Manila Standard - 2022 April 9 - Saturday

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TIME TO ADJUST CAMPAIGN TACK AS COUNTDOWN BEGINS—PULSE EXEC

By Jimbo Gulle COMPARING the last month of campaigning for the May 9 general elections to crunchtime in basketball, Pulse Asia president Ronald Holmes said Friday candidates should use the last 30 days—starting today—to calibrate their campaigns because it was still possible to have a “dramatic shift” in their survey numbers.

Holmes also cautioned politicians criticizing the survey results of their polling firm–derisively called “False Asia”

by some—to “not shoot the messengers” as the race for elective posts was not yet finished.

"It would really depend on how each candidate would really change their strategy. The last 30 days is like the last 2 minutes of a basketball game," he told ANC's Headstart.

“The other team might be leading (by) 12 to 15 points, (but) the last 2 minutes is a crucial thing. If someone shoots five 3-pointers, the game is tied,” added Next page

VOL. XXXVI • NO. 55 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BBM, Sara again lead survey

Publicus polls Marcos at 56%, Duterte at 58% for period Mar. 30-Apr. 6

By Rey E. Requejo

F

ORMER senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and running mate Sara Duterte-Carpio remained firmly ahead in another election survey for national posts, this time conducted

by Publicus Asia, released Friday with a full month left before the May 9 polls.

According to the PAHAYAG 2022 First Quarter Survey conducted from March 30 to April 6, Marcos maintained his lead in the presidential race, garnering the support of 56 percent of the 1,500 registered voters who participated in

Day of Valor relives the gallant stand of true patriots in Bataan AT 113, retired Army Sgt. Malomalo Salag, born on February 14, 1909, who fought against the Japanese Imperial soldiers in the 1940s, is the oldest living Filipino World War 2 veteran, according to retired Lt. Gen. Nesty Carolina, administrator of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office.

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According to Caolina, there are 2,022 Filipino veterans of WW2 – from the total 151,824 Filipino troops who fought in various parts of the archipelago in 1941-1942 -- still alive as of April 8, 2022, who continue Next page

THEN AND NOW. File photo (above left) shows Filipino and American soldiers who were forced to march from Mariveles, Bataan to Capas, Tarlac. The siege and defense of Bataan lasted 93 days, ending on April 9, 1942. Eighty years later, members of the US and Philippine Marines stand shoulder-to-shoulder during a close quarters battle range exercise at the Marine Barracks Gregorio Lim in Cavite during this year's Balikatan. Some 9,000 Filipino and American service members participated in the 37th Balikatan 2022 exercises that ended Friday.

Employers’ group warns ending ’endo’ may spark capital exodus

By Othel V. Campos EMPLOYERS said it will be difficult for the government to stop “endo,” the practice by which companies hire and rehire contractual employees after five months to avoid giving them benefits as full-time employees, because many industries have come to thrive using this scheme.

Employers Confederation of the Phil-

ippines (ECOP) president Sergio OrtizLuiz said the President might not truly understand the consequences of ending endo since this could lead to an exodus of investments.

He added that contractualization is widely used in other countries like India.

“It is a global practice accepted by many governments. It is onlyhere in the Next page

Targeted 4th dose, booster for kids pushed

By Willie Casas

BODIES EVERYWHERE. A body lies on the ground covered with plastic sheets after a rocket attack killed at least 39

THE Department of Health (DOH) said Friday that it has already asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to amend the emergency use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines so they can administer a fourth dose to people in the priority popu-

lation and a booster shot for children aged 12 to 17.

“We already submitted a request to the FDA for the EUA to be amended for this fourth dose and a booster shot for children,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press conference.

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people, including four children, on April 8, 2022 at a train station in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, that was being used for civilian evacuations. AFP

Russia out of UN rights body, hit with G7 penalties THE UN General Assembly voted Thursday to suspend Russia from the global body's Human Rights Council as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine as the Group of Seven industrialized nations slapped fresh sanctions on Moscow.

The vote came as reports said a Russian rocket attack on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Krama-

torsk killed at least 39 people, including four children, on Friday as civilians raced to leave the Donbas region in the crosshairs of the Russian army.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Russia as an "evil with no limits" after the rocket attack.

The high-profile rebuke of Moscow marked only the second ever suspension of a country from the council—

Libya was the first, in 2011—and it earned praise from Zelensky and his American counterpart Joe Biden.

The expulsion confirmed Moscow as an "international pariah," Biden said in a searing statement that addressed what he called "horrifying" images from Ukrainian towns like Bucha, where Russian forces are accused of atrocities against Next page civilians.

HOLY WEEK EXODUS. Passengers get ready to board their flight for domestic

destinations ahead of Lent.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

21 more areas under Alert Level 1

By Willie Casas

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HE government has placed 21 more areas under Alert Level 1 amid the continuing decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country, acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar announced Friday.

Andanar said Mountain Province in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Southern Leyte in Region 8, and Misamis Oriental in Region 10 would be under Alert Level 1 from April 9 to 15.

Other areas placed under Alert Level 1 are: Buguias in Benguet; Atimonan and Tiaong in Quezon; Santa Magdalena in

Sorsogon and City of Masbate in Masbate; Batad and Zarraga in Iloilo; City of Talisay in Cebu; Javier (Bugho) and La Paz in Leyte; Maslog in Easter Samar; Paranas (Wright) in Samar (Western Samar); Linamon in Lanao del Norte; Calamba in Misamis Occidental; Padada in Davao del Sur; Sibagat in Agusan del Sur and Tuba-

jon and Cagdianao in Dinagat Islands.

Meanwhile, the independent OCTA Research Group said the number of daily new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines might hit 4,000 by May 9 under a scenario of waning immunity and the entry of new variants.

The number of new COVID-19 cases might reach 1,000 in Metro Manila during the same period, OCTA also said.

Based on the country’s experience, OCTA said a COVID-19 surge occurred every three months due to the new variants in the country.

“We have seen an uptick in some regions in the Philippines, especially those in low vaccine coverage that is why it is important that we continue the vaccine

coverage and then the vaccinations and inoculation of booster shots,” OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David said.

Vaccine Expert Panel Chair Dr. Nina Gloriani, on the other hand, said the country needed an immunity wall more than herd immunity to address the possible spread of new COVID-19 variants.

“Right now because of these variants, what we are looking at is everyone's immunity wall. Earlier, we were talking about 80 percent, now we want it more than 90 percent to 95 percent," Gloriani said.

For his part, Joey Concepcion, the presidential adviser for entrepreneurship, proposed mobility restrictions for people who have yet to get their booster shots against COVID-19.

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Holmes, whose firm released the results of their second presidential, vice-presidential, senatorial, and party-list surveys on Wednesday.

Still, surveys are not infallible, he added.

"There’s a level of confidence, a margin of error, but just to dismiss it because the results do not favor you, to me, is a little bit rrational," Holmes said of candidates bashing the survey results.

"I would caution (them) in terms of going to the extent of shooting the messengers because they would have to realize that message is very important, and it’s something that should assist them in calibrating their strategies."

It’s not a question of whether the race is done, Holmes said.

“Those 30 days of campaigning will be crucial. It might be best for some candidates to look back in term of their messages, how it can be refined, and trying to escalate activities that will generate support for their candidacy," he said.

Pulse Asia used the same methodology it applied in previous polls in its latest March pre-election survey, the polling firm chief said, in explaining why they did not get respondents from the most affluent classes A and B for two consecutive surveys.

All social classes have the same chance to be randomly selected, he said, as A and B only make up "about 1 percent" of the combined ABC electorate, Holmes added.

"We try to get AB. Unfortunately, there’s no one among the randomly selected respondents who belongs to class AB," he said.

“There's no exclusion, everyone has the same chance of being selected.

There are more people that might be selected from this particular group. This is the same method we've been using in the past,” Holmes added.

He also admitted pollsters had difficulty getting respondents from classes A and B. “In the metropolis, they reside in gated subdivisions, condominiums with high security. In the provinces, maybe some of them were taken initially, but they refused to be interviewed. You cannot force people to be interviewed, that’s unethical," Holmes said.

Former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos kept his lead in Pulse Asia’s March survey, with 56 percent of 2,400 respondents saying they would vote for him if the elections were held that month.

Vice President Leni Robredo remained second but saw her score rise by 9 points to 24 percent, from 15 in February.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso was at third with 8 percent, followed by Sen. Manny Pacquiao with 6 percent and Sen. Panfilo Lacson with 2 percent.

Employers’...

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Philippines where endo, though practiced, is not acceptable,” he said.

Many big companies in the Philippines practice endo, foremost among them SM Retail where many of its employees in malls and its grocery and convenience store chains are contractual workers, he said.

Ortiz-Luis noted that retail, construction and similar sectors practice endo because these sectors need to always adjust to the level of demand for services particularly in peak seasons for retail and construction.

“These companies outsource labor to service providers. And frankly, whether they subcontract or not, it should be the prerogative of the employer or company,” he said.

Earlier this week, President Rodrigo Duterte called on Congress to rectify the vetoed provisions of the security of tenure bill as he reiterated his commitment to stop “endo,” the practice by which employers hire and rehire contractual employees after five months to avoid giving them benefits as full-time employees Palace spokesman Martin Andanar issued the statement after Senate President and vice presidential candidate Vicente

BLOODLETTING ACTIVITY. The Commission on Appointments held a 'Dugo na Alay, Alalay sa Buhay' Bloodletting Activity at the Philippine National Bank lobby in Pasay City last week.

BBM...

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the Publicus poll.

Vice President Leni Robredo came in second with 23% of the survey vote, followed by Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso at 9%.

Marcos, Robredo, and Domagoso notched “statistically insignificant” vote share increases of 1%, 2%, and 1%, respectively, compared to their numbers in the March 9-14 Publicus survey.

Only 5% of voters said they were still undecided about their presidential vote, the polling firm added.

Duterte-Carpio also maintained her lead in the vice-presidential survey with a 58% share among the respondents.

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan (15%), Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III (11%) and Doc Willie Ong (9%) came in a three-way statistical tie for third place, considering the 3% margin of error, Publicus Executive Director Aureli Sinsuat explained.

He said Duterte-Carpio and Sotto notched negligible 1% gains compared to their vote shares in the March 9-14 survey.

Pangilinan earned a 2% increase, while Ong’s numbers dropped slightly by 2%.

Only 6% of voters said they were still undecided about their vice-presidential vote, Publicus added.

“There has been no movement in the presidential and vice presidential races between the second week of March and the first week of April, with all candidates failing to record statistically significant increases in their respective vote shares against the survey’s 3% margin of error,” the firm said in a statement.

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to receive their undisclosed monthly pension, plus free health care. Of this number 236 are more than 100 years old.

Two of the 236 are 111 years old: Macaalang Ditanto and Alangadi Mauna. The hometowns of Salag, Ditanto and Mauna were not disclosed.

It was on Maundy Thursday, on April 9, 1942, when Filipino and American allies surrendered to the Japanese forces at the now historic Mount Samat—where the 545-meter tall Shrine of Valor or Sotto III criticized Duterte for failing to sign the bill.

In 2016, Duterte vowed to stop "endo," which is short for "end of contract," but he vetoed an anti-endo bill in 2019.

“The version submitted by Congress ‘unduly broadens the scope and definition of prohibited labor-only contracting, effectively prescribing forms of contractualization that are not particularly unfavorable to employees involved',” Andanar said, quoting the President's veto message.

Duterte said there should be a "healthy balance" between the conflicting interests of laborers and employers.

Despite the rejection of the security of tenure bill, the Palace official said that Duterte signed an executive order in May 2018 to stop the illegal contracting and subcontracting arrangements between employers and their employees.

Sotto, in a speech during a sortie in Cebu, said "endo" continues because Duterte vetoed the measure passed by Congress.

"One of the promises in 2016 is ending contractualization, right? What did the Senate do? We passed it," the vice presidential bet said.

"But what happened? It was vetoed by the President. He did not want to sign it into law. It was sent back to us," Sotto added. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

In a YouTube video to explain the survey results, Dr. David Yap Jr., Publicus chief data scientist, said he ran 10,000 “Monte Carlo” simulations based on existing survey data from their firm as well as fellow polling firms Pulse Asia, Laylo, and OCTA. “These 10,000 simulations strongly suggest that Bongbong Marcos is expected to win in the upcoming elections," Yap stressed.

According to a definition from IBM, a Monte Carlo Simulation, also known as multiple probability simulation, is a mathematical technique used to estimate the possible outcomes of an uncertain event.

The Publicus survey results tally with Pulse Asia's second published pre-election survey, showing that the Marcos-Duterte tandem’s numbers are steady, making catching up with them “very difficult,” Yap said.

"Theoretically, it can be (done), but difficult. Realistically difficult, though not impossible," Pulse Asia Research Director Ana Maria Tabunda said previously.

Yap also said survey data “do not capture command votes, bailiwicks, and party machinery.”

“This is where the party allegiances, local executives, and endorsements of groups such as the INC (Iglesia ni Cristo) come into play,” he added.

The PAHAYAG 2022 First Quarter Survey is an independent, non-commissioned nationwide purposive sampling poll conducted by Publicus with 1,500 respondents randomly drawn by the Singapore office of American firm PureSpectrum from its market research panel of over 200,000 Filipinos.

It pointed out that the final survey panel was restricted to registered voters.

“PureSpectrum is a US-based panel marketplace with a multinational presence. Samples provided by PureSpectrum are not affiliated with any bias or political party. All opinions voiced in the interpretation and analyses of the data are those of the writer and/or project sponsor,” Publicus said.

Reacting to the result, the Marcos camp said it “further reinforced his dominance over his rivals” and put the standard-bearer of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas “on the cusp of being the first majority president to be elected in a multi-party political system.”

“Marcos' voter preference in the PAHAYAG 2022 First Quarter Survey shows a massive 33 percentage points lead over his closest contender for the presidency,” the party said in a statement.

The PAHAYAG survey results also indicate that support for Marcos' candidacy continues to firm up among the Filipino electorate “despite the slew of negative propaganda directed at him,” it added.

Marcos also posted overwhelming numbers in major geographical locations -- 45% in the National Capital Region (NCR), 57% in North Central Luzon (NCL), 46% in South Luzon (SL), and 56% in the Visayas, and 71% in Mindanao.

The survey results, the party said, also noted Marcos' staggering lead in voter preference over Robredo in North Central Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao remains well above 30%, “attesting to her failure to sway voters despite her camp's claim of a "groundswell' of support for her candidacy.”

The Marcos camp stressed that the “genuine message” of their presidential candidate “also resonates with Filipino voters from the D and E economic classes, such that he received 57% and 60% voter preference, respectively.”

Dambana ng Kagitingan now stands in memory of the gallant men who fought against the Japanese—in the Bataan peninsula overlooking Manila Bay following a three-month summer fierce gunbattle.

That led to the now infamous Death March, where Filipinos and Americans walked from Km 0 in Samat to San Fernando in Pampanga, heavily guarded by their captors, from where they eventually were brought to the concentration camp in Capas, Tarlac, , nearly 100 kms north of Manila.

Retired Constabulary Col. Jose Agdamag Jr., a Filipino veteran who saw action in the battle of Bataan on the eve of the

Allied surrender, said in a book he wrote with his son, retired Navy Capt. Vicente: “There was an atmosphere of chaos and pandemonium. It was hell!”

The older Agdamag described the bravery and heroic deeds of the more than 100,000 Filipino and American soldiers, who defended Bataan against the onslaught of the Imperial Japanese Army, who invaded the Philippines on Dec. 8, 1941 after Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor.

Before invading the Philippines, the Japanese conquered one after the other neighboring Asian countries in their blitzkrieg offensive. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Targeted...

primary series, she added.

A study on Friday said people who are vaccinated and have had a booster shot against COVID-19 recover from symptoms from the Omicron variant more than three days earlier than those with the Delta variant.

The study also found that people with Omicron are significantly less likely to lose their sense of smell, and confirmed previous research that it is less severe.

To find out the differences in how Omicron and Delta make sufferers sick, researchers used a free smart phone app called ZOE on which more than 63,000 vaccinated people in Britain aged 16-99 self-reported their COVID symptoms between June 2021 and January 2022.

For those with two vaccine doses plus a booster, symptoms from Omicron lasted 4.4 days, compared to 7.7 for Delta---a difference of 3.3 days.

People who had two doses but no booster shot saw Omicron symptoms clear up in 8.3 days, compared to 9.6 days for Delta, according to the study published in the Lancet medical journal.

The swifter recovery suggests "that the period of infectiousness might be shorter, which would in turn impact workplace health policies and public health guidance," the researchers said.

With AFP (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

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Vergeire said if the FDA issues the amended EUA, this will be forwarded to the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) for evaluation.

“Right now we can see our area still maintains the minimal risk case classification. We haven't recorded an increase in hospital admission," she said.

The DOH has attributed the decline in virus infections to high vaccination coverage and the public's adherence to minimum health standards.

The Philippines last week recorded an average of 357 new COVID-19 cases per day, down 2 percent from the previous week, Vergeire said. Its positivity rate declined to 1.8 percent last week versus 2 percent the previous week, Vergeire added.

Some 31,206 virus patients are asymptomatic or have mild to moderate symptoms while 1,257 suffer from severe and critical illness, according to the spokesperson.

Some 12.3 million out of 66.5 million fully vaccinated persons have received their booster shot as of Thursday, Vergeire said. Around 1.1 million children ages 5 to 11 have been fully inoculated while 9 million adolescents have received their

Ukraine war pushes world food prices at all-time high WORLD food prices hit an all-time high in March following Russia's invasion of agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, a UN agency said on Friday, adding to concerns about the risk of hunger around the world.

The disruption in export flows resulting from the February 24 invasion and international sanctions against Russia has spurred fears of a global hunger crisis, especially across the Middle East and Africa, where the knock-on effects are already playing out.

Russia and Ukraine, whose vast graingrowing regions are among the world's main breadbaskets, account for a huge share of the globe's exports in several major commodities, including wheat, vegetable oil and corn.

Ukrainian ports have been blocked by a Russian blockade and there is concern about this year's harvest as the war rages on during the spring sowing season.

"World food commodity prices made a significant leap in March to reach their highest levels ever, as war in the Black Sea region spread shocks through markets for staple grains and vegetable oils," the Food and Agriculture Organization said in a statement. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

LPA to bring weekend rains over most of PH STATE weather forecasters said Friday scattered rains and thunderstorms would be experienced in Mindanao and other parts of the country due to the low pressure area and intertropical convergence zone, located 185 km east northeast of Surigao City, Surigao del Norte.

PAGASA said it was also monitoring a tropical storm outside of the Philippine area of responsibility which was last monitored at 2,215 kilometers east of Mindanao.

It has sustained maximum winds of 75 kilometers per hour, and gustiness of up to 90 kph and was moving north northwestward at 10 kph.

According to PAGASA’s 4 p.m. weather forecast, Visayas, Caraga, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, and Quezon will experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms with possible flash floods or landslides during moderate to at times heavy rains.

Cagayan Valley, Apayao, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province, and Aurora will have cloudy skies with rains due to Northeasterly Surface Windflow. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

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"Russia's lies are no match for the undeniable evidence of what is happening in Ukraine," Biden said.

"The signs of people being raped, tortured, executed -- in some cases having their bodies desecrated -- are an outrage to our common humanity."

G7 leaders, for their part agreed to ban "new investments in key sectors of the Russian economy, including the energy sector."

Bans on the export of certain goods to Russia will be widened, as well as restrictions on goods from Russia, and the screws on Russian banks and state-owned companies will be tightened.

Russia's defense sector will be targeted to "erode the capabilities of the Russian military to wage war."

They also pledged to "elevate our campaign against the elites and their family members who support President Putin in his war effort.”

While stopping short of a full embargo on energy imports, the G7 said they will "expedite" plans to slash reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

Russian coal will be phased out and eventually banned, they said.

Zelensky, who has long called for a tougher international position against Moscow, applauded the UN move as "an important step," describing it on Twitter as "another punishment for RF's (Russia's) aggression" against Ukraine.

Of the 193 members of the General Assembly, 93 voted in favor of suspension, including the Philippines, as proposed by the United States, while 24 voted against.

Fifty-eight abstained and the remainder did not participate, suggesting a weakening international unity against Russia at the United Nations.

Suspension required support from two-thirds of the member countries casting votes for or against; the abstentions and absences did not count.

Russia swiftly rejected the suspension, with its foreign ministry blasting the move as "illegal and politically motivated, aimed at ostentatiously punishing a sovereign UN member state that pursues an independent domestic and foreign policy." AFP (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

News

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022

DOLE: P100m for free COVID testing

By Vito Barcelo

T

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has allocated P100 million for free COVID-19 testing of newly-hired workers.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said new recruits were required to secure a negative RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) test result as pre-condition for their employment.

“The Department has allocated P100 million for this program.

Through this, we intend to ease the burden of additional COVID-19 cost

among newly-hired jobseekers in the private sector, agency-hired overseas workers set for deployment, and even newly-appointed employees in any branch or instrumentality of the government,” Bello said.

The program would cover workers hired beginning last February 1, but have yet to report for work due to lack

of negative RT-PCR test result.

To avail of the free COVID-19 test subsidy, the recruits must submit a photocopy of their valid governmentissued identification cards and duly accomplished subsidy application form to their DOLE field office.

Workers in the private sector must also submit a certificate of engagement, acceptance, or appointment duly signed by the company owner, general manager, or human resource manager.

Those eyeing employment in the government service or state owned or controlled corporation must secure the certificate from the head of the

agency or the human resource chief.

The DOLE field office would evaluate the application within three working days from receipt thereof and endorse the pre-evaluated applications to the concerned DOLE regional office.

The DOLE regional office would in turn notify the applicant through email/SMS within five working days whether his/her application was approved or denied.

If approved, the email must include the information that the beneficiary should present to the testing center, such as reference number and date, time, and place of testing.

BILATERAL DEFENSE TALKS.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana of the Philippines troops the line prior to the start of bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

AFP

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IN BRIEF DENR keeps watch on Angat water level THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Board on Friday disclosed that it is closely monitoring the water level of Angat Dam in Bulacan amidst the prevailing hot season.

DENR Secretary Jim Sampulna said members of the agency’s National Water Resources Board’s (NWRB) technical working group involved in the management of water supply from Angat Dam are “keeping a close eye on the dam’s water elevation to avert a looming water crisis with the dry season underway.”

“Through the NWRB, we have already laid down preventive measures such as cloud seeding so that the public, especially those in Metro Manila, is assured of a steady water supply with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

As of April 7, the water elevation in the reservoir slightly rose to 194.15 meters from the lowest elevation of the year at 190.63 meters last April 4.

Sampulna credited the increase to the shear line or tail-end of a cold front and a low-pressure area in the Mindanao.

The widespread rain shower, which was experienced in the majority of Luzon region, is expected to further raise the water level in Angat Dam caused by inflows from runoff water, he noted.

Based on the latest rainfall forecast and Angat Dam’s water level simulation, the lowest water level would reach 183.98 meters in June, but might not breach the minimum operating water level of 180 meters.

The NWRB has approved a water allocation of 50 cubic meters per second (CMS) to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System from April 1 to 15, and five CMS to the National Irrigation Administration from April 1 to April 30. Rio N. Araja

BI detains unruly Briton

Reforms key DA: Cold storage shortage amid onion oversupply to reduce inequality

By Othel V. Campos

A PROMINENT economist on Friday said only an improved and innovative public sector will bridge the gap and reduce inequality for inclusive growth, and this should take the form of fiscal consolidation and strategic investments in physical and human capital.

Dr. Charlotte Justine Diokno-Sicat, Research Fellow, Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and president of the Philippine Economic Society (PES), said there should be no policy reversals nor any major institutional disruptions that would affect revenue raising or spending capacity of the national government.

“There is a need for prudent and strategic spending to pump prime the economy to outgrow debt, given that the public debt ratio has increased from 39.6 percent in 2019 to 60.5 percent in 2021,” she said.

“Policy makers will still be managing the now-endemic COVID-19 while trying to sustain the 5.3 percent economic recovery of 2021 from the economic contraction of 9.5 percent in 2020,”she added.

Diokno-Sicat’s paper, Promoting an Investment-Driven Economy Through Good Governance, was launched during a virtual town hall discussion held March 31 and organized by think-tank Stratbase ADR Institute.

“Government should continue to invest in both human capital and infrastructure but strategically so because of the need for fiscal consolidation,” the paper stated.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has underscored the need to cold storage facilities in Occidental Mindoro to address the province’s problems on oversupply and lack of post-harvest processes for onions.

At the same time, DA regional director for MIMAROPA Antonio Gerundio dismissed as “inaccurate” reports that the farmers resorted to burning their onions for failure to sell them at a profit. He said the onions were burned due to poor quality aris-

ing from poor post-harvest practices and worms that infested the crops.

Reports had it that that thousands of metric tons of onions were wasted in Occidental Mindoro due to poor farming practices, the recent heavy rains, and the lack of post-harvest facilities to meet increasing farming activities and market demand.

A warehousing facility in the province, WBI Cold Storage, could accommodate only up to 400 metric tons of farm produce, equivalent to 90 to 95 percent of total agricultural outputs.

Gerundio said 2021 was somehow

profitable as onions were selling at P45 per kilo, thereby encouraging more farmers in Occidental Mindoro to switch to onions, unaware that cold storage would be a big problem later on.

He noted that because onion harvests in 2021 were fetching good prices, farmers planted almost twice as much, increasing the farm areas from 5,715 hectares to 7,569 hectares.

An oversupply of onions in the island dropped prices to about P12 to P15 per kilo, but production cost was P18/kilo.

Output hit 90,828 kilos with more onions up for harvest this month.

INFERNO IN STA. CRUZ, MANILA. Firemen battle a third alarm conflagration razing through a residential area along Recto Ave. in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Friday. Norman Cruz

NCR is top public works performer in March 2022

THE Department of Public Works and Highways - National Capital Region (DPWH-NCR) topped the March 2022 physical accomplishments in infrastructure projects with an overall rating of 11.70 percent, outperforming 15 other regions for the first time over the past years.

DPWH assistant regional director Juby Cordon cited efforts of the monitoring engineers and pro-

ject engineers who even worked overtime as one of the reasons for the improved performance of the NCR. DPWH-NCR director Nomer Abel Canlas said despite the challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic, his engineering offices were able to achieve an overall absorptive capacity of 94.89 percent after obligating a total of

P44.3 billion, and a prior year disbursement rate of 83.13 percent from disbursing a total of P46.6 billion.

“2021 is a year of many milestones for the DPWH-NCR. We were able to implement vital infrastructure projects and programs that are responsive to the special needs of the region with one of the biggest populations,” Canlas said. Vito Barcelo

Group urges stronger disaster-resilience policy under next admin AN ADVOCACY group championing environmental stewardship is calling on the country’s next set of leaders to adopt new policies and push legislation that would build resilience to disasters, both natural and man-made.

Felix Vitangcol, co-convenor of Philippine Business for Environmen-

tal Stewardship (PBEST), said the incoming administration should focus on the upgrade and modernization of infrastructure and services in the context of sustainable development.

“They have their work cut out for them,” Vitangcol said. “They face the daunting job of dealing with the ef-

fects of climate change and pursuing measures to address it.”

Modern grids, for instance, should address not only the short-term needs of providing power to communities and industries, but also people’s need for a healthier and safer environment, he said.

Vitangcol, an engineer, also said “reforms in competition policy should help bring about energy transition faster.”

“For example, PBEST supports proposals to make fixed-price bids, carve-out clauses and uniform forcemajeure provisions mandatory in power purchase contracts,” he added.

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has taken custody of a British national arrested earlier by the police for alleged unruly behavior and violation of the gun ban while in a joint in Makati City.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente identified the suspect as Darren Mark Wall, an ex-boxer, who sported a Union Jack tattoo on his neck.

Morente said Wall was turned over to the BI by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. The Briton was reportedly arrested last March for punching and pointing a gun at another man in a nightclub in Poblacion, Makati City.

Wall allegedly violated the gun ban, disobeyed persons of authority, possessed dangerous drugs, and threatened several individuals.

It was also reported that Wall had a criminal record in the United Kingdom, after he and two other cohorts were said to have robbed an automatic telling machine (ATM).

BI records show that Wall was a holder of a permanent resident visa, and married to a Filipina.

According to BI Intelligence Division chief Fortunato Manahan, Jr., Wall may be deported despite his permanent residency in the country. Manahan said that his office has already recommended that Wall be charged as an undesirable alien.

Wall was said to have led a gang, employing several henchmen in extortion activities and drug-related crimes in UK. Vito Barcelo

A4

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022

News

LAKAS-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) vice presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte will support and work harmoniously with her standard-bearer, former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., if they win the elections on May 9.

This was the message Duterte conveyed to Filipinos through Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, who represented her in UniTeam’s rally in Borongan Plaza, Borongan, Eastern Samar.

“Sabi niya, Sir Bato, kailangan iparating mo doon sa ating mga kababayan sa Eastern Samar ha, na kung ako maging bise presidente, siguraduhin ko na ako’y isang very supportive at very cooperative na bise president sa ating pangulong Bongbong Marcos,” Dela Rosa told the huge crowd that attended the rally.

(Mayor Sara says Sir Bato please convey my message to our people in Eastern Samar that if I win the vice presidency, I will be very cooperative to our president Bongbong Marcos) The former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief said Duterte would help Marcos address the pressing concerns of Filipinos, especially on the country’s economic recovery from COVID-19 pandemic.

Dela Rosa said the next administration would also need a supportive Senate.

“Para gagana ang takbo ng kabuuan ng administrasyon, kailangan suportado ‘yan ng Senado, na hindi mag-oppose nang mag-oppose hanggang wala nang mangyari, sige lang mag-oppose. Kailangan ang mga magiging senador natin ay puro Uniteam,” he said.

(In order for the entire administration to work, the Senate must be supportive of the administration. Our future senators should have all come the Uniteam, ”he said.

Duterte did not make it to UniTeam’s Eastern Visayas visit She and Marcos have agreed to split up in the homestretch of the campaign so they could revisit more areas and reach out remote communities.

Maricel V. Cruz

AKSYON Demokratiko standard-bearer Mayor Isko Domagoso’s presidential bid got a major boost on Thursday after several Moro volunteer groups and non-government organizations from the ZamBaSulTa (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi) area endorsed his candidacy because they considered the hard-working Manila City mayor as a “charismatic leader.”

The groups backing Moreno included the ZamBaSulta Isko Kami headed by Engr. Michael Abubakar; United Sama Badjau Association Inc. (USBA) chaired

by Panglima Adim Atti; and the Region IX and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) chapters of the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte National Executive Coordinating Committee (MRRD-NECC), a large volunteer group that propelled President Rodrigo Duterte to the presidency in 2016.

MRRD-NECC Region 9 chair Jerson Monteverde, who also sits as the

tion of funds upon orders of the Comelec.

According to DA Secretary William Dar, the order covers not only cash assistance to farmers but the procurement of farm implements and machineries as well. Dar said he has already made an appeal to the Comelec.

Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur meanwhile appealed to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to streamline its rules on the 45-day election ban on public spending.

Villafuerte made the call to enable the Comelec to expedite its action on pending requests for exemptions from this prohibition on fund releases or disbursements to “avoid or end the virtual shutdown of certain national and local government operations this campaign season.”

Villafuerte, a former governor, said Comelec could also consider speeding up its process on approving or disapproving exemptions by doing away with the holding of a mandatory hearing to tackle each individual application—and just approve the request motu proprio or on its own initiative—if and when the applicant has submitted the complete documents and the Commission has already found merit in such a plea for exemption.

More than 1.6m OFWs set to vote

By Vito Barcelo

M

ORE than 1.6 million registered overseas voters around the globe are expected to cast their vote in the different Philippine posts, embassies, or consulates, starting April 10, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

Filipinos abroad will only vote for president, vice president, senators, and partylist groups, the poll body said.

Data from the Comelec–Office for Overseas Voting showed that the Middle East and African region have the highest number of voters with 786,997 followed by the Asia Pacific with 450,282, the Americas with

306,445, and Europe with 153,491.

Of the 92 Philippine posts, 46 will be using the automated election system, 46 shall use the manual system, 52 shall use the postal method of voting, 24 the personal voting, and 16 will use mixed voting.

The Comelec said it may suspend the voting in some areas such as in Iraq, Algeria,

imprisonment, 134 who failed to validate, 52 who lost their Filipino citizenship; and 26 who were sentenced for committing crimes against national security.

For deleted voters, 1,490,678 voters transferred to another city/municipality; 892,627 were double registrants, and 755,769 already died.

Also deleted are 64,320 with double entries; and 42,868 who applied as overseas voters.

There were a total of 6,950,449 newly registered voters while there were 1,520,500 Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) voters, who have or will turn 18 years old

by Election Day, and have been included automatically in the voters’ list.

The country has a total of 65,831,792 registered voters for the forthcoming polls.

Chad, Tunisia, Libya, Afghanistan, and Ukraine due to ongoing conflict.

The Comelec has set the overseas voting from April 10 to May 9.

Earlier, the Comelec said close to 10.5 million registered voters in the country have been either deactivated or deleted from the list of voters for the May 9 polls.

Data from the poll body revealed that a total of 7,236,952 deactivated voters and 3,246,262 names have been deleted from the voter’s list.

Of the number, 7,229,493 were deactivated due to their failure to vote in the last two national elections, 3,993 were excluded due to court orders and 2,718 were declared insane or incompetent by authorities.

Also deactivated were 536 voters who were sentenced to more than one-year

Pampanga priests back tandem of Leni-Kiko in May 9 elections

By Rio N. Araja

BANI SUPPORTS LENI. Presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo gets the endorsement of Bani Mayor Cothera Gwen Palafox-Yamamoto on Friday at the people’s rally in Bani organized by Robredo’s supporters from all over the First District of Pangasinan.

Yamamoto compared the energy of the crowd to that of the grand rally in Pasig, the biggest rally for Robredo so far with over 100,000 attendees. (VP Leni Media Bureau)

AT least 70 priests from the Archdiocese of San Fernando, Pampanga are supporting the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo and her runningmate Senator Francis Pangilinan in the May 9 election.

They believe the people need leaders who woild fight the truth amid “blatant misinformation and deliberate disinformation” and those who manifest “genuine preferential option for the poor.”

“We f irmly believe that their well-thought-out platform of gover nance embodies the Christian vision of the world,” their statement read. “We believe that

they are the most competent and morally credible leaders our beloved and benighted countr y needs.”

They asked the faithful “to discern, decide, and make their choice on the basis of these values and their conscience.”

Among those who signed the statement were Vicar General Fr. Francis Dizon, chancellor Fr. Danny Nacpil, and Fr. Victor Nicdao, Rector of the Mother of Good Counsel Seminary.

The clergy of the Prelature of Infanta earlier declared their support for Robredo and Pangilinan, saying that it’s their moral duty “to ensure the future of the youth and future generations.”

Atienza apologizes to Ping on new team-up HOUSE Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza on Friday apologized to Sen. Panfilo Lacson, saying he did not mean to insult the presidential aspirant.

Lacson, in a Twitter post, said he accepts Atienza’s apology.

Atienza earlier asked Lacson to back out of the presidential race, after Atienza pitched the idea of a team-up between Sen. Manny Pac-

More volunteer groups back Domagoso’s presidential bid

By Rey E. Requejo

By Maricel V. Cruz THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is being urged to exempt the distribution of fertilizer and fuel subsidies to farmers from the election campaign spending ban.

Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez made the urging as he welcomed the poll body’s decision declaring that the release of financial assistance to public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers is not covered by the ban.

He stressed the Comelec should also spare ayuda to farmers from the prohibition.

“I believe that the fertilizer and fuel ayuda for the agriculture sector be exempted as well. Farmers are in the same situation as PUV drivers. Both sectors need the allocated funding support now,” he said.

He said he has constituents in the farming and transportation sectors of Cagayan de Oro City, whose second district he represents, and in Northern Mindanao who are awaiting the funds that the national government has already set aside for them.

He added that farmers need the money for preparing their farms before the expected onset of the rainy season next month or in June. The Department of Agriculture (DA) has stopped the distribu-

WARM WELCOME. Lakas-CMD president and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez warmly welcomes UniTeam presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. at the Catarman Airport in Northern Samar for the UniTeam Grand Rally. Ver Noveno

Bato says Inday Sara will be a ‘supportive’ VP to Bongbong

Comelec urged to exempt farmers from ‘ayuda’ ban

regional chief of the Maharlika Royal Tribes 1-Nation, said the group also included the MRRD-NECC Women’s Sector chaired by Liza Ibra, who also sits as chair of the Las Brillas Mujeres Association, a large women’s advocacy group in Zamboanga City. Their collective endorsement was made after Moreno led the ribbon-cutting ceremony of theZamBaSulta Isko Kami headquarters in Zamboanga City.

“We sincerely swear our full support, to you Isko, Doc Willie (Ong) and your group. We swear that we will wholeheartedly support your candidacy.

We have no one else to support,” Monteverde said, to loud cheers from hundreds of officers and members of the various groups in attendance.

The 47-year-old Aksyon Demokratiko presidential candidate said he is overwhelmed by the show of support from such a large group, majority of which are Muslims who came from the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

quiao and Lacson’s vice-presidential candidate Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. Atienza said he “did not expect” Lacson’s reaction to the idea and that there was no insult intended to Lacson.

Atienza said presidential aspirants should join forces against Marcos Jr. Lacson meanwhile said he seeks to update the basic education program offered

to students in both public and private academic institutions.

He said this would improve the functional literacy rate of the youth, especially amid the Information Age that was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a six-page document prepared by his policy team, Lacson included much-needed reforms in the Philippine education curriculum

among his priority programs for the education sector on top of his ‘Edukasyon Plus’ agenda.

Lacson listed four key areas of development that he believes the Department of Education (DepEd) needs to focus on under his possible administration, including values formation, digital media literacy, financial literacy, and gender development.

With Macon Ramos-Araneta

Trillanes supports Robredo’s full-disclosure policy

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE government stands to save billions of pesos with the full disclosure policy of Vice President Leni Robredo if she wins the presidency.

These billions of pesos, Trillanes noted, are lost to corruption. Due to this, Trillanes said he is supporting Robredo’s plan to implement a “full disclosure policy” that will make public all transactions, contracts, and procurements.

“I firmly believe that only VP Leni has the character and political will to implement this policy to the fullest,” said who is seeking a senate comeback under the LeniKiko tandem.

Trillanes described Robredo’s full disclosure policy as an “effective way to curb and deter corruption in government offices.” He said this is very similar to his proposal to livestream all public biddings which he believes is a strong deterrent to corruption.

He said the video recording can also be used in administrative and criminal proceedings against corrupt officials.

During the last presidential debates, Robredo said her first Executive Order if elected president is to implement a policy on transparent governance. She will require

all government offices and instrumentalities to make public all their transactions, all the contracts, all the procurements.

Data in 2019 showed that the government might have lost about P1.4 trillion due to corruption in the preceding two years, or equivalent to at least 20 percent of the country’s annual budget.

Trillanes said it could have been used to construct 1.4 million housing units for the poor. The amount could have also been used to provide medical or educational assistance for at least seven million Filipinos.

He assured Robredo can accomplish many things from these lost funds.

With Macon Ramos-Araneta

ISKO IN ZAMBOANGA. Presidential aspirant and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and the rest of his team speak at their campaign sortie at the Southern City Colleges Divisoria, in Zamboanga City. Norman Cruz

Opinion Never again!

WHY are Vice-President Leni Robredo’s volunteers invested in the coming elections? The kind of commitment and enthusiasm shown by #kakampinks is one that has never been observed in previous elections.

Many are VERY, some would say, TOO invested in this campaign. to the point that people are the ones spending their own money to design, produce, and distribute campaign collaterals, organize and mount rallies, go campaigning house to house using own resources, cook and prepare food shared for free with other rally attendees, and prepare and come up with other activities that will contribute to the Leni-Kiko campaign.

We know of people happily volunteering their talents and services for free – artists who do murals; popular bands, singers, and other performers do their thing during rallies; graphic designers using their skills for collaterals, and many others.

Why are people doing these? Why do people invest in Leni and Kiko?

Yes, we are very – too – invested in this campaign.

Truth be said, we invest not in Leni and Kiko BUT for the country. We invest for a better future for our youth, our children, and their children. We invest in a kind of governance that gives hope and inspires people to work hard and do good. We invest in a leadership that will protect the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and will respect and honor the Filipinos’ constitutionally guaranteed human rights. We invest to protect our hard-earned democratic gains that we won by kicking the Marcos dictatorship out.

I am horrified each time I think of the possibility of the dicator’s son winning the elections.

This will be devastating for the country and us, Filipinos.

Imagine a Philippine president who will not even be able to set foot in Switzerland because the Swiss government declared Marcos, the dictator, and members of his family as persona non grata on November 12, 1986. Marcos Jr. will also not be able to travel to the United States because of a contempt of court judgment against him and his mother, Imelda Marcos.

The Marcos name carries the images of dictatorship, corruption, and human rights violations.

It is not regarded well internationally. Imagine a Philippine president who cannot be a source of pride and honor for Filipinos. The consequence may probably be less official support for the country from the international community. This cannot be good for the country and our people.

Remember that the Duterte administration is

AFTER a decade of meticulous measurements, scientists announced Thursday that a fundamental particle — the W boson — has a significantly greater mass than theorized, shaking the foundations of our understanding of how the universe works.

Those foundations are grounded by the Standard Model of particle physics, which is the best theory scientists have to describe the most basic building blocks of the universe, and what forces govern them.

The W boson governs what is called the weak force, one of the four fundamental forces of nature, and therefore a pillar of the Standard Model.

However new research published in the Science journal said that the most precise measurement ever made of the W Boson directly contradicts the model’s prediction.

Ashutosh Kotwal, a physicist at Duke University who led the study, told AFP that the result had taken more than 400 scientists over 10 years to scrutinise four million W boson candidates out of a “dataset of around 450 trillion collisions”.

These collisions — made by smashing particles together at mind-bending speeds to study them — were done by the Tevatron collider in the US state of Illinois.

It was the world’s highest-energy particle accelerator until 2009, when it was supplanted by the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, which famously observed the Higgs

leaving us with P3.66 trillion worth of foreign debt as of March of this year. This means that whoever succeeds him as president will need to enjoy the respect and trust of the international community if the next administration would hope to renegotiate for better terms with our creditors.

Moreover, should the country’s recovery from COVID-19 program require the government to borrow more, a good reputation will help in getting the support we need.

According to former Chair of the Predidential Commission on Government (PCGG) Andy Bautista, an estimated US$6 billion or more than P300 billion worth of Marcos illgotten wealth is still unretrieved. So far, the government has only recovered US$3 billion or P171 billion. Should Marcos, Jr. win, we can say goodbye to the possibility of recovering more from the Marcos’ wealth from corruption.

This means less resources that can be used for our people’s needs.

The same is true for the P204 billion estate tax owed by Marcos, Jr. to government. Surely, when they are in power, they will be able to manipulate things so as to free the family of any and all liabilities.

And what about the sequestered Marcos illgotten properties and other assets including the Imelda jewelry stash that’s fit for a queen? If by now they are still under government custody, we can be assured that if the dictator’s son wins, he will move heaven and earth to gain possession of all these assets.

Candidate Marcos, Jr. has yet to face the people in a presidential debate to expound on his platform of government and explain his position on critical problems faced by the country.

Like the true brat that he is, he refuses to explain just because. If he can do this as a candidate, how is he going to conduct himself IF he makes it to Malacañan? Will he be as bratty as he is now? What will happen to transparency and accountability?

As early as now, his campaign has been repeatedly accused of vote-buying as evidenced by videos showing money and goods being distributed to those who attend his rallies. Artists performing for his events are said to be paid in the millions. Should he make it, how is he going to get the money back? Will he be like his father who emptied the people’s coffers?

The return of the Marcoses in power CANNOT be good for the country. Marcos Jr. is their last card. Among the younger Marcoses, there is no one in the near future that can be considered as “presidential material.” It’s all or nothing for them. It is plain to see that if Marcos Jr. wins, the family will again be in a position to cling to power. The country cannot afford this.

We, the people need to block this from happening. The power is in our hands. Our vote should go to the best qualified candidates with proven track record and unassailable credibility, the candidates who also happen to be the ones who will not allow the Marcoses to be back in power. We need Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan to win. This is why we invest in them.

Never again to the Marcoses! @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

boson a few years later.

The Tevatron stopped running in 2011, but the scientists at the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) have been crunching numbers ever since.

‘Fissures’ in the model Harry Cliff, a particle physicist at Cambridge University who works at the Large Hadron Collider, said the Standard Model is “probably the most successful scientific theory that has ever been written down”.

“It can make fantastically precise predictions,” he said. But if those predictions are proved wrong, the model cannot merely be tweaked.

“It’s like a house of cards, you pull on one bit of it too much, the whole thing comes crashing down,” Cliff told AFP. The standard model is not without its problems.

For example, it doesn’t account for dark matter, which along with dark energy is thought to make up 95 percent of the universe. It also says that the universe should not have existed in the first place, because the Big Bang ought to have annihilated itself.

On top of that, “a few fissures have recently been exposed” in the model, physicists said in a companion Science article.

“In this framework of clues that there are missing pieces to the standard model, we have contributed one more, very interesting, and somewhat large clue,” Kotwal said.

Jan Stark, physicist and director of research at the French CNRS institute, said “this is either a

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EDITORIAL

‘Mystery’ boson finding contradicts understanding of universe

By Pierre Celerier and Daniel Lawler

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022

Reflections

T

OMORROW, Christians in the Philippines will mark Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday, the first day of the Holy Week in the Christian tradition, and the Sunday before Easter, which marks Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

The celebration will enable the Christians, who constitute nearly 93 percent of the 110 million population – they include Catholics, Aglipayans, Evangelical and Iglesia ni Cristo – to reflect on and celebrate the death and resurrection of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Holy Week, which ends on Sunday after tomorrow, is meant to be a week of looking inward as the Christian faithful follow the pattern of death and resurrection in their lives.

Given that the Holy Week occurs less than a month to the general election on May 9 – for national as well as local officials for the next three to six years – we posit that there is so much to reflect on in our lives as individuals and as members of a nuclear family, the basic social unit that makes the community.

A society or world without hope degenerates into humiliation, indifference, fear and violence.

Much of that reflection during the Holy Week will carry in like manner the weight of our reflection, our political persuasions notwithstanding, on the forthcoming elections since those who will be carried to victory will have in their vision and mission the future of the present and younger generations of Filipinos, including the millennials and the Gen X generations.

For those who keep the faith, short prayers throughout each day of the Holy Week will keep them grounded as they establish a closer connection with God. As a tailpiece while making the sign of the Cross, let us remember that Holy Week is a time of forgiveness as we prepare for the celebration of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Father.

A time to embrace our mistakes and shortcomings, and forgive all who had offended us.

After all, as Christians and devoted units of the Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth with about 2.5 billion followers, “We are the people of God; He loved us and chose us for His own.”

During Holy Week, Christians recall the events leading up to Jesus’ death by crucifixion and, according to their faith, his Resurrection.

The week includes a suggestion that people without hope die in despair. A society or world without hope degenerates into humiliation, indifference, fear and violence.

That is not our society.

Ruble or gold for Russian gas THE decision by Russia’s president Vladimir Putin to demand payment in Russian ruble for the purchase of natural gas has raised a milestone in the international currency system. The financial turmoil raised the specter to threaten the dominance of the US dollar since the end of World War II. The Bretton Woods Agreement signed in 1946 adopted a financial doctrine to make the US dollar the international reserve currency pegged at $32 dollar per ounce of gold.

Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine prompted the US to ban the payment in ruble. This caused sharp retaliation with Russia demanding that importation of gas be paid in rubles. The members of the European Union rejected the condition insisting that natural gas acquisition is payable in Euros or in US dollars as per contract, forgetting that the sanction was initiated by the US and its allies.

The Western allies forgot that they violated the contract by imposing economic limitations.

Russia did not violate the agreement as a vendor. Rather, the violation stemmed from the US sanction and not on the currency paid by the importer. Neither can the US garnish its bonds much that neither of them was directly involved in the oil transaction. In Latin maxim, “no cause of action arises out of an illicit bargain” or ex parte illicito non oritur actio.

Moreover, the US forgot that any commodity of value can be the subject of exchange. Before, oil-exporting countries in the Middle East accepted the US dollar in exchange for oil when the US dollar was restored as the world’s international currency reserve after the Arab-Israeli war until the turbulence in the price of subsidy.

The moral lesson that any commodity of value can be used as payment to pay imports and debts. Gold as medium exchange has historically been used and is pegged based on the value of the US dollar. It was only recently that the US fixed the value of the US dollar to the value of gold as agreed in the Bretton Woods Agreement. major discovery or a problem in the analysis of data,” predicting “quite heated discussions in the years to come”.

He told AFP that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”.

The most precise measurement ever made of the W Boson directly contradicts the model’s prediction, scientists say.

‘Huge deal’ The CDF scientists said they had determined the W boson’s mass with a precision of 0.01 percent — twice as precise as previous efforts.

They compared it to measuring the weight of a 350-kilogram (800-pound) gorilla to within 40 grams (1.5 ounces).

They found the boson was different from the standard model’s prediction by seven standard

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

The first stage of this financial imperialism was to measure the weight of gold priced at $32 per ounce. This marked the first international currency reserve to be adopted. It was anchored on the value of the precious metal, specifically gold. On that basis, the US dollar was used as the international currency reserve since it commanded the biggest exports in international trade.

Candidates simply show their confusion about the issues.

Another, the valuation of the dollar need not necessarily be based on metal. It can be based on any commodity that may command value and necessity such as oil. During the oil crisis in 1978, the use of Petro dollar facilitated international oil transaction. As soon as the “oil shock” died down, countries reverted back to the dollar based on the value of gold.

The US involvement in the Vietnam War in 1973 forced President Nixon to detach the value of the dollar from gold. The economists called this the decoupling of the dollar from the gold standard. Instead of measuring the value of the dollar to gold, the US federal reserve bank measured the value of the dollar to its GDP considering that the US then commands the highest per capita income. Almost 75 of the world’s industrial output came from the US. This effectively threatened Japan’s financial dominance.

The desire to stultify Japan’s financial dominance gave the US the greatest leeway to manipulate its value. It was the US that virtually pegged the value of currencies of other nations through devaluation and revaluation. The immediate effect is that countries had to abolish their usury laws which restrict interest rate to just 6 percent per annum, or to increase or decrease the country’s import or export to other countries.

Countries had to adjust their interest rate because the currency was measured on the current deviations, which are also called sigma.

Cliff said that if you were flipping a coin, “the chances of getting a five sigma result by dumb luck is one in three and a half million”.

“If this is real, and not some systematic bias or misunderstanding of how to do the calculations, then it’s a huge deal because it would mean there’s a new fundamental ingredient to our universe that we haven’t discovered before,” he said.

“But if you’re going to say something as big as we’ve broken the standard model of particle physics, and there’s new particles out there to discover, to convince people of that you probably need more than one measurement from more than one experiment.”

CDF co-spokesperson David Toback said that “it’s now up to the theoretical physics community and other experiments to follow up on this and shed light on this mystery”.

And after a decade of measurements, Kotwal isn’t done yet.

“We follow the clues and leave no stone unturned, so we’ll figure out what this means.”

AFP

valuation of their currency. They also devised measures as currency exchange rate system, meaning that loans or debts will be paid on the current value of the dollar.

Because of the seemingly uncontrollable increase/inflation in the value of the US dollar, it imposed various forms of service charges which normally were embedded in the cost of the item.

This resulted in the soaring prices of goods.

Commodities that are dependent on the system of law of supply and demand, like seasonal fruits, increase in prices because inflation surpassed the value in their production cost, notwithstanding that the valuation of the dollar resulted in the unabated increase in minimum wage and cost of services.

Americans and its economic colonies in Europe thought that the increases in the prices of goods would not result in the increases in the cost of minimum wage and services. As the corresponding increase in the value of US products, they realized that slowly their whole economy was diminishing rapidly. The immediate impact in the decoupling of the dollar from the gold standard coincided with China’s economic opening and adoption of globalism and multilateralism.

The practice was logical because it resulted in lowering of production cost and Americans thought they could reinvigorate their economy which was already reeling from trade deficit and hemorrhagic external debt. Outsourcing was thought to work to their advantage because that would tremendously increase their consumption of US products but made in China.

Instead, they only saw the deleterious effect in the devaluation and inflation in the value of their currency not knowing that sooner or later, this would have a devastating effect on their own economy. (rpkapunan@gmail.com) Full version on www.manilastandard.net

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Leader warns of ‘horrific’ abuses as civilians flee eastern Ukraine S EVERODONETSK —Civilians in eastern Ukraine struggled to evacuate Friday as Russia redirects its firepower, with President Volodymyr Zelensky warning of “even more horrific” devastation being uncovered around the capital.

IN BRIEF Pilots threatened on flood fake news

SYDNEY—An Australian aviation company says it has received more than 100 threats following an online conspiracy theory that its pilots unleashed a flooding disaster by cloud seeding.

Conspiracy theorists spread the false claims after weeks of torrential rains led to deadly east coast floods over the past two months, engulfing homes and sweeping cars from the roads.

Posts shared online alleged aerial survey pilots from Handel Aviation caused a second deluge in the flood-ravaged New South Wales town of Lismore on March 31 by cloud seeding -- dispersing a substance into the clouds to prompt rain.

“A pilot from Handel Aviation in Cessna 210N Centurion VH-JIL did a breakfast time cloud seeding run over Lismore South & Ballina today while sightseeing the massive flood below him,” one widely shared post reads.

The flight path of the Handel Aviation aircraft VH-JIL crisscrossing over flooded areas was also shared online by Australian fashion designer Alice McCall alongside claims it was dropping chemicals to “activate rain”.

Handel Aviation operator Mark Handel told AFP on Thursday that the company does not seed clouds. AFP

Ukrainian allies tightened the screws on Moscow further in response to shocking images from Bucha and other regions around Kyiv, with the European Union announcing an embargo on Russian coal and a ban on Russian vessels at its ports.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK And at the United Nations, the General Assembly voted to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council, only Y the second-ever suspension of a counSINGAPORE—An Australian who threw a try from the body. wine bottle from a Singapore apartment building and killed an elderly man was jailed Friday “Russia’s lies are no match for the for five-and-a-half years over what prosecuundeniable evidence of what is haptors called a hostile act towards Muslims. pening in Ukraine,” US President Joe Andrew Gosling flung the bottle in 2019 Biden said, calling Russia’s actions in from the seventh storey of a condominium towards a group of Muslims gathered in a barbethe country “an outrage to our comcue area two floors below. mon humanity.”

RED PARTY. Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) supporters celebrate on the street after a Supreme Court ruling in Karachi early on The 49-year-old, who had been drinking More than a month into President April 8. Pakistan’s supreme court was to rule later on April 7 on the legality of political maneuvers that led Prime Minister Imran beer before he committed the crime, intended Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Khan to dissolve the national assembly and call fresh elections. AFP to startle the group but the bottle hit 73-yearMoscow has shifted its focus after stiff old Nasiari Sunee on the head and fractured his skull. resistance put paid to hopes of an easy Nasiari, a delivery driver, died in hospital, capture of the country. while his 69-year-old wife suffered arm injuInstead, troops are being redeployed ries, according to court documents. towards the east and south, aiming to The city-state of 5.5 million has a mostly ethnic Chinese population but is also home to create a long-sought land link between saster, rising far-left candidate PERPIGNAN, MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK France— Muslim and ethnic Indian minorities, and auoccupied Crimea andCYAN the MoscowJean-Luc Melenchon still beFrench far-right presidential thorities take a hard line against acts deemed backed separatist statelets of Donetsk fact, an attempt was made to inform Mr. Prudente by sending him a letter dated public Of The Philippines to disturb ethnic and religious harmony. lieves he can sneak into a runcandidate Marine Le Pen said September 14, 2017, a copy of which is hereto attached as Annex “F”.

EGIONAL TRIAL andCOURT Lugansk in Donbas.

Prosecutors had called for a sentence that off and is shown running third.

Thursday she had never been nal Capital Judicial Region The Petitionershave had no inkling before last 2017 that the subject property had “In the north, Russian forces would deter such crimes in future as Gosling’s ranch 104, Quezon City Manila already been sold at an auction sale. they asked a copy of theat Taxa juThe war in Ukraine as well “soWhen close” tofor power offences were “religiously aggravated”. now fully withdrawn from Ukraine Declaration last 2017, to they found out that the said tax declaration isStandard still in their as strains on the health system bilantis hereto finalattached rally before this names. A copy of the said Tax Declaration as Annex “G”.

“He cowardly fled the scene after throwing nd FLORDELIZA POONIN TODAY Belarus and Russia,” Britain’s defense F. POONIN, the bottle to evade detection, shouting crude, after two years of Covid-19 are weekend’s election, which By reason of this, the Certificate of Sale, Warrant of Levy and similar documents Petitioners, ministry said. religiously charged invective about Muslims,” high among voter concerns, beis anandincreasingissued by the Respondent Assessor’s Office suggest should be invalidated set aside.

“At least some of these forces willshould be polls prosecutors had said during the case. AFP Instead, the Petitioners allowed to redeem the property.

SUMMONS

BY PUBLICATION hind the biggest worries of all: ly tight battle between her and be R-QZN-17-12574-CV transferred to east Ukraine to fight PRAYER inflation and incomes.

President Emmanuel Macron. Marine Le Pen inOFthe Donbas,” it added,WHEREFORE, noting premises that considered, MENT, OFFICE THE MAYOR, it is respectfully prayed that the “We’re going to live the In front of around 4,000 ER’SOFFICE,many QUEZON CITY Honorable Court decide in favor of the Plaintiff and against the Respondents troops would need “significant d NOEL PATRICK S. PRUDENTE, more particularly as follows: founding moment of a new upbeat supporters chantreplenishment” and a mass redeployRespondents.

1. The Warrant of Levy and ing Certificate of Sale on the said property be and era,” Le Pen, 53, added, a sen“President Marine!”

---------------------------------------------x ment would take at least a week. cancelled and set aside; ALGIERS—Nine people were killed, and 16 ATRICK S. PRUDENTE timent shared by many support“We’re toas win!”, Le 2. Thebegun subject property back to going the Petitioners its former others injured in a gas explosion in eastern Alshelling has already to be reverted ewport Street,Heavy East Fairview, QC owners; and ers in sun-drenched Perpignan, Pen promised to help French geria which caused a three-storey building to lay waste to towns in the3. region, and The Petitioners be allowed to redeem the subject property. collapse on Thursday, national television said. abstain on Sunday. a short trip from the Spanish families struggling with inflauired, withinofficials ninety (90) have days after the last civilians to flee, begged Order remedies just and equitable under the premises are likewise prayed for.

Rescue workers were searching the rubble mmons and the complaint, to file with this Last month, polls suggested Macron border. tion and compared Macron to a “stunned but the intensity of fighting is starting in the town of Bordj Bou Arreridj for possible the plaintiff/s, your answer to the complaint RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED. boxer”. had an almost unassailable lead ahead “It’s the first time that I feel this confiou fail to answer within theevacuations. time fixed, the to hamper victims or survivors, local authorities said, gment by default and may be granted the heading into the first round and would dent,” said Mireille Redon, 74, who has “Never Quezon City, Metro Manila, November___, 2018. before has the prospect of a adding that neighbouring houses had been Lugansk governor Sergiy Gaiday mplaint. damaged. go on to win the second-round run-off voted for Le Pen and her father Jeanreal change been so close, but it depends said Russian shelling had damaged a (Sgd.) BERNARDITA S. FORTUNO under the seal of the Court, this 15th day of The explosion, which occurred in the Petitioners Marie for more than 20 years. onfor the you,” Le Pen told the crowd in far- scheduled for April 24. railway route being used by evacuees Counsel morning, “was caused by a gas leak”, a local Attorney’s Roll No. 39406 But all bets are off, with up to a quar“I feel like she’s ready. She’s learned stronghold Perpignan in southern the town of Schastia, north of LuMCLE Comp right VI-9014 until April 14, 2022 official said. .) LOWELLin FREDERICK A. MADRILEÑO PTR No. France.

5520331 QC 1-3-2018 ter of voters thought to be undecided from her mistakes and seems much more Clerk of Court V Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune gansk.

IBP No. 019428 QC 12-27-17 sent a message of condolence to the bereaved “Never forget and tell people around and surveys suggesting a major swing confident in herself,” she told AFP. “The railway was damaged. Train BLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES DOMINGUEZ, DELANI, DOMINGUEZ families.

Meanwhile, Macron blasted his closyou: if the people vote, the people will towards Le Pen, who is now shown as EGIONAL TRIAL COURT evacuation is in question. Thou& FORTUNO LAW OFFICES In February eight people, including three L CAPITALsands JUDICIALof REGION St., Proj. est rival, accusing Le Pen of “lying to win,” she4, QC said in a speech that repeat- only marginally behind the president. people are still in the cit-21-G F. Castillo children, were killed by a gas explosion at a ANCH 104, QUEZON CITY Tel No. (02) 399-6279; 0917-822-5073 With France’s traditional right- and the people” over policies she will not be edly appealed to the roughly one quarter ies of Lugansk region,” he wrote on home in the neighbouring town of Setif. AFP nd FLORDELIZA F. POONIN, VERIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION left-wing parties facing electoral di- able to finance. AFP of French adults who are projected to Facebook.

AFP F. POONIN, CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK WE SEBASTIAN V. POONIN and FLORDELIZA F. POONIN, both of legal age, Petitioners,

Aussie jailed over wine bottle killing

Le Pen ‘so close’ as France polls at crucial stage

9 killed in gas blast in east Algeria town

Case No. R-QZN- 17-12574-CV Manila

Filipinos, married and with the above stated addresses, after being duly sworn to

in accordance with the law, do hereby depose and state that.

Standard NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC MENT, OFFICE OF THE MAYOR, TODAY 1. We are Petitioners in this case;

ER’S OFFICE, QUEZON CITY, 2. I have caused the filing of the foregoing Amended Petition for Annulment of F QUEZON CITY AND We would like to inform general that the Official Warrant ofthe Levy and Certificate of Public Sale; ENTE 3. The allegationswith therein are true and correct to the best of our personal Receipt booklet of SKY Cable series number 1969238 Respondents. knowledge and authentic documents; and ----------------------------------------x to 1969250 was reported as certify lostthatreceipts. transactions 4. We hereby neither we nor Any our counsel has commenced any ORDER similar these action or proceeding involving the same raised herein before entered and issued with receipts will be issues considered nullthe e-trial, the Court notes the presence of petitioners Supreme Court, Court of Appeals or any other tribunal or agency and to the and void.

Fortunu, as well as counsel for Quezon City best of our knowledge, no such action or proceeding is pending threat and if we anne Odtujan. should learn thereafter that a similar action or proceeding is pending before and the aforesaid court or bodies, we undertake to report such fact within five (5) days ifested that per Sheriff’s Return of Service, private If found, contact us attherefrom Jhanrenz Corporation, address #19 -C to this Honorable Court. rudente was not served Summons, and prayed that Cmpd.

S.notVillanueva November 28,St. 2018.Bgy. Ibaba, Malabon City. Tel. said respondent,Abanad through publication, which was n.

No. (02) 83762572 / (02) 89218493. Look for Ms. Tessie San (Sgd.) SEBASTIAN V. POONIN (Sgd.) FLORDELIZA F. POONIN ns be served uponJuan. respondent Noel Patrick Prudente, Petitioner Petitioner (MS-APRIL 2/4/9/11, 2022) expense of the petitioners, pursuant to the Rules.

OSCA (Nagcarlan) 0008656 UMID 006-0069-2599-2

is cancelled and reset to March 3, 2022 at 9:30 in

ifestation filed by petitioners, through counsel stating g to the dropping of the Assessor’s Office but are the Treasurer’s Office as one of the defendants.

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING AND BLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS Cc: Office of the City Assessor’s Ofice, QC Noel Patrick Prudente

ANNEX “A”

ANNEX “A-1”

14, 2022 TIME : 5:00 PM arried to VENUE : Conference Room, 4F One Burgundy Plaza Condominium Petitioners, No. 307 Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City Case No. 17-12574

MENT, OFFICE OF THE MAYOR, AGENDA ER’S OFFICE, QUEZON CITY, QUEZON CITY and I. Call to Order ENTE., Respondents. II. Proof of Due Notice of Meeting -----------------------------------x III. Determination of Quorum ETITION FOR CANCELLATION OF IV. Reading LEVY AND CERTIFICATE OF SALE and Approval of the Minutes

of the last Special Meeting ITIONERS, through undersigned counsel, untoand this Election of Board Members and Officers held ly state that: on May 11 , 2019 ANNEX “B” ANNEX “B-1” STATEMENTOF THE CASE V. President's Report lation of Warrant of Levy and Certificate of Sale on VI. and Treasurer's roper notice to the Petitioner other irregularities Report VII. OBP Developer Legal Issues VIII. Election of Board Members and Officers for 2022-2023 ATEMENT OF THE PARTIES IX.marriedAdjournment oth of legal age, Filipinos, and with address at

, Laguna; rick S. Prudente is of legal age, Filipino, and with last ewport St., East Fairview, Quezon City; the Quezon City Government Office by: of The Mayor, Attested Office, Quezon City, and Assessor’s Office of Quezon

STATEMENT OF FACTS of this case is a parcel of land located in Quezon City JUAN A. KANAPI, cribed as follows:

JR. PHD Secretary k. 7 of the cons. subd. Corporate plan (LRC) Pcs-17782, being a

rtificate of Title No. 316000 covering said property is A”.

ANNEX “C”

ANNEX “D”

(MS-APRIL 9, 2022)

against.

“I am naturally disappointed, but the Bundestag has decided,” Scholz told a press conference, adding: “I respect a democratic decision.”

The defeat was all the more embarrassing as the proposal was already significantly watered down to include only those over the age of 60, a smaller group than the originally targeted adult population in general. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

BRAZIL TRIBE. A woman from the Pataxo tribe poses for a photo at an indigenous protest camp on the fourth day of the Terra Livre Indigenous Camp in Brasilia on April 7.

The 10-day annual protest is held by indigenous people from tribes that arrive from all over Brazil and calls for greater protection of their land and rights.

AFP

N OTICE JOB HIRING HOTEL CONSULTANT

(Sgd.) CATHERINE P. MANODON Judge NOTICE OF ANNUAL

723, Piedad Estate, & Lot 705-A-1-C (LRC) Psd-2967, ed in the Dist. of Tandang Sora, Quezon City, Island NE., points 2 to 3 by Lot 6, Blk. 7; on the SE., points m. wide); on the SW., point to 4 to 1 by Lot 8; on the both of Blk. 2, all of the cons. subd. plan. Beginning n, being S. 87 deg. 19’E., 735.95 m. from LM No. 14, deg., 21’E., 15.00 m. to point 2; thence S. 86 deg. hence S. 3 deg. 21’W., 15.00 m. to point 4; thence N. the point of beginning; containing an area of THREE METERS, more or less. xxx xxx”

early March”.

(MS-MAR. 19/26/APR. 2, 2022)

But the effort has petered out since, as even some members of the liberal FDP, which is part of Scholz’s coalition, are opposed.

After weeks of wrangling to find a formulation that could win a majority, a governmentbacked proposal for over-60s to get vaccinated was put to the vote on Thursday.

But only 296 lawmakers voted in favor, while 378 parliamentarians cast their ballots

11F ROBINSONS CYBERSCAPE ALPHA, SAPPHIRE AND GARNET ROADS, BRGY. SAN ANTONIO, PASIG CITY TELEPHONE NO.: (632) 8397 1888

Doc. No. 420; Page No. 85; Book No. LIV; Notice 2nd Series of 2018

EGIONAL TRIAL COURT L CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION DATECITY : MAY ANCH 104, QUEZON

Notice is hereby given to the public that an ExtraJudicial Settlement has Chancellor Olaf Scholz BERLIN—German been executed by the suffered heirs of the alatestinging Fernando defeat in parliament on Thursday, with voting down a A. Lacerona. The heirslawmakers all of legal age, over personal proposal for mandatory government-backed properties, perfor people deed vaccinations above 60. executed on 17 March 2022 Scholz, who in late November touted before Notary Public of Atty. compulsory jabs for Gerald Alan Quebral In all adults as the surQuezon City,out per Doc. No. pandemic, had set a goal est way of the 165; Page No 33; Book Nojabs in “late February or of introducing the XX11; Series of 2022

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 28th day of November, 2018 here in Quezon City, Metro Manila by Petitioners having exhibited their respective identification under their signatures.

eration is submitted for resolution.

, November 4, 2021.

Scholz defeated in parliament with COVID jab vote

LEGAL NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that PAVI GREEN RENEWABLE ENERGY, INC. is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOl) as Renewable Energy Developer of Solar Energy Resources (20.009MWp/16.200MW PAVI Green This position is for a Hotel Consultant with Orion Solar Power Plantresponsibilities: Project) in Sitio Damulog, the following Barangay Daan Pare, Orion Bataan, to avail of the incentives under R.A. No. 9513, otherwise known as • Provides andonsource of the Renewableprofessional Energy Act of advice 2008 based the 2020 information for the strategic of a fullInvestment Priorities Plan (IPP) business as the transitional service propertyPriority and supports the leadership Strategic Investment Plan (SIPP)

and management of the property.

Any person all with valid of objection/s on the • Evaluates aspects operation, including abovementioned may file his/her objection in guest and project employee satisfaction, human writing, under oath, with theperformance, BOI within three (3) days resources, financial sales and fromrevenue the dategeneration of this publication/posting. and return on investment.

• Proposes and(SGD.) assistsRAQUEL in developing business B. ECHAGUE marketing strategiesDirector for III competitive advantage. Resource-Based Industries Service • Provides the leadership expertise support (MS-MAR. 26, 2022) that ensures the effective and efficient operation of the hotel, including, but not limited to, the quality and legal defensibility of services provided, and the achievement of stated operational goals and profitability objectives.

N OTICE

This Position requires the following qualifications: Notice is hereby given that PHILNEW HYDRO POWER CORPORATION is or applying • A Master’s Degree in Business Hotel for registration with the Board of Investments Management (BOl) as Renewable Energy Developer of • At least 12 years of experience in the Hydropower Resources (4.85 MW MAT-I 1 management operations, sales and Hydro Electric Power Project) with project marketing, or other related professional site in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, to avail of theareas. incentives under the Renewable Energy Act • 2008 Exposure to the International Hotels. of (RA 9513).

For Interested candidates, may submit Any person with validyou objection/s on your the application to: project may file his/her objection abovementioned pryncesshyacinth.esguerra@ihg.com in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three Use the subject line (3) days from the date of this publication.

HOTEL CONSULTANT-NAME You may also contact: (SGD.) RAQUEL B. ECHAGUE Pryncess Hyacinth Esguerra at 09988404977 Director Resource-based Industries(MS-APRIL Service 9, 2022) (MS-MAR. 26, 2022)

Jackson 1st Black woman on high court WASHINGTON—The United States made history on Thursday as the Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court.

The 51-year-old’s appointment—greeted with a standing ovation on the floor of the upper chamber of Congress—means white men will not be the majority on the nation’s high court for the first time in 233 years.

President Joe Biden called it a “historic moment for our nation.”

“This milestone should have happened generations ago... but we are always trotting on a path towards a more perfect union.

Nevertheless, America today is taking a giant step towards making our union more perfect,” Democratic Senate Majority Leader

Chuck Schumer said.

“People sometimes talk about standing on the shoulders of giants; well, Judge Jackson will go down in history as an American giant upon whose shoulders others will stand tall. And our democracy will be better off for it.”

Jackson picked up support from three Senate Republicans during a grueling and at times brutal confirmation process, delivering Biden a bipartisan, 53-47 approval for his first Supreme Court nominee.

It is a huge moment for the president, who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee in the 1980s and 90s, meaning he has the unprecedented distinction of both naming and overseeing the appointment of a Supreme Court justice. AFP CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business

B3

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

US Congress votes to stop trade relations with Russia

PSEi April 8, 2022

TOP GAINERS

1 OPM

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE 0.012 0.001 9.09%

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

SGI PRMX GLO CAB UPM LAND APL PMPC

0.96 2.5 2480 63 0.0064 0.89 0.045 6.28

0.06 0.14 126 3.05 0.0003 0.04 0.002 0.27

6.67% 5.93% 5.35% 5.09% 4.92% 4.71% 4.65% 4.49%

10

HTI

1.18

0.05

4.42%

TOP LOSERS

1 GEO

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE 0.172 -0.034 -16.50%

2 3 4

ACE MFC CA

1.55 950 45.05

-0.13 -70 -2.95

-7.74% -6.86% -6.15%

5 6 7 8 9 10

GREEN ARA JFCPA CIC TUGS SSP

1.52 1.04 970 19.64 0.7 1.04

-0.09 -0.06 -50 -0.86 -0.03 -0.04

-5.59% -5.45% -4.90% -4.20% -4.11% -3.70%

MOST ACTIVE

VOLUME

VALUE (PHP)

1 2 3 4 5 6

SM BDO CNVRG ICT BPI ALI

479,270 2,925,620 6,401,500 738,140 1,632,740 4,503,200

415,037,805 386,890,035 183,418,560 164,354,908 160,020,403 156,007,275

7 8 9 10

SCC AC SMPH ACEN

4,536,800 144,290 2,790,800 12,056,800

142,632,750 112,428,345 103,149,945 101,903,154

MUSK PARTY. CEO of Tesla Motors Elon Musk speaks at the Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing ‘Cyber Rodeo’ grand opening party on April 7, 2022 in Austin, Texas. Tesla welcomed throngs of electric car lovers to Texas on April 7 for a huge party inaugurating a ‘gigafactory’ the size of 100 professional soccer fields. AFP

Market bounces back; ICTSI, AC Energy climb

T

HE stock market rallied Friday on bargain hunting after a tough week dominated by the US Federal Reserve’s hawkish tone that has set it on an aggressive tightening path.

The Philippine Stock Exchange surged 91.99 points, or 1.3 percent, to 7,018.02 on a value turnover of P4 billion. Gainers beat losers, 101 to 66, with 54 issues unchanged.

International Container Terminal Services Inc., the biggest operator and owned by tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., advanced 3.2 percent to P225, while fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. rose 2.9 percent to P28.65.

AC Energy Corp. of the Ayala Group climbed 2.3 percent to P8.54, while sister unit Bank of the Philippine Islands, the third-largest lender in terms of as-

sets, added 2.1 percent to P98.50.

Asian markets mostly rose Friday while oil ticked higher after another series of losses.

After a slow start, the region managed to take the lead from Wall Street, which recovered from steep intra-day losses to end on a positive note, having plunged in previous sessions as traders fretted over the prospect of higher interest rates.

While the Fed has made clear it intends to act more decisively to rein in 40-year-high inflation by ramping up borrowing costs and offloading bond holdings, analysts suggested that better clarity on policy was welcome.

The Fed’s desire to tighten has sent the dollar rallying against most other major currencies, particularly the euro, which has been weighed by European officials’ reticence to move as aggressively on prices. The euro is sitting around a one-month low.

Markets have come under huge pressure this year as the end of ultra-

cheap central bank cash, a COVIDfueled slowdown in China’s economic activity, the war in Ukraine and soaring inflation come together in a perfect storm.

Highlighting the difficult task central banks will have in fighting inflation, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday that world food prices hit their “highest levels ever” in March as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted wheat and coarse grain exports.

Still, all three indexes on Wall Street ended slightly higher, having bounced back from heavy losses thanks to bargain-buying, while some observers suggested recent selling may have gone too far.

Asia saw a tepid start but most markets enjoyed mild gains towards the end of the day.

Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Taipei, Mumbai, Jakarta and Bangkok all rose, though Singapore and Wellington were lower. With AFP

Shanghai lockdown snarls world’s busiest port, supply chains

By Beiyi Seow BEIJING, China—Shanghai’s grinding coronavirus lockdown is slowly clogging China’s supply chains, as delays hit the world’s busiest container port where staff are tangled in a morass of COVID controls.

Beijing has refused to tack away from its strict zero- COVID strategy that has protected its public health system through the pandemic but at a mounting economic cost.

China’s financial hub Shanghai— home to multinational firms and its busiest port—has been sealed off almost entirely for a week following an outbreak fueled by the Omicron virus variant.

That has forced many companies to halt production and slow new projects, factories told AFP, while those still operating are struggling with a shortage of truck drivers on top of onerous permit and COVID testing requirements.

At Shanghai’s port, the lack of drivers and other workers means getting goods in and out is increasingly hard.

The docks are working normally with a “single-digit” number of vessels waiting to berth, Shanghai International Port Group said this week.

“But the fact is... due to restrictions caused for truck drivers, it is not really operating,” Bettina SchoenBehanzin, vice president of the EU Chamber of Commerce’s Shanghai Chapter, told AFP. “The figure I heard is that... weekon-week volumes at the Shanghai port are down by 40 percent. So that’s really enormous.”

Shortages are starting to bite across China’s vast consumer economy, where online shopping platforms such as Taobao face delivery delays, especially of imported goods.

COVID curbs in a number of cities have forced factories to find new suppliers.

But the impact may soon also be felt outside China if lockdowns persist.

An aerial view shows the Nanpu Bridge over the Huangpu River in the direction of Pudong district in lockdown as a measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Shanghai on March 30, 2022. AFP

Shanghai is the world’s number one container port, a spinal point in the global supply chain and a key gateway for foreign trade.

It handles around 17 percent of China’s total port volume and shipped 47 million TEU—the standard measurement for cargo, meaning Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit—in 2021.

Factories can’t work from home Chinese manufacturers say lockdowns, no matter how flexible or targeted, pile pressure on their business.

“Not many roles allow working from home,” said Jason Lee, founder of wheelchair producer Megalicht Tech, whose factory in Shanghai’s Puxi area has suspended production.

“People can’t enter the factory... and because our raw materials come from other provinces or cities, these can’t enter Shanghai either,” he said.

A Shanghai-based clothing exporter surnamed Zheng said his biggest problem was that he could not send samples to clients.

“Deliveries can neither leave nor enter,” he said Experts say the outbreak is currently nibbling at growth, but could soon take a big bite.

Nomura economists estimate that 23 cities accounting for 22 percent of China’s GDP have rolled out full or partial lockdowns.

“The costs of the zero- COVID strategy will rise significantly as its benefits decline,

especially as exports are hit by the ongoing lockdowns,” Nomura chief China economist Lu Ting told AFP. That will challenge Beijing’s 2022 GDP growth target of around 5.5 percent, he added.

Adapting to survive For now, companies are adapting to try and handle the restrictions.

“Our main business activity is down by over 50 percent,” said Gao Yongkang, general manager of Qifeng Technology in eastern China’s Quanzhou city.

The company has been unable to transport textile materials to regular clients because of the COVID curbs, and has instead pivoted to supplying the booming market for protective gear.

Meanwhile, those who cannot reach their original suppliers are scouring for new ones.

“The costs are a little higher and it’s slightly less efficient but we can fulfill our regular needs,” said Shen Shengyuan, deputy general manager of diaper-producer New Yifa Group.

In a nod to struggling industries, Premier Li Keqiang this week announced a temporary deferment of old-age insurance premiums for sectors such as catering, retail and civil aviation.

But industry groups say hard lockdowns on major cities such as Shanghai are unsustainable, especially with many Omicron cases presenting light or no symptoms. AFP

WASHINGTON, United States— The US Congress voted Thursday to end normal trade relations with Moscow and codify the ban on Russian oil, as the White House ratchets up pressure on President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.

The legislation—which also applies to Russia’s ally Belarus—enables President Joe Biden to inflict steep tariff hikes on imports from both countries.

Biden announced the steps in a speech last month arguing that Russia must “pay the price” for the bloodshed in its ex-Soviet neighbor, where it has denied accusations of committing atrocities.

“Putin must absolutely be held accountable for the detestable, despicable war crimes he is committing against Ukraine: the images we have seen coming out of that country... are just pure evil,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“It reminds us of the worst moments in human history, caused by the evil man, Putin: hundreds of civilians murdered in cold blood.”

A key principle of the World Trade Organization, the so-called most favored nation status known in the United States as permanent normal trade relations (PNTR), requires countries to guarantee one another equal tariff and regulatory treatment.

The latest trade sanction, which passed the House with support from every Democrat and just a handful of Republicans voting no, caps several rounds of measures intended primarily to sever Moscow’s economic and financial ties with the rest of the world.

They have included banning Russian oil imports—a measure Biden already implemented by executive decree—seizing the assets of billionaires tied to Putin, and freezing the nation’s stockpile of cash.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hailed the latest action as a sign that the United States was “unwavering” in its commitment to support Ukraine and hold Russia to account.AFP

India central bank reduces growth outlook on war fears MUMBAI, India—India’s central bank cut growth forecasts and sharply hiked its inflation projections Friday, citing fears that the war in Ukaine could derail the country’s nascent recovery.

Asia’s third-largest economy bounced back from the pandemic with world-beating growth, but is now grappling with rising costs as global oil prices skyrocket.

“We are confronted with new but humungous challenges,” Reserve Bank of India boss Shaktikanta Das said in a televised address, calling the war in Ukraine a “tectonic shift.”

“Inflation is now projected to be higher and growth lower than the assessment in February,” he added.

The central bank projected the economy to expand 7.2 percent for the 2022-23 financial year, compared with a previous estimate of 7.8 percent.

It also saw inflation at 5.7 percent, well up from the 4.5 percent predicted two months ago.

India imports more than 80 percent of its oil needs, with the country’s dependence on foreign crude growing as domestic production falls.

Consumer price inflation in the first two months of the year has remained persistently above the central bank’s upper tolerance limit of 6 percent.

Despite this, the monetary policy committee (MPC) held the key interest rate unchanged at a historic low of 4 percent for the eleventh straight meeting.

But in its first clear signal of a future rate hike, Das said the MPC is “focusing on withdrawal of accommodation to ensure that inflation remains within the target going forward, while supporting growth.” AFP

Toshiba pauses plan to split into two TOKYO, Japan—Troubled Japanese conglomerate Toshiba has said it is suspending its plan to split into two after last month’s shareholder vote against the idea and will now weigh the possibility of going private.

The firm announced in a statement Thursday that its management team will lead discussions with private equity funds and other possible investors on potential offers.

A newly formed special committee will also “identify the privatization offer that is best for our diverse stakeholders” and report back before Toshiba’s annual shareholders’ meeting in June.

The management team will separately develop a new business plan, which will also be announced before the meeting, Toshiba said.

The decision comes after shareholders, in a non-binding decision, voted against a proposal to split the company into two.

It was the latest setback for the engineering giant, which was once a symbol of Japan’s tech and business prowess but has faced a series of scandals, financial troubles and shock high-level resignations in recent years.

The plan had already been revised once after an initial proposal to break up the company into three met stiff resistance.

Several major shareholders argued that a spin-off would only add to Toshiba’s woes by creating more managerial posts at smaller units, rather than improving the firm’s governance.

And some want a buyout instead, following an abandoned takeover offer last year from private equity fund CVC Capital Partners. AFP

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

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SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022

Business

PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, April 8, 2022

91.99 PTS. 7,018.02

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

659,969,645 48,837

TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) ADVANCES DECLINES

4,017,683,341.59 101 66

UNCHANGED

54

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

51.3850

Japan

Yen

0.008068

0.4146

UK

Pound

1.307700

67.1962

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127588

6.5561

Switzerland

Franc

1.070893

55.0278

Canada

Dollar

0.794407

40.8206

Singapore

Dollar

0.734754

37.7553

Australia

Dollar

0.748000

38.4360

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652520

136.2997

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266624

13.7005

Brunei

Dollar

0.732064

37.6171

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.029851

1.5339

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.9915

Euro

Euro

1.088100

55.9120

Korea

Won

0.000818

0.0420

China

Yuan

0.157215

8.0785

India

Rupee

0.013177

0.6771

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.237164

12.1867

New Zealand

Dollar

0.689700

35.4402

Taiwan

Dollar

0.034728

1.7845 Source: BSP

MINING OUTLOOK. Chamber of Mines of the Philippines president Atty. Michael Toledo (second from right) receives a token of appreciation after delivering a speech on the mining industry during the 3rd regular meeting of the Consular Corps of the Philippines. With him are (from left) Consul General Javier Martin of Spain, vice dean of the Consular Corps; Jesus Pineda Jr., honorary consul to Fiji; and Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr., consul general to Romania and dean of the Consular Corps of the Philippines. Toledo capped his speech with a wish list for the next administration that included a call for a better business environment for mining.

By Othel V. Campos

E

XPORTS climbed 15 percent in February to $6.16 billion from a year ago, and exceeded prepandemic levels on strong global demand for electronics, mineral products and coconut oil, preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show. equipment, consumer electronics and control and instrumentation.

Resource-based manufactures also contributed to the strong export performance in February led by copper cathodes (up 130.2 percent), coconut oil (up 118.2 percent) and other mineral products (up 27.5 percent).

China remained the main growth driver in the country’s copper exports.

Other industrial products that registered double-digit growth rates included

electronic equipment and parts at 17.2 percent; electronic products, 15.1 percent; chemicals, 14.2 percent; and other manufactured goods at 12.2 percent.

“Our earlier efforts to ensure 100-percent operating capacity for the export sector enabled the sector to meet the growth in global demand. Momentum picked up as well as we continued to develop more export champions,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Coconut oil continued to lead the country’s agricultural export. Shipments of coconut oil more than doubled to $195.7 million from last year’s export of $89.7 million. The global coconut oil market is estimated to grow by 5.5 percent in 2022 to reach $5.7 billion in value.

The US remained the Philippines’ biggest export market accounting for 15.7 percent or $966.7 million of the total. This was followed by Japan, China,

Pilipinas Shell earmarks P4b to expand network

Hong Kong and Singapore.

Meanwhile, merchandise imports jumped 20.1 percent in February to $9.69 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $3.53 billion during the month.

The trade deficit in the first two months also ballooned 47 percent to $8.244 billion from $5.585 billion a year ago, as the 24-percent growth in imports outpaced the 12-percent expansion in exports.

Imports reached $20.45 billion in the two-month period, up from $16.489 billion a year earlier, while exports grew to $12.205 billion from $10.903 billion.

The annual increment of imported goods in February was due to the increase in inbound shipments of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, with 131.6 percent annual increase; cereals and cereal preparations which rose 83.8 percent; and other food and live animals, up 23.3 percent.

IN FULL OPERATIONS.

The critical units of National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, particularly system operations and operations and maintenance, will remain fully-staffed and operational during the elections.

The overall command center will be on 24/7 operation starting May 8 to monitor the overall power situation during the elections. As early as February, NGCP’s Power Task Force Elections, a special team formed to ensure the security and reliability of the transmission network across the country during the elections, set out with preparatory activities.

By Alena Mae S. Flores PILIPINAS Shell Petroleum Corp. said Friday it budgeted P3 billion to P4 billion this year to expand and upgrade its retail network.

“Pilipinas Shell plans to spend approximately P3 billion to P4 billion for capital investments which will be mainly funded by cash provided by operating activities,” the company said in a report to the stock exchange.

Pilipinas Shell is one of the leading fuel distributors in the country, with a network of over 1,100 Shell-branded stations nationwide.

“The company will continue to focus on expanding and upgrading its network of mobility stations and improve existing supply and distribution sites,” it said.

It said the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia resulted in several uncertainties on businesses and institutions worldwide, but does not expect any significant impact from these developments after the end of the 2021 reporting period.

“The company has long-term and secured access to petroleum products through the Shell network. The company will continue to closely monitor the situation,” Pilipinas Shell said.

Pilipinas Shell posted a turnaround in net earnings of P3.9 billion at the end of 2021, after suffering a net loss of P16.2 billion in 2020.

The company said its approach in marketing premium products, customer-centric integrated fuel and non-fuel products and sustained network growth resulted in financial recovery last year.

Core earnings amounted to P2.3 billion, up from the previous fiscal year’s P300 million. Revenues also went up to P177.157 million from P156.952 billion in 2020.

Operational cash flow remained at P1.8 billion as the company sustained proactive management of costs, working capital and cash inflows.

Pilipinas Shell’s fuel marketing volumes started increasing as government lifted COVID-19 restrictions and ramped up its campaign to get more people fully vaccinated, but were still 7-percent below 2020 levels.

Shakey’s Pizza returns to profit

RESTAURANT chain operator Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. returned to profitability in 2021, as the easing of mobility restrictions boosted sales.

Shakey’s said in a disclosure to the stock exchange unaudited net income reached P121 million in 2021, a sharp reversal from the net loss of P254 million in 2020.

System-wide sales rose 6 percent year-on-year to P7.01 billion, as dine-in sales in the fourth quarter picked up on loosened quarantine restrictions.

Delivery sales remained strong as the pandemic shifted consumer behavior, favoring off-premise channels.

“The fourth quarter was quite significant for us. Quarantine restrictions were easing. The season was festive, and more guests were choosing to eat out with their families and friends to enjoy the complete dine-in experience,” Shakey’s president and chief executive Vic Gregorio said.

System-wide sales reached P2.17 billion in the fourth quarter, up 18 percent year-on-year, with same-store sales growth reaching 5 percent.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Lepanto to sell P2-b stock rights

February exports jumped 15% to $6.2b Cumulative exports in the first two months reached $12.2 billion, or 11.9 percent higher than $10.9 billion in the same period in 2021 and 15.7 percent larger than the 2019 pre-pandemic value.

Electronics continued to dominate export sales, accounting for 55.9 percent of the total in February with revenues of $3.44 billion. Top electronics exports were components/devices (semiconductors), electronic data processing devices, telecommunication

IN BRIEF

PEZA allows locators to extend hybrid work setup until Sept. 12 THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority said Friday it authorized registered business enterprises and IT-business process management companies to practice hybrid work set-up until Sept.

12, 2022.

PEZA director-general Charito Plaza asked PEZA-registered IT-BPMs and other registered business enterprises that could not immediately return to office to request a letter of authority from the agency to allow 70-percent of their workforce to work on site and 30 percent to work from home.

“Now that we are on our way back to normal, the government would

want the economy to go back to what was normal before the pandemic and to do this, (it) suggested 70-30 work plan,” she said.

“PEZA’s work from home scheme for registered IT-BPOs and RBEs has been conceptualized even before the passage of Republic Act No. 11165, or the Telecommuting Act on Dec. 20, 2018,” she said.

Plaza said the agency was counting on the incoming administration to institutionalize hybrid as a permanent work scheme that would be protected by the Department of Labor and Employment for the safety, and security of tenure of

workers.

She said that since 2020 when the pandemic began, one of PEZA’s Bayanihan business assistance and reprieves was the temporary increase of WFH arrangements to 90-percent WFH and 10-percent onsite.

PEZA deputy director-general for policy and planning Tereso Panga said the provisions of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Law do not prohibit PEZA-registered RBEs and IT-BPM companies from conducting remote work or performing a portion of their activity outside the economic zones. Othel V. Campos

LEPANTO Consolidated Mining Co. said Friday it plans to raise up to P2.02 billion from a stock rights offering to fund exploration projects.

Lepanto said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its board of directors approved the offering of 14.429 billion shares at P0.14 apiece via rights offering.

Under the approved terms of conditions, Lepanto shareholders owning 4.6 shares will be entitled to subscribe to 1 offer share. Net proceeds from the fund raising activity will be used to fund exploration drilling for gold and copper deposits, settlement of payables, pension update capital expenditures and working capital.

The offer shares will be issued from the company’s proposed increase in authorized capital stock to P9 billion from P6.64 billion.

Other terms of the offering including the record date and timetable of the offering remain to be finalized. Jenniffer B. Austria

Motolite launches app for motorists ROAD safety advocate James Deakin advised motorists to make sure they have in their mobile phones Motolite’s RES-Q App before they head out on the road, especially on their upcoming long rides, so they can have easy access to roadside emergency assistance.

RES-Q is the only app in the country that gives 24/7 assistance to motorists for flat tires, emergency refueling, overheating and dead battery. These services are free to users of Motolite, the leading and most reliable battery brand in the country as its products are particularly made for the Philippine climate and road conditions.

“As restrictions relax and we start to move forward with our lives, it’s important to be ready for the new challenges that face us. For those who use their cars for work and for leisure, it’s critical to prepare for the unexpected,” Deakin said.

“Motolite RES-Q is a mobile app that can help you when the unexpected happens. When you get a flat tire, run out of fuel, find your engine overheating, or have problems with your battery, help is just a few taps away on Motolite RES-Q,” he said.

Deakin also urged Motolite users to immediately register their vehicle and contact details in the Motolite RES-Q app for easy warranty claims.

Gross international reserves climbed to $108.54b in March

By Julito G. Rada THE gross international reserves increased to $108.54 billion at the end of March 2022 from $107.8 billion in February, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Friday.

It said the latest GIR level represented more than adequate external liquidity buffer equivalent to 9.6 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.

There were also about 7.2 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 5.4 times based on residual maturity.

“The month-on-month increase in the GIR level reflected mainly the national government’s net foreign currency deposits with the BSP, which include proceeds from its issuance of ROP global bonds, and the BSP’s net income from its investments abroad,” the BSP said.

Data also show that net international reserves, which refer to the difference between the BSP’s reserve assets and reserve liabilities went up by $0.74 billion to $108.53 billion as of endMarch from $107.79 billion in the previous month.

Michael Ricafort, chief economist of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said the GIR could still post new record highs in the coming months amid the continued growth in structural inflows from OFW remittances, BPO revenues, foreign tourism revenues and foreign investment inflows.

He said most of the structural inflows “were among record highs or pre-pandemic highs recently [except for foreign tourism revenues that could gradually resume, after almost absent since the pandemic started 2 years ago] and considered bright spots for the Philippine economy.”

PayMaya offers cryptocurrency app to help Filipinos buy bitcoin, other digital assets

By Darwin G. Amojelar PAYMAYA Philippines Inc. said it rolled out cryptocurrency feature through an all-in-one finance app that will enable Filipinos to easily buy and earn digital assets such as bitcoin and ethereum for as low as P1.

The new offering is part of the company’s overall thrust to go beyond payments by making financial services like crypto more accessible to the general public.

PayMaya is both an electronic money issuer and virtual asset services provider licensed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

“We are very excited to launch this feature, a big step up in making crypto accessible to every Filipino through their PayMaya app. Being at the forefront of digital payments and financial services, expanding into crypto is part of our roadmap as we build the Philippines’ most accessible end-to-end mon-

ey platform,” said PayMaya president Shailesh Baidwan.

PayMaya is rolling out the feature progressively to its base. Aside from Bitcoin and Ethereum, other popular coins and tokens available for trading in the PayMaya app are Cardano, Chainlink, Uniswap, Solana, Quant, Polkadot, Polygon and Tether.

PayMaya developed the feature under its Invest platform in connection with Coinbase Institutional. Coinbase is

the largest publicly-traded crypto company in the world and the trusted bridge to the crypto-economy.

Coinbase Institutional offers a comprehensive suite of products and services including custody, prime brokerage, trading tools and analytics, and an enterprise infrastructure built on top of a robust security platform. Coinbase Institutional provides the scale and stability needed to successfully participate in the crypto economy.

Sports

Carlos named PVL’s best player; Cignal forces Game 3 ANTIPOLO—Tots Carlos spiked a power-induced performance with an MVP win in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference even as Cignal HD forced a third game in the battle for third with a tough 25-18, 27-25, 22-25, 25-17 victory over Choco Mucho before a roaring packed crowd at the Ynares Center here on Friday.

Carlos, on whose force Creamline relied on all throughout the team’s finals run, was named the Most Valuable Player of the Conference for her sustained high-octane performance that helped propel the Cool Smashers to another unbeaten campaign.

Creamline was trying to complete a sweep of Petro Gazz and ninegame romp in the league’s compressed second pro staging at presstime last night.

Sharing the spotlight with Carlos, who normed 20.67 points before the best-of-three finals, were Cignal’s Ces Molina and Gretchel Soltones of Petro Gazz as best outside spikers; Rosely Doria and Ria Meneses, both of Cignal as best middle blockers; Cignal’s Gel Cayuna as best setter; and Dawn Macandili of F2 Logistics as best libero.

Carlos, the former UP stalwart, also bagged the best opposite spiker honors.

Meanwhile, the HD Spikers flashed the form that netted them a string of victories from the group prelims to the quarters, getting back at the Choco Mucho Flying Titans in four to level their series at onegame apiece.

Choco Mucho took the series opener, 25-17, 25-21, 21-25, 25-22, at the MOA Arena last Wednesday.

But the HD Spikers, with skipper Rachel Ann Daquis back in top form after an abbreviated stint in Game One due to cramps, took charge early, survived an extended second set duel then struck back from a third set defeat with a big finish in the fourth.

They never gave the Flying Titans the momentum they needed following that third set win, wresting control early behind Daquis, Molina, Doria and Jerrili Malabanan before sitting on an 18-14 cushion.

The HD Spikers took five of the next six points to all but settle the outcome at 23-15 and after Daquis countered Choco Mucho’s attack with her own blast, Jheck Dionela came through with a spectacular dig off Kat Tolentino’s assault, setting up Molina for the clincher against two defenders.

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022

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Creamline’s Tots Carlos displays her PVL Most Valuable Player award and is flanked by tournament officials.

Casimero vows: I will remove Butler’s head

By Randy Caluag

T

HERE is some air of invincibility in John Riel Casimero that his adversaries find hard to ignore. His sky-is-the-limit swagger, matched by his ability in the ring, is more than enough to instil fear against his opponents.

John Riel Casimero

Casimero unleashed a stern warning against British contender Paul Butler, who will go after the Filipino’s World Boxing Organization bantamweight title on April 22 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.

It will be promoted by Probellum, which won the bid to stage his title defense.

“Nag-post pala ang Probellum. May picture pa kay Paul Butler, balak nila tatanggalan daw nila ako ng belt, sige po i-sure niyo lang kasi balak ko din tanggalan ng ULO ang boxer niyo,” posted Casimero on his Facebook page “Quadro Alas It’s My Boy.” Casimero’s post was accompanied by his most recent photo, showing his readiness for the fight.

Toting a fight record of 31 wins against four losses, the 32-year-old hopes to defeat an equally skilled Butler (33 wins, 15 KO, 2 losses), who briefly held the International Boxing Federation title in 2014 as Casimero will try his luck again to entice the best in the division to face him for a unification bout.

Negotiations to fight World Boxing Council champion Nonito Donaire and World Boxing Association/International Boxing Federation titlist Naoya Inoue of Japan failed as the two will instead clash in a rematch on June 7 in Saitama, Japan.

Observers say Donaire and Naoya are dodging Casimero, whose unpredictable style and confidence make him a very dangerous opponent.

In fact, Casimero does not back down from a fight, even off the ring.

When Probellum posted Butler’s photo with the caption “Coming for the WBO strap,” Casimero immediately made known his thoughts about the post.

He stated in the comment section “In your dreams” as a reply to the post.

Ladon, Bautista cruise to Thailand Open finals PHUKET, Thailand—Rogen Ladon and Ian Clark Bautista punched their way to the gold medal round of their weight classes in the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament on Friday at the sprawling Angsana Laguna Phuket Resort Hotel here.

Defending Southeast Asian Games flyweight champion Ladon showed his veteran savvy in the decisive third round, unloading sharp counterpunches to take down hometown bet Thanarat Saengphet, 4-1.

“Ginawa ko lang ‘yung inutos sa’kin ng coaches na labas-pasok, diskarte lang para makuha natin ‘yung laro,” said Ladon, who was guided by coach Don Abnett together with coaches Roel Velasco and Ronald Chavez.

“Nakipagsabayan ako sa kanya (sa third round) kasi alam kong kaya ko siya eh,” said the 2016 Rio Olympics veteran of his sparmate back in the

training camp in Muak Lek District, outside Bangkok. “Tapos labas at puntos-puntos para ako lang ang nakakatama tapos siya hindi.”

Ladon faces the reigning Asian Championships and Asian Games titlist Amit Panghal of India in the finals on Saturday where $2,000 is at stake. Panghal pulled off a convincing 5-0 victory over Tran Van Thao of Vietnam in the other semis tiff.

On the other hand, Bautista delivered an explosive right hook against Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Duong to score a knockout just 1:05 into the second round of their featherweight semis bout.

The 2019 SEA Games bronze winner takes on 2021 World Championships runnerup Serik Termizhanov of Kazakhstan who won via a split 3-2 decision over Rujakran Juntrong of Thailand.

By Peter Atencio

Rogen Ladon (left) throws a left hook even as he tries to evade Thanarat Saengphet of Thailand during their flyweight semifinals bout in the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament.

Avaricio rallies, foils Superal in sudden death

Chanelle Avaricio displays her trophy

Eagles face Tigers, eye sweep of 1st round

SAN PEDRO, Laguna—Chanelle Avaricio sustained her stirring fightback in regulation, foiling Princess Superal with a par on their return trip to the closing par-5 hole to snare the ICTSI Hallow Ridge Ladies Challenge crown in sudden death here yesterday.

Avaricio earlier overcame a twostroke deficit with one hole left, birdying the 18th for a 71 and a crucial two-shot swing that forced a playoff at 216 as Superal blew an overnight three-stroke lead and crumbled with a bogey at the finish for a 74.

Back on the 18th, Avaricio reached the green in regulation and two-putted for par while Superal missed it and chipped to nine feet past the hole. She muffed the putt and Avaricio snatched the victory worth P97,500.

“It all boiled down to execution (of shots) and the putts were also important,” said Avaricio, whose playoff win came after she routed the Superal-less field by seven for her breakthrough victory on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour at Riviera’s Couples course last November.

“I know the course well but it’s challenging every time I play here,” said the former Alabama State U mainstay. “I played steady but I didn’t really hit my shots well and missed a lot of greens. But my short game helped me a lot.”

The Hallow Ridge Filipinas Golf Inc. also awarded Avaricio one-year playing rights as honorary privilege.

“It’s special winning on my home course,” she added.

Superal had also looked poised to mark her return to top podium finish with a wire-to-wire win this week

but her last hole mishap in regulation led to another sorry setback following her loss to amateur sensation Rianne Malixi, who also pounced on a crucial two-shot swing on No. 17 of Luisita to steal the win two weeks ago. Unlike Avaricio, she struggled with her short game, missing a number of chances to settle for another runner-up finish worth P63,750.

Avaricio chopped just one stroke off Superal’s three-shot lead with a 37 start under heavy rains but pulled to within one on a birdie-bogey swing on No. 10.

But the 2019 Ladies Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit winner, who topped the Sherwood and Eagle Ridge legs last July before skipping the Tour’s third restart last November to campaign abroad, racked up three straight birdies from No. 11 to restore a three-stroke lead.

SLOWLY but surely, the Ateneo Blue Eagles are showing the stuff that they are made of in Season 84 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.

Team captain Gian Mamuyac showed leadership when the Blue Eagles mauled the University of the East Warriors, 94-72, on Thursday for its 32nd straight win in three seasons at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Against the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers on Saturday, coach Tab Baldwin promises to show another side of the team when the two squads meet at 4 p.m.

The Growling Tigers, who have a 2- 4 win-loss slate, will seek to bounce back from a two-game losing skid.

“We have shooters, we have inside guys and we’re supposed to have a running game, too, but that really isn’t manifesting really itself right now,” said Baldwin after they registered their sixth straight triumph for the season.

Hurdling the Growling Tigers will allow the Blue Eagles to sweep the first round and make a bid to stretch their historic winning run to the next round.

Statistically, Angelo Kouame and Dave Ildefonso emerged as among Ateneo’s scoring leaders with their norms of 13.67 and 13.6 points, respectively.

Kouame is also one of the team’s three sharp shooters, the others being Raffy Verano and Geoff Chiu.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022

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

Home/Design

OFW haven R

EMITTANCES from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) have kept the Philippine economy afloat and relatively unscathed by regional and global shocks.

With its vision of building a nation of homeowners, SM Development Corporation (SMDC) makes property investment attainable for our modern-day heroes with its low-interest rates and flexible payment options.

SMDC properties, such as the Shore Residences in the Mall of Asia Complex, are built strategically close to major road networks, transportation hubs, and leisure and commercial centers.

These are also master-planned to provide a complete living experience so that residents not only find well-appointed living quarters, but also various leisure spaces like swimming pools, covered court, and play areas when they spend their time close to home.

SMDC Vine Residences in Novaliches, meanwhile, was built anchored on high elevation to address the risk of flooding. Find your new investment today at www.smdc.com

How green is my orchard

Nature, summer activities on tap at Alabang’s Central Park FILINVEST City’s Garden City recently opened Central Park—a new outdoor events and community center in Alabang where people can breathe fresh air, bask in nature’s greeneries while enjoy the company of family and friends.

“Filinvest City’s Central Park is designed to be a breathable and relaxing space where we can be active and enjoy the soothing effects of nature,” explained Don Ubaldo, first vice president for project development – townships.

He added that Filinvest City’s development of Central Park is part of its master plan to provide open spaces that seamlessly integrate nature with city living for a balanced lifestyle within the business district.

Great Lawn The first phase of Central Park, also called the “Great Lawn” is primed to be the convergence point in the city where the open spaces can accommodate al fresco events such as concerts, festivals, bazaars, pet shows, sports, and other related open-air events, especially now that pandemic restrictions ease in Metro Manila.

This summer, the whole community makes use of the one-hectare open space for picnics, biking, sports, and jogging. Visitors can also enjoy the installations found in the park, which include outdoor gym equipment for adults and playground for kids; bike rental services; Moovr PH E-scooters; fitness and sports activities such as Zumba sessions, Flag Football, and Frisbee among others; as well as food bazaar at Central Park’s “Eats by the Park”.

Live acoustic bands on Fridays and Saturdays are some of the special activities in the pipeline this summer.

Botanical garden in the works Also set for completion on the third quarter of this year is the Botanical Garden, which will feature an amphitheater or dedicated events stage to set the landmark of the location.

Central Park is found in the Spectrum District of Filinvest City, Alabang, intersecting Spectrum Linear Park in Spectrum Midway, in between Commerce Avenue and Parkway Avenue in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

The park is just two minutes away from Festival Mall and three-minutes away from Filinvest Tollgate going to South Luzon Expressway, making the area accessible and easy to locate.

Other parks in the city where residents and guests can chill include the Spectrum Linear Park, the green spine traversing Spectrum Midway; River Park and Water Garden in Festival Mall; and Filinvest Axis Park in Northgate Cyberzone. A Creekside Park is set for completion in 2026.

PUEBLO de Oro Development Corporation recently sealed a partnership with The Abba’s Orchard, one of the most esteemed Montessori schools in the country, as an educational partner in its 42-ha mixed-use development in Malvar, Batangas, the Pueblo de Oro Townscapes Malvar.

The Abba’s Orchard will build a onehectare learning center in Townscapes to initially offer its Casa and Level One Program for children between 3–6 and 6-9 years old. The facility stands as the first and only school system in the Asia-Pacific, present in nine major national hubs, equipped, trained, and experienced to offer a high-fidelity Montessori curriculum for children from infancy to adolescence. The Malvar campus will be open in August 2023.

At the signing were were PDO senior vice president and general manager for Luzon Operations Leonardo B. Dayao, Jr.; PDO president and COO Prim B. Nolido; The Abba’s Orchard president and founding director Joseph Christopher N. Barrameda; and The Abba’s Orchard founding director Dr. Ma. Angelica Paez-Barrameda.

SMART CITY EXPANSION. Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC), the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group, recently broke ground on the 57-hectare industrial expansion of the LIMA Estate (LIMA) to host new locators and create an additional 22,000 jobs for the surrounding communities in the Lipa-Malvar industrial corridor. The development is part of the larger 150-hectare expansion to bring new inventory to market for new locators in South Luzon, which will be executed by Aboitiz Construction. At the groundbreaking ceremony were: Antonio Penalver, executive director of Aboitiz Construction; Ma. Jose Geremi Manas, Philippine Economic Zone (PEZA) Zone manager; Rafael Fernandez de Mesa, president of LIMA Land, Inc. and head of Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates; Cosette V. Canilao, president and CEO of Aboitiz InfraCapital; Hon. Mayor Cristeta Reyes of the Municipality of Malvar, Batangas; assistant provincial administrator Colin Berberabe Garcial and Atty. Jean De Castro of ESCA Incorporated.

GOING SOLAR IN PAMPANGA. The Arayat-Mexico solar farm, a joint venture between Citicore and ACEN, Ayala group’s listed energy platform, recently reached its full capacity and is expected to add 105 GWh of renewable energy, to be produced annually, powering some 45,000 households in Pampanga. Once fully operational, the 72 MW solar farm can avoid over 70,000 MT of CO2 emissions annually.

The solar project has a potential expansion of up to 116 MW. ACEN is the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group. The company has over 3,800 MW of attributable capacity in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Australia. Citicore, through its subsidiary Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC), is one of the largest solar renewable energy providers, with eight solar assets in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Tech & Gadgets Container monitoring empowers brokers, truckers THE nearly P900 million Trusted Operator Program-Container Registry and Monitoring System (TOPCRMS) and Empty Container Storage Shared Service Facility (ECSSSF) of the Philippine Ports Authority will empower the logistics industry, particularly Customs brokers and truckers, to work more efficiently.

The initiative quickly drew praise from the Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc. after President Adones C. Carmona wrote a letter to PPA General Manager Atty. Jay Daniel. R. Santiago expressing the CCBI's appreciation "with your initiative of the Container Monitoring Project that no longer requires the container deposits and covers the loss and damages of containers."

The CCBI is the only accredited integrated professional organization of customs brokers in the Philippines by the Professional Regulation Commission and the Professional Regulatory Board for customs brokers. It is backed by its membership of 14,000-strong Customs Brokers nationwide.

According to the PPA in an article published in Port Call, the TOP program would "introduce rational, cohesive, and integrated solutions which will solve persistent systemic problems affecting the overall performance and efficiencies of the PPA in areas related to its frontline and regulatory services, third-party managed services, enforcement services, and inter-agency services."

The early warning signs the container monitoring technology will provide could moderate the costs that customs brokers pay for demurrage, detention, and insurance coverage for the containers. These savings can be invested back into ensuring reduced prices for customers, enhancing customer loyalty.

The technology will even allow them to gain new customers with an accurate and up-to-date communication system.

The TOP-CRMS and ECSSSF are real-time container tracking systems.

They are a series of technological functions that allows customers, shippers, carriers, and freight forwarders to access the latest status updates on cargo. The technology is effective regardless of location, time zone, route, port, personnel, and cargo type.

The CRMS would streamline transactions to support the ease of doing business, trade facilitation, and border protection, the article added.

The early warning signs the container monitoring technology will provide could moderate the costs that customs brokers pay for demurrage, detention, and insurance coverage for the containers.

S

NAPCHAT recently announced new restrictions for app-building policies. In particular, the company has banned anonymous messaging apps and is limiting friend-finding apps to adult users aged 18 and over.

Various services collect data about a user’s age, location, phone numbers, and other details. The easiest way to check what personal information is available publicly is to Google yourself.

Kaspersky experts have created a detailed guide on how to keep personal data private and limit the amount available on the web.

How can users reduce the number of personal information on the web?

The best place to start is with social media. Social media platforms hold a lot of personal data that users may want to keep private, including phone numbers, bank accounts, home location, etc.

The first step is to check and edit the account’s privacy settings. Users can switch their profile to private, which will hide it from search engines and strangers.

How to check an account’s privacy settings: Facebook: There are several ways to make an account private. If users just want to hide their profile from Facebook search, they need to click the “Settings” button on the profile dashboard and then select “Privacy” settings.

They will then see the option “Search for me on Facebook”. If this is set up for “Everyone”, the user’s name and account can be found by everyone across Facebook. To hide their profile from Facebook search, they switch this option to “No one”.

Additionally, users can hide their accounts from search engines like Bing or Google. To do this, they need to go to “Privacy” settings and then click on “Public Search”. They can then tick or untick the “Enable public search” box.

Users can also decide and limit who can see their photos and personal information, such as their current and previous jobs, marital status, school and university information. Users can make this information private through their “Settings” as well.

Twitter Private Twitter accounts can't be found on Twitter or by search engines, like Google and Bing.

To make an account private, users need to click on the “Privacy and Safety” tab on the “Settings” page. Then

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

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How to become ‘invisible’ on the web

Various services collect data about a user’s age, location, phone numbers, and other details. The easiest way to check what personal information is available publicly is to Google yourself.

choose “Protect your Tweets”.

Users can also hide their posting locations for Tweets. This option can also be set through the “Privacy and Safety” tab.

Instagram When an Instagram account is made private, users’ posts are only available to their followers and any of their posts’ hashtags are hidden from search.

To do this, users need to click on the 'Settings' button on the menu. Then select “Privacy” and click the “Private account” button.

What can users do to hide themselves from Google services?

A good place to start is by deleting any cache information. Google robots regularly crawl web pages and store data on the server. This information is stored for some time, but after a month or two it is automatically deleted.

There are some helpful links that can assist with cache clearance, such as Google Remove Information Assistant, Remove Illegal Content Wizard and Remove Images from Google Search Results.

After erasing any personal information, it’s worth Googling oneself again after a few months to make sure the cache and other data has been cleared.

What if users need to delete any spe-

cific information from the web?

To delete specific obsolete information, users need to visit a particular Google link. They should copy the URL of the outdated page in the search bar, which is shown in the top line of the browser. After doing so, they can request deletion by clicking on the appropriate button.

If users find any personal data on a website, they can contact the administration of the website and ask them to clear the sensitive information.

If users don’t want to wait for resource management to clear their data, they can open the service Just Delete Me, enter the name of the site they want to remove their data from and select it from the search results. The service will then redirect users to the profile elimination page.

What else can users do to hide personal data from the web?

It’s also worth it for users to check if any of their personal information is on data broker sites and to hide themselves from these sites to protect their accounts and avoid data breaches.

For this user should, firstly, check if any personal information is on data broker sites or the darknet. Data brokers are services that collect various types of per-

sonal data, analyze it and then send it to other companies.

To check for any data leaks and the security status of personal information, there are special services or comprehensive security solutions that can be used. These security services monitor various platforms, including the darknet, for any possible leaks. If they find one, they immediately let the user know.

Data brokers collect data such as: Web history Bank account details Online purchase history Credit card information Social media data Social Security numbers If users suspect their data was leaked to data brokers or the darknet: It’s important that they change passwords on all accounts and set up multifactor authentication They should write to data broker platforms, like Equifax or Experian, and ask them to delete all personal information.

It may take some time but their sensitive data will be cleared.

They need to check the security of bank accounts. Users should read their credit card statements and check for any suspicious transactions.

Innovative vision care products from Sarabia Optical SARABIA Optical, one of the leading optical brands in the Philippines, is bringing in innovative eyewear products this April to improve the total vision care of Filipinos.

This is also part of Sarabia Cares' campaign that has been launched recently to give people accessibility to vision care services and products.

Sarabia Optical has existed for more than a century after it was pioneered by the first-ever Filipino Optometrist, Dr. Frederico B. Sarabia in 1906.

The brand also carries premium products such as Lindberg, Randolph, Cartier, Gucci and other more eyewear products.

Sarabia Optical also offers Essilor lenses, the world’s leading ophthalmic optics company, and Alcon, one of the biggest distributors of contact lenses in the world.

Last April 1, Sarabia Optical

launched two of their innovative lenses called Blue Defense and Sun Sensor.

Due to the health crisis that the Philippines is experiencing today, a lot of people are now on their phones and computers, working and communicating with friends and families. However, little did people know that these kind of

technologies emit blue light that causes eye strain and headache.

Blue Defense is a specialized lens that protect your eyes from harmful blue light, preventing headache, eye strain, and blurry vision. Blue Defense is made from advanced technology that makes it smudge repellant and water repellant. It also has anti-reflection capability that makes the eyes relaxed.

This lens is perfect for people who are always on their computers and phones, as it deflects blue light, protecting your eyes from this artificial light.

While people protect their eyes from blue light, UV rays are as harmful as the said artificial light. UV Rays can cause corneal sunburn that results in eye redness and blurry vision. Sarabia Optical has Sun Sensor that protects the eyes from UV rays.

The uniqueness of the product is that when used indoors, it is

totally clear, but when used outdoors, the lens darken to ensure protection of the eyes from UV rays.

Sarabia Optical is also eager to open several stores within Metro Manila this year to offer this innovative products to people for their vision care. The brand's vision this year is to give people accessibility to affordable vision care.

Mastering digital lifestyle with Xiaomi 12 series: Now available LIVING your best life means having the right tools to help you embrace all your passions. Today’s young and dynamic achievers know with their minds, hearts and guts that it’s no longer a choice between these experiences and interests.

They are all within reach as long as one has mastered the digital lifestyle.

Enable your digital and ever upwardly mobile life with the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro, and grab yours today at the ongoing #Xiaomi12Series open sale. Shop now on Lazada and Shopee, or at any authorized Xiaomi store nationwide.

Designed to masterfully capture perfect moments The Xiaomi 12’s camera possesses a ProFocus feature that allows it to learn and track the algorithm of the subject allowing for a clear capture of a moving subject. Moreover, the Great Portrait Mode and Ultra Night Video makes it a snap to capture spectacular images even in low-light conditions, as it automatically brightens the scene and details in the photo or video. These features make the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro among

Photo taken using the Xiaomi 12 Pro

the best camera phones in the market today.

The QUAD speakers with SOUND BY Harman Kardon gives the most crisp, cleanest sound, while the WQHD+ dynamic 120HZ AMOLED display delivers spectacularly clear colors and visuals, providing an incomparable entertainment experience.

Energized to help you get the most out of life Living in the moment also means being able to perform important tasks efficiently and when needed. From paying the bills to video call meetings, catching up

on social media, and recreational activities, these have become more convenient and even fun to do on a smartphone. This is why the Xiaomi 12 series’ HyperCharge and Turbo Charging features on its battery matters significantly, ensuring that your phone always has the energy for all tasks, whether important or fun.

The Xiaomi 12 series’ wired charger with up to 67W wired charging lets you charge completely and at an unprecedented speed of just 39 minutes. On the other hand, the 50W wireless charging fills the battery in just 53 minutes.

The Xiaomi 12 Series is peak performance smartphone running on Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and has the following key specs: Xiaomi Xiaomi 12 12 Series Pro Key Specs: Pro-grade

triple 50MP camera array: 50MP telephoto and 50MP ultra-wide lenses Leading Snapdragon 8 Gen 1: Advanced 4nm processor with 5G All-Around Elevated Sensory Experience: WQHD+ dynamic 120HZ AMOLED display and Quad speakers, SOUND

BY Harman Kardon Smart 120W Xiaomi HyperCharge: 50W wireless turbo charging Xiaomi 12 Key Specs: 50MP Pro-grade main camera: Ultrawide and telemacro lenses Leading Snapdragon 8 Gen 1: Advanced 4nm processor with dual 5G All-round elevated sensory experience: 120Hz AMOLED display and Dual speakers, SOUND BY Harman Kardon 67W wired and 50W wireless turbo charging: Long-lasting 4,500mAh(typ) battery Get your very own Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro, and masterfully capture and share every moment. You may purchase them in official Xiaomi stores and resellers near you or visit their flagship stores on Lazada and Shopee.

Motoring

MILO RIVERA Sub-editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022

GAC Motor PH previews ‘the future’ with EMPOW55, 2nd-gen GS8 at 2022 MIAS

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AC Motor Philippines made its comeback at the 2022 Manila International Auto Show by delighting the guests with vehicle previews of the EMPOW55 sports sedan, and the 2nd generation GS8.

GAC EMPOW55 Sports Sedan* Initially launched as a concept at the 2020 Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition, the EMPOW55 is the official entry of the brand into the sports sedan segment and is the first model to use the brand’s GPMA (Global Platform Modular Architecture) system.

The GAC EMPOW55 has a low center

LET’S imagine you belong to a family of around five to seven, and suddenly, it’s been decided that a new car is to be purchased for your road trips or family/group getaways.

Yet, there’s a catch: you only have a PHP1M budget. Sounds like a joke, right? Well, believe it or not, a full-sized SUV can now be yours within that caveat, and you even have a little over PHP100,000.00 to spare afterward.

The Kaicene CX-70 - given that price tag may sound like the perfect “budget meal” car.

Well, it actually is - because it doesn’t even feel like a “budget meal” vehicle - it’s actually much better. From the magnificent amount of legroom and general space its MASSIVE cabin provides, to the surprisingly peppy torque and power its 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine unleashes, this SUV shall overwhelmingly exceed your expectations.

Not to mention its impressive features and finishes in between that would make your

of gravity (boasts of a drag coefficient of 0.26), short front overhang, wide track, long wheelbase, and a wide body.

Contributing to its meaner stance are the Mecha grille that has double-sided blade air curtains; four exhaust pipes, 18-inch alloy wheels, and a high-performance rear deflector. Its slim and upswept LED headlights, sloping rear windshield, and

slim LED taillights contribute to the vehicle’s coupe-like appearance.

Apart from using the GPMA platform, the EMPOW55 is also the pioneering model that will use ADiGO 3.0 smart driving system as well as GAC Motor’s all-new ‘Mega Wave Power’ technology that focuses on the vehicle’s vitality, reliability, and energy efficiency.

Powering the EMPOW55 is GAC Motor’s 4th generation of 2.0ATK engine that has achieved a thermal efficiency of 42.10%, capable of producing more power, more agile response, and lowering fuel consumption.

2nd-Generation GS8* GAC Motor Philippines further gave the spectators a glimpse of its future mobility with the preview of the brand’s

2nd-generation model of its flagship SUV, the GS8.

The GAC GS8 rides on the brand’s new GPMA-L platform and features a new multi-link rear suspension system that can provide its passengers with comfort, luxury, space, and better performance.

Under the hood, the GAC GS8 is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that is capable of producing 252 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque. Its front-wheel drivetrain is mated to a new 8-speed automatic transmission from Aisin. Its vertical LED headlights and massive “Dragon Scale Wing” front grille contribute to the stately and masculine look of the SUV. The rear profile has been redesigned

Editor’s Review:

value from our choices as much as possibleespecially when we’re on a tight budget. Yet as for the Kaicene CX-70, those cliches I mentioned have been taken to a whole new level, for all the good reasons. Milo Rivera

*Specifications of the EMPOW55 and the 2nd-generation GS8 may vary from the actual unit that will be released in the Philippines.

Some Sights from the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS)

MS Weekend Drive with the Kaicene CX-70

trips with the clan or barkada safe and sound.

In a world where purchasing goods or necessities pushes us to live by the sayings, “buy more for less” or “let’s look for a good bargain”, we’d always want to get the best

and is being complemented with a “Red Diamond” tail light.

Inside, the GS8 boasts a 12.25inch digital instrument cluster, and a 14.6-inch center LED touchscreen information display that controls most of the functions of the vehicle. It also has a floating lower center console that is capable of wirelessly charging multiple devices.

GAC Motor Philippines will be holding the official launch of the EMPOW55 and the 2nd-generation GS8 Hybrid in 2023.

French Powerhouse Peugeot with their new elite SUV line up

MPT South’s e-patrol vehicle

A new member to the Tiggo family

Nostalgia Porsche

From Sweden with Love

The BRZ and Forester

Supercars from the Michelin booth

The All-New Foton Thunder 2.0

The massively stunning 2022 GAC GS8

The Mutt Motorscycles cavalry

The SEAOIL modern motorhome by Atoy Customs

The GAC Empow

A new car to call ‘your own’ - The Kinto One way BEFORE, the mindset of ‘buying what you actually need and not just want’ was the common practice, where buying should have a purpose (need) rather than being a useless whim (wanted). To some, buying a car may still be stressful and a big-ticket item in terms of accountability, but not when done with KINTO One’s car leasing services. With its full range of leasing service inclusions, one just needs to sit back and enjoy the drive.

Filipinos generally look at the honesty, integrity, and credibility of products and service suppliers. Well that one’s pretty much covered since KINTO One is a product of Toyota Financial Services Philippines Corporation, a trusted financing and leasing services partner that’s under the direct supervision of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). If you’d like to drive any of Toyota’s crowd-favorite units that KINTO One initially offers like the Vios 1.5 G CVT, the Rush 1.5 G A/T, the Corolla Altis 1.8 HV, and Fortuner 2.4 G A/T (Diesel), you’re in the right place.

One of the many concerns a typical car buyer has is the payout. With KINTO One, there’s no need to worry about shelling out additional money. To get started, visit https:// www.kintoph.com so potential customers can

choose the car they want, even the lease term and mileage.

The initial cash-out is just a security deposit equivalent to the two months lease.

And it’s completely cashless since it can be paid online so another less worry, and being a security deposit, it will be returned at the end of the plan if mileage and vehicle condition requirements under the lease terms are met, minus deductions, of course, in case of certain infractions. Going to the website also allows clients to check the status of their application and at the same time keep track of the vehicle’s release.

Never leased and are worried about getting approved? Submitting your application is also made hassle-free since KINTO One has dispensed the usual guarantor or co-maker requirement by regular financing plans. With KINTO One, all that’s needed are a valid driver’s license, a major credit card like Visa or Mastercard, a deposit account (Savings or Current), proof of income, plus proof of billing such as utility bills. Foreigners can also avail of the plan as long as they have a valid

FOUR STRAIGHT HOURS OF RACING HAPPENING TODAY. 23 cars are expected to go all-out as the 2022 Petron Kagitingan Cup 4-Hr Endurance Race flags off at 1 PM today, with the goal of covering the most number of laps around the historic Batangas Racing Circuit in Rosario, Batangas. Race drivers from current top names in the local motorsport scene, to up-and-coming talents, to even returning veterans of the sport, are to give it their all for their respective teams as this endurance race marks the start of the season-long Petron Makabayan Cup Endurance Series. The season’s succeeding legs are to happen in June and November.

Viewers may catch the adrenaline-pumping action LIVE via the Petron Makabayan Cup Endurance Race Challenge Series FB page, with qualifying sessions starting at 7:30 a.m. Clark International Speedway&Batangas Racing Circuit

international or Philippine driver’s license, passport with the latest arrival stamp, Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) or work permit, work certification from a company indicating contract or assignment period, plus proof of income, major credit cards, proof of billing and deposit account in a major local bank.

No trusted mechanic for periodic maintenance service? Scared of skyrocketing expenses for parts? Annual registration worries? No problem since KINTO One made sure these regular expenses are part of regular monthly lease payments. Just bring the vehicle to authorized Toyota dealers for maintenance. These are done through the KINTO Concierge Service. This also applies during regular maintenance/servicing, where the client is informed when the vehicle is due for servicing and maintenance, and even for insurance claims. All the client has to do is bring the vehicle to the dealer.

Another less worry is annual comprehensive insurance, which is roughly P30,800 a year for a vehicle like a Fortuner because this is already tucked in under the lease package of KINTO One. But the best part of KINTO One is when the lease term ends, just bring the old vehicle back to the releasing dealer, apply for a new lease and be on the road again and drive a brand new Toyota vehicle once all papers are processed and the security deposit is settled.

It’s that simple!

Now, whether Filipinos or even expats, can have the luxury of driving around the metropolis on a leased vehicle for their mobility needs, even if they don’t have a fixed length of stay in the country. They won’t have to think about the usual hassles of insurance, service maintenance, etc. because KINTO will take care of it for them.

For more about KINTO One and promo details, visit their Facebook page, KINTO Philippines, the KINTO Philippines website at www.kinto-ph.com.

Photos by Milo Rivera