Manila Standard - 2022 June 3 - Friday

twitter.com/ MlaStandard

facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

S

manilastandard.net

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

China rejects PH protest on fishing ban in WPS BEIJING has ignored Manila's protest Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman against its unilateral fishing ban in the Zhao Lijian insisted imposing the ban South China Sea, including areas that was within its sovereign right. are within the exclusivr economic zone "The summer fishing moratorium Next page of the Philippines.

VOL. XXXVI • NO. 107 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BBM picks National Museum For his oathtaking, inauguration on June 30 as nation's 17th President SPRUCING UP.

P

RESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will take his oath of office at the National Museum, the incoming chief of his Presidential Management Staff (PMS) said Thursday.

"The National Museum of (the) Philippines building and its surrounding areas match our requirements for Presidentelect Marcos' inauguration.

Preparations

are already in full swing to ensure that it will be ready by then," said PMS secretary-designate Zenaida Angping.

The National Museum, formerly known as the Old Legislative Building, has served as the venue for the inauguration of former presidents

Manuel L. Quezon (1935), Jose P. Laurel (1943), and Manuel Roxas (1946).

It is one of three historical sites earlier being considered by the Marcos camp as possible inaugural venues.

Next page

Workers from the Department of Public Works and Highways spruce up the historic National Museum of Philippines which will be the venue for the oath-taking of President-elect Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. as the country's 17th President on June 30, 2022. Formerly known as the Old Legislative Building, it has served as venue for the inauguration of former Presidents Manuel Quezon (1935), Jose Laurel (1943), and Manuel Roxas (1946). Danny Pata

COVID cases in provinces, cities DTI warns of new price hikes for goods up but PH keeps low-risk status

By Othel V. Campos

By Willie Casas and Joel E. Zurbano ABOUT 70 percent of provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent component cities showed an increase in cases, but the Philippines remains at a low-risk classification for COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.

The DOH said severe and critical cases remain at less than 1.5 percent of hospital admissions nationwide.

However, the DOH stressed the importance of minimum public health standards.

“Masking, ventilation, and sanitation are important interventions to complement vaccination in mitigating the risks of transmission among our population,” it said.

Next page

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) expects another round of price hikes in the third quarter as companies file petitions for increases in the suggested

retail price (SRP) of their products.

“This will not happen during my term as I am on my way out. The new leadership will have to deal with this, but I will still support the new administration and if they will reach out, I am willing to help out,”

Senate orders release of two Pharmally execs

DOH allays fears of nosebleed virus

By Willie Casas THERE is little to no risk that the virus that causes people to bleed to death will enter the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.

Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), the DOH said the CrimeanCongo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF),

which is currently blighting Iraq, can cause severe viral fever.

According to the DOH, common symptoms include fever, muscle ache, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, backache, headache, sore eyes, sensitivity to light, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sore throat.

Next page

By Macon Ramos-Araneta PHARMALLY Pharmaceutical Corp. officials Mohit Dargani and Linconn Ong were released from the Pasay City Jail on Thursday morning after six months in detention on the Senate’s orders.

Outgoing Senate President Vicente Sotto III signed their release order, which was handed to Pasay City Jail Warden Supt. Ramil Vestra, for “immediate Next page implementation.”

LINCONN ONG

Migz to Robin: Study hard on Charter laws 18TH CONGRESS BIDS FAREWELL.

Senators take a group photo to mark the last session of the 18th Congress. Among the 'graduates' whose terms are ending on June 30 are Senate President Vicente Sotto II, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, and Senators Panfilo Lacson, Richard Gordon, Francis Pangilinan, Manny Pacquiao, and Leila de Lima.

In the House of Representatives, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez (center) delivers a message at the plenary Wednesday evening.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.

While the entire global supply chain is in dire straits, Lopez encouraged companies to intensify local sourcing and provide alternative inputs, particularly for Next page food manufacturing.

ACTOR-turned-Senator-elect Robin Padilla was advised Thursday by incoming Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and outgoing Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon to study hard on Philippine law and the Constitution.

This as Padilla was reportedly eyeing the chairmanship of the Senate Next page

Depp wins defamation case against Heard A JUBILANT Johnny Depp said Wednesday that a US jury "gave me my life back" by overwhelmingly taking his side in a bitter defamation battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard over mutual allegations of domestic abuse.

The jury, after a six-

week trial, found that Depp and Heard had defamed each other, but weighed in far more strongly with the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star.

The 58-yearold Depp, who lost a libel case against The Sun tabloid in London in 2020 for calling him a "wife-beater," celebrated the split verdict in the case as a Next page

A2

News

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Suspect in Mindanao bombing killed A N ALLEGED member of Daulah Islamiyah (DI) was killed and another one was arrested in M’lang, Cotabato on Wednesday in an operation against the suspects in the recent bombings in Mindanao, the military said.

In a statement issued Thursday, the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) identified the fatality as Monir Lintukan, and the arrested suspect as Randy Karon or “Bong.” Both allegedly belong to the DI Maguindanao Group.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is also looking into possible lapses in the security measures in the wake of the four bomb attacks in Mindanao, as police commanders are warned against sloppy work

in protecting their areas of responsibility.

PNP director for operations Maj. Gen. Valeriano de Leon said the Regional Director of the Police Regional Office 9 is assessing if there were lapses in the intelligencegathering and security measures in Isabela City in Basilan, where two people were injured in Monday’s twin explosions.

The 602nd Infantry Brigade and Police Regional Office 12 targeted the suspects in the explosions reported in Parang, Ma-

DTI..

softening in the price of local goods like beef and other meat inputs from the January 2022 pricing, a trend the DTI expects should be sustained throughout the year.

Last month, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said there is still a shortage in the local production of fish, pork, and rice due in part to years ofå neglect of agriculture.

In an interview on GMA-7, Dar said there was still a scarcity in fish and pork, and rice levels were only at 92 percent.

“Local production is not enough,” he said.

Speaking of the low priority given to agriculture, Dar said the Philippines only allocates 1.5 percent of its budget to the sector while other countries dedicate 3.5 percent to 6 percent of their budget.

Dar said the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will inherit an agriculture sector that has been "under-budgeted, and neglected all these 30 years.”

"It’s gasping for breath, and we need sizable budgetary support to make it possible to really now unlock the potential of Philippine agriculture," said Dar, who was appointed DA chief in 2019.

In May, the DTI updated the SRP for basic necessities and prime commodities for 218 stock keeping units (SKU) within the jurisdiction of the DTI. In a bulletin published on May 11, 2022, the DTI has approved a minimum increase for 82 basic necessities and prime commodities in its latest SRP list while 136 SKUs or 62 percent were unchanged from the Jan. 27, 2022 SRP Bulletin prices. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

From A1

“This is a good opportunity for local producers to step up. They should supply the needs and required inputs for manufacturing and processing and show the world that we have our own supply,” he said in a panel briefing during the launch of the e-Presyo App Thursday.

He pushed for increased local sourcing of fruits, vegetables and pork products, to stave off the threat of a food crisis.

“The supply chain disruption is a global issue, an offshoot of the RussiaUkraine war. This is a difficulty beyond our control, therefore we should manage what we can control, which is what we have at the local front,” Lopez said.

Adding to the supply chain crisis is the increasing cost of shipping and logistics that doubled at the time of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While Philippine trade with Russia and Ukraine was marginally low at 0.5 percent, the war severely affected global supply due to economic sanctions enforced on Russia’s tradable goods, affecting a number of Philippine imports such as crude, wheat and palm oil.

The Philippines biggest sources of wheat are the US, Australia, Romania, Ukraine and Russia. In 2020, the Philippines imported $1.49 billion in wheat, becoming the 8th largest importer of wheat in the world. In the same year, wheat was the 7th most imported product in the Philippines.

Despite the surge in importation costs of several commodities, the DTI noted a

DOH...

From A1

“CCHF is said to be endemic to Africa, the Balkan states, the Middle East, and some northern Asian countries.

The DOH sees little to no risk of the virus entering Philippine borders,” the DOH said in a written response to media queries.

The DOH said CCHF is commonly transmitted through tick bites or contact with infected animal blood, tissue, and fluids.

Symptoms are treated with general supportive care, as well as the antiviral drug ribavirin.

The latest report from WHO shows that Iraq has so far reported 97 confirmed cases and 27 fatalities.

Despite this, WHO is not recommending any restriction on travel to and trade with Iraq.

This year, Iraq has recorded 19 deaths among 111 CCHF cases in humans, according to the WHO. The virus has no vaccine and onset can be swift, causing severe bleeding both internally and externally and especially from the nose.

It causes death in as many as twofifths of cases, according to medics.

Transmitted by ticks, hosts of the virus include both wild and farmed animals such as buffalo, cattle, goats, and sheep, all of which are common in the Dhi Qar area in Iraq.

"Animals become infected by the bite of infected ticks," according to the WHO.

Depp...

From A1

victory while Heard said she was "heartbroken."

The five-man, two-woman jury, after deliberating over three days, unanimously found Heard liable for all three counts of defamation against Depp and awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

Virginia law caps punitive damages at $350,000 meaning the total award is $10.35 million.

The 36-year-old Heard prevailed on just one of the three counterclaims she made against Depp and the jury awarded her compensatory damages – but a much lower amount of $2 million.

A somber Heard, her eyes downcast, listened impassively as the verdict was read out in Fairfax County Circuit Court near the US capital.

"The disappointment I feel today is beyond words," she said in a statement. "I'm heartbroken that the mountain of evidence

"The CCHF virus is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter," it added.

The surge of cases this year has shock ed officials since numbers far exceed recorded cases in the 43 years since the virus was first documented in Iraq in 1979.

The numbers are still tiny compared with the Covid-19 pandemic—where Iraq has registered over 25,200 deaths and 2.3 million recorded cases, according to WHO figures—but health workers are worried.

CCHF's fatality rate is between 10 and 40 percent, the WHO says.

The WHO's representative in Iraq, Ahmed Zouiten, said there were several "hypotheses" for the country's outbreak.

They included the spread of ticks in the absence of livestock spraying campaigns during Covid in 2020 and 2021.

And "very cautiously, we attribute part of this outbreak to global warming, which has lengthened the period of multiplication of ticks," he said.

But "mortality seems to be declining", he added, as Iraq had mounted a spraying campaign while new hospital treatments had shown "good results."

Since the virus is "primarily transmitted" to people via ticks on livestock, most cases are among farmers, slaughterhouse workers, and veterinarians, the WHO says. (See full story online at manilastandard. net) still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.”

"I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women," she said. "It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously."

Depp, who has been in England for the past few days, was not in court for the verdict in the high-profile trial that hinged on lurid claims and counterclaims of domestic abuse between the Hollywood celebrities.

But he welcomed the verdict in a statement posted on Instagram which quickly received millions of "likes."

"Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people, who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed," Depp said. AFP (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

guindanao; Koronadal City, South Cotabato; and Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat.

"We cannot sacrifice that every day we suffer bombs in your respective areas, or there are better ones who can replace the commanders,” De Leon said in a statement Thursday.

He said PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. has ordered police regional directors to investigate the blasts to find out if there were lapses in the intelligence units and personnel.

According to Wesmincom, the law enforcement support operation led to an encounter with an undetermined number of DI members led by Almoben Camen Sebod or “Polok.”

Sebod was allegedly a full-time member of the group directly involved in extortion and scam activities, the military said.

After the firefight, operating troops recovered the body of Lintukan.

Also recovered from the area were a 5.56mm M16 rifle, a long M16 magazine with 41 rounds, cartridge of a cal.

5.56mm, a bandolier, and an improvised explosive device, the military said.

On May 26, a tricycle driver was hurt in an explosion inside a bus in Koronadal City, South Cotabato. Another explosion at a vacant lot was reported in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat on the same day.

(See full story online at manilastandard.net)

PROTEST. Climate activists hold a demonstration in Makati City on June 2, 2022 to protest the continued support of Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation for fossil projects. Rally organizer Asian Peoples Movement for Debt and Development said SMBC has poured over $109 billion into oil, gas and coal projects between 2016 and 2021 despite being a member of the Net Zero Banking Alliance. Jimmy A. Domingo

BBM...

From A1

The other two were the Quirino Grandstand and Fort Santiago.

The Quirino Grandstand was where Marcos’ father and namesake, the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., held his inauguration as the country's 10th president in 1965.

Angping said the Quirino Grandstand was not chosen as the venue for Marcos’ inauguration because the ocular inspection team had noticed that it was surrounded by several field hospitals accommodating patients with COVID-19.

"The safety and welfare of our people are paramount. As such, we chose to avoid disrupting the medical care being given to the COVID-19 patients housed there.

That's why we opted for the National Museum as the venue," she added.

On May 25, Marcos was proclaimed

by Congress as the country’s new president after winning the 2022 national elections by a landslide 31,629,783 votes, or more than 16 million votes ahead of the closest contender, Vice President Leni Robredo.

Marcos said he was humbled as Congress formally declared him President-elect on Wednesday, then promised Filipinos he would "strive for

COVID...

From A1

In May, the Philippines detected the more transmissible Omicron subvariant BA.4 and confirmed the local transmission of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1, of which there are now 22 cases.

At present, the Philippines has recorded a total of 3,690,707 cases, of which 2,320 remain active. The death toll from COVID-19 has reached 60,455.

A researcher who has focused on the pandemic, meanwhile, said the Philippines should wait a little longer before lifting mask mandates.

OCTA Research Fellow Dr. Guido David cited as an example New York City in the US, where an increase in COVID-19 cases followed the scrapping of the mask mandate.

David also said it was premature to consider the country out of the woods.

Globally, COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to decline. But the World Health Organization (WHO) urged the public to treat these figures with caution due to a significantly reduced amount of testing in many countries.

“The pandemic is not over. We continue to call on all countries to

China...

From A1

in the South China Sea adopted by China is a normal measure of protecting marine biological resources in waters under China’s jurisdiction, and a manifestation of fulfilling obligations under international law including UNCLOS by the Chinese side," he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila earlier said it does not recognize China’s fishing moratorium that will run

perfection" as the country's 17th Chief Executive while asking "all to pray for me... (and) wish me well."

With Congress, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, certifying the results of the May 9 general elections after the fastest official counting of votes in the country's history—done over just two days—Marcos Jr. and running mate Sara Duterte-Carpio were declared President and Vice President, respectively.

“I want to do well because when a President does well, the country does well, and I want to do well for this country," Marcos, 64, told reporters at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City.

“I am humbled because for anyone in public service or in a public life, the most valuable you may receive from fellow citizens is their vote because embedded in that vote are their hopes and aspirations for the future,” said Marcos Jr., who went by "presumptive president" for about 16 days before Congress ratified the results of the automated elections.

"Also embedded in that vote are the trust and confidence that they give to you to take them to that aspirational future. And that is why to have received over 31 million votes from our countrymen is as valuable an expression of trust as can be had by anyone in public life," he added. maintain testing and sequencing services, to give us a clearer picture of where the virus is spreading, and how it’s changing,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus.

On Wednesday night, Pfizer completed the delivery of 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 years old following the arrival of 2,400 doses in Manila Wednesday night.

The shipment arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 via Air Hong Kong flight LD-456 around 8:37 p.m.

The latest vaccine delivery completes the national government’s purchase of 15 million vaccine doses from the US-based manufacturer Pfizer-BioNTech.

To date, the country has received over 245 million vaccine doses since February 2021.

A year and two months since the national COVID-19 vaccination program was launched, a total of 73,993,483 Filipinos have already received their first vaccine dose, while 69,366,505 individuals have been fully vaccinated as of May 31.

About 2.8 million children aged 5 to 11 years old have been fully vaccinated since the pediatric vaccination started on Feb. 7 this year. (See full story online at manilastandard.net) until August 16 as it covers waters in areas where the Philippines exercises "sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction."

But Zhao said China "cannot accept the unwarranted accusation" of the Philippines contained in its diplomatic protest on May 30.

"We hope the Philippine side can view it in an objective and correct perspective, and earnestly fulfill the obligations as a littoral state of the South China Sea to jointly promote sustainable development of fishery in the South China Sea," Zhao said.

LTFRB to deploy ‘mystery riders’ vs. overcharging app-based rides

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is set to deploy "mystery riders" on transport network vehicle services (TNVS) following complaints of overcharging passengers.

This was after the LTFRB on Thursday warned Transport Network Companies (TNCs) of excessive fares amid complaints from passengers.

Based on a complaint submitted to the board, it was found that a TNC was charging as much as P1,000 representing a oneway ride due to what is called a “Priority Boarding Fee.” The LTFRB is currently investigating the said complaint.

Under Memorandum Circular No. 2019036, the fares for the TNVS are supposed to be a P40 flag-down rate for sedan-type TNVS, with P15 fare per kilometer and P2.00 per minute travel fare.

For Premium AUV/SUVs, the flagdown rate is at P50 with P18 per kilometer fare and P2 per minute travel, while Hatchback or Sub-compact type TNVS have a P30 flag-down rate with P13 per kilometer fare rate and P2.per minute travel fare.

Whistleblower Jun Lozada surrenders after graft conviction RODOLFO “Jun” Lozada, a former whistleblower in the controversial broadband network deal with Chinese company ZTE Corp., surrendered to authorities Thursday after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction in a graft case.

Lozada turned himself in to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) with his brother, who is also implicated in the case.

The graft case stemmed from Lozada’s decision, as then president and chief executive officer of the state-owned Philippine Forest Corporation (PhilForest) in 2007, to award to his brother a leasehold right of some 6,599 hectares of public land.

Lozada earlier said lamented the SC ruling had something to do with his exposè on the ZTE deal.

“My enemies made good with their threats that they will make me regret for telling the truth," he said in a previous interview.

Senate...

From A1

The two Pharmally officials have been detained at the Pasay City Jail since November last year for failing to produce the firm’s financial documents earlier subpoenaed by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee led by Sen. Richard Gordon.

Before being transferred to the PCJ, Ong had been under Senate custody since September 21, 2021.

He was cited in contempt for repeatedly being "evasive" and "lying under oath" in a probe about their company’s involvement in the multibillion-peso purchase of COVID-19 supplies for the government.

On the other hand, Dargani was arrested on November 14, 2021, as he attempted to leave the country via a chartered plane at the Davao City International Airport.

Gordon's panel investigated Pharmally over alleged irregularities in government transactions worth billions of pesos for COVID-19 response medical supplies.

It was discovered that P42 billion in COVID-19 funds were transferred from the Department of Health to the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).(See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Migz...

From A1

Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes and Laws, which is usually led by a lawyer.

Zubiri said he told Padilla: "You have to know the legal terminologies. You cannot simplify complicated legal terminologies, particularly on revising laws and the Constitution, especially if you are debating with constitutionalists or deans of the law schools of different colleges."

The incumbent Senate Majority Leader, who has gained the support of most of his peers to become Senate President in the 19th Congress when it opens July 1, said Padilla should study constitutional amendments and revision of laws well.

"Remember, it also includes revision of laws, so laws that need to be revised and amended, especially those related to criminal law and other corporate law.

These will all go through you," said Zubiri.

Aside from constitutional amendments, Zubiri noted that revisions of existing laws are also part of the tasks of the committee, hence the need for it to be led by a lawyer. Macon Ramos-Araneta (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

News

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022

A3

IN BRIEF BOC surpasses May collection target THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) surpassed its May 2022 target collection by 20.8 percent or P11.767 billion, with actual collections of P68.245 billion against the P56.478 billion target.

Based on the preliminary report from the BOC-Financial Service, 15 of the 17 collection districts exceeded their targets for May, These districts were Port of San Fernando, Port of Manila, MICP, Ports of Batangas, Legaspi, Iloilo, Cebu, Tacloban, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Davao, Subic, Clark, Aparri, and Limay.

To date, the BOC collected P322.472 billion since January reflecting 47.5 percent of the 2022 annual target collection of P679.226 billion. Vito Barcelo

DRUGS GO UP IN SMOKE.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) burns some P14.29 billion worth of illegal drugs in an incineration facility in Trece Martires City, Cavite.

Danny Pata

Doctors caution vs. complacency amid normalcy A GROUP of physicians has served caution against public complacency amid relaxed mobility restrictions and increased economic activity across the country, even as they urged the government to pursue an aggressive vaccination program to protect the people against new variants and further infection surges.

The Department of Health (DOH) reported that it had detected the first case of Omicron BA.2.12, a COVID subvariant, deemed responsible for the rise in the number of cases in the United States.

“COVID and influenza are here to stay,” said Dr. Ralph Villalobos, a pulmonary medicine specialist of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, during last month’s annual convention of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians.

“We must manage respiratory infections as we return to normal life,” he said.

During the convention titled “Innovating with the Speed of Need,” Dr. Rontgene Solante, chair of the Adult Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Department and Fellowship Program at the San Lazaro Hospital, identified the various treatment options for influenza.

Among these antiviral medications recommended for influenza treatment were oseltamivir, baloxavir, zanamivir and peramivir, he said. They have no significant drug-to-drug interactions with COVID-19 drugs, especially with tocilizumab, remdesivir, or any drugs like steroids.

Baloxavir, particularly, has been proven effective and well tolerated in otherwise healthy patients, and is also effective in high-risk patients, as found in a Phase III trial conducted globally. It is associated with fewer complications.

Mindanao’s 3.17-km span 50% done—DPWH

DENR reviews Sarangani Bay Protective Seascape accords

By Rio N. Araja

T

HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is reviewing five agreements on the 215,950-hectare Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape to ensure that the contracts abide by existing policies.

The review is being undertaken in compliance with a directive by former DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu to convert all compliant instruments into special use agreements in protected areas (SAPAs) pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992, as amended by RA 11038, otherwise known as the Expanded NIPAS (ENIPAS) Act of 2018.

The law allows the grant of tenure instrument to certain development projects

called “special uses,” except in strict nature reserves and in designated strict protection zones, for a term of 25 years, renewable for the same length of period.

The resource-use projects in the seascape with SAPA applications, covers 104,049 square meters (sqm) or 10.4 hectares under a memoranda of agreement with Cargil Oil Mills Philippines Inc. for a jetty-pier project (44,358 sqm), YBS Green Oil Corp.’s oil depot and terminal project (34,444 sqm), Petron

Corp.’s fuel terminal project (11,373 sqm), Seatrade Canning Corp.’s tuna processing and production plant (9,925 sqm) and Alliance Select Food International Inc.’s wastewater treatment and wharf facilities (3,949 sqm).

The Kamanga Agro-Industrial Ecozone Development Corp., which also holds a memorandum of agreement (MoA), has been issued SAPA for a jetty-pier project covering an area of 211,970 sqm.

“This measure is aimed at making development projects covered by MoA consistent not only with the NIPAS Act, as amended, but with the Indigenous Peoples Right Act of 19977,” Secretary Jim Sampulna said.

He said there are ancestral lands within protected areas that are covered by the agreements.

QUICK TO THE RESCUE.

Firefighters immediately respond to a fire at a warehouse housing electronic parts along P. Casal in Quiapo, Manila, preventing the blaze not to go any further than the first alarm.

Norman Cruz

BARMM enhances state services to bring gov’t closer to the people

By Nash B. Maulana COTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro Region eyes improvements in local governance in more physical and institutional terms to bring the government closer to the people.

Thus, on May 20, the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) opened newly-built barangay hall build-

ings in the villages of Lower Bager and Patot, Pigcawayan Cluster, Special Geographic Area (SGA).

The Office of Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Al-Hajj Murad Ibrahim has appropriated funds for the two-storey buildings worth P3.5 million each through the MILG of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)

SPD nabs 3 robbery suspects THE Southern Police District on Thursday announced the arrest of three members of a criminal gang believed responsible for a series of robbery incidents involving Alfamart convenience store branches in south Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

SPD director Brig. Gen. Jimili Macaraeg said the suspects, identified as Vez Nathaniel Sunga, 34; Gerald Daroy, 27, and Eduardo lgnacio, 49, all of Tondo, Manila, were members of the notorious Lucky robbery and kidnapping group.

He said the suspects were arrested in a hot pursuit operation at Molave Compound in Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City on Tuesday, just a few hours after the gang robbed the

Alfamart store at Meliton Espiritu Compound branch in Barangay San Antonio in Parañaque City.

Macaraeg said the suspects entered the store using a bolt cutter, destroyed the roll-up door padlock, and took one CCTV digital video recorder, a computer; and more than P60,000 cash.

Witnesses told the police the suspects fled on board a Nissan Serena after the incident. But the Parañaque City Police chanced upon the getaway car and followed the suspects all the way to Pasig City.

“With the assistance of the mobile patrollers of Pasig City police, the suspects were arrested,” Macaraeg said.

Joel E. Zurbano

MILG Minister Naguib Sinarimbo said BARMM has inaugurated a number of its distinctly designed two-storey barangay halls, and also broke ground for more construction of such buildings in the interior adjacent villages of Cotabato province’s 63-barangay SGA under BARMM. Sinarimbo said apart from the barangay hall buildings to physically en-

hance governance at the village level, the MILG-BARMM also build capacities for local officials and appointive staff on administrative governance and operations.

Officials of the BARMM MILG’s project management division said similar halls are being built in more barangays of the SGA-BARMM’s Pikit, Pigcawayan and Carmen Clusters in North Cotabato.

MINDANAO’S longest bridge is expected to be completed next year as construction of the P7.37 billion span has surpassed the 50 percent mark, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said.

“When finished, the 3.17 kilometer two-way two-lane Panguil Bay Bridge, which will link Tangub City in Misamis Occidental with the Municipality of Tubod in Lanao del Norte, will be Mindanao’s longest bridge,” DPWH Secretary Roger Mercado said.

The project was funded by the government of South Korea, he said.

Vito Barcelo

BI gears up for influx of foreign students THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has said that it is ready for the possible influx of foreign students returning to the Philippines.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente vowed that they will ensure that the “smooth and seamless “processing of the students’ travel documents.

“I have instructed our personnel to coordinate with our other stakeholders to ensure the smooth processing of the returning foreign students.

This would be the Bureau’s share in helping the recovery of the education sector that was also badly hit by the pandemic,” he added. Vito Barcelo

PDEA burns P14.29-b worth of illegal drugs THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday destroyed some P14.29 billion worth of illegal drugs in Cavite.

PDEA director general Wilkins Villanueva said the drug destruction was in compliance with Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act mandating that seized dangerous drugs should be destroyed after its presentation in various courts as pieces of evidence.

The illegal drugs were burned at the Integrated Waste Management Inc. in Trece Martires City.

“This is also in response to our mandate and the marching order of our President Rodrigo Duterte to immediately destroy all confiscated dangerous drugs, controlled precursors and essential chemicals to prevent recycling,” Villanueva said.

A total of P34.635 billion worth of illegal drugs and other related items were destroyed through burning at the facility over the past two years under Villanueva’s leadership.

He said the PDEA has already cleared 25,061 barangays as of April 30 of drugs.

He added that the government has yet to clear 10,410 villages of the drug menace. Rio N. Araja

GIVE THEM NETS, NOT FISH.

Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco, through the Kadiwa Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA), gives away fishing nets to enable the 92 recipients to have a decent source of livelihood. Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, in collaboration with Navotas Rep. Rey Tiangco, releases P3,000 each to 7,264 registered fisherfolks in the city under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program.

Andrew Rabulan

A4

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022

Another witness vs. Sen. De Lima recants claims FILIBON Tacardon, the legal counsel of detained Sen. Leila de Lima said the recantation of another witness in de Lima’s cases highlighted “the pattern of witnesses admitting to being threatened and coerced to tell lies and pin people down.”

“We think this reflects what we have long been saying, that the cases against Senator De Lima were all fabricated by people who were threatened and coerced to lie and make it appear that she was involved in the illegal drug trade,” Tacardon, in an ABSCBN News report said.

Tacardon also urged the Department of Justice to scrap the cases against de Lima.

De Lima’s camp said the “truth is coming out” after the fifth witness, Marcelo Adorco, recanted his claims against De Lima.

“The truth is coming out, so we continue urging the DOJ to again review the cases they fiied against Senator De Lima, junk them, and free our beloved senator,” Tacardon said.

Adorco, a key government witness, denied knowing and transacting with de Lima.

He also took back his allegations against self-confessed narcotics trafficker Kerwin Espinosa, who supposedly gave the senator drug payoffs when she was still justice secretary, according to the ABS CBN News report.

The report said Adorco, presented by the prosecution as Espinosa’s bodyguard and driver who supposedly knows the extent of his drug dealings, recanted his previous affidavits, in a counter-affidavit submitted to the Department of Justice on May 24.

News

COURTESY VISIT. Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian

pays a courtesy visit to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant, CG Admiral Artemio M Abu at the National Headquarters, Port Area, Manila. This courtesy visit is intended to review friendly exchanges and cooperation between the China Coast Guard and the PCG. Norman Cruz

NBI cybercrime official relieved

A

TOP official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been relieved amid an ongoing probe regarding an alleged “anomalous operation” in Manila.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday confirmed that he approved the recommendation of NBI OIC-Director Eric Distor to relieve NBI-Cybercrime Investigation and Assessment Center head Vic Lorenzo.

Guevarra, commenting on the recommendation, said “this, I believe, is standard operating procedure whenever any NBI official or agent is under investigation by the internal affairs division in order to preserve the evidence and preclude any undue influence during

the investigation.”

Guevarra, in a GMA News report, further said the operation was about “the serving of a warrant to search, seize, and examine computer data in an establishment in Manila on May 31 where alleged irregularities were observed.”

“No further details could be given at this time, as the matter is being investigated by the internal affairs division of the NBI. We just want to make sure that similar operations in the future will be conducted in a most professional way,”

he said in the report.

In a statement, Distor ordered the relief of Lorenzo, as well as ordered the review of the existing cybercrime and other operational guidelines and procedures to have a more organized standards and measures regarding the operations being conducted by various operational units of the NBI nationwide.

Distor said that the NBI will thoroughly re-examine the agency’s guidelines on operations including service of Search Warrant operations, Intelligence operations, and investigation operations.

Distor stressed that all operational authority must come from the Office of the Director and must be under the control and supervision of the said of-

fice, with assistance from the respective Deputy Directors.

He added that all Regional Directors, Agents-In-Charge and Central Office Chiefs are likewise ordered to submit to the Office of the Director their performance/accomplishment reports for review.

Distor emphasized that a re-assessment and revisiting of the Bureau’s operational guidelines also aim to scale down abuse of authority to leave no room for trust and integrity issues and increase professionalism among operatives as well as to further reinforce the Bureau’s ongoing success in combating crimes and illicit activities with maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

With Willie Casas

DENR sets ‘rescue’ operations for trees after May 9 elections

By Rio N. Araja

BINAY TAKES OATH. Mayor Abigail Binay with daughter Martina and Cong. Luis Campos takes her oath at the Makati Coliseum on June 1 coinciding with the city’s celebration of its 352nd Founding Day. Raffles for local government employees and residents with solo artists and bands provided music, with fireworks display before midnight. Diana B. Noche

AFTER the May 9 polls, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to carry out “search-and-rescue” operations and inventory on injured trees cleared of campaign materials in a bid to prevent infection and even their death.

“The move is especially important as injured trees, if left unattended, are susceptible to infection and may not be able to grow properly with structural defects that make them prone to fail and fall over during typhoons,” agency chief Jim Sampulna said.

Undersecretary for Field OperationsLuzon, Visayas, and Environment Juan Miguel Cuna issued a memorandum to all regional executive directors to “conduct an inventory of trees damaged due to the election campaign and conduct

Salceda vows better framework for public-private partnerships

By Maricel V. Cruz A HOUSE leader on Thursday vowed to push for a stronger, more attractive framework for public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the 19th Congress, saying that such agreements “will be crucial in building modern and efficient public services during a time of tough fiscal conditions.”

“We have ongoing fiscal constraints, but we also have ongoing public needs.

Infrastructure and social services will

always be good, and necessary investments. So, sourcing from outside the public sector will be very crucial,” Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda said, in comments after a meeting with incoming Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan.

“We talked about how to move forward with PPPs, especially given the tight room for funding major projects.

Sec. Manny appears to be quite bullish about Philippine infrastructure

development over the next six years,” Salceda, chairperson of the House committee on ways and means, said. “ I think PPPs stand a very strong chance of playing a major role again in this new administration. Sec. Manny has been with both the public and private sectors for a long time. And PBBM has, in many interviews, made very cogent observations on the need for more flexible PPPs,” Salceda added.

Salceda, who is the principal author of

Senators approve bill on agri financing programs

KABUHAYAN KARTS. Clark

Development Corporation (CDC) President and CEO Manuel R. Gaerlan (leftmost) with CDC Assistant Vice President for External Affairs Rommel Narciso (2nd from left) led the distribution of the Kabuhayan Mobile Karts to 12 selected members of the Porac Baywalk Street Vendors Association.

Also in the photo are Special Assistant to the Porac Local Chief Executive Relito Laxama (rightmost) and Porac Public Employment Service Office officer Sheryl Bulanadi (2nd from right). The Local Government Unit of Porac headed by Mayor Jaime Capil also provided P3,000 cash assistance to each beneficiary. (CDC-CD Photo)

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Senate ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the bill repealing Republic Act No. 10000 or the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act of 2009 to boost the access of agricultural communities to financial services and programs.

Sen. Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, hopes President Rodrigo Duterte will immediately sign the bill into law.

The senator sponsored the report harmonizing the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill No. 2494 and House Bill No. 6134 or the Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development Financing Enhancement Act of 2022.

She said concerns were raised because banks would rather pay penalties than lend money to farmers, fisherfolks, and other agricultural stakeholders. She said more than increasing penalties to ensure bank compliance, she finds merit in the proposal to consolidate the loan allocation for farmers and fisherfolks and agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB).

the proposed PPP Reform Law in Congress, and who chaired the drafting committee of the bill, says that he hopes PPP reforms also have a stronger chance of passing this incoming 19th Congress.

“The private sector, especially the large conglomerates, are awash with cash for PPPs. San Miguel has 301.7 billion, Aboitiz Equity Ventures has 107.5 billion.

Ayala Corporation has 99.6 billion. SMIC has 93.9 billion. JG Summit has 292.6 billion. LT Group has P390.1 billion.”

Group seeks standardized pay for PH nurses

By Willie Casas THE Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) on Thursday called for the passage of the Philippine Nursing Act that will standardize the salaries of nurses working in the private and government sectors.

PNA president Melvin Miranda, in an interview with TeleRadyo, said some nurses in small private

hospitals in some regions of the country are earning less than their counterparts in government hospitals.

According to the Department of Health National Health Human Resource, the base pay for nurses in private healthcare institutions ranges from P9,517P14,000,” Miranda said.

In contrast, nurses in public hospitals have a base pay of P32,503.

possible treatments appropriate to the conditions.”

As of April, some 114,664 pieces of campaign materials and other paraphernalia were taken down in DENR’s Oplan Baklas among DENR, the Commission on Elections, and the Department of Interior and Local Government outside of common poster areas designated by the Comelec.

Trees in urban areas must be prioritized, Sampulna said, noting that “trees in our urban areas have been decreasing through the years despite the countless benefits they give to improve the quality of life in cities, especially now that climate change is upon us.”

He raised concern about how the trees had been cleared of the nailed campaign posters, saying nails still left in trees could cause long-term damage to trees, especially the young ones.

Solon bats for full face-to-face classes in 2023

By Maricel V. Cruz AN OPPOSITION lawmaker on Thursday welcomed the Department of Education’s push for a 100 percent face-to-face classes for the school year 2022-2023.

Given this, Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro the DepEd should ensure that school facilities are ready and adequate for the safe reopening of schools.

“We welcome this push from the Department of Education for the 100 percent face-to-face classes by SY 20222022. This is actually long overdue,” Castro said in a statement. “Our pupils have endured two years of blended distance learning which further worsens the education crisis in the country,” Castro said, adding that “Face-to-face classes are still the best way for pupils to gain access to quality education.”

Castro also listed what she described as important measures to ensure the safe reopening of classes: ensure that classrooms have better ventilation, air filtration, washing, and sanitation facilities; ramp up vaccination programs; provide free weekly testing for teachers and education support personnel who will participate in face-to-face classes; mass hiring of school nurses; and provide a medical fund for the treatment of those who will get infected with COVID-19.

Opinion reputation or by testimony in the form of an opinion. On cross-examination, inquiry is allowed for relevant specific instances of conduct (Section 54, Rule 130).

Impeachment by reputation of prior bad conduct.

In instances where character or traits of character is an essential element of a crime, charge, or defense, the witness may be confronted with specific past conduct to refute evidence (Section 54, Rule 130).

However, similar previous acts cannot be admitted, as to do so would confuse the issues in the case.

The duty of the prosecution is to prove only the elements of the current crime and not to prove the prior bad acts.

However, previous similar conduct may be received in evidence to prove specific intent or knowledge, identity, plan, system, scheme, habit, custom or usage, and the like (Section 35, Rule 130). Examples include modus operandi for repeated bank robberies, or body marks or designs imprinted on rape victims.

Impeachment by prior inconsistent statement.

Before a witness can be impeached by evidence of statements made at other times that are inconsistent with his or her present testimony, the proper foundation should be laid.

Courts do not accept a witness testimony perceived to be biased or prejudiced because it has no fctual basis The circumstances of time, place, and persons present must be presented and the witness asked whether the statement was made; and if so, he or she must be allowed to explain them (Section 14, Rule 132).

If the statement is in writing, this must be shown to the witness before any question is put forth concerning them (Section 14, Rule 132).

On cross-examination, a witness may be allowed to refresh his or her memory with respect to the fact with anything written, recorded, or directed when the fact was still fresh to them (Section 16, Rule 132).

Impeachment by presenting interest or bias. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines bias as a personal or sometimes unreasoned judgment. It defines prejudice as an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge. Bias or prejudice may be brought about by upbringing, financial background, past suffering, or injustice, among others.

Courts do not accept a witness testimony perceived to be biased or prejudiced because it has no factual and evidentiary basis. It is usually an opinion or judgment which is unfounded. While religious or political beliefs may not be used as basis to disqualify a witness from testifying, it may be used to discredit him or her by showing bias or prejudice.

Impeachment by inadequate perception. Since witnesses are expected to testify on facts or events perceived, their perception may be tested during cross-examination for accuracy.

If a witness is asked in court to identify the offender, the cross-examiner may inquire about his distance from the offender, his vantage point, his visual acuity or whether he wears corrective lenses, and the lighting in the vicinity of the crime.

A damaged witness after cross-examination may be rehabilitated by the proponent’s counsel during redirect examination, or by presenting another witness to cure or address the statements of the impeached witness.

Redirect examination allows the witness to explain or supplement his or her answers during crossexamination. (Section 7, Rule 132). Thereafter, the adverse party may conduct a re-cross examination on matters stated by the witness in the redirect examination (Section 8, Rule 132).

As a law student, I have heard it said that “crossexamination is an art,” and I expect many more generations of law students to continue hearing this phrase.

To cross-examine a witness does not require a specific acumen from the cross-examiner, just knowledge of the Rules on Evidence, coupled with keen observation of the facts, and accumulated experience inside the courtroom.

War on poverty should be the priority

DURING the recent electoral campaign, the Marcos-Duterte tandem adopted “unity” as its overarching theme.

Now that it has won the crucial political exercise with plenty of votes to spare over the team’s nearest rival, unity should be defined in concrete terms.

Instead of a war on drugs that the outgoing Duterte administration practically adopted as its centerpiece program right at the start, the incoming Marcos administration should focus on unity in fighting poverty as its central thrust in the next six years.

In other words, the new administration should pursue unity by all sectors in fighting poverty as its overarching goal.

It should not only be a whole-of-government approach but rather a whole-of-society effort.

What this means is that every department, bureau and agency should be given targets to be achieved on a yearly basis in fighting poverty.

The main revenue generating agencies should be made to set realistic tax collection targets within the next 6 years.

The question is this: Can we hope to reduce poverty levels in this country in the next 6 years?

Is it possible to reduce absolute poverty from 20-25 percent to a manageable single-digit?

Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck in the second quarter of 2020, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said it expected the country’s poverty rate to be halved by the end of the current administration’s term in 2022.

ManilaStandard

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.

Telephone numbers 8-5646225 and 8-5646229 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 8325550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila.

Website: www.manilastandard.net

ONLINE

can be accessed at: manilastandard.net

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

B1

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Impeaching a witness TO CROSS-EXAMINE a witness is to impeach his or her statements made in court via direct examination. The examination of a witness undergoes four stages. These include: direct examination, cross-examination, redirect examination, and recross examination.

Every witness examination starts with direct examination. This is also known as the examinationin-chief, where a witness is examined with the facts relevant to the issue (Section 5, Rule 132, Rules on Evidence).

There is no required number of witnesses to be presented since the weight of the evidence will be determined by the judge based on the witnesses’ ability to perceive and make known his perception to another. In civil cases however, “[T]he court may also consider the number of witnesses, though preponderance is not necessarily with the greater number” (Section 1, Rule 133).

The party has reasonable discretion to present witnesses to describe to the court his or her side of the story.

However, “[T]he court may stop the introduction of further testimony upon a particular point when the evidence upon it is already full that more witnesses to the point cannot be reasonably expected to be additionally persuasive” (Section 7, Rule 133).

In civil cases, direct examination is made by submitting judicial affidavits of witnesses, while in criminal cases in the municipal or metropolitan trial courts, sworn written statements of law enforcement officers, affidavits submitted during preliminary investigation, or if the aforementioned are not available, judicial affidavits may be submitted in lieu of direct examination (Revised Guidelines for Continuous Trial).

In criminal cases in the Regional Trial Court (RTC), the direct examination is made in open court.

However, sworn written statements of law enforcement officers, affidavits submitted in preliminary investigations, or judicial affidavits, in case the former are not available, are accepted as direct examination for crimes that are transactional in character.

These crimes include falsification, malversation, estafa, or other crimes where the innocence of the accused can be established through documents (Revised Guidelines for Continuous Trial).

After the completion of the direct examination, the counsel of the other party may cross-examine the witness. Essentially, cross-examination is conducted to test the accuracy, truthfulness, and freedom from interest and bias of the statements, and to elicit facts bearing upon the issue (Section 6, Rule 132).

There are various ways of impeaching or crossexamining a witness, and these include impeachment by: (a) prior criminal conviction; (b) reputation of bad character; (c) prior bad conduct; (d) prior inconsistent statement; (e) presenting interest or bias; or (f) inadequate perception.

Impeachment by prior criminal conviction. To be able to use a previous conviction in cross-examining a witness, he or she must have been convicted by a final judgment of a crime punishable by a penalty in excess of one year, or a crime involving moral turpitude, regardless of the penalty (Section 12, Rule 132). Hence, convictions that are on appeal or complaints under preliminary investigation cannot be used to cross-examine the witness.

In common law, crimes that include elements of dishonesty or contain false statements are known as “crimen falsi”. These are akin to crimes involving moral turpitude. Examples include perjury, subornation of perjury, false testimony, or filing false tax returns. However, in our jurisdiction, as long as the penalty for conviction exceeds one year, the prior conviction can be used to impeach the witness even if the offense in “non-crimen falsi”.

Impeachment by reputation of bad character.

The witness may be impeached based on his general reputation for truth, honesty, or integrity. It may be easy and common to impute bad character on another but courts cannot be convinced by baseless contentions.

Proof of good or bad character or traits of character may be admitted if made by testimony regarding

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022

No stopping inflation

T

HE twists and turns of the Ukraine war are causing global oil prices to gyrate. Consumers across the globe are feeling the pinch from higher crude prices, while a couple of nations have decided to curb their key exports to secure domestic supply and assure food security.

The war in Ukraine will likely keep crude prices high for some time, unless the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries led by Saudi Arabia does the unlikely move to sharply increase oil production. Oil and gas supplies from Russia are being squeezed by the United States and its European allies in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.

Surging crude prices are hurting develop-

ing nations like the Philippines. The elevated prices have led to higher pump prices of gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products. They in turn raised the transportation cost of commuters as well as vegetables, meat and other food items shipped and delivered around the Philippines.

The central bank will not allow a runaway inflation because it erodes the purchasing power of consumers The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, whose job is to manage the inflation rate, is finding itself in uncharted territory. The monthly inflation rate in the Philippines before and during the pandemic has generally been stable, rarely surpassing 4 percent. But with the war in Ukraine, the calm is being disturbed.

The BSP early this week predicted that

the May inflation rate likely rose to as high as 5.8 percent from 4.9 percent in April— mainly driven by the weaker peso and higher food and petroleum prices.

The central bank will not allow a runaway inflation because it erodes the purchasing power of consumers. The BSP from its end can raise the interest rates to induce savings and curb spending to arrest inflation. Other government agencies can move to increase the supply of certain food items like rice by way of imports. Or the state can remove some of the taxes and duties attached to petroleum products and other sensitive food items.

Trimming the taxes imposed of petroleum products and sensitive items, however, will require a delicate balancing act from the government. It needs revenues to fund healthcare and social welfare programs for the poor, while taming the inflation rate at the same time.

Slowing the inflation rate is a big challenge for our economic managers. An unstoppable inflation will ultimately lead to economic recession, which the Filipinos cannot afford after grappling with COVID-19.

Crises TWO major crises are sweeping through the Philippines right now—a food crisis and an energy crisis.

Both cannot be solved—either short term or long term.

The saving grace is that incoming President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is acutely aware of the problems.

BBM’s solution to the food crisis is temporary.

He wants to bring down the retail price of rice to P20 per kilo. That’s half of current rice prices in Manila markets. He will get a P20 per kilo rice three ways—by talking to the middlemen (who are often the main problem with high rice prices, especially in urban areas), he will bring in more rice importations, and he will help the farmers to enable them to produce more.

So expect a P20 rice per kilo right after BBM is inaugurated on June 30 this year. The most popular president in Philippine history has a shock and awe effect. With 31.6 million votes and 60 of every 100 voters voting for him last May 9, BBM can scare the daylights out of the rapacious rice merchants.

BBM’s two other solutions are a bit iffy. Rice importations? Well, the major rice producers and exporters are suddenly hoarding stocks. Every grain supplier now is in hoarding mood.

In 2021, the Philippines imported $15.7 billion worth of agricultural goods, up 25 percent. A fifth of the imports, worth $3.14 billion, had been cereals, our No. 1 food import, and up 23 percent from 2020. Third biggest food import was meat, $1.69 billion, up 78 percent from 2020. Your rice and your adobo are imported goods.

The Philippines exported only $6.78 billion in agricultural goods, up 9.4 percent. Exports were mostly fruits and nuts (not the human variety).

Assist the farmers? Well, it makes for a nice post-campaign promise but it is not seen as practical.

Firstly, the average Filipino farmer is incompetent. He produces only 4 tons, or probably less, of palay on the average per hectare. A Vietnamese farmer makes 5.69 per hectare or 42 percent more. Secondly, the Filipino farmer is aging, near

Poverty reduction remains an elusive goal that the new administration must tackle head-on “This would be the first time in history that the poverty rate will be halved in just six years, a significant contribution and achievement of this administration,” according to the Economic Planning agency.

Statistics show that the country’s poverty incidence dropped to 16.6 percent in 2018, averaging a reduction of 2.23 percentage points per year, making the previous target achievable by mid-2022.

The decline was also broad-based, as all regions, except ARMM, recorded a decline in poverty incidence among the population.

At the time, NEDA attributed the decline in poverty to sustained growth that generated jobs for the poor, increased incomes of the poor that outweighed inflation, the implementation of social programs like conditional and unconditional cash transfers and pensions, population and family planning program, and less extreme weather conditions.

“Inclusive, job-generating growth and bettertargeted programs helped increase the incomes of the poor. For those in the bottom 30 percent of the population, mean per capita income increased

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

60. And he doesn’t want to pass on his calling to his boys, who most probably are now working in some construction site or airport in the Middle East.

Thirdly, our so-called pro-poor economists think of 110 million consumers vs. 3 million farmers.

Give the 110 million consumers the cheap rice they want. And damn the farmers, who are a small minority. That is what I call perverse democracy.

BBM can scare the daylights out of the rapacious rice merchants In 2021, Russia (39 million tons) and Ukraine (17 million tons) were the world’s first and fifth biggest exporters of wheat, with combined share of 28 percent of the world market. Ukraine wheat exports were blocked by the war. Russian wheat exports were stopped by sanctions. The effect is higher grain prices, including rice prices.

Year-on-year, rice price is up 29 percent; wheat up 55 percent, palm oil up 56 percent, orange juice up 50 percent, and milk up 42 percent, On the energy front, meanwhile, Oilprice.com reported this week that oil prices rose on Wednesday as China’s financial hub, Shanghai, reopened after two months of COVID-19 lockdowns.

The benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude traded at $114.70 per barrel, up almost $4.50 per barrel during the week. Brent crude traded at $115.80, up more than $2 per barrel.

Year-on-year, crude oil is up 64 percent, Brent crude up 59 percent, gasoline up 82 percent, natural gas up 188 percent, and coal up 246 percent. More than 60 percent of Philippine electricity production comes from coal. This month, I got my home electricity bill—it’s double the usual amount.

The European Union leaders agreed May 1 to cut Russian crude oil imports by as much as 90 percent by the end of the year. The agreement is in principle but it is enough to spike oil prices worldwide. An embargo on Russia oil means less supply to the world. by 31.9 percent, outpacing the income growth of those in the top 20 percent of households,” NEDA said.

The government, it added, must continue to generate more quality jobs, increase the income of the poor, reduce the vulnerability of the poor through social programs and financial literacy, and speed up the implementation of the National Program on Population and Family Planning.

But COVID-19 ended the effort to lift even more Filipinos out of poverty as economic activity took a nosedive, sending many workers out of jobs and government scrambling to revive the economy.

Two years later, poverty reduction remains an elusive goal that the new administration must tackle head-on.

At this point, it is instructive to look at the example of our next-door neighbor China in fighting poverty.

When Xi Jinping became president, he made the eradication of poverty a key target of his administration.

He exhorted the party and the government to “win the tough battle of ending poverty,” and urged provincial and municipal officials to look after those most in need in their region.

He pledged to wipe out poverty by 2020 and to build a “moderately prosperous society.”

In total, more than 850 million Chinese people have been lifted out of extreme poverty in the past 40 years, according to the World Bank.

The country’s poverty rate — defined as the percentage of people living on the equivalent of US$1.90 or less per day — fell from 88 percent in

The problem is Europe has very few options where to get the supplies in lieu of Russian oil. There is little surplus oil, right now, if any. The Saudis are unwilling to boost production to cover deficits.

Mineral fuels, meaning oil, were the Philippines’ No. 2 import in 2021, $14.62 billion, 14.6 percent of total importations, and up 91.5 percent from 2020.

On May 26, the day after his proclamation, BBM gave intimations of how he would approach the food and energy problems.

First, he chose the right economic team. He put veteran economists, by training and practice, at the Department of Finance (Ben Diokno), at Economic Planning or NEDA (Arsi Balisacan), at the Sentral Bank (Felipe Medalla), and Trade and Industry (Fred Pascual, who is a chemist).

In case some people will argue with him with some abstruse legalese about food and energy, BBM has named lawyers as his executive secretary (Vic Rodriguez), education chief (Sara Duterte), Interior and Local Government head (BenHur Abalos), Labor secretary (Benny Laguesma), communications chief (Trixie Angeles), and justice secretary, of course (Boying Remulla).

None so far have been appointed with some working expertise in rice farming or producing or trading in oil.

BBM will do the talking and action. He will talk with oil producers. He will negotiate with the oil VIPs of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries led by Saudi Arabia –and Russia.

BBM won’t reduce the taxes on retail prices of refined petroleum and gasoline products. He needs the money—maybe as subsidy to bus and jeepney and banca operators and drivers.

The government gets more from taxes than what the oil companies get from the retail price of their gasoline and other oil products.

The conclusion then: your rice, pan de sal and pan prices will remain elevated (not in baking terms). As do the prices of your gasoline, diesel, LPG, and electricity.

In the meantime, BBM was elected by over 31 million Filipinos.

You know the number of jobless Filipinos? Also 31 million. biznewsasia@gmail.com 1981 to 0.7 percent in 2015.

China has achieved its goal of ending absolute poverty in 2020.

Its poverty reduction campaign is comprehensive and is aimed at ensuring that no one in the countryside has to worry about food, clothing, housing, basic education and health care.

Beijing’s strategy to achieve its poverty alleviation targets included several measures.

Among them are developing industries such as tourism and e-commerce to help people in the rural areas find a job after occupational training; relocating people living in geologically hazardous areas prone to earthquakes or landslides, or are based in remote areas; ensuring children get a basic education or occupational training to prevent poverty passing down the generations; developing public health services in poor areas as medical bills are a frequent cause of families falling into poverty, and ensuring the elderly and infirm will be eligible for social security payments.

But experts are saying that poverty alleviation efforts will not come to a halt after the goal is reached.

Even as basic poverty is eradicated, there will be relative poverty in different sections of society, which will have to be addressed by the central leadership with decisive measures.

China’s successful effort in licking absolute poverty holds important lessons for other developing countries, including the Philippines, and we ought to study the lessons that we can apply to our own specific circumstances and concrete conditions.

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

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

Associate Editors News Editor City Editor

Honor Blanco Cabie Opinion Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

B2

World

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Gunman kills 4 at Tulsa hospital in US

A

GUNMAN killed at least four people Wednesday at a hospital building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, police said—the latest mass shooting to convulse the United States as Texas families bury their dead after a school massacre nearly 10 days earlier.

Republic of the Philippines Municipality of Divilacan Dimapula, Divilacan, Isabela

InvItatIon to BId for Procurement of Heavy equIPment 1.

The Municipality of Divilacan, through the Local Development Fund 2022 intends to apply the sum of Twenty Five Million Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (P25,500,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Procurement of Heavy Equipment. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

The Municipality of Divilacan now invites bids for Procurement of Heavy Equipment.

1

LOT HEAVY EQUIPMENT

25,500,000.00

1 UNIT PAY WHEEL LOADER Wheel Loader Operating weight: 16-17 Tons Bucket capacity: 2.5-3.0 m3 Overall Length: 8000-8500 Overall width: 3000-3500 Overall height: 3000-3500 Rated power 160-165kw Rated speed: 2000-2200 Maximum torque:800-900 N.m Dumping Height: 3000-3200 mm Dumping reach: 1000-1200 mm 1 UNIT LOW BED TRUCK * Self Loading truck * Rated Power (hp/rpm):190/2200-220/2500 * Maximum Torque (Nm/rpm):750/1400-760/1700 * Displacement: 6.0-6.494 liters * Wheelbase: 3800-3900 * Chassis length: 6500-6580 * Maximum driving speed:100-102 km/h * Maximum Grade ability: 38-40% * Overall Dimension: 7000 x 2400 x 3000 - 7130 x 2496 x 3120 * Kerb. Mass: 8500-8900 * Gross Vehicle Weight: 21000-21500 * Front Axle Loading capacity: 5300-5500 * Rear Axle loading capacity: 14000-15000 *Tires:11.00r20-8.00v-20 * Fuel Tank: 300-350 L 1

UNIT DUMP TRUCK Capacity: 4 m3 4X2 Manual Transmission Rated Power: 110 hp 2500 rpm - 121 hp 3000 rpm Max Torque: 300 Nm 1500 rpm - 333 Nm @ 1800 rpm Displacement: 3.9 - 4.6 L Wheelbase: 3700 - 3815 mm Overall Dimensions (LxWxH): 6700 x2100x 30007000x2300x 3250

3

UNIT DUMP TRUCK Capacity: 6 m3 Gross Vehicle weight: 8,000-10,000 kg Bucket Capacity: 5-7 m3 Engine power: 150-250HP Max. power: 150 ps/2,200 rpm - 155 ps/2,600 rpm Max. torque: 419 n-m/1,600-2,600 rpm Clutch: drysingle plate with diaphragm,hydraulic control Service brake: drum type,hydraulic dual circuit Fuel capacity: 100 - 200 L

1

UNIT ROAD ROLLER Road Roller Operating weight (kg): 9,000-10,000 Static Linear Pressure (N/cm):4000-5000 Weight Burden: Front Drum (kg): 4500-5000 Weight Burden: Rear Drum (kg): 4500-5000 Length*Width*Height (mm): 5975*2260*3050 Length (mm): 5500-6000 Width (mm): 2000-2300 Height (mm): 2900-3100 Travel speed (km/h): 1.9/3.3/9.1) Vibration Frequency (Hz): 2-28 Centrifugal Force (kN): 240/150 Fuel Tank Capacity:190 - 250 L Tire: 17.5-25 PR12G-3

*All items are In-Line (1 Lot Procurement); *Items should be delivered on site: Motor-pool, Municipal Hall, Divilacan, Isabela.

The suspect, who was armed with a rifle and a handgun during his attack on the Saint Francis hospital campus, died by suicide, police said.

“Right now we have four civilians that are dead, we have one shooter that is dead, and right now we believe that is self-inflicted,” Tulsa Police Department Deputy Chief Eric Dalgleish told reporters.

He said officers responded immediately after emergency calls came in reporting that a gunman had stormed into the second floor of the Natalie Building, which houses a clinic on the Saint Francis campus.

Police “were hearing shots in the building” when they arrived, according to Dalgleish, who said officers then searched floor by floor, room by room while trying to clear the building during what authorities described as

an active shooter situation.

Earlier, police Captain Richard Meulenberg said officers were treating the scene as “catastrophic,” with “several” people shot and “multiple injuries.”

It was not clear how many other people might have been injured.

Dalgleish said the entire assault—from the moment emergency calls came in, to the time officers engaged the shooter—lasted about four minutes.

Dalgleish also noted that the suspect had yet to be identified.

US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting, the White House said in a statement, adding that the administration has offered support to Tulsa officials.

Elizabeth Buchner, a legal assistant who lives behind the building where the shooting occurred, said she rushed

‘Positive’ signs on down to the wire Yemen truce talks—UN THE United Nations has reported “positive” signs for renewing a truce that has eased suffering in war-torn Yemen, though there was no concrete breakthrough early Thursday, when the initial deal was set to expire.

Aid agencies and Western governments have urged the Yemeni government and Huthi rebels to extend the truce, which has significantly reduced the intensity of fighting in a conflict the United Nations says has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

“We have received preliminary, positive indications from the parties at this point,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres, told a press briefing Wednesday.

But he did not elaborate, saying only that “as soon as we have something more concrete, we will share with you.”

The United States warned on Tuesday that truce talks were in “trouble,” heightening fears of renewed violence.

Yemen has been gripped by conflict since the rebels took control of Sanaa in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention in support of the beleaguered government the following year.

Aid groups in Yemen have touted the benefits of the truce, which went into effect in April.

The Norwegian Refugee Council reported last month it had cut civilian casualties by half.

On Wednesday, a Yemeni aircraft left the rebel-held capital Sanaa for Cairo on the first commercial flight between the two cities since 2016. AFP

BATTLE READY. This handout picture taken and released by Taiwan’s Presidential Office on June 2, 2022, shows Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen holding an anti-tank rocket device while visiting a military base in Taoyuan. AFP

African Union head to speak to Putin THE head of the African Union, Senegalese President Macky Sall, will speak with President Vladimir Putin in the southwestern Russian city of Sochi on Friday, Dakar said.

The visit is aimed at “freeing up stocks of cereals and fertilizers, the blockage of which particularly affects African countries,” along with easing the Ukraine conflict, Sall’s office said Thursday.

The visit was organised after an invitation

by Putin, and Sall will travel with the president of the African Union Commission, his office added.

The AU will also receive a video address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, though no date has been set.

The war in Ukraine has sent the cost of fuel, grain and fertilisers skyrocketing around the globe, which is being acutely felt in African nations.

Both Ukraine and Russia are major suppliers of wheat and other cereals to Africa, while Russia is a key producer of fertiliser.

The UN said last month Africa faces an “un-

Delivery of the Goods is required within 90 days upon receive of Notice to Proceed. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

3.

Japan official arrested for aid fraud

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Municipality of Divilacan and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours from June 3 to June 22, 2022.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on June 3 to June 22, 2022 from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6.

The Municipality of Divilacan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference1 on June 10, 2022 at 9:00 AM at Divilacan Sub-office, Lingap Center, Capitol Compound, Ilagan City, Isabela, which shall be open to prospective bidders.

7.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 12:00 PM of June 22, 2022. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on June 22, 2022 at 2:00 PM at Conference Room, Municipal Hall, Dimapula, Divilacan, Isabela. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

The Municipality of Divilacan reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

9.

For further information, please refer to: MARK JAYSON L. FELIPE BAC Secretariat Staff markjaysonfelipe@gmail. com 0963766808 JERSON B. MANUEL BAC Chairperson

M. Standard – June 3, 2022

precedented” crisis caused by the war, compounding difficulties facing the continent, from climate change to the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this week, Sall made an appeal to European Union leaders to help ease the crisis on key commodities.

He said their decision to expel Russian banks from the SWIFT financial messaging system could hurt food supplies to the continent.

“When the SWIFT system is disrupted, it means that even if the products exist, payment becomes complicated, if not impossible,” Sall said via video-link.

“I would like to insist that this issue be examined as soon as possible by our competent ministers in order to find appropriate solutions,” he added.

Sall acknowledged that Russia’s blockade of Odessa had harmed Ukrainian food exports, and he backed UN-led efforts to free the port.

Russia has come under a barrage of sanctions from the West following the February 24 invasion of Ukraine, in a bid to punish Moscow for the military intervention. AFP

IN BRIEF

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

4.

out of her house when she heard helicopters and a loud commotion coming from the direction of the hospital.

“It was the most law enforcement I’ve ever seen at one place in my entire life,” Buchner, 43, told AFP by telephone.

She said she witnessed a tactical team rush inside as part of a response that she described as “fast and strong,” with “no hesitation.”

Melissa Provenzano, an Oklahoma state legislator, also praised the swift response of the officers.

“It could have been so much worse,” she told CNN. But she expressed frustration at how such tragedies keep happening in America.

“We deserve better than this,” she said.

“These things are preventable, and it’s time to wake up and address this.” AFP

PHOTO SHOOT. Two corgi dogs named Percy and Obi sit on a couch during

the Corgicam event taking place at Leadenhall Market, central London prior to the Platinum jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II this week. AFP

Cuddles with corgis mark Queen’s Jubilee WEARING a Union Jack bandana, Obi the corgi stares intently at the camera as he snuggles on a floral sofa with a woman in a tiara.

“The queen would approve,” his owner says after the photo session, giving him a snack.

Corgis – lively brown-and-white dogs with pointed ears and short legs – are closely associated with Queen Elizabeth II, who celebrates her Platinum Jubilee this week.

At the “Corgi Cam” pop-up in London’s historic Leadenhall Market, visitors can take pictures with a rotating team of dogs while dressing up in faux ermine robes, crowns and tiaras.

The 96-year-old queen has kept Pembroke Welsh Corgis since she was 18, and even appeared with her dogs in a

spoof James Bond clip filmed for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

The free Corgi Cam event outstripped expectations, with some waiting for several hours to attend, says organizer Katie Raby.

“Everyone associates the dog with her majesty and we wanted to be able to celebrate that,” she says.

The breed experienced a rush of interest recently due to the Netflix series “The Crown,” but still remains quite rare in the United Kingdom.

“Many people have never actually met a corgi,” Raby says. “There aren’t many around these days.”

The event runs from midday to 6 pm, with people getting slots of about five minutes each with a corgi. AFP

A JAPANESE tax official was arrested over his alleged involvement in a fraud ring that recruited 200 people to steal $1.5 million of COVID-19 aid, media and police said Thursday.

The 24-year-old and his friends are accused of convincing people to apply for government subsidies for business owners through deception, according to public broadcaster NHK and other outlets.

They reportedly lured around 200 participants – mostly university and high-school students – through a messaging app, promising that the money would be invested in cryptocurrency.

A Tokyo police spokesman told AFP a “24-year-old public servant” was arrested Wednesday “for fraudulently obtaining money under the name of virus subsidies,” along with a 22-year-old who worked for an unnamed company.

Reports said the alleged fraudsters are suspected of stealing a total of 200 million yen ($1.54 million), but the initial arrests are for a smaller amount of around one million yen, with the rest under investigation. AFP

New African swine fever vaccine

VIETNAM has developed an African swine fever vaccine for pigs in partnership with the United States, and is aiming to become the first global commercial exporter, an official said.

The virus, harmless to humans, decimated hog populations in Asia after it was detected in Vietnam in 2019, with millions of the animals culled following outbreaks in Mongolia, Cambodia, Hong Kong and mainland China.

Pork prices rose dramatically as a result, devastating global food chains, with Vietnam among the worst hit in Southeast Asia.

“The production and commercial registration of the vaccine is a historic event,” deputy minister of agriculture and rural development Phung Duc Tien said Wednesday.

“We are confident to produce pig swine fever vaccine for domestic prevention and will also aim at export,” he said.

However, officials did not give a timeframe for the vaccine’s rollout or any indication of Vietnam’s capacity to produce it at scale.

From 2020, Vietnamese researchers worked with United States scientists on the NAVET-ASFVAC jab, Tien said. AFP

Business PSEi June 2, 2022

TOP GAINERS

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

1

NI

1.03

0.09

9.57%

2 3

GEO EVER

0.191 0.31

0.016 0.025

9.14% 8.77%

4 5 6 7

ALCO HOME BHI X

0.57 5.84 0.097 0.34

0.04 0.39 0.006 0.02

7.55% 7.16% 6.59% 6.25%

8

PHR

1.23

0.07

6.03%

9 10

TCB2D SEVN

58 56.95

3.2 2.95

5.84% 5.46%

TOP LOSERS

1 CAB 2 SPC

LAST PRICE CHANGE 46.6 -12.4 10.6 -1.08

% CHANGE -21.02% -9.25%

3 4

MJC SSP

1.63 1.01

-0.16 -0.09

-8.94% -8.18%

5

PRIM

1.91

-0.16

-7.73%

6 7

SSI PIZZA

1.33 6.8

-0.07 -0.35

-5.00% -4.90%

8 9 10

ALLDY CEU RCB

0.39 6.54 19.06

-0.02 -0.31 -0.88

-4.88% -4.53% -4.41%

B3

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market down slightly; BDO and Globe decline

S

HARE prices slipped Thursday along with the rest of Asia as as traders grow increasingly worried that central bank moves to rein in inflation could tip economies into recession.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index dropped 25.38 points, or 0.4 percent, to 6,686.83 on a value turnover of P5 billion.

Losers beat gainers, 100 to 73, with 53 issues unchanged.

BDO Unibank Inc. of the Sy Group, the biggest lender in terms of assets, fell 2.9 percent to P128.10, while Noodles maker Monde Nissin Corp. declined 2.5 percent to P13.98.

Globe Telecom Inc. of the Ayala Group, the second-largest telecommunications firm, decreased 2.2 percent to P2,350, but DMCI Holdings Inc. of the Consunji Group rose 2.1 percent to P9.18.

The rest of Asian equities also fell on rising concerns on inflation.

However, price pressures were eased by a more than two percent drop in crude following a report saying Saudi Arabia had indicated it was willing to pump more if Russia was unable to fulfill pledges to boost production.

Having enjoyed a healthy start to the week, markets are again on the back foot owing to bank policymakers’ plans

to tighten their belts to prevent inflation running out of control.

The Bank of Canada ramped up its key lending rate by half a percentage point Wednesday and warned of further tough measures down the line as energy and food costs spike.

The move came as several top Federal Reserve officials said they were in favor of similar increases in the United States. Wednesday also saw the central bank begin to offload its vast bond holdings that were bought as part of its quantitative easing program to bring rates down to near zero.

Now observers fear that the increasingly hawkish moves by finance heads—combined with China’s lockdown-induced weakness and the Ukraine war—will cause economies to contract.

“We do see the rise in probability of a recession in the second half of this year, potentially persisting into 2023 as the Fed continues to battle inflation,” Tracie McMillion, of Wells Fargo Investment Institute, told Bloomberg Television.

She added that traders may not have completely taken into account the Fed’s balance sheet reduction.

“The impact of quantitative tightening starting to roll off the Fed’s balance sheet this month is really untested and unprecedented. Our guess is that it’s probably not fully priced into markets,” she said. With AFP

MOST ACTIVE

1 AC 2 GLO

VOLUME 452,830 119,830

VALUE (PHP) 315,064,940 281,403,770

3 4 5

CNVRG SMPH BDO

10,991,800 7,392,200 2,062,070

280,997,955 274,207,835 265,459,603

6 7 8 9 10

SCC ALI BPI DMC MONDE

6,861,300 8,021,600 1,791,950 18,279,600 11,888,000

245,417,925 236,226,650 168,890,038 166,830,894 166,576,554

NO MASKS. Tourists and locals walk in a destination area of Athens on June 1, 2022. Greece dropped most mask mandates linked to COVID-19 restrictions starting June 1 to mid-September, a period coinciding with the height of its vital tourism season. AFP

Russia braces for economic upheaval as sanctions start to bite

By Andrea Palasciano MOSCOW, Russia—At his garage in the south of Moscow, 35-year-old mechanic Ivan is starting to worry.

With billions of dollars in financial reserves and money still coming in from oil and gas exports, Russia has yet to feel the full impact of the barrage of Western sanctions imposed over its offensive in Ukraine.

But Ivan sees storm clouds on the horizon.

The foreign parts he needs to fix his clients’ cars are getting harder to find, and prices have jumped by at least 30 percent after many brands halted exports to Russia.

“We’re running out of stock. At some point, there won’t be anything left,” said Ivan, who declined to give his last name when speaking to international media.

“People who have foreign cars are worried, they are wondering what to do in the future,” he said.

Faced with a shortage of imported parts in factories, authorities eased safety and emission standards for locally produced cars in May—including dropping the requirement for airbags.

President Vladimir Putin has been defiant in the face of Western sanctions, insisting that the Russian economy will emerge stronger, and pointing to “chaotic measures” in Europe that have boosted global energy prices.

Officials say the damage from sanctions will be temporary, with the economy expected to shrink by eight percent this year and then bounce back to growth in 2024.

VAT points to spending drop But Russia is heavily reliant on imports of everything from manufacturing equipment to consumer goods, and economists believe the worst effects of the sanctions are still to come.

Now almost 100 days into the conflict, officials and ordinary Russians are reporting a litany of problems, including shortages of everything from paper to medicine.

Authorities have stopped releasing key data, making it difficult to assess the impact of sanctions.

But the few available economic indicators point to significant problems.

Strict capital controls, high energy prices and a collapse in imports have led to a surge in the ruble, prompting Russia’s central bank to slash its key rate last week in a bid to rein in the currency.

Inflation meanwhile hit 17.8 percent yearon-year in April, the highest for 20 years.

And revenues from domestic value-

added or sales tax collapsed by more than a half in April, VAT fees on imported goods dropping by a third compared to the same month in 2021.

“In April, the revenues of the overwhelming majority of companies in Russia took a hit,” Andrei Grachev, head of tax practice at Birch Legal, told The Bell, an independent Russian business website.

“This didn’t merely affect those who ceased operations in Russia, but also those who continued to work but lost clients and profits.”

That hit is evident on the streets of Moscow, which are now lined with shuttered shops: from McDonald’s and Starbucks to clothing retailers H&M and Zara.

Central bank chief Elvira Nabiul-

lina warned in April that problems were emerging “in all sectors, both in large and small companies.”

Button, paper shortages Textile manufacturers are having trouble buying buttons, while paper producers are struggling with a shortage of bleaching agents, Nabiullina said.

Prices for white paper have skyrocketed and some businesses in Moscow have started printing out receipts on unbleached beige paper.

The aviation and tourism sectors have been hit especially hard. Direct air links with Europe have been severed and Russians are unable to use their bank cards abroad. AFP

A view of the Russian Central Bank headquarters in downtown Moscow on May 26, 2022. Russia’s central bank cut its key interest rate on May 26 following an emergency meeting, as authorities seek to rein in the ruble which has surged in value despite the conflict in Ukraine. AFP

Beijing sets up $120-b credit line for infra projects to jump-start economy BEIJING, China—China has launched a $120-billion credit line for infrastructure projects, state media reported, as Beijing tries to jump-start its ailing economy, which has been pounded by the country’s zero-COVID measures.

Growth has slowed sharply in recent months as the Communist leadership sticks to a strategy of quashing virus clusters with mass tests and lockdowns—forcing factories to halt work and clotting supply chains.

Premier Li Keqiang last week called

for “reasonable” expansion in the second quarter as fears mount for the vaunted official annual growth target of around 5.5 percent.

Pump priming hard-hit provinces with infrastructure schemes has emerged as a key tool to create jobs and drive growth in local economies flatlined by the virus and a concurrent collapse in receipts from land sales to developers.

A State Council meeting chaired by Li on Wednesday approved a mammoth new sum for infrastructure.

“It is necessary to increase the credit line of policy banks by 800 billion yuan ($120 billion),” state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Experts say the announcement is likely to help provincial governments match Beijing’s banner statements on supporting growth.

“It will provide long-term support to various infrastructure projects,” said Betty Wang and Zhaopeng Xing of ANZ Research in a report on Thursday.

In turn that will “drive business ac-

tivities along the supply chain.”

The amount is “nearly half of the 1.65 trillion yuan in new policy bank lending in 2021,” Nomura analysts added in a note.

The sum accounted for about a fifth of new medium to long-term loans for the infrastructure sector in 2021, the note said.

Nomura analysts estimate that Beijing has a six trillion yuan funding gap, in part due to a collapse in land sales— a key source of funds—and because of the Omicron wave. AFP

OPEC holding talks amid ban on Russian oil VIENNA, Austria—Major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia hold talks Thursday on whether to adjust output, hard on the heels of an EU ban on Russian oil imports.

Analysts had expected OPEC+ producers to likely stick to their policy of only increasing output modestly, as they have done since May 2021.

However, a Wall Street Journal report on Monday that said OPEC was considering suspending Russia from the output deal has sown doubts.

“Such a move would effectively bring a premature end to the group’s supply agreement and pave the way for an unrestricted increase in output,” Stephen Brennock, an analyst at PVM Energy, said.

The 13 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, chaired by Saudi Arabia, and their 10 partners, led by Russia, drastically slashed output in 2020 as demand slumped because of the coronavirus pandemic and worldwide lockdowns.

They have increased output modestly to the tune of around 400,000 barrels per day each month since last year, resisting pressure by top consumers, including the United States, to open the taps wider.

The expectation was that output would increase by another 432,000 barrels per day in July.

“So far, the market has been assuming that OPEC+ would raise the planned production volume... Russia is still being included in this,” analyst Carsten Fritsch of Commerzbank said.

Talks by videoconference begin at the technical level at 1200 GMT at OPEC headquarters in Vienna, before moving into a plenary session.

European Union leaders agreed on Monday to ban more than two-thirds of Russian oil imports as part of a sixth package of sanctions on Moscow over its offensive in Ukraine.

Britain has already said it plans to phase out Russian oil imports by the end of 2022 and eventually stop importing its gas.

The United States, too, banned Russian oil and gas days after Russia’s invasion began on February 24. AFP

US, Taiwan launch trade talks in a bid to expand relations WASHINGTON, United States— The United States and Taiwan have launched talks aimed at deepening their trade ties as Washington vies to bolster its influence in the region to counter China.

The process, labeled the USTaiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, follows an agreement President Joe Biden announced last week with 12 Asian economies, which excluded Taiwan.

Like that effort, the discussions with Taiwan will not involve tariffs or market access—items that would require congressional approval, officials said.

In a statement, the US Trade Representative said that “both sides will work at pace... to develop an ambitious roadmap for negotiations for reaching agreements with high-standard commitments and economically meaningful outcomes.”

Taiwan’s lead trade negotiator John Deng said the talks would “open up more room for economic cooperation.”

“We can say this is a historic breakthrough,” he added, speaking at a press conference in Taipei.

Despite the limited scope of the talks—which a senior administration official said was in keeping with the “unofficial” relationship with Taipei—they are likely to anger Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and bristles at any sign Washington is treating the self-governing democracy as an independent nation.

Beijing frequently engages in saber-rattling to underline its point— for example on Monday it made the second-largest incursion into Taiwan’s air defense zone this year, with Taipei reporting 30 jets entering the area.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused China of “increasingly provocative rhetoric and activity.”

China has also tried to stop any international recognition for the island, opposing its participation in global fora. AFP

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

B4

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022

Cebu Pacific launches more foreign flights

By Darwin G. Amojelar CEBU Pacific on Thursday said it is adding international flights this month, following the easing of COVID restrictions on ravelers.

The airline unit of the Gokongwei Group said it started adding flights to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Nagoya, Seoul, Osaka and Singapore on June 1.

“We are happy to continuously see green shoots related to international travel as more countries open their borders, while others such as Bangkok, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam completely dropped predeparture COVID 19 tests for fully vaccinated individuals,” said CEB commercial chief officer Xander Lao. “As we anticipate demand to pick up, we will continue to boost our flight frequencies to enable our passengers to fly easy across our network—whether for a vacation or simply to visit family and friends after such a long time,” said Lao. The company said that starting June 1, flights from Manila to Bangkok would operate up to five times weekly; to Kuala Lumpur up to three times weekly; to Hanoi up to twice weekly; to Ho Chi Minh up to four times weekly; and to Osaka up to three times weekly.

Daily flights to Seoul (Incheon) from Manila will also be available.

Cebu Pacific flights to Nagoya, Japan will also increase from four times weekly to five times weekly starting June 29.

The airline said it would double its Manila-Singapore frequency to twice daily flights starting July 1.

Cebu Pacific is also set to resume its three times weekly flights to Sydney, Australia in July.

The airline’s first international flight from its Cebu hub to Seoul (Incheon) will resume by July 3 with twice weekly services.

The Inter Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases released Resolution 168 stating that effective May 30, fully vaccinated individuals who received at least one booster shot are exempted from presenting pre-departure COVID 19 test results for entry to the Philippines.

With Joel E. Zurbano

PH remains stable financially despite global uncertainties

Business Razon’s Prime Infra set to take over Malampaya P

By Alena Mae S. Flores

RIME Infrastructure Holdings Inc. of port magnate Enrique Razon Jr. on Thursday announced plans to acquire a controlling stake in the Malampaya deep-water gasto-power project, one of the biggest and most successful commercial gas finds in the Philippines.

Prime Infra said in a statement negotiations with businessman Dennis Uy for a controlling stake in the Malamapaya project kicked off and would shortly close, subject to the consent of various parties including the Department of Energy and the Philippine National Oil Co. Exploration Corp.

“There is a sense of ownership to achieving national energy independence when you bring in Filipino companies to

handle the reins of a critical power infrastructure and this is what Prime Infra aims to do with our participation in Malampaya. We will invest and sustain the development and production of domestic gas as long as the terms of the operating license and the natural resources permit,” said Razon, chairman of Prime Infra.

Prime Infa and Udenna Corp., the holding company of Uy, said that once they took over the operations of the Malampaya project from Shell Philippines Exploration B.V., they would need to immediately plan to ensure the continuity of Malampaya as long as the reserves support it.

“Natural gas is a critical transition fuel and the modern, state-of-the-art infrastructure built to harness this valuable transition fuel attracted us to pursue this deal—all aspects of the project ticks off our environmental, social, and governance check list that will allow us to contribute more to the country’s transition from expensive and volatile coal and imported fuel prices to affordable cleaner and domestic energy resources like natural gas,” said Razon.

Prime Infra said Malampaya’s service contract is set to expire in 2024, and the company hoped to continue operating the project while applying for an extension so it could invest in its expansion and sustain the economic and social benefits that Malampaya is providing the country.

Udenna expressed optimism about the participation of the Razon Group in Malampaya.

“We look forward to this opportunity to partner with Prime Infrastructure and PNOC EC, as we explore more ways to fulfill our common vision to make Malampaya sustain its capability to meet the urgent energy security need of the Philippines,” said Uy. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who previously held hearings questioning the technical, financial and legal competence of the Udenna Group in acquiring Malampaya, commended Prime Infra for seeking the government approval first.

“I commend Prime Infra for abiding with our laws and recognizing the importance of the process because it’s subject to government approval and that was the issue in the past,” Gatchalian said.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Thursday, June 2, 2022

-25.38 PTS. 6,686.83

TOTAL VOLUME

852,379,916

TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) ADVANCES

82,932 5,062,717,521.27 73

DECLINES

100

UNCHANGED

53

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

52.4610

Japan

Yen

0.007685

0.4032

UK

Pound

1.248900

65.5185

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127426

6.6849

Switzerland

Franc

1.037990

54.4540

Canada

Dollar

0.790077

41.4482

Singapore

Dollar

0.727590

38.1701

Australia

Dollar

0.717300

37.6303

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652942

139.1760

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266631

13.9877

Brunei

Dollar

0.724953

38.0318

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000069

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.029112

1.5272

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

14.2844

Euro

Euro

1.065500

55.8972

Korea

Won

0.000802

0.0421

China

Yuan

0.149571

7.8466

India

Rupee

0.012895

0.6765

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.228258

11.9746

New Zealand

Dollar

0.648100

34.0000

Taiwan

Dollar

0.034311

1.8000 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF Gov’t eyes China grant on Bohol bridge THE Philippine government is eyeing a new grant from China to finance a proposed iconic bridge connecting Panglao Island and mainland Tagbilaran City in Bohol province.

“We are looking forward at the approval of official development assistance through a grant from China for the proposed PanglaoTagbilaran City Offshore Bridge Connector Project,” said Public Works Undersecretary Emil Sadain, who heads the agency’s Unified Project Management Office.

The DPWH earlier secured the nod of the National Economic and Development Authority board for the bridge project and submitted requisite documents to the Department of Finance needed in securing a grant financing.

Sadain said the planned four lane 2.7-kilometer PTCOBC project would incorporate the iconic cable-stayed design. “With the province of Bohol among the top drawer of tourism in the Philippines, travelers looking forward to adventure-filled vacation is expected to benefit from this new bridge as it will cut travel time from Tagbilaran City seaport to Panglao Island to 15 minutes from 45 minutes during peak period and will serve as an alternative route of the Jacinto Borja Bridge and Ambassador Suarez Bridge, “ Sadain said. Darwin G. Amojelar

SEAOIL completes P740-m terminal

JAPAN-BOUND. Toyota Motor Philippines School of Technology completes its pilot dispatch of automotive technicians for Toyota Motor Corp. and Hino Motors Ltd. dealerships across Japan. Twenty-six TMP Tech graduates were deployed from March to May 2022, with 42 more set to join within the year as Japan further eases its borders. Under strategic partnerships with TMC and Hino, TMP Tech now serves Japan’s automotive after-sales service workforce, making it the newest training-to-employment program that provides opportunities in the global Toyota Network.

Farmers and businessmen give opposite views on RCEP deal

By Julito G. Rada

By Othel V. Campos

THE Philippines economy proved resilient in the past six months despite the global uncertainties that could have stifled growth and impacted the stability of the financial system, Financial Stability Coordination Council chairman and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said Thursday.

Diokno said in a statement the council should remain vigilant against potential disruptions from global developments to ensure that Filipinos could rely on a functioning financial system.

The FSCC is composed of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Department of Finance, the Insurance Commission, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is the venue for financial market authorities to identify, monitor, manage and mitigate the build-up of systemic risks in the financial system.

“The council will always choose to be pre-emptive against possible systemic risks,” Diokno said during the recent meeting of the council, which also reaffirmed the country’s strong domestic economic performance.

“The global outlook has changed significantly downwards over the last six months, and yet our first-quarter growth was a strong 8.3 percent yearon-year. This reflects the resilience of the local economy,” Diokno said.

The FSCC noted that with the firstquarter growth outperforming market expectations, prospects for the economy differed significantly from global trends and that the local growth momentum was expected to be sustained despite fluidity of markets worldwide.

This was validated by the recent International Monetary Fund statement which showed a higher growth forecast for 2022 for the country despite a significant reduction in global growth.

FARMERS and businessmen gave opposing views on the delayed Senate approval of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership trade agreement that will create the world’s largest economic bloc.

The Federation of Free Farmers lauded the decision of the Senate to delay the concurrence to the trade accord.

The group also urged the government of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to consult extensively with agriculture stakeholders on how to prepare farmers and fishers for RCEP, mitigate its threats on vulnerable sectors and take advantage of export opportunities.

“Our sector’s opposition to RCEP is largely due to the mishandling of the issue by the Department of Agriculture.

The DA stopped all consultations on RCEP in mid-2019. When talks were resumed in late 2021, changes in the agreement were no longer possible. Even then, the DA never acknowledged RCEP’s threats to the sector, despite data showing that our farmers were unprepared and our trade deficits were increasing by billions of dollars every year,” said FFF national manager Raul Montemayor.

Meanwhile, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Makati Business Club and Management Association of the Philippines reiterated its call on the Senate to ratify the Philippine membership in the RCEP. RCEP’s 15 member economies include the ten ASEAN members plus Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan and South Korea. Together, they account

for 30 percent of the world’s population and of global GDP. “Like any free trade agreement, RCEP provides wide economic opportunities for our country, along with certain threats to uncompetitive industries, and individual producers and their workers.

And like in the other free trade agreements the country has joined [of which our country has the least, compared to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam], the overall economic gains in terms of net job creation, economic growth and price stabilization will well outweigh the costs. Government has the responsibility to assist those adversely affected meaningfully and effectively, to allow them to achieve competitiveness or adjust to alternative products or livelihoods,” the business groups said.

SEA Oil Philippines, one of the leading independent fuel companies, completed the construction of a P740-million bulk terminal inside the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone run by the Zamboanga Free Port Authority.

SEAOIL president and chief operating officer Stephen Yu said the partnership with ZFA is more than a business decision for the company, as the project also aims to provide more jobs and create economic activities in the local community.

“By opening a terminal here in Zamboanga City, we can make our quality products more accessible to retail customers and commercial industries in the area. As we expand our retail footprint in Southern Mindanao, more fuel consumers from Zamboanga, Jolo, Sulu and Tawi-tawi, among others, can experience how SEAOIL takes care of its customers through innovations such as the PriceLOCQ mobile app,” he said.

The depot is designed for 18 million liters of storage capacity and can receive direct imports. The project widens SEAOIL’s lead in the Mindanao region in terms of storage capacity and capability to directly import petroleum products. Othel V. Campos

Emperador aims to hike whisky sales EMPERADOR Inc., the world’s largest brandy manufacturer, said it aims to double sales of single malt Scotch whisky by 2025.

Emperador said in briefing materials posted on the Philippine Stock Exchange website that from 2015 to 2021, single malt sales grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 22 percent.

Whisky revenues increased at an average of 11.3 percent from 2016 to 2021, or from P11.4 billion to P19.5 billion.

Brandy revenues posted a compounded annual growth rate of 5.6 percent from P29.6 billion in 2016 to P38.9 billion in 2021. Whisky comprised 33 percent of Emperador’s revenues while brandy accounted for 67 percent last year.

Emperador said it would aggressively expand globally, with 50 percent of sales and profits expected to come from the international market by 2025. Jenniffer B. Austria

Gov’t debt increased to record P12.76t in April THE government’s outstanding debt climbed to a record P12.76 trillion in April from P12.68 trillion in March on continued borrowings and the effect of weaker peso, the Bureau of the Treasury said Thursday.

“For April, the national government’s total debt increased by P83.40 billion, or 0.7 percent due to the net issuance of government securities to both local and external lenders and the depreciation of the local currency against the US dollar,” the Treasury said in a statement.

It said that of the total debt stock, 30 percent was sourced externally while 70 percent represented domestic borrowings.

Domestic debt amounted to P8.93 trillion, up by P67.20 billion or 0.8 percent from the end-March 2022 level due to the net availment of domestic financing amounting to P66.30 billion. From the end-December 2021 level, outstanding domestic debt increased P765.44 billion or 9.4 percent.

The government’s foreign debt hit P3.83 trillion as of end-April, up by P16.20 billion or 0.4 percent from the previous month.

“For the period, the increment to external debt was due to the net availment of external loans amounting to P28.56 billion and the effect of peso depreciation against the US dollar amounting to P31.50 billion,” the Treasury said.

This was tempered by adjustments in third currencies amounting to P43.86 billion. The national government’s external debt increased P269.20 billion or 7.6 percent from the end-December 2021 level.

Total government guaranteed obligations also went up by P2.39 billion or 0.6 percent month-on-month to P413.43 billion as of end-April.

“The increment in the level of guaranteed debt was due to the net availment of both domestic and external guarantees amounting to P6.16 billion and P0.12 billion, respectively,” the Treasury said.

Julito G. Rada

FINANCIAL TRAINING. Beneficiaries of the financial education program for fisherfolk welcome the donation of more than 100 kits of the Fish N’ Learn game developed by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Fish Right Program of the United States Agency for International Development and BDO Foundation Inc. The development partners have collaborated on the development of an innovative training intervention designed to help improve the financial literacy of more than 1.9 million fishers across the country.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022

C1

Gilas Pilipinas consultant Vucinic named head coach

Hidilyn Diaz wins the weightlifting gold in the -55kg division of the 31st Southeast Asian Games.

Diaz dilemma: To climb to 59 kgs, or go down to 49 at Paris games

By Peter Atencio

T

OKYO Olympics’ gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz remains undecided on what weight category to join as she bids for a berth in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Diaz, who recently kept the -55kg weightlifting title in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam, will have to decide soon if she will go up in weight or go down, to meet the standards set for the coming Olympic qualifiers.

“She’s undecided. We will find what works best in time for the Paris

Jalen Green joins EASL as ambassador FIL-AM Jalen Green is the newest investor ambassador of the East Asia Super League.

The league made the official announcement on Thursday, making the 20-year-old Houston Rockets guard the latest envoy of Asia’s premier basketball league along with former NBA players Baron Davis, Metta World Peace, and Shane Battier.

Green made NBA history as the highest-selected Asian American player in the league (no. 2 overall) during the 2021 draft, becoming the third player to do so after Jordan Clarkson and Raymond Townsend.

The high-flying 6’4” guard is one of the most influential athletes in the game today, especially in the Philippines from where his mother hails.

He has become a global symbol of basketball and already a phenomenal influence on the development of the sport.

Green will be active in EASL digital content and activations moving forward.

The content produced with Green will provide an in-depth and authentic look into his everyday life focusing on his Asian heritage, NBA journey, fashion and more.

Since focusing on digital marketing in 2020, EASL has engaged with more than 100 players and influencers, producing content that has reached more than 430 million and generated more than 200 million video plays.

EASL, which has a 10-year agreement with FIBA, the world governing body of basketball, will bring eight of Asia’s best teams in the region’s top leagues together every week to compete for a $1 million prize.

It aims to be one of the top three leagues in the world by audience size and commercial revenue by 2025.

Olympics,” said coach Julius Naranjo, who was with Diaz to receive their incentives from President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday evening in Malacanang.

During the biennial meet, Diaz totaled 206 kgs in the finals, three ahead of eventual runner-up Sunikun Tanasan, the 2016 Rio Olym-

pics’ gold medalist.

“My journey towards Paris (Olympics) starts here, so this SEA Games gold is very important for me,” said the 31-year-old Diaz.

“Napaka-meaningful nito (SEAG).

After winning the gold medal, bumalik pa din ako, nakapag-deliver ng gold medal for the Philippines. Masaya ako na nandito ako ulet ako sa SEA Games, na i-represent ang Pilipinas.”

The 55-kg event is not among the weight classes in the Paris games, and Diaz will have to choose if she will slide down to the women’s 49 kgs or go up to the 59-kg category.

Naranjo said Diaz is resting and seeking to regain her strength back after the SEA Games.

And a lot of work needs to be done as they prepare for the Cambodia SEA Games next year.

So far, Team HD has included many young and upcoming lifters in their regular workouts in Jala-Jala, Rizal.

Among those whom they helping is 23-year-old Dessa de los Santos, an aspiring female lifter from Zamboanga City.

They have also included f ive other junior lifters and see promise in 15-year-old Jose Dayao.

GILAS Pilipinas consultant Nenad Vucinic will assume the role of head coach of the men’s national basketball team when it plunges into action in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Auckland, New Zealand.

Vucinic replaces Chot Reyes, who mentored the team in the second window of qualifiers at the Araneta Coliseum and in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi.

The 57-year-old Vucinic is a good friend of Tab Baldwin, who has reportedly turned down offers to take Reyes’ job following Gilas’ silver medal finish in the SEA Games.

Gilas will clash with the New Zealand Tall Blacks and India on June 30 and July 3, respectively.

Team Philippines will also have a two-game friendly series with South Korea from June 17 to 18.

The holdovers for the coming window are Angelo Kouame, Dave Ildefonso, SJ Belangel, RJ Abarrientos, Nenad Vucinic Carl Tamayo, William Navarro, Justine Baltazar, Lebron Lopez, Thirdy Ravena, Dwight Ramos, and Geo Chiu.

Rhenz Abando, Kevin Quiambao, James Spencer, and Sherwin Concepcion are among the newbies, who are coming aboard.

Vucinic used to be the head coach of the Tall Blacks from 2006 to 2014. Peter Atencio

PH Azkals get little time to prepare THERE’S little time to prepare the Philippine Azkals national men’s football team for the coming Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup qualifiers in Mongolia.

And coach Thomas Dooley, who is finding inspiration in his coming wedding next month, will just have to do with whoever will be available when it gets going from June 8 to 14 in Mongolia.

The present lineup will include Birmingham City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, J2 League defender Jefferson Tabinas, Bundesliga standout Gerrit Holtmann and Johor Darul Ta’zim FC duo Bienvenido Marañon and Carli de Murga.

Longtime skipper Stephan Schrock won’t be around as Dooley

needed to cut him off as he won’t be available for the training that has been going on since Monday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Adriatico St., Manila, Manila.

“It’s very difficult. Because we don’t have a lot of time,” said Dooley.

Also included in the callup were Anthony Pinthus, Kevin Ray Hansen, and Quincy Kammeraad, who are the other goalkeepers in the squad.

Amani Aguinaldo, Diego Bardanca, Daisuke Sato, Miguel Mendoza, Jaime Rosquillo, and Matthew Nierras are the other members of the team.

Dooley has put the likes of young players like Dennis Vil-

lanueva, Oskari Kekkonen, Mike and Manuel Ott, Jesse Curran, OJ Porteria, Patrick Reichelt, Sandro Reyes, Dylan De Bruycker, Oliver Bias, and Dennis Chung in the midfield.

The 61-year-old Dooley said he is happy and inspired in coming back after coaching teams in Vietnam and Malaysia.

Dooley, who is set to marry his Filipina girlfriend next month, returned to the Azkals a few days after Scott Cooper resigned from his Philippine national team coaching job.

The Azkals have three scorers, namely Mark Hartmann, Ivan Ouano, Jhan-Jhan Melliza and Kenshiro Daniels.

Thomas Dooley

Nietes-Ioka rematch for WBO title slated LOS ANGELES—Donnie Nietes of the Philippines will add another chapter to his remarkable boxing story if he reclaims the World Boxing Organization world junior bantamweight title next month.

The former four-weight world champion challenges Kazuto Ioka, in Tokyo, on July 13 for the

belt he won in 2018, when defeating the Japanese star.

Nietes would relinquish the crown soon after the fight, allowing Ioka the chance to win the vacant title and almost four years on, the pair renew their rivalry at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in a fascinating clash of 115-lb greats.

The fight will be promoted by SANKYO presents LIFETIME BOXING FIGHTS 9.

Donnie Nietes, said: “This was the fight I wanted the most and I am incredibly eager to win back my world title.

“I have been in training since February for this fight but I really stepped up my levels when I knew it was confirmed.

“T his rematch ma kes me excited and when I vacated the title in 2018 it was always in my mind that I would, one day, win it back.

On July 13, that dream will become a reality.”

Nietes, 40, has won world titles at minimumweight, light flyweight, flyweight and up at 115lbs, where he takes on Ioka for a second time.

Richard Schaefer, President of Probellum, said: “Donnie is a boxing legend and a sure-fire Hall of Fame inductee in the future. But his career is far from over, there is plenty left in the tank and when he travels to Japan and rips the world title from Kazuto Ioka on July 13, it will rank as the greatest victory of his remarkable career. What a story it would be for Nietes to recapture the title he first won almost four years ago, and to achieve that in a great champion’s backyard, would make it even more special.” Probellum

C2

Sports

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022

Cilic, Ruud nail semis seats at French Open for 1st time P

ARIS—Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud moved into the French Open semi-finals for the first time on Wednesday courtesy of two big-hitting displays which overwhelmed their opponents.

Cilic fired 33 aces and 88 winners past seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev in a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (10/2) win.

Eighth seed Ruud booked a clash against the 33-year-old Croat when he became the first Norwegian man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 victory over Danish teenager Holger Rune.

Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, needed four hours and 10 minutes to defeat Rublev who has now lost all of his five quarter-final appearances at the Slams.

The 20th seeded Cilic becomes only the fifth active men’s player after Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to make the semi-finals at all four majors.

“The fifth set was an incredible battle,” said Cilic who is in his first Grand Slam semi-final in four years.

“Andrey played so well. Today was my day. He just didn’t have the luck.”

Rublev grabbed the first set but wilted under a Cilic barrage over the next two.

The Croat had stunned world number two Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round and he rediscovered that freeswinging assault to level the contest with a 17th ace on a fifth set point.

Croatia’s Marin Cilic celebrates after his victory over Russia’s Andrey Rublev in their men’s quarter-final singles match on Day 11 of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris.

He pocketed the third with a lone break in the seventh game.

Rublev, who had lost to Cilic at the Australian Open in January, battled back with a crucial break in the eighth game of the fourth set.

Cilic, the 2017 Wimbledon and 2018 Australian Open runner-up to Federer, had a match point saved in the ninth game of the decider but swept through the super tiebreaker.

‘Serving very well’ “He was serving very well,” said Rublev.

“I relaxed after the first set but then I wasn’t thinking.

“I could not manage the emotions in the previous quarter-finals. Today I was close to the semi-final.”

Rune, ranked 40, had knocked out fourth seed and 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round.

The 19-year-old was bidding to become the first Danish man to reach the last-four in Paris and first at any Slam since Jan Leschly at the 1967 US Championships.

However, Ruud overpowered the youngster, firing 13 aces and 55 winners while Rune had to fight off 12 of 17 break points carved out by the Norwegian.

“I started the match well, but Holger raised his level of play, he came back and it was tough until the end,” said Ruud after beating the Dane for the fourth time in four meetings.

“I had met him three times and he is improving. He has become unpredictable, he isn’t afraid of anything and will be dangerous for the next few years,” added Ruud who had never passed the round of 16 in a Grand Slam before this Open. AFP French

Youth Empowerment online sports summit set FROM the creators of the sports empowerment platform The Goal Diggers PH, sports marketing organization XMPLR is launching the Youth Empowerment Through Sports (YES) Summit, a two-day virtual conference that aims to empower resilient Gen Zers to rise through the challenges of the post-pandemic world.

As the first youth sports congregation of its kind in the country, the YES Summit is set to be staged virtually from June 4 to 5, where studentathletes, leaders, and educators will be given access to some of the country’s most prominent sports figures with the goal of empowering the youth with inspiration and guidance to prepare them for the challenges of the new normal.

“After two years of putting their lives on hold, our youth is faced with pandemic-borne challenges that can hinder them from tapping their poten-

tial and finding opportunities to thrive in the real world,” said XMPLR’s Chief Sports Advocate Robbie de Vera.

For two days, the YES Summit will feature six speakers from different backgrounds as they inspire, empower and engage participants with their reallife experiences and advice.

Day 1 of the event will spotlight the importance of resilience as “The OneArmed Mamba” Kat Tan will share insights coming from her own experiences.

Meanwhile, SMART Sports Head Jude Turcuato will talk about the value of sports in and beyond the court.

Filipino-American basketball coach Hernando Planells will share the importance of self-management.

The second day will focus on empowerment as registered psychologist, professor and head of the Philippine Sports Commission’s Sports Psychology unit Dr. Karen Trinidad,

The Azkals’ OGs: Back at it one more time FOR Neil Etheridge, Daisuke Sato and Simone Rota, nothing beats the feeling of being called up to play for the Philippine Azkals, the country’s men’s national football team. The three are back once more to a squad that is hoping to get one of the 11 spots at stake in the last and final qualifiers for the AFC 2023 Asian Cup. Standing in their way in Ulaanbaatar are Yemen, Palestine and Mongolia.

With a mixture of young and hungry players, Etheridge, Sato and Rota are easily among the “seniors” in the current national training pool. But make no mistake, in my conversations with the three Azkals icons, they are ready and excited to suit up and lead the team back to the biggest football event in Asia. Incidentally, Etheridge, Sato and Rota were in the Azkals team that beat Tajikistan, 2-1, in 2018 to help the country gain a historic spot in the 2019 Asian Cup in United Arab Emirates.

Etheridge, the goalkeeper of Birmingham FC in the EFL Championship League of the United Kingdom, has been with the team for 14 years now and says he will always be ready to play for the country whenever he is called.

“I think if you get selected for flag and country, the national team, you should always be proud. You should be proud every time you go to the camp, every time you put

the shirt on. It’s something that I obviously hold close to my heart, otherwise I wouldn’t have been doing it for 12 years or 14 years now. I enjoy every moment that I come out here and play with the team,” he said.

Sato, on the other hand, is very excited to be with the Azkals again, but is cautious, knowing that their opponents in Ulaanbaatar are no pushovers.

“I believe that no group is easy. I remember the last time during the Asian Cup qualifiers in 2018, it was also a difficult group, but we made it because we created a good team. We fought together and we made sure that everybody helped each other and that’s how we qualified. I believe that even though we have strong opponents, strong teams in our group, we can we can qualify in the Asian Cup,” he said.

For Rota, being included in the national pool is very special, especially as he last played for the national team five years ago.

And at 37 years old, he will grab every opportunity to don the national colors with both hands.

Rota added the reunion with Etheridge, Sato and his other teammates in the national team is most welcome to him.

“When I came here, the energy is positive and I’m so happy to meet again my friends from the national team who play abroad. It has been three years since we didn’t see each other,” Rota said.

While much have changed in the national team’s composition, Etheridge and Rota are hopeful that they can share their veteran smarts with the young ones.

“We’ve got some young and energetic players with us, and some enthusiastic kids.

But they don’t have the experience that I’ve

will open with the importance of mental health.

Sports retail tycoon and athlete Toby Claudio, President of Toby’s Sports will provide tips on how to be an elite athlete in and beyond sports with the importance of habits, while five-time Philippine Basketball Association and Gilas coach Chot Reyes will speak about future-fit leadership.

Registration for the YES Summit is free. For more information, like and follow The Goal Diggers PH page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ TheGoalDiggersPH/.

Kat Tan, more popularly known as the One-Armed Mamba in basketball circles, is one of the speakers expected to inspire the youth participants in the virtual summit.

had in competitions or in playing in the biggest league of the world. As older players, you need to feed off their energy and at the same time, they need to learn from your experience,” Etheridge explained.

“From my point of view, I think we can make it as long as we play like a team.

My experience will help and whatever the coach will need from me, I will deliver,” Rota added.

Sato likewise paid tribute to the players who were responsible in making the Azkals, once the minnows in regional football, gain respect from opponents. He said Phil Younghusband, Stephan Schrock, Misagh Bahadoran and the many before them paved for the way for him to play in big and historic tournaments for the country. Sato said these superstars of Philippine football deserved to be recognized for their contributions and efforts to make football relevant in a country obsessed with basketball.

“Phil was an amazing captain. He made sure that everybody is happy. Schrock is an amazing captain as well. He is such a motivator. As athletes, we need him as role model.

And I really respect very much because of his sacrifice for the team. That is something that we should appreciate,” Sato said.

But first, the three says the game against Yemen on June 8 is very crucial in the Philippines’ campaign. It has become so important that Sato and company are unanimous in saying that it will make or break the Azkals’ bid in Ulaanbaatar.

“I don’t think about the long term. We have to think first against Yemen. This is the biggest game that we will have in this tournament. If we win the first game, I believe that we can qualify in the Asian Cup,” Sato said.

Etheridge agrees: “Yemen is going to be a tough first game. Obviously it would be extremely nice to get a result in the first game.

It’s always nice to get off to a good start.”

Despite the fact that most of their teammates are young, the three vowed to give their all and expect the same from their teammates

regardless of who will play in the pitch.

“We have many young players. Me, I’m not so old. I’m 27, but still, we have a lot of energy on the pitch. Also good vibes on and outside the pitch which are very important.

It is really nice that they give so many positives to the team, they are really energetic and intense and you can see that in training,” Sato said.

“Every time I do, to put the shirt on, I think 90 or 95% of the time I’ve had a good game and I’ve done everything I can and is no different no matter who the opposition is. I’ve been fortunate enough to play against the biggest teams in the world, I played against Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchested City. Mongolia, Yemen and Palestine are my next three games. And my next three games are as important as any previous game that I played,” Etheridge said.

Etheridge, Sato and Rota are happy that Thomas Dooley is back with the team.

And they all agree that Dooley will make the necessarily adjustments to make the squad better and in fighting form despite the many challenges he has to face in the limited time that he has.

“Everyone is trying his best. I don’t want to say that we will qualify or not, but we will do our best,” Rota added.

The national training pool is set to play a tune-up game against an All-Star selection from the Philippines Football League today in Biñan, Laguna. Regardless of the result, Etheridge said what is important is for the team to play together as one. From there, Dooley can at least gauge the capability of the team and make changes. Etheridge is hoping that a good result in Ulaanbaatar will hopefully spark another football revival in the country.

Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat

Rock ‘n’ Roll run series draws huge field MORE than 4,000 runners have so far signed up with the numbers expected to double up in the next two weeks or so before the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series is fired off in Manila on June 19.

This marks the first time that the four-category event will be staged in Southeast Asia, thus drawing a curious mix of entries, from regular campaigners to weekend and recreational runners all wanting to experience the thrill and excitement of night racing with twists and innovations.

Registration is ongoing at www. runrocknroll.com.manila with onsite listup at Garmin stores (through cash and Gcash mode of payment) at Glorietta I, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, The Podium, Ayala Vertis North, SM North, SM Aura, Uptown and Alabang Town Center.

The 5K and 10K races are set to flag off at the break of dawn while the 21K and 42K events will be held early evening, according to the organizing Sunrise Events, Inc. Fees are pegged at P950 for 5K, P1,850 for 10K, P2,450 for half-marathon and P2,650 for the 42K run. For the Remix Challenge, rates are P3,600 for marathon +5K, P4,100 for marathon +10K, P3,800 for half-marathon +5K and P3,400 for half-marathon +10K. Prices, however, may chance until slot lasts.

RockNRollMNL (facebook) and asicsrnrmanila (Instagram) are the social media accounts of the event backed by Alaska, Gatorade, the Philippine Star and Lightwater.

The races will fire off in front of Rizal Park and will pass through landmark streets, buildings, churches and parks, including the National Museum, the Manila City Hall, Kartilya ng Katipunan, and the walled city Intramuros, before eventually making their way to the finish line with the musically themed event to be amped up by on-course bands and DJs. Race week will kick-off on June 14 with the health and fitness Expo, featuring the latest products from ASICS and trends in the running industry.

Akari to light up Premier Volleyball League ‘22 AKARI, one of the country’s biggest manufacturers and distributors of electronic products, levels up in postpandemic times as it is set to join the Premier Volleyball League 2022, likely in the season-ending conference of the country’s premier pro league in October.

A long-time sports patron, Akari has supported the Adamson U squad during the 2019 Collegiate Conference on top of backing the sport in the grassroots level for years.

“We are excited to join the PVL. For Akari, it feels like we are graduating college since we are entering the pro ranks,” said Russell Balbacal, sports director of Akari Lighting & Technology Corp. “For years, we have been supporting grassroots and collegiate teams.

We feel like this is the right time to go a level higher.”

In 2016, Akari backed Adamson’s men’s basketball, women’s volleyball and pep squads. The company also organized the Akari Cup, a youth volleyball tournament. Three years later, it supported the Lady Falcons, who captured the Collegiate Conference crown.

“We’re glad to welcome Akari to our PVL family. They have been in volleyball for so long and it’s good to see them go into the pro ranks,” said Ricky Palou, president of the organizing Sports Vision.

Akari, which has named Mozzy Ravena as team manager, is currently building up for its maiden appearance, vowing to put up a formidable one given the depth of talents waiting to be tapped.

“Ang instruction sa amin is to form the best team possible. We are out to form a championship-caliber team in the shortest possible time,” said Balbacal.

With the PVL popularity and reach, Akari believes its participation will not only help promote the company’s advocacies but also the brand itself.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang,, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022

The Script to perform at MOA Arena in September IRISH pop-rock The Script will be performing in Manila on September 23 at the Mall of Asia Arena in support of its Tales From The Script album, a compilation of its biggest hits and fan favorites from their six studio albums so far.

The album highlights classic cuts from the trio’s stellar catalog, including the UK #1 smash “Hall of

Fame” (featuring will.i.am) and charttopping hits “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved,” “For The First Time,” “Superheroes” plus the new single “I Want It All.” It also includes landmark moments and staples of their live show “Breakeven” and their debut singles “We Cry” and “Rain.”

The trio’s last studio album release Sunsets & Full Moons marked the

band’s sixth #1 in their home country and fifth #1 in the UK, with more than 143 million streams worldwide.

Sunsets & Full Moons adds to the remarkable tally of the band’s achievements of the preceding 11 years: five platinum-selling albums, six billion streams, 30 million singles sold, 11 million albums sold, 13 million monthly Spotify listeners,

C3

Irish pop-rock band The Script

and two million tickets sold across headline shows globally.

Tickets to The Script: Greatest Hits Tour 2022 in Manila, presented by Wilbros Live and Midas Promotions, will go onsale beginning June 11 at SMTickets.com and all SM Tickets outlets nationwide.

‘Star Magic 30 All-Star Games’ reunites Kapamilya celebrities, supporters The winners of the badminton competition

OUDEST cheers, filled seats, roaring support, Twitter toptrending topic, and proud winners concluded the first AllStar Games in two years.

L

Thousands of exhilarated Star Magic fans, groups of friends, bunches of families, and Star Magic artists all trooped and filled the Araneta Coliseum to the brim for one of the most awaited events of the premier talent management’s 30th-anniversary celebration, the “Star Magic 30 All-Star Games.”

Held last May 23, VJ Ai and Richard Juan hosted the sports event and were joined by Aya Fernandez and Selina de Dios on the courtside, together with hostcomedians Jhai Ho and Negi.

Before the actual games, one of the most awaited segments of the show was the Parade of Stars; wherein each team entered with their

This week in the world of pageantry Shanon Tampon competes in Miss Elite 2022 in Egypt MODEL Shanon Tampon is set to compete with 35 other finalists for the title of Miss Elite 2022 in Somabay, Red Sea, Hurghada, Egypt.

The pageant will culminate on June 10.

The 25-year-old Marketing graduate, who is an advocate against animal cruelty, will bring her national costume designed by Michael Barrasi, and evening gown by Cathy Capistrano. She will try to inherit the crown currently held by Mexico’s Fernanda Pumar.

Marie Sherry Ann ‘Shane’ Tormes is up against more than 80 contestants from around the globe for the Miss Global 2022 crown

Shanon Tampon is a 25-year-old marketing graduate who advocates against animal cruelty

Shane Tormes vies for Miss Global 2022 crown in Indonesia Miss Philippines-Earth Fire 2020 Marie Sherry Ann ‘Shane’ Tormes flew to Bali, Indonesia to compete in Miss Global 2022.

Handpicked by the Miss Global Philippines organization, the 29-year-old, events host and singer from Atimonan, Quezon, has made the Top 3 Best in Talent video and will perform “Proud Mary” live in Bali.

Tormes is up against more than 80 contestants from around the globe to succeed in reigning Miss Global 2019-2020 Karolina Kokesova of the Czech Republic.

Now on its 8th edition, the pageant will crown its new queen on June 11.

Shin Alba Lopez crowned Mrs. Asia Pacific All Nations 2022 Mrs. Queen of Hearts Philippines’ Louise Suzanne ‘Shin’ Alba-Lopez was crowned Mrs. Asia Pacific All Nations 2022 in the pageant held in Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. The 39-year-old mother of three boys from Marikina City was also named Best in Talent.

Lopez was one of five Mrs. Queen of Hearts Philippine team who represented the country, with Darling Edralin, Monaliza Salenga, Ivy Diana Manzon-Bo, and Catherine Jordas.

Marianne Martin featured in Dubai grand Santacruzan Crystal International Women’s Young Fashion Icon 2022 awardee Marianne Martin led ten other famous local designers to participate in the grand Santacruzan, sponsored by Dubaibased Global Women Empowerment Summit (GWES) on June 2 at Marriott Hotel. The event was attended by foreign dignitaries, ambassadors, and international delegates.

Joining Martin are Renee Salud, Jun-Jun Cambe, Nardi Presa, Steve de Leon, Ulysees King, Ariel Simon Vaquez, Mixy Dy, Ramon Santiago, Albert Fontanilla, and Jay Layson.

KD Estrada (left) and Alexa Ilacad show some of their on and off-screen chemistry

AC Bonifacio (left) and Darren Espanto pair up for the mixed doubles badminton category

Belle Mariano (left) and Donny Pangilinan lead the Star Magic Dream Team

respective muses. Star Hunt Team had Lou Yanong and Andi Abaya, It’s Showtime Team had Jackie Gonzaga, Star Magic New Breed Team entered with Alexa Ilacad, while the Star Magic Dream Team was led by Belle Mariano. Aya marked the beginning of the festivity with the opening prayer following the parade, while Sheena Belarmino, led the national anthem.

Camaraderie and support came in full swing as Loisa Andalio, Kira Balinger, Karina Bautista, Jeremiah Lisbo, Kaori Oinuma, and Joshua Garcia also cheered on those who unleashed their sporty side that day.

Games and Winners The first sports category is badminton wherein Daniel Padilla and Neil Coleta emerged as the champion in the men’s double, while Poppert Bernadas and Chilco Alicaya and Recio and JM Yosures finished as first and second runner-up, respectively. In the Mixed Doubles category, Gello Marquez and Naomi Suello finished as winners, while Benedix Ramos and Dalia Varde and Jaye Macaraan and Kathleen Zarandin, made it as the first and second runners-up, respectively.

The game between the Star Magic Lady Spikers and the Star Hunt Volleyball Teams had been nothing but intense, with the former taking home the trophy. Vivoree, Dalia, Naomi, Gillian Vicencio, Analain Salvador, Ai Dela Cruz, Carmela Ford, Ashley Colet, PJ Endrinal, Danica

Ontengco, Chie Filomeno, Angela Ken, and Andrea Brillantes formed part of the champ’s team. Tan Roncal, Argel Saycon, Joseph Eugenio, Lance Carr, Kobie Brown, BGYO members Mikki, Akira, and JL, John Adajar, and Tristan Ramirez were just some who joined the Star Hunt Team. While KD Estrada, Louise Abuel, Isaiah Dela Cruz, Henz Villaraiz, CJ Salonga, River Joseph, Lance Lucido, Tom Doromal, Neil Coleta, Ashton Salvador, Luke Alford, Igi Flores, Seth Fedelin, Grae Fernandez, and Kyle Echarri completed the Star Magic New Breed team.

In the end, Star Magic Hunt New Breed Team A won against Star Magic New Breed team and the Mythical 5 in the junior basketball category had River Joseph, Ashton Salvador, Aleck Iñigo, Argel Saycon, and Lance Carr.

In Basketball, Star Hunt New Breed Team A dominated against the Star Hunt New Breed Team B on the hardcourt. Tan Roncal, Argel Saycon, Joseph Eugenio, Lance Carr, Kobie Brown, BGYO members Mikki, Bgyo, JL, John Adajar, Gino Roque, and Tristan Ramirez were just some who joined the Star Hunt Team. While KD Estrada, Louise Abuel, Isaiah Dela Cruz, Henz Villaraiz, CJ Salonga, River Joseph, Lance Lucido, Tom Doromal, Neil Coleta, Ashton Salvador, Luke Alford, Igi Boy Flores, Grae Fernandez, Seth Fedelin, and Kyle Echarri completed the Star Magic New Breed Team.

…are talking about

PEOPLE

...are not talking about

Sharon Cuneta Filipino K-pop stans are gushing over the Megastar as she couldn’t help but tear up at the recent SHINee concert, even if it’s just Key, whose real name is Kim Ki Bum, present. Although the Megastar enjoys a level of stardom in her career, she can be just as relatable as everyone else.

Who hasn’t experienced crying from seeing their favorite idols live? The tables have turned as Tita Shawie got emotional, like her fans who saw her for the first time.

Bianca Gonzales

After years of hosting Pinoy Big Brother, Bianca took the spotlight as the reality series’ primary host during the Big Night. She admitted to being ‘in a daze’ for the new opportunity and the overflowing support from her fans, but she didn’t let her nerves or the severity of the situation get to her. Bianca’s professionalism and energy make her worthy of the role that kept viewers interested in Pinoy Big Brother for years.

In the end, Star Magic Hunt New Breed Team A won against Star Magic New Breed team and the Mythical 5 in the junior basketball category had River Joseph, Ashton Salvador, Aleck Iñigo, Argel Saycon, and Lance Carr.

The much-awaited basketball event happened between the Star Magic Dream Team and Team Showtime. Donny Pangilinan led the former team, together with Paulo Angeles, RK Bagatsing, Jerome Ponce, Kyle Velino, Joao Constancia, Karl Gabriel, Miko Raval, Gerard Acao, Paolo Gumabao, and Ronnie Alonte as the team’s captain ball. While Vhong Navarro led Team Showtime together with Ogie Alcasid, Kid Yambao, Johannes Rissler, Zeus Collins, Nyoy Volante, Ion Perez, Teddy Corpuz, Eric Tai, Wilbert Ross, and Ryan Bang.

Vice Ganda was also present during the event to support Team Showtime.

BINI’s halftime performance pumped up the heart-stopping four-quarter game as the fans cheered on their respective teams.

In the end, Team Showtime finished as the victor with 84-70.

ABS-CBN Chief Operation Officer for Broadcast Cory Vidanes and TV Productions and Star Magic Head Lauren Dyogi led the awarding ceremony and handed the trophy to Ronnie, Ion, Eric, Johannes, and Donny, who were part of Mythical 5.

True enough, this event is only the first of the many exciting events and activities that Star Magic has in store for all its supporters this year, as the talent agency marks its 30th anniversary.

Fans can watch the games again soon on KTX.ph. Stay tuned to Star Magic’s official social networking sites for the airing announcement.

Diego Loyzaga Breaking up with Barbie Imperial a few months back stirred some drama in Diego’s life.

However, the buzz in showbiz is that Diego has a new girlfriend, exPBB housemate Franki Russell.

Yet Diego already clarified that he and Franki are not a thing because he wants to enjoy being single.

Either that or he just wants to keep their relationship low-key to avoid it from blowing up. Only time will tell.

Andrea Brillantes Child stars take some time to grow out of their former image and come into a new character in showbiz. Andrea successfully transitioned from a child start to a talented young lady. But apparently, not many people think her voice followed in the transition because she still talks in a high-pitched with hints of baby talk. But there’s no real issue with her voice. If there’s one way to measure maturity, it’s through one’s personality in dealing with negativity.

GigaLife App features new tile for sensational, exclusive promos MOBILE services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is making it simpler for subscribers to spot and avail of the latest promos to boost their digital lifestyle as it unveils the “Don’t Miss Out” tile on the GigaLife App along with a suite of must-not-miss GigaLife Surprises exclusively available on the app.

Downloadable on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Huawei App Gallery, the Smart GigaLife App is designed as the one-stop super app for

Smart Prepaid, Smart Postpaid, Smart Bro, Infinity, PLDT Home WiFi, and TNT subscribers, enabling them to simply manage their account, register to datapacked promos, monitor usage, pay bills, as well as earn GigaPoints that can be exchanged for data perks and lifestyle rewards—all with a few taps on their smartphone.

With the “Don’t Miss Out” tile, subscribers can expect sensational perks and customized value-packed offers that

are refreshed on a weekly basis and made available all year round as Smart makes sure it will not run out of surprises for customers to look forward to.

Apart from the “Don’t Miss Out” tile, other GigaLife Surprises that are coming soon include Giga Missions, which gives subscribers a chance to earn points and rewards by completing tasks and challenges on the GigaLife App; and Giga PayDay, which comes with huge discounts for all subscribers every payday – on the 27th and

28th of each month.

All these are on top of the ongoing GigaDays, which offer discounts on GigaPoints redemption of exclusive perks such as data offers, gadgets, and lifestyle rewards, happening every 19th to 22nd of the month.

Click on the link to know more about GigaLife Surprises: https://youtu.be/ tvmW2AIi7j8. Visit https://smart.com.ph/ GigaLife App allows users to boost their digital lifestyle with easy to avail exclusive Pages/gigalife-app for more details. promos

Life

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

C4

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022

Celebrating Philippines-Australia Friendship Day

From left: SM Supermarket’s Jojo Tagbo, Savemore Market’s Genevieve Manalad, and SM Hypermarket President Arnold Daluz, and SM Retail’s Millie Dizon (second from right) with Australian icons

THE Australian Embassy, in partnership with SM, recently celebrated this year’s Philippines-Australia Friendship Day with “Experience Australia,” a three-day food, retail, study, and travel festival at SM Megamall.

Australian Ambassador Steven J Robinson AO was joined by members of the business sector, Australia Global Alumni network, Filipino-Australian community, and officials from the Australian Embassy and SM.

Australian Ambassador Steven Robinson at the SM Markets pop-up featuring favorites from Coles, one of Australia’s largest supermarket chains

“We mark Philippines-Australia Friendship Day every 22 May, and we bring the celebration to a different city each year. This year, we are pleased to celebrate Friendship Day back in Manila, our first face-to-face festival since the pandemic,” said Ambassador Robinson.

Mallgoers got to experience shopping in Sydney’s The Rocks markets with Taste of Australia pop-ups featuring world-class wines, sustainable meat, fresh fruits, healthy snacks, and an exciting selection of Coles

products.

It was also announced during the launch that Coles, one of the largest supermarket chains in Australia, comes to the Philippines for the very first time through its partnership with SM Markets.

With this, Filipinos have a chance to enjoy Aussie favorites ranging from cookies, chocolate bars, milk, honey, coffee, tea, and cereals to baking needs, condiments, hearty soups, tasty liquid stocks, and more. Coles products are exclusively

available at select SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, and Savemore branches.

“I am so excited for Filipinos to be able to enjoy the products we love back home.

Coles is one of Australia’s biggest and longestablished brands; similar to what SM Markets is to the Philippines. What makes it even better is that SM is able to offer Coles products at a reasonable price so that more and more families can start enjoying Coles regularly at home,” the ambassador added.

Mallgoers also learned about study

K-drama as form of therapy Mental health expert’s unique approach to changing and saving lives

T

HERAPEUTIC. More than a decade before the recent K-drama craze in the country was intensified by the pandemic, that was how I have always described my Korean drama viewing experience. My personal insight was recently validated by no less than Korean-American licensed marriage and family therapist, mental health advocate, public speaker, and author Jeanie Y. Chang, LMFT, CMHIMP, CCTP. K-dramas form a large part of Jeanie’s current therapy practice.

She creatively and scientifically incorporates K-drama scenes as viewing homework for her clients.

Growing up as a Korean in the United States, Jeanie did not have the appreciation for her cultural heritage until her exposure to K-drama in 1992.

“I was a high school senior

when I saw my first modern K-drama. It’s called Jealousy in English. I remember that so well because that was my first time watching a K-drama and I loved it!,” Jeanie happily shared over a video call.

She went on to relate that getting into business school and her wife and mommy duties in the early 2000s got in the way of her K-drama immersion. Jeanie just got back into the habit when she discovered My Love From the Star starring Kim Soo-hyun and Jun jihyun in 2015.

“It’s not only the story that I like. Honestly, I like watching someone who looks like me,” she added.

Apparently, Jeanie’s clients, including non-Asians, also feel connected to K-dramas. The mental health and therapy expert successfully used this reality to merge her love for K-drama and passion for helping others.

“That is why K-dramas are powerful. They are

The cast of ‘Itaewon Class’

Korean-American therapist Jeanie Y. Chang, otherwise known as Noona’s Noonchi

relatable.

I don’t care if you’re telling me, ‘Oh, but they

Mobile app for taxpayers THERE is an easy way to sort out your taxes now with TaxWhizPH, the newly updated mobile app launched by the Asian Consulting Group (ACG) together with its IWAS BUWIS-it 2022 edition book as a do-it-yourself guide on what to do and what to avoid when you compute your taxes.

This much-awaited release by author Mon Abrea, provides a veritable closeup view of the intricacies of the country’s tax system and would be a useful tool for a growing number of Filipinos who are not only curious but are concerned about how the tax system works. As the new normal settles in and blends with people’s everyday lives, Filipinos are still trying to figure out how to deal with the effects brought by the pandemic as well as the new protocols to observe to get our lives back to full steam.

TaxWhizPH Mobile App 2.0 and the IWAS BUWIS-it 2022 edition book was officially launched on June 1 at the ACG Tax Hub during the SHIfT HAPPENS: Grand Press Launch event. The first IWAS BUWIS-it book

drive Mercedes and have these beautiful purses.’ I need you to look at the guy who’s miserable, who has no parents, or went through a childhood trauma. He’s rich but he’s unhappy.

Those things are real,” she said. “To see that somebody who went through a very hard time got deserved happiness. That’s super important to our mental health. All of those stories are relatable and we find ourselves in it.”

“The story-telling is so well-done. Like I wish I can know these screenwriters,”

was launched in 2019 with guidelines on the basis of taxation, how taxes came about and what type of taxes apply to what activity or concern – information that could affect your decision-making such as careers, lifestyle, and even advice for those who want to put up a business.

The new IWAS BUWIS-it 2022 edition book together with the TaxWhizPH Mobile App 2.0, goes beyond the nittygritty of your tax concerns and helps you get a grip on what to do when it comes to tax payment time. The mobile app and the book were designed to help make taxpayers feel more at ease. It was conceptualized by the author and founding chairman of ACG, Mon Abrea, a former BIR examiner and a staunch advocate of genuine tax reform in the Philippines.

These twin tax aids will ensure that Filipinos feel secure and relaxed to handle their own taxes.

The launch was hosted by Salve Duplito, TV Anchor, Managing Editor & Head Writer at ABS-CBN News Channel and DZMM Teleradyo. Present also

The people responsible for the development of TaxWhizPH

Jeanie raved about K-drama and shared why she thinks it’s drawing a lot of attention worldwide.

“When I watch one scene, I could start out laughing, and then I’m crying by the end of the scene.”

Australian Embassy Political, Economic, and Public Diplomacy Counsellor James Yeomans (left) and Filipino-Australian Miss Eco International 2022 Kathleen Paton

opportunities at Australia’s world-class universities at the Experience Australia education booths; while Australia Global Alumni booths featuring hand-crafted clothing and accessories, gift items, as well as fresh and artisanal food by Australiaeducated Filipinos were also on display.

Festival highlights also included a special visit by Filipino-Australian celebrities Diego Loyzaga, Teresa Loyzaga, and Leila Alcasid, and a chance to win roundtrip tickets for two to Australia via Qantas.

Shin Min-a (left) and Kim Seon-ho in ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’

She also agreed that the growing love for K-Pop artists like EXO and BTS and the availability of titles on digital streaming platforms have also contributed to K-drama’s popularity. At one point, she smilingly said, “Squid Game helped bring it massive attention, you know?”

Asked how she injects K-drama into therapy, Jeanie made a clarification that she only includes it when necessary.

“I will bring it in when it makes sense.

A couple of times I’ve had to say it to couples, ‘You know what, it’s going to help you become close. Watch a K-drama.’

And they will stare at me,” she said. “I’ll be like, ‘Okay listen, you watch movies together, same thing,’ But this is K-drama, it’s 16 episodes. Imagine 16 hours of really bonding and seeing a story that’s romantic.”

In a lot of cases, the strategy works, even in her K-drama workshops.

“Everybody always cries,” Jeanie observed and described how effective showing K-drama clips to her participants is to draw out certain concepts like grief, childhood trauma, and family conflict. These are eventually discussed and processed.

Scenes from her go-to titles like Reply 1988, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Boys Over Flowers, Itaewon Class, and the Red Sleeve have been tried and tested.

Jeanie takes no offense when some of her clients do not fully grasp their emotions until they have seen a certain K-drama scene.

“Some people did not know that they were grieving or sad until they saw something,” she said. “I think those are the most powerful stories. Hearing people say, ‘A K-drama changed my life. I was

able to get through this hard traumatic time because I saw this K-drama.’ I love that. I hear that a lot.”

These days, Jeanie does not have to see people in face-to-face sessions in order to help. She has embraced the digital space as Noona’s Noonchi (Noona stands for older sister while noonchi means “sharp eye measure” in Korean) and gets in touch with strangers from all around the world through Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube.

Jeanie uses her noonchi skills to zoom into K-drama scenes and gets into a deep dive into the latest titles. She presents these in easily digestible short-form videos.

As a mental health expert, Jeanie still believes in being mindful of one’s viewing consumption. She reminds her clients to be as careful as she is in picking and choosing what they watch. “I use it [K-drama] as a tool. It should not be a replacement if you need therapy,” Jeanie said. “Yes, binge-watching, it happens to the best of us. And it’s fun! But, if you find yourself binge-watching and you’re not doing anything else, like your work or you’re not sleeping and you’re becoming grouchy, then I would worry. I would want you to keep the balance.”

Watch out for the full video interview on Random Republika Youtube channel. Follow Jeanie Y. Chang a.k.a. Noona’s Noonchi on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube. You may also check out her book “A is for Authentic: Not for Anxieties Or for Straight A’s” which tackles the issue of mental health stigma in the Asian community.

For your random thoughts, e-mail the author at randomrepublika@gmail.com

Roy Espinosa’s ‘Emergence’ at The Artologist, Ayala Malls Manila Bay Nadine Lustre is a celebrity ambassador of TaxWhizPH Mobile App 2.0

during the event were ACG’s Board of Directors, government partners, private organizations, and celebrity ambassadors Nadine Lustre, Bea Binene, and Kean Cipriano.

All proceeds of the book sales will help fund the advocacy programs of Center for Strategic Reforms of the Philippines in personal finance, doing business, and youth empowerment.

Bea Binene (right) joins the list of TaxWhizPH’s celebrity endorsers

ONE of the country’s top painting artists Roy Espinosa welcomed art collectors and enthusiasts during the opening of his solo exhibit Emergence last June 1 at The Artologist in Ayala Malls Manila Bay. In this exhibit, Espinosa has again proven his ingenuity in handling the acrylic medium. Dashes of pigments applied in quick, successive strokes bespeak a masterly assurance in depicting his abstracted compositions.

Described as a versatile visual artist and arts and culture advocate, Espinosa’s deep commitment to promoting the Filipino talent and skills both in the local and international art scene exemplified his philanthropic disposition as can be seen in his establishment of FILARTS (Filipinas Institute for the Advancement of Arts and Culture).

Also, a lauded publisher of art books and president of FILARTS, Espinosa, along with fellow artist Frank Caña, was awarded a certificate of appreciation during a courtesy call at the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia.

Espinosa led a host of Filipino visual artists who are now back on the international art scene via New Horizon, an international art exhibition organized by Arth Art International and being held at the KL City Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The exhibit features the artworks of more than 30 visual artists from Vietnam, India, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

The opening last May 20 was attended by esteemed guests from the international community, including ambassadors from Belgium, Argentina, Germany, Cuba, and the Philippines. His Excellency Charles C. Jose gave an inspirational speech at the event also featuring Filipino artist Pancho Piano.

The exhibit in Malaysia will run until June 5.

Espinosa’s Emergence art exhibit at The Astrologist will run until June 14.

Roy Espinosa’s ‘Emergence’ is available from June 1 until 14 at The Astrologist, Ayala Malls Manila Bay