Manila Standard - 2022 June 6 - Monday

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Pinoy bread to cost P2 more

Bakers cite rising cost of flour, oil for price hike

By Othel V. Campos

OCAL bread makers issued an early warning over the weekend that prices of budget bread will increase by at least P2 per pack in the coming weeks, as manufacturers could not keep up with the rising cost of ingredients, especially flour.

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Philippine Baking Industry Group (Philbaking) president Johnlu Koa has asked the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to allow bread manufacturers to increase prices of Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal by P4.50 per pack.

He said outgoing Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez seems to be inclined to grant half the proposed price hike as the DTI prepares to publish another updated Suggested Retail Price (SRP) list, the third this year, most likely next week.

With the imminent increase, Pinoy Tasty will retail at P40.59 per pack from P38.50, while Pinoy Pandesal will cost

P25.50 per pack of 10 pieces, up from P23.50.

The price of flour has steadily risen to record levels as the war between Russia and Ukraine—which combined exports over one-fourth of the world’s supply of wheat, an essential ingredient to bread— intensifies.

According to an Al-Jazeera infographic sourced from the Observatory for Economic Complexity, the Philippines and Tunisia together buy about $242 million worth of wheat exports from Ukraine, which also supplies 17 percent of the world’s corn.

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VOL. XXXVI • NO. 110 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Bulusan volcano erupts, ashfall blankets villages

By Rio N. Araja BULUSAN volcano in Sorsogon province spewed a huge, dark cloud on Sunday, prompting evacuations from ash-covered towns while the authorities warned of further eruptions.

The blast from Bulusan volcano lasted about 17 minutes, sending a grey plume shooting up at least one kilometer, Next page

PRICEY STAPLE. A baker prepares trays of bread at the Tinapayan bakery in Dapitan, Manila on Sunday as prices of ‘tasty’ bread and pandesal are expected to increase by P2 initially, with bread makers hard-pressed with the soaring prices of wheat flour, which accounts for 40 percent of the cost of bread production. Norman Cruz

Marcos tasks Ople to ensure welfare of OFWs, families

By Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE incoming secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants her agency to take care of the children of overseas Filipino workers and to help returning workers find jobs or business opportunities.

“He wants us to take care of the OFWs and their families,” said DMW Secretarydesignate Susan Ople, speaking in Filipino on ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo. “He is very concerned about the children, especially those whose mother and father are both abroad.”

She also said the incoming president wants to see an effective reintegration of Next page

OMBUDSMAN SUSPENDS ARTA'S BELGICA NEWS / A2

GRAY SKY, LANDSCAPE. Thick smoke and ash are seen rising from Bulusan volcano, which erupted on Sunday morning, while vehicles driving past ash-covered houses and vegetation in nearby Juban town in a handout photo taken and released on June 5 by the Sorsogon Provincial Public Information Office (inset). AFP

BBM to keep vlogging: Hear it from me straight Workers in 14 regions granted PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has vowed to continue vlogging during his presidency to keep the public posted, as well as solicit advice from them through various social media platforms.

In his latest vlog uploaded on his official Youtube account on Saturday, Marcos said he has decided to continue posting videos on social media so as not to limit the dissemination of

government information to mainstream media.

"Kaya ipagpapatuloy talaga namin ang vlog na ito. Every so often nang mayroon tayong paliwanag doon sa ating mga ginagawa para hindi lamang sa pahayagan ang inyong nagiging balita kundi pati na from the horse's mouth, ika nga," he said.

[We will continue vlogging. Every so often, we will explain the things that we are doing so that you will hear the news

not just to media outlets but straight from the horse's mouth, as they say.]

Marcos also expressed gratitude to netizens who keep visiting his official account on social media sites such as Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok.

Responding to netizens' comments, Marcos said the simple liking and sharing of posts on his social media accounts are already a "big help" for him.

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P30 to P110 wage increases

FOURTEEN regional wage boards have already issued their respective wage orders granting pay hikes ranging between P30 and P110 this month, with the earliest wage hike of P33 taking effect in the National Capital Region last Saturday, June 4, the Department of Labor said over the weekend.

The hike in NCR brings the minimum wage rate to P570 for workers in the non-

By Rey E. Requejo

JOVITO PALPARAN JR.

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780 monkeypox outbreak cases verified—WHO

CA upholds conviction of Palparan THE Court of Appeals has sustained the conviction of retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. and two other military officials for the kidnapping and serious illegal detention in 2006 of two University of the Philippines students, Karen E. Empeno and Sherlyn T. Cadapan.

In a decision promulgated last May 31, the CA through Associate Justice Angelene Mary Quimpo Sale upgraded the prison term of Palparan from only reclusion perpetua—a prison term ranging from 20 years and one day to 40 years, as imposed by the Malolos City Regional Trial Court in 2018—to

agriculture sector and P533 for those in the agriculture sector.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III thanked the wage boards for following a directive to review the existing minimum wage rates nationwide and resolving with dispatch the petitions for wage adjustments.

Minimum wage earners, including

FREE RUNNING. Children play alongside murals painted on the walls of the Freedom Park in Barangay Kaingen, Kawit, Cavite on Sunday, a week before the annual celebration of Philippine Independence Day on June 12. Norman Cruz

GENEVA—The World Health Organization said Sunday that 780 laboratory-confirmed monkeypox cases had been reported to it from 27 nonendemic countries while maintaining that the global risk level was moderate.

The WHO said the 780 number, for cases from May 13 to Thursday, was probably an underestimate due to limited epidemiological andlaboratory information.

"It is highly likely that other countries will identify cases and there will be a

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MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2022

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Ombudsman suspends ARTA execs T

HE Office of the Ombudsman has ordered five AntiRed Tape Authority (ARTA) officials led by Director General Jeremiah Belgica suspended for six months for their involvement in a graft case in choosing the new telco player in the country.

In an order made last May 24 but only made public on Sunday, Ombudsman Samuel Martires explained the preventive suspension complies with Section 24 of Republic Act 6770 or the Ombudsman Act of 1989.

Other ARTA officials covered by the suspension are Deputy Director General Eduardo Bringas, Division Chief Sheryl

Pura-Sumagui, Director Jedreck Ng, and Director Melamy Salvadora-Asperin.

Their suspension stemmed from the case filed by telecommunications firm DITO Telecommunity Inc. through their administrative officer Adel Tamano for violating Republic Act 3019 or the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act. The complaint alleged the implicated

Pinoy...

balance of the proposed bread price hike.

The Philbaking chief clarified the DTI is not controlling the price increases, since there is a verification and clarification process before a price adjustment is approved and enforced.

He added it couldn’t be helped that while there is a minimum wage hike, the rising inflation may just nullify the gains of the labor sector (see related story on A1—Editors).

“The increasing cost (of raw materials) will push inflation, beyond all major factors of production, up. So, there is no way but to raise prices (of bread) to sustain production. We’re in a stage that in the NCR there are some wage adjustments, P33 pesos (per day) that could help a little, but with everything rising, there’s no way to tell,” he said.

Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal are products of a joint project between the DTI and the bakers’ group as the industry’s corporate social responsibility to provide accessible and affordable bakery products to the consumers.

The project triggered the proliferation of many other reasonably-priced loaves and bread in the market.

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Flour currently retails between P960 and P1,050 per 25-kilogram bag, Koa added. In 2021, the price of hard flour ranged from P670 to P700 per 25-kg bag.

Impending increases in the pump prices of oil products in the Philippines—with local oil firms already forecasting diesel prices to go up by P6.50 a liter this week, along with gasoline rising by P2.70 a liter—are also sure to add to the manufacturing and transport costs of bread.

But Koa said the number of SKUs (stock-keeping units) is unlikely to be extensive since items that partly increased prices and have a remaining request for price adjustments will be included in the new SRP list.

“They should decide and bite the bullet because we could lose employment if we will not help the bakers and it is very difficult to halt and restart,” he said.

Koa added that Lopez may have to pass on the decision-making to incoming DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual for the

Marcos...

From A1

returning OFWs and suggested creating a database of returning skilled workers so they can be matched with jobs from prospective employers in the country.

"So his concern is not only for those leaving, but also the families left behind and returning OFWs. He said we should have a database for returning OFWs so that if for example, a hotel here is looking for a very experienced chef and we know that someone is arriving, let's say, from London, the returning OFW and his prospective employers would no longer have difficulty," Ople said.

The longtime labor advocate and daughter of former Labor Secretary and Senator Blas Ople said the effective reintegration of returning OFWs is among Marcos Jr.'s aspirations.

"President-elect Marcos issued an in-

Workers...

From A1

domestic workers, are expected to benefit from a series of pay hikes across the regions starting this month and until early next year, he added.

In the Cordillera Administrative Region, the P50 to P60 pay hikes will be implemented in two tranches. The minimum wage in the region will be P380 effective June 14 and this will further increase to P400 effective January 1, 2023.

The salary of “kasambahay” (househelp) will also increase by P500 to P1,500, bringing the new minimum wage to P4,500 across the region.

For workers in the Ilocos Region, the new minimum wage rate will range from P372 to P400. The P60 to P90 pay hike will be implemented in two to three tranches, starting June 6. The minimum wage for domestic workers will also climb to P5,000.

In the Cagayan Valley, the new minimum wage of P400 to P420 will be implemented in two to three tranches, with the first tranche taking effect on June 8. Kasambahay will also benefit from the P1,000 pay hike, which brings their monthly minimum wage to P5,000.

Workers in Central Luzon are also set to benefit from a P40 wage hike, which will be implemented in two tranches across different sectors.

This brings the new minimum wage to P414-P460 in the region, while that in Aurora province will range from P344 to P409.

In Calabarzon, the new minimum wage, which will be implemented in two tranches will range from P390 to P470

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further spread of the virus," the UN health agency added.

Few hospitalizations have been reported, apart from patients being isolated.

The WHO listed the non-endemic countries reporting the most cases as Britain (207), Spain (156), Portugal (138), Canada (58), and Germany (57).

ARTA officials gave preferential treatment to NOW Telecom Company Inc. in choosing the New Major Player (NMP) in the country’s telecom industry, which was conducted by the National Telecommunications Commission.

Martires said NOW purchased bidding documents but did not participate in the NMP selection process.

“The evidence on record shows the guilt of respondents Jeremiah B. Belgica, Eduardo V. Bringas, Sheryl Pura Sumagui, Jedrek C. Ng and Melamy A. Salvadora-Asperin is strong and the charges against them involve Neglect of Duty and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service,

which may warrant removal from service,” Martires said.

The Ombudsman’s order was transmitted to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea last June 3.

Belgica has yet to comment on the suspension order issued against them.

It remains to be seen if Belgica will serve the suspension, as the ARTA Director-General is coterminous with the tenure of the President, according to Section 18 of Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s term will end on June 30.

PH ranks 33rd in Nikkei virus recovery list

By Willie Casas TOKYO-BASED Nikkei Asia magazine has said the Philippines improved its COVID-19 recovery rankings, moving from 57th place in December to 33rd place in May. Nikkei Asia's May 31 report said the Philippines, along with Vietnam, recorded their “best performances” last month for keeping the COVID-19 infections low while managing to ease restrictions.

The country's latest ranking puts it ahead of more than 80 other countries, including Switzerland (38), Israel (44), Japan (53), the United Kingdom (58), Canada (60), Australia and Hong Kong (71), New Zealand (75), Singapore (79), United States (89), and China (93).

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) will recommend to the incoming Marcos administration to maintain the alert level system as the country continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

In a briefing, Vergeire said low vaccination numbers in some regions have made it difficult to get them to the most relaxed quarantine status of Alert Level 1. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

BBM...

From A1

CHECKING LEVELS. A gasoline station attendant measures the level of

reserve fuel in the underground gas storage of a station after a fuel tanker filled in on Sunday, about two days before pump prices are expected to soar again.

Manny Palmero

struction that if we know how many are leaving, the country should also know how many are coming home, their occupation, and their dreams so that the government can support them," she said.

Millions of migrant Filipino workers are spread all over the world, remitting $2.59 billion in March 2022 through banks, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Meanwhile, SAGIP party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta on Sunday denied that he is lobbying to be the next secretary of the Department of Energy.

He thanked Marcos, however, for supposedly considering him for the position.

“Our people should know that I am not insisting on myself to [take] that position.

What I just want you to know is, whoever is appointed to that post should address the country’s problems and reforms as promised, to lower power rates,” he said in an interview on Net 25.

“Sagip was able to get two seats (in

Congress). Now, if you are one with us in supporting the objectives of the energy sector, I am one of those who promise to help lower the rates of electricity,” he said.

Marcoleta ran for the Senate this year but pulled out of the race, some said, so he could sidestep the one-year ban on appointments of losing candidates.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who chaired the Senate committee on energy in the 18th Congress, said the next Energy secretary should be a veteran in the industry with a long-term vision for the country's energy security.

He did not specify, however, who it was that he supported for the post.

“Having been at the helm of the Senate energy committee for the past six years, I can say that the next DOE secretary should have the following qualities: long-term vision, technical knowledge, commitment to the energy transition, experience, and unquestionable integrity,” Gatchalian said.

Armed with such credentials, such a person for the job is expected to be a proactive leader at the forefront of the energy sector who can steer government policies that will shield the country from external shocks, he added.

“Based on my experience, expertise in the matters concerning the energy industry should be of utmost consideration in choosing the appointee, especially in a highly technical industry. Energy is not an ordinary sector. You need some level of experience. It’s a difficult sector with numerous intricacies that you have to learn first to push for reforms to transform the industry,” the senator said.

“The job of the DOE is to forecast supply, demand, pricing, and global trends. Our country is very susceptible to supply and demand as well as global prices because we import 99 percent of our oil. Malampaya is depleting and there are other pressing concerns.”

in the non-agriculture sector; from P350 to P429 in the agriculture sector; and P350 in retail and service establishments employing not more than 10 workers.

Mimaropa workers, meanwhile, will benefit from a P35-pay hike starting June 10. This brings the new minimum wage to P329 for establishments with less than 10 workers and P355 for establishments employing 10 or more workers.

The wage board also granted an increase of P1,000 to the monthly wage rate of domestic workers, bringing the new minimum wage in the region to P4,500 in Mimaropa.

In Bicol, the new minimum wage will be P365 across all sectors. The P55pay hike will be implemented in two tranches–on June 18 and on December 1. Kasambahay will also benefit from the wage increase of P1,000 to P1,500, which brings their monthly wage to P4,000.

In the Visayas, the new minimum wage will range from P410 to P450 for workers in the private sector and P4,500 for domestic workers in Region 6. The pay hikes will take effect on June 5.

In Region 7, the new minimum wage will range from P382 to P435.

Kasambahay will also get a P500-pay hike, which brings their monthlyminimum wage to P5,500 for those in chartered cities and first-class municipalities and P4,500 for those in other municipalities.

The pay hikes will take effect on June 14.

In Mindanao, the new minimum wage will range from 378 to P405 for workers in Region 10. The pay hikes will be implemented in two tranches, with the first tranche of P25 taking effect on June 18 and the second tranche of P15-P22 taking effect on December 16. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

CA... imprisonment that is “without eligibility for parole.”

Presiding Justice Remedios A. Salazar Fernando and Associate Justice Marie Christine Azcarraga Jacob also concurred with the ruling to impose a six-percent annual interest on the P300,000 civil indemnity and damages ordered paid to the families of Empeno and Cadapan.

Palparan is now detained at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. It could not be immediately confirmed if Lt. Col. Felipe G. Anotado Jr. and S/ Sgt. Edgardo Osorio, whose trial court convictions were also affirmed by the CA, is also detained at the NBP. Empeno and Cadapan were abducted in Hagonoy, Bulacan on June 26, 2006, and were later detained in various places in Luzon.

The two UP students were suspected to be members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) and other militant organizations.

With the filing of the criminal charges in court, Anotado and Osorio surrendered.

Palparan refused to present himself to the trial court until his arrest in Manila in 2014. The RTC denied their plea to post bail.

Among other allegations, Palparan, Anotado, and Osorio presented a defense of alibi in seeking the reversal of the trial court’s decision.

“Accused-appellants’ denial cannot be upheld and accorded greater evidentiary weight in light of the positive testimony of the prosecution witnesses. To repeat, the prosecution evidence is credible, clear, and categorical,” the CA ruled.

“As presented and proved by the prosecution, the facts established the concerted acts of the three accusedappellants aimed at carrying out the unlawful intent of taking and detaining the two victims,” the appellate court said.

The CA stressed that based on the testimonies of witnesses, it was established that Empeno and Cadapan were taken by accused-appellant Osorio and other armed men on June 26, 2006, at 2:00 a.m. in Barangay San Miguel, Hagonoy, Bulacan, and then brought to Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.

From Fort Magsaysay, the two women were loaded onto a vehicle. Around August or September 2006, they were taken and seen in Camp Tecson, San Miguel, Bulacan.

In September 2006, Palparan arrived at Camp Tecson on board a white vehicle.

He did not alight from the vehicle while his companion in civilian clothes fetched the two women and boarded them onto the white vehicle.

They were returned to Camp Tecson after three days and were detained there for around three months.

Then, the victims were taken to the Barangay Hall of Sapang, San Miguel, Bulacan where they were detained there for one week.

In November 2006, the victims were taken to the military camp/detachment in Limay, Bataan.

The witnesses said Anotado visited the two women in the bodega where they stayed on three separate instances.

Then, from May to June 2007, the victims were taken to and placed in a safe house in Iba, Zambales before they were brought back to Limay, Bataan after a month where they were last seen. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Besides Europe and North America, cases have also been reported -- in single figures -- in Argentina, Australia, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates.

One case of monkeypox in a nonendemic country is considered an outbreak.

"Some countries are reporting that new generations of cases are no longer appearing only among known contacts of previously confirmed cases, suggesting that chains of transmission are being missed through the undetected circulation of the virus," the WHO said.

"Although the current risk to human health and for the general public remains low, the public health risk could become high if this virus exploits the opportunity to establish itself in non-endemic countries as a widespread human pathogen," it said in a disease outbreak update.

"WHO assesses the risk at the global level as moderate considering this is the first time that many monkeypox cases and clusters are reported concurrently in nonendemic and endemic countries."

Atypical cases Most reported cases so far have been presented through sexual health or other health services and have mainly involved men who have sex with men, said the WHO. The organization said many cases were not presenting with the classical clinical picture for monkeypox: some have described having pustules appear before symptoms such as fever and having lesions at different stages of development —both of which are atypical. AFP (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

From A1

"Mula sa aming mga vlog, sa mga album at sa mga mensahe na pino-post namin, lahat po iyan ay hindi magiging matagumpay kung wala ang inyong suporta," he said.

[We will not be successful, without your support, starting from our vlogs to the albums and messages we are posting.]

As of press time, Marcos has 2.59 million followers on YouTube.

Marcos said vlogging will serve as a bridge between his administration and the Filipino people.

"Ipagpatuloy natin iyang lahat at lalo pang pagagandahin para hindi mapatid at hindi masayang itong nabuo na nating ugnayan at samahan," Marcos told his followers online.

[We will continue what we have started and make room for improvement to maintain our good relations with you.]

Marcos also assured his fellow Filipinos that he would give his best to exceed their expectations.

He said he would exhaust all efforts to give them a comfortable life.

"Kayo po ang naglagay dito sa amin.

Talaga naman, gagawin namin ang lahat nang hindi naman mabigo at masabi na nasawi kami doon sa aming naipangako at nais gawin dito sa pamahalaan," Marcos said.

[You have brought us here. We will do everything so as not to fail you and make you feel that we are unable to fulfill our promises.]

Press Secretary-designate Beatrix Rose "Trixie" Angeles earlier said giving social media personalities access to Palace coverage is one of the administration's priorities to raise public awareness of the policies and programs of the incoming Marcos administration. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Bulusan...

From A1

according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Authorities raised the alert to 1 on the 5-level system, indicating "low-level unrest."

"There was a phreatic eruption of the Bulusan volcano, meaning the explosion was caused by the boiling water under the crater," institute head Renato Solidum told radio dzBB. Phivolcs said ash affected two towns in Sorsogon but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

In Juban town, two villages experienced "zero visibility" due to the heavy ash and a fire truck was deployed to clear the area, disaster office staff Dennis Despabiladeras said.

"The evacuation is ongoing there, but our priority is senior citizens and those with asthma," he said.

The Manila airport authority said no flights have been affected by the eruption so far, though pilots have been warned about going near the area.

Four barangays in Irosin, Sorsogon were covered by ashfall after the eruption, the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office said.

Authorities reminded residents that entry into the four-kilometer radius around the volcano is prohibited and advised those living next to it to be cautious "due to the increased possibilities of sudden and hazardous phreatic eruptions."

Residents near the valleys and rivers were also ordered to be vigilant for mud and stream flows in the event of heavy rainfall. With AFP (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

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MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2022

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De Lima: Drug charges ‘pure lies, fabrication’

MARINE PROTECTION. Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla (second from left), Senator Cynthia Villar (right), incoming Palawan Rep. Edward Hagedorn, and conservationist Antonio Oposa Jr. (left) hold the Verde Island passage covenant they signed on Sunday, on UN World Environment Day. Inset photos show Villar also donating an airboat to the Department of Environment to check on the conditions at the Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park to DENR-NCR Regional Director Jacqueline Caancan. Danny Pata

‘BBM can do better in foreign policy’ P

RESIDENT-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has the opportunity to immediately establish that he is different from his predecessor in the critical areas of foreign policy and maritime security, experts agreed during a virtual town hall discussion organized by top think-tank Stratbase ADR Institute.

As the term of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte is about to end, a recent forum highlighted the need for a more assertive, responsive, and strategic foreign policy, “especially in the light of China’s recent incursions into our Exclusive Economic Zone – the latest in a long list of such incidents – and its harassment of our fishermen,” the group said.

Stratbase ADR Institute President Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit and Dr.

Chester Cabalza, International Development and Security Cooperation president and founder, discussed these in light of their special papers in the book “Beyond the Crisis: A Strategic Agenda for the Next President” compiled and published by Stratbase ADRI. Their papers are among 16 policy studies written by experts in the fields of foreign policy, the economy and development, and governance.

“Our territorial right in the West Philippine Sea is no longer just a claim.

After July 2016, or when the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in our favor, that claim became a right given to us under a rules-based international system,” said Manhit.

It is not only the national government that could uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity, Manhit said. “We should foster multi-lateral, inclusive cooperation through alliances and strategic partnerships.”

Manhit pointed to a fundamental change: the deterioration of the old order and a shift to a multi-polar world where states are economically, geopolitically, and strategically interconnected.

“We need a more responsive and strategic foreign policy that would implement a clear, cohesive, and consistent foreign policy direction and develop the country’s comprehensive power according to its military, economic, scientific, and cultural capabilities,” he said.

Manhit’s paper, “A Responsive and Strategic Foreign Policy Outlook in an Interconnected and Multipolar World,” said the next Philippine leader must craft a responsive and strategic foreign policy to reverse the losses caused by the flippant policy of the current administration.

These linkages with like-minded states are needed to counter the threat from China and other traditional and non-traditional security challenges.

Go: Gov’t needs holistic approach to combat drugs

CCW: Witnesses vs. Leila ‘solid, will not recant’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta CITING positive changes in communities, Sen. Christopher Go reiterated the importance of continuing President Rodrigo Duterte’s holistic approach to fighting illegal drugs in the next administration.

“One advice of President Duterte to me is to continue the war against illegal drugs, also the fight against corruption and criminality,” said Go, vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Public Order.

“We are hoping that with the coming administration, the drug campaign will be even more strengthened,” he added.

The senator then cited how the Duterte Administration’s campaign against illegal drugs has reduced crime rates in the Philippines.

According to recent reports from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, under the Duterte Administration, almost 15,000 high-value drug targets were turned over to authorities.

In addition, more than P88 billion worth of illegal drugs, including P76 billion worth of shabu, were confiscated.

Go then acknowledged the other programs and measures to protect peace and order that President Duterte initiated.

He stressed that their continuation would help sustain the gains made under the current administration and ensure long-term security for the country.

OPPOSITION Senator Leila M. de Lima maintained Sunday that the dismissal of the illegal drug case filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Kerwin Espinosa only highlighted her innocence from all the “trumped-up” drug charges filed against her.

De Lima, the most prominent political prisoner under the Duterte regime, made the statement after the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 64 denied the motion for reconsideration filed by the prosecution on the drug case against Espinosa.

“Again, the court in Espinosa’s case only reiterated that the testimony of Espinosa before the Senate cannot be relied upon as evidence even against Espinosa himself. In the first place, Espinosa has already recanted his Senate testimony,” she said.

“So insofar as I am concerned, with the court’s ruling and Espinosa’s recantation, Espinosa’s Senate testimony has already been conclusively proven to be unreliable as evidence against me.”

“From the very start, even the DOJ desisted from including the Espinosa case in the charges they filed against me. As early as 2017, the DOJ already realized that the Espinosa fairy tale narrated at the Senate would not cut even in a Duterte-controlled court setting,” the jailed senator added.

Espinosa falsely testified in Senate hearings that De Lima was involved in the illegal drug trade as then Justice Secretary, but he already recanted his previous allegations and said he had no dealings with De Lima in a counter-affidavit filed at the DOJ on April 28 this year.

HELPING SOLO PARENTS. Mayor Toby Tiangco (standing center, in white shirt) gives a thumbs-up as the City Government of Navotas resumed the distribution of P2,000 in financial aid to qualified solo parents through the Gender and Development (GAD) fund. In addition, the mayor’s brother, Navotas Rep. John Rey Tiangco, co-authored House Bill 8097, which sought to expand the benefits under the Solo Parents Welfare Act. Andrew Rabulan

Veteran Fil-Am Apache combat chopper pilot retires

By Ben Cal

Maj. JanMichael Guillermo (right) and Brig. Gen. Rob Barrie.

MAJ. JanMichael Guillermo, a veteran Filipino-American combat helicopter pilot who saw action during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has retired after 20 years of active service in the US Army.

In an interview on Sunday, noted film director Lucky Guillermo said he attended the retirement ceremony of his 42-year-old son held in Alabama, USA. Brig. Gen. Rob Barrie, program executive for aviation, presented a Recog-

nition of Award to Maj. Guillermo for his two decades in the US Army.

The younger Guillermo, an Apache helicopter pilot, saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan until the US pulled out from those countries.

He supervised the final air operations of bringing out US assets and the evacuation of Americans from Kabul as the Taliban took over the administration of Afghanistan.

Guillermo plans to continue serving the US government as a consultant in US Army aviation matters, his father said.

THE Citizens Crime Watch (CCW) on Sunday said the vital witnesses in the drug trafficking case against outgoing Senator Leila de Lima “remain solid and none of them will backtrack or recant their testimonies.”

According to CCW national president Diego Magpantay, he and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, one of the private complainants in the cases against De Lima are “closely coordinating” with the prosecution panel handling the case.

They have been assured “that the witnesses who witnessed first-hand the activities of De Lima regarding the Bilibid drug trade – namely Herbert Colanggo, Noel Martinez, Jose Pepino, Jesus Durano, and many others – have shown no indication of wavering in their commitment to stick to the truth in the ongoing drug trial.”

Magpantay also called on incoming Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla to “resist all improper pressures, both from within and without the country, to go easy on De Lima.”

“The imprisonment of De Lima, the jurisdiction of the courts trying her, and the validity of the charges against her have all been upheld up to the Supreme Court, and no one, least of all foreigners who know nothing about our justice system, has the right to question the workings of our local justice system in an attempt to influence the outcome of the trial in favor of De Lima,” he said.

Army’s 58IB raids NPA hideout in Misamis Oriental CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Army’s 58th Infantry Battalion (58IB) raided a hideout of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Barangay Banglay, Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental on Friday.

Maj. Francisco Garello, Public Affairs Office chief of the 4th Infantry Division, shared in an interview over the weekend that government troops

recovered backpacks, personal belongings, medical paraphernalia, and subversive documents from the hideout of the Guerrilla Front Huawei, Sub-Regional Committee 1 of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee.

The strike operation started at about 10 a.m., following the tracks of five

NPA fighters whom the military previously encountered.

The clash lasted only for just about 10 minutes as the rebels immediately withdrew and fled toward the northeast.

There were no casualties on the government side, but it could not be confirmed yet if the NPA side had injuries or death.

Angeles buys plastic shredder machine, first in city ANGELES CITY—The city government here led by Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. has purchased a plastic shredder machine that will help in the recycling of the city’s collected plastics into brick pavers, the first of its kind in the city and Pampanga.

This was also confirmed by Lazatin’s

Chief Adviser IC Calaguas, who shared that the city has already collected 552,555 kilos of plastic from the “Walang Plastikan, Plastik Palit Bigas” project of the mayor.

The collected plastics will be recycled into brick pavers, facilitated by City Engineer Donato Dizon and the Environmental Management System,

Calaguas said.

“Employees will be trained in the recycling process, which will be overseen

by Engr. Dizon himself,” she added.

According to the engineer, one of the two purchased plastic shredder machines has already arrived and is now operating at the facility. Butch Gunio

RESTORED CHURCH. A mother and son walk past the Capilla de San Pancracio, also known as the La Loma Chapel or “Lumang Simbahan,” inside the La Loma Cemetery in Caloocan City on Sunday. Its restoration began in June 2021, done by Escuela Taller de Filipinas in partnership with the Diocese of Kalookan. The chapel is a National Cultural Treasure, the highest designation given to valuable cultural assets. Danny Pata

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PEDAL FOR A CAUSE. On the occasion of World Environment Day, hundreds of climate justice campaigners and biking enthusiasts participate in the ‘Pedal for People and Planet’ from University of the Philippines Diliman to Marikina City River Park on June 5, 2022. The event is the second of a series of coordinated bike actions in 11 countries in Asia to call on governments and corporations to save the planet from climate catastrophe. Jimmy A. Domingo

Sara hits journalist for Twitter post Says comment on Mindanao security ‘reckless, irresponsible’

V

ICE President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio hit the social media ing peace and security in Mindanao.” members and leaders,” she added.

“As a Filipino, Robles should be Meanwhile, Rep. Shernee Tan-Tampost of a journalist who is a known administration critic, ashamed of herself for dangerously but of the Kusug Tausug party-list also saying it demonized Mindanao and insulted its people. trying to stoke and encourage terrorist criticized the negative picture Robles

In a statement, Duterte-Carpio said the views expressed by Raissa Robles on Mindanao in reaction to plans to develop the region as a tourist destination were “replete with journalistic recklessness and irresponsibility – something that calls for our collective condemnation as it grossly discriminated against all Mindanawons, especially those living in Moro communities.”

In her Twitter post on June 2, Robles, in reaction to the statement of incom-

ing Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco that she would like to open Mindanao to tourists, said “the extremist Abu Sayaf and other bandits would be pleased by the prospects of so many potential kidnap victims.”

Robles then asked Frasco to “prep yourself for ransom negotiations” as the ASG might ask for her.

Duterte-Carpio said Robles “wanted to undervalue everything that the Duterte administration has done in keep-

groups to target tourists in Mindanao,” the Vice President-elect said.

She said that since 2016, kidnapping operations by the ASG in Mindanao have been significantly reduced compared to the previous years. Authorities have also successfully rescued all victims.

“In Basilan, as confirmed by Rep. Mujiv Hataman himself, there had been zero kidnapping incidents since President Duterte came into office. All other incidents concerning ASG have been about the arrests and surrenders of their

painted of Mindanao.

“I am utterly dismayed that a journalist like you, with connections to international papers, would carelessly suggest in a public forum like Twitter that tourists in Mindanao will be sitting ducks for kidnappers and other criminals,” she said.

“Your overpowering dislike for the President-elect should not give you a reason to pass unfounded judgment on policies that are yet to be implemented; neither should it give you a license to

‘Hold special licensure exam for teachers’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Imee Marcos on Sunday proposed that special exams be held this June and in September for Education graduates barred from taking the licensure exams for teachers.

Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, said that job creation and income relief were being delayed by the decision of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to hold the exams only for degree holders in 2020 or earlier.

“Our call for an online version of the LEPT (Licensure Examinations for Professional Teachers) more than a year ago fell on deaf ears, so this is the sad result,” Marcos said.

“The PRC and Civil Service Commission should now work double-time to hold special exams for 2021 and 2022 graduates, instead of letting them wait until March 2023. An online version of the LEPT should also be done as soon as possible,” she added.

Marcos said the Career Executive Service Board and other professional regulatory boards have already been able to hold online exams, which could serve as templates for the LEPT. Health safety restrictions last year forced the LEPT to be held in smaller batches, but Marcos said special exams are doable now that the pandemic has eased.

The senator warned that the backlog of examinees could worsen if special exams are not held this year and an online version of the LEPT is not ready for the graduates of 2023.

make false assumptions that mock the efforts of the Muslim Mindanao provinces to maintain peace and stability so that they can draw in investors and tourists,” she added.

Tambut invited Robles to experience the beauty of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Zamboanga City.

Tulfo bares legislative agenda to improve services of judiciary

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR-elect Rafael Tulfo disclosed on Sunday the broad strokes and key pillars of his legislative agenda for the judiciary.

He said the courts are in urgent need of improvement in their physical facilities, technologies, and number of personnel in actual positions filled.

He noted that for 2022, “the Supreme Court and the Lower Courts have a budget of P39.7 billion. This does not yet include the allocations for the Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, the Sandiganbayan, and the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.”

In 2021, the Supreme Court originally proposed a budget of P67.28 billion but the Department of Budget and Management slashed it to P44.98 billion because of DBM budget ceiling

parameters. Later, Congress increased the figure to P45.31 billion.

“My current thinking on this matter is this: When the judiciary, a co-equal branch of government, asks for P67.28 billion, the DBM should give the Judiciary the benefit of the doubt, cast aside its budget ceiling formula, and then sit down with the judiciary and Congress to work on a middle ground,” Tulfo said.

“Slashing the original budget request

by P22.3 billion does not only seem disrespectful, but there is inevitable denial of public service to Filipino citizens which is the greater injustice,” he added.

Tulfo said his “personal working goal is to push for an increase of at least P6.25 billion so that the first-level courts, second-level courts, and Supreme Court will have P46 billion in 2023 because they are the courts most in need of added resources.”

CARAVAN. Delivery-partners of the ride-hailing and delivery app Grab kick off the Grab Caravan at the Main Square Mall in Bacoor, Cavite over the weekend. Norman Cruz

Navy sending No hurdle to Razon’s takeover of Malampaya project—Pimentel missile frigate to join RIMPAC THE Philippine Navy on June 8 will be sending one of its two brand-new missile frigates, the BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), to participate in this year’s Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise that will be taking place at Honolulu, Hawaii from June 29 to August 4.

Navy spokesman Commander Benjo Negranza said BRP Antonio Luna is part of the Naval Task Group (NTG) 80.5 which will serve as the country’s representatives to the US Navy-lead maritime exercise. “(NTG 80.5 is) composed of Navy personnel aboard the Jose Rizalclass frigate BRP Antonio Luna and an AgustaWestland AW-109 aircraft.

The task group is set to sail on June 8 from the Naval Operating Base in Subic,” he said.

Negranza said NTG 80.5 will help develop, maintain, and enhance the Navy’s pursuit of maritime collaboration with its counterparts through the exercise. “(RIMPAC is) one of the PN’s major International Defense and Security Engagement activities,” he added.

The country’s participation in RIMPAC 2022, themed “Capable, Adaptive, Partners,” will be its third in the largest and premier maritime exercise.

A SENIOR member of Congress said there was no hurdle to the takeover of the Malampaya deepwater gas-topower project by ports and gaming tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. from Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corp.

“We in Congress have always maintained that private parties are free to get in and get out of existing petroleum

service contracts,” said Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, chairperson of the House strategic intelligence committee, in a statement on Sunday.

“These transfers of operating and/ or participating interests in petroleum service contracts are private commercial transactions involving the sale of investments between corporations,”

he added.

In these transactions, Pimentel said, the role of the Department of Energy is merely to oversee the orderly handover of operations with a view to ensuring project continuity and development.

Pimentel acknowledged that Razon would be in a strong position to take

SKATE AND ROLL. Roller

skaters of all ages wearing out-of-theordinary outfits fill the Paseo de Roxas open street skating playground at the Makati Central Business District on the first ever Skate Date: Summer Nights on Saturday.

Diana B. Noche

Govt simplifies land valuation under CARP

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) have simplified the procedures and documentary requirements to speed up the conduct of field investigations and land valuation activities for landholdings covered under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

DAR Secretary Bernie Cruz said the challenge

of completing the land acquisition and distribution (LAD) process in the remaining private agricultural lands has been a recurring issue in the implementation of the CARP. “The current operational developments of the agency have compelled the DAR to incorporate amendments which resulted in the streamlining of the LAD process,” he said on Sunday.

advantage of Malampaya’s existing infrastructure as the springboard for the development of a potential integrated gas hub.

Malampaya’s 504-kilometer undersea pipeline delivers gas to power plants in Batangas that in turn supply 20 percent of the country’s demand for electricity.

Lawmaker seeks P1,000 hike in senior’s pension

By Rio N. Araja

SENIOR Citizen party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes on Sunday vowed to work for the increase in the elderly’s social pension, following the approval of a bicameral committee report on a P1,000 increase.

“We hope the reconciled version of House Bill 9459 and Senate Bill 2506, which we worked hard at from committee level to bicameral conference committee, will get signed into law before June 30 by fellow senior citizen, President Rodrigo Duterte,” he said.

He thanked all the senators, especially outgoing Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Joel Villanueva, as well as members of the House of Representative for the proposed increase’s approval.

“We supported the adoption of the reconciled version because it is essentially what we pushed for and labored during the committee and plenary deliberations in the House. This is the bicameral legislative system working well for the people,” he said.

The reconciled version included an automatic adjustment of the P1,000 pension, mandating the National Commission on Senior Citizens to adjust the pension rate based on the consumer price index at the time.

Opinion China’s deft gambit opens new ‘Battle for the Pacific’ A 10-DAY South Pacific island-hopping tour

by China’s top diplomat focused world attention on a usually overlooked region, opened a new front in Beijing’s quest for global influence and challenged decades of Western primacy.

On the face of it, Wang Yi’s trip was a failure.

His centerpiece proposal — a regional pact to turbocharge China’s role in Pacific island security — was leaked to the press and then roundly rejected by regional leaders.

Representatives of the 10 Pacific island states were not shy about expressing their displeasure at China trying to ram through such a consequential agreement with next-to-no consultation.

“You cannot have regional agreement when the region hasn’t met to discuss it,” said Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa.

Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama was even more pointed.

Standing next to Wang, he upbraided those focused on “geopolitical point-scoring,” saying it “means less than little to anyone whose community is slipping beneath the rising seas”.

Chinese officials, known for abrasive ‘Wolf Warrior’ diplomacy, sounded chastened In the carefully choreographed world of diplomacy, where texts and talking points are drafted, redrafted and broadly agreed upon long before “principals” like Wang even sit down, it was a stunning misfire.

“It was something of an overreach by China,” said Wesley Morgan, an expert on the Pacific Islands at Griffith University.

“They must have had a slightly uncomfortable conversation.”

When the dust settled, Chinese officials, better known in recent years for abrasive “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy, sounded chastened.

“Not every” China-Pacific Islands ministerial meeting “will necessarily produce outcome documents,” the Chinese Embassy in Fiji tweeted.

“Please stay tuned.”

‘Counterattack’ Despite the setbacks, Wang’s trip represents a “step change” in Chinese ambitions in the region, said Euan Graham, an expert on AsiaPacific Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Where China had sought to increase its influence “piecemeal,” he said, “now the veil has dropped, there is confidence or overconfidence on China’s part and there is a clear stepping up of efforts.”

Wang spoke about “win-win” investments in infrastructure, fisheries, timber or mining assets, but he also pitched Chinese involvement in sensitive areas such as policing, cybersecurity and maritime surveillance.

Behind that push, experts see a much more ambitious geopolitical agenda — a drive to weaken US influence, change Asia’s military balance, hem in Australia and even prepare for a military takeover of Taiwan.

We “hope to expand our circle of friends,” said Zhao Shaofeng, director of the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries at Liaocheng University in China.

“The United States has continued to encircle and blockade China internationally. China should counterattack the United States to a certain extent.”

Some US officials worry Beijing’s ultimate goal is to establish a military foothold in the South Pacific, which would force a reorganization of US Pacific forces — currently focused on North Korea and China.

If China were to develop just one base in the South Pacific, it would be “very vulnerable,” given vast US assets in places such as Guam, said Graham.

“But they are obviously playing on a much larger canvas than that.”

“If they were to get three or four,” he said, they would have to be taken seriously by US defense planners.

Not for sale There is a sense among analysts that China could bide its time, score small wins and pick off Pacific leaders when they see a domestic political advantage in allying with Beijing.

After all, Wang did not leave the region empty-handed, inking a series of bilateral agreements from Samoa to Papua New Guinea that, while modest, could make the presence of Chinese police, boats and officials a more normal sight.

The Solomon Islands, where Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s rule was recently threatened by riots, has already signed a security deal that could allow Chinese police to come in to restore calm.

But Richard Herr, a University of Tasmania academic who has decades of experience working in the Pacific Islands, warns against underestimating local leaders.

“There is an image, an unfortunate image, in some quarters that the islands’ loyalties are there to be bought,” he told AFP. “They didn’t get independence in order to sell it.”

People “don’t credit the Pacific” with “being able to engage in really astute foreign policymaking” and balancing relations with both China and the West, said Anna Powles, a security expert at New Zealand’s Massey University.

But “they are doing exactly that.” AFP

As EU squeezes Russia, Serbia embraces old ally WHILE the European Union scrambles to isolate Russia and reduce energy imports from the country, EU candidate Serbia is tightening its bond with Moscow through a new gas supply deal.

Belgrade has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations, but it has refused to take part in sanctions against its old ally, even though Serbia aims to join the EU. A day before the Europeans agreed to ban most Russian oil imports this week, Belgrade announced a three-year natural gas contract with Moscow, drawing a rebuke from Brussels.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic revealed the “very favorable” gas deal -- with “by far the best terms in Europe” -- following a phone call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Sunday.

“We will have a safe winter when it comes to gas supply,” the populist leader boasted, adding that in winter, Serbia will pay “one tenth” of the price shelled out by other European countries.

Russia, meanwhile, has cut gas supplies to several EU nations. The bloc aims to reduce gas imports by two-thirds this year, but an embargo is not in the cards so far.

Underscoring Belgrade’s friendly ties with Moscow, Serbian media reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to visit the Balkan country’s capital soon.

EU spokesman Peter Stano said the bloc expects Serbia “not to further strengthen its ties with Russia”.

“Candidate countries, including Serbia, are expected to progressively align their policies towards third countries with the policies and positions adopted by the European Union, including with restrictive measures,” Stano said in a statement.

‘Side deals’ Belgrade officially proclaims EU accession is a priority, but it has consistently shied away from European policies going against Russian

interests while pro-government media echo the fierce messages coming from the Kremlin.

Serbian officials have accused Western countries of pressuring Belgrade to impose sanctions against Russia, and some even suggested that the country should drop its EU bid over the issue.

“It’s like they spent the last decade preparing Serbian society not for EU accession, but for an alliance with Moscow,” Srdjan Cvijic, member of The Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) think tank, told AFP.

Serbian officials have accused Western countries of pressuring Belgrade to impose sanctions against Russia According to a recent opinion poll, 40 percent of Serbians said they would be “happy” if their country gave up trying to join the EU and formed an alliance with Russia instead.

Goran Vasic, assistant research professor at University of Novi Sad, said there is always a “brotherly clause” in gas prices that “is not in the contract but implies side deals or political concessions.”

Belgrade rejected the notion that cheap gas was the Kremlin’s “reward” for not heeding the calls for sanctions.

“All those who accuse us of not imposing sanctions against Russia because of a gas deal should be ashamed of themselves,” Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic told local media.

“We don’t impose sanctions against Russia out of principle.”

Lavrov told Serbian media that Moscow was

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EDITORIAL

Restarting face-to-face classes

W

ITH the national government making big inroads in keeping COVID-19 cases at bay, it makes eminent sense for the Department of Education (DepEd) to prepare for the full and nationwide implementation of face-to-face classes next academic year.

Two years of lockdowns and mobility restrictions no doubt hampered government efforts to fulfill its constitutional mandate to “protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and to take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all,” as well as to improve Philippine education.

While the DepEd developed and adopted various modes of imparting knowledge to children and the youth during the pandemic, from modules designed for online classes to blended learning that combined face-to-face classes and home-based learning, it also recognizes that face-to-face learning is very important for the mental, social and personal growth of students.

According to Education Secretary Leonor Briones, around 73.28 percent of the total number of public schools have been deemed qualified for inperson learning.

In the next academic school year, they’re looking at 100 percent face-toface implementation, but modalities will depend on the actual situation in schools.

Last month, some 34,238 schools were recommended fit to hold faceto-face classes. Over 33,000 of these are public schools while the remaining 1,174 are private schools.

More important than the method of instruction under the new normal is the content of Philippine education The return of face-to-face classes is most welcome. But more important than the method of instruction under the new normal is the content of Philippine education.

Again, we turn to the Constitution to tell us what should be the focus of our educational system.

The fundamental law says our schools should “inculcate patriotism and nationalism, foster love of humanity, respect for human rights, appreciation of the role of national he-

roes in the historical development of the country, teach the rights and duties of citizenship.”

There’s more: it should “strengthen ethical and spiritual values, develop moral character and personal discipline, encourage critical and creative thinking, broaden scientific and technological knowledge, and promote vocational efficiency.”

That’s quite a long list of what an ideal educational system should teach our youth.

We recall that the World Bank said recently that Philippine education is in serious crisis. Proof?

It said one in every four Grade 5 students does not have the reading and mathematics skills for Grade 2 or 3, and four in every five 15-yearold students do not understand basic mathematical concepts such as fractions and decimals that should be mastered by fifth graders.

“There is a crisis in education— which started pre-COVID-19, but made worse by COVID-19,” the World Bank said, as “more than 80 percent of children do not know what they should know” in school.

If that’s the case, then the incoming DepEd leadership to be led by the Vice President-elect will have to hit the ground running, and prove that it has the competence to undertake the necessary— and urgent – reforms in the field of education.

A good start in foreign policy

YET another diplomatic protest has been filed by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs against China’s unilateral threeand-a-half month fishing moratorium in the South China Sea which would ban our fishermen in parts of our sovereign territories in the West Philippine Sea. The DFA’s diplomatic note dated May 30, 2022 reiterated a continuing protest against China’s practice of declaring an annual fishing ban overextending China’s legitimate maritime entitlement under the 1982 UNCLOS. The DFA emphasized this “has no basis in law, and undermines the mutual trust, confidence, and respect that should underpin bilateral relations.”

The United States supported the Philippine diplomatic protest and called on China “to abide by its obligations under international law.”

In a statement by US State Department, spokesperson Ned Price said, “The PRC’s unilateral fishing moratorium in the South China Sea is inconsistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling and international law as reflected in UNCLOS.” This latest diplomatic bump with China comes just a few days after President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said in an interview that he would uphold the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, nullifying China’s so called “ninedash” claim of almost the whole of South China Sea and vowed to protect Philippine sovereign rights.

Marcos used strong words, saying, “We will not allow a single square, and maybe make it even more smaller, single square millimeter of our maritime coastal and up to 200 kilometers rights to be trampled upon.”

A turnaround that many geopolitical analysts and WPS advocates welcomed as a pivot towards the right direction from his pronounce-

“certain that they (Serbians) will continue taking the smart choice in this situation.”

The Russian chief diplomat’s potential trip to Belgrade would be a rare visit to Europe since the February invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has not confirmed the travel plan.

Energy monopoly Serbia’s president has underlined the diplomatic importance of Russia’s refusal to allow international recognition of Serbia’s breakaway province of Kosovo and historic, political and

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

ments last year that he would continue the appeasement foreign policy stance of outgoing President Duterte.

In last week’s Stratbase ADR Institute virtual town hall discussion on The Future of Philippine Foreign Policy: Transforming into a Maritime Power, top Philippine geopolitical analysts see BBM’s pronouncement to uphold the arbitral ruling and defend the Philippines’ sovereignty and “not compromise it in any way” as a chance to develop a more response national security agenda.”

The institute’s President Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, who authored “A Responsive and Strategic Foreign Policy Outlook in an Interconnected and Multipolar World,” one of the 16 special papers in Stratbase’s strategic policy book, “Beyond the Crisis: A Strategic Agenda for the Next President,” stressed in his statement during the forum the urgency for a more responsive and strategic foreign policy that would implement a clear, cohesive, and consistent foreign policy direction and develop the country’s comprehensive power according to its military, economic, scientific, and cultural capabilities.

During the open discussion on what mistakes of the Duterte administration should the Marcos administration avoid and what should we expect in the first 100 days, Prof.

Manhit recounted how the billions of investments promised, among the pillars of Duterte’s preference towards China, did not happen and though our economy moved forward, “we lost the opportunity to harness our international political capital among

countries with shared values, with those who believe in a rules-based international order.”

He pressed on the need for a cohesive, consistent, and responsive foreign policy direction with initiatives to generate investments that create opportunities for jobs that will provide better income for Filipinos.

Stratbase ADRi Trustee and Program Convenor Dr. Renato de Castro noted how the Duterte administration was very vague on the notion of independent foreign policy in contrast to the president-elect’s strongly worded foreign policy pronouncement to uphold the Hague ruling.

He espouses a defense budget of 2 percent of the GDP supporting a national security strategy that focuses on maritime capabilities while strengthening and developing interoperability with allies.

Dr. Chester Cabalza, President and Founder, International Development and Security Cooperation, said to have an independent foreign policy, the Philippines’ national security infrastructure must be developed by investing on the territorial defense operations amidst continuing diplomatic and economic rapprochements with China.

For his part, retired Rear Admiral Rommel Ong, Chairperson, Security Reform Initiative Inc. and Professor of Praxis of the Ateneo School of Government, concurs with the need to work with our alliances or partners either in a multilateral or minilateral arrangements, given the convergence of interest in terms of maritime space and opportunities for cooperation with other countries.

“We need to protect our blue economy by having a strong maritime defense posture which will secure that economy,” he said.

Perhaps responding to nationwide studies revealing an overwhelming eight out of 10 Filipinos’ strong expectations on government to assert sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, President-elect Marcos’s first policy pronouncement which now unshelves and invokes the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling is a relieving development that with serious action will put our country in a stronger position against China’s asymmetric aggression, without going to war.

cultural ties between Belgrade and Moscow.

But the reality is that there was little room for maneuver from Belgrade.

The previous gas deal with Russia -- which was also well under market price -- was about to expire with no viable alternative in near future.

In the last few decades, Serbia gradually allowed Moscow almost complete monopoly over its energy sector by building pipelines solely for Russian gas and selling the majority stake of its oil and gas company (NIS) to Rus-

sian energy giant Gazprom.

The 2008 deal, penned only months after Kosovo declared independence, was widely seen as a political concession -- allowing Moscow to connect a major European gas pipeline through Serbia in exchange for the Kremlin vetoeing the recognition of Kosovo at the UN. “It’s obvious that all this time there was a well-organised lobbyist group that has defended the monopoly, and still continues to do so,” Vasic said. AFP

(President-elect Marcos) would uphold the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling. nullifying China’s so called ‘nine-dash’ claim of almost the whole of South China Sea

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

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Australia hits ‘dangerous interception’ AUSTRALIA on Sunday accused the Chinese military of putting an Australian Defense Force flight crew at risk when their plane was intercepted late last month over the South China Sea. Defense Minister Richard Marles revealed a Chinese strike fighter had on May 26 intercepted an Australian P-8 surveillance craft, flying close and releasing flares before it accelerated and cut in front of the plane.

“At that moment, [the Chinese plane] then released a bundle of chaff which contains small pieces of aluminum, some of which were ingested into the engine of the P-8 aircraft,” Marles told media Sunday.

“Quite obviously, this is very dangerous.”

The crew were unharmed and were

able to return to their base, Marles said, but Australia had conveyed its concerns to Beijing—the first contact the country’s new government has had with the Chinese military since it came to power on May 21.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was not unusual for Australia to undertake surveillance in the South China Sea, a region Beijing fiercely contests as its domain entirely, despite a 2016 Hague ruling that dismissed its historic claims.

China’s stance has heightened tensions with the United States and its allies, which insist on freedom of navigation in the area.

Albanese said Australia had acted in “accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international wa-

ters, and airspace.”

The incident comes just three months after Australia accused the Chinese military of shining a military-grade laser at one of the country’s defense planes over waters north of Australia.

The former Australian administration labelled the incident “an act of intimidation” and said it had the potential to endanger lives.

And earlier this month, Canada’s military made a similar accusation, saying Chinese pilots acted unprofessionally during recent encounters with its planes in international airspace.

The Canadian aircraft, deployed in Japan as part of a multinational effort to enforce UN sanctions against North Korea, had to quickly modify their flight path to “avoid a potential collision with the intercepting aircraft,” it said. AFP

ANCIENT RITE. Samaritan worshippers lift up Torah scrolls as they gather at dawn on June 5, 2022, to pray on top of Mount Gerizim near the northern West Bank city of Nablus during celebrations of the Shavuot. Samaritans are a community of a few hundred people living in Israel and in the Nablus area, who trace their lineage to the biblical ancient Israelites. AFP

North Korea fires eight ballistic missiles from multiple locations N ORTH Korea launched eight ballistic missiles from multiple locations Sunday, South Korea’s military said, a day after Seoul and Washington completed their first joint drills involving a US aircraft carrier in more than four years.

Pyongyang has doubled down on upgrading its weapons program this year, despite facing crippling economic sanctions, with officials and analysts warning that the regime is preparing to carry out a fresh nuclear test.

“Our military detected eight shortrange ballistic missiles fired by North Korea,” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The missiles were launched from

multiple locations over a 30-minute period, including Sunan in capital Pyongyang, Tongchang-ri in North Pyongan province, and Hamhung in South Hamgyong province, they said.

They travelled different distances – from 110 kilometers (68 miles) to 670 kilometers – and flew at different altitudes of up to 90 kilometers, it added.

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo

Kishi said the simultaneous test-firing from multiple locations was “unusual.”

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” he added.

According to local reports, two missiles were shot from each site, likely from transporter erector launchers (TELs) – the largest number of ballistic missiles North Korea has recently launched on a single day and occasion.

Analysts say the volley of missile launches Sunday – one of nearly 20 weapons tests by Pyongyang so far this year – is a pointed message for Seoul and Washington.

“It shows North Korea’s intention to neutralize the missile defense system of South Korea and the United States with

multiple simultaneous attacks during an emergency,” said Cheong Seong-jang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute.

The move comes barely a day after South Korea and the United States wrapped up large-scale, three-day exercises involving the USS Ronald Reagan, a 100,000-tonne nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

The exercises were the allies’ first joint military drills since South Korea’s hawkish new President Yoon Suk-yeol took office last month, and the first involving an aircraft carrier since November 2017.

Pyongyang has long protested against the joint exercises, calling them rehearsals for invasion. AFP

Cambodians vote in local polls with revived opposition CAMBODIANS voted in local polls on Sunday as a revived opposition party attempted to dent Prime Minister Hun Sen’s decades-long grip on power ahead of national elections next year.

Hun Sen, one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, has ruled Cambodia for more than 37 years and turned the country into a one-party state in 2018 when his party won every seat in a national election.

Voting shortly after polls opened at 7 a.m. (0000 GMT), the prime minister was all smiles as he entered a school polling station on Phnom Penh’s outskirts with his wife Bun Rany—but declined to speak to the media.

Critics and rights groups have accused him of creating a climate of fear by locking up scores of political opponents and activists.

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP)—which won 44 percent of the popular vote in local elections in 2017—was forced to forfeit its positions after a court dissolved it later that year.

Scores of opposition figures have since fled the country, while others have been arrested.

Opposition leader Kem Sokha, who was arrested and jailed for more than a year, is facing a treason trial, while CNRP co-founder Sam Rainsy is living in France to escape convictions he says are politically motivated.

Sunday’s vote in 1,652 communes, or village clusters, will take the country’s political pulse ahead of the national elections in 2023.

Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) made a show of strength in Phnom Penh on Friday with a massive parade of cars, trucks, motorcycles and tuk-tuks. AFP

PHOTOOP. Chinese

astronauts Cai Xuzhe (left), Chen Dong (center) and Liu Yang pose during a ceremony prior to the launch at the Shenzhou-14 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China’s Gansu Province on June 5, 2022.

AFP

MASSIVE FIRE FATALITY. Firefighters carry the dead body of a victim from the site after a fire broke out at a container storage facility in Sitakunda, about 40 km (25 miles) from the key port of Chittagong in Bangladesh on June 5, 2022. AFP

Bangladesh port depot fire kills 34, injures 300 AT LEAST 34 people have died after a fire that sparked a huge chemical explosion and was still blazing on Sunday at a shipping container depot in Bangladesh, officials said.

The toll was expected to rise with over 300 people injured, some of them seriously, and eyewitnesses said they had seen unrecovered bodies in the facility near the major southern port of Chittagong.

Several hundred rescuers were battling the blaze that broke out late Saturday in Sitakunda, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Chittagong, when a number of containers holding chemicals exploded, the fire brigade told reporters.

“The death toll from the fire has risen to 34,” Elias Chowdhury, chief doctor of the region, told AFP as firefighters continued to battle the blaze.

“More than 300 people are injured.”

“These people – including several journalists who were doing Facebook lives – are still not accounted for,” he said.

“There are still some bodies inside the fire-affected places. I saw eight or 10 bodies,” one volunteer told reporters.

The injured include at least 40 firefighters and 10 police officers, Chittagong regional police chief Anwar Hossain told AFP. At least five firefighters were among those killed.

“The number of fatalities is expected to rise as some of the injured are in critical condition,” Hossain said.

Eyewitnesses said that the blast engulfed people who had been battling the fire.

“I was standing inside the depot.

The explosion just threw me some 10 meters (yards) from where I was standing. My hands and legs are burnt,” lorry driver Tofael Ahmed said. AFP

Sheeran to crown Queen’s four-day Platinum Jubilee party BRITISH pop superstar Ed Sheeran was on Sunday set to bring the curtain down on four days of momentous nationwide celebrations to honor Queen Elizabeth II’s historic Platinum Jubilee.

The multi-award-winning singersongwriter will perform at the finale of a day-long pageant lauding the 96-yearold monarch’s record seven decades on the throne, as a long weekend of festivities across the UK concludes.

Sheeran is one of numerous “national treasures” poised to perform a “special tribute” to the queen against the backdrop of Buckingham Palace to mark the milestone never previously reached by a British sovereign.

Meanwhile, millions of people are

expected to attend “Big Jubilee Lunch” picnics, including an attempted world record for the longest street party.

It remains unclear if the queen will make any in-person appearances at the pageant, after being forced to skip several Platinum Jubilee celebration appearances due to mobility issues.

The four-day extravaganza began Thursday with the pomp and pageantry of the Trooping the Color military parade to mark her official birthday, followed by beacon-lighting ceremonies across the country.

She made two public appearances to huge crowds on the Buckingham Palace balcony that day, and then launched the beacon-lighting at Windsor Castle.

Friday’s focus was a traditional Church of England service of thanksgiving led by senior royals – and returning Prince Harry and his wife Meghan – in the hallowed surroundings of St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Then on Saturday, the tone turned more celebratory as Motown legend Diana Ross and Italian opera legend Andrea Bocelli led a star-studded “Platinum Party” outside Buckingham Palace.

Sunday’s “Platinum Jubilee Pageant” will kick off with a military spectacle celebrating Britain’s armed forces along with personnel from many of the other 53 Commonwealth countries.

The Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry – the largest regular military

band in the UK – will lead the Gold State Coach along a crowd-thronged route to Buckingham Palace.

A cast of 10,000 will then stage a street performance showcasing popular culture over the seven decades of the queen’s reign featuring music, dance, fashion, youth culture and classic cars.

Performers from street theatre, carnival and other genres will also join in to celebrate her extraordinary life.

Highlights will include an aerial artist suspended under a vast helium balloon, known as a heliosphere, bearing the sovereign’s image.

The carnival will include a giant oak tree flanked with maypole dancers, a huge moving wedding cake sounding

Beijing to reopen schools, workplaces as virus curbs ease BEIJING will gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions this week, city officials said Sunday.

After some easing in recent days, the Chinese capital – which reported 19 new infections Sunday – announced residents would start returning to work from Monday and schools would reopen from June 13.

China is wedded to a zero-Covid strategy of hard lockdowns, mass testing and long quarantine periods to wipe out clusters as they emerge.

That strategy has meant restrictions on movement in major cities including Shanghai and Beijing, a metropolis of 22 million people where a resurgence of COVID-19 in April led

to just under 2,000 infections.

From Monday, restaurants will be able to welcome customers again – if they have tested negative in the previous three days – and public transport will operate normally, the city’s government said in a statement.

Two districts in the capital will maintain restrictions.

In Shanghai, most of the city’s 25 million inhabitants have been able to move freely since Wednesday.

But hundreds of thousands still face restrictions after being designated close contacts of infected people. AFP

Business

B3

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2022 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market to trade flat on inflation worries

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

HARE prices will likely remain flat this week as rising inflation rate will continue to be the top concern of stock market investors. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is scheduled to announce the May inflation rate on Tuesday.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno last week hinted that headline inflation likely quickened to 5 percent-5.8 percent in May due to higher pump and food prices and a weaker peso. The inflation rate is well above the 2 percent to 4 percent target of the central bank for this year.

Analysts said the May inflation rate figure will be crucial to BSP’s interest rate decision during its upcoming policy meeting slated later this month.

“Value investors... warranted the anxiety; the market in recent years, after all, has been coddled by low inflation and

unmoving interest rates. Those who have been in equities for far longer can zoom out and see economic cycle for what it is: periods of ebbs and flows,” said online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia.com.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index last week added 0.2 percent to 6,741.40 while the broader All Shares Index rose 0.2 percent to 3,602.52.

Four of the six major sectoral indices posted week-on-week gains. Mining and oil gained 6.9 percent, holding firms advanced 2.5 percent, property rose 1.3 percent and financials increased 0.2 percent.

The industrial index decreased 2.4 percent while services fell 2.3 percent.

Foreign investors were net sellers for

the week by P1 billion while the average daily value traded climbed to P11.67 billion from the previous week’s average of P8.9 billion.

Weekly top price gainers were Semirara Mining and Power Corp., jumped 12 percent to P37; DMCI Holdings Inc., which rose 5.7 percent to P9.30; and Nickel Asia Corp., which advanced 5.4 percent to P7.22.

Weekly top price losers were Globe Telecom Inc., which fell 7.7 percent to P2,328; Manila Water Co. Inc., which dropped 6.9 percent to P17.40; and GMA Network Inc., which declined by 5 percent to P11.34.

Meanwhile, stock markets mostly fell worldwide on Friday after data showed

Mercedes recalls 1m older cars BERLIN, Germany—German carmaker Mercedes-Benz is recalling nearly one million older vehicles worldwide due to a potential problem with the braking system, the federal transport authority (KBA) said.

The KBA said in a statement dated June 1 and reported late Saturday in German media that the recall affected cars built between 2004 and 2015, of the SUV series ML and GL and the RClass luxury minivan.

“Corrosion on the brake booster can in the worst case lead to the connection between the brake pedal and the braking system being interrupted,” the KBA said.

“As a consequence, the service brake can stop functioning.”

The KBA said that worldwide 993,407 vehicles were being recalled, including around 70,000 in Germany.

Mercedes-Benz confirmed the recall later in a statement sent to AFP, saying the move was based on “analysis of isolated reports for certain vehicles.”

“In rare cases of very severe corrosion, it might be possible for a particularly strong or hard braking maneuver to cause mechanical damage to the brake booster, whereby the connection between brake pedal and brake system would fail,” Mercedes said.

“In such a very rare case, it would not be possible to decelerate the vehicle via the service brake. Thus, the risk of a crash or injury would be increased.”

The company said it would “start with the recall immediately” and contact the owners of the “potentially affected vehicles”.

“The recall process will involve inspecting potentially affected vehicles and, depending on the results of the inspection, replacing the parts where necessary,” the company said. AFP

Oman and Iran ink deals on oil field, gas lines MUSCAT, Oman—Oman and Iran signed deals to develop two gas pipelines and an oil field along their maritime border, Oman’s energy minister said Saturday, less than two weeks after Iran’s president visited the sultanate.

The visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on May 23 came amid stalled international talks to revive a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program, leaving the Islamic republic under sanctions.

At the time, the official Oman News Agency reported that the countries had signed memoranda of understanding concerning oil and gas, but did not provide details.

On Saturday, the agency quoted energy minister Mohammed al-Rumhi as saying the agreements were “related to the development of the two gas pipeline projects linking the two countries and the Hengam oil field.”

A deal was reached about two decades ago to allow Iran to supply Oman with gas, but the project never materialized.

Sanctions on Iran complicated efforts to execute that project, and could also make it difficult to implement the new deal.

The Hengam oil field is located in the strategic Strait of Hormuz near the United Arab Emirates.

Oman has close political and economic ties with Iran and played a mediating role between Tehran and Washington in the build-up to the original nuclear deal in 2015.

Stop-start talks began in April last year to restore the deal, after the US unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 and reimposed biting sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to roll back its commitments. AFP

US employers added jobs at a betterthan-expected pace last month, raising the prospect the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes will not be enough to contain inflation and avoid a recession. With AFP

PSEi June 3, 2022

TOP GAINERS

1 TFC 2 KPH 3 BHI 4 KPHB 5 MJC 6 MAH 7 BRN 8 AT 9 TUGS 10 PERC

LAST PRICE CHANGE 56.45 12.95 7.5 0.75 0.107 0.01 7.22 0.47 1.74 0.11 0.99 0.06 0.83 0.05 6.28 0.31 1.03 0.05 5 0.22

% CHANGE 29.77% 11.11% 10.31% 6.96% 6.75% 6.45% 6.41% 5.19% 5.10% 4.60%

TOP LOSERS The Greek commercial vessel Maran Helios crosses the Bosphorus Strait to Novorossiysk Sea Port on the Black Sea on May 30, 2022.

Among the tall silhouettes gliding or ascending the Bosphorus, in the heart of Istanbul, commercial ships registered in Russia come and go in both directions. At the gates of the Black Sea, trade is in full swing. AFP

Bosphorus sea trade unaffected by Ukraine war, fines

By Anne Chaon ISTANBUL—At the gates of the Black Sea, trade is in full swing as freighters and oil tankers sail from the heart of Istanbul to Russian and Ukrainian ports.

Just after the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24 and the first Western sanctions, the largest vessels of international companies plying on these waters were replaced by smaller ships.

The total number of ships on the route remains around the pre-war level of 40,000, according to experts.

“Russia shamelessly steals Ukrainian grain and sends it overseas from Crimea, including to Turkey,” said Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine’s ambassador to Ankara.

“In May alone, we counted at least 10 passages including two round trips from three vessels flying the Russian flag... Not to mention those that we would have collectively missed.”

From his terrace overlooking the Bosphorus, Yoruk Isik has been a passionate observer of ship movements on this key waterway between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean for a decade now.

While swiftly condemning the Russian offensive in Ukraine, Turkey positioned itself as a neutral mediator and refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow.

Although Ankara has banned the passage of military vessels through its straits of the Dardanelles and Bosphorus since late February under the Montreux Treaty of 1936, it is not legally entitled to intercept commercial ships or to search them, a diplomatic source said in Ankara.

“We don’t follow the ships on their way out of the Straits. We monitor them 10 kilometers before they enter and 10 kilometers after they leave,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

Elizabete Aunina, a researcher at Amsterdam University, said: “If we look at the vague words of the Montreux treaty it leaves a lot up for interpretation.

“It did not foresee that merchant vessels could be carrying stolen goods... Turkey has before showed a certain commitment to stick to the very basic interpretation of the Convention as a way to also protect itself from entering deeper into the conflict.”

The European Union imposed an embargo on Russian imports but tankers flying the Greek or Maltese flags are seen sailing through the Bosphorus up to the Black Sea to the Russian ports.

Maritime corridors Thanks to real-time tracking applications, a strong network of observers, Rus-

sian and Ukrainian activists and satellite images, no vessel escapes Isik’s radar.

“We can see from end to end, where the ship is getting loaded by the ship,” he said.

Some freighters loaded the wheat in Ukrainian ports under Russian blockade such as Odessa, Chornomorsk or Mariupol, he said.

The destination? Syria—where Russia retains an operational base—and then Lebanon or Egypt.

Isik also identified a flotilla of old Turkish boats, “never seen before in the area” suddenly appearing under a flag of convenience in the Russian port of Novorossiysk”—likely under contract with the Russian government.”

He lists a few names: Kocatepe (now Tanzanian), Barbaros (Equatorial Guinea), Hizir (Malta) and Sampiyon Trabzonsport (Cameroon).

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Turkey on Wednesday to discuss a possible establishment of “sea corridors”—although Ukrainian wheat is being covertly exported to Russia’s benefit, according to experts.

“This is the information we get but we cannot stop, or check, or question the intention of any cargo ship except if we feel a threat to Turkish peace or security,” the diplomatic source said. AFP

1 FJPB 2 SPM 3 LFM

LAST PRICE CHANGE 2.63 -1.11 2.16 -0.53 19 -4.3

% CHANGE -29.68% -19.70% -18.45%

4 5 6 7 8 9

MB SPNEC AB X DNL ATI

0.34 1.65 7.7 0.325 6.75 13.3

-0.05 -0.1 -0.43 -0.015 -0.3 -0.58

-12.82% -5.71% -5.29% -4.41% -4.26% -4.18%

10

DDMPR

1.56

-0.06

-3.70%

MOST ACTIVE

1 SMPH 2 ALI

VOLUME 13,272,700 12,745,400

VALUE (PHP) 501,082,700 380,730,450

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6,832,800 97,510 244,500 100,005 3,560,670 1,140,660 5,112,100 610,490

251,866,925 227,877,930 210,351,155 192,888,165 190,033,760 146,447,051 130,092,925 126,252,384

SCC GLO SM TEL JGS BDO CNVRG JFC

Is social media really for love and democracy? “… THE alleged ‘openness’ and ‘freedom’ of social networks are, as a matter of fact, neither open nor free. Instead, they are used by corporate and political agents to collect data from users, manage and manipulate the flow of information and influence voters and consumers.” (Karin Zotzmann and Ivaylo Vassilev, on their editorial and introduction of Margaret Archer’s article in the Journal of Critical Realism, Volume 19, Issue 4, https://doi.org/10.1 080/14767430.2020.1805278) The US and Philippine elections have demonstrated how social media platforms can breed echo chambers, trolls and even fake news to influence user behavior. When Facebook and other social media platforms began spreading in the early 2010s, the world initially felt hopeful. After all, social media can be a platform of interconnections and information exchange. It could democratize access and content creation for anyone who has internet. It seemed like a new world where everyone could harmonize with each other.

But… what happened?

The research editorial I shared above provided some hints on the state of our society and politics in today’s time. What stood out to me is how social media is really and practically structured. Social media platforms make it easy to make impulsive reactions–a like share, or retweet is just a click away.

For example, Facebook’s psychological experiments have been discovered and documented, and we have to be mindful of the forces that may subconsciously affect our thoughts, emotions and actions.

This presents a problem because the ideals of democracy or even just the framing of love as an authentic decision and action presume a person’s agency for self-determination and authenticity. If we are not mindful nor aware of how social media may manipulate our views, we become unconsciously inauthentic; and worse, love and democracy just become distant concepts subject to the whims of the powers that be.

In this world of instant gratification, impulses, and hedonism, perhaps the principle citizens, businesses, and society need to practice is temperance or restraint. The tragedy may be that businesses may have mastered the art of mass and targeted influence and effective user experience testing. Still, we may be turning social media into a Frankenstein we can no longer tame nor control.

Thus, the impetus for the individual citizen, consumer or

manager is to be very mindful of these structures before succumbing to our faulty impulses.

Do not instantly react to the post because our intuitions can easily be toyed with.

Do not instantly share posts because our minds can fall into thinking and logic traps.

Actually, read the long-form versions, not just the snippets and comments of a popular post.

If we really want social media to be for love and democracy, we should reject being spoon-fed and reclaim our agency.

Or else, we will all just be the trolls we claim to despise.

The author is an Assistant Professor from the Department of Management and Organization, Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, De La Salle University. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the department. He teaches management principles, research methods, and action research in the undergraduate program while advocating for integral human development, qualitative research and proper interpretation of statistics in management education. He also advocates social entrepreneurship as head of the Social Enterprise Research Network of the Center for Business Research and Development (CBRD-SERN). He can be reached at patrick.aure@ dlsu.edu.ph.

The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

PATRICK ADRIEL H. AURE, PH.D.

Green Light

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

B4

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2022

IN BRIEF Wenceslao initiates arbitration with PRA R-1 CONSORTIUM, headed by DM Wenceslao, said over the weekend it initiated arbitration proceedings with the Philippine Reclamation Authority in May to settle their pending outstanding issues and payment.

Wenceslao said in a statement it sent a notice of arbitration to PRA after waiting several years to be paid by the PRA for their reclamation works in Manila Bay which was completed in 2008. The PRA acknowledged the notice on May 26 and committed to communicate at the soonest possible time, Wenceslao said.

Wenceslao said it was also puzzled on the reported probe initiated by 1Pacman Rep. Eric Pineda on the alleged delay in the reclamation project as the project was completed more ten years ago.

It said PRA received its share and proceeds from the project and transferred and sold the same share to other parties.

Acknowledging Wenceslao’s and R1’s accomplishments in the reclamation project, PRA pledged payment to Wenceslao for its accomplishments through PRA’s board resolution made in 2009.

Consumers turned more bullish in Q2

Business Shell set to end natural gas supply to Ilijan power plant

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

HELL Philippine Exploration B.V. said over the weekend the Malampaya gas field is about to end its supply and purchase agreement over the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan gas-fired power plant in Batangas City.

SPEX, the operator of the project, issued the statement on behalf of Malampaya joint venture partners UC38 LLC and PNOC Exploration Corp.

SPEX did not provide the reason for the conclusion of the GSPA, although supply from the Malampaya gas project has been dwindling in recent years and

is expected to be depleted by 2024.

The Department of Energy assured that despite the end of the GSPA to Ilijan, there will be no brownouts because of adequate power supply in Luzon.

It is not clear where the Ilijan plant will source its gas supply following the end of the GSPA, but sources said San Miguel Corp. was looking at tapping the banked gas from Malampaya.

This developed as the government is set to turn over the 1,200-MW Ilijan natural gas plant in Batangas City to SMC power arm SMC Global Power Holdings this month.

South Premiere Power Corp., a subsidiary of SMC Global Power Holdings Corp., was designated as the plant’s independent power producer in 2010.

Kepco Ilijan Corp. is in charge of the plant’s operation and maintenance, while state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. supplies

its fuel requirements.

“Malampaya is indeed a crown jewel of our country and a shining example of how a public-private partnership has powered the Philippines. It continues to fuel the country with cleaner-burning natural gas; create significant, positive social impact to communities in Batangas, Palawan and Oriental Mindoro; and generate direct government revenues, with over $12 billion already remitted to the government since the start of commercial operations in 2002,” SPEX said.

Aside from Ilijan, other power plants that run on Malampaya natural gas are Sta. Rita power station (1,000 MW), San Lorenzo power station (500 MW), San Gabriel power station (414 MW) and Avion power station (97 MW). Together, they generate more than 3,200 megawatts, representing about a fifth of the national power demand.

CONSUMER sentiment turned more optimistic for the next 12 months, results of the Consumer Expectations Survey by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show.

Consumer sentiment in the country was less pessimistic in the first quarter, as the overall confidence index increased to -15.1 percent from -24 percent in the fourth quarter 2021.

“The higher CI, albeit remaining negative, indicated that the number of households with optimistic views increased, but was still lower than those with pessimistic views,” the BSP said.

Respondents said their improved outlook in the first quarter was brought about by their expectations of the availability of more jobs and permanent employment, additional and high income and effective government policies and programs, such as the easing of quarantine restrictions, availability and rollout of vaccines, and provision of financial assistance.

For the second quarter 2022, consumer sentiment was less positive as the confidence index declined to 6.4 percent from 9.3 percent in the fourth quarter. Julito G. Rada

State crop insurer prone to losses—WB STATE-RUN Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.’s approach to agricultural insurance neither provides value for money to taxpayers nor adequate protection to farmers, according to a recent study conducted by the World Bank.

The PCIC is also “very exposed to catastrophe losses which are not reinsured,” said the study done by a team from the WB’s Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Program.

The study revealed that while premium subsidies given by the government to the PCIC grew rapidly over the years, agricultural insurance only reached a third of the country’s farmers and was not well-targeted to ensure that taxpayers were getting value for their money.

An overview of the WB study was presented recently by Benedikt Signer, a senior financial sector specialist of the DRFIP, to the board of the PCIC chaired by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III. Signer said the study found that PCIC’s premium rating, capital management, financial reporting and other aspects of its operations were not in line with international best practices. Julito G. Rada

MERALCO ADVOCACY. Meralco One for Trees: Helping Farmers Survive the Pandemic through Sustainable Reforestation, a program that helped farmers survive the pandemic through sustainable reforestation, is among the winners of this year’s Philippine Quill Awards. Manila Electric Co. received 22 awards for programs demonstrating excellence in its pandemic response communications centered on public welfare.

Local cement producers complain about rising Vietnamese imports

By Othel V. Campos VIETNAM is supplying increasing cement volume to the Philippines in the past three years, crowding out the production of local companies.

The Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines presented data showing Vietnamese cement imports steadily grew over the years during a Tariff Commission hearing on the provisional anti-dumping duty imposed by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Data culled from the Bureau of Customs by CEMAP showed that cement imports hit 7.107 million metric tons in 2021, with Vietnam accounting for 91 percent or 6.466 million MT, while other sources

contributed the balance of 9 percent.

Imports from Vietnam increased steadily to 4.118 million MT in 2018, 4.167 million MT in 2019 and 5.396 MMT in 2020 out of total imports of 5.909 million MT, 6.305 million MT and 6.246 million MT, respectively.

CEMAP noted the decreasing profitability of local cement producers owing to the steady increase in imports, which were said to be 10 percent to 15 cheaper than domestic cement in the provinces.

Imports and local cement are at price parity in Metro Manila.

The group expressed alarm that while local capacities were expanding to serve domestic requirements, imports managed to keep rising.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA. Land Bank of the

Philippines president and chief executive Cecilia Borromeo (second from left) receives the 2021 UPAA Distinguished Alumni Award for corporate governance in banking and finance from University of the Philippines Alumni Regent and UPAA president Reynaldo Laserna (third from left), UP vice president for public affairs Elena Pernia (left) and UPAA board member Romeo Nones (right). The annual award ceremony honors graduates of the state university for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields of specialization and service. Borromeo completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

CEMAP said the local cement manufacturing capacity has been expanding since 2019 with additional capacity of 3.7 million MT to boost previous capacity of 30.6 million MT. Additional capacities were also added in 2020 with 2 million MT and another 6.6 million MT in 2021.

It said that from 2022 to 2025, local capacities are expected to add 19.5 million MT. Demand is estimated to reach 66 million MT in three years or until 2025. This means that only half of the demand can be served by local capacity.

Meanwhile, cement importers said the government’s imposition of antidumping duty on imports would not put an end to importation because of the deficiency in local supply.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, June 3, 2022

54.57 PTS. 6,741.40

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

1,092,000,940 68,469

TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP)

4,608,357,413.80

ADVANCES

102

DECLINES

89

UNCHANGED

42

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

52.5800

Japan

Yen

0.007702

0.4050

UK

Pound

1.257900

66.1404

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127478

6.7028

Switzerland

Franc

1.044277

54.9081

Canada

Dollar

0.795482

41.8264

Singapore

Dollar

0.729874

38.3768

Australia

Dollar

0.726400

38.1941

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652872

139.4880

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266617

14.0187

Brunei

Dollar

0.727220

38.2372

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000069

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.029121

1.5312

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

14.3169

Euro

Euro

1.074800

56.5130

Korea

Won

0.000806

0.0424

China

Yuan

0.149571

7.8644

India

Rupee

0.012923

0.6795

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.227842

11.9799

New Zealand

Dollar

0.655500

34.4662

Taiwan

Dollar

0.034351

1.8062 Source: BSP

Megaworld hikes ‘22 capex budget by 39% to P50b PROPERTY developer Megaworld Corp. said over the weekend it is building new projects as it earmarked P50 billion on capital expenditures this year, up 39 percent from P38 billion last year.

Megaworld said in a statement it would spend about 75 percent of the budget for real estate developments, including the construction of new residential properties and land development of townships, and 25 percent for investment properties and land banking.

It said it raised the capital spending on expectations of improved mobility and a more revitalized economy this year.

“We have accelerated some projects to pave the way for opportunities coming from the pandemic recovery,” Megaworld chief strategy officer Kevin Tan said.

The company also reported plans to launch 14 new residential and commercial lot projects with a total sales value of P30 billion in 2022.

These new residential projects are located in township developments in Cavite, Laguna, Iloilo City, Pampanga, Taguig City, Las Piñas City, Pasig City, Palawan, Bulacan and Makati City.

It also plans to launch four additional townships in Metro Manila, CALABARZON and Mindanao.

These new townships will cover around 500 hectares of land, which will be injected into the company’s existing land bank of around 4,500 hectares.

“This will bring the total number of Megaworld’s townships to 32 this year. We look forward to further expanding our portfolio of residential, office, hotel and mall properties in these new areas that are considered among the key growth centers in the country today,” said Tan. Megaworld has 28 integrated urban townships, integrated lifestyle communities and lifestyle estates in around 30 cities across the country.

The company announced last week it is building an upscale residential village inside the 140-hectare Maple Grove township in General Trias, Cavite. Jenniffer B. Austria

AirAsia PH expects increased travel demand despite high fuel surcharges

By Darwin G. Amojelar AIRASIA Philippines said over the weekend it is optimistic about sustaining the growth of forward bookings in the coming months despite the adjustments in fuel surcharges.

“We are optimistic that the adjustments in fuel surcharges will not affect the booking behavior of our guests who have been wanting to rediscover the Philippines and key destinations in ASEAN,” AirAsia Philippines spokesperson Steve Dailisan said.

The Civil Aeronautics Board earlier allowed airlines to increase fuel surcharges to Level 7 of the fuel surcharge matrix this month from the Level 4 implemented on May 1 to 30.

Under Level 7, airlines may impose fuel surcharges of P201 to P769 per passenger of domestic flights, and from P1,035 to P9,892 for international flights.

AirAsia Philippines said it recorded an increase in forward bookings for the months of June and July to key destinations such as Caticlan, Kalibo, Puerto Princesa, Cagayan de Oro and Cebu, driven by the return of Filipinos working abroad and the further relaxation of travel protocols.

It said that for the months of June and July, most international visitors booked flights to island destinations such as Caticlan (52 percent), Tacloban (14 percent), Cebu (17 percent), Kalibo (14 percent), Tagbilaran (17 percent) and Puerto Princesa (14 percent).

San Miguel signs toll operations agreement with DOTr over the 417-km Quezon-Sorsogon expressway SAN Miguel Corp. said over the weekend it signed an agreement with the the Department of Transportation to construct the South Luzon Expressway Toll Road 5 that will provide faster mobility in the Bicol Region.

A vital component of the SLEX TR5, the signed supplemental toll operations agreement will be submitted to the Office of the President for approval.

SLEX TR5 is a four-lane, two-by-two toll road spanning 417 kilometers from

the terminal point of SLEX TR4 Project in Barangay Mayao, Lucena City, Quezon to Matnog, Sorsogon near the Matnog Ferry Terminal.

The project will run parallel to the Philippine National Railway, Maharlika Highway and Padre Burgos National Road or Quirino Highway.

It will be divided into eight sections, namely Lucena to Gumaca, Quezon ( 59.60 km.), Gumaca to Tagkawayan (62.40 km.) Tagkawayan to Sipocot,

Camarines Sur (59 km.), Sipocot to Naga City (35.40 km.), Naga City to Polangui, Albay (48 km.), Polangui to Legazpi City (35 km.), Legaspi to Sorsogon City (54.30 km.) and Sorsogon City to Matnog, Sorsogon ( 62.78 km.)

The project is expected to provide better and safer access to tourism destinations, Ro-Ro ports and fish ports and address traffic congestion in the Bicol Region.

The SLEX Toll Road 5 is under a joint venture of the San Miguel Hold-

ings Corp. and the Philippine National Construction Corp.

San Miguel is now constructing a P26.1-billion expressway from Batangas to Quezon. It started the construction of the 66.74-kilometer SLEX Toll Road 4 that would connect Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City, Quezon in 2019.

The toll road will shorten the travel time from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Barangay Mayao in Lucena City from the usual three hours to45 minutes. It is ex-

pected to be completed by 2026.

The toll road will be divided into six sections, namely Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Makban, Laguna (11.32 km.); Makban to San Pablo City (12.75 km.); San Pablo to Tiaong, Quezon (7.5 km.); Tiaong to Candelaria (15 km.); Candelaria to Tayabas (10.21 km.); and Tayabas to Lucena (9.96 km).

TR4 is a part of SLTC’s 30-year concession that will last until 2036.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Sports

Meralco eyes 2nd straight 3x3 title MERALCO is not about to rest on its laurels as it bids for a second straight leg championship in the PBA 3x3 Third Conference.

The Bolts, coached by Patrick Fran, reinforced their roster by re-activating veteran guard Tonino Gonzaga in time for Leg 3 of the half-court tournament which tips off Monday at Robinsons Magnolia.

Gonzaga, who missed the initial first two legs due to injury, takes the place of Maclean Sabellina, whose knee injury he aggravated in the Leg 2 final last week against Cavitex Braves.

But despite Gonzaga and Sabellina both hurting, the Bolts pulled off one of the most amazing finals comebacks in the young history of the standalone meet after battling their way back from five points down late in regulation before taking the win in overtime, 18-17, to cash in on the P100,000 prize money.

Now, Meralco will have its original quartet of Gonzaga, Joseph Sedurifa, Dexter Maiquez, and Alfred Batino back in full force as they eye a fourth leg championship overall.

The rest of the field though, likewise beefed up their respective lineups.

Purefoods TJ Titans tapped triedand-tested Marvin Hayes after parting ways with Limitless App, where he had a rewarding campaign in the first two conferences that saw the Appmasters ruled a total of four leg titles, and run away with the first ever grand championship during the first conference.

San Miguel meanwhile, brings back fancy guard Jeff Manday, who just recovered from a hand injury and will replace Alfonso Gotladera in the lineup, so does Lervin Flores of TNT Tropang Giga in lieu of Samboy De Leon.

The Appmasters for their part, added Daryl Louie Pascual, while Thomas Torres replaced Jeric Teng at Master Sardines.

The other teams which likewise shook their rosters were Sista Super Sealers, who signed Rhaffy Octobre for Wilson Baltazar, Terrafirma plays draftee Sandy Cenal for big man Jebb Bulawan, and John Philip Alcantara for Reed Juntilla at Zamboanga Valientes.

Meralco leads Pool A along with Limitless App, NorthPort, and Zamboanga Valientes, Pool B boasts of Cavitex, TNT Tropang Giga, and San Miguel, Pool C will have Barangay Ginebra, Platinum Karaoke, Pioneer Pro Tibay, and Sista Super Sealers, and Pool D is composed of Terrafirma, Purefoods, and Master Sardines.

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Painters frustrate Fiber Xers; Ginebra’s Thompson is MVP

By Peter Atencio

B

IG plays from Beau Belga, Rey Nambatac and Leonardo Santillan pushed the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to a thrilling 79-77 beating of the Converge Fiber Xers Sunday night at the start of the Philippine Basketball Association 2022-23 Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Belga struck with a triple with 14 seconds left, handing back the lead for the Elasto Painters for the last time, 78-77.

Nambatac then stole off Jeron Teng in the last five seconds, denying the Fiber Xers a chance to go win their debut game in the league.

Santillan then knocked in split charity with two seconds remaining for the final tally after Teron fouled him in the final play.

The 6’5” Santillan drilled in 18

points and nine rebounds for the Elasto Painters, while Belga sank 17 points, including four of eight threepoint attempts.

“We anticipated the ball was going to go to Teng. And we just took it from there,” said Santillan.

Teng showed the way for Converge with 13 points and 13 rebounds and it was his driving layup with 23 ticks remaining, which allowed the Fiber Xers to break the 75-all tie and grab the upperhand for the last time at 77-

Members of the champion UST team pop the champagne.

‘yung three-peat po,” said Varga.

“Sobrang saya kasi nandito ulit ‘yung family ko at na-witness po nila kung ano ‘yung pinaghirapan namin ng ilang taon,” he added.

A two-time Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist, Requinton was able to get the job done after he was fielded at the end of the eliminations to boost UST’s title-retention bid.

Filipino jin earns Asian Para Games’ seat SMART/MVP Sports Foundation national taekwondo paraathlete Allain Keanu Ganapin clinched the gold medal in the Male -80kg K44 Class in the recently concluded 2022 Sharjah Qualification Tournament in the United Arab Emirates.

Ganapin showed resilience and toughness in dominating his Kazakhstan opponent en

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2022

Rain or Shine’s Jewel Ponferada loses the ball inside to a pesky Converge defense in a PBA Philippine Cup game won by the Painters, 79-77.

75, before Belga hit his go-ahead trey.

Alex Stockton scored a careerhigh 13 points for Converge, who tied the contest five times.

Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra star Scottie Thompson was crowned Season 46 Most Valuable Player in the Leo Awards, also on Sunday.

Thompson became the newest toast in the league, replacing San Miguel Beer star June Mar Fajardo, who earned the league’s highest individual award in the last six seasons.

He is also the first guard and the first Ginebra player to bring home the coveted plum since Mark Caguioa took it in 2012.

Thompson beat TNT star Mikey Williams, Philippine Cup BPC Calvin Abueva of Magnolia and NorthPort main man Robert Bolick for the title.

UST beach volleyball champ for 3rd straight time UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas ruled the UAAP men’s beach volleyball tournament for the third straight season following a 28-26, 21-15 conquest of National University Sunday at Sands SM By The Bay. The Tiger Spikers remained as the league’s winningest squad with six titles, but had to withstand a tough Bulldogs’ challenge in the opening set.

UST took the extended first set on a Rancel Varga go-ahead kill that broke a 26-26 stalemate and a big Jaron Requinton block on Pol Salvador.

The Tigers raced to a 7-2 second set lead and later pulled away by scoring four straight points for a 16-9 advantage on a Requinton ace.

Playing in front of his family and friends who flew all the way from Cebu over the weekend, Varga was named the tournament for the second straight season. “’Yung MVP bonus po iyon. Our goal talaga is to win the championship,

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

route to a dominant 10-0 win in the finals of the competition, which attracted competitors from 12 countries such as Japan, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Thailand, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Laos, and Bahrain.

With the victory, the Philippine Taekwondo Para Team member has qualified for the Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

Allain Keanu Ganapin (center)

“Sobrang challenging po sa akin kasi sa national team defender ako, so pagpasok ko sa training bubble ng UST, kailangan ko pong mag-adjust kasi ako po ‘yung blocker,” said Requinton.

“One week ako nag-training na puro block, block, block hanggang sa pinasok po ako,” he added.

Requinton, who was listed as third player, praised Efraem Dimaculangan for teaming up with Varga for helping the Tigers win four of the first five matches.

“Sobrang nakaka-proud kasi from defender to blocker, na-accept ‘yung role na ibinigay ng mga coaches na nagampanan niya ng maayos,” said Varga.

La Salle earlier carved out a 2117, 21-17 win over University of the Philippines to secure the bronze medal.

It was the Green Spikers’ bestever finish in the event, with Noel Kampton winning the Rookie of the Year honors.

Scottie Thompson: MVP

Chot seeks tall, young players for Gilas pool THE final pool of players in the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball team will most likely be formed with young and tall players in the mix after the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers’ third window in New Zealand.

Gilas Pilipinas program director Chot Reyes said this a few days after he stepped aside and let consultant Nenad Vucinic take care of coaching Team Philippines when it meets host New Zealand and India in the last two games of Group A. Reyes said they will consider at least five tall cagers in the Gilas Youth lineup for inclusion.

Doing so would strengthen the Gilas men’s pool not only for the 2023 FIBA World, but also for future international competitions.

“It is a 2-in-1 process. Tinitingnan naming iyung mga players ng team na pupunta sa New Zealand. Na puwede sila sa final pool, if not in the final 12,” said Reyes, who spoke of the plans for Gilas on Saturday’s weekly Power and Play.

Among the players that’s in the radar of Reyes are 6’5” players Caelum Harris, Kristian Porter, Alex Konov and Basti Reyes, and 6’6” Zain Mahmood.

With Vucinic now focusing on the men’s team, Reyes is concentrating on building up the roster of the Gilas’ Under-16 boys squad.

The Gilas Youth squad is getting ready for the Asian Championship within the next two weeks.

So far, Reyes said that talented cagers Dwight Ramos, Kai Sotto, Thirdy Ravena, and Jordan Clarkson are among those who could make the cut in the final roster.

For now, Gilas is dealing with the absence of Justine Baltazar and James Spencer, who have begged off. Peter Atencio

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Sports

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2022

PhilCycling national tilt for road set June 21 to 24 THE PhilCycling National Championships for Road returns after a twoyear hiatus from June 21 to 24 with Tagaytay City as main hub, according to Philippine Olympic Committee and PhilCycling president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

“With the pandemic restrictions eased, it’s high time we brought the National Championships back on the road,” Tolentino said. “We scrapped the races in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and last year, we could only stage the National Trials under a strictly-controlled environment in Clark.”

The national championships—copresented by Standard Insurance and the MVP Sports Foundation and supported by the POC, Philippine Sports Commission, Tagaytay City Mayor Agnes Tolentino, Eighth District of Cavite and Province of Cavite—will feature races in road, individual time trial and criterium for men and women elite, under-23, juniors (17-18) and youth (16-under).

Registration is ongoing online via the PhilCycling Facebook page.

Participants will be screened and determined based on their skill set as the national championships demand only riders who are potentials for the national team. The final roster of participants will be announced on June 17.

The top five riders in the road races, top three in criterium and top two in the ITT will be named to the national team for the period July 1 to December 31, 2022. The next sets of finishers will be considered for the national pool.

The races are also supported by the First District of Batangas as well as the municipalities of Laurel, Agoncillo and Talisay and the local Philippine National Police commands.

A team time trial race could also be included in the competition program depending on the number of recognized and legitimate cycling teams which will register for the races.

The routes and distances for the juniors and youth road events will also be determined at the close of registration period.

The races are—criterium for men and women 2.10 kms circuit (start-finish Praying Hands, perimeter road around Tagaytay City Hall and Tagaytay International Convention Center) on June 21, ITT for women 20.36 kms and men 30.30 kms from Nasugbu to Praying Hands Monument (Isaac Tolentino Avenue, Tagaytay City) on June 22, road for women 114.41 kms start-finish at Praying Hands via Payapa Road on June 23 and road for men 137.43 kms start-finish Praying Hands via Sungay Road (Talisay) on June 24.

Bacolod five, Nueva Ecija subdue rivals, stay unbeaten

Head Coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors high fives Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. AFP

Kerr: It’s all about how you respond to defeat S AN FRANCISCO—Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr backed his team to “turn the page” on their shocking NBA Finals opening loss as they attempt to square the series against the Boston Celtics on Sunday.

Golden State, tipped as favorites to claim a seventh NBA championship before the series began, were sent spinning to a stunning defeat in game one on Thursday as the Celtics overturned a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to go 1-0 up.

The manner of that loss—with the Celtics erupting to outscore Golden State by 40-16 in the final quarter—left many commentators wondering whether the shellshocked Warriors had suffered lasting psychological damage.

The Celtics could take a vice-like grip on the best-of-seven series with a victory in game two in San Francisco on Sunday before the series moves back to Boston for games three and four.

Kerr however insisted on Saturday that his experienced line-up had already dusted themselves down after Thursday’s defeat.

“The value of experience, playoff experience, is that you really do understand the ups and downs of a playoff series,” Kerr said Saturday.

“It’s really important to turn the page one way or the other. You know, if you win and you get happy and you let your guard down, then you’re in trouble.

“And if you lose and you feel sorry for yourself, then you’re in trouble doing that, too.

“It’s all about how you respond.

These guys are the best athletes, best competitors on earth, and a huge part of competition at the highest stage is your emotional and mental approach.”

Kerr and his coaching staff and players have pored over the fine detail of Thursday’s loss and pinpointed a lax approach throughout the game—rather than merely Boston’s epic fourth quarter— as the cause of the defeat.

‘Like an avalanche’ “I thought we got away from ourselves in the first quarter in terms of game plan,” Kerr said. “I think everything that happened in the first three quarters helped the process in the fourth for them to get going the way they did.

“The film showed the good and the

bad. We had some good stretches, and then obviously the fourth quarter was like an avalanche.

“But again, we let our guard down earlier in the game, and that allows guys to be more comfortable when they are taking shots. And when you get a couple of early ones that you get a really good look at it, it just makes every shot easier after that.”

Kerr meanwhile dismissed a suggestion that stars Draymond Green and Stephen Curry might have shown signs of complacency after game one by suggesting the loss was an anomaly.

“Draymond and Steph have been in the Finals six times now. They have seen it all,” Kerr said. “They have won championships. They have lost championships. They have had their heart broken. They have had parades. This is all part of it.

“So that’s the right mental approach, and that’s one that’s born out of experience.”

Defensive linch pin Green meanwhile said he had paid little attention to the exterior “noise” surrounding the game one defeat.

“It’s the world we live in—clickbait headlines, who can get the most views, who can say the most outlandish thing,” Green said Saturday.

“That’s just the world we live in. AFP

Asics Rock ‘n’ Roll run series to feature Manila landmarks THE Asics Rock “n” Roll Running Series on June 19 will put accent on Manila’s historical markers, including the Walled City of Intramuros and the National Museum, marking the first time that the capital city’s sights and landmarks will be featured in such kind of a sporting competition.

It is but one of the many firsts in the first-ever RnR race in Southeast Asia and first in Asia after the pandemic with organizers and the host city guaranteeing a successful staging of the four-category event more distinctive to regular marathon races.

For one, it mixes running and endurance with partying and a concert that will have participants treated to music throughout the route enhanced with themed water stations and a musical bash at the finish that will run through midnight.

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 10K and 5K races will be flagged off at 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., respectively, while the 21K and

42K events will be fired off at 5 p.m., according to the IRONMAN Group and Rock “n” Roll Running Series, organizers and producers of the event.

Fees are 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 change until slot lasts.

There will also be a wreathlaying ceremony for Dr. Jose Rizal from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on race day at the Rizal Park, another landmark of the country’s vibrant and sprawling capital. The world’s largest running series, backed by Asics as title sponsor, Gatorade as official hydration partner and Alaska, Lightwater, Regent and Sante, will also pass through the National Museum complex, Intramuros, the Manila Cathedral, Manila City Hall, the Kartilya ng Katipunan, the Jones Bridge and Chinatown in Binondo.

The blue-ribbon event, held as part of the city’s 450th founding anniversary with the Philippine Star, One Sports, Cignal and Sportograf.com as media partners, will also feature the famous Manila Bay sunset

Five Steam Games

you don’t want to miss in ‘22 HAVE you ever been so excited to pick up a game, only to find out that everyone else has finished it and moved on to the next big thing? With so many games to play these days, you might end up missing out on some of the best releases.

Good thing we’ve rounded up the best Steam titles for you. And with convenient payment options on Steam, you’ll never miss out on getting ahead of the game, literally.

If you’ve always wanted to join the Steam hype but have never had a way to top-up your Steam wallet, you can now get the newest Steam games with GCash. More people can now be part of the gaming community without the need for credit or debit cards. Now that both new and old users have a new way to pay there is nothing stopping all gamers from getting their hands on the best games of the year.

Make sure to watch out for the release of

these highly anticipated games: 1. DNF Duel - June 28 Prove to your friends that you’re the best fighter on DNF Duel. Take control of your choice of character from the Dungeon Fighter Online franchise and challenge your friends to intense 1v1 matches.

Test your skills against the world or against your friends to see how you fare against other players. Fight your way to the top one duel at a time this June 28.

Watch out for the DNF Duel page on Steam when it goes live on release day.

2. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak June 30 Get ready to challenge fantastical beasts in the new expansion of Monster Hunter Rise. Monster Huner Rise: Sunbreak will take players to a new region to test their combat skills against even greater monsters. Go on an adventure around the land of Elgado and find out what challenges the monsters have to offer come June 30.

STREAKING Bacolod and powerhouse Nueva Ecija subdued their opponents Saturday night and kept their clean slates in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season at the Paco Arena in Manila.

Bacolod Bingo Plus subdued the Marikina Shoe Masters, 76-66, while the Nueva Ecjia Rice Vanguards overcame complacency to thwart the GenSan Warriors, 95-83.

Manila finally snap a string of losses with an 84-67 victory over cellardweller Mindoro in the nightcap of the MPBL’s first triple-bill this year.

Sans main man Mark Yee, veterans Richard Albo, Alwyn Alday and Edrian Lao presided over Bacolod’s offense against Marikina, which finally paraded its top gun Yves Sazon.

Albo came through with 13 points and 4 rebounds, while Alday and Lao both submitted 12 points and 8 rebounds for Bacolod, which climb to 4-0 under Coach Alex Angeles.

Marikina, which fell to 1-3, got 24 points from Antonio Josob, 16 from Sazon and 12 points and 11 rebounds from Nhomer Gonzales.

The star-laden Rice Vanguards surged ahead at 56-39 at halftime behind the hot hands of Jonathan Uyloan, but relaxed on defense in the fourth quarter and allowed the Warriors to mount a comeback.

A layup by Elvin Chan enabled the Warriors to knot the count at 71 with astill 9 minutes and 7 seconds to go, forcing Nueva Ecija Coach Jerson Cabiltes to sue for time.illairas Upon resumption, the Rice Vanguards asserted their superiority, dropping 10 straight points, including back-to-back triples by John Bryon Villarias to regain control at 81-71 with 7:03 left.

Jay Collado, Michael Mabulac, Will McAloney and Pamboy Raymundo towed Nueva Ecija beyond reach, 95-80, with only 38 seconds left.

Uyloan shot a perfect 4 of 4 from the 3-point zone, 1 of 1 field goal, and 3 of 3 free throws to notch 17 points and earn best player honors.

Mabulac added 16 points and 9 rebounds, McAloney 15 points and 7 rebounds and Jay Collado 11 points and 3 rebounds.

GenSan drew 14 points from Michole Sorela, 13 each from Mark Cruz, Christopher Masiglang and Nikko Panganiban and 10 from Jaypee Belencion but still dropped to 0-3.

Hop right into the world of Elgado when you pre-purchase Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak on Steam.

3. Forspoken - October 12 Ever wonder what it would be like to be transported to a mysterious fantasy world and be granted immense magical power? Come October 12, your wish can be granted. Forspoken is an open-world RPG following Frey Holland as she is suddenly sent to a mysterious world.

Now granted magical powers, courtesy of talking rings called “Cuff,” she sets out to explore the world she was transported to and the evil within it.

Forspoken is available for pre-purchase on Steam.

4. Gotham Knights - October 25 In a Gotham without Batman, it is up to you to keep the city safe from crime.

Become a superhero as you play as Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, or Robin and stop crime from taking over the city.

Gotham Knights is an open-world action RPG where you get to put a stop to the evil plans of the many criminals in Gotham City. Get your mask on and save the city on October 25.

Make sure to add Gotham Knights to your wishlist on Steam.

5. Hogwarts Legacy - Holiday 2022 Have you ever wanted to be a wizard like Harry Potter? Or maybe you were interested in what life would be like in one of the four houses of Hogwarts?

Get a chance to live out your dreams of being a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Hogwarts Legacy. Explore the magical world of Hogwarts set in the 1800s as your own customizable character. Be ready to go to class, battle evil wizards, and decide the fate of the wizarding world come this holiday season of 2022.

Be ready to see the wizarding world in Hogwarts Legacy by adding it to your wishlist on Steam.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang,, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2022

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Mariah Carey sued over Christmas smash hit

Mariah Carey in the ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ music video

SUPERSTAR Mariah Carey has been sued in the United States for alleged copyright infringement over her global hit 1994 song “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” court documents show.

The plaintiff, a musician named Andy Stone, says he co-wrote and recorded a festive song of the same name in 1989 and never gave permission for it to be used.

The next, now, or never in new romance film ‘Ngayon Kaya’

WHEN college best friends Harold and AM (short for Amihan), given heart and soul by Paulo Avelino and Janine Gutierrez, respectively, in Prime Cruz’s Ngayon Kaya, reached that point of being less than lovers but more than friends, the bigger question that needed to be asked was what’s going to happen next.

This romantic drama from T-Rex Entertainment with WASD Films as coproducer, penned by Jen Chuaunsu, gives us the many events and scenarios why the platonic relationship that Harold and AM share take a perplexing development with the two feeling bewildered and confused as to what heart strings to push and pull to.

Yes, that being just friends, even if the qualifier they agree on is the “best,” is commendable and healthy but it cannot be denied as well that what they share is already so ripe to be more intimate and romantic.

Harold’s realities need more than a strong man with big dreams to hurdle. The fact he must contend with, AM belongs to an affluent part of the society, with a set of friends who waste themselves and do not care about the future since they are rich anyway. His domestic problems are bigger than the juvenile pursuits of AM. Even if the feelings he has for his best friend have grown leaps and bounds. Not wanting to ruin and sacrifice the friendship for something mushy, fleeting and unsure, and taking into account the many givens in his life and that of AM’s, Harold decides to keep his feelings at bay.

When the best friends meet again at a common friend’s wedding, the manner in which they confront their past, how they enjoy the present and cherish its limited hours and the bleakness and uncertainty of their individual futures, continue to hang making the motion picture more potent in it’s a depiction of a love that has its chance but the people who are in it blew it big time.

It’s refreshing that Avelino and Gutierrez portrayed Harold and AM with no melodramatic excesses.

They

definitely nailed it especially when each character shows the many ways of dealing with pain and the scars, it gives audiences more reasons to relate with them.

Avelino and Gutierrez played Harold and AM as if they were not actors, and they are not acting. There are just so many moments in the movie that you will feel bad and sad for Harold and wonder why he never grabs the opportunity to be honest with how he feels for AM. Avelino looks at Gutierrez with a longing and resignation that this lady, even if I love her so, I cannot and will never have, written all over his eyes. When he cries because of AM, you cry with him and boy oh boy, you feel and carry the weight of his pain. That is how effective Avelino is as Harold.

As AM, you understand her ways, the rainbow-colored dreams, the looking at the world with optimistic and tinted spectacles, Gutierrez is no damsel in distress, but a young woman who is both fatalistic and grounded. When she panics and accepts that she might have made the wrong choices, you want to tell AM that “there, there! This too shall pass” and “girl, go for it!” while there is still an iota of a chance.

Also, the soundtrack of the movie is most helpful in conveying to the believers of Harold and AM their innermost feelings and desires. Ngayon Kaya features songs by Mayonnaise, Typecast, Ang Bandang Shirley, Shirebound and Busking, and Johnoy Danao.

Ngayon Kaya, and the wonderfully woven story of Harold and AM, portrayed with the right amount of reserve, intensity and conviction by Paulo Avelino and Janine Gutierrez deserves the attention and appreciation of Filipino cinema movie goers.

Let us give it all our love as its theatrical screening begins on June 22.

Janine Gutierrez (left) and Paulo Avelino give life to the main characters of ‘Ngayon Kaya’

SNAPSHOTS

In the suit filed on Friday in Louisiana, Stone alleges that Carey and her co-writer Walter Afanasieff “knowingly, willfully, and intentionally engaged in a campaign to infringe” his copyright.

He is seeking damages of $20 million for alleged financial loss.

Carey’s song is one of the most successful music singles of all time, topping the charts in more than two dozen countries and enjoying considerable airtime every Christmas.

The song has sold an estimated 16 million copies worldwide and earned

Carey a reported $60 million in royalties over the last three decades.

Stone’s song, released with his band Vince Vance and the Valiants, enjoyed moderate success on Billboard’s country music charts.

Despite having the same titles, the songs sound different and have different lyrics.

Stone, though, accuses Carey and Afanasieff of aiming to “exploit the popularity and unique style” of his song, causing “confusion.”

“Defendants’ unauthorized use of the ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’

in association with their exploitation of the derivative work acts to capitalize on the goodwill and unique talent of Plaintiff in an effort to obtain commercial advantage,” the suit says.

It was unclear why Stone has filed the suit almost 30 years after Carey released her song. The document states that Stone’s lawyers first contacted Carey and Afanasieff last year but the parties were “unable to come to any agreement.”

Carey’s publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP. AFP

Mixing mystery and romance in ‘Love You Stranger’ M

By Patricia Taculao

ANY things in life go well together, like cookies and cream, peanut butter and jelly, and black and white.

Yet other combinations don’t sound good on paper but surprisingly work well together. GMA Public Affairs explored the various opportunities by mixing opposing elements to create a unique miniseries.

Love You Stranger is GMA’s new series that merges mystery and romance with folklore and filmmaking. The genre and themes are from somewhat different ends of the spectrum, but GMA’s creative team found commonalities between them work. to make it F o r instance, the folklore and

(From left) Gil Cuerva, Gabbi Garcia, and Khalil Ramos band together in ‘Love You Stranger’ to unlock the mystery behind the shadow creatures

filmmaking aspects revolve around storytelling as both aim to shed light on the legend of the shadow creatures that cause the main problem throughout the series.

The series also marks the first-ever primetime series starring Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos together. The real-life Kapuso couple already has experience working together on other projects, but Love You Stranger posed a new experience for them.

“Since this isn’t our first time working together, medyo kabisado na namin ‘yung isa’t isa when it comes to our work ethics [and] dynamics.

For this one lang, it’s a very heavy script, a very heavy story talaga. Na-test talaga ‘yung pagtutulungan namin not just as partners, but as fellow actors,” Gabbi said during the media conference for Love You Stranger.

Gabbi also admitted that the script was challenging for her, especially since they’re following a suspensefilled script while adding hints of a budding romance between their characters.

But with Khalil’s help, they managed to develop their characters and their relationship in front of the cameras.

Y e t despite the challenges, Gabbi is excited for audiences to watch the miniseries. “ F i r s t time namin gumawa ng mystery, thriller, romance na type na kuwento.

Kaya pati kami excited. Talagang pinaghandaan ng bawat cast member ‘yung show na ‘to.

Talagang binigay namin lahat ng best namin para mapaganda ‘yung Love You Stranger,” she said.

In the miniseries, Gabbi

Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos headline ‘Love You Stranger’

plays the role of LJ, a young woman dedicated to caring for her mother, who has an unexplained fear of shadows and aversion to strangers. As she desperately seeks solutions to her mother’s condition, LJ serendipitously lands a major movie project that could bring her closer to understanding her mother: a film based on the Lilom folklore itself.

A charming young director named Ben, played by Khalil, spearheads the film set in the town of Sta. Castela, the one place where LJ was forbidden to return. As the film progresses, both LJ and Ben will soon unravel the secrets of the Lilom.

King Baco directed Love You Stranger, with Irene Villamor as a script consultant. The miniseries also unites notable actors from various generations, who each have a different take on how they’ll play their roles forward and interact with each other.

Joining Khalil and Gabbi in the cast of Love You Stranger are Andrea Del Rosario, Gil Cuerva, Carmi Martin, Tonton Gutierrez, Lexi Gonzales, Kim De Leon, Maey Bautista, Angelli Sanoy, Alex Medina, Nor Domingo, Ces Quesada, Lui Manansala, Bodjie Pascua, Soliman Cruz, and Dindo Arroyo.

Catch the premiere of Love You Stranger tonight at 9:35 on GMA Telebabad.

Claudia Barretto, Angelo Mendoza share passion and purpose in storytelling initiative PHILANTHROPIST Tess Mariño (seated, center) celebrated her birthday at Palacio de Memoria on May 25. She’s joined by her classmates from Assumption College.

Standing: Boots Anson Rodrigo, Josie Mallari, Luisa Uriarte, Chito Villa, Billie Trinidad, Marissa Hipolito, Pinky Valdez, Ching Yujuico,Chita Castillo, Pina Roxas, Marge Tambunting, and Chickie Ferraren. Seated: Lila Quirino, Conchitina Bernardo, Vicky Zubiri, Ada Mabilangan, Pressy Go, and Pilar Calderon.

ACTRESS and TV personality Bea Binene (second from left) recently signed a contract with JMN Brothers PharmaLtd., Inc., as official endorser of the new product Multivitamins+Selenium (EC-VIT), which is available in major branches of Mercury Drugs nationwide, Jhunbelle Drugstore, and online through Lazada. In photo with Binene are JMN officers (from left) President Noel Omandam, CEO J. De Ruyter Oroceo, and Digital Marketing Manager Remson Tarcelo.

PLDT and Smart invited artists, advocates, and mental health experts to share their stories anchored on Passion and Purpose, Strength and Resilience, Empathy and Community, and Hope. The storytelling initiative is PLDT and Smart’s second run of its “Better Today Time Capsule Project,” empowering the youth to find safe spaces to express themselves.

With the support of Canva Philippines, PLDT and Smart’s “Better Today Time Capsule Project” also encourages the youth to submit their own ‘time capsules’, which are works of art in the forms of music, spoken word, photography, and visual art.

Mental health advocate and musician Claudia Barretto shared her story on Passion and Purpose and how her music has become a form of catharsis and mental healthcare. She underscored the importance of becoming an authentic storyteller as a way to foster stronger relationships with other people.

“It’s important to be honest about the story you’re trying to tell. The connection you build with other people is natural when you’re being truthful. [By] being an authentic storyteller, I can be vulnerable.

I can speak my truth. I can tell my story,”

Angelo Mendoza finds peace and joy in life through photography

Claudia Barretto cares for mental well-being through music

Barretto shared.

Expressing his own passion for art, photographer and filmmaker Angelo Mendoza shared how photography has enabled him to “find peace and joy in things that give us a sense of purpose”.

“Finding your passion is a constant journey of self-reflection and self-love.

It’s a difficult process, but it matters to try. The process [of photography] feels cathartic. I am able to cherish the present, and create a meaningful bond with the people and things I photograph by letting myself be a bit more vulnerable,” Mendoza said.

Better Today is a key part of PLDT and Smart’s continuing commitment to help the Philippines contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly UNSDG #3 that stands for good health and well-being.

The top five winners of The Time Capsule Project will each receive P10,000 worth of connectivity from PLDT and Smart and a three-month premium subscription from Canva Philippines. They also have an opportunity to donate to their chosen mental health advocacy groups.

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

C4

A spacious track and field is located right next to the iconic NCC Stadium

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2022

Life

Families can go on early morning jogs within NCC’s premises

By Patricia Taculao

I

N 2019, New Clark City (NCC) was all everyone talked about as it served as the venue for the South East Asian (SEA) Games held in the same year. The area boasted world-class facilities, like the New Clark City Stadium and Aquatics Center, where athletes from the SEA Games showcased their skills.

(From left) SEA Games 2019 triathlon gold medalist John Leerams “Rambo” Chicano, Department of Tourism Region 3 Supervising Tourism Officer Chriselle May Yambao, Clark Development Corporation President and CEO PBGen. Manuel Gaerlan (ret.), Rear Admiral Miguel Jose Rodriguez (ret.), BCDA Senior Vice President for Corporate Services Arrey Perez, President of BCDA’s development partner MTD Philippines Nikko David, Mayor of NCC has a welcoming environment that caters to bikers and Victoria, Tarlac and Congressman-elect of the Second District other sports junkies of Tarlac Christian Yap, and two-time SEAGames triathlon gold medalist Nikko Huelgas

Two years later, NCC stands as proud as it did before. But this time, NCC reopened to the public as a hotspot for tourism and sports. From Saturday to Sunday, May 28 to 29, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) held NCC’s reopening launch as the “Bike and Run, Weekend Fun!” “With the reopening celebration, New Clark City’s visitors got a glimpse, if not a reminder, of the promise of New Clark City for the Filipino nation. What we are building here is not just a venue for sightseeing and competitions, but a community where people can enjoy life in what is envisioned to be a smart, resilient, and inclusive city of the future,” said Atty. Aristotle B. Batuhan, BCDA Officer-in-Charge President and Chief Executive Officer.

Upon arriving at the NCC, only an hour and a half away from Manila via a private vehicle, well-designed infrastructures welcomed guests and an open space that allowed mobility.

Cyclists made the most of the premises as the terrain was wellsuited for their bikes. On the other hand, marathoners also took in the view as they slowly trudged through the well-paved road of Sculptures and art installations by notable Filipino NCC to complete their run. artists are found at River Park The ambiance is suitable for guests who enjoy physical activity for leisure. Moreover, Victoria, Tarlac pic-sized pool and diving board at the Mayor Christian Yap assures guests who Aquatics center, along with the stadium. want to visit the neighboring city that they Although some time has passed since implemented the proper measures to secure people flocked to the infrastructures, the safety of cyclists and tourists within the they remain well-maintained thanks to city premises. the efforts of the BCDA. When the tour of NCC began, the Even before restrictions were eased to guests during the weekend saw the Olym- Alert Level 1, the Aquatics Center hosted

New Clark City

The facade of the Aquatics Center at NCC features geometrical shapes

The country’s haven for tourists and sports enthusiasts

DHL Express strengthens support for Haribon Foundation’s reforestation program AS PART of the company’s commitment to products, solutions, and customer offerings sustainability and the environment, DHL Ex- and incentives.” press, the world’s leading international express As part of the campaign, DHL Express is service provider, has pledged to donate P5.00 also giving back to its customers. Those who to Haribon Foundation for every shipment ship with DHL Express Philippines between made from April 9 to June 30 by customers in April 9 and June 30, will have a chance to win the Philippines. up to P10,000 worth of food e-vouchers. The This is a demonstration of DHL Express’ customer simply needs to make an internasupport for Haribon Foundation’s Adopt-A- tional shipment from the Philippines through Seedling reforestation program, which aims to DHL Express service points or DHL Express rehabilitate one million hectares of degraded partners. After making the shipment, a DHL Philippine forests through the planting of in- Express representative will provide the link to digenous trees. The tree-planting collaboration register.

Each international shipment entitles the with Haribon is part of the company’s longterm mission of protecting biodiversity and shipper to one raffle entry. The amount of the prize will increase depending on the number of ecosystems.

Haribon Foundation is the country’s pio- entries per customer.

This promotion is one of DHL Express’ neer environmental conservation organization.

Haribon applies scientific and multi-disciplin- many initiatives that aim to ramp up its sustainary approaches to biodiversity conservation by ability efforts, boost customer satisfaction, as building constituencies and empowering com- well as show appreciation to its loyal customers who have trusted the service. DHL Express munities.

“We are firmly committed to protecting the raised P110,340.00 during the Together We environment and operating responsibly. Our Grow campaign in 2021, and as of April 30, the ongoing summer partnership with promo has generated Haribon will allow P11,715, or 36 trees, us to reforest our for forest restoration lands and play our activities. part in making positive environmental Interested parties impact,” stated Eric to make an internaQueppet, Commertional shipment and cial Head of DHL Express Philippines. contribute to the en“By 2050, we vironment can visit hope to have elimihttps://locator.dhl. nated all logisticscom/ to find DHL service points and related emissions partners nationwide, and ensure clean opbook online erations for climate DHL Express’ support to Haribon Foundation or https:// protection through aims to aims rehabilitate one million hectares through mydhl.express.dhl/ our comprehensive of degraded Philippine forests by planting ph/en/home.html portfolio of green indigenous trees

two sports bubbles last year, specifically the pre-Olympic swimming camp of the Israeli swimming team and the PSI National Swimming Selection Meet. More events have been lined up in New Clark City since then.

Yet sports and recreation aren’t the only attractions guests can enjoy at NCC. Since NCC is ready to cater to the Filipinos, the BCDA also added elements of art and nature to create a serene location

where guests can go on strolls, appreciate the cleanliness of the environment, and take Instagram-worthy photos.

The 4.5-hectare River Park features art installations and sculptures of Kenneth Cobonpue, Bernardo Pacquing, and Bea Valdes. Just outside the park at the Aquatics Center rotunda is Jude Tiotuico’s opus, which serves as a tribute to Filipino swimmers.

The diving area at the Aquatics Center follows Olympic standards

Filipinos are more than welcome to visit and enjoy New Clark City every weekend for free. From Metro Manila, New Clark City is accessible via the seamless connection from North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) through the Dolores or Concepcion Exit.

The mesmerizing Monasterio de Tarlac MY GROUP of retired tourTarlac Bishop Florenism industry professionals have tino Cinense. made it a point to go out of town, How did Msgr. every so often, to destinations Bauer get hold of this that satisfy our craving for disvery sacred fragment of Jesus’ Cross? Many covery of new places, and our appetite for good food. of these pieces of the I hate to admit it, but we laHoly Cross were kept bel these trips as “pilgrimages,” in secret by many so the itinerary calls for us to Christians in Germany visit a religious site first, to give during the time when us a chance to spend valuable Communism in that time with our Divine patrons country outlawed the and, later, binge on local culinary practice of the Christian faith. Many Cathspecialties like there’s no tomorrow. Of course, the visit ends olic churches were after we troop to the destination’s converted to museums and warehouses. most popular “pasalubong” outlet The Christians who which, I’m sure, results in its unheld on to those saprecedented sales that could boost cred pieces later gave the local community’s economy!

The beautiful altar at the Chapel of the them out to Catholic We did our first trip several Monasterio de Tarlac churches around the months ago to Quezon province, world. The relic at the Monasterio de Tarlac is the only one in Asia. as already chronicled here in my column. This time, the group The Silver Reliquary containing the fragment of Jesus’ Holy Cross, decided to visit another religious widely talked about to be miraculous, is found underneath the altar of the baroque chapel on the monastery premises. To venerate the sacred site that most of us haven’t been to. Our comfortable vans headrelic, one lines up at the back of the altar, then kneels down to touch the Reliquary and pray. I did just that, which reminded me of my visit to ed for Central Luzon, specifically, to the Monasterio de Tarlac. the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem many decades ago, where evGood thing we earlier stopped The author takes his turn to eryone had to kneel down and practically crawl under the altar to touch by the Microtel at Hacienda venerate the sacred fragment the exact spot where Jesus Christ was born.

It was a very gratifying experience for all of us in the group. PersonLuisita to freshen up because it of wood inside the Reliquary ally, I always feel refreshed and invigorated every time I visit a reliwas such a long drive all the way gious destination and spend precious time to our destination. After reaching Tarlac, in fervent prayer. I’m sure everybody else it’s still a good hour’s drive from Tarlac’s the same because our surging adrenalin MacArthur Highway on, thankfully, well YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE felt paved roads. The Monasterio sits on top made us hanker for, you guessed it, a good Have you heard the rumor going around lunch! of Mount Resurrection, part of the ZamSo, off we drove to La Puerta del Sol, a bales Mountain Range, and is also part about BUTTER? Never mind, I shouldn’t Bed-and-Breakfast facility owned by Chito of the 278-hectare Mt. Resurrection EcoSPREAD it.

David, brother-in-law of Bessie Escalona, Park, with lush, verdant vegetation that is one of our group members. He prepared a home to many species of birds and insects.

The Monasterio de Tarlac came about in 2003 initially as the hermit- special lunch for us at the facility’s restaurant, and had a whole lechon age house for monks of the Priory of the Servants of the Risen Christ served only for us, plus a buffet of other local culinary specialties which (SRC), a congregation led by Frater Ronald Thomas Cortez, more we immediately devoured to our hearts’ delight.

After the hearty repast, naturally, shopping for “pasalubong” came popularly known as Fr. Archie. The most significant part of its history was in 2005 when Fr. Archie attended the World Youth Day in Essen, next in the schedule and, as expected, we later had a hard time looking Germany, where he befriended Msgr. Volker Bauer who was in pos- for space in our vans to accommodate everything we bought. As I said before, these colleagues of mine are session of a fragment of the True all “blackbelters” in shopping and Cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified. Fr. Archie was stunned they live by their mantra, “Shop ‘til beyond belief when the Monsignor you drop!” offered to “donate” the relic to his This trip to Tarlac was another church. memorable visit for us to treasure. It is Naturally, Fr. Archie was thrilled always a beautiful feeling to be able to and started to make the necessary arcollect fond memories of our travels to rangements for the shipment of the new places, especially because we ensacred artifact. However, it was only joy these destinations in the company on January 29, 2007 when the Silver of good friends.

Oooops! Am I seeing things?

Reliquary containing the portion of Did I just see a compass pointing the Cross was flown in by Msgr. Bauer to the Church of the Risen Christ. At the Monasterio’s premises (seated, L-R) Maribel Cantada, South? Is that where our group is Its dedication was performed by His Annette Feliciano, Ingrid Baltao, Luz Reyes (standing, L-R) Your going next?

Excellency Most Rev. Fernando Columnist, Menchie Orobia, Bessie Escalona, Lou Bengzon, For feedback, I’m at bobzozobFiloni, D.D., Apostolic Nuncio to the Helen Hao, Merle Villacorta, Mary Ann Bringas, Chona Paredes, rado@gmail.com Philippines at that time, together with Menchu Ricafort, Marian Vicencio, and Nina Cerrada