camp has benefitted the most from fake news, as alleged by his critics. The program, hosted by the presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, saw Marcos paired with doctor-lawyer Jose Montemayor Jr. to kick off the five-day series. Concepcion, founder of Go Negosyo, joined journalist and news anchor Cheryl Cosim in asking the candidates about their plans should they become the country’s next president. In other developments: • Marcos Jr. said Monday he will end the end-of-contract scheme of contractualization of workers for non-seasonal employees. • Marcos Jr. assured that local government units (LGUs) will have a strong voice in his administration after he wins the scheduled May 9 national elections. • The provincial leadership of TawiTawi has recently declared its full support for the UniTeam of Marcos and Duterte. The leaders who belong to Tawi-Tawi One Party (TOP) led by Tawi-Tawi Governor Yshmael Sali made the declaration right at the UniTeam national headquarters in Mandaluyong City during their recent visit.

return to economic wellness. The path to recovery, we aver, begins with the presence in the business and commercial centers of the country’s workers,” the business groups said. The statement was signed by Ayala Land Inc., Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association Inc., Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Go Negosyo, Management Association of

the Philippines, Megaworld Corp., Philippine Constructors Association, Philippine Retailers Association, Philippine Chamber of Commerce Inc., Resto Ph, Robinsons Land Corp., and SM Prime Holdings Inc. The groups said that as employees return to business centers, this will also boost business confidence and help restore industries hurt by the pandemic. At least 1.1 million tourism workers have been displaced by the pandemic. The business groups also noted that mall traffic and ridership in MRT-7

have already started to recover following the boost in vaccination rates across the country. “Economic momentum has been established and we are now within easier reach of the prosperity we all enjoyed in 2019. We encourage the public to now venture out of their homes while maintaining safety protocols,” they said. “Fully occupied business districts and commercial centers indeed represent a welcome and collective milestone for the country,” they added.

while talks between Russia and Ukraine helped to bring down world oil prices. He could not say whether the softening of world oil prices is only temporary but said the Department of Energy has already sought the support of Congress to amend the Oil Deregulation Law so that the government can intervene when prices go too high. The latest oil price rollback, however,

failed to wipe out the sharp increases that took effect on March 15, when diesel went up by P12 to P13.25 a liter, gasoline rose by P7.10 to P720 per liter, and kerosene climbed P10.50 a liter. In other developments: * The Benguet Vegetable Truckers and Drivers Association said its members have increased prices per kilo as rising fuel prices have eaten into their

earnings. The group’s secretary Rodrigo Lawan said their drivers would impose an additional 50 centavos per kilo of vegetables for delivery. For deliveries via sea, they imposed a P3 per kilo increase after cargo rates rose 17 percent, Lawan told ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo. The group carries produce to Pampanga, Olongapo, Divisoria, and other major markets in Metro Manila.

——— President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday reiterated friendship with Vladimir Putin but said there’s one thing that makes him different from the Russian leader. “I am friends with...don’t air this on TV. Edit it. I am friends with Putin but he went overboard. I kill criminals, but Putin bombs women, children, everyone,” he said. ——— “That was my reason why [Americans] are unrestricted [here]. Pipilitin ng mga Amerikano eh. Talagang brusko ang mga Amerikano [The Americans will force that. They are really brusque],” Duterte added. The President then said that a nuclear attack can be initially invisible. “Hindi lang natin makita iyong nuclear, iyong long range bombers... baka napindot na kanina [ang button] rito sa South China Sea. It will reach our jurisdiction in seven minutes. Iyong hypersonic ano nila...so kasali tayo diyan. Let us not kid each other,” Duterte said.

photos provided to the witnesses by the police. “This is in connection with the case of Ricardo Lasco, a master agent of esabong who was kidnapped by more or less 10 armed men in his residence in San Pablo, Laguna on August 30, 2021,” said Cruz. He said their investigators are consolidating the sworn statements of the witnesses and other pieces of evidence. Cruz said the suspects, whom he did not name, were formerly assigned at the provincial intelligence branch of the Laguna police office based in Sta. Cruz. In the same hearing, Lasco’s partner, Princess Montanes-Lasco, and his

mother, Carmelita, begged authorities to hasten the resolution of the case. The 44-year-old Lasco is one of the 34 cockfighting aficionados who remain missing. Senate President Vicente Sotto III ordered the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms to provide security to Lasco’s family. “Do not lose hope in our investigations here. We will give justice to your missing kin. Do not be afraid,” Dela Rosa said. Dela Rosa said even if they suspect Philippine National Police members as the brains behind the disappearance of at least 30 men in Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, and Batangas, these scalawags do not represent the entire government.

By Maricel V. Cruz THE Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) said Monday is is alarmed by the recent claims by vice presidential candidate Walden Bello about Davao City being a trading center of illegal drugs in the South. “HNP takes this information seriously as a regional party with incumbent elected official members who want to strengthen our coordination with law

Marcos... From A1 Sara Duterte-Carpio, as its official vice presidential candidate. “Whereas, to promote “Unity for Sustainability” of socio-economic development and national progress... Resolved, as it is hereby resolved, after careful and exhaustive deliberations the National Executive Committee endorses the candidacy of Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for President of the Republic of the Philippines in the forthcoming 2022 National Elections,” the resolution ended. Cusi, PDP-Laban Secretary General Melvin Matibag, erstwhile presidential bet Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, and 11 other officials were indicated as signatories of the resolution. Senator Manny Pacquiao, one of Marcos’ nine opponents for the presidency, who also claims to head the other faction of the PDP-Laban, is expected to question the resolution. However, the former boxing champion filed his candidacy under the PROMDI party to avoid complications with the Commission on Elections, which has yet to rule which between the Cusi and Pacquiao factions is the right-

Biz... From A1

near Wuzhou, state media reported, as nearby villagers rushed to help the rescue effort. “Everyone went to the mountains,” Tang Min, who runs a restaurant a few kilometres from the crash site, told AFP by telephone. Fears for the fate of the jet spread on Monday afternoon as local media reported that China Eastern flight MU5735 had not arrived as planned in Guangzhou after taking off from Kunming shortly after 1:00 pm (0500 GMT). Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed no data for the flight after 2:22 pm. The tracker showed the plane sharply

Atong... From A1 Col. Rogart Campo was trying to pin him down. During the resumption of the third hearing of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs chaired by Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on the more than 30 missing cockfighting aficionados, police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Director Eliseo Cruz said they will file appropriate charges against the five policemen before the Department of Justice. He told Dela Rosa’s panel that the suspects were identified from the 28

Monthly... From A1 Duterte said Dominguez’s initial response to his order was that it can be done, but the government will “have a problem six months later.” “I told him, ‘You crazy person. We are long out of government by then. Let the next administration deal with it,’” the President said. “It will be an uphill battle for the next generation if we increase it to P500. But let the next president handle that, never mind where he has to steal the money if necessary. But let us give this P500 now, and I hope this would go a long way really to help,” Duterte said. The order to release the cash aid came as Duterte decided to retain the excise tax on fuel products. The Finance department said suspending fuel excise taxes would lead to a massive revenue loss of P105.9 billion, or about a half-percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) this year.

Russian... From A1

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

NTC orders Grab to pay P19.3m refund to passengers

HE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has ordered Grab Holdings, Inc. and MyTaxi.PH, Inc. (collectively Grab) to immediately release the remaining P19.3-million refund to eligible users.

every pricing or booking violation committed against passengers shall be paid back to passengers. Grab should immediately release the refunds and continue to adhere to its commitments,” said PCC Chair Arsenio M. Balisacan. Manila Standard After reviewing the compliance The directive was issued after funds from previous ﬁnes. TODAY the PCC found the ride-hailing “The penalties are in the form reports for previous penalties, the app’s low disbursement of the re- of a refund to remind Grab that PCC found that only 24.1 percent

of the total refund has been claimed from Grab by eligible passengers as of June 15, 2021, or P6.15 million out of the total P25.45 million penalty required by the PCC to be returned to Grab passengers. Grab required additional steps for passengers to claim the refund, contributing to the low uptake, and the PCC gave Grab until April 22

to refund the remaining amount to eligible commuters. PCC said the refund should be immediately credited via GrabPay Wallet without requiring further action from the Grab patrons to claim the amount. The antitrust agency has penalized Grab a total of P63.7 million since 2018 for violations of its price

and service quality commitments. In 2019, the Commission directed Grab to return portion of its commissions to its passengers for violating its price monitoring commitment. The PCC has since ordered Grab CYAN to issue refunds in the amounts of P5.05 million in November 2019, P14.15 million in December 2019, and P6.25 million in October 2020.

NEW FACILITIES. Camp Karingal in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City has gained new facilitiesdesigned to boost its services and efficiency in crime prevention and protection of the people. Shown leading the ribbon-cutting and blessing rites for the new infrastructures are P/Brig. Gen. Remus Medina, Quezon City Police District director; Rep. Bong Suntay; district engineer Eduardo Santos; and Engr. Abel Canlas of the Department of Public Works and Highways, National Capital Region. Manny Palmero

Red-tagging used as cover for ‘legal fronts’—ex-rebel By Willie Casas A FORMER rebel has revealed that “red tagging” is a term concocted by the communist insurgents and being used as cover for their so-called “legal fronts,” notably party list groups such as Kabataan, Anak Bayan, Bayan Muna, GABRIELA, Karapatan and Act-Teacher. During Sunday’s virtual press brieﬁng of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conﬂict (NTF-ELCAC), Jong Monzon, who recently surrendered to government forces along with two comrades, said “red tagging is a term used by the communist groups to cover and protect legal fronts which the Commission on Elections has “unwittingly accredited” as party-list groups. “We can see them (party list representatives) in Congress,” Monzon said. Monzon served as a former political instructor of the communist insurgents’ Regional Operations Command, Southern Mindanao Regional Committee. Recruited in 2009 when he was still a student of civil engineering at Davao City’s University of Mindanao, Monzon said he spent 13 years of his young life being part of the core group of the rebel movement in the region.

IN BRIEF

Zubiri eyes specialty hospitals in every province SENATE Majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri is pushing for the establishment of specialty hospitals across the country, Specialty hospitals included the Philippine Heart Center, the Lung Center of the Philippines, the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, as well as the Philippine Cancer Center, established under the National Integrated Cancer Control., Being from Mindanao, Zubiri said he is committed to decentralize the country’s health care system. The senator also said he wanted to ensure the delivery of quality health care to all parts of the country. “We’re quite proud that we have developed a very competent medical care system in Bukidnon, with zero-balance billing for indigent patients, long before the zero-balance billing of the Amended Universal Healthcare Act,” he added. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Villar leads Women’s Month rite in Las Piñas SEN. Cynthia A. Villar on Monday led the observance of Women’s Month in her hometown Las Pinas City by planting vegetabls. The senator, chairperson of the Senate committee on Agriculture and Food, was joined by ofﬁcers and members of Kapisanan ng mga Liping Pilipina (KALIPI) of Barangay Pilar, and the ofﬁcers of various homeowners associations and senior citizens groups in Las Pinas, among others. The gardening event, entitled “Wastong Pagtatanim ng Gulay Para sa Mga Ilaw ng Tahanan,” was held in an open space in Camella Homes Classic in Barangay Pilar. It was held together with the senator’s training partner on urban gardening- Melanie Cruz, Technical Training Specialist of East West Seeds Foundation. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Group pledges 2 million votes for BBM, Sara A GROUP identiﬁed with the late movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. on Monday vowed to deliver two million or more votes for presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte in the May 9 elections. At a news conference in Quezon City, Joseph Cadsawan, chairman of the Filipinos for Peace, Justice and Progress Movement (FPJPM), dismissed Vice President Leni Robredo’s People’s Campaign on Emerald Avenue in Pasig City, saying “Pasig is not a vote-rich city.” “BBM and Sara have our 100 percent of votes. We don’t give allowances to our people. We only have volunteers,” he said. Rio N. Araja (MS-MARCH 22, 2022)

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 E-mail: mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Ping doubts ‘Build, Build, Build’ plan

Dumagats back Duterte; group wants ‘Ro-Sa’ tandem in May Moreno vows to return coco levy funds to farmers By Rey E. Requejo AKSYON Demokratiko standard-bearer and Manila Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso on Monday vowed to speed up the return of the coco levy funds to some 1.4 million coconut farmer-beneficiaries who have been waiting for their money for eight years now. Moreno made the assurance as he and the rest of Team “Isko” returned to this province to continue their campaign sorties through a combination of motorcades and townhall meetings. Moreno was with his running mate Dr. Willie Ong, Aksyon Demokratiko senatorial bets Dr. Carl Balita, Samira Gutoc and Jopet Sison and guest candidate John Castriciones. “The last time we’re here in Quezon province is before the filing. Today is the first day of our campaign in Quezon. In Quezon, Laguna, and Batangas, this is one of the victims of the coconut monopoly. Until now, the roles held by coconut farmers have really almost shone over time and many of them, it is really sad, are no longer in the world until now they have not enjoyed its benefits,” Moreno told reporters in Lucena City, Quezon. Moreno was referring to the 2014 Supreme Court decision which maintained that the 24 percent of San Miguel Corporation’s stocks belong to the public. The 24 percent of SMC stocks were then valued at P74 billion and eight years after, it is now valued at around P76 billion. In a speech at the flag-raising ceremony in front of Lucena City Hall, Moreno noted that there were similarities in the bad experiences in the monopoly industries of sugar in Negros and Cebu and coconut in the Southern Tagalog provinces of Quezon, Batangas and Laguna, and the bad experiences of sugar and coconut farmers happened during the administration of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Moreno is hopeful that the people of Quezon and the thousands of coconut farmers in this province will fight for what is right and what is truly theirs.

By Maricel V. Cruz

he Dumagats, one of the 22 tribes inhabiting the mountain ranges of Bulacan province, are rallying behind Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats vice presidential bet Sara Duterte’s advocacies for education and family planning.

A group dubbed as “ROSA 2022” meanwhile has officially begun its push for a Leni Robredo-Sara Duterte (RoSa) tandem for president and vice president in the upcoming May elections, believing they would lead the Philippines to a better future.

The group, which carries the battle cry “Women Make Change: Dapat ROSA sa 2022,” was launched on Monday in Cagayan de Oro City. Duterte, in her visit to Bulacan on Sunday, met with the tribal people on a makeshift bench under a tree. The Davao City mayor urged the tribe to put high premium on education and family planning as a way to cut the shackles of poverty that has been a top problem in the country. Duterte, as a local chief executive, is also active in empowering Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Davao, ensuring that major government programs like education reach tribal communities and enable inclusive development among Dabawenyos. She initiated the program called Peace 911 in Davao City’s Paquibato District area to address the issues concerning the IPs. While Peace 911 is a civilian-led antiinsurgency program, it was designed to provide IPs with livelihood, education,

and other programs to uplift their living conditions. She also personally initiated the program Pagbabago, where she distributed school bags containing educational materials for children and responsible parenthood reading materials for parents. Duterte also emphasized that proper family planning should be practiced as the country moves forward to further development. The group “ROSA 2022” is spearheaded by national convenor and Albay 2nd district Rep Joey Salceda, Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco-Salazar, and Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep Rufus Rodriguez. “I am now here to fight for Leni for president and Sara for vice president because they are good for the country, good for the economy, good for the provinces and good for Mindanao,” stressed Salceda, who is also the spokesperson of the group.

EVENTS FOR LENI. Devotees at the National Shrine of Padre Pio welcome presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo to the ‘Dasalan sa Batangan’ of the Laity of the Philippines (Laiko) on Monday. A ‘Pets for Leni’ event was held in Marikina to support Robredo on Sunday at the Marikina River Park. Robredo People’s Council Media and VP Leni Media Bureau

By Macon Ramos-Araneta PARTIDO Reporma standard-bearer

Panfilo “Ping” Lacson aims to develop a more conservative approach toward investing on future infrastructure projects that would not result in sinking the country deeper into foreign and domestic debts. Lacson laid out this plan in the first round of the Commission on Elections’ (COMELEC) ‘PiliPinas Debates 2022: The Turning Point’ over the weekend, which sought the presidential candidates’ strategic policies for the economy and pandemic recovery moving forward. Lacson said he would rather let the people “be the judge” when asked to assess whether the “Build, Build, Build (BBB)” program of the outgoing government could be considered a success. He noted that out of the 118 projects in the pipeline, only 12 have been accomplished. Lacson maintained his earlier position that he would honor the pending big-ticket projects of the government. He cited the ‘inviolability of contracts’ it signed with its partners under the “BBB” program, especially when it involved foreign investments that we could no longer turn our backs on. However, he recommended a possible shift from “BBB” to a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement in carrying out future major infrastructure projects nationwide to ease the P12.03trillion debts and counting that would be left behind by the outgoing administration. Lacson is convinced that bringing back the PPP while keeping some of the key elements of the “BBB” is the most reasonable strategy, considering there are big private corporations willing to contribute and participate in joint infrastructure projects for the sake of nation-building. While the nation would still incur indirect financial obligations under the PPP agreement, he said it would not be that burdensome, because the projects could be delivered as a form of investment via a Build-Operate-Transfer contract within a 25- to 30-year period. The ‘BBB’ is considered as one of the centerpiece programs of President Rodrigo Duterte, while ‘PPP’ was an initiative of the late President Benigno S. Aquino III.

More than 130k supporters troop to Pasig City for Robredo EMERALD Avenue in Pasig sparkled in a swathe of pink as an estimated 130,000 people welcomed Vice President Leni Robredo back to Metro Manila after four days of people’s rallies across Mindanao. “Malayo pa kami, ramdam na ramdam ko nang halos yumayanig ang sahig dahil sa inyong energy (We were still far from the venue, but already felt the ground shaking because of your energy,”) Robredo said to thunderous cheers from the audience.

Families and groups of friends had gathered since the early morning of Sunday, braving the midday heat to stake their spots at the event dubbed “PasigLaban.” Looking at the long stretch of Emerald Avenue filled with people, Robredo said that hope is at the heart of the people’s campaign; and that each one brings hope to one another. “Malinaw na malinaw po sa akin ngayon: Pag-asa ang puso ng ating People’s Campaign. Pag-asang dala hindi ng kan-

didatong nakatungtong sa entablado, pero pag-asa ng kapwa Pilipinong nakikilakad kapag hinaharang sa kalsada, nakikipintura ng mural na binura, nakiki-repack ng ayuda para sa mga nasalanta. Dito po sa Pasig, ngayon, tignan niyo ang inyong mga katabi; damhin ang pag-asang hatid ninyo sa isa’t isa (It is very clear. Hope is at the heart of our People’s Campaign. We bring hope to Filipinos while we walk with you on the streets, while we help restore murals, while we pack goods to victims of

disasters. Look around and feel the hope coming from your countrymen,” she said. Robredo also said hope is the root of true unity, and that Filipinos can rest assured that they will have someone to turn to during difficult times. “Pagkakaisa, hindi lang ng politiko sa politiko para sa pansariling interes, kundi ng Pilipino sa kapwa Pilipinong lumalaban dahil iisa lang ang ipinapakipaglaban (Unity, not just in politics, but in helping your fellow Filipino),” she added. With Rio N. Araja

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ISKO IN LUCENA. Presidential aspirant Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, with Aksyon Demokratiko’s senatorial slate, held a campaign sortie by motorcade around Lucena and later conducted a town hall meeting in Dalahican SPU Bldg. in Lucena City. Norman Cruz

Binay urges govt to scrap tax on teachers’ poll allowances By Joel E. Zurbano SENATORIAL candidate Jejomar Binay is supporting a call to remove the tax on the honorarium of teachers and other poll personnel assigned for the May 9 elections. “This is in recognition of the hard work and sacrifice of our teachers and poll workers during elections,” said Binay in a statement Monday. Aside from ensuring that the elections remain honest and credible, the former vice president said teachers and other poll workers also have to endure the weather conditions and the threat of COVID-19. “Especially this summer and with the pandemic, our election personnel will be serving even longer and there is also a threat to their health,” he added. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has started imposing a five percent tax on teachers’ compensation for their election duties in 2018. But the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said that for the May elections, a 20 percent tax will be imposed on teachers’ travel allowance. Members of the electoral board for this year’s elections will receive from P6,000 to P7,000. Other poll workers including DepEd Supervisor Officials (DESO), medical personnel, and technical support staff, meanwhile, will be given from P3,000 to P5,000. Electoral board members, DESOs and their support staff are also entitled to a P2,000 travel allowance, while medical personnel and other support staff will be given P1,000 for transportation. All are also entitled to a P500 anti-COVID-19 allowance.

Opinion The case for remote work ANY government official or private entity that forces companies to return to an onsite working setup has their head stuck in the mud and has not realized that the world around them has changed forever. Lately, BPO firms bucked the government’s call for them to return to onsite work. The Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB), at the start and height of the Covid-19 pandemic, had allowed them to conduct business via work-from-home (WFH) arrangements for up to 90% of BPO workers up to March 31 this year. The BPOs say it’s not easy to transition back after two years of working from home. The government says a return to onsite work is necessary to “provide more opportunities and pave the way for the recovery of local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that depend on ITBPM employees for their livelihood,” as Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, FIRB chair, put it. Former Makati Rep. Monsour del Rosario called the government’s intransigent move to remove the tax-exempt incentives of non-compliant BPOs “too inconsiderate and cruel.” The author in the Lower House of the Telecommuting Act of 2018, Del Rosario said that while he understands the FIRB’s intention is to help revive the economy, “forcing BPO workers to go out while we are still in the middle of a pandemic is quite unreasonable.” Not only that, a government office I used to work at has insisted that its workers return to onsite work 100%, and threatened to withhold their pay unless they showed up. In response, nearly half the employees in one department resigned rather than return to onsite work. These government officials have to understand that the world has moved on from pre-Covid times. While it is laudable to want to support the small businesses and keep them afloat—carinderias, jeeps, etc.—the world has been transformed by the pandemic and over two years, we have seen that remote work arrangements just plain work. International recruitment firm Robert Walters surveyed professionals in the Philippines about their WFH arrangements from April 16 to May 13, 2020, to “gauge their sentiments towards remote working.” Eight out of 9 professionals in the Philippines said they were “satisfied” with their current WFH arrangements, while nine out of ten noted a “similar or increased level of productivity” at home compared to onsite. The factors, they said, that caused increased productivity while WFH were less commuting time (83%), more flexibility in working hours (68%), and a comfortable and relaxed environment. Regarding the latter, many of us will have horror stories of awful offices. I recall working for a company in Manila just pre-Covid whose office was horribly unclean. Rats jumped out of drawers. Dust was everywhere. The bathrooms were filthy.

The lockdown in March 2020, while sad and unexpected, was a reprieve for me as I got to work in my comfy room with my clean bathroom just steps away. My health improved—my allergic rhinitis (I am allergic to dust) disappeared almost immediately. So, employers, if you want your remote workers to give up the comforts of home, at least provide a safe, decent, and healthy working environment! The cons of WFH are that people get distracted and find it hard to focus; managers keep checking in more, derailing work flow; being isolated from peers; and working longer hours. On the urge to socialize with coworkers, a lot of employees, in my experience, dawdle and ‘make work’ while at the office, while not actually creating any output. Such shenanigans are easily uncovered in a WFH setup, which is based on outputs and results.

There are better ways to do things. In a publication I worked for during the lockdown, we easily found out who was slacking off when we saw that he submitted fewer articles compared to the others, as well as through his trail of messages passing his work to his junior officemates! That Robert Walter study was made in 2020. Since then, people have found how to manage the cons better – strictly no work/answering messages/emails after shift hours, setting task checklists and reminders, and so on. WFH allows workers to achieve lifework balance; save money on pamasahe, lunch/merienda while at work, clothes, makeup, and what not; care for their health by avoiding the hours of commuting (tagtag sa biyahe), having to wake up early, air pollution, difficulty of getting a ride, the horrors of traffic, and other traveling cons; and most of all, to avoid getting infected by Covid-19 and other illnesses. The same benefits are obtained for online education—parents save on giving baon to their kids (but the students bewail the loss of their allowance!), no more commuting; faculty can easier shift to the next class without having to physically walk to their next classroom, which could be in another building altogether; teachers no longer have to raise their voices to be heard by those in the back; the introverts in class find it easier to recite; and again, everyone’s risk of contracting Covid is reduced. WFH also benefits the environment— less gas is used, less air pollution is created, less traffic is created. And with today’s gas prices, due to Putin’s war on Ukraine, who can afford to travel anymore? The world has changed because of Covid, and also because of the internet. The world of work is not as it was before the pandemic. There are better ways to do things. Government should get out of the way of progress and let technology help bring about more convenience and savings for those workers whose work and tasks can be done remotely. Greater worker satisfaction, greater productivity, and a reenergized economy will follow. *** FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

Mitigating the impact of climate change on human life By Deputy Director General Amy E. Pope International Organization for Migration TYPHON Rai, locally known as Odette, smashed the Philippines three months ago, sweeping through 11 of the country’s 17 regions, destroying or damaging over 2 million houses, far eclipsing that of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Approximately 32,200 people remain displaced mostly in evacuation centers. The road to a full recovery will be long and full of challenges. Yet returning from my ﬁeld visit to Siargao, Philippines, I was inspired by the “Bayanihan” spirit. From the community where people are assisting their fellow neighbors to rebuild their houses, to the intervention led by Local Government Units, Mayors, Governors and National level counterparts, the desire to recover and help one another in times of a crisis is palpable and something that will stay with me long after my visit. This typhoon, however, must serve as a

wake-up call to the international community. The Global Climate Risk Index 2020 ranks the Philippines as the second most vulnerable country in the world affected by climate change despite being one of the smallest contributors to CO2 emissions. More than 60 percent of the Filipino population resides in coastal areas and will be forced to move with one-meter sea rise brought about by global warming— that equates to 60 million people having to move by the end of this century. As President Duterte warned in his address during the 76th United Nations (UN) General Assembly, “the risks and burden of a warming climate are simply not the same for everyone. ... But here we are now at a critical tipping point, where failure to act leads to cataclysmic consequences for the whole of humankind.” Knowing that climate impact is inevitable and recognizing that failure to act will be cataclysmic, there are three things we must do now to prepare for and mitigate the impacts of climate change on human life. First, we have seen time and again that

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EDITORIAL

No token tributes

CELEBRITY couple checked into a hotel in Tagaytay City last week. There was nothing extraordinary about this—until the actress sought help from friends, who in turn alerted the police, who then stormed the hotel to rescue her. There emerged photos of the actress with bruises on her face—she said he attacked and detained her in the room. On social media, she expressed disbelief that one could profess his love for another person and yet hurt her. Hotel staff also reported the commotion behind closed doors.

The boyfriend was detained by police and slapped with violations of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act. We know these details because the personalities involved are relatively famous, good-looking, and active on social media. The incident also coincided with the commemoration of Women’s Month. We wonder, however—how much attention do other victims of domestic abuse get, especially those who are neither famous nor articulate. Worse, what is the recourse of women who do not even know they have the option to protest or leave their violent relationship? What happens to those who are not aware that there are things they must not be subjected to, or who are too fearful to start anew if they

Let’s help more women become aware of their options. rock the boat and ﬂee their abuser? Every March, we celebrate women and utter some tribute or another to our mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters. There are countless proofs that women are able to lead as well as, or even better than, men. Many women with unassailable competence and integrity are running in the coming elections, leading organizations ably, and inspiring others.

And yet, despite these gains, we remain imprisoned by some mindsets —products of our culture, religion, upbringing, experience—whether we are aware of them or not. One of these is that women are supposed to endure and sacrifice, and that men can get away with their follies— even as these include dishonesty or violence—just because of their gender. Women who dare speak up, leave, or worse, file cases that put their men to shame are selfish and vain. It is this kind of thinking that has prevented countless victims of domestic abuse from even acknowledging their situation publicly. A stigma is still attached to a broken marriage, even when the grounds are apparent and justified. And yet, many people harp about the “sanctity of marriage” even when they commit their own dark deeds in secret, or do nothing even when they are witness to violence and abuse. This women’s month, may more women be aware that they can do something to take charge of their own lives. If we are able to help even one woman realize that she is not powerless to improve her situation, and thus enable her to chart her own course, then we would have truly observed the spirit of women’s month instead of just paying lip service to a month-long event.

BBM-Sara can’t be complacent who is against Bongbong. Things had happened before when a national candidate got zero votes which is against all reason because in the precinct level all national candidates are supposed to have a watcher. Now, where did his vote go? SUPPORTERS of Bongbong Marcos must be warned. They should not to be too complacent about the big lead of the BBM-Sara tandem over all other aspirants. There are many factors to consider about Philippine elections, like man-made miracles that can frustrate the will of the people in the May 9, 2022 elections! There is cheating in the counting of election results, canvassing from the election precincts by the city and provincial canvassers. Just remember that the votes are not considered ﬁnal until they are canvassed by the Comelec. Considering the fact that Smartmatic remains the system in the counting of ballots, my gulay, cheating is possible. Just recall that when the counting of ballots started that night of the election day in the 2016 polls when then vice presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos was leading in the counting of votes, when suddenly, the Smartmatic server manipulated the system and another vice presidential aspirant overcame the lead of Marcos. The Presidential Electoral Tribunal has ruled on this matter, and declared Leni Rebredo as the true winner of the elections, but my gulay, this is what I believe! Especially when that decision was penned by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen. I remain convinced that somebody from Smartmatic changed the election results in order to give the vice presidential lead to Leni Robredo, who was then the administration candidate. There are also other factors that can frustrate the results of the election. Cheating at the precinct level is another thing. This is so when the areas where the precincts are located are under the control of a politician

There is also the factor of violence, considering the fact that the Philippine National Police has identiﬁed no less than 78 hotspots in the May 9 elections. There have been occasions where those known to be followers of a candidate were not allowed to vote by a candidate well-known to be against a national candidate. In other words, the supporters of a national candidate get prevented from casting their votes by the private armies of a politician, or by the police themselves under the control of a politician. These factors can frustrate the will of the people. Yes, those cheated can protest, but we all know how protests go. Often, they get resolved after the election. Other protests never get resolved. What hurts most about election protest is that they get resolved when another election is very near and forthcoming. Thus, supporters of Bongbong and even those of Sara should not be too complacent over the commanding lead. They may be ahead in the surveys, but in our kind of elections, there are many factors that can frustrate the will of the people. *** When former Senator Bongbong Marcos was asked why he does not attend television debates, his answer was expected: “I’d rather campaign directly to the people than attend television debates.” Bongbong is right. First of all, television debates are good for only the A and B categories of the

socio-economic classes of people. In his rallies and sorties, Bongbong talks to the lower C, D and E categories, the socioeconomic classes who constitute the larger segment of the voters. The most important reason why Bongbong would rather meet the people in sorties and rallies is that in those debates scheduled, the nuisance candidates take the occasion to come out with weird and undiplomatic remarks. As the frontrunner in all poll surveys, Bongbong knows only too well that the other presidential aspirants, not only the nuisance candidates will surely gang up on him on whatever issue they can think of. A televised political debate gives an opportunity to other aspirants to expose themselves which otherwise they cannot do in other venues. In other words, it’s best for Marcos, who already has a comfortable lead in all poll surveys as a presidential candidate not to give an opportunity from those behind and trailing behind to earn and gain some percentage points. Why make your opponent gain an advantage over you? Besides, in those debates, there is limited time to argue and explain himself. It would be stupid on the part of Bongbong to attend those televised political debates. *** A far as I am concerned, it’s an insult to the poor people for the government to grant them a subsidy of P200 monthly. If the government must subsidize the poor, it would do well for the government to provide the funds that will be good enough for their daily subsistence now. And if you come right to it, it takes more than P1000 for a family to subsist with the soaring prices of all commodities created by the domino effect of skyrocketing prices of all goods needed for daily existence. Santa Banana, how can a family of four, or worse, a family of six, subsist with only P200? Obviously, Duterte was not thinking when he approved that Executive Order.

human mobility is inextricably linked to climate change. Nowhere is that more evident than in the Philippines. Migration is one of the coping mechanisms of affected Filipinos facing climate crisis, either as a choice or a force of circumstance. We must acknowledge that the protection of the most vulnerable should be at the forefront of our climate action, and collectively build migration into our climate change mitigation measures. National and regional policies must include more migration adaptation measures, and resources are needed to address and prevent displacements while increasing people’s resilience, especially in the most vulnerable countries. Second, it is imperative to ensure that adaptive migration as a solution is safe, informed, and desired. For instance, IOM is working closely with the Philippines Government and communities on planned relocation and transitional sites in typhoon af-

fected areas. Through the generous support from donors such as USAID, Australia, Japan, Canada, UN Central Emergency Fund and Germany, IOM is providing critical shelter assistance, hygiene and sanitation, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), Health and COVID prevention and Mental Health and Psychosocial Services. While essential, these actions are primarily reactive. Our actions in the ﬁeld today can and should be a pathway towards managing climate vulnerabilities. They must be done proactively and strategically in a contextually grounded manner and with strong community engagement. Finally, we need to harness the power of the estimated 10 million Filipinos living abroad to strengthen climate resilience locally. The Philippines is a country that has for decades made the most out of migration. Since the 1980s, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) have been hailed as bagong bayani

(modern-day heroes). In 2019, remittances from OFWs reached a record high of USD 33.9 billion, equivalent to nearly 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). With one of the largest diasporas in the world, we need to leverage this support and direct these ﬁnancial contributions to build back better using the lessons learned from past climate emergencies—such as building four-corner roofs over home in typhoon-prone areas to protect these rebuilt communities from future devastation. As the cost of the climate crisis is reaching irreversible heights, I depart the Philippines reﬂecting on the devastating impacts of Typhoon Rai and the future of the communities in the Philippines. While the “Bayanihan” spirit gives me hope, we now need bold collective action to build the resilience of communities at risk, to protect the most vulnerable, and to ensure that migration remains a choice rather than a necessity.

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

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

UKRAINE REJECTS ULTIMATUM

Zelensky: No surrender of Mariupol city U KRAINE rejected a Russian ultimatum to surrender the besieged southern city of Mariupol Monday, as renewed overnight shelling killed six in the capital Kyiv.

The move came as US President Joe Biden announced a trip to Poland for crisis talks over the Russian invasion. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk dismissed the early morning deadline, saying Moscow should instead allow hundreds of thousands of trapped Mariupol residents to escape. “We can’t talk about surrendering weapons,” Vereshchuk told the Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper, “we have already informed the Russian side about it.” The Kremlin’s military command had warned authorities in Mariupol had until “5 a.m. tomorrow, that is on March 21” to respond to eight pages of demands, which Ukrainian officials said would amount to a capitulation. “We call on units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, territorial defence battalions, foreign mercenaries to stop hostilities, lay down their arms” said Russian Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, warning those who did not surrender would face court martial, and worse. Kyiv’s rejection came as Russian bombs hit targets across the country overnight, killing at least six in Kyiv and allegedly damaging a chemical plant in the north of the country causing an “ammonia leakage”.

Sumy regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky said “Russian artillery shelling” had hit the Sumykhimprom fertiliser plant as he warned residents within a 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) radius to seek shelter. In Washington, the White House said Biden – who is due ATTACK AFTERMATH. A Ukrainian serviceman walks between debris inside the Retroville shopping mall after a Russian attack on the to visit Europe this week to meet northwest of the capital Kyiv on March 21, 2022. AFP leaders from NATO, the G7 and the European Union – would also travel to Poland. There he is expected to hold talks with President Andrzej HONG KONG is set to resume international On Monday, Lam said starting April 1, week quarantine stay in expensive hotels. Duda to discuss a joint response flights from the United States, Britain, the Hong Kong will lift flight bans – referred Lam also announced that starting April to the humanitarian crisis that Philippines and six other countries, the gov- to as a “circuit-breaker” – for the nine coun- 19, kindergartens, primary schools and inhas seen around two million ernment said Monday as it announced a tries. ternational schools will resume in-person Ukrainians flee to Poland alone. loosening of some of the world’s toughest “The circuit-breaker ... is inopportune teaching. The humanitarian crisis is COVID-19 restrictions. now,” she said during a press conference. Beginning April 21, restaurants may stay perhaps most acute in Mariupol, The finance hub has struggled to main“The epidemic situations in those coun- open after 6 pm for dine-in services—curwhere for almost a month Rustain China’s zero-COVID policy during an tries are not worse than Hong Kong’s, and rently banned—while public gatherings can sian forces have bombarded and Omicron-fueled outbreak. most arrivals did not have serious symp- include four people, up from the current besieged the southern port city After the highly transmissible variant toms. To extend the circuit-breaker will add two. trapping an estimated 350,000 fuelled a fresh wave of cases in January, to the concerns and anxieties of Hong Kong Lam’s administration has been excoripeople. authorities quickly put in place flight bans residents stranded there.” ated for its handling of the COVID crisis, The UN has described the hufrom eight countries deemed high-risk – inThe quarantine period for vaccinated ar- with critics calling it unprepared despite manitarian situation in the city cluding the United States, Britain, France rivals will also be reduced to seven days in a two years of breathing room due to the as “extremely dire” with “resiand India – and in February added a ninth, designated hotel, followed by another seven low number of cases before Omicron hit dents facing a critical and poNepal. days of at-home monitoring – though Lam in January. tentially fatal shortage of food, But infections climbed rapidly, with Hong did not specify what date the change will Once the variant broke through, hospiwater and medicines.” Kong recording more than a million cases and begin. tal wards were flooded with patients and Mariupol is a pivotal target in 5,600 deaths, with the bulk of the toll among Currently, Hong Kong residents trying to morgues overcrowded with bodies—leadVladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine its unvaccinated elderly population. return from most destinations face a two- ing to a coffin shortage last week. AFP – providing a land bridge between Russian forces in Crimea to the southwest and Russiancontrolled territory to the north and east. AFP

HK to lift ban on flights from PH, 8 other countries

US: Myanmar committed genocide

PINK WAVE. People take pictures with cherry blossoms at Ueno Park in Tokyo on March 21, 2022. AFP

THE United States will Monday officially declare that the violence against the Rohingya minority committed by Myanmar’s military amounted to genocide, a move cautiously welcomed by activists and members of the beleaguered community. Hundreds of thousands of the mostly Muslim Rohingya community have fled Buddhistmajority Myanmar since 2017 after a military crackdown that is now the subject of a genocide case at the United Nations’ highest court in The Hague. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to officially announce the decision to designate that crackdown a genocide in remarks at the Holocaust Museum in Washington on Monday, where an exhibit on “Burma’s Path to Genocide” – using a former name for the country – is on display. Around 850,000 Rohingya are languishing in camps in neighboring Bangladesh, recounting mass killings and rape, while another 600,000 members of the community remain in

Myanmar’s Rakhine state where they report widespread oppression. “This should have been done way before, however I believe the US decision will help the ICJ process for the Rohingya,” said a Rohingya at a camp for those displaced by the crisis near Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine. Thin Thin Hlaing, a Rohingya rights activist, also welcomed the US move. “I feel like we were living through a blackout but now we see a light, because they recognize our suffering,” she told AFP. Blinken said in December last year during a visit to Malaysia that the United States was looking “very actively” at whether the treatment of the Rohingya might “constitute genocide.” The State Department released a report in 2018 that detailed violence against the Rohingya in western Rakhine state as “extreme, large-scale, widespread, and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the population and driving out the Rohingya residents.” AFP

German train stabbing in 2021 treated now as Islamist terrorism—prosecutors A KNIFE attack on a German train last year in which four people were injured is now being treated as Islamist terrorism, prosecutors said in a statement on Monday. The suspect, a Syrian man who was 27 at the time, is accused of carrying out the sudden and unprovoked attack on a highspeed train between the Bavarian cities of Regensburg and Nuremberg on November 6. He was initially taken into psychiatric care after an assessment suggested he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and was most likely not criminally responsible for his actions. But prosecutors in Munich on Monday

said he “is presumed to have been culpable at the time of the crime” and they believe he “acted out of an extremist Islamist conviction.” The case had already been passed to the Bavarian police’s anti-terrorism unit after investigators found Islamist propaganda videos on the suspect as well as Islamist content on his Facebook account. It will now be handled by federal prosecutors in Karlsruhe, responsible for terrorism cases. Prosecutors say some of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries and accuse the suspect of attempted murder, attempted manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. AFP

MASS TESTING. People queue to be tested for COVID-19 at a swab collection site in Beijing on March 21, 2022. AFP

UN weighs listing Great Barrier Reef as ‘in danger’ THE United Nations began a monitoring mission on the Great Barrier Reef Monday, assessing whether the World Heritage site is being protected from climate change as it suffers further widespread bleaching. Higher-than-average temperatures have again caused severe bleaching in parts of the reef, authorities confirmed last week, dashing hopes a cooler La Nina summer could spare corals from another season of heat damage. UNESCO’s mission will assess whether the Australian government is doing enough to address threats to the

Great Barrier Reef, including climate change, before the World Heritage Committee considers listing it as “in danger” in June. Reef expert Scott Heron of James Cook University told AFP he hoped “there is some transparency in the areas of the reef [the UN team] are visiting,” including those affected by the current bleaching event. “There are parts of the reef where the condition is so poor there is no opportunity for coral bleaching this year because there are few corals left,” he said. Heron said climate change was

pushing the reef closer to the limits of its stress threshold, making bleaching events more likely. “We need urgent action on climate change this decade,” he said. Since 2016, the Great Barrier Reef has been hit by three mass bleaching events, during which heat-stressed corals expel algae living in their tissues, draining them of their vibrant colors. A decision by the World Heritage Committee last July not to list the reef as “in danger” surprised many, given UNESCO had recommended the listing just weeks earlier. AFP

Dozens rescued after boat carrying migrants capsizes

TWENTY-SIX passengers reported missing when a fishing boat carrying undocumented migrant workers sank off the coast of Indonesia have been found alive, some after drifting for two days, officials said Monday. Two of the vessel’s 86 passengers, who were seeking work in neighboring Malaysia, were killed when it capsized Saturday, said Rully Ramadhiansyah, spokesman for the Belawan naval base on Sumatra island. The captain and three crew members all survived. “We found some of the passengers tightly holding to floats, jerry cans and other floating objects to survive in the ocean,” Ramadhiansyah told AFP. “Some others were rescued by a fishing boat.” The wooden vessel sank off North Sumatra province near the coastal area of Tanjung Api as it attempted to sail through an unguarded route to Malaysia. It sprang a leak soon after departing before then being hit by strong waves and capsizing. Officials had previously said there were 89 people on board at the time of the sinking but later revised it to 90 following testimony from the boat’s captain. Relatively affluent Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia, many of them undocumented, working in industries including construction and agriculture. AFP

World ‘sleepwalking’ to climate catastrophe—United Nations chief UN CHIEF Antonio Guterres said Monday the world is “sleepwalking to climate catastrophe”, with major economies allowing carbon pollution to increase when drastic cuts are needed. The planet-saving goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius is already “on life support,” he told a sustainability conference in London. Keeping 1.5C in play requires a 45 percent drop in emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by mid-century, according to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). But even if nations honour newly re-

vised pledges under the Paris Agreement, emissions are still set to rise 14 percent before the decade ends. “The problem is getting worse,” Guterres said in a pre-recorded video message. “We are sleepwalking to climate catastrophe.” “If we continue with more of the same, we can kiss 1.5C goodbye,” he added. “Even two degrees may be out of reach.” His comments came only hours before the 195-nation IPCC kicks off a two-week meeting to validate a landmark report on options for reducing carbon pollution and extracting CO2 from the air. AFP

Business

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Japan presses UAE to pump more oil as war spikes prices

UKRAINE FLIP SIDE.

View of a gas station in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on March 20, 2022. The prices of oil and grains produced in Latin America increase due to the war in Ukraine, a situation that at first sight seems positive for the regional economy but has a flip side: it is the return of rampant inflation, and the rising prices in food and fuel. Brazil is among the 10 largest oil producers in the world, producing approximately three million barrels per day. AFP

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Japan on Sunday urged the United Arab Emirates to pump more oil to calm markets rocked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the latest major consumer to lobby Gulf producers. The plea by Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi came during meetings with Emirati officials which coincided with a visit by Germany’s economy minister, three weeks into the Russian offensive. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also flew to the UAE and Saudi Arabia to push for more oil this week in a bid to ease prices of over $100 a barrel and secure non-Russian supplies. Hayashi asked “the UAE to contribute to the stabilization of the international oil market by supplying a greater amount of oil, securing spare productive capacity as a leading member of OPEC+,” a Japanese foreign ministry spokesperson told an online briefing. The UAE supplies about a third of Ja-

pan’s oil imports. There was no promise of more production from the UAE, which has stressed its alignment with the OPEC+ oil alliance that includes Russia. Hayashi’s talks with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Industry Minister Sultan Al Jaber come after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made the same request in phone calls with the Emirati and Saudi leadership this week. The UAE “may be more willing to open the taps” than Saudi Arabia as it wants to capitalize on its oil reserves more quickly, Torbjorn Soltvedt, Middle East and North Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, told AFP this week. The UAE’s ambassador to the United States last week signaled it favored higher production in OPEC+, sending prices lower. But the UAE reaffirmed its commitment to OPEC+ just a day later. AFP

Stocks slip; Monde Nissin, SPNEC fall PSEi March 21, 2022

TOP GAINERS

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

1 2 3

BRN PRIM PRMX

0.93 1.59 2.74

0.09 0.15 0.21

10.71% 10.42% 8.30%

4 5 6 7 8 9

STR LCB CA WPI PA AB

3.49 0.17 48 0.45 2.98 5.96

0.25 0.01 2.8 0.025 0.16 0.3

7.72% 6.25% 6.19% 5.88% 5.67% 5.30%

0.325

0.015

4.84%

HE stock market fell for a second straight session Monday, with investors keeping tabs on the war in Ukraine and renewed spikes in global oil prices. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index was down 51.03 points, or 0.7 percent, to 6,956.60 on a value turnover of P7.6 billion. Losers beat gainers, 103 to 78, with 53 issues unchanged. Noodles maker Monde Nissin Corp.

sank 4.5 percent to P13.70, while Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corp., which is building the biggest solar farm in Southeast Asia, dropped 3.3 percent to P1.76. SM Investments Corp. of the Sy Group declined 2.5 percent to P880, while major property developer Ayala Land Inc. of the Ayala Group slid 2.1 percent to P34.70. The rest of Asian markets were mixed Monday after last week’s rally, while oil prices extended gains. Confidence remains at a premium owing to the crisis in eastern Europe—which threatens to deal a hefty blow to the global economy—as well

Tunisians battle to save Sahara oasis life Employees cultivate the Dar Hi hotel’s vegetable garden amid palm tree in the remote Nefta oasis, a seven-hour drive from the coastal Tunisian capital Tunis, on February 12, 2022. AFP

TOP LOSERS 1 SLI 2 ATNB 3 GEO 4 NIKL 5 MARC 6 ORE 7 PHR 8 ATN 9 C 10 MONDE

LAST PRICE CHANGE 2.53 -0.27 0.63 -0.06 0.187 -0.013 7.37 -0.49 1.68 -0.11 1 -0.06 1 -0.05 0.63 -0.03 1.48 -0.07 13.7 -0.64

% CHANGE -9.64% -8.70% -6.50% -6.23% -6.15% -5.66% -4.76% -4.55% -4.52% -4.46%

MOST ACTIVE

1 SM 2 ICT 3 ALI 4 SMPH 5 MONDE 6 BDO 7 CNVRG 8 TEL 9 SPNEC 10 MBT

VOLUME 1,560,800 2,081,300 10,682,700 8,288,000 20,233,800 2,173,850 10,702,500 155,905 117,173,000 3,720,760

VALUE (PHP) 1,383,519,195 468,591,904 374,238,555 319,844,835 280,210,852 278,953,573 276,778,735 269,582,615 210,131,990 195,684,168

as central bank monetary tightening measures. Traders struggled to maintain the buying enthusiasm seen last week that was fueled by bargain-buying and China’s pledge to support beaten-down markets and indication that a crackdown on the tech sector was nearing an end. Hopes for an end to the war were given a boost Sunday when authorities in Turkey, where Russian and Ukrainian representatives have been negotiating, said the two sides were close to a deal to stop the fighting. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the sides were negotiating six points: Ukraine’s neutrality, disarmament

By Francoise Kadri NEFTA, Tunisia—A remote oasis in Tunisia’s desert was exhausted by decades of wasteful water use for agriculture—but now pioneers around an eco-lodge are reviving the spot with innovative projects. They hope their back-to-basics approach can keep alive the ancient Saharan caravan stop and its traditions as a sustainable alternative to the region’s high-irrigation date plantations. “Among the palm trees, everything can grow,” said Mohamed Bougaa, 63, a farmer in the remote Nefta oasis, a seven-hour drive from the coastal capital Tunis. “There’s everything you need here: vegetables, fruit. We can plant peppers, tomatoes, carrots— everything grows when there’s sun and water.” The problem has been that the Nefta spring— which once delivered some 700 liters (185 gallons) of water per second—has been exhausted to irrigate the region’s famous dates, called “deglet nour.” “The Nefta springs dried up 20 years ago,” said Bougaa. As underground water sources have failed and summer temperatures peaked at a scorching 55 degrees Celsius (131 degrees Fahrenheit) last August, the season’s crop has been disappointing. Mimicking nature Patrick Ali El Ouarghi, who runs an eco-tourism lodge in the oasis, said date palm plantations, at the right scale, can be run sustainably. He called them an ideal demonstration of permaculture, a system for producing food organically by mimicking natural ecosystems. “The palm trees protect the fruit trees, and the fruit trees protect the vegetable patches, it’s

natural in an oasis,” El Ouarghi said. The French-Tunisian set up his Dar Hi lodge 11 years ago—including the so-called “Palm Lab” where engineers, architects and artists discuss how to conserve the oasis. The ecology project aims “to make investors and farmers want to reinvest in the oasis, because it’s decaying a bit,” he said. A key theme is tackling the severe water shortages by experimenting with technology such as drip irrigation. The current system of flooding orchards with water, pumped from 100 meters (300 feet) below ground, is wasteful, he said. Date sugar Not far from Dar Hi, others are trying different ways of creating value in the oasis. American Kevin Klay, 35, a former resident of Sousse in northern Tunisia, says he fell in love with dates during a visit to the south. “We realized that many dates, up to 20 to 30 percent, were thrown out and not used because of a small visual blemish,” he said. So he bought a few kilos (pounds), removed their seeds, dried them and then put them through a coffee grinder. The result, he said, was a sweetener “with a fifth of the calories of white sugar” that is full of fiber and contains “more potassium than bananas.” Armed with this knowledge, Klay in 2018 launched “Dateible,” selling his “date sugar” produced from the organic-certified desert fruits for export. He now employs nine people, seven of them women. “We’ve seen huge demand, particularly in the US where our main market is,” he said. AFP

China property giant Evergrande suspends share trading again HONG KONG, China—Troubled Chinese property developer giant Evergrande and all its units suspended trading in Hong Kong Monday morning, according to a notice to the stock exchange. China’s property firms have struggled in the wake of Beijing’s drive to curb excessive debt in the real estate sector, as well as rampant consumer speculation. Among those embroiled in the crisis is Evergrande, one of the country’s largest developers, which has been involved in restructuring negotiations after racking up $300 billion in liabilities. On Monday the company announced that

trading will be “halted” without giving a reason. “Accordingly, all structured products relating to the company will also be halted from trading at the same time,” said a notice to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Shares of Evergrande Property Services Group and China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group were suspended. The suspension—the second this year— comes ahead of an expected $2-billion repayment obligation on Wednesday, and another next month of $1.4 billion. The embattled developer was labelled as being in default by international ratings firms in December after it failed to repay liabilities

on time. Earlier struggles to pay suppliers and contractors due to the debt crisis led to sustained protests from homebuyers and investors at the group’s Shenzhen headquarters in September. The company has repeatedly said it will finish its projects and deliver them to buyers in a desperate bid to salvage its debts. But in January it was ordered by authorities to tear down 39 buildings on Hainan island because the structures were built illegally on an artificial archipelago in the tourist hub. The firm has tried to sell assets, with chairman Hui Ka Yan paying off some of the debts using his own personal wealth. AFP

and security guarantees, the so-called “deNazification,” removal of obstacles on the use of the Russian language in Ukraine, the status of the breakaway Donbas region and the status of Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday urged direct talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as the only way to end the war. “Dialogue is the only way out,” he said on CNN. “I think it’s just the two of us, me and Putin, who can make an agreement on this.” After a healthy performance on Wall Street on Friday, Asia struggled to maintain momentum. With AFP

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

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

First Gen posted recurring income of P12.4b in 2021 By Alena Mae S. Flores FIRST Gen Corp., the power generation unit of the Lopez Group, said Monday it booked P12.4 billion ($252 million) in recurring net income attributable to equity holders from the operations of its 3,495 megawatt clean, lowcarbon and renewable portfolio. It said the amount was nearly unchanged from its 2020 earnings. First Gen said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it benefited from higher electricity sales from natural gas and hydroelectric platforms and from higher Wholesale Electricity Spot Market prices last year. These were offset by lower earnings from Energy Development Corp. because of generation and steam issues. “First Gen generated higher revenues in 2021 as we saw power demand recover to pre-pandemic levels. Unfortunately, revenue growth was also an effect of higher fuel prices experienced all over the world and the supply restrictions in the grid that reflected in high spot market prices,” First Gen president and chief operating officer Francis Giles Puno said. He said the gas-fired plants ran on liquid fuel to ensure adequate supply for the grid. “We are working to address gas supply uncertainty and are confident this will be addressed once our LNG import terminal operates this year,” Puno said. The natural gas platform delivered an 8-percent increase in recurring earnings to P9.7 billion ($198 million) last year, up from P9.2 billion ($184 million) in 2020. The 97-MW Avion power plant benefitted from high electricity sales in the early part of the year even if it had its share of plant damage issues in 2021. Avion’s Unit 2 was discovered to have incurred damage in its gas compressor in August and was restored to full commercial operation by late October. Avion’s Unit 1 was discovered in December to have incurred damage but was brought back to operations by February this year. Meanwhile, the older natural gasfired plants—the 1,000-MW Santa Rita and the 500-MW San Lorenzo, reaped the benefits of lower income tax rates under the CREATE Law and lower interest expenses from regular debt service payments.

Business Moody’s unit expects BSP to keep rates at record low By Julito G. Rada

OODY’S Analytics, a subsidiary of Moody’s Corp., said Monday it expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to maintain the policy interest rate at a record low of 2 percent in its meeting Thursday, as inflation remained manageable in the first two months of the year.

“The Philippine central bank will keep its policy rate steady at 2 percent at its March meeting. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has some added breathing space to keep rates on hold because inflation has cooled from its August peak of 4.4 percent year on year,” Moody’s said in a report. Inflation was unchanged at 3 percent in February, bringing the average in the first two months to 3 percent, representing the midpoint of the target range of 2

percent to 4 percent for the year. “The central bank is keeping a close watch on inflation expectations; Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has heightened upside risks from high global energy and food prices,” Moody’s Analytics said. It said the monetary policy was expected to start normalizing in the September quarter. “Movement restrictions to slow the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have hurt domestic demand in the opening months of 2022,” Moody’s Analytics said. Moody’s Analytics is a subsidiary of Moody’s Corp. established in 2007 to focus on non-rating activities, separate from Moody’s Investors Service. It provides economic research regarding risk, performance and financial modeling, consulting, training and software services. Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort earlier said in an online briefing the BSP might start raising the policy rate of 2 percent by the second half, as some countries were expected to react to further rate hikes by the US Fed. “[The] widely expected Fed rate hike of +0.25 on March 16, 2022, will be

followed my more and earlier Fed rate hikes thereafter [or six more +0.25 Fed rate hikes for the rest of 2022; [and] 3-4 +0.25 Fed rate hikes for 2023],” Ricafort said. “Based on the Fed’s dot plot/estimates; possible Fed decision on the reduction of the Fed’s balance sheet by May 2022, could lead to some upward adjustments in policy rates from record lows close to zero percent in other countries, especially in other developed countries,” Ricafort said. He said these rate adjustments in other countries would maintain healthy interest rate differentials and effectively respond and better manage the recent relatively higher inflation and inflation expectations amid improved global economic recovery prospects. BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said, however, the Philippines would not move in sync with the US Federal Reserve after the latter raised interest rates for the first time since 2018. Diokno said any policy decision by the Monetary Board would remain data driven—such as the latest numbers on inflation and domestic output—to avoid “unintended consequences.”

SKYWAY O&M Corp., a subsidiary of San Miguel Corp., said Monday public utility buses and closed van delivery trucks will again be able to use the elevated Skyway system starting April 1, paving the way for faster, more efficient commutes and transport of goods between northern and southern Metro Manila. SOMCO’s announcement came after the completion of major construction works. All Class “2” vehicles—primarily buses and closed vans exceeding 7 feet in height and with valid Autosweep RFID stickers—will be allowed on the entire elevated Skyway system, comprising of Skyway 1, 2 and 3. These types of vehicles were temporarily restricted from using the Skyway for safety reasons, as the construction of the South Luzon Expressway elevated extension in Muntinlupa necessitated the use of a temporary steel access ramp at the Alabang Viaduct. The steel ramp, which was in use for around two years, was only intended for light vehicles. It said with the lifting of the restric-

6,956.60

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

974,774,545 95,297

TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) ADVANCES DECLINES

7,604,821,512.19 78 103

UNCHANGED

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

52.3360

Japan

Yen

0.008397

0.4395

Pound

1.318000

68.9788

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127812

6.6892

Switzerland

Franc

1.072961

56.1545

Canada

Dollar

0.792644

41.4838

Singapore

Dollar

0.737681

38.6073

Australia

Dollar

0.740200

38.7391

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652590

138.8260

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266560

13.9507

Brunei

Dollar

0.734970

38.4654

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.029985

1.5693

UAE

Dirham

0.272264

14.2492

Euro

1.105300

57.8470

Korea

Won

0.000826

0.0432

China

Yuan

0.157196

8.2270

India

Rupee

0.013149

0.6882

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.238607

12.4877

New Zealand

Dollar

0.689600

36.0909

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035253

1.8450 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF

Gov’t to tap global bond market this month THE Philippines will issue this month benchmark US dollar-denominated bonds to raise funds for budget financing of the government. A document obtained from a reliable source on Monday showed the bonds will have a tenor of five years that will mature on March 29, 2027; 10.5 years to mature on Sept. 29, 2032; and, 25 years that will mature on March 29, 2047. The five- and 10.5-year bonds would be used for “general budget financing,” while the 25-year bonds would also be used for general budget financing “and to finance/refinance assets in line with the Republic’s sustainable finance framework.” The government tapped the Bank of China, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Mizuho Securities, Morgan Stanley, Standarc Chartered Bank and UBS as joint bookrunners and joint lead managers. The issuance is expected to be given investment grade ratings of Moody’s Investors Service (Baa2), S&P Global Ratings (BBB+), and Fitch Ratings (BBB). Julito G. Rada

TOTAL assets of Philippine banks exceeded P20 trillion in 2021 despite the global pandemic, allowing lenders to post a combined net income of P224 billion, according to the Bankers Association of the Philippines which held its 2022 annual meeting on March 21. “The banking industry performed even better than expected coming out from the COVID-19 pandemic. Total assets of banks stood at P20.8 trillion for 2021, and banks recorded a net profit of PP224 billion. There is more than enough liquidity to support the borrowing needs of the country and its people as we gear up towards a full economic recovery,” said outgoing BAP president Jose Arnulfo Veloso. “These demonstrate the banking sector’s resiliency and preparedness built through the years and having survived a number of economic, financial and even geopolitical crises,” he said. The BAP also elected its new set of officers during the annual meeting. Antonio Moncupa Jr., president and chief executive of EastWest Banking Corp., will succeed Veloso as the organization’s president.

FARMERS’ TRAINING. Twenty five farmers from Padre Garcia, Batangas graduate from SM Foundation’s Kabalikat Sa Kabuhayan on Sustainable Agriculture. Under the KSK Batch 228, the farmers were equipped with modern farming techniques to have quality produce—which they may consume at home or sell as additional source of income. Each farmer received experiential learning on land preparation, proper seed sowing, transplanting, plastic mulching and harvesting.

Balaoi, Pagudpud. NLR is a joint venture of UPC Philippines Holdco I B.V., ACEN and Luzon Wind Energy Holdings B.V., while Bayog Wind is a joint venture between ACEN through subsidiary ACE Endevor Inc. and UPC Philippines Holdco II B.V. ACEN said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it would acquire the 33.3-percent ownership interest of UPC Philippines in NLR, consisting of 16,670 common shares with a par value of P100 per share and 740 preferred shares with a par value of P228,712.35 apiece. The company will also acquire the

SMC to reopen Skyway to public buses, closed van delivery trucks starting April By Darwin G. Amojelar

Monday, March 21, 2022

-51.03 PTS.

PH banks’ total assets topped P20t last year

AC Energy signs P4.5-b agreements to hike shares in Ilocos wind projects AC ENERGY Corp. said Monday it signed agreements over the purchase of the shares of UPC Philippines Wind Investment Co. BV and Stella Marie L. Sutton in their Philippine renewable energy companies and businesses for P4.5 billion. The sale covers the ownership interest of UPC Philippines and Sutton in North Luzon Renewable Energy Corp., the owner and operator of an 81-megawatt operating wind farm in Barangay Caparispisan, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte; and Bayog Wind Power Corp., the owner of the 160-MW Pagudpud Wind Farm that is under construction in Barangay

PSE INDEX CLOSING

tion, buses can enter and pass through the Skyway elevated sections spanning Alabang to Bicutan (Stage 2), Bicutan to Buendia (Stage 1) and Buendia to Balintawak (Stage 3). They can also access the new SLEX elevated extension and NAIA Expressway. “With the reopening of the Skyway to public buses and select transport trucks, we’re hopeful that many of our countrymen from both north and south can benefit from the convenience provided by the entire Skyway system,” said SMC president Ramon Ang. “This is an option for commuters as well as public transport services, who would like to have a faster, more direct, or even point-to-point access to their destinations. This will also help to further decongest our public roads, given that we are now back to pre-pandemic levels of traffic,” he said. Ang said that in anticipation of the Skyway’s reopening to public buses, careful and extensive planning was done to ensure the preparedness of Skyway plazas, toll booths, patrols and SOMCO staff prior to its implementation.

40-percent ownership interest of UPC Philippines in BWPC, consisting of 4,165 common shares with a par value of P100 per share. “The acquisition by the company of UPC Philippines’ ownership interest in NLR and BWPC will enable the company to have a controlling interest in the currently operating 81-MW wind farm and full ownership of the 160 MW Pagudpud Wind Farm, which is nearing completion, thereby increasing the company’s share in the revenues of NLR and future revenues of BWPC,” ACEN said. The sale also includes other projects

in development such as Buduan Wind Energy Co Inc., Caraballo Mountains UPC Asia Corp., Pangasinan UPC Asia Corp., Sapat Highlands Wind Corp., Mindanao Wind Power Corp., Itbayat Island UPC Asia Corp., Laguna Central Renewables, Inc., Laguna West Renewables, Inc., Suyo UPC Asia Corp. and Solar Ace4 Energy Corp. Buduan Wind, Pangasinan UPC (Laguna Solar), Caraballo Mountains UPC and Sapat Highlands are non-operating, development special purpose vehicles. Laguna Solar has 1,500-MW in the pipeline. Alena Mae S. Flores

Vivant’s net profit climbs 23% to P1.78b CEBU-BASED listed company Vivant Corp. said Monday net income rose 23 percent in 2021 to P1.78 billion from P1.44 billion in 2020 on higher contribution from power generation and power distribution businesses. Core net also climbed 25 percent in 2021 to P1.73 from P1.38 billion a year earlier. “We’re proud of what we have accomplished amid the challenges brought by the pandemic. As we see businesses adapt to the changed landscape, we expect a demand for forward-looking, customizable solutions that will help them thrive in the new environment,” said Vivant chief executive Arlo. Sarmiento. Power generation business continued to drive Vivant’s earnings performance, accounting for 69 percent of total income from business segments. Net income contribution reached P1.7 billion, up 11 percent from P1.53 billion on favorable spot market prices and the fresh contributions of newly-acquired generation companies in 2021. The electricity distribution business booked a net income contribution of P745.57 million, up 29 percent year-on-year from P579.02 million. Jenniffer B. Austria

FOOD SAFETY. Metro Retail Stores Group Inc. earns Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points and Good Manufacturing Practice certifications for some of its flagship supermarkets for adherence to food safety. Shown are Metro Ayala Cebu Supermarket associates as they celebrate their recent recertification. The associates include (front row, from left) quality assurance manager Arlene Bustamante, store general manager Richard Cañete, senior quality control supervisor Mira Rulida, support service manager Elsie Lisondra (second row) selling supervisor Melquiades Apat, support service manager Charito Dagotdot, quality assurance manager Florence Josephine Jorge and senior quality control supervisor Catherine Damiles.

BCDA set to develop 34.55-hectare housing project in New Clark City STATE-RUN Bases Conversion and Development Authority said Monday it will build a 34.55-hectare affordable, multi-tenure and climate-resilient housing project at New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac. The housing program, to be divided into five phases, will feature a river park, town center, community square, sports park, pocket parks and mixeduse residential and commercial developments that will be connected to bus rapid transit and metro rail transit sys-

tems. BCDA held a market sounding webinar last month to discuss with and gather the insights of prospective local developers regarding the master plan, feasibility study and business case for the housing project. “Our aim for this project is to build affordable housing under an inclusive, safe and sustainable community for future residents of New Clark City. After more than a year of planning the master plan and preparing the feasibility

study as well as the business case, we are ready to present this to you. We aim to start constructing this project by the first half of 2023,” BCDA senior vice president Joshua Bingcang. The housing program is targeted to have a wide range of residents, including government locators and private employees. Residents of the nearby municipalities of Bamban and Capas in Tarlac, and Mabalacat and Angeles City in Pampanga are also eyed as prospective homeowners. Alena Mae S. Flores

Sports

Bolts halt Limitless’ streak, win PBA 3x3 tilt MERALCO refused to blink against an imposing Limitless App side and hacked out a 17-14 win to rule Leg 4 of the PBA 3x3 Lakas Ng Tatlo Second Conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday night. Dexter Maiquez and Alfred Batino caught fire in the stretch run and sparked a closing 12-5 charge by the Bolts that completed the upset win against a favored team which was on a 13-game winning streak until running through Meralco in the finals. Maiquez finished with six points, Batino and Tonino Gonzaga with five each, and Josef Sedurifa had a point to round out the scoring for the Bolts, who bagged the top prize money worth P100,000. It was the second leg title for Meralco, counting the Leg 2 championship it won during the First Conference last year. But this one really took the best out of the Bolts as they were up against the top seeded Appmasters, whose success in the standalone tournament had them earning the right to represent the country in the coming 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. “Every leg is a challenge,” admitted Meralco coach Patrick Fran. “Siguro this is God’s will to play in the finals again. “They’re very tough,” he said of the Appmasters. “Actually lahat halos ng teams are really very hard (to beat) ngayon.” Limitless App, the champion of the previous leg held a week ago to kick-off its

winning streak, was eyeing for another back-to-back leg title just like what it did during the First conference when the team swept the final two stages before claiming the maiden grand finals. And the Appmasters appeared to be on track of doing a repeat as Jorey Napoles

hit his strides early on and gave them a 6-4 advantage. But Maiquez and Batino joined hands to rally back the Bolts at a time the Appmasters’ offense suddenly turned cold. Napoles finished with six points and guard Reymar Caduyac five for Limit-

less App, which took P50,000 as runner up purse. On their way to the championship round, the Bolts got 13 points from Gonzaga in eliminating Jeff Manday and the San Miguel Beermen, 21-15, while the Appmasters again got the better end of

By Peter Atencio

AGUIO City-- Ronald Lomotos is getting ready for his next challenge -- the 30th Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance’s Ronda champion rider Ronald Lomotos

This is what awaits the 27-year-old Lomotos after he claimed the P1-million top purse that was at stake for winning the overall individual honors of the 11th LBC Ronda Pilipinas, which ended at Burnham Park on Sunday. His Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance coach Ronald Gorrantes said this after the team retained the Ronda crown it held in 2020, with the Navymen seeking to improve on the bronze medals they bagged in the men’s team time trials and team road race of the 2019 SEA Games which the country hosted.

“We have no international competitions this year, except for the SEA Games. We will now get ready for this,” said Gorrantes following Sunday’s awarding ceremonies at the Baguio Convention Center. It will be recalled that Lomotos, with teammates El Joshua Carino and Junrey Navarra were part of the Philippine team that clinched the bronze medal in the last biennial meet. Back then, they were also with Go For Gold’s Jonel Carcueva, Team Nueva Ecija Marcelo Felipe and Navy’s Ismael Grospe. Also preparing for the SEA

Games are Go For Gold’s Dominic Perez, Aidan Mendoza, Daniel Carino and Mark Lago. This time, they will miss Navarra, who dropped out in one of the stages because he needed to recover from tuberculosis. Lomotos said his overall championship win in the recent Ronda event has inspired him to do better. “I thank them (Navy) for their support and now we’ll be supporting each other in our next competitions,” said Lomotos after receiving his P1-million prize. With his big cash bonanza, Lomotos said he might settle down next year. He also thanked his fiance Marie Pearl Corpuz, who provided inspiration to him, cheering him on during the crucial Stage 9 race from Santiago, Isabela to Baguio City. “Yes, I might even get married next year,” added Lomotos, who hails from San Felipe, Zambales.

Ronda bikefest returns to Visayas, Mindanao in 2023 cycling spectacle, considered the biggest and richest in the country today with 13 teams and a prize pool worth P3.5 million including P1 million to the individual champion, will return to Mindanao for the first time since it held a five-stage leg in Butuan to Cagayan de Oro six years ago. Ronda also held its race in the Visayas in 2019—a five-stage, UCIsanctioned event from Iloilo to Antique that was topped by former Tour de France veteran Francisco Mancebo of Spain.

And now Ronda is coming back to both. Meanwhile, newly crowned Ronda king Ronald Lomotos of Navy Standard Insurance vowed to work extra hard to repeat as champion and join a company of two-time Ronda winners Santy Barnachea (2011 and 2015) Jan Paul Morales (2016-2017). “I will do my best to prove myself worthy again next year, I will train hard for it,” said the 27-year-old Lomotos. The proud son of San Felipe, Zambales pulled off one of the most dramatic comebacks in Ronda history in topping

this year’s 10-stage race that opened in Sorsogon and concluded here. And so with eight-time team champion Navy Standard Insurance, which was also composed of runner-up and King of the Mountain Ronald Oranza, third placer El Joshua Carino, and fourth placer and Best Rookie and Under-23 awardee Jeremy Lizardo. “The key is training hard and staying disciplined. If we keep that mindset, we’ll have a chance to win again next year,” said Navy coach Reinhard Gorantes.

Malixi faces challenging hunt as Ladies PH Golf Tour begins AMATEUR Rianne Malixi returns to the very site of her recent romp but this time faces a lot more challenging task against a field she had humbled the last time out but whose roster is enhanced by a multi-titled campaigner. The Ladies Philippine Golf Tour unveils its new season in new normal with a full calendar beginning with the ICTSI Luisita Championship today (Tuesday) at the fabled Robert Trent Jones, Sr.designed layout in Tarlac where Malixi dominated her peers, topping the grueling SEA Games qualifier by 17 strokes early this month. The men of the tour likewise start their campaign alongside with the ladies with Miguel Tabuena, Tony Lascuña and Clyde Mondilla, along with Reymon Jaraula, Jay Bayron, Joenard Rates and Michael Bibat all primed up for a heated battle, eager and raring to slug it out for top honors after being out of play the past year. Tabuena has had great moments at

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

Members of the Meralco team display the oversized cheque of their top prize in the PBA 3x3 Lakas Ng Tatlo Second Conference.

Next target for Lomotos, riders: Hanoi SEA Games

BAGUIO CITY—After successfully staging its 11th edition recently, the LBC Ronda Pilipinas will go back to the Visayas and Mindanao for another encore next year. “We are happy to announce that there will be an LBC Ronda Pilipinas next year and LBC is looking at Vizayas and Mindanao as venues,” said the race’s executive project director Bernadette Guerrero during the awarding ceremony hosted by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong Sunday here. The announcement meant the annual

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

Luisita, winning at least three times, including the Philippine Open in 2015, giving him some kind of a push as he heads the chase for top honors in the P2 million championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. But with the rest of the compact PGT field all hungry for recognition, expect the unexpected with the par-72 course providing a true test of golf with its tight layout, hazards that come into play in most holes and unpredictable surface. The LPGT title chase is also tipped to go down-to-the-wire. And ranged against the country’s leading pros, the 14-year-old Malixi knows she’s in for a tough outing but relishes the rare chance to mix it up with the best, including former Order of Merit Princess Superal. “I’m happy that she’s (Superal) playing, People say she’s a great player and has a sound short game,” said Malixi. “But my priority is to enjoy, learn and play my A-game.”

The 2020 national stroke play champion actually upstaged the pros in her first LPGT sortie last December, routing the field, that included eventual OOM winner Harmie Constantino, by 15 strokes, just one shot short of matching Superal’s winning record margin of 16 at Highlands in 2018. She hopes to be get the opportunity to play with the winner of three of the first five LPGT events under the bubble setup last year. “I guess if I’m grouped with her, it would mean that I’m playing well,” said Malixi, who is building up for a series of tournaments in the US. “Winning is just a consolation and learning by playing with the greats is a rare opportunity.” Constantino, meanwhile, is ready to mark the season opener with a big win, so do the likes of leg winners Sunshine Baraquiel, Chanelle Avaricio and Daniella Uy, ensuring a fiery chase right in the opening round of the 54-hole, P750,000 championship put up by ICTSI. Rianne Malixi

their rivalry with TNT Tropang Giga, 2019, as Caduyac hit two crucial free throws to secure the win. The Tropang Giga went on and beat the Beermen in the battle for third place, 21-17, behind the 11 of guard Almond Vosotros including the clincher 2.

HK’s Bay Area Dragons to play in PBA’s Governors’ tilt A HONG KONG - b a s e d club team, the Bay Area Dragons, is raring to join the Philippine Basketball Association’s 47th G ove r n o r s’ Cup later this year. Officials of the PBA and the East Asia Super League said this after the Dragons’ entry has been accepted recently. “We are preparing for the season this October. This is incredibly special,” said East Asia Super League’s co-Founder and CEO, Matt Beyer, after conferring with PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial on Zoom Monday. The Bay Area Dragons, known as the Phoenixes, changed their name with respect to their participation in the PBA, which already has a team by the same name, the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters. The Dragons were established with the support of the Hong Kong Basketball Association and FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, to represent Greater China in EASL games. Games will be held at Smart Araneta Coliseum or the SM Mall of Asia Arena with thousands in attendance. The club’s roster will be a combination of top free agents from Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China, Macau SAR and Chinese Taipei for its local players. Like all EASL teams, the club will also have one Asian import and two foreign import players, making up its dynamic roster. P. Atencio

Sports

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

Duplantis sets ‘dream’ pole vault world record

ELGRADE—Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis bettered his own pole vault world record as he soared to gold at the World Indoor Championships on Sunday, but Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s bid to further underline his 1500m dominance came a cropper. US-born Duplantis cleared 6.20 metres at the third time of asking, 1cm better than his previous best set in the same Stark Arena in Belgrade just two weeks ago. As soon as main rivals Chris Nilsen and Thiago Braz had fallen by the wayside, Duplantis had no hesitation about raising the bar to a record height. The Swede was left punching the air as he went clear, his attention now focused on a world outdoor title in Eugene, Oregon, in July.

“To break the world record two times in two weeks, I can’t complain,” said Duplantis. “The sky’s the limit. Another title, another world record - it’s been a pretty good day. Going over 6.20m for the first time, it’s hard to explain. It’s something that you can only dream of.” Ingebrigtsen was outpaced to the line of a high-quality race by Ethiopian Samuel Tefera, one of two champions alongside long-jumping home favourite Ivana Vule-

ta who made all of their experience show through en route to the successful defence of their titles. After Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas’ incredible world record showing in the triple jump in the morning session, American Grant Holloway provided further fireworks when he equalled his own world indoor record of 7.29sec in the semi-finals of the 60m hurdles before adding that gold to his outdoor 110m world title. All eyes on the track had earlier been set on Ingebrigtsen, who had set an indoor 1500m world record last month. But Tefera had other ideas and batted off the mighty challenge of Norway’s Olympic gold medallist with a championship record of 3:32.77 for the win. Ingebrigtsen took silver 0.25sec behind, with Kenya’s Abel Kipsang

claiming bronze. The 21-year-old Norwegian led for most of the race until Tefera made his move on the final bend, drawing equal with and then motoring past the Norwegian, who had no kick left in him to respond. “I came here for the gold medal so of course I am disappointed,” Ingebrigtsen said. “I’ve been the best this season so I expected more.” Vuleta triumphs at home Fittingly it was Vuleta who stole the show in the long jump, delighting a large, raucous partisan crowd in the Serbian capital by claiming a back-toback gold. Vuleta, nee Spanovic, soared out to 7.06m on her fourth attempt, enough to push Nigeria’s Olympic bronze medallist Ese Brume into silver (6.85), with Briton Lorraine Ugen taking bronze (6.82).

“My medal was like a cherry on the cake,” Vuleta said. “It was like an outof-body experience. I didn’t have an easy task jumping in front of my home crowd. That built the tension for me.” A day after the onlooking Yaroslava Mahuchikh won an emotional gold for the six-strong Ukraine team in the women’s high jump, her teammate Maryna BekhRomanchuk claimed silver behind Rojas in the triple jump. But a quick turnaround saw the Ukrainian finish out of medal reckoning in the long jump, in sixth. Holloway and Ajee Wilson ensured there were two American golds on the third and final night’s action in Belgrade. Holloway made no mistake in the 60m hurdles, the Olympic silver medallist racing to victory in 7.39sec ahead of France’s Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, in 7.50. AFP

Long birdie gives Burns 2nd straight Valspar title

Sweden’s Armand Duplantis competes in the men’s pole vault final during The World Athletics Indoor Championships 2022 at the Stark Arena, in Belgrade. AFP

Fritz hands Nadal 1st ‘22 loss to win Indian Wells INDIAN WELLS—Taylor Fritz stunned Rafael Nadal 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) on Sunday to win the ATP Indian Wells Masters and end the 21-time Grand Slam champion’s perfect 20-0 run to start 2022. Fritz, ranked 20th in the world, claimed his second career title and his first at the elite Masters 1000 level while denying Nadal a record-equalling Taylor Fritz 37th Masters crown. The 24-year-old American achieved his biggest triumph despite an injured right ankle that was so painful when he tested it Sunday morning he didn’t think he’d be able to play. “This is just one of those childhood dreams, winning this tournament especially, Indian Wells, this is one of those childhood dreams you never even think can come true,” the Southern California native said, fighting back tears. “It was just an emotional roller coaster all day,” said Fritz, who spent hours leading up to the match receiving treatment to numb his ankle after “basically almost crying because I thought I was going to have to pull out.

“It was a game-time decision,” Fritz said. “A lot of members of my team wanted me to not play the match. I’m never going to let them forget that because I went on the court and it was a complete non-issue, didn’t feel it at all, didn’t hinder me at all.” The 35-year-old Nadal, meanwhile, was pushing himself through pain, twice receiving treatment on his upper body for a yet-to-be diagnosed problem that not only hurt but also affected his breathing. “I don’t know if it’s something on the rib, I don’t know yet,” Nadal said. “It’s a kind of pain that limit me a lot.” Nadal had already said he would skip next week’s Miami Masters to give his body a rest and prepare for the claycourt season. After fearing a foot injury that halted his 2021 campaign might end his career, the Spaniard claimed a record-setting 21st Grand Slam singles title with an epic comeback victory over Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final, then won the title at Acapulco. AFP

MIAMI—Sam Burns sank a dramatic 35-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole Sunday to defeat rookie Davis Riley and capture his second consecutive US PGA Valspar Championship title. In an intense extra-holes showdown between 25-year-old Americans, Burns and Riley began with pars at the par-4 18th hole at Innisbrook’s Copperhead course in Palm Harbor, Florida. The playoff moved to the par-4 16th, where Burns found the green and Riley the short rough. Burns saw his putt roll left to right around the back edge of the cup and drop in, the flagstick still in the cup. When Riley couldn’t match him with a 32-foot chip, Burns had defended his crown. “Man it was crazy,” Burns said. “Davis played well, especially the way he finished. Hats off to him.” It was the third career PGA title for Burns, who won by three strokes over Keegan Bradley at Innisbrook last year and took last October’s Sanderson Farms Championship. Burns will jump from 17th to 10th in the world rankings. “Just a lot of hard work,” Burns said. “I’m so happy.” Burns fired a two-under-par 69 to complete 72 holes on 17-under 267. “I tried to stay steady. We didn’t make a lot of mistakes,” Burns said. “On Sundays if you can just plod your way around -- make a bunch of pars, throw in a few birdies here and there -- a lot of times it works well.” Riley, ranked 399th, battled back from a triple bogey at the par-5 fifth hole that dropped him out of the lead to shoot 72 and manage his best tour finish, improving on a share of seventh at Bermuda last October.

“I got punched in the mouth pretty early,” Riley said. “Fought back. I knew if just kept staying in it, I would have a chance to win, but unfortunately didn’t have my best stuff and that’s just what happens. “We just said there’s a lot of golf to play, triple sucks, but I knew I was playing well enough to bounce back from it. Unfortunately that hole just kind of cost me.” Americans Justin Thomas and Matthew NeSmith shared third on 268 with England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and American Brian Harman sharing fifth on 270. NeSmith, ranked 279th, matched the course record with a 61 on Friday and managed his best US PGA finish, surpassing a share of sixth in 2020 at Puerto Rico. In the final round, Riley sank a six-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th while Burns rescued bogey with a nine-foot putt at 17—his first bogey after 24 holes—to keep a share of the lead. Both closed with pars, Riley missing a 15-foot birdie putt to win at 18. Thomas saved par at 17 but took three to reach the 18th green to end his hopes while NeSmith missed from 34 feet for birdie to seal his fate. Rally from disaster Riley’s triple-bogey disaster at the fifth hole left him one stroke behind Burns, Thomas and NeSmith. But NeSmith made bogeys at six and seven and Thomas made bogey at the par-3 eighth to leave Burns in front at 16-under as he made the turn. Riley rolled in a mammoth birdie putt from just inside 50 feet at the eighth to match Burns for the lead. AFP

Chooks partners with FIBA to boost 3x3 By Randy Caluag CHOOKS-TO-GO Pilipinas has entered into a global partnership with FIBA 3x3, with the ultimate mission of bringing the Philippines to the Paris Olympics in 2024. Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascarinas announced the partnership on Monday, together with Ignacio Soriano, head of FIBA 3x3 Events and Partnership at the Crown Plaza Galleria Hotel in Quezon City. “We are truly honored to be given the privilege as global partner, especially in Southeast Asia. We had to innovate in our business last year and now, we are in a position to support the advocacy of 3x3 basketball as an Olympic sport,” said Mascarinas. Ignacio said he is honored to be part of the partnership that will spur the development of 3x3 basketball in this part of the world. The partnership involves the Philippines’ hosting of major 3x3 masters events, where Olympians will be seeing action, the Superquest and participation of the PH team in the World Tour. Precious points will be at stake in all the events. “The best is yet to come,” added Soriano, who guaranteed that the Chooks-to-Go

Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascarinas (left) with Ignacio Soriano, head of FIBA 3x3 Events and Partnership

logo will all be included in all FIBA 3x3 platforms in social media, digital channels, website and all major tournaments. Mascarinas said the Philippines is currently ranked no. 31 in the world and he is aspiring to get the team to the Top 4. “It’s going to be difficult but we will buckle down trying,” said Mascarinas, adding this will be done by holding weekly tournaments locally and participating in FIBA tournaments.

More than anything else, Chooks has formed a national pool that will be sent to world no.1 Serbia in April. The team will then compete in two Manila World Masters in Manila and Cebu. The initial five-man pool, led by head coach Aldin Ayo, was also introduced. “Pressure has been a part of our profession. We are being patient, we are now able to practice daily. We are honored to be part of this,” said Ayo.

Leclerc takes dramatic F1 season-opening Bahrain GP

Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc celebrates on the podium winning the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in the city of Sakhir. AFP

SAKHIR, Bahrain—Charles Leclerc of Ferrari won a dramatic Formula One season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday after reigning champion Max Verstappen limped out with an electrical issue two laps before the end. Carlos Sainz made it a Ferrari one-two while Sergio Perez completed a disastrous day for Verstappen’s Red Bull by spinning out of the race on the last lap with a mechanical problem, handing third place to Lewis Hamilton. George Russell, in his first race since joining Hamilton at Mercedes to replace Valtteri Bottas, took fourth place to give Mercedes a score of 27 points that they could not have dreamed of in the middle of the race. For Leclerc, who kept his cool when he and Verstappen exchanged the lead five

times in two laps in a furious start to the race, the victory was pure delight. “That’s exactly how we should start the season. One-two baby, one-two. Mamma mia,” the man from Monaco said on the team radio. Once the race trophy was in his hands, Leclerc said: “I’m so happy. We knew this was a big opportunity for the team and the guys have done an incredible job building into amazing car. “A one-two today with Carlos—we couldn’t hope for better. It’s incredible to be back at the top.” There was also a remarkable outcome for Haas, the team which failed to score a single point last season and was forced to replace Russian driver Nikita Mazepin—and his tycoon father’s sponsorship of the team—as a result of

the invasion of Ukraine. The driver who replaced him, Kevin Magnussen, finished fifth in the Dane’s first race since 2020 to collect 10 points. Zhou Guanyu made history as he scored China’s first point in Formula One after steering his Alfa Romeo to tenth. In a double celebration for Asia, Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda took eighth spot and four points for AlphaTauri. Red Bull’s zero returns Leclerc’s start from pole position was immediately challenged by Verstappen under the lights in the Gulf but he fought back to regain the lead. By lap 37 of 57, Verstappen was arguing with his own team over their instructions from the pit lane and Leclerc had extended his lead to 2.3 seconds and held onto it for a deserved victory.

The race was disrupted when the safety car came out on the 51st lap after Pierre Gasly had to jump out of his AlphaTauri before it burst into flames. When racing resumed, Sainz attacked Verstappen for second place but the Dutchman’s race ended in bitter disappointment as he appeared to lose all power on the 55th lap and had to limp into the pits without a point. “It was very hard out there, a lot of different issues we had to deal with and this is of course what you don’t what to have on the first race weekend,” said Verstappen. “It was not great today, we didn’t show what we could do for whatever reason but there is potential. We’ve already lost a lot of points in this weekend, that’s really not good.” AFP

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

Ariana Grande trends after socmed post for Robredo By Patricia Taculao Sitti

Sitti records latest single ‘Tag-Araw’ in one take RARELY do we hear a modern studio recording with everything you hear in a song done in a single pass. But Sitti, the distinctively influential voice deserving of her bossa nova queen title, along with her back-up musicians, is up to the challenge and did just that in her latest single. The song “Tag-araw,” dropped on digital stores on March 18 deserved to be hailed by both music critics and fans for how it was actually recorded – one pass, no overdubs, no vocal curing. “We wanted to capture the magic of live recording for this track. So, we did the recording in one pass,” Sitti revealed in an ecstatic tone, recalling the moment everyone in the studio felt they had pulled it off. The lure of ultra-modern recording technology often forces artists into a corner where there is always room to make the recording as flawless as possible. But truth be told, some of the most powerful recordings in history were done in one stretch inside the studio, like The Beatles’ version of “Twist And Shout” or Michael Jackson’s vocals on “Billie Jean.” Some undeniable raw strength can be drawn from laying it down in one pass, as long as the performance, especially by the singer, holds it tight together. Sitti managed to pull this one off by the sheer beauty of her voice and the sincerity that comes out of it. The marriage of her vocals and the pretty melody that the song boasts truly make this one a special piece. Its chorus serenades well enough to put the listener warmly welcomed in the studio with Sitti and the instrumentalists doing that one magical take. “Tag-araw” is released by Sitti’s current label affiliation Widescope Entertainment, with executive producer Vic De Vera, and record producer Neil Gregorio at the helm. The track was penned by her labelmate Jam Quijano. A trio of skilled musicians accompanied Sitti on the said take that’s bound to be talked about by the local recording scene community. The song’s arranger Erskine Basilio (nylon guitar) played on the track, along with Archie Lacorte (flute), and Diego Martinez (percussion). Mixing engineer Dante Tanedo should be credited for making sure the mood and moment embraced each other at his Wild Grass Recording Studios where the recording took place. Sitti added, “’Tag-araw’ is a sentimental view on the passing of time.” While that idea can be easily understood in a one-liner, her performance of the song explains it in a deeper sense that should touch every listener’s heart. “Tag-Araw” is expected to be a new hit for the singer who gave us “Buti Na Lang Hindi Ikaw” and “Tahan” while the local music scene keeps itself afloat through a challenging health crisis. To stream and download: https:// orcd.co/sitti_tag-araw

POP superstar Ariana Grande trends in the Philippines after reposting a video of the supporters of Vice President and presidential aspirant Leni Robredo singing “Break Free” on her Instagram stories. The singer’s attention was piqued after seeing 137,000-strong supporters at the Leni-Kiko PasigLaban Para sa Tropa Pasig City People’s Rally on Sunday, March 20, on Emerald Avenue in Ortigas Center, Pasig. She also captioned the clip, “I could not believe this was real. I love you more than words.” Organizers recorded more than 90,000 attendees to the Pasig rally, beating Bacolod’s number, making it the largest gathering for the political

party in the country. Ariana also shared another video of the Pasig crowd jumping and vibing along to her song as if it was a concert. Instead of a caption, she reacted with three pleading face emojis, which some also use to show that they’re deeply touched. The video where Leni-Kiko supporters were singing “Break Free” was part of a performance by Filipino drag queens, led by Minty Fresh, who even dressed like Ariana but with a pink ensemble to match the event. Other celebrities present in the PasigLaban rally, much to the delight of the attendees, are Angel Locsin, Donny Pangilinan, Julia Barretto, Robi Domingo, Rivermaya, Itchyworms, and Ben&Ben.

Ariana Grande

Exploring the pains and joys

Julia Barretto stars in the coming-of-age series ‘The Seniors’

of growing up in latest series

‘The Seniors’ F

RESH from the hit TV series Di Na Muli and Brillante Mendoza horror flick Bahay Na Pula, Julia Barretto is back to star in The Seniors a coming-of-age story about four mean girls in a rural high school struggling to survive in a meaner world. The eight-part series also stars dancer-actress Ella Cruz, singeractress and former Pop Girls member Andrea Babierra, and actor-comedian Awra Briguela. The latest youth drama series is directed by Shaira AdvinculaAntonio, produced by VIVA TV and PROJECT 8 Projects. Created and produced by box-office directors Dan Villegas and Antoinette Jadaone, the series now streams on Vivamax. “Instead of a new student from the province going to Manila, we created a story about a girl from Manila na pumunta ng probinsiya. At ang mga bida naman, mga high school students

Bianca Umali

Julia (leftmost) plays a transferee from Manila who will add more fun and challenges to the lives of ‘The Certifieds’

‘The Seniors’ revolves around the story of four mean girls trying to survive in an even meaner world

sa province,” Jadaone said of the story. The Seniors follows the story of four students in a provincial public high school, who must face life and love problems in their final year in high school. In Pacaque Rural High School, “The Certifieds” is the wellknown it-trio. Jennifer (Ella Cruz) is the overachiever Student Council President who leads “The Certifieds,” along with the school’s “Muse” Nicole (Andrea Babierra) and the school Volleyball Team Captain Fifi (Awra Briguela). Being consistent in the star

section, the three of them believe that they are elite students and that they should stick together no matter what. But as they face their senior year, major changes are about to happen. One of these changes is the arrival of Diana (Julia Barretto), a smart and pretty transferee from Manila. With Diana’s arrival, the four students’ final year in high school will be twice the fun and also twice the trouble as they struggle to juggle good grades, friendships, and relationships. Shaira Advincula-Antonio, the

director, is a young and awardwinning Mindanaon short filmmaker whose recent work Tembong has already traveled to international short film festivals including Guanajuato International Film Festival in Latin America, International Inter-University Short Film Festival in Bangladesh, and Short Cut Film Festival in Serbia. Here in the Philippines, Tembong won the Best Short Film Award in the 2019 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Gawad Urian Awards. The Seniors is her first series.

Why Bianca Umali is not keen on joining beauty pageants ACTRESS Bianca Umali reveals that many are convincing her to join beauty pageants but at this point, it’s not part of her plan. “Many are asking me to try my luck but honestly, I don’t see myself joining beauty pageants even if they’d already change the height requirements,” the 5-foot-4 Kapuso star said. Bianca shared that she would rather concentrate on her acting career and explore other roles that will hone her skill. At present, she has a new program on GMA, the second installment of Mano Po Legacy titled, “Her Big Boss” where she plays an office girl. In the series directed by Easy Ferrer, she is joined by Ken Chan, Kelvin Miranda, Pokwang, Teejay Marquez, Mr. Ricardo Cepeda, Marina Benipayo, Ms. Arlene Muhlach, Sarah Edwards, Haley Dizon, Sarah Holmes, Jem Manicad, Tyrone Tan, Lime Aranya, Blue Cailes, and Phi Palmos. “It has a nice storyline and a great

follow-up to its successful predecessor. Hope the viewers will like and support it just like the maiden installment of the series,” she said. “I don’t know if I already shared this in my past interviews, but most probably, if I’m not an actress today, I might have ended up in the corporate world. Actually, I still dream of it even until now. I love office work. I like the idea of reporting to the firm from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. I like to do paper works, typing, or doing the tasks of a secretary or executive assistant. I want to be busy the whole day,” she added on how she can relate to her character. *** Comedienne Pokwang admits that she really has plans of putting up a restaurant where she can showcase her cooking expertise. “Actually, even before the pandemic struck, I was already negotiating with some people for a spot in Antipolo, particularly its overlooking part,” she states. “Until the pandemic hit and there was a lockdown. So, everything halted.

“Nowadays, I have lots of acting projects which I’m so grateful for. So, I still can’t attend to that restaurant thing. Eventually, it will come. In the meantime, I will just continue saving since our food products will be rebranded.” Meanwhile, the ace comedienne just came back from Dubai for a GMA Pinoy TV show. “We had a great show! Our Filipinos there really enjoyed our presentation. They wanted to watch a live program and just wanted to laugh. I’m happy to entertain them!” Viewers referred to her as Aling Tarsing, the character she portrayed in Pepito Manaloto: Ang Unang Kuwento. “Yes! That’s very heartwarming. That only means they really watched our sitcom,” Pokwang says.

‘Batman’ swings high, topping box office anew

Robert Pattinson in ‘The Batman’

The Batman continued swinging from the rooftops this weekend, taking in an estimated box-office-leading $36.8 million in North American theaters while performing strongly overseas, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. The dark and gritty superhero film from Warner Bros., starring Robert Pattinson in the title role, has passed the $300 million mark domestically in just three weeks, while nearly doubling that figure overseas, with $598 million. In second place for the Friday-

through-Sunday period was another dark film, the fantasy animation Jujutsu Kaisen 0 from Crunchyroll/Funimation (95 percent owned by Sony Pictures). It tells the story of a young student who becomes a sorcerer and battles a cursed spirit. Already hugely popular in Japan, it took in $17.7 million in North American theaters, which David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research called “a terrific opening” for a rare anime in wide release. The third spot went to Sony’s

Uncharted, at $8 million. Tom Holland plays an Indiana Jones-style treasure hunter. In fourth was another new release, a slasher film from indie studio A24 simply titled X, at $4.4 million. While that total was relatively modest, Gross said, “Horror is not expensive to make” and X, which has enjoyed good reviews, “should recover its costs and make a few dollars.” And in fifth place was Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s road-trip comedy Dog, at $4.1 million. It stars Channing Tatum. AFP

Life

Nickie Wang, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

WITH its rich bodies of water, mountainous contour, natural wonders, and outdoor recreation, the Department of Tourism has branded Bicol Region as an exciting and consummate destination. This enticing getaway has become more exciting with the introduction of an adventure sport which has been in the sidelights for quite some time—sailing. The vast Albay Gulf, which embraces the seaboard of Albay, became a huge watersport playground with the Exciting Bicol Oz Goose National Championships held recently at the Legazpi City Boulevard. The two-day sailfest is organized by the Philippine Home Boatbuilders Yacht Club (PHBYC) and the Albay Yacht Club (AYC), with the support of DOT Region 5 and the Legazpi City Government. “Bicol has been gaining in popularity with watersports enthusiasts, wakeboarders, surfers, paddlers, scuba divers, and now, sailors. Its natural beauty is its main appeal, and the people’s warm hospitality in embracing watersports enhances its natural charm,” says DOT regional director Herbie Aguas. He noted that the sailing event is a part of the DOT’s Exciting Restart program which is a reboot of the region’s tourism industry which was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Philippines’ new sailing haven Participants at Oz Goose National Championships in Bicol (Photo by John Gochenouer)

A sports enthusiast, Aguas said that the tournament kindled community interest in the sport and prompted the search for other potential sailing spots in the nearby provinces. The Oz Goose is a 12-foot long wind-

powered sailboat with a 14-foot mast, and crewed by two persons. It is cheap, easy to assemble, and is ideal for women, youth, children, and persons with disabilities (PWDs). Introduced in the Philippines in 2015,

there are about 100 Oz Goose boats locally, with 12 of them at the AYC. Oz Goose sailing started in 2021 and has gained popularity among youths in Legazpi’s coastal villages, largely through the efforts of city councilor Fernand Imperial,

who is also the commodore of the AYC. Now on its fourth edition, the National Championships is the first to be held outside its homebase at the Taal Lake Yacht Club, with over 100 sailors taking part and was met by the warm crowd reception.

Batangas farm advocates

responsible and social tourism By Patricia Taculao

OR years, tourism has been the lifeblood of the multi-hyphenated Robert Lim Joseph, fondly known as Bobby to his friends and family. As a businessman, civic worker, tourism and environmental advocate, gourmand and restaurateur, and consul of Latvia, Joseph spent most of his life championing sustainable tourism to develop the industry by attracting new guests while assisting its many stakeholders. One of the many programs he spearheaded is farm tourism, which he dabbled into with the help of his friend and kindred spirit Tony Meloto, the founder of Gawad Kalinga. Together, they established Paraiso Village Social Tourism Farm in San Jose, Batangas, in 2018. But there’s more to the farm than just being another tourism destination. Inspired by their philanthropic tendencies, both Joseph and Meloto meticulously planned every aspect of Paraiso to make sure that it meets their goal of helping the local and nearby communities by teaching them how to make an income through natural integrated farming while encouraging guests to learn more about social tourism. Paraiso Village Social Tourism Farm, with the help of its resident farmers, grows fruit trees and vegetables such as banana, dragonfruit, jackfruit, papaya, chili, ampalaya, bottle gourd, squash, and more, naturally—meaning without the use of chemical inputs like fertilizer and insecticides. Guests can even harvest and take home their favorite fresh produce from the farm. Several accommodations are also available on the farm, along with a swimming pool, to give guests an enjoyable and memorable experience. There’s also a multi-function hall that guests can utilize for different events like weddings, retreats, team buildings, and more. However, Meloto shared that some of the irreplaceable memories that the farm’s

A pool with a jacuzzi for guests to enjoy

The mini course features five holes with varying degrees of challenge difficulty

Richard’s advocacy of ‘less for self, more for others, enough for everyone’ reminds his friends and family to live a life of philanthropy guests can have are the ones where they commune with nature. Although it’s been four years since the farm started, Meloto and Joseph continue to find new areas for improvement. Presently, Paraiso is on the way to developing a bike trail and a glamping area to cater to their millennial and younger guests.

Following social tourism

Social tourism revolves around the idea of bringing travelers to local communities and providing them with an experience that transcends leisure, ultimately inspiring them to contribute to the development of the place they visit. Paraiso Village Social Tourism Farm involves residents of the area to work on the farm. While the husbands and sons are working on their plots of land, the wives create delectable dishes from the fresh produce harvested on the farm. Farmers get a third of their harvest for consumption, a monthly wage, and an additional income from selling the produce in markets or other platforms. Joseph’s wife, Ida Manalo, also supports this lifestyle and offers assistance by marketing the fresh produce, with the help of their daughters and social media, to folks in Manila.

Partaking in good food and making new memories on the farm isn’t the only way that guests or interested stakeholders can contribute to the farm’s goal of using social tourism for sustainable philanthropy. Investors can opt to buy a lot from Paraiso and develop it into a business model according to their preferences. A prime example is a Balinese-inspired spa currently developed by Mayla Domequil. The area boasts of a lush garden, well-curated rooms, a refreshing dining area, and soon, a spa. Once she brings guests in, she can tap into the other services of the farm, such as their accommodations and food, to generate a sustainable income for all.

In memory of an inspiring individual

Aside from Joseph and Meloto’s inclination towards philanthropy, they’re also inspired by the lifestyle led by Joseph’s late son Richard “Rich” Joseph. Even at a young age, the late Joseph always made sure that he gave what he can to others and actively volunteered in Gawad Kalinga. Joseph and Manalo had a chapel built on the farm to honor his memory and advocacy of “less for self, more for others, and enough for all.”

Robert Joseph (left) with kindred spirit Tony Meloto

No rough area at BGC’s first roof-deck mini golf course THERE’S a lot of fun and fitness family friends can now enjoy at the roofdeck miniature golf course at the Skypark at SM Aura Premier. They’ll be on top of the world – and on top of their game – in the mini course, which features five holes with varying degrees of challenge difficulty. BGC’s first roof deck mini golf course surrounds one of the mall’s iconic art installations – the giant red carabao sculpture by internationally recognized multimedia artist, Jefrë Manuel. Mall patrons who wish to play a few rounds only need to approach the course attendant and present a receipt from any of the restaurants located at the Skypark. There’s no minimum purchase requirement and presentation of a receipt already allows up to three players to join. Safety will always be SM Aura Premier’s top priority and the mall has implemented guidelines to ensure all

players will be kept safe. All equipment is sanitized and disinfected before and after each use, ensuring that there’s no virus transmission from held items. Proper social distancing is also ensured by way of the area only being allowed up to ten players at a time. Adding to that, the general area is regularly cleaned and disinfected. All these combined create the perfect recreation activity that’s out of the ordinary and, above all, safe. The mini golf course is the newest addition to the Skypark’s fun features for its customers. Other include a Paw Park and al fresco dining pods which have all made the mall’s fifth level, and the entire SM Aura Premier complex, one of BGC’s most unique and soughtafter leisure and lifestyle destinations. For more information on the #MiniGolfAtAura and other mall features at SM Aura Premier, visit @SMAuraPremier on Facebook and Instagram.

Model and actor Mark Wei is ready for a shot Kapuso actor Derrick Monasterio in the mini golf course at SM Aura Premier demonstrates alignment and posture