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BIDEN: PUTIN EYES BIOWEAPON USE IN UKRAINE WAR

CHINA RECOVERY TEAMS SIFT SITE OF PLANE CRASH

WORLD / B2

WORLD / B2 VOL. XXXVI • NO. 41 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Duterte: Use public transport Discourages private vehicles on roads, offers free rides on MRT3

By Vito Barcelo

I

N VIEW of the skyrocketing cost of fuel, President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday encouraged people to take public transport instead of driving their cars.

This was as the President said the MRT-3 train, which runs from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, will be offering free rides for a little more than a month, from March 28 -- his birthday -- to April 30.

In his Talk to the People address Monday night, the President said the country will con-

tinue to bear the brunt of the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has driven up the cost of oil.

Duterte said the whole world is reeling from rising prices of oil and other petroleum products and said the Philippines will suffer more be-

cause of the uncertainty of oil supply.

“If there is enough oil supply, the price will be high because of demand. We are not rich; we will be left behind by other countries. If there is a supply, it will be given to those who can pay,” he said.

Duterte then urged the public to just take Next page

Cusi says endorsing BBM party choice, not just by 1

By Rey E. Requejo, Maricel V. Cruz, and Macon Ramos-Araneta MAN OF THE MOMENT. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. thanks the thick crowd that met him in Cavite on Tuesday, a day after the PDP-Laban

wing headed by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi officially endorsed the UniTeam candidate for president in a press conference in Quezon City (inset). Marcos is assisted by Lakas-CMD President and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez as he answers questions during an ambush interview at Escala Hotel in Tagaytay City (other inset). Ver Noveno and Manny Palmero

Gov’t searching for funds to finance ‘ayuda’ for poor

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Department of Social Welfare and Development is now coordinating with the Department of Finance to fund the additional P300 cash aid for indigent families after President Rodrigo

‘DUTER-TALK.’

President Rodrigo Duterte leads a meeting with key government officials prior to his ‘Talk to the People’ at Malacañang on Monday night.

King Rodriguez/ Presidential Photo

Duterte ordered to raise their monthly “ayuda” from P200 to P500.

“At present, we are coordinating with the DOF regarding this and while we are waiting for the official communication, the agency is also preparing the internal guidelines for this,” said DSWD

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BSP bullish on inflow of capital from abroad 8,900 soldiers make up joint US-PH drills

By Julito G. Rada, Othel V. Campos, Darwin Amojelar, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said Tuesday that the amendments to the Public Service Act and other vital economic reforms is likely to attract more foreign direct investments in the Philippines.

“At the height of the pandemic, the President and Congress worked hand in hand to pass some game-changing legislation: the amendments to

COVID makes dramatic resurgence in Europe as gov’ts lift restrictions COVID-19 is again surging in Western Europe due to a “perfect storm” of governments lifting restrictions, waning immunity, and the more contagious BA.2 Omicron subvariant, experts have said.

After more than a month of falling cases across much of the continent, countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and Italy have all seen a dramatic resurgence of infections in recent days.

In France, cases have risen by more than a third in the week since the government ended most COVID restrictions last Monday.

In Germany, despite a new daily re-

spokesperson Irene Dumlao.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday ordered Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III to increase the monthly subsidy for poor Filipino families to P500 as the P200 ayuda was “too small”

THE pro-Duterte faction of the ruling PDP-Laban on Tuesday formally endorsed the presidential candidacy of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who has been leading most surveys with the May 9 elections drawing near.

“It is a decision not by just one person, but by the party when we went through the process based on our constitution and by-laws,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, who heads the faction, said in Filipino

in a press conference.

The party adopted a resolution endorsing Marcos as the “candidate whose platform is most aligned with the development program of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.”

Cusi said his bloc chose Marcos because his “vision of governance” is most aligned with the PDP-Laban’s 11-point agenda, thus ensuring the continuity of Duterte’s agenda of change.

Acting presidential spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, however, said President Duterte has not seen any

cord of nearly 300,000 infections on Friday, the government let national legislation enabling coronavirus restrictions expire over the weekend. Most German states, which have considerable leeway on applying measures, have however maintained the restrictions.

In Italy, the government announced on Thursday it would phase out almost all restrictions by May 1 despite rising cases.

And in Britain, where one in 20 people are currently infected, the government removed the last of its international travel restrictions on Friday.

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the Retail Trade Act, the Foreign Investment Act, and the Public Service Act,” Diokno said.

On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the bill amending the 85-year old Public Service Act. Also recently amended were the Retail Trade Liberalization Act (RTLA) and the Foreign Investment Act (FIA).

The amendments to the Public Services Act would allow up to 100 percent foreign ownership on telecommunication companies, airlines, and railways.

Economic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said this latest development would encourage more foreign investments and innovation to lower prices, improve the quality of goods and services, and create more and better jobs.

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By Rey E. Requejo SOME 8,900 military personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Armed Forces will participate in the Balikatan 2022, the largest-ever iteration of the joint military drills that will take place across Luzon from March 28 to April 8.

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Comelec to form task force to probe vote-buying THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday said it will create a task force that will investigate and prosecute all reports and allegations of vote-buying during the 2022 elections, Commissioner George Garcia said Tuesday.

He made the statement in response to a video of Cavite Governor Jonvic Next page

MACHINE TEST. Officers from the

Commission on Elections give an end-to end-demonstration of the Automated Election System (AES) for the coming 2022 general elections to local source code reviewers, stakeholders, and media at the Diamond Hotel in Manila on Tuesday.

Norman Cruz

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News

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

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Grab to PCC: Penalty ‘fully disbursed’ R

IDESHARING, service, and delivery provider Grab Philippines (Grab) said the P25.45-million penalty required by the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to be returned to its eligible customers has been “fully disbursed,” but only a small portion have so far been claimed.

sengers entitled for a PHP1 admin fee from the PCC, the amount that is not substantial enough for them to create a GrabPay wallet account and undergo the BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas)mandated KYC (Know Your Customer),” the firm said.

Users who are eligible for the refund are required by BSP regulations to complete the KYC process prior to redemption.

To address the low redemption rate, it suggested measures to the PCC and “have not received any response from them.”

“Grab Philippines has yet to receive the final decision of the PCC on the recommendations for those eligible

passengers lacking the mandatory KYC, but we would like to reassure our kababayans that we will continue to work with the competition commission to ensure that the remaining administrative fee amount is fully-redeemed,” the company said.

On Monday, the PCC ordered Grab to “immediately release” the remaining PHP19.3 million refund to eligible customers and noted Grab’s “low disbursement of the refunds from previous fines.”

It gave Grab until April 22 to refund the remaining amount via the GrabPay wallet “without requiring any act from the users to claim the amount.”

In a statement on Tuesday, Grab said the administrative fee imposed by the PCC to Grab was fully disbursed in a “timely manner, using the PCC-approved mechanism.”

“We can confirm that there were no tech issues encountered with regards to the disbursement of the administrative fees. All eligible passengers have

received their portion of the disbursed admin fee in their Grab Rewards Catalog,” it said.

In response to the PCC’s statement that only 24.1 percent of the refund has been claimed, Grab said many of the eligible customers have not redeemed their portion of the refund.

“With the majority of eligible pas-

Comelec...

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US Peace Corps helps build resilient coastal areas

Remulla handing out cash prizes during a campaign rally of the tandem of presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and vicepresidential candidate Sara DuterteCarpio.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police has reiterated its call for candidates to strictly comply with campaign protocols in conducting rallies, assemblies, and other related political activities with only 48 days left until the general election on May 9.

In a statement Monday night, PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos said candidates “should make sure that (there are) proper coordination with authorities concerned to assist them in the security and crowd control.”

Carlos made the remark ahead of the start of the campaign period for local candidates on Friday.

“The commission will create a task force to address such reports, complaints and whatever. The Comelec can motu proprio investigate. The Comelec can always direct its field personnel to immediately submit reports to us. But we’ll have a task force for quicker actions.,” Garcia said.

“The task force will have members coming also from the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Department of Justice,” Garcia added.

Carlos, meanwhile, reminded organizers not to be complacent despite the easing of in-person campaign rules by the Comelec.

“Please avoid bringing huge sum(s) of money, jewelry, items of value, and small children,” the police chief said.

Last week, the poll body scrapped the rule on obtaining permits from its campaign committee for the holding of rallies in areas under Alert Levels 1 and 2.

Campaign activities have also been allowed at 100 percent capacity and 70 percent capacity for Alert Level 1 and 2 areas, respectively.

Previously, only 70 percent capacity was allowed for campaign activities in areas under Alert Level 1, while 50 percent capacity was permitted under Alert Level 2.

However, handshakes, kissing, and taking selfies remain prohibited under the relaxed campaign rules amid the coronavirus pandemic.

As this developed, the PNP chief said they have identified various hotspots, particularly in Mindanao which would be part of their areas of concern for the May 9 elections.

win1...

From A1 Maj. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan, exercise director of the PH-US Balikatan 2022, said some 3,800 Filipino soldiers and 5,100 US military personnel will train together in various areas of operation to enhance their interoperability.

“Exercise Balikatan is a testament to the strength of the Philippines and

BSP...

From A1 “This reform will help bring in more foreign investments and improve services especially in transport and telecommunications, where we are lagging behind,” Chua said.

The measure limits the coverage of the 60-40 percent local-to-foreign equity limitation.

Michael Ricafort, chief economist of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said the amendments to the Public Service Act, together with the Retail Trade Liberalization Act and the Foreign Investments Act, would not only help entice more foreign investments into the country -- both FDIs and

SSS pandemic relief program ends on May 19

By Rio N. Araja SOCIAL Security System president and chief executive officer Michael Regino on Tuesday reminded delinquent employers that the deadline for application for its Pandemic Relief and Restructuring Program 2 is on May 19.

PRRP 2 is a social security contribution penalty condonation program for business and household employers.

“We encourage qualified employers to avail of the PRRP 2 early so that they can avoid the inconveniences of last-minute filing and face the risk of missing the opportunity,” he said.

“This will not only enable delinquent employers to regain their good standing with the SSS but will also prevent the further accrual of penalties on their past-due social security contributions. It will also help their employees avail benefits and loans,” Regino added.

The program launched last Nov. 19 covers past-due social security contributions for the months of March 2020 to the present time.

Those qualified to avail of the program are employers who are delinquent in the payment of their contributions for the said period and whose financial positions demonstrate a clear inability to pay their assessed delinquency charges due to economic crisis, serious business losses or financial reverses, natural calamity, or man-made disaster without fault on their part.

THE US Peace Corps and international non-government organization Rare have signed a new five-year memorandum of understanding to jointly support sustainable coastal resource and fisheries management in the Philippines.

“The US Peace Corps is pleased to be renewing its partnership with Rare to build resilient and sustainable coastal communities in the Philippines. Together, we can restore and protect marine habitats and promote sustainable fish-

eries management,” US Peace Corps Country Director Jenner Edelman said, in a statement released by the US Embassy in Philippines.

Both sides signed a new five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) last March 18.

“Our continued collaboration with the US Peace Corps will amplify how sustainable fishing behaviors actually improve fish stock productivity, and enable us to continue co-designing and

sharing innovative, practical solutions with LGU (local government units) partners to protect the country’s marine environment,” Rare Philippines Senior Director Lito Mancao said.

The MOU signing happened during the week-long US Peace Corps-led training on community-based coastal resource management for office heads, fisheries and agricultural officers, and environment officers from LGUs that have a coastal resource management program. Rey E. Requejo

Duterte:...

From A1

during a ceremony to mark the completion of the MRT-3 Rehabilitation Project funded by the government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

“I am pleased to join you today for the timely rehabilitation completion ceremony of the MRT-3. It is proof that we are keeping our momentum in improving our national road system, which aims to deliver quality service to the Filipino people, and respond to the emergence of the new normal,” Duterte said.

The President thanked the Japanese government for its assistance.

“Our train system would not have returned to its original high grade design condition without the technical competencies and professional aid of our service providers from Sumitomo Corp. and Mit-

subishi Heavy Industries,” he said.

“With the joint efforts of these companies and the DOTr (Department of Transportation), we’ve increased our train speed from 25 km/ hour to 60[km]/hour, while the time interval between train arrivals has improved to eight to 10 minutes,” he added.

From 12 to 15 operating train units at a time, Duterte said there are now 18 to 22 train units available.

“This progress will decrease, if not altogether stop the number of unloading incidents in our stations,” he said.

The MRT-3 rehabilitation includes upgraded signaling, communications and CCTV systems, the repair of all station escalators and elevators and the installation of air conditioning units inside the trains.

compelling reason yet to endorse a presidential candidate.

Andanar said the Cusi announcement was a decision of the party and did not come from the President.

“The decision to endorse Mr. Marcos is clearly a party decision but it is unclear if this is the position of the President, too,” he said.

“Let us just wait for the President to speak about it,” Andanar added.

The Marcos camp welcomed the endorsement from the Cusi faction of the PDP-Laban.

“We deeply appreciate the PDP-Laban’s kind endorsement of presidential frontrunner Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. The trust placed in him inspires us beyond measure, for it signals that our message of national unity is gaining ground,” Marcos spokesman Vic Rodriguez said.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, Marcos’ running mate who is the vice presidential candidate of Lakas-CMD,

also expressed her appreciation over the PDP-Laban Cusi-faction endorsement.

“The UniTeam is grateful for the endorsement of PDP-Laban of Apo BBM,” she said, referring to Marcos.

Duterte has yet to openly endorse any presidential and vice presidential candidate for the upcoming polls, but the Cusi faction previously said the President would begin campaigning for PDPLaban bets on Friday, March 25, the official start of the campaign period for local elective posts.

Duterte earlier said he would not support any candidate unless he saw “a compelling reason to do so” in the coming months.

On one occasion, Duterte said it is up to the voters “to choose which Ilocano” would lead the country after his term ends on June 30.

The PDP-Laban has no presidential or vice presidential candidate of its own, after the party splintered into two factions, one supporting the presidential bid of Senator Manny Pacquiao, who is also running for president, and Cusi’s faction, which had pushed for Duterte to run for vice president and asked him

to choose his running mate.

These plans fell through, however, when the President opted out of the vice presidential race.

In a message to reporters, Pimentel slammed the latest move by the Cusi faction, saying this proves that they are “total strangers” to the party.

Pimentel, whose father, the late Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., is among PDP-Laban’s founders, said the party was established to fight the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., Bongbong Marcos’ late father.

“With this latest action from Sec. Cusi and his cohorts, they have manifested that they are total strangers to PDP-Laban. They don’t even acknowledge that PDP-Laban was established to oppose the Marcos dictatorship,” Pimentel said in a statement Tuesday.

“In Germany for example, a political party formed to oppose Adolf Hitler will definitely not support an Adolf Hitler Jr. That’s just logic,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Pimentel urged the Comelec to dismiss the petition earlier filed by their rival faction, whom he tagged as “usurpers.”

United States’ security relationship,” Gaerlan said.

“The experience gained in the exercise complements our security cooperation endeavors and will help to enhance existing mutual security efforts,” he added.

This year’s Balikatan will be a big bounce back compared to the scaleddown exercises last year where only 736 personnel from the AFP and 225 from the US military joined.

In 2020, the Balikatan drills had to be

suspended due to the pandemic. Gaerlan said with the improved COVID-19 situation, both the Philippines and US military have decided to pursue the return of the drills.

The participating troops will conduct joint exercises in various areas of operation such as maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban operations, aviation operations, counter-terrorism, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The upcoming exercise also includes

a command post exercise which will “test the AFP and US forces’ ability to plan, command, and communicate with each other in a simulated environment.”

The AFP and US military will also conduct multiple humanitarian and civic assistance projects during this year’s Balikatan such as the renovation of four elementary schools, multiple community health engagements, and exchange of advanced emergency rescue and lifesaving techniques.

However, the World Health Organization has warned that new variants were more likely to continue emerging if wealthy nations continue to boost their own citizens ahead of sharing vaccines with countries where many have not received their first dose.

Jean-Francois Delfraissy, president of the French government’s scientific advisory board, has already warned of potential variants.

“We are at the mercy of a new variant which, if we ask the scientist community, could be expected in the autumn... it could happen before then,” he said last week.

“Will it be a more transmissible variant? Will it be more severe? Will it escape the vaccine? Nobody knows.”

Macon Ramos-Araneta with AFP

based on a plan prepared by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

PUV drivers will then be receiving regular performance-based subsidies based on the number of trips made per week, regardless of the number of passengers.

This will be implemented through two types of contracts—net cost contracting and gross cost contracting—to ensure fair compensation of services to be provided by PUV drivers.

According to Dominguez, the P200-a-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.

“It will be an uphill battle for the next administration 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.

Acting Palace spokesperson Martin Andanar said the government will source funding for the additional P300 monthly cash aid.

“President Rodrigo Duterte ordered us to find ways to secure the funds.

Whatever it takes, we must have a P500 for every beneficiary,” Andanar said.

For his part, Partido Reporma standard bearer Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday said the P500 monthly ayuda is still not enough.

public transportation and mass transit services, particularly trains, to conserve energy.

He said that taking public transportation would help motorists save money.

“Only the rich can afford the oil.

Those like us who have cars, but fuel prices are too high, just take the bus or the MRT,” he said.

The chief executive also told jeepney drivers not to resort to protests or transport strikes, saying that “no amount of protesting will bring down gas prices, which are dictated by world markets.”

Duterte announced the free train rides

Cusi...

From A1

foreign portfolio investment inflows for listed local companies -- but also aligned the country’s regulations with the rest of the world.

Ricafort said these reform measures also boost confidence and sent a positive signal to international investors, creditors, credit rating agencies and multilateral agencies.

But he said the continuation of these policy reform measures must be sustained by the next administration.

The 2020 index published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed the Philippines has some of the most restrictive foreign direct investment rules globally.

The country ranked 95 out of 190 countries in the World Bank’s “Doing Business 2020” report.

Gov’t...

From A1 and “cannot sustain a family.”

In a related development, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P7 billion to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the implementation of the Service Contracting Program (SCP).

The program aims to provide cash subsidies to affected public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers, while also ensuring the efficiency and safety of public transport services amid the current health and economic crisis, the DBM said in a statement Tuesday.

Under the SCP, operators of PUVs will be contracted via an agreement

COVID...

From A1 Faced with its own surging cases, Austria announced last weekend it would reimpose rules requiring FFP2 face masks -- just weeks after lifting the measure.

‘Stealth Omicron’

While some have blamed governments for relaxing restrictions too quickly, epidemiologists also pointed the finger at the BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant which has become dominant in many countries.

Sometimes called “stealth Omicron” because it is more difficult to detect, BA.2 is estimated to be about 30 percent more contagious than its predecessor BA.1.

Lawrence Young, a virologist at Britain’s University of Warwick, said the rising cases in Europe were due to a combination -- “a perfect storm” -of three factors: the lifting of restrictions, waning immunity after vaccination and BA.2.

“Removing restrictions has fueled the spread of BA.2 and could also lead to the generation of other variants,” he told AFP.

New variants

News

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Makati rolls out 41 mobile food carts for city vendors

By Joel. E. Zurbano THE Makati City government on Tuesday said it has rolled out mobile food carts to street vendors in line with the city’s program to help residents start small businesses.

Mayor Abigail Binay, who led Monday’s ceremonial blessing and turnover of 41 mobile food carts, said the project dubbed “Ate Maki’s Jolly Carts” was meant to help the street vendors ply their trade without obstructing vehicle traffic and and pedestrians’ movements.

“Through this program, we aim to regulate ambulant vendors in the city to maintain safe and walkable streets. At the same time, we are providing them with decent equipment to sell their goods so as to attract more customers and promote consumer safety,” Binay said.

‘DIOS MABALOS’. Former Vice President-now senatorial aspirant Jejomar “Jojo” Binay barnstorms the Bicol Region with stops in major cities. He received a warm welcome in Naga City and he indicated he couldn’t thank the Bicolanos enough. Binay Media Bureau

Duterte cites relevance of NTF-ELCAC, wants next Chief Exec to keep agency

By Vito Barcelo

P

RESIDENT Duterte has expressed hopes that his successor would continue implementing the programs and projects of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), saying it is an effective way to eradicate insurgency.

During his weekly “Talk to the People” program on Monday night, the President said creation of the NTF-ELCAC has paved the way for the rebels’ integration into mainstream society.

“It’s a very good program. It has helped a lot of the rebels find their way into the mainstream of society,” he noted.

“I told the communists to come out and if there is time, you will be included in land reform and be granted land.

Surrender to ELCAC and you will get help,” the Chief Executive said, adding “you will have house and lot, so don’t join the rebel forces who are in cahoots

with the members of the political parties from the other side.”

Duterte underscored the importance of institutionalizing NTF-ELCAC as he reiterated his claims that there was someone running for president (under a party) that has been infiltrated by the communists.

“I am not ready to mention the name but we have a political party headed by someone running for the presidency, and yet they are also playing into the hands of the communists. I think they have been infiltrated,” Duterte said.

Meanwhile, the NTF-ELCAC ex-

pressed alarm over a directive by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong to remove posters and tarpaulins condemning terrorism..

The League of Parents of the Philippines (LPP) shared the NTF-ELECAC’s concern, saying “it is implausible that the mayor does not know that by supporting the Kabataan party-list which is suspected of recruiting students to join the communist terrorist groups.”

The parents said Magalong, a former police official, could be held liable for the lives of “thousands of children and youngsters that would fall into the hands of the communist terrorists.

“It is very alarming to know that Mayor Benjie Magalong, who was a former PNP (Philippine National Police) Deputy Chief for Operations, would be in cahoots with the Makabayan bloc which is, of course, the mouthpiece of the terrorist group CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s ArmyNational Democratic Front),” an LPP

post on social media stated.

Magalong’s order banned the posting of so-called red-tagging posters contradicted President Duterte’s orders, the NTF-ELCAC said.

The Philippine News Agency (PNA) tried to get Magalong’s side, but his staff texted back that the mayor has no comment yet on the matter.

Magalong’s claims that he issued the order because he cares for the children run counter to his directive because it will lend “his powerful protection to the terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF front, Kabataan party-list, the top recruiter of our children into the criminal NPA,” the NTFELCAC said.

LPP spokesperson Arlene Escalante said Magalong should instead help in stopping the recruitment and brainwashing of students by CPP-NPA-NDF front organizations that include the Kabataan party-list.

From mere activists, Escalante said the students eventually take up arms against the government.

Business leaders identify priorities for next President

HAPPINESS IS A PACK OF RICE. Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco, Rep. John Rey Tiangco, and other city and barangay officials on Tuesday spread happiness in the city in keeping with World Happiness Day, highlighted by the distribution of five-kilo packs of rice among their constituents. Andrew Rabulan

THE next president of the Philippines should make governance and synergies a priority if the country is to recover from the ravages of the pandemic, become resilient to external shocks, and poise itself for sustainable growth, business leaders said in a forum organized by top thinktank Stratbase ADR Institute.

“There is no better time to effect this fundamental change than now because we are in the midst of a watershed year in our political and economic history,” said Stratbase president Professor Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit during the virtual roundtable discussion entitled Business Agenda for the Next Administration held March 8.

According to Manhit, it is crucial that transparency is institutionalized across all levels of government, both national and local.

The president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry,

George Barcelon, acknowledged that uncertainty over the ongoing war in Ukraine has serious ramifications on our country’s economic recovery.

“Higher costs of fuel and power will easily intensify into high inflation and stagnate our economic growth. Even as we are now beginning to rebound economically, somehow we are being pulled back because of this crisis,” he said.

Alfredo Pascual, President of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), talked about the parallels between public governance and corporate governance.

He discussed how the Performance Governance System, a performance management and measurement tool that aims to translate organizational goals into breakthrough results, guided by set performance indicators and metrics as practiced in the private corporate world, is being used to introduce reforms to some government offices.

Customs seizes P45m in used clothing, fake products in P’que raid CUSTOMS agents have seized P45 million worth of used clothing and “counterfeit” products in Parañaque City.

The contraband was confiscated during a raid by a team from the Customs Intelligence Group on a warehouse along Baltao Road. The haul consisted of 3,300 bales of used clothing and counterfeit apparel bearing the brands Crocs, Adidas, and Nike, among others.

The operation was conducted during the weekend as ordered by Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero.

As customers shop online due to the pandemic lockdowns, fake products proliferated, prompting the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to seek the help of law enforcers, notably the Bureau of Customs.

IPOPHL revealed that complaints on counterfeiting and piracy filed in 2020 with the agency surge to 121 as the coronavirus pandemic presented lucrative opportunities for unscrupulous traders.

Meanwhile, Republic Act 4653 bans the importation of “ukay-ukay” (used clothes) is banned to protect the health of the Filipinos and to preserve the Filipino dignity. Joel E. Zurbano

Under the program, the city inked a three-year lease-to-own agreement with the vendors for the free use of the city-provided pedicart units. In turn, the vendors have agreed to pay P20 per day for three consecutive years.

A Memorandum of Agreement between the vendor and the city also identifies the items allowed for sale, as well as the days, time and location where they can sell their products.

In August 2020, Mayor Binay praised a 42-year old resident who used the city government’s P5,000 financial assistance to start a small fishball cart business amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The P2.7-billion financial relief program targeted 500,000 Makati residents and employees was launched by Mayor Binay in May 2020.

IN BRIEF 3 cops face murder raps THE Department of Justice has filed murder and planting of evidence charges against three policemen in connection with the killing of Spanish national Diego Lafuente in Surigao del Norte on Jan. 8, 2020.

Prosecutor General Benedicto A. Malcontento identified the suspects as Capt. Wise Vicente B. Panuelos, Sgt. Ronel A. Pazo, and Sgt. Nido Boy E. Cantos. The three were members of the Gen. Luna municipal police force.

The charges were filedat the Regional Trial Court after the DOJ found probable cause to the complaint lodged by the National Bureau of Investigation.

Those suspects claimed that Lafuente was a top drug trafficker in the Caraga Region, and that they were forced to defend themselves when he drew a gun as he was being arrested.

They also claimed that a .45 caliber pistol and cocaine weighing 8.3326 grams were recovered from Lafuente.

Rey E. Requejo

Navotas has 11 new public schools NAVOTAS Mayor Toby Tiangco and Rep. John Rey Tiangco presided at the blessing and inauguration of 11 fourstory public school buildings in the city,.

Each of Tanza National High School, San Roque National High School, San Rafael Technological and Vocational High School, and Navotas Elementary School–Central now have an additional four-story building with 12 classrooms.

San Roque and San Rafael Village Elementary Schools have another building with eight classrooms, while Kapitbahayan Elementary School has 24 additional classrooms.

Meanwhile, Tangos National High School and Tangos Elementary School 1 both have two four-story buildings each with a total of 20 new classrooms.

“Our students have been studying at home for two school years now and we know they are excited to come back and physically attend their classes. We want them to be comfortable and safe while in school,” Mayor Tiangco noted.

Jun David

PWDs should get ‘utmost priority’—Panelo A SENATORIAL aspirant on Tuesday stressed it is high time that persons with disabilities (PWDs) be given utmost priority by the government.

PDP-Laban senatorial candidate Salvador Panelo also called for a review of Republic Act No. 7277 or the “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons,” saying the law has yet to be fully implemented despite the fact that it was passed in 1992.

“Thirty years have passed since the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons became law, but many PWDs are still unable to reap the benefits of this law,” Panelo said.

Panelo recalled the credo of former President Ramon Magsaysay that stated: “Those who have less in life should have more in law.” If this will be followed, then “the government should prioritize PWDs, including children with disabilities (CWDs), because they carry burdens that most of us don’t,” Panelo said. Maricel V. Cruz

VP bet Lito David endorses Robredo-Sotto mix A CANDIDATE for vice president has endorsed the mixed Vice President Leni Robredo and Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III for the May 9 presidential and vice presidential race.

Rizalito David, himself gunning for the vice presidency alongside presidential candidate Dr. Joey Montemayor, said he was willing to give up his political ambition and form instead a “grand coalition” with the other vice presidential bets in order to defeat Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Duterte-Carpio is the running mate of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. “Yes (I am willing to withdraw) in order to defeat these people (Marcos and Duterte-Carpio). I don’t think this tandem can do anything good for us),” David said during the first Comelec vice presidential debates.

David also said that if a “grand” coalition were formed among the presidential and vice-presidential bets, he doesn’t mind supporting Robredo.

“Kung si Leni mapili tapos si Sen.

Sotto for VP, ‘yun na lang ang itutulak namin for the remainder of the campaign (If the coalition picks Leni and Sen. Sotto for VP, we [Montemayor and David] will just push for this tandem for the remainder of the campaign),” he also said.

David, who attended last Sunday’s vice-presidential debate organized by the Comelec, expressed hopes that a one-on-one debate between Robredo and Marcos, and Sotto and Duterte-Carpio would be organized “to test their political, leadership and experience capacities.”

CARABAO RACE. Carabaos harnessed with carts try to outrun each other along a dirt track in Penaranda, Nueva Ecija on Monday. Carabao racing is a popular spectacle during town fiestas in the provinces, to the delight of the townsfolk, notably the farmers and the owners of the water buffalos. Oliver Marquez

BBM leads in 7-Eleven presidential ‘cup’ survey

A4

News

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

By Rey E. Requejo

P

RESIDENTIAL frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. topped 7-Eleven’s SpeakCUP presidential survey’s latest tally.

7-Eleven, in a disclaimer, said the survey was “all done in the spirit of fun,” and allowed customers to “vote” for their preferred presidential candidate by buying a 22-oz or 12-oz soda drink that has the image and name of their favored candidate.

The latest running tally posted on March 20, on the company’s website, showed UniTeam presidential bet Marcos garnering 44 percent of the votes, followed by Vice President Leni Robredo in second at 27 percent.

Behind them are undecided voters in the third spot with 15 percent, followed

by Isko Moreno with 7 percent, while Sen. Pacquiao and Sen. Lacson are in fifth place with 4 percent apiece.

The SpeakCUP survey results also showed Marcos miles ahead of the other presidential contenders in major island groups such as Metro Manila, where he got 40 percent of the votes, 49 percent in Northern Luzon, 41 percent in South Luzon, 42 percent in the Visayas, and 53 percent in Mindanao.

Patrons have five cup designs to

choose from: Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Sen. Ping Lacson, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Vice President Leni Robredo, and a cup designated for “undecided” voters.

This year’s presidential survey would be the third time the company has done it, starting in 2010 and the last, 2016 national elections. 7-Eleven added that the “unofficial” pre-election survey would run from March 09 to April 27, 2022.

Marcos Jr. meanwhile could not hold back his tears after a female fish vendor tried to give her day’s earnings to help his candidacy during a campaign caravan in Navotas City on Sunday.

The touching scene, captured during the event’s live stream, was posted on Marcos’ official Facebook page and has become viral with 3.8 million views as of press time. Meanwhile, on Marcos’ YouTube channel, the video has garnered more than three hundred thousand views in less than 24 hours.

UNITEAM IN CAVITE. Presidential Candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Lakas-CMD vice presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte assisted by Lakas-CMD president and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez answer questions from national media during an ambush interview at Escala Hotel in Tagaytay City. (Insert) Senator Francis Tolentino (right) together with (from left) Dasmariñas Cavite Councilor Kiko Barzaga, Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. and Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla declares full support to the UniTeam. Ver Noveno

Ro-Sa? Leni says she’ll stand by Kiko as her VP

By Rio N. Araja

WHILE she is thankful to groups endorsing her presidential bid along with Davao City Mayor and vice presidential bet Sara Duterte, Vice President Leni Robredo is standing by her runningmate Senator Francis Pangilinan in the 2022 elections.

Ibarra Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesperson, reacted to Representatives Joey Salceda of Albay and Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga City Mayor Isabela Climaco that spearheaded the launch of ROSA (Robredo-Sara) movement, a group of volunteers pushing

Robredo for president with Duterte as her vice president.

He said they are not at all surprised if there are groups supporting candidates from different parties.

“That is the reality in Philippine politics and the electoral system. There will always be people who will choose a different configuration but our vice presidential bet is Senator Kiko and that will never change,” he said “It’s not a question of personal comfort. It’s a question of what needs to be done. The Vice President has been clear. Of course, right now, we are doing everything in our power to ensure

that Senator Kiko will take his oath as vice president come June 30. But regardless of who gets elected, she will be willing to work with the person the people will choose to be the vice president,” he said.

Robredo meanwhile is urging netizens to report a Facebook account claiming that participants of her campaign rally were paid P1,000. The account is also to “red-tag” her supporters.

Robredo also junked the claim of a netizen who said that his friend’s sister was paid P1,000 just for attending Robredo’s presidential campaign rally.

Cavite backs Sara’s VP bid; Davao City bans rival Bello Lacson, Sotto belie ‘fake news’

By Maricel V. Cruz POLITICAL bigwigs in the vote-rich province of Cavite have united to deliver a “massive landslide victory” for the UniTeam presidential-vice presidential tandem of former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

In Davao City, a local official proposed a resolution to declare vice presidential candidate Professor Walden Bello “persona non grata” after he reportedly claimed that the city is “the center of the drug trade in the southern Philippines.”

Bello, for his part, claims the camp of Mayor Duterte is “trying to silence him by threatening his life for exposing major issues in the city.”

In Cavite, Gov. Jonvic Remulla said he

and Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., said they have joined forces to assure that Duterte will be the next vice president.

Remulla, introduced Duterte during a mini rally at the Brgy. San Juan Covered Court organized by Coun. Kiko Barzaga, son of Dasmariñas City Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. and Dasmariñas City Mayor Jenny Barzaga.

According to data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the May polls, Dasmariñas City has 400,074 out of Cavite’s 2.3 million registered voters.

Duterte expressed gratitude to all local officials who organized Tuesday’s events and thanked the people for taking the time to listen to UniTeam’s message of hope, unity, and patriotism.

Remulla said Cavite is solid behind the candidacies of Marcos and Duterte

under the UniTeam Alliance.

For his part, Revilla said the BBMSara tandem is “assured of a big win in Cavite.”

Speaking for the family, former Rep. Gilbert Remulla said most political personalities in the province are supporting the UniTeam ticket.

In Davao City meanwhile, a proposed resolution signed by City Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang said that Bello’s “malicious tirades” discredit the efforts of the city government, Bello is involved in another case in Davao. He is reportedly facing cyber libel complaints filed against him by former Davao City chief information officer Jefry Tupas, over Bello’s claim that Tupas attended a beach party in Davao de Oro in November 2021 that was raided by the PDEA.

they are withdrawing from polls CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija— Partido Reporma standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said he and running mate Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III are not withdrawing from the May elections.

In a live interview aired via online radio station DWJJ/CabTV on Tuesday, Lacson said he and Sotto dismissed claims that they are withdrawing from their respective electoral bids to make way for another tandem.

“Hihirit lang ako, kasi may mga fake news na lumalabas—mapa-YouTube, mapa-Facebook—aatras na raw kaming dalawa? Huwag kayong maniwala.

Kasi aatras lang kami sa May 9 either papunta kaming Malacañang or pauwi ng bahay,” Lacson in the radio interview said. [Let me just add, because there is fake news coming out again—either on YouTube, Facebook—that the two of us

are withdrawing? Don’t believe that.

Because we are only going to move on May 9 either toward Malacañang or back to our own homes.]

A YouTube channel called ‘Showbiz Fanatics’ floated the idea that anytime today (March 22), Lacson and Sotto would reportedly announce that they would no longer continue their campaign.

Ashley Acedillo, a spokesperson for Lacson, earlier denied this and warned the public against following or subscribing to the said channel.

“Ping Lacson is absolutely determined to finish the campaign, and hopefully, make it as President along with his running mate for VP (vice president), Tito Sotto,” Acedillo said.

Lacson and Sotto recently visited Nueva Ecija to resume their election-related activities. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

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PING-SOTTO TANDEM VISITS GAPAN. Partido Reporma standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and running mate Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III arrived in Gapan Tuesday to advance their reform-oriented policies. Lacson and Sotto began their scheduled engagements in this Central Luzon province with a courtesy call to Gapan City Mayor Emerson ‘Emeng’ Pascual, who is currently seeking a congressional post in the 2022 elections to represent the 4th district of Nueva Ecija.

Isko open to drop ‘terror’ tag vs. Reds AKSYON Demokratiko standard-bearer Isko Moreno Domagoso on Monday said he is open to dropping the terrorist tags against the National Democratic Front (NDF), the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and its military arm, the New People’s Army (NPA) if they are willing to give peace another chance in the negotiating table.

“The terrorist tag is done by the United States and the Philippine government. As long as I say, the peace talks we must seek for it as much as possible not only with the CPP-NPA but also to those other armed groups” Moreno, a former peace talks observer, said.

“In the meantime, if they are willing to talk and if they want a peaceful way of living, our fellow Filipinos also have the right to live in peace and tranquility.

Nowadays it’s hard to find peace, sometimes a very expensive word but we must seek for long and just

peace in our country because every Filipino deserves it,” he added.

Moreno made the remarks when asked by reporters in Lucena City, Quezon province if he is willing to remove the terrorist tag against the NDF-CPP-NPA as a confidence-building measure that will pave the way for the resumption of peace talks under an “Isko Moreno Domagoso presidency.”

Moreno said the success of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), could serve as a possible inspiration for other armed groups such as the CPP-NPA to forge a lasting peace with the government.

“What has been achieved in BARMM, because we have personally seen that the future of BARMM, of our Moro compatriots, looks good. So, we should not despair. While it is true that we will not give up the state, a government will remain, the Philippines is just a flag,” Moreno said.

Opinion Pink tide THERE’S something brewing in the heart of Eastern Visayas. It is the bewildering surge of the “pink tide” that is quite different from the typhoon surges that people in the region are familiar with.

A clear indication of this surge is the recent turnaround of Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone—a staunch ally and high-ranking party-mate of President Rodrigo Duterte—to abandon the UniTeam ticket in favor of the opposition tandem of Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan.

Evardone, a journalist/PR man-turned-politician, has nothing to gain actually from this shift in allegiance, compared to what he is risking in terms of “pogi points” and priority funding, by leaving the well-oiled Marcos-Duterte machinery.

Embracing the Leni-Kiko team is like adopting penniless orphans from the streets. His decision to break from the UniTeam is akin to leaving a sprawling estate where he is the designated caretaker.

It is Evardone who was the first among the regional leaders to realize the significance of the shift in people’s support.

Like an old-school journalist, the Eastern Samar governor might have stumbled upon some hard facts that he finds difficult to ignore.

One of these facts is the revelation that despite being referred to as the “Solid North” of the Visayas, “Waraylandia” is, after all, Leni country.

An internal survey recently conducted in the region showed that Leni is winning against Marcos Jr., 44.35 percent to 32.55 percent.

The regional survey, which polled 1,780 respondents, is a big contrast to the strong 60 percent of Marcos Jr. as against the far second 15 percent of Leni in nationwide surveys.

In the same privately-commissioned survey, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno got 8.45 percent while senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo “Ping” Lacson scored 8.17 percent and 3.91 percent, respectively.

All is not lost for the UniTeam tandem, however, because Davao Mayor Sara Duterte was able to pull off a 39.91 percent rating from Kiko’s 25.84 percent in the vice-presidential survey. This could also be the reason why Evardone is not going all the way for the Leni-

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin is for now holding on to the public loyalty of Russia’s political elite, despite the international outcry over the invasion of Ukraine and unprecedented sanctions.

Russian artists and heavyweight media figures have spoken out against the war and even billionaire oligarchs have offered veiled criticism.

But after almost a month of fighting, there has been no apparent outbreak of dissent from within Putin’s inner circle or among political heavyweights inside the country.

“There has been no sign of a split” within the ruling class, said Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of the R.Politik political analysis firm.

“There is a full consensus, albeit possibly with differences on tactics,” she added.

She said a distinction had to be drawn between having reservations about the invasion and being ready to act.

“People are in shock and many believe this is a mistake. But no one is able to act. Everyone is focused on their own survival.”

Western diplomatic sources say despite the crushing impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, there is no sign yet that this will translate into political change.

The main domestic criticism of the invasion, according to Stanovaya, comes from “peripheral” forces on the radical right who think it is not proceeding aggressively enough.

‘Cultivated a system’ Russian state television dominates the narrative, presenting what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine as a heroic

Kiko ticket.

The subtext of this, however, is that Waray people are rejecting their once-favored adopted son—Marcos Jr.—while remaining loyal to the first daughter of Davao.

That Leni is leading the regional survey in Eastern Samar also shatters the long-held political myth of “Waraylandia” being “Marcos” country.

During the Martial Law regime, Eastern Visayas held political importance for Marcos Sr. because it is the home province of former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

Imelda, using her growing clout with the extended hold onto power by Marcos Sr., wasted no time in re-branding the Romualdez clan into a political and economic powerhouse in the whole of Eastern Visayas.

The family indeed prospered like the Rockefellers or the Vanderbilts, but the region never graduated from being one of the poorest in the country.

The fact that Tacloban City has never left the political stewardship of the Romualdez family since the toppling of Marcos Sr. in 1986 is a faint reminder of this once-mighty clout.

But if the regional survey showing Leni’s advantage would be the gauge, that faint memory of a “Marcosian” bailiwick is in danger of being totally swept away by the “pink tide.”

It is Evardone who was the first among the regional leaders to realize the significance of the shift in people’s support. Thus, his sudden turn-around.

The grapevine is also rife with rumors that some regional leaders and their political warlords are mulling the calculated risk of embracing the “pink tide” of Leni-Kiko.

Another regional leader who made the first jump to the Leni bandwagon is Rep. Joey Salceda of vote-rich Bicol. So did former senator Serge Osmeña of Cebu who initially backed Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.

Governor Daniel Fernando of Bulacan province was the latest provincial leader to be swept by the raging “pink tide.”

The Moro leaders of Mindanao led by Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman and the island’s provincial governor have also latched on to the “pink wave.”

What’s happening in Waraylandia could also be the same story in other provinces once perceived as loyal to the Marcos family. But we need corroborating or secondary source before we can generalize this as the turning of the tide or groundswell of support.

With their billions intact—including the unpaid P203-billion estate tax—the Marcos machinery may just pull off a big recovery in their once-dearest Eastern Visayas.

And as the strength of the Leni-Kiko campaign grows from rally to rally, including the biggest one in Pasig, regional leaders may soon realize that the tide is finally turning—from red to a massive, undulating sea of pink.

Email: ernhil@yahoo.com

mission against Western aggression.

The liberal opposition has evaporated, the parties represented in parliament almost always toe the Kremlin line on all issues and Putin’s most potent foe, Alexei Navalny, is in jail.

“It’s no real surprise that we haven’t yet seen dramatic, public splits within the ruling elite,” said Ben Noble, associate professor of Russian politics at University College London and coauthor of a recent book “Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future?”.

‘Everybody is focused on their own survival.’

“Vladimir Putin has cultivated a system in which he is surrounded by super-loyalists who share his world view of a West out to destroy Russia, or those who are too afraid to voice their dissent,” he said.

On February 21, three days before launching the invasion, Putin summoned the political leadership to the Kremlin for a security council to discuss recognizing pro-Moscow breakaway regions in Ukraine as independent.

One by one, in a theatrical show of unity, the 12 men and one woman lined up to back the move to recognize the Donetsk and Lugansk regions as independent, a move now seen as heralding the war.

‘Fifth column’ Those present at the meeting included the three men who Western security sources believe make up Putin’s tightest inner circle -- Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, National Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Federal Security Service (FSB) chief Alex-

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EDITORIAL

Despite outcry, Putin keeps loyalty of Russian political elite

By Stuart Williams

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

I

Danger in comfort

F one went outside on any given day, and if one only imagined that face masks were part of the human anatomy, one could easily come to the conclusion that everything is back to “normal.”

This is a stark departure from the situation exactly two years ago, when life as we knew it practically halted given the drastic measures implemented to contain the spread of the then-unfamiliar and mysterious coronavirus.

In March 2020, there was no public transportation, no office work aside from “essential” workers, no classes, no church services. Malls and other places of recreation were closed, and just to be sure, the sight of cops looking to arrest curfew violators became a fixture.

Two years hence, and several surges after, things are different, indeed.

The Department of Health has even stopped issuing daily bulletins that reflected the number of new COVID cases and deaths, because the numbers have been steadily declining. All

areas in the country are deemed to be at minimal risk. Business and tourism are in full swing, and rightly so. Their protracted suspension has adversely affected our people and taken away the earning capacity of millions of Filipinos.

The virus remains.

Meanwhile, schools are planning the gradual return to face-to-face instruction. This is a long-awaited development, because online and modular classes have resulted in a deterioration in the quality of learning and have exposed the gaps that plague our society.

More visibly, in the run-up to the May elections, Filipinos are going out of their houses to show their support

for their candidates. In such rallies, even in outdoor spaces, physical distancing is impossible to observe.

But COVID remains. The trend may be encouraging here in our country, but elsewhere in the world, surges are happening and various containment measures are being implemented by different nations depending on the inclination of their leaders.

The possibility of a surge is always there, and we must not take comfort in today’s relative freedom. We can only hope that the succeeding variants will get progressively less potent, and that vaccination efforts become widespread and sustained. And then we can survive another crisis without resorting to measures that kill our systems in other ways.

In the meantime, let us hope that the lessons we learned in the past two years will serve as a guide in preparing not only for a possible surge but for other crises. Let us begin by choosing leaders who know the issues intimately and who have solid plans for dealing with them when they do come.

No suspension of fuel taxes ON March 16, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez explained why the taxes on fuel—gasoline and other refined petroleum products – will not be suspended. This is despite the recent stratospheric increases in local prices of gasoline and other refined petroleum products.

The call for suspension is because of the sharp rises recently in prices of crude oil—the raw material for gasoline and other refined petroleum products. The price of Brent crude, the benchmark for two-thirds of internationally traded oil, averaged only $62.20 in 2021 and $60.74 in 2020. It rose to $139.13 on March 6, 2022, the highest since 2008. Yesterday, Brent crude was doing at $111, up 83 percent from its 2021 average. This sharp price increase has been reflected in recent fuel price increases.

Dominguez says that if the two taxes on fuel products are suspended, the impact could be P147 billion for 2022 alone.

Here is Sonny Dominguez’s edited televised report to President Duterte on March 16: There are two taxes that are imposed on fuel: the excise tax, which is based on volume, and the value added tax (VAT), which is based on value.

Prior to TRAIN, we had a tax of P4.35 per liter. This was the same tax from 2005 to 2017.

The tax was on gasoline. There was no tax on diesel, no tax on kerosene, and no tax on liquified petroleum gas.

However, in 2017, we recommended, and the Congress agreed, to impose the following taxes: P10 per liter on gasoline; P6 per liter for diesel; P5 per liter on kerosene; and P3 per liter on petroleum — on petroleum gas, LPG, per kilo.

We needed funds for our Build, Build, Build Program and for our 10-Point Economic Program of the government. In 2017, in exchange for an increase in taxes, we also reduced the taxes to 99 percent of all the taxpayers. The result was each taxpayer, 99 percent of them, got an average of one month’s salary for the year as tax reduction.

We did two things: we increased the tax on fuel because we needed it for Build, Build, Build, and we reduced the taxes on the individuals who are earning a salary and we exempted taxes of anybody earning less than P250,000 a year.

We also imposed a tax of VAT, a tax on the ander Bortnikov.

There has not been the slightest murmur of dissent from those who attended or even from more low-ranking officials.

Putin on March 16 issued a chilling warning against disobeying the Kremlin line, saying the West was betting “on a fifth column, on traitors to the nation” to weaken Russia.

Virtually the only current or former insider to have broken ranks is the former Kremlin aide and ex-deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich -- also head of the main world chess body.

He came out against the war in a US magazine interview and stepped down from his post leading an entrepreneurship foundation.

From other liberal leaning ex-Kremlin fig-

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

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

value — on anything you buy, including fuel.

We estimated that if we suspend the fuel excise taxes under TRAIN, it will reduce the total government revenue by P105.9 billion in 2022; in 2023, that goes up to P114.4 billion; in 2024, P123.6 billion; and so on. For the 10-year average of P160.3 billion a year or a total of P1,763.2 trillion for 10 years. This is equivalent to roughly one half of one percent of our GDP. We expected to collect a total of P147.1 billion in fuel excise tax and VAT in 2022. So this is the amount that we were expecting to collect in Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 and the total excise tax is P131.4 billion and the VAT is P15.8 billion, for a total of 147 billion.

Here are the words of Finance Secretary Dominguez.

Now, if we cut this tax, if we — this tax of 147 billion that we estimate we will collect in 2022, has already been put in the budget and has already been allocated for different expenditures, for our Build, Build, Build, for the salaries of government employees including soldiers, including policemen, including teachers.

That money has already been allocated. If we suspend this, and we don’t collect it, what will happen is our debt-to-GDP ratio will go up by an estimated 7.7 percent to 8.2 percent.

And it will bring up our debt-to-GDP ratio to about 61.4 percent.

If we cut the — if we reduce the taxes — first of all, if we reduce the excise tax, it will reduce the cost of fuel by P10.

Now, if we do reduce the tax, who will benefit? The top 10 percent of income earners in the Philippines consume almost 50 percent of all the fuel; the bottom 50 percent consume 13 percent of the fuel.

Cutting the tax will benefit more the people who have cars and the other richer people. We will not be benefitting so much the bottom 50 percent of our population, that will make it very inequitable.

What we should do instead is to provide targeted relief to the most vulnerable sectors of our society and we will fund that from the higher VAT taxes — which we will collect because the fuel prices are going to be higher.

We have estimated that if the fuel price is $100 per barrel, we will collect additional P20

ures -- like the former finance minister Alexei Kudrin, who is now head of Russia’s audit chamber -- there has simply been silence.

‘Decision-making’ There was speculation over the future of central bank head Elvira Nabiullina, an economist at the helm of the Bank Rossii since 2013.

She was photographed looking dejected at a Kremlin meeting and posted a cryptic video, in which she acknowledged the Russian economy was in an “extreme” situation and said, “We all very much would have liked this not to have happened.”

But Putin this week asked parliament to nominate her for another term, apparently scotching rumors she could resign in protest at the war.

billion in VAT; if it’s $110 per barrel, which is what it is today, it will be P26 billion; $120 per barrel, an extra P31.8 billion; $125 per barrel, P34.6 billion; and $130 per barrel, P37.5 billion.

This is the extra money that we have not yet allocated.

Our recommendation, Mr. President, is to use this extra tax money to subsidize the poorer sections, the poorer people in our society, okay.

We think that we will — the average price might be around $110 per barrel for the year, therefore we will have an additional P26 billion to distribute directly.

What we have done and what you have approved, Mr. President, last week, is that we have doubled the fuel subsidy to public transportation from P2.5 billion to P5 billion, and provided subsidies to farmers and fisherfolks, increasing the budget from P500 million to P1.1 billion to reduce their costs.

The first tranche of this has been paid today (March 16), was —P2.5 billion and P500 million, respectively. Next month, we will release another P5 billion and P600 million for farmers.

So this is the first step.

The second step is we propose to provide additional relief through unconditional cash transfer to the poorest 50 percent of our population. We propose that we will give them an additional P200 per month or P2,400 per year for each household.

We have around 12 million households in — who are 50 percent and below and the number of people in those households are around 70 million. So that will cost us P33.1 billion, a little more than what we are going to — what we expect to be collecting from the additional VAT on fuel.

This is our firm recommendation, Mr. President. One, to retain the fuel excise tax imposed under TRAIN Law because we already budgeted it for salaries of school teachers; Build, Build, Build Program and other expenses. And second, we provide targeted subsidies of P200 per month per household — per household for one year to the bottom 50 percent of the Filipino households, this will amount to P33.1 billion in budgetary requirements.

To summarize: Retain the fuel excise taxes imposed under TRAIN Law; provide targeted subsidies to the lowest 50 percent of the households in the Philippines totalling 12 million.

This will cost P33.1 [billion] per — for the first year. biznewsasia@gmail.com

There have been murmurs of concern from oligarchs who stand to lose massively from the invasion, such as the magnates Oleg Deripaska and Mikhail Fridman, who have both made cautious comments promoting peace.

On March 3, the board of Russia’s largest privately-owned energy company, oil giant Lukoil, also called for an end to the conflict.

Noble added that many members of the elite were shocked by the invasion, as the vast majority “had not been involved in the decision-making process” and believed Putin was planning brinkmanship rather than invasion.

“However, it’s one thing to call for peace; it’s quite another to criticize Putin directly,” he said.

AFP

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares Jimbo Owen Gulle

Associate Editors News Editor City Editor

Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 TODAY mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Biden: Putin considering using biological weapons in Ukraine US PRESIDENT Joe Biden said that it’s “clear” Russia is considering the use of chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine and warned of a “severe” Western response if it chose to do so.

“His back is against the wall,” said Biden of Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting that Russia has recently accused the United States of holding chemical and biological weapons in Europe.

“Simply not true. I guarantee you,” he told a gathering of US business leaders in Washington.

“They are also suggesting that Ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine. That’s a clear sign he’s considering using both of those,” he said.

His warning echoed statements made by his administration earlier this month as well as other Western nations, after Russian officials accused Ukraine of seeking to hide an alleged US-backed

chemical weapons program.

“Now that Russia has made these false claims... we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them,” tweeted White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

Biden on Monday also reiterated that such an action would prompt a “severe” but so far undefined response from Western allies.

Putin “knows there’ll be severe consequences because of the united NATO front,” he said, without specifying what actions the alliance would take.

At the same event, Biden noted that he had warned Putin of a US response if Russia launched cyber attacks against US critical infrastructure.

“We had a long conversation about if he uses it, what will be the consequence,” said Biden, referring to a summit with the Russian leader last year in Geneva. AFP

CUDDLE WEATHER. People gather at the Peak viewpoint to watch fog over Hong Kong on March 22, 2022. AFP

HOPES DIM OF FINDING SURVIVORS OF CRASHED PASSENGER JET

Chinese recovery teams comb debris

C

HINESE recovery teams on Tuesday picked through the debris of a crashed China Eastern jet after it inexplicably plummeted from the sky into a mountainside with 132 people on board.

Hopes of finding any survivors had all but vanished nearly a day after the Boeing 737-800 passenger jet nosedived into the mountain – likely making it China’s deadliest air crash in nearly three decades.

Questions mounted over the cause of the crash, which saw the stricken jet drop 20,000 feet in just over a minute before ploughing into rugged terrain in southern China on Monday afternoon.

The airline has acknowledged that

some aboard the jet, which was traveling from the city of Kunming to the southern hub of Guangzhou, had died, but is yet to offer more details.

President Xi Jinping quickly called for a full probe following the crash as search teams, firefighters and other personnel descended upon the site in a rural area of Guangxi province.

On Tuesday scorch marks were visible from the crash and resulting fire, rescue workers told AFP, with one speculating that passengers and their belongings had

been “totally incinerated” from the intensity of the blaze.

A villager near the sprawling crash site, giving his surname only as Ou, recounted hearing a “sound like thunder” on Monday afternoon followed by a blaze blistering the surrounding hills.

State media showed uniformed search teams clambering over a scene of upturned earth, blasted trees and scattered debris, including a section of plane bearing the carrier’s blue and red livery.

Other teams were shown launching

drones, in a search mission complicated by the steep terrain and dense vegetation.

The disaster occurred after a highspeed vertical nosedive, according to a video of the descent carried by Chinese media. AFP could not immediately verify the video’s authenticity.

In Guangzhou, staff assisted loved ones of the 123 passengers and nine crew members aboard the plane, which stopped sending any flight information after dropping a total of 26,000 feet in altitude in just three minutes.AFP

Zelensky renews peace talks offer

ILL-FATED FLIGHT. Photo taken on March 21, 2022 shows rescuers working at the site of a plane crash in Tengxian county,

Wuzhou city, in China’s southern Guangxi region. Inset shows the wreckage of the China Eastern passenger jet carrying 132 people that crashed onto a mountainside. AFP

UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed an offer of direct peace talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin late Monday, declaring the status of disputed territories could be up for debate and a possible referendum.

Zelensky told local media that he was ready to meet Putin “in any format” to discuss ending the almost one-monthold war that has shattered several Ukrainian cities.

Zelensky said even the status of Russian-occupied Crimea and Russianbacked statelets in Donbas was up for debate.

“At the first meeting with the president of Russia, I am ready to raise these issues,” he said.

“There will be no appeals or historical speeches. I would discuss all issues with him in great detail” Zelensky said.

Russia has declared Crimea part of

Nobel laureate Ramos-Horta leads in East Timor presidential vote NOBEL laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has taken a dominant lead in East Timor’s presidential election held over the weekend but failed to secure a majority, officials said, leaving Southeast Asia’s youngest country on course for a second round of voting.

The 72-year-old revolutionary hero won 46.58 percent of the vote against 22.16 percent for incumbent president and former guerrilla fighter Francisco “Lu-Olo” Guterres, a preliminary ballot count showed Monday.

With all votes counted, they must now be verified and validated by the country’s election commission before the final results are announced, top election official Acilino Manuel Branco said in televised remarks.

If confirmed that no candidate se-

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cured a majority, a second round will be held on April 19 and the winner will take office on May 20 – East Timor’s 20th anniversary of independence from Indonesia, which occupied the former Portuguese colony for 24 years.

Voters headed to the polls on Saturday to choose from 16 candidates for the five-year term in what is the most competitive election in the country’s history.

Major political events in East Timor have often been marred by violence and conflict, but observers said the vote passed without incident.

“Timor-Leste held credible, transparent, and peaceful elections,” said Domenec Ruiz Devesa, chief observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission, in a press release.

Ramos-Horta, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his efforts towards a peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor, led the country from 2007 to 2012 but came out of retirement to challenge Guterres.

Political tensions between the country’s two main parties – Guterres’ Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) and RamosHorta’s National Congress of the Reconstruction of Timor-Leste (CNRT) – have risen in the past four years.

It has led to a political deadlock that has seen the government fail to pass budgets for several years, economically paralysing the mostly rural country of 1.3 million people already hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. AFP

IN BRIEF Australia launches Space Command

AUSTRALIA’S government on Tuesday launched “Space Command,” a new defense agency with echoes of the United States’ Space Force that has been tasked with securing the country’s place in an “already contested” cosmos.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the new defence arm would be modest to start with, though he gave no detailed staffing or budget figures.

In a speech to the Australian Air Force, he said space “will undoubtedly become a domain that takes on greater military significance in this century.”

“Space is becoming more congested and is already contested, particularly as the boundaries between competition and conflict become increasingly blurred through grey-zone activities,” the minister said.

Dutton positioned Space Command as a clear counter to China and Russia’s extraterrestrial military ambitions, namechecking both nations in his speech along with all “countries that see space as a territory for their taking, rather than one to be shared.” AFP

East Timor’s presidential candidate Jose Ramos-Horta

NOTICE OF LOSS This is to declare that the stock certificate no. 740675, no. of shares 90 issued 27 July 2015 by MERALCO under the name Caezar P. Evangelista is missing and no longer retrievable.

Navalny found guilty of fraud

The abovementioned certificate was never endorsed, negotiated, sold, mortgage, pledged, or in any manner transferred or encumbered, nor cancelled, attached, or levied the same.

The said certificate was not the subject of any claim, or legal action or proceeding, directly or collaterally.

(MS-MAR. 16,23 & 30, 2022)

Notice to Creditors of Lasag Realty & Development Cor poration The Creditors of Lasag Realty & Development Corporation (LASAG) are hereby notified that Lasag is selling its assets of 199,990 shares of stock at Grayline Realty Development Corporation after a month of this publication.

These 199,990 shares of stock will be sold back to Grayline Realty Development Corporation at a reasonable price per share to enable LASAG to pay its creditors.

(MS-March 23 & 30, 2022)

Russia and recognised the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine.

All three areas were part of Ukraine following the collapse of the Soviet Union and are at the centre of a decadeold crisis that on February 24 spilt into invasion and full-scale war.

“If I have this opportunity and Russia has the desire, we would go through all the questions,” he told Ukrainian journalists in an interview published by media outlet Suspilne.

“Would we solve them all? No. But there is a chance, that we partially could – at least to stop the war,” he added.

Although Zelensky signalled that he was willing to talk about the status of the three areas, he has repeatedly insisted all three were part of Ukraine and that his country would not surrender. AFP

SAKURA IN FULL BLOOM. Visitors walk among cherry blossoms in Washington, DC, March 21, 2022. AFP

A RUSSIAN court on Tuesday found jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny guilty on embezzlement charges that could see his prison sentence significantly extended.

“Navalny committed fraud – the theft of property by an organized group,” judge Margarita Kotova said, according to an AFP reporter present at the trial.

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal domestic critic, was jailed last year on old fraud charges after surviving a poison attack with Novichok nerve agent that he blames on the Kremlin.

The trial on Tuesday concerned additional embezzlement and contempt of court charges and Navalny had been tried at the prison colony outside Moscow where he is already serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence.

Navalny appeared in the makeshift court wearing his black prison uniform, with journalists watching via a video link.

He listened closely as judge Kotova read out the verdict, sometimes smiling, an AFP reporter said. AFP

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Market up on profit taking; Jollibee falls S TOP GAINERS TOCKS rose Tuesday on mild profit taking after a two-day slump, with investors still edgy over a renewed spike in oil prices.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 52.34 points, or 0.8 percent, to 7,008.94 on a value turnover of P6.7 billion. Losers, however, edged gainers, 81 to 77, with 60 issues unchanged.

International Container Terminal Services Inc., the biggest port operator and owned by tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., rose 3.4 percent to P227.80, while BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender in terms of assets, also climbed 3.4 percent to P130.40.

Manila Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, advanced 3 percent to P369.80, but Jollibee Foods Corp.,

the largest fast-food chain, fell 3.3 percent to P205.

Meanwhile, oil prices extended their rally Tuesday on supply worries as European leaders debated banning imports from Russia, while the rest of Asian equities advanced despite a tepid Wall Street lead and the prospect of a sharper hike in US interest rates.

While Wall Street ended on a negative, equities remained resilient in Asia.

Hong Kong was back on the rise, jumping more than three percent, after last week’s blockbuster surge as Alibaba

rocketed about 11 percent on the back of news it had ramped up a planned share buyback on optimism a tech crackdown

by Beijing was close to an end.

Tokyo returned from a long weekend to pile on more than one percent, helped by a drop in the yen to a new six-year low against the dollar, which helps exporters.

Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Mumbai, Jakarta, Bangkok and Wellington also rose, while Taipei was flat.

China Eastern Airlines sank in both Shanghai and Hong Kong after one of its jets crashed in China while carrying 132 people.

Both main crude contracts started the week by soaring more than seven percent Monday as EU nations discussed following Washington and putting an

embargo on Russian energy imports over its war in Ukraine.

Some members are pushing to ramp up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin with more sanctions, though others, including Germany—which still relies on Moscow’s fuel—have been reluctant to target key sectors.

Adding to the pressure, Saudi Arabia warned that Yemeni rebel attacks on its oil facilities pose a “direct threat” to global supplies, after Red Sea facilities belonging to giant Saudi Aramco were targeted.

The jump in oil prices has been a driver of turmoil on world markets in recent weeks as demand surges owing to economic re-openings just as supplies are strained. With AFP

Powell says Fed prepared to raise rates ‘aggressively’ WASHINGTON, United States—The US central bank is prepared to raise interest rates by bigger steps than the quarter-point hike announced last week if that is what’s needed to contain “much too high” inflation, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Monday.

Consumer prices in the world’s largest economy have surged to the highest seen in four decades, and the Fed last week raised the benchmark lending rate for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began to try to tamp down inflation pressures.

“If we conclude that it is appropriate to move more aggressively by raising the federal funds rate by more than 25 basis points at a meeting or meetings, we will do so,” Powell said in a speech to an economics conference.

Inflation was already rising before the Russian invasion of Ukraine added to new price pressures and supply chain impediments that could spill over to the US economy, he told the National Association for Business Economics.

“There is an obvious need to move expeditiously” to remove the stimulus the Fed provided to the American economy during the pandemic, but Powell said central bankers are prepared to go beyond “neutral” and tighten policy if needed to achieve their goal.

Last week’s rate hike was billed as the first in a series, and several policymakers have expressed willingness— or the need—to move in bigger steps.

St Louis Fed Bank President James Bullard dissented in the vote at last week’s meeting of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee, because he wanted a half-point increase as the first move.

Atlanta Fed Bank President Raphael Bostic, who spoke to the NABE conference early Monday, said he will “adapt” his views to the data, even if it means raising a full point. AFP

1 VVT 2 SLI 3 NOW

LAST PRICE CHANGE 16.72 2.7 2.8 0.27 1.32 0.1

% CHANGE 19.26% 10.67% 8.20%

4 5 6 7

SPNEC HTI PHR AGI

1.9 1.04 1.06 13

0.14 0.06 0.06 0.7

7.95% 6.12% 6.00% 5.69%

8 9 10

EAGLE RLC PERC

13.68 20.4 4.92

0.66 0.94 0.22

5.07% 4.83% 4.68%

TOP LOSERS

‘FIRE AND REHIRE.’ Protesters hold up placards during a demonstration against the sacking of 800 P&O workers, outside the

Houses of Parliament in London, on March 21, 2022. P&O Ferries, which is owned by Dubai’s DP World, prompted outcry from trade unions and politicians when the loss-making group axed 800 jobs with immediate effect to save cash, citing its unviable finances.

Unions slammed the decision and revealed that P&O had encouraged staff to re-apply for agency work under what they described as a ‘fire and rehire’ policy. AFP

European Union ministers: War raises specter of ‘famine’ BRUSSELS, Belgium—The war by Russia in Ukraine risks causing famine in parts of the world because of the two countries’ roles as major agricultural exporters, EU ministers in Brussels warned on Monday.

The European bloc is working on a plan to increase the area of EU land able to be given over to farm production, ease import restrictions on animal feed and looking at more direct aid to EU farmers, agricultural ministers said as they held a meeting.

The conflict “soon will bring risks of famine,” impacting food security not just in Europe but worldwide, France’s foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said as he went into a separate meeting of his

EU counterparts in Brussels.

“We need to take up the issue of global food security because we know the scale of cereal production, particularly from Ukraine and Russia, and we see the consequences of the war,” he said.

Ukraine and Russia are among the biggest exporters of farm-grown foodstuffs and fertilizers, notably of wheat, maize, rapeseed, sunflower seeds and sunflower oil.

Russia is also the biggest supplier of nitrogen fertilizers and the second-biggest of potassic and phosphorous fertilizers.

With Ukraine’s access to its ports cut off by the Russian invasion and oilseed production halted, and Russia increas-

ingly isolated from export markets and its entire economy under sanctions pressure, those supplies are shrinking fast.

International prices for grains and fertilizers, as a consequence, could soar by between eight and 22 percent, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said last week.

Sky-high prices for oil—needed to ship supplies by sea—will only compound the problem, with vulnerable countries to bear the brunt, the FAO said.

It projected that the number of undernourished people could increase by eight to 13 million people over the course of this year and next, mainly in the AsiaPacific, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa. AFP

China’s Russian traders smell profit as Ukraine sanctions bite

By Matthew Walsh BEIJING, China—For Marat, a Russian businessman based in Shanghai, sanctions on his home country have heralded an unexpected opportunity in China as companies struggle to keep their supply chains open.

The 42-year-old has already been contacted by a components company hunting for partners in China after being cut off from its suppliers in Europe and North America. “’Just be ready’,” he said was the message from the firm based in Belarus, a Russian ally also under sanctions for supporting its invasion of Ukraine.

“It will be a bigger workload for me, and for sure, as a result, bigger rewards,” said Marat, who gave one name only due to the sensitivity of commenting on the war inside China.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the bloody assault on Ukraine, Western capitals have frozen Moscow out of the global financial system, tipping its currency into free-fall and pushing the country to the verge of default.

But China—a longtime Russian ally—has refused to follow suit, throwing Moscow a potential economic lifeline to match the diplomatic cover it has provided by refusing to condemn the invasion.

Beijing is already Moscow’s largest trading partner, with trade volumes last year hitting $147 billion, according to Chinese customs data, up more than 30 percent on 2019.

There are early signs of a bounce in economic activity since the war erupted, with cross-border traders telling AFP they expect Russian demand to tilt

PSEi March 22, 2022

People walk past a Russian clothing store inside Ritan International Trade Center in Beijing on March 22, 2022. Beijing is Moscow’s largest trading partner, with trade volumes last year hitting US$147 billion, according to Chinese customs data, up more than 30 percent on 2019. AFP

eastwards.

“This crisis is an opportunity for Russian companies in China,” another Russian entrepreneur based in Beijing told AFP, using the pseudonym Vladimir.

“China is open. They’re saying, ‘If you want to buy, we have [it],’” he said.

Ruble trouble But it has still been a rough few weeks for most Russia-facing businesses in China.

Traders dealing in everything from pesticides to auto parts said wild fluctuations in the value of the ruble have prodded many Russian clients to stop taking new orders.

Others were left racing to find ways to settle accounts in Chinese yuan after the exclusion of Russian banks from the SWIFT system left them unable to make dollar payments.

Meanwhile, shipments have been plagued by delays as major couriers refuse to accept Russia-bound consignments and some routes into the world’s largest country are blocked.

“Everyone is waiting for something more predictable,” said Beijing-based Vladimir, who specializes in importing Russian foodstuffs into China.

“Everyone is thinking ... the sanctions [might] be cancelled if the war finishes

very soon.”

‘Good for China’ China and Russia have become closer in recent years, with Putin notably attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics last month.

The strongman leader and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping declared a relationship of “no limits,” sweetened by deals to buy billions of dollars of Russian oil and gas.

At two Russian trading malls in Beijing, stalls that burst with export-ready clothes and fabrics before the pandemic now stand empty behind padlocked doors.

The war and sanctions will affect different industries in different ways, said Shanghai-based Marat, as sectors with high entry and operational costs—chemicals, for instance—are likely to fare better than cheaper, faster-moving consumer goods.

Chinese business owners are divided on what the future holds, with many braced for a sharp fall in Russian spending power.

But others see the long-term benefits for China of a Russian economy desperate for partners.

That also goes for Chinese businesspeople working inside the world’s largest country.

“It’s definitely good for China that Russia has fallen under Western sanctions,” Chi Dashuai, a 38-year-old ecommerce platform operator told AFP from his Moscow base.

Chinese firms could rush to set up processing plants for semi-finished goods in Russia if Moscow makes it easier to do business there, he said.

“The gains for China will outweigh the losses in the long run,” he said. AFP

1 IMP 2 MA 3 ACEX

LAST PRICE CHANGE 1.09 -0.16 0.01 -0.001 21 -1.95

% CHANGE -12.80% -9.09% -8.50%

4

VUL

1.01

-0.07

-6.48%

5 6 7 8

ROX WIN ALCO APL

1.32 0.27 0.56 0.042

-0.08 -0.015 -0.03 -0.002

-5.71% -5.26% -5.08% -4.55%

9 10

COL WPI

3.8 0.43

-0.18 -0.02

-4.52% -4.44%

MOST ACTIVE

1 SM

VOLUME 479,800

VALUE (PHP) 421,449,900

2 3 4

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1,846,680 1,944,030 871,850

419,902,764 399,519,974 322,667,572

5

MONDE

23,296,400

315,325,272

6

AC

292,680

226,753,635

7 8 9 10

SMPH ALI BDO AEV

5,563,000 6,140,600 1,644,450 3,617,430

215,198,365 213,591,870 211,031,609 209,172,719

Evergrande urges investor ‘caution’ as audit result delayed HONG KONG, China—Debt-ridden Chinese property developer giant Evergrande on Tuesday warned investors to “exercise caution” as the group announced it would delay the release of the results of a 2021 audit a day after halting trade in Hong Kong.

Beijing’s drive to curb excessive debt in the real estate sector has embroiled Evergrande, one of the country’s largest developers, which has struggled after racking up $300 billion in liabilities.

On Tuesday, a day after the company announced a halt in trading, it said it would not be able to publish its 2021 audited results by the end of the March as Hong Kong’s listing rules require.

“Due to the drastic changes in the operational environment of the Company since the second half of last year... coupled with the effect caused by the COVID-19 outbreak... the Company will not be able to complete the audit procedures on time,” it said in an announcement posted on Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Suspension of its shares’ trading will remain in force until the financial information is published, according to the market’s rules.

The suspension is the second this year, and it comes ahead of an expected $2-billion repayment obligation on Wednesday and another next month of $1.4 billion.

In a separate announcement Tuesday, Evergrande urged investors to exercise caution “in view of the operational and financial challenges the group is facing and in particular the debt pressure it is experiencing.”

The company’s subsidiary Evergrande Property Services also halted trading on Monday after announcing that banks had enforced deposits of approximately 13.4 billion yuan ($2.1 billion) as security for third party pledge guarantees. AFP

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

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

Business

PSE INDEX CLOSING Tuesday, March 22, 2022

52.34 PTS. 7,008.94

TOTAL VOLUME

1,109,196,871

TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) ADVANCES DECLINES

79,625 6,671,029,007.69 77 81

UNCHANGED

60

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

52.3650

Japan

Yen

0.008371

0.4383

UK

Pound

1.317000

68.9647

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127797

6.6921

Switzerland

Franc

1.071467

56.1074

Canada

Dollar

0.794218

41.5892

Singapore

Dollar

0.736920

38.5888

Australia

Dollar

0.739500

38.7239

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652661

138.9066

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266567

13.9588

Brunei

Dollar

0.734214

38.4471

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.029833

1.5622

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

14.2583

Euro

Euro

1.102100

57.7115

Korea

Won

0.000821

0.0430

China

Yuan

0.157312

8.2376

India

Rupee

0.013110

0.6865

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.237925

12.4589

New Zealand

Dollar

0.688500

36.0533

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035144

1.8403

By Jenniffer B. Austria CEMENT producers Holcim Philippines Inc. and Eagle Cement Corp. booked double-digit growth in 2021 profits on higher demand.

HPI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange net income climbed 24.2 percent in 2021 to P2.56 billion from P2.06 billion in 2020 as net sales rose 3.6 percent to P26.9 billion on improved volumes and prices given the modest recovery of construction activity.

“Despite market pressures brought by the pandemic, weather disturbances that impacted the continuity of construction activities and surges in energy and fuel prices, our company was able to deliver strong profit growth in 2021 from 2020,” HPI president and chief executive Horia Adrian said.

“We are excited to further raise performance and deliver more positive impact through strategies and initiatives anchored on cost mindfulness, operational excellence, innovation, and sustainability,” Adrian said.

Meanwhile, Eagle Cement reported a 78-percent increase in net income in 2021 to P6.02 billion from P3.4 billion in 2020, as sales grew faster than expenses.

Net sales jumped 54 percent to P21.39 billion from P13.9 billion in 2020.

Eagle Cement announced last year it would acquire 100 percent of Solid North Mineral Corp., a quarrying and mining company through a share swap agreement for P3.57 billion.

The acquisition, Eagle Cement said, was a strategic move to ensure sustainable supply of raw materials for cement operations.

SNMC is primarily engaged in mining of metallic and non-metallic resources, exploration, quarrying activities and processing of limestone.

It holds a mineral production sharing agreement issued by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau. It has a limestone pulverizing plant in Barangay Akle, San Ildefonso, Bulacan, which is adjacent to Eagle Cement’s cement production facility.

GOLDEN WHEEL AWARD. The Rotary Club of District 3780 presents the Golden Wheel Award to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian (third from left) for his unwavering support to the education sector. With Gatchalian during the awarding rites are (from left) district governor Edgardo Ayento, past governor Samuel Pagdilao, governor-elect Florian Enriquez, Rotary Club of Diliman Central president Rhodora Gonzales (the nominator) and past president Jojo Mejia.

PH gov’t prices $2.25-b worth of triple-tranche bond offering

T

HE government successfully tapped the international capital markets for the first time in 2022, with its offering of $2.25 billion worth of 5-year, 10.5-year and 25-year global bonds which marked the country’s first triple-tranche offering.

National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon said the global bonds were the first and largest offshore Southeast Asia sovereign offering this year.

The new 5-year global bonds were priced at US Treasury spreads of T+ 90 basis points with a coupon of 3.229 percent, after an initial price guidance of T+ 125 bps area, while the new 10.5-year global bonds were priced at T+ 125 bps and a coupon of 3.556 percent, after an

initial price guidance of T+ 165 bps area.

Meanwhile, the new 25-year global bonds were priced at 4.200 percent, or 50 bps tighter than initial price guidance of 4.700 percent area.

The 25-year global bonds were issued under the Republic’s Sustainable Finance Framework and represents the debut ESG global bond offering.

“The fact that our debut sustainability bond tranche secured the strongest demand among the three tranches highlights the strong investor confidence in the national government’s commitment to achieving sustainable development and mitigating climate change, notably the pledge to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030,” said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez.

Dominguez said the debut sustainability bond float not only attracts the private sector-based investment needed to finance the climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in the Philippines, but also allows the government to attract funds from

ESG-conscious investors and boost the development of the sustainable financing market in the Philippines.

The global bonds are expected to be rated Baa2 by Moody’s, BBB+ by Standard & Poor’s and BBB by Fitch.

The transaction is expected to settle on March 29.

After a few weeks of volatility in the global equity and credit markets, the government took advantage of the improving market sentiment post the March FOMC meeting and announced the transaction on March 21.

It follows the $3 billion dual-tranche global bond offering in June 2021, the EUR 2.1 billion triple-tranche global bonds in April 2021 and JPY 55 billion Samurai bond offering in March 2021.

Finance Undersecretary Mark Dennis Joven said the successful transaction is a testament to the Republic’s strong economic fundamentals and the confidence of the investor community in the country’s long term growth trajectory.

Leading meat supplier to SM Markets seeks P4.5-b IPO NORTH Star Meat Merchants Inc., a leading frozen and fresh meat supplier, plans to raise up to P4.5 billion from an initial public offering in June.

North Star Meat said in a statement Tuesday it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission an application to sell up to 392 million common shares, with an over-allotment option for another 58 million secondary common shares at P10 each.

The company plans to use the net proceeds from the offering to expand a cold storage facility in Bulacan and open another one in Cebu.

The expansion plan will increase the company’s maximum storage capacity to eight million kilos from 2.1 million kilos.

The company is also looking to expand its financial muscle to keep up with the growth of key retail partners SM Markets and Waltermart Group and prepare for future potential retail partners.

“With increasing demand for fresh and frozen protein, we are keen on accelerating the growth and reach of the company to consistently provide safe, quality and affordable meat for everyone” North Star founder and chief executive Anthony Ng said.

North Star recorded sales of P9.28 billion in 202 and achieved a compounded annual growth rate of 39.7 percent since 2019.

About 90 percent of its business are with SM supermarkets and affiliate stores including Alfamart and

Savemore.

“North Star believes that it is wellpositioned to take advantage of a young and growing meat consuming population. An increase in purchasing power translates into an increase in meat consumption per capita” Ng said.

BDO Capital & Investment Corp. was engaged as the sole issue manager and underwriter for the offering.

“We expect there would be strong interest for this IPO given North Star’s unique focus on the country’s meat sector and food security, its established and longstanding relationships with retail giants such as the SM group and its unmatched scale of operations,” BDO Capital president Eduardo Francisco said.

Jenniffer B. Austria

More Americans smoked following ban on vaping MORE Americans turned to smoking after several US states banned cigarette alternatives such as vape products in 2020, based on a study published recently in an international journal.

Authors of the study titled “Impact of Banning Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems on Combustible Cigarette Sales: Evidence from US State-Level Policies” said they found evidence that banning ENDS or electronic cigarettes was associated with increased sales of combusted or traditional cigarettes, using commercial sales data.

“Our results highlight and quantify potential unintended consequences of ENDS sale restrictions, which should be considered in the future as part of public health impact analyses of such policies,” said study authors Yingying Xu, Lanxin Jiang, Shivaani Prakash and Tengjiao Chen.

The study was published in the international journal Value in Health on March 5, 2022, after the authors looked at the

Jollibee opens 150th store in Vietnam JOLLIBEE Foods Corp. remains aggressive with its overseas expansion as it opened its 150th Jollibee store in Vietnam and the first Red Ribbon Bakeshop with a drive-thru service in the United States.

Jollibee’s new store in Vietnam is located at 254 Dong Da street Thuan Phuoc Ward, Hai Chau District in Da Nang City, which is one of the largest cities and major tourism hubs in the country.

Jollibee said it considers Vietnam as one of its biggest markets outside the Philippines.

“Vietnam is one of the most important markets for us as it is among the fastestgrowing economies in Asia and has a huge young and vibrant population. It is also one of the first international markets we entered in the earlier years of Jollibee,” Jollibee group chief executive Ernesto Tanmantiong said in a statement.

Jollibee also reported that it recently opened its first Red Ribbon Bakeshop with a drive-thru service at 13421 Westheimer Road, Unit G in Houston, Texas.

Jenniffer B. Austria

SMC rolls out more livelihood programs

Source: BSP

Holcim, Eagle post double-digit growth in profits

IN BRIEF

cigarettes sales data in 2020 following the start of restrictions on vaping in several states in the US in the fall of 2019.

Amid the outbreak of the so-called ecigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury or EVALI strongly linked to tetrahydrocannabinol vaping products that received national news coverage, some US states passed short-term bans on the sale of ENDS. The issue raised public health concerns and focused media attention on ENDS in 2019, but it was later determined that EVALI cases were strongly linked to vitamin E acetate additive in primarily illicit tetrahydrocannabinol-containing vaping products.

Several states imposed emergency bans on the sales of ENDS in the fall of 2019.

Among them, Massachusetts implemented an emergency ban on all ENDS on September 24, 2019, while Rhode Island and Washington instituted similar shortterm bans on non-tobacco flavored ENDS in early October 2019.

BIYAHENYO CARAVAN. Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. kicks off its nationwide BiyaHenyo Caravan showcasing the Hyundai HD48 GT Modern PUV in key cities of Luzon and Metro Manila. The first leg of the dealership-based roadshow started at Hyundai Trucks & Buses-Batangas City, followed Cabanatuan City, Commonwealth and Baguio City. Hyundai Trucks and Buses Philippines president and chief executive Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo (left) welcomes Prince Motor Corp. chairman Amando San Juan (standing) and president Anna Lyne San Juan-Ponferrada (right) during the signing of memorandum of understanding, along with a transport cooperative representative at HTB-Commonwealth.

SAN Miguel Corp. said Tuesday subsidiary San Miguel Aerocity Inc. rolled out more livelihood programs for communities in and around the site of the New Manila International Airport project in Bulacan province.

SMC president and chief executive Ramon Ang said the company recently implemented new programs aimed at helping ensure communities throughout Bulacan would benefit from both the airport’s construction and operations.

Townsfolk from Bulakan, Bulacan, the airport’s site, along with various organizations, reaffirmed their support for the project, saying it would bring jobs, better income opportunities and meaningful development that would turn the province into a major aviation and investment hub in Southeast Asia.

SMC has been working with various key stakeholders to discuss and address social and environmental issues crucial to the delivery of a sustainable infrastructure.

Darwin G. Amojelar

SM companies win at 57th Anvil Awards SM INVESTMENTS Corp. gained two wins from the 57th Anvil Awards dubbed as the Gabi ng Parangal on Feb. 24, 2022 via a live online event.

Conferred by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines, SM Investments gained the nod of the board of judges and won both Silver Awards for Website Refresh and its 2020 Integrated Report under the PR Tool categories of website or blog and publication, respectively.

“We are pleased to receive these awards recognizing our efforts to provide our stakeholders with up to date and transparent communication in interesting formats,” said Timothy Daniels, consultant for investor relations and sustainability at SM Investments.

The award affirms SM’s continuing efforts to nurture its growing communities.

SM Development Corp. also received the Silver Award for the ‘The Good Guys Weekend Market,” under the PR Tool category for exhibit and special event, which has empowered communities and neighborhoods to thrive amid the health crisis.

ACEN pays $87.7m for initial interest in Australian solar firm

By Alena Mae S. Flores AC ENERGY Corp. said Tuesday it completed the initial acquisition of stakes held by UPC Renewables Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd. and Anton Rohner in UPC-AC Renewables Australia, which is constructing a 520-megawatt solar project.

ACEN said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the first tranche of the acquisition was completed on March 21 with the signing of transfer of agreements.

The aggregate consideration paid for the first tranche was $87.7 million, but the entire transaction involves up to $243.3 million.

“The acquisition of the remaining stake of the company’s joint venture partners in UPC-AC Renewables Australia allows the company to have full ownership and control of the joint venture company, which is currently constructing a 520-MW solar farm in New England, Australia and has a development pipeline of more than 8,000 MW spanning New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia,” ACEN said.

ACEN said that with the transaction, it would gain a high-quality team of some 30 people who have a proven track record of delivering value to the business by being able to find opportunities and new projects.

ACEN signed the agreement with AC Renewables International Pte Ltd., UPC Renewables Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd. and Rohner for the transfer to ACRI of UPCAPH’s 7,150 ordinary shares in UPC-AC Energy Australia (HK) Limited and Rohner’s 1,000,054 ordinary class B shares in UPC Australia (HK) Ltd. The completion of the second tranche of the acquisition is expected to occur in early 2023.

Masters lists Mickelson among those not playing WASHINGTON—Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson will not play in next month’s Masters, missing the Augusta National showdown for the first time since 1994, according to a field update posted Monday on the tournament’s website.

Mickelson’s status had been in question since he criticized the US PGA Tour in remarks revealed last month supporting a Saudi-backed rival circuit and apologized later, saying he needed some time away from golf.

In a listing of invitees to the 86th Masters, which runs April 7-10 at the famed Georgia course, 2021 PGA Championship winner Mickelson was among golfers listed as Past Champions Not Playing.

The list generally features elder statesmen of the sport who have claimed the green jacket, including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Nick Faldo.

That list, however, did not include Tiger Woods, who is recovering from severe leg injuries suffered in a car crash 13 months ago.

The major question surrounding Mickelson now would be if the 51-year-old American left-hander will defend his title at the PGA Championship, which will be played in May at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

After alienating US PGA Tour leaders and organizers of the upstart tour, Mickelson said last month he was taking time away from the sport.

“The past 10 years I have felt the pressure and stress slowly affecting me at a deeper level,” Mickelson said in a statement.

“I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away to prioritize the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be.”

Mickelson has not played since last month’s Saudi International and last played a US PGA event at Torrey Pines in January, both before the rival tour controversy erupted.

Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion, was revealed as having helped support organizers of a Saudibacked tour eager to have top PGA talent play in its events. AFP

HD Spikers win, secure twice-to-beat advantage CIGNAL HD, which could not seem to win ballgames in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference the last time out, now just could not seem to lose.

Keeping the momentum of their imposing second set romp that drew them level with the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, the HD Spikers also took the next two and romped off with a 20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-16 victory yesterday to move a win away from pulling off a surprise sweep of the five-team Group A play at the Paco Arena in Manila.

Quite a stirring start indeed for a team which finished last with only a win to show in nine games in the league’s inaugural pro season in Ilocos Norte late last year.

The Shaq delos Santos-coached squad, which earlier upended two of the league’s most fancied teams, defending champion Chery Tiggo and multi-titled F2 Logistics, also in four-set fashions, seeks to complete its remarkable surge against Army at the close of the two-group, single-round elims tomorrow.

With a 3-0 mark, Cignal has secured a twice-to-beat edge in the knockout quarterfinals of the league organized by Sports Vision.

“We need proper recovery as we prepare against Army. We need to communicate more and be ready in anticipation of the tougher grind,” said delos Santos, who kept on drawing big games from his combo of aces, including Roselyn Doria, who produced a top-scoring 17-point performance in their onehour, 43-minute victory.

“I’m proud of her (Doria). She’s always all-out in practice. Actually, she wasn’t satisfied with her performance in the first two games.

She always knew she can do better. Hopefully, she continues to improve,” he added.

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

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Sports DEEP IN TRAINING. The Philippines’ water polo team is shown during a practice session during World Water Day at the Vitas Aquatic Center in Tondo Manila, in preparation for their coming competitions. March 22 is celebrated as World Water Day to raise public awareness about the significance of fresh water and sustainable management of this significant resource. Norman Cruz

POC chief: Vietnam’s SEAG hosting on track D

ESPITE a recent spike in new COVID-19 cases in Vietnam, organizers of the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games scheduled May 12 to 23 are making sure all other aspects of the staging are being taken care of.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino recently flew to Hanoi where representatives of the 10 other competing countries were given an overview of the preparations.

He said everything seemed to be on track.

“We did site visitations of the different venues. We also did inspections of the hotel for the athletes and officials,” Tolentino told the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday.

Tolentino said the other member countries are more focused now on their respective preparations, including the training of their athletes for the biennial competition.

“Vietnam has received our entries by

names and we’re just waiting for the final confirmation,” said Tolentino during the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, POC, Amelie Hotel Manila, Unilever, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

Tolentino confirmed Filipino pole vault ace EJ Obiena, the Asian record holder and reigning SEA Games cham-

pion who is ranked No. 5 in the world, is in the list submitted by the POC. Organizers, the POC chief said, have yet to decide whether they would allow fans and spectators for the Games due to the recent COVID-19 surge which recorded a seven-day average of 171,446 cases last week.

“But it’s declining now. In fact, they are now open to tourists,” said Tolentino, adding that only proof of vaccination or booster shots are needed by foreign delegates to the 31st SEA Games.

“We just need to be extra careful,” said Tolentino, who is looking at a Philippine delegation of 979, including POC president Rep. Abraham officials. He said it’s Tolentino up to the PSC to bring

the delegation to Vietnam.

Tolentino said there are only a couple of ways to get to Vietnam from Manila —either via Singapore Airlines or Philippine Airlines. The PSC is looking at booking a chartered flight for Team Philippines.

During the forum, Tolentino thanked the Department of Foreign Affairs for extending help to 103 members of Team Philippines who either applied for new passports or sought renewals.

“We wrote the Foreign Affairs and they responded by accommodating us,” said Tolentino.

Malaysia, based on early information, is sending close to 800 athletes, more than the 656 which the Philippines is fielding. There is no information yet on the size of the delegations from Thailand or Indonesia.

“Hindi pa natin alam,” added Tolentino, who remains confident the Philippines can put up a good fight in defending the overall title it won when it hosted the SEA Games in 2019.

Avaricio hogs spotlight on fiery frontside windup TARLAC—Chanelle Avaricio sneaked past Princess Superal and ace amateur Rianne Malixi with a scorching frontside finish, birdying three of the last seven holes to shoot a two-under 70 and grab a one-stroke lead over the marked duo after 18 holes of the ICTSI Luisita Ladies Championship here Tuesday.

Avaricio, who scored a breakthrough at Riviera-Couples in last year’s third restart of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, banked on her solid approach shots on her way home at the front, setting up birdie chances from close range to gain a solo view of the top of the 54-hole championship.

“I played a pretty decent round. After a two-bogey, one-birdie card at the back, I recovered at the front—hit some good second shots that set up easy birdies,” said Avaricio, who seeks to dish out more of the same in today’s second round in a bid

to bolster her title drive in the P750,000 championship put up by ICTSI. “Same plan for tomorrow (today), good placing off the drive and be careful on the greens,” she said.

Superal and Malixi lived up to the pretournament hype in the featured threesome that included Chihiro Ikeda, slugging it out shot-for-shot and putt-for-putt in a duel that sparked hopes for duo’s sustained control of the tournament after matching 34s after nine holes before finishing with 71s in hot conditions.

But three behind the pair with a backside 37, Avaricio stormed ahead as she found her rhythm and range at the front, scoring back-to-back birdies from No. 3 then gaining another stroke with a solid tee-shot on the par-3 No. 6.

But lurking behind are the fancied duo.

After a solid frontside, Superal hit an errant

drive on No. 10 and had to play out from a stymied lie then failed to get up and down from five feet although she regained the stroke with another birdie on the par-5 16th.

The winner of three of the first five LPGT tournaments held in bubble setup last year, however, overshot the difficult par-3 No. 17, pitched short and flubbed a par-saving putt from six feet.

“I think I missed a lot of putts, including birdie chances,” rued Superal who stressed the need for consistency, especially off the mound, given the tight fairways of the tree-lined layout.

Malixi, who dominated the SEA Games qualifier here to clinch the lone Hanoi berth early this month, held her ground in her first face-off with Superal, snapping a birdie-bogey game from No. 2 with birdies on Nos. 5 and 8 to draw level.

Chanelle Avaricio

In-form Bibat takes Luisita control with 4-under 68

TARLAC—Michael Bibat bucked the heat and endured a year-long wait, flashing top form to fire a solid four-under 68 and wrest a onestroke lead over Miguel Tabuena at the start of the ICTSI Luisita Championship at the Luisita Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Bibat carried out a well-laid plan to dominate the long, challenging Robert Trent Jones, Sr-designed layout, keeping the ball in play and hitting superb approach shots that set up a number of chances, four of which he birdied to seize control of the compact 48-player field and the event that marked the resumption of the Philippine Golf Tour.

Michael Bibat

“I think what I did right was to keep the ball in play considering the course is tough and long. My driving was okay and hit the right approach shots,” said Bibat, who placed fifth in the last PGT event ruled by Tabuena at Eagle Ridge-Aoki in March 2021.

Tabuena shrugged off a wobbly start to card a 69 and stalk Bibat while Nilo Salahog shot birdies linking both nines but flubbed a par-saving putt from close range on the 18th to settle for a 71 for joint third with Jhonnel Ababa and rookie pro Sean Ramos.

Ababa, who went into farm-

ing during the long break, mixed two birdies against a bogey while Ramos rebounded from a bogey on No. 2 with three birdies but missed seizing solo third with another mishap on Luisita’s signature par3 17th.

“We’re thankful for the tour resumption. I hit it pretty well but struggled with my putting,” rued Ababa, a multi-titled campaigner in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. Ramos, a former national team mainstay, relished the chance to compete with the best and dished out a fine start, saying: “It was really a good experience. It’s amazing playing against the top players and I’m happy with how I played.”

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Sports

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

Mediation with Obiena ongoing, says PATAFA

Lillard to miss rest of season NEW YORK—Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 NBA season while he recovers from abdominal surgery, the team announced Monday.

The Trail Blazers said Lillard “has progressed well through the reconditioning phase of his rehab protocol” and “met several key performance benchmarks to date and will continue end-stage rehab over the next few weeks.”

At 26-44, the Trail Blazers are 12th in the Western Conference and all-but eliminated from playoff contention.

Portland has reached the playoffs in each of the past eight NBA seasons with Lillard in the lineup, reaching the 2019 Western Conference finals before losing to Golden State.

The 31-year-old backcourt star averaged 24.0 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game over 29 appearances for Portland this season.

It’s the fewest games Lillard has ever played in an NBA campaign and his fewest average points in seven years.

Lillard was originally expected to make a return in March but interim Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said last month he likely would not return until next season. AFP

T

PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico

HE Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association is actively participating in the mediation proceedings with pole vaulter, EJ Obiena, contrary to the allegation of four senators who filed a resolution to hold the entire PATAFA board in contempt for refusing to participate in the process.

The PATAFA clarified this on Saturday in response to an order issued by four senators asking the members of PATAFA’s board of trustees on Friday

to explain why they should not be cited for contempt for allegedly reneging on a commitment to the Senate to participate in the mediation.

In a letter to Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, chairman of the Senate committee on sports and vice chair of the committee on finance, PATAFA said “it participated in the mediation moderated by Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez on March 7 and 14 and will participate in the third mediation on March 21.”

In fact, the PATAFA said, it was Obiena who asked for a postponement of the third meeting to March 21 because of what he said was a “prior scheduled travel and other commitments.”

In filing the resolution to cite the entire PATAFA board for contempt, Sen. Pia Cayetano said the national sports association violated its commitment to the mediation by filing a case in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Swit-

zerland against Obiena and the Philippine Olympic Committee.

PATAFA clarified that the appeal was filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport by PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico, in his personal capacity, to appeal the POC decision which declared him “persona non grata.”

Filing cases in the Court of Arbitration for Sport is widely accepted by international sports bodies, such as the International Olympic Committee and the international federations, to settle disputes in sports.

The “persona non grata” declaration was an offshoot of the complaint filed

by Obiena against Juico in response to the PATAFA investigation into charges that Obiena failed to pay the salary of his coach and falsified his reports on the liquidation of expenses incurred in training and competition in Europe for three years.

“PATAFA reiterates that it has always

Magsayo to train in LA for WBC title defense

MAYOR’S CUP. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, shown here taking a selfie with his guests, led the launching of the Damian Lillard

tried to be respectful of this Honorable Office and continues, in good faith and earnest efforts, in its commitment to both this Honorable Office and the PSC, to participate in the PSC initiated mediation,” the letter said.

The resolution filed by Sen. Cayetano was also signed by three other senators, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Sen. Francis Tolentino, brother of POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

The controversy started when Obiena was asked to explain discrepancies in his liquidation reports, including entries which showed that he had paid his Ukrainian coach, Vitali Petrov, his salary for three years.

The investigation was prompted by information from former world and Olympic pole vault record, holder Sergei Bubka and EJ’s Ukrainian coach, Petrov himself that he had not been paid his salary for three years starting 2018.

Mayor’s Cup 2022 Basketball and Volleyball Tournaments at the Filoil Flying V Centre, San Juan City on March 20. Ginebra Gin Kings stars Mark Caguioa, Stanley Pringle, Joe Devance, Jared Diliger and Aljon Mariano, along with actress Sunshine Cruz, attended the event. Manny Palmero

Red Bull DIY returns with team, solo skateboarding contests RED Bull DIY is back for its second edition of the community-based DIY online skateboard video competition for passionate Filipino skateboarders to showcase their creativity, skill, and passion for the sport.

In light of Margielyn Didal’s history-making Olympic run, the popularity of skateboarding in the Philippines is higher than ever as more and more Filipino youths develop their interest and skill in skateboarding. This year, Red Bull DIY continues to support both beginner and experienced skateboarders by helping them construct their dream skate spots.

Red Bull DIY: Developing Future Skate Parks The first phase of this year’s Red Bull DIY is a team competition for skate crews and skate shops to showcase their design and building skills. Each participating team must submit a design for a DIY skate spot. The 15 best proposals will be given 18 days to execute their plans.

From the finished DIY projects, 5 teams will be selected by Margielyn Didal herself and other members of Skate Pilipinas to advance to the final round of judging, where the top 3 will be determined by skateboarding legend, Jamie Foy. Registration for the Red Bull DIY team event runs from March 9 - 27, 2022. Interested teams may register through http://www.redbull.com/redbulldiyph

Margielyn Didal

Solo Competition: Paving the Way for the Next Generation Following the DIY team event, individual skaters will get their turn to showcase their skills and passion for skateboarding through an online contest. Participants are tasked to upload a 30-second edited video on Instagram and TikTok, performing tricks on DIY spots. Each video must include the DIY digital sticker to be counted as an official entry.

The Top 10 skaters will be determined based on the number of likes collected from the public on both social media platforms, after which the second phase of the contest will begin. Each of the Top 10 must submit a second video with a DIY infusion obstacle to be evaluated by a team of panelists led

by Margielyn Didal.

Registration for the solo competition begins on April 27 and submissions may be posted online until May 8.

Red Bull DIY is a program that gives back to the local skate community by helping develop and promote DIY skate spots around the country. Supporting both beginner and experienced Filipino skateboarders, Red Bull DIY sponsors their skatepark projects, enabling them to pursue their talents and showcase their skills in a Team Competition and Solo Competition.

PH jins to join ASEAN taekwondo tourney in Vietnam THE Smart/MVP Sports Foundation taekwondo squad has been formed to compete in the 2022 ATF (ASEAN Taekwondo Federation) Taekwondo Championships slated March 30 to April 4, 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The team is composed of 10 Kyorugi (Free Sparring) and five poomsae athletes, together with delegation head Raul Samson, and coaches (Kyorugi) Paul Romero, Devy Singson and Poomsae June Ninobla.

Members of the team are Loralee Natividad, Abigail Faye Valdez, Realis Tabiando, Clarence Sarza, and Rhezie Aragon, (second row, from left ) Ceanne Kyle Rosquillo, Marvin Mori, Kier Macalino, and King Nash Alcairo, (third row, from left) Rommel Pablo Jr., Justin Mark Agno, Paul Romero, June Ninobla, Devy John Singson, Joseph Chua, and Alfritz Arevalo.

The team will leave Manila on March 29.

Members of the Smart/MVP Sports Foundation taekwondo squad

AFTER a brief break, World Boxing Council featherweight champion Mark Magsayo leaves the country Wednesday and starts preparation for his first title defense against Rey Vargas of Mexico.

Magsayo is heading back to Los Angeles to set up training camp at the famed Wild Card gym in Los Angeles under trainer Freddie Roach for the penciled July 9 fight in San Antonio, Texas.

The 26-year-old pride of Tagbilaran City quietly returned to the country last March 3 after being away for almost two years and fighting in the US, the last of which had him wresting the WBC 126-lbs title belt against former champion Gary Russell last January.

“April start na ng training sa Wild Card gym kay Freddie Roach,” said Magsayo on Tuesday, appearing in the virtual Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

“Pero habang nasa bakasyon ako nagte-training na rin ako. Hindi pa rin ako nagpapabaya sa sarili ko kahit nasa bakasyon ako.”

The 31-year-old challenger, undefeated like Magsayo, was supposed to face Russell in a title match, but suffered a broken leg that paved the way for the Filipino to replace him and vie for the WBC belt.

MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons, who was with Magsayo in the weekly session presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Amelie Hotel Manila, Uniliver, and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation said they knew Vargas was next in line the moment ‘Magnifico’ pulled off the majority decision win over Russell.

“It was already pre-determined even before Mark fought (Russell).

And that would be Rey Vargas which is fine with us. You know when you’re the champ, whoever they offer you, whoever they put in front of you, that’s who you would have to fight when it’s a mandatory,” said Gibbons, who also returns to the country for the first time in two years.

Vargas is a former WBC super-bantamweight champion who defended his title five times and holds an undefeated record of 35-0 with 22 KOs. But Magsayo is unperturbed, saying Vargas is a great fighter and a great match up for him.

“Macha-challenge na naman ako. Exciting itong laban na ito, interesting fight kasi magaling, walang talo, undefeated siya, matangkad. Meron siyang bentahe na wala ako, pero may bentahe ako na wala siya. So maayos ‘yan, magandang laban,” said the champion.

Before leaving the country, Magsayo (24-0, 16 KOs) paid a courtesy call to his main benefactor, boxing great and Senator Manny Pacquiao, and got more than just an audience with the retired eighth-time world champion.

“Sinabi sa akin ni Senator na pag matangkad ang kalaban, head movement talaga and dapat maganda ‘yung counter,” he recalled of his meeting with the legendary Filipino boxer last Sunday. “Tapos ‘yung training ko raw, kailangan kong doblehin pa raw kasi ako na ‘yung defending champion. At tsaka tiwala sa trainer, tiwala sa Panginoon, ‘yun talaga ang sinabi niya sa akin.”

Entertainment

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

Adie sings live at The Shang THE popular singer of “Paraluman,” “Tahanan,” and “You’ll Be Safe Here,” Adie (Adie Garcia) takes over Shangri-La Plaza’s East Wing on Saturday, March 26, at 6:00 p.m.

The singer-songwriter initially rose to fame for his viral Youtube videos where he belts out covers of a slew of hits. In 2020, Adie was signed as an artist under O/C

Records owned by Kean Cipriano and Chynna Ortaleza. His single “Paraluman” pushed his popularity even further gaining more than 3.5 million views on its first month alone, and made it to No.1 in the Viral Top 50 on Spotify.

Adie garnered four major nominations in 2021 including

Breakthrough Artist and Favorite Male Artist of the Year in the 34th Awit Awards, and Wish Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Wishclusive Contemporary Folk Performance of the Year for his single “Paraluman” in the 7th Wish Music Awards.

With #LiveattheShang back and better than ever, Adie is taking

the stage to serenade mall guests with his own brand of music, and repertoire of chart-topping songs.

Meanwhile, Shangri-La Plaza is also marking Earth Hour on the same day, supporting the noteworthy movement by being on partial lighting mode from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., while the mall continues its regular operations.

‘Prima Donnas’

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

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Singersongwriter Adie Garcia

‘Theory of Light’ is Liter of Light’s pioneering environmental film

stars develop stronger bonds in series’ second season

By Patricia Taculao

A

FTER its first successful season, Prima Donnas, GMA’s top-rating daytime drama, returned for a second season. But apart from quelling the public’s curiosity about how the story will unfold, its young yet talented cast also stepped up their performance, showing viewers how they’ve matured both in the show and in real life.

Pioneering Filipino global environmental film premieres at EXPO2020

Reprising their roles from (From left) ‘Prima Donnas’ cast Sofia Pablo, Jillian Ward, Althea Ablan, and Elijah Alejo the first season are Jillian Ward, Sofia Pablo, and Althea Ablan. other as competition. Instead, they first season, especially since it took The second season aired last believe that they each have particular them three months.

January 24, and fans of the series strengths that make them unique from “Mas nagkaroon ng bond compared were quick to comment on how the other actors in the industry. sa pinakaunang lock-in namin kasi actresses evolved their craft to act “Kami lahat dito may iba’t ibang mas dumami kami, mas nagkaroon out intense scenes where they had to galing. Si Direk Gina Alajar din ay din ng time, mas nakakapag-bonding bring their emotions to another level. very meticulous kaya walang nao- din kaya nagkaroon ng camaraderie,” During an online media overshadow or mas nagsha-shine. Jillian explained. conference, Elijah Alejo, who plays Kumbaga, lahat kami may sariThe cast’s newly-realized bond an antagonist in the series, admitted sariling purpose sa show,” said Jillian, also boosts their performance in to using harsh words to make Jillian who has been acting for GMA since the series because they feel more cry for a scene. Elijah even warned she was five years old. comfortable doing more demanding Jill before shooting their part.

Sofia added to this by saying that scenes around each other. Even Sofia “Sinabihan ko din si Jill na may their director also offers each of them and Althea’s partners, Allan Ansay masasabi akong masakit para mas in the cast scenes throughout the and Bruce Roeland, respectively, maniwala ‘yong mga tao. Pero alam series where they can demonstrate also benefit from their off-screen din ni Jill na I did not meant those their talents and enhance their skills. chemistry. words,” she shared.

As for Althea, she sees acting “Kung hindi ko kasundo ‘yong kaHowever, Jillian later revealed that as her passion, which is why she love team ko or on-screen partner, it was all her idea so she could deliver doesn’t consider her co-workers as magiging mahirap. Pero si Allan a convincing performance as well. competition. On the other hand, she naman so wala akong preparation at Both their work ethics demonstrate views them as equals, and they will all,” Sofia said. their professionalism and creativity achieve their dreams together.

She added that what viewers see as actresses.

Besides showing more acting skills, from their on-screen tandem mirrors Although the young Kapuso stars the Prima Donnas cast also formed their behavior and personality in real are already showing the extent of their a stronger bond as compared to their life, which is why they have no trouble acting prowess, they never view each previous lock-in taping for the series’ working alongside each other.

SKY’S virtual run raises funds for Odette survivors

SKY’s “Isang Daang Hakbang Sa Pagtutulungan: Kapamilya Virtual Run” raised more than P500,000 in donations, which can provide food packs to over 1,000 families or 5,000 individuals who are still struggling after the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Odette.

The four-week virtual run, which concluded last February 28, had almost 1,500 participants completing the run’s 100-step challenge, including actor Piolo Pascual, celebrity coach Rio Dela Cruz, and ABS-CBN Foundation’s Director for Advocacy and G Diaries host Ernie Lopez.

Several participants gladly shared their photos and videos finishing the challenge on Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtag #100HakbangSaPagtutulungan to encourage friends and family to join.

Whether they completed the challenge safely indoors or outdoors, they enjoyed the opportunity to be active and healthy amid the pandemic while also being able to help others in a simple way.

Apart from the 100-step challenge, around 300 participants went the extra mile and completed 5K and 10K virtual runs to send larger donations for the victims.

“More than your donations, the time and effort you made to complete the challenge and share it on social media makes a big difference in inspiring others to also take a step towards helping our Kapamilyas. Every peso means food, clothing, medicines, home, and hope for our fellowmen in need. All of you greatly contribute to our mission to be in the service of the Filipino,” said

Jaynalen Redondo-Roque, SKY’s head for Integrated Marketing and Airtime Business and the organizing committee head of the virtual run.

“Isang Daang Hakbang Sa Pagtutulungan: Kapamilya Virtual Run” was organized by SKY, in partnership with HBO and History, to support ABSCBN and ABS-CBN Foundation’s “Tulong-Tulong sa Pag-ahon: Isang Daan sa Pagtutulungan,” the second phase of their fund drive for the benefit of Odette survivors.

As of March 17, ABS-CBN Foundation has delivered food packs to 207,029 families with the help of the donations. Even more families will be able to receive aid with the donations collated from this virtual run.

This campaign is under ABSCBN Foundation DSWD Authority/ Solicitation Permit, DSWD-SBSP-00026-21, valid nationwide until May 28.

Piolo Pascual also joins the 100-step challenge

LITER of Light, a Filipino-born global grassroots solar lighting movement, will have a world premiere for its pioneering environmental film, Theory of Light, on March 27 in front of 200 dignitaries and guests at the Opportunity Forum at the EXPO2020 in Dubai.

With the theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,” EXPO2020 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share the impact of a Philippine innovation in coming together despite the challenges and building resilient communities with a diverse audience committed to Sustainability.

Part historical chronicle, part environmental lesson, Theory of Light shows how Liter of Light is reinvigorating efforts to take action on climate change from the safety of home and inspiring new generations of innovators from the Global South to come up with ideas that will change the world.

“Most media coverage to date focuses on the receiving effects of the climate crisis; as victims and stops there,” says Filipino-Italian Illac Diaz, Founder and Executive Director of Liter of Light.

“Filipinos are admired for our resilience,

but rarely do stories focus on the rising up, building back and innovative solutions that communities themselves have developed to take dramatic action. In fact, only 1 percent of all global expenses for filmmaking are spent on the environment and the growing climate crisis. With this documentary, we want to flip the script, and share stories of common humanity and hope that inspires others to make urgent and right decisions for the people and planet,” Diaz added.

The film is produced and distributed

by TBA Studios. Known for its criticallyacclaimed and groundbreaking films, TBA Studios cemented its status as one of the top production companies in the Philippines with its big-budget epics and major box office hits such as Heneral Luna and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral.

The development of the film was supported by a grant from SM Prime Holdings, Inc. The project is an official partnership with the office of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Manila Observatory, the key research institution on climate change in the Philippines.

Filmmaker J.P. Gopez, whose works include documentaries for National Geographic and TBA Studios’ legacy docu-series Habambuhay: Remembering 100 Years of Philippine Cinema, helmed the project.

It is also executive produced

by Liter of Light founder Illac Diaz, SM Prime President Hans Sy, TBA Studios CEOs E. A. Rocha, and Fernando Ortigas with TBA’s Executive Vice-President and General Manager Daphne Chiu and Film Development Manager Margie Navarro co-producing.

‘Theory of Light’ shows how Liter of Light reinvigorates actions on climate change

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

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

Life ‘Brave New World’ books on display at the Art Lounge at The Podium

A replica of Victoria, the first ship that circumnavigated the earth

Brave New World

The longest journey around the world

Artistry and the pandemic ART has always been a part of life—reflecting our histories, inspiring our cultures, and spurring conversations in a search to find the answers to life, the universe, and everything that encompasses it.

As life unfolds, the conversation changes as well, opening another realm of views, opinions, and observations that are just waiting to be Beginning of a New Chapter by Francis Nacion (left) and analyzed and understood. Pinagbuklod ng Panalangin (Bound by Prayer) by Norlie Meimban While art has always collective story-telling been a conversation in through engaging artwork and of itself, it is also and photography that not steered by different only pays tribute to the perspectives, whether by Philippines’ bayanihan spirit, the artist who creates or but also honors the everyday the viewers that witness. heroes that helped us live In times of stress, and safely within the parameters strife, art gives us an that the pandemic has opportunity to examine presented us. ourselves as well as our One Foot in the Grave by Neil Defeo Whether or not you agree society while offering (left) and Hope Together We Stand with the idea of “The New reassurance and hope.

Normal” or believe that life

by Edwin Tres Reyes In light of the shall return to pre-pandemic COVID-19 pandemic and the repercussions days, we must nonetheless admit that how it has had globally, it’s safe to say that the we live our everyday life has been changed pandemic has significantly affected the forever. way we live and look at life—from family, Prim Paypon talks about the natural relationships, careers, goals, and even our inclinations of Filipinos to work together and dreams. With all the time spent at home during how various individuals in the private sector lockdown, artists have injected their personal spared no time in trying to get the community experiences on how this global pandemic helping out, and tapping local artists was no has given them an altered viewpoint, from exception. The Art Rocks auction underscored their craft to their subjects, or from their daily the relevance of art in society, and how it called endeavors to their vast ideals. everyone to buy into a cause that benefited “Brave New World: Art and the Pandemic” those who were most in need. was meant to capture the feelings, emotions, Purissima “Petty” Benitez-Johannot fears, frustrations, hopes, and aspirations discusses how art thrives in times of crisis. of a nation in the throes of one of the most While the situation seemed serious, bleak, and devastating and dramatic events in an entire depressing for what felt like too long a time, the generation. rise of thoughtful creations manifested through South East Asian Heritage Publications, the eyes of the artist also began to emerge.

Inc. published this noteworthy book and On the other hand, Jose Tence Ruiz tells it mounted the art exhibit that coincided with like it is: we may have a new way of living, the book launch at Art Lounge Manila at The but our old ways should find themselves Podium. With the support of local artists, the joining in the mix, and that no matter what book touches on how we have lived life in social distancing protocols are in place for the past couple of years, when everyone has everyone’s personal safety, there is something either been forced to stay at home and keep about physical presence that trumps the themselves and their families safe, or brave innovation of a what some can call “a virtual the fight towards what was then a foreign life experience.” virus no one knew how to handle.

In every crisis, there’s always someone who With a formidable list of contributors envisions the after-life of it all, and Galerie that include Ricky Francisco of Fundacion Joaquin’s Jack Teotico is one who touches Sanso, art enthusiast Prim Paypon, poet Jose on the significance of “Art in the Post-Covid F. Lacaba, UP Diliman Art History Lecturer, World.” In his section, he touches on the Petty Benitez-Johannot, celebrated artist effect the pandemic has had on businesses Jose Tence Ruiz, lifestyle columnist and various global economies, the Philippines Pepper Teehankee, and Galerie Joaquin’s included. But he also shares how art has gained Managing Director, Jack Teotico, “Brave traction over the past few years in spite of the New World” shows us the journey towards lockdowns and that the interest in Modern a cultural awakening that transpired since the Asian Art will still continue on to do even beginning of the pandemic. better than we could imagine.

As you pore over the pages, you’ll witness As a lifestyle columnist and tastemaker, Pepper Teehankee looks at how the pandemic is depicted through various artworks and how it has redefined our lives.

“Brave New World” allows us to take a glimpse and remember how far we’ve come—whether it’s art, life, or what lies in between. The book may be ordered online at artplus.shop.

The art exhibition will be on display until March 26 at Art Lounge Manila at The Podium.

South East Asian Heritage Publications, Inc. is the official Kristine Lim is a guest ‘Brave New World’ curator publisher of the book and visual artist during the and writer Ricky Francisco organizer of the accompanying ‘Brave New World’ event art exhibit.

Cyril Constantino, Press and Culture Officer of the German Embassy, Luc Veron, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union, Maan Yu, Press Contact of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce, Jesper Svenningsen, Executive Director of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce, Madeleine Diolanda, Press and Culture Officer of the Austrian Embassy, Xavier Leroux, Executive Director of Alliance Francaise de Manille, Vincent Robin Gazsity, Deputy Director of Alliance Francaise de Manille

A facsimile of the contract of between Carlos I and Magellan

“Whatever happened to Victoria?”

“Victoria – who?”

Not who, what.

B

EFORE the name got associated with the famous Spice Girl member or a popular lingerie fashion brand, there was another Victoria who made history.

I’m talking about a ship that made the first journey around the world in 1522, the very ship that was part of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition.

Among the five vessels that Magellan commissioned to circumnavigate the world, only Victoria made it back safely to Spain, carrying only 22 men (out of the original 245 crew). After over a thousand days of voyaging through harsh terrain, unpredictable weather, and mutinies and traveling 32,000 miles, she returned with 27 tons of cloves. That easily covered the cost of the entire exploration several times over, and motivated new proposal to explore the new maritime route across the Pacific Ocean.

A replica of Victoria can be found in the newly-opened exhibit, titled “The Longest Journey: The First Journey Around the World,” open to the public starting March 24, at the National Museum of Fine Arts.

A collaboration between the National Museum of the Philippines and the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, the exhibit is the Philippine adaptation of the original exhibition curated by a team headed

by Antonio Fernández Torres, and organized by Acción Cultural Española and Spain’s Ministry of Culture and Sports, at the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, Spain.

First launched in 2019, the original exhibition was meant to commemorate and recount the first circumnavigation of the world led by Ferdinand Magellan and completed

by Sebastian Elcano through a display of objects and artifacts, along with priceless documents preserved at the Archivo General de Indias and other important archives, libraries, and museums.

Commemorating the quincentennial of the circumnavigation, the original exhibit highlighted the entire route of the voyage, often described as “not only the greatest maritime adventure of all time, but a major milestone in the history of discoveries.”

Since its success, a traveling version has been featured in many places around the world, and it has now finally sailed to the Philippine shore.

For the abridged Philippine exhibit, the Spanish curatorial team provided high-quality facsimiles of the world’s most important archives of documents on the ages of discovery, conquest, and colonial administration across the

A portrait of Magellan on loan from Malacañang Museum

whole Spanish Empire, including the Philippines.

The exhibit has 14 sections, starting with how the whole mission started.

Visitors can see the contract made between Carlos I and Magellan, the expenses for the fleet and its supplies, the crew list, the final orders given by the king before the expedition set sail, the treaties made in the Moluccas, the letter of Sebastian Elcano to Carlos I on the completion of the voyage, the last will and testament of Magellan, pages from the chronicle of Antonio de Pigafetta, and the report of Ginés de Mafra, among others.

From looking at the documents, I could surmise what a journey it had been, starting in 1519, when five ships sailed crossing the Atlantic from Spain to South America, then voyaging to the unknown southward.

Then, they discovered the tip of South America, still known today as the Strait of Magellan. Eventually, they reached a vast ocean, which Magellan christened “Pacific,” which cradled them for 98 days before they reached what we now known as Guam in the Mariana Islands.

Onward westward for 10 days, the voyagers sighted the island of Samar and landed on March 16, 1521. They explored the Philippines for 226 days before sailing further.

The Philippine edition presents details that will not be found in any other version of “The Longest Journey” in Spain or worldwide.

NM director general Jeremy Barns shared that to make the exhibit resonate more with the Filipino people, the curatorial team interspersed the archival documents with a number of special archaeological, ethnographic, and devotional art objects and natural history specimens of flora and fauna from the collections of the National Museum and the Intramuros Administration.

Notable are the bronze navigational astrolabe, morion (Spanish helmet), sword hilt, and cannon recovered from the shipwreck of the San Diego, which sank in 1600; the gold death

Portrait of Sebastian Elcano from the Malacañang Museum

mask and earrings, dating circa 14th and 15th centuries pre-colonial Sugbo, excavated from Plaza Independencia in Cebu City in 2006; a carved relief of the Santo Niño, possibly dating from the 18th to early 19th century, from the collection of the Intramuros Administration and on public display here for the first time; a replica of the original scale model or maquette of the Monument to Magellan erected in 1848 along what is known today as Magallanes Drive in Intramuros.

Also, included in the exhibition are several artworks, including mid19th century portraits of Ferdinand Magellan and Sebastian Elcano, historical painting “Ang Wakas ni Magallanes” by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, inked and pen drawings by artist Roderick Macutay depicting the Spanish-Filipino encounters, the “Battle of Mactan” by Elmer Borlongan, among others.

The exhibit highlights the historical moments of the first circumnavigation of the globe that were intrinsic to the Philippines - the blood compacts, the first masses, the erection of crosses, the first Christian conversions and baptisms, the presentation of the Santo Niño, the Battle of Mactan and the death of Magellan.

I find it particularly interesting what Luis Morales Fernandez, the First Secretary Embassy of Spain, shared about the then Spanish King’s instructions and how Magellan drifted away from the original mission which eventually cost him his life in a tribal war with Lapu-Lapu.

In a way, the exhibit made me pause and be critical about the things I’ve learned in my history classes. I started to wonder about the consequences intended and unintended - of the whole Magellan expedition.

Taking all the information from the exhibit, it can be said that this longest journey was not just a maritime feat, but a victory of humanity.

As for what happened to Victoria, the ship... well, you have to visit the National Museum to know (wink, wink).

Jeremy Barns (left) and Luis Morales Fernandez at The Longest Journey exhibit at the National Museum of Fine Arts