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Incoming gov’t to pursue ‘clean’ mining, export of processed ore PRESIDENT-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed a preference for collecting value-added taxes from the exportation of partially processed ore instead of hiking mining taxes to generate more revenues.

Marcos said as a matter of policy,

VOL. XXXVI • NO. 126 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

the county’s natural resource should be viewed as “a treasure which could help the Philippines a great deal.”

“We must ensure that practices we see in mining operations are environmentally neutral, although that has not necessarily

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Marcos takes on Agri post for now

AGRI CHIEF FOR NOW. President-elect

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks to the media Monday at the BBM campaign headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

Marcos said he will take over the Department of Agriculture to reorganize it and held the country meet a looming food crisis. BBM Media Bureau

Sets DA reorg to face food crisis

By Mervin Vince Lopez

P

RESIDENT-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he will head the Department of Agriculture when he assumes office on June 30 to allow him to reorganize the office to make it “ready” for the post-pandemic amid warnings of a food crisis in the second half of the year.

“I think that the problem is severe enough that I have decided to take on the portfolio of Secretary of Agriculture, at least for now and at least until we can reorganize the Department of Agriculture in the way that will make it ready for the next years to come,” Marcos said in a press Next page

BBM opts for ‘ayuda’ to affected sectors than suspend oil excise tax Peso at lowest

By Alena Mae S. Flores and Maricel V. Cruz PRESIDENT-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. prefers to provide aid to the sectors affected by the continuing increase in fuel prices instead of suspending the excise tax on oil.

This developed as oil companies raised pump prices across all products for the third consecutive week by as much as P3.10 per liter effective Tuesday to reflect the movement of prices in the world market.

At a press briefing Monday, Marcos said decreasing the excise tax on oil

products does not help those affected by the soaring prices.

He said those who are directly affected, especially the transport sector, should be prioritized.

“I prefer to handle on the other hand of the equation and provide assistance to those who are in need. If you reduce

excise taxes that does not necessarily help those who are most in need, those who are really affected,” Marcos said.

“So I’m thinking of giving assistance directly to those who are affected, those public utility drivers, let’s focus on them.”

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Lakas-CMD eyes as House majority party VICE President-elect Sara DuterteCarpio said her political party, the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, is aiming to become the majority party in the House of Representatives.

“I understand, based on the moves of Majority Leader Floor Leader Martin Romualdez, that (becoming the majority party) is his target,” Duterte-Carpio, Lakas-CMD chairperson, said in a press conference Monday following her inauguration in Davao City.

As of June 14, two more lawmakers in the incoming 19th Congress have joined the party, bringing its strength to 52.

Romualdez, touted to be the next House Speaker, swore in Salvador Pleyto Sr. (Bulacan) and Emeng Pascual (Nueva Ecija) as new members at the Lakas-CMD Headquarters in Mandaluyong City last week.

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PINOY LAWYER LAYLO DIES, 35 NEWS / A2

Sara tasked to review K-12, regain lost teaching ground COOL SCHOOL. Students of the Multimedia Arts School at the CIIT College of Arts and Technology in Mother Ignacia, Quezon City study with face masks on in this file photo. President-elect Ferdinand Marcos has asked Vice President-elect and incoming Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio to review the country’s K to 12 education system that would prepare Filipino kids for higher learning.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENT-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wants Vice Presidentelect Sara Duterte-Carpio to review the implementation of the K to 12 program in schools when the latter takes over the Department of Education next month.

Duterte-Carpio, whom Marcos tabbed as Education Secretary, said Monday this is something that needs to be discussed and “cannot be decided overnight.”

“But initially, it is something that In his own press briefing yesterday in President Marcos and I have talked Mandaluyong City, Marcos said he does about. And he already gave instructions Next page with regard to the review of the implementation of the K to 12 program of the Department of Education,” she told reporters in Davao City, where she remains mayor until June 30.

The K to 12 curriculum, first introduced in 2011 and implemented during the administration of the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, has been under review for the past two years.

DOH warns of another ‘peak’ in COVID infections

By Willie Casas THE Department of Health (DOH) is expecting more COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks as the country is now seeing another “peak” of infections, the agency said Monday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in a CNN Philippines in-

terview, said they are closely monitoring the National Capital Region (NCR) where there has been a significant 70 percent increase in COVID-19 cases.

Vergeire said that the average number of cases in the region has doubled compared to the previous week, and its average daily attack rate has also already gone up to 1.02.

“Right now what we’re seeing is that the number of cases is continuously increasing, especially here in the National Capital Region, and we can see that this is really the start of the peak in the number of cases,” Vergeire said.

“We are again guiding the public and making them aware that this might be the Next page

in 44 months at 54 to US dollar

By Julito G. Rada THE peso on Monday pierced the 54-to-the-US dollar barrier, its weakest finish in 44 months, mainly on continued hawkish signals from the US Federal Reserve of further interest rate hikes in the coming months.

The peso closed at 54.065, weaker than the 53.75 per dollar last Friday.

It was the local currency’s weakest level since it hit 54.08 on Oct. 15, 2018. Total volume traded stood at $1.015 billion, up from $962.5 million Friday.

Michael Ricafort, the chief economist of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., attributed the peso’s further depreciation to the large 0.75 Fed rate hike on June 15, 2022.

Ricafort also cited the “continued hawkish Fed signals” of another 0.50 or 0.75 rate hike by July 27, as the US central bank signaled its determination to bring US inflation back to the 2 percent level with aggressive interest rate hikes that could risk an economic slowdown or even a recession.

“The peso also weakened after the recent increase in external debt data at $109.7 billion as of Q1 2022, with the external debt-to-GDP ratio at a nine-year high of 27.5 percent, but still among the lowest in ASEAN,” Ricafort said.

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BOMB SWEEPERS.

Members of the Manila Police District-Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Civil Disturbance Management conduct simulation exercises in front of the National Museum along Padre Burgos in Manila on Monday as part of the security preparations for the inauguration of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on June 30.

Norman Cruz

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News

TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Filipino lawyer shot in Philly dies A

FILIPINO lawyer who was shot on the way to a Philadelphia airport last Saturday has succumbed to his injuries, his sister said on social media.

still unknown suspects, who then pulled over to the Uber driver’s side and fired more rounds before fleeing.

Laylo was first reported already dead by incoming Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin, but his family later corrected that he was on life support.

The family found a semblance of hope when Laylo “squeezed my mom’s hand three times and started mildly breathing on his own”, according to a tweet by Althea Ann on Sunday night.

“I thank God for the 35 years of his life. I’m beyond grateful for having a good, smart, generous, loving, caring son. These are the adjectives I can think of now,” she posted on Facebook.

Leah is thankful that she was with

her son on his last days and made sure they had fun.

“We traveled together, and we are supposed to go home together! I will bring him home soon in a box! My son has a lot of dreams a lot of plans, hopes, and everything! He’s gone now. I can’t explain the pain the heaviness I have in my heart. It took me hours to post this because still, I can’t believe this happened!” she added.

Althea Ann said she is uncertain how to go on each day without her brother.

“It’s debilitating, frightening, to say the least, but as his frequent reminder goes, I will be strong. If not for me, for my kuya (elder brother). To my kuya, you are the love of my life and no one can take that away from you,” she said on Facebook.

The family of lawyer John Albert “Jal” Laylo, a victim of a random shooting in the Pennsylvania capital over the weekend, will donate his organs.

Laylo’s mother, Leah, said in a social media post that her son passed away at 10:33 a.m. Sunday (US time) at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in West Philadelphia, where they were both taken after the shooting incident along 38th and Spruce Streets in University City, Philadelphia.

They were onboard an Uber vehicle on their way to the airport to catch their flight to Chicago.

Leah said the incident happened at 4:06 a.m., with Laylo struck with a bullet to the head while she sustained wounds from the car’s broken glass.

Althea Ann, Laylo’s sister, said in a tweet Monday that they find peace in the thought that “somewhere in the world, a piece of him is alive and breathing”.

“He will do anything in his power to help. So as one final mission, he will be donating his organs to those who need it,” Althea Ann’s tweet read.

Based on initial police reports received by the Philippine Consulate in New York, the vehicle was shot at from behind by

Incoming...

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Pinoys among 7 killed in horrific NZ highway crash

been the case as we are all aware of,” he said in a press briefing Monday.

“I don’t believe that we cannot monitor and regulate the mining industry for it to be efficient and clean,” he added at the BBM campaign headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

As to proposals to increase mining taxes, Marcos said he will have to discuss it first with his economic team.

“We are trying to address that with more value-added... What we are trying to achieve is to decrease the export of raw ore. We could export partially processed ore instead so there is value-added,” he said.

“As to the fiscal measures needed, we haven’t decided on that yet and what levels those will be,” Marcos said.

In December last year, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources lifted a four-year ban on open-pit mining.

In a joint report this month by the economic team of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, the officials pushed for the revival of the mining industry to generate more revenues and jobs.

“A simple input-output analysis done as part of the phase-one review showed that mining and quarrying contributed significantly to the regional gross domestic product (GDP) in regions where there are mining operations,” read the joint report of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), the DENR, the Department of Finance (DOF), and the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).

In January, Marcos said he is open to allowing “sustainable” mining to operate in the country even as he expressed reservations toward open-pit mining.

“We have a lot of natural resources in the Philippines. We should, especially in these difficult times, take advantage of that. However, we have seen some of the disasters that have happened when it comes to mining, we need to really avoid those,” he said during the campaign period. Vince Lopez and Rey Requejo

Lakas-CMD...

From A1 Duterte-Carpio said they have yet to discuss efforts to beef up membership with Lakas-CMD chairperson emeritus Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is returning to Congress via Pampanga’s first district.

“But Ma’am has always been supportive of Lakas-CMD and we all still consult President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on what we do inside the party,” she added.

Aside from the Lakas-CMD, Duterte-Carpio is also the chairman of the regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

Lakas-CMD has already produced two chief executives, namely former Presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Macapagal-Arroyo.

Sara...

From A1 not want to preempt Duterte-Carpio’s plans as incoming DepEd Secretary.

“We need to do a lot to recover our grading. Mataas tayo noon e, kailangan nating balikan ‘yan (we were at a high level before, we need to get back to that,” he said, adding he wanted to support teachers with retraining, supplies, and equipment.

“I’m very confident that as long as we have a program in place to support our teachers, not only in terms of their

Sara won’t ask for advice from Rody on VP role VICE President-elect Sara Duterte will not be asking for advice from her father, outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, on how to run her place in government, saying they usually do not discuss political matters in the family.

“We don’t discuss work and politics.

If we see each other, we usually talk about rumors among family members and other gossips. Our relationship is not professional or business type but very normal,” she said at a press conference in Davao City on Monday when asked if she would solicit advice from the outgoing Chief Executive.

Meanwhile, patriotism is at the “top of mind” of Duterte-Carpio, who has also been appointed Education Secretary by President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. According to Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda in an ANC interview, Duterte-Carpio told him she would like to see a “country with learners that are disciplined, patriotic, and skilled.”

As outgoing Davao City Mayor, “Inday Sara” also vowed to continue pushing for the High Priority Bus System project in the city under the Marcos administration.

Asked what her advice would be to her brother, incoming Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, she said the latter should always prioritize the welfare of the residents.

“As city mayor, he should always think about the general welfare clause of the Local Government Code and that there will always be many issues and challenges wherein his constituents will not always be happy. But if he follows the general welfare clause, he’ll always be on the right track,” she said.

Duterte-Carpio was inaugurated as the country’s 15th Vice President on Sunday in her hometown’s San Pedro Square . Photos showed that she hugged President Duterte after taking her oath.

The VP-elect said she thanked her father, who wished her good luck, as the inauguration fell on Father’s Day and coincided with the birth anniversary of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

SEVERAL Filipinos living in New Zealand died when the van they were riding on collided with a truck on State Highway 1 between Blenheim and Picton at 7:30 on Sunday morning, news reports said.

A total of seven people died in the horrific crash that included members of the Pinoy community in Auckland, according to the Stuff news website and the New Zealand Herald.

The victims were on their way home -from a funeral -- on their way to catch a ferry when their van rammed into the truck, killing nearly all members of the family.

The reports identified some of the victims as Paul Brown, his wife Diseree and their son Mark; Diseree’s sister, Divine Dolar, and the latter’s daughter Flordeliza.

A baby is also among the fatalities.

Two other passengers of the van have been brought to the hospital, while the truck driver suffered minor injuries, according to the reports.

“Police can confirm that one of the deceased was the driver of the van at the time of the crash,” Inspector Simon Feltham, Marlborough Area Commander, said in a statement.

“It is a real shock because of the tragedy of our family,” Princess Clariman, a relative of the victims, was quoted by the New Zealand Herald report on Monday.

The same report said the circumstances of the crash are still being investigated, according to police.

One of the survivors was a year 11 student who lost his mother and younger brother, as the group of three generations -- some of whom lived in Pukekohe, south of Auckland -- arrived in New Zealand’s South Island on Thursday morning, Stuff reported.

Marcos...

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the increases in prices,” Marcos added.

Outgoing Agriculture Secretary William Dar in May warned of a looming food crisis, brought about by the effects of the pandemic on the economy, rising fuel prices, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization likewise said poor countries are expected to suffer the most from worldwide food crises exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

In its latest Food Outlook, the UN agency said the global food import bill was on course to hit a new record of $1.8 trillion this year as the Ukraine conflict pushes up cereal and grain prices and with higher prices and transport costs accounting for the bulk of the expected increase.

Marcos said his economic team foresees an increase in food prices in the coming months because of external forces.

“We have been able in the Philippines, in the last few weeks, to adjust

to the new situation in terms of the imports from Ukraine and from Russia.

But these emergency measures we have taken will not be sufficient in the long run. And that’s why we have to plan in a more thorough fashion than just responding,” he said.

A long-term priority, Marcos said, is the restructuring of the department, as many agencies have changed their functions, like the National Food Authority.

The Agriculture department restructured most of its programs since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic to cater to the emergency needs of farmers, fisherfolk, and the consuming public.

These involved easy and affordable financing services, technical support, farm inputs, equipment, and machinery, among others, which were provided to farmers and fishers.

In addition, the DA likewise launched a food marketing program through the Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita to help consumers have access to more affordable food.

European Union’s ban on Russian oil.

Meanwhile, the Department of Energy (DOE) said the gasoline markets are sustained by strong regional demand, especially from Malaysia due to a scheduled turnaround at Petronas’ Melaka refinery and strong gasoline demand from Indonesia and Pakistan.

On June 14, the oil companies raised gasoline prices by P2.15 per liter; diesel by P4.30 per liter, and kerosene by P4.85 per liter.

These resulted in a net increase of P28.70 per liter for gasoline, P41.15 per liter of diesel, and P37.95 per liter for kerosene since the start of the year.

Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur appealed to the incoming Marcos Jr. administration to consider putting up a national strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) in the wake of rising fuel prices.

Villafuerte made the suggestion as domestic pump prices of fuel edged toward P100 per liter.

“Given the seemingly endless oil price spiral in the world market, one way for the incoming… administration to stabilize the retail cost of petroleum products— and shield consumers and motorists from the debilitating effects of sky-high prices of gasoline and fuel—is to put up a staterun storage facility that would enable the government to bring in additional inventory that could help soften future price surges,” Villafuerte said.

Villafuerte, who had broached the idea of a national fuel reserve more than two years ago, said energy officials have been talking about it for years, “but they have yet to walk the walk on this.”

“The long-talked-about fuel reserve plan has sadly crawled at a snail’s pace at the DOE as our energy officials have

Ricafort said the possibility of having a 0.25 basis point hike in the local policy rate contributed to the weakness of the peso.

“Peso also [became] weaker after new COVID local cases increased to more than 600 per day, a new twomonth high,” he said.

Last week, the US Federal Reserve raised the interest rate by 0.75 percentage points, the biggest rate increase since 1994, a move that economists said would lead to a stronger US dollar against global currencies.

Just 10 days ago, the peso breached the 53-per-dollar level on June 10, as financial markets expected a more aggressive rate hike by the US Federal Reserve.

In its latest macroeconomic assumptions, the inter-agency Development Budget Coordination Committee projected the peso-dollar exchange rate to range from 51 to 53 this year.

From 2023 to 2025, the peso-dollar rate assumption was pegged at 50-53.

The peso closed 2021 at 50.999 against the US dollar, significantly weaker than the 48.023 on the last trading day of 2020.

start that the cases will continuously rise in the next couple of weeks,” she added.

Aside from NCR, the DOH is monitoring the increase in COVID-19 cases in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and Northern Mindanao, she said.

Despite the increase in cases, the

Health official maintained that the country is not experiencing another COVID-19 surge.

“Let us not call this a surge because we try to avoid using this term from the previous increases in cases because this has caused a lot of confusion among the public,” she said.

Vergeire also attributed the reasons for such a rise in COVID-19 infections to the entry of the more transmissible Omicron subvariants such as the BA

2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5; the increased mobility in the country; and the waning immunity of the vaccinated population.

Recent data from National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) showed that 70 million Filipinos are already fully vaccinated, while at least 74.8 million received their first dose.

Meanwhile, booster uptake remains a challenge, with only 14.7 million individuals receiving their first booster dose and some 648,000 for their second

booster dose.

Currently, the second booster shot can only be given to frontline health care workers, senior citizens, and immunocompromised individuals.

The Philippines on Sunday logged 612 new COVID-19 infections, which brought the active case count to 4,529 up from 4,176 recorded on Saturday.

The new cases were the highest since April 3. Of the number, 293 are from Metro Manila.

benefits – but of course that’s an important part of it – but also in other support, we can get back to that level,” the President-elect added.

Meanwhile, the physical distancing rule may be relaxed in schools holding limited in-person classes under the lowest COVID-19 alert level, a move that would allow more students to attend classroom sessions, the Education department said Monday.

The Department of Health has advised DepEd that it could relax the distancing protocol in schools under Alert Level 1, said Education Undersecretary

Nepomuceno Malaluan.

“Right now we have a limitation on the number of students that we can accommodate in a classroom to observe the physical distancing requirement,” Malaluan said in a televised public briefing.

“When the new school year begins, the protocol that the Department of Health relayed to us is that we can relax physical distancing if a school is under Alert Level 1,” he said.

An ally of Marcos and Duterte-Carpio, reelected Senator Win Gatchalian, affirmed his commitment to support and work with the Vice President-elect

“to effectively address the crisis hounding the education sector.”

For Gatchalian, who is set to retain his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture in the 19th Congress, the DepEd’s immediate priority should be the recovery of the basic education sector from the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact.

The lawmaker cites the need to focus on improving the performance of the country’s learners.

Another ally, Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda, said the (DepEd) may be allocated more budget to finance its

projects in the coming years with the Vice President-elect Sara Duterte as its incoming chief.

In an ANC interview, Salceda pointed out that during Duterte’s coming term as DepEd secretary, she should work on making the students in the country more skilled and competitive, as well as focus on training the teachers themselves in order to do so.

“That needs to be budgeted. I think for the first time, DepEd will have a better position to fight for its budget, unlike before when the DepEd Secretary was not a Vice President,” he said.

briefing on Monday.

“We need to replace a lot – there are offices that are underused and there are those that we need to retool for the postpandemic because what we are dealing with now is different,” he added.

Marcos said by taking on the Agriculture portfolio, he is “mak(ing) it clear to everyone what a high priority we put on the agri sector.”

“It is also a practical matter so that things move quickly because the events of the global economy are moving very quickly. We have to be able to be agile,” he said.

“We’re going back to basics, and we will rebuild the value chain of agriculture...We’ll try to increase production as we come into the harvest period after, during, and before the rainy season.

Hopefully we can counteract some of

BBM...

From A1 “Those who can afford, they can afford to pay even the VAT, those whose livelihoods are in danger because of the increase of the oil prices, we should focus there,” he added at the BBM campaign headquarters in Mandaluyong.

“Phoenix Petroleum Philippines will increase the prices of gasoline by P0.80 per liter and diesel by P3.10 per liter effective 6 a.m. of June 21, 2022,” the company said in its advisory.

PTT Philippines, Cleanfuel, and Seaoil Philippines also announced the oil price hike.

World oil prices shot up amid the new US sanctions against Iran, increased demand from China due to the lifting of COVID restrictions, and supply concerns over the

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Peso...

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Next DND chief vows to defend PH territory I NCOMING Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Jose Faustino Jr. has vowed to strengthen the military’s defense capabilities and ensure that “not a single square inch of the [Philippine] territory is surrendered” to China. Faustino, a former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, said his commitment was attuned to the vision of the President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. of a stronger and better Philippines.

“National security is synonymous to human security. That is why we will do our best that all programs of the department will focus on protecting and defending the sovereignty of the coun-

try, to respect human rights and international humanitarian law, address the root causes of internal conflict, and make sure to implement the order of the President that ‘not a single square inch

of the territory is surrendered’,” Faustino said.

The revised AFP) modernization program comes in three packages. The first was implemented from 2013 to 2017, the second from 2018 to 2022, and the third from 2023 to 2028.

Equipment acquired under the program were meant to beef up the country’s external defense capabilities.

“We are now on the Third Horizon of the AFP modernization – building a more reliable and credible AFP in strengthening territorial or external defense capability. We will ensure the smooth implementation of the AFP Modernization (Program) and will even enhance our capability in defending our territory,” Faustino said in a

message to reporters Sunday.

The DND will also address the country’s major concerns and security challenges, such as climate change and natural disasters, terrorism, support to law enforcement to address criminality, illegal drugs and cyber security, he said.

Faustino assured the public that the campaign to end the local communist armed conflict, started by the Duterte administration, would continue under Marcos’ watch.

“We will likewise continuously support the successful programs of the peace agreement with the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) and the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front),” Faustino said.

Sara eyes ROTC back in colleges and universities

LTO pushes new car registration scheme despite COA objections

DAVAO CITY—Incoming Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday said she hoped that her push for the return of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in schools would be included in the legislative priorities of the next administration and the 19th Congress.

Incoming Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday said she hoped that her push for the return of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in schools would be included in the legislative priorities of the next administration and the 19th Congress.

Duterte said earlier she was eyeing the imposition of mandatory military service for all Filipinos 18 years old and above.

“The executive and legislative agenda will be decided by the President and Congress,” Duterte said in a press conference here.

“I hope it will be included since marami namang pending bills diyan sa Congress with regard to that. Sana masali siya,” she said.

Duterte has also said that her LakasCMD party is working to muster the majority number of House members in the upcoming 19th Congress.

Lakas-CMD president Ferdinand Martin Romualdez is the current House Majority Leader, and one of the contenders for Speakership when the 19th Congress opens in July.

In the run-up to the 2022 national elections, Duterte said she wanted the Philippines to have a mandatory military training and service similar to those of South Korea and Israel.

By Jun David

photo 1 CORNELL CLUB REUNION. House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez (13th from right), president of the Cornell Club Philippines, and his eldest son Andrew Romualdez (10th from right) celebrate with other alumni of the Cornell University during Fellowship night on board a yatch in Manila Bay. Andrew recently completed his Bachelor of International Agriculture Rural Development at Cornell University in Ithaca New York, USA. Ver Noveno

Comelec attains near perfect score on RMA THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday reported a near perfect accuracy score on its Random Manual Audit (RMA) of the May 9 elections.

Meanwhile, as the 18th Congress drew to a close, a Senate committee approved a report recommending that social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Tiktok be held accountable for the spread of disinformation.

Comelec Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, head of the RMA Committee, said they started last month and finished ahead of schedule.

“On behalf of the entire Random Manual Audit Committee, including the civil society organizations, Philippine Statistics Authority, and your Commission, as well as the teachers who served as RMA teams, I am happy to report that we finished ahead of schedule and that our accuracy rate as of 4 p.m. yesterday (Sunday) stands at 99.95928 percent,” Ferolino said in a statement.

“The law gives us a maximum of 45 days to finish the audit, but with the dedication and cooperation of all parties involved, it took us only 34 days. We finished early and we finished strong,” Ferolino added.

SC recommends remedies for COA inaction

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court (SC) has recommended remedial measures that the Commission on Audit (COA) may adopt in cases where COA fails to act, within the mandatory 60day review period, on government agencies’ requests for authority to hire private lawyers.

In a 31-page decision, the SC through Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier granted the petition for affirmative relief under Rule 65 filed by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM) Corp. to overturn the COA’s denial of PSALM’s request to engage private lawyers for the privatization of generation assets of the National Power Corp.

(NPC).

With the ruling, the SC also directed COA to allow payment of the total compensation due the private lawyers hired by PSALM. The controversy stemmed from PSALM’s request on May 9, 2011 for approval from the COA and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) as prior requirements for the agency’s engagement of private legal advisors on the NPC privatization projects.

PSALM also asked that the request be released on or before May 30, 2011 as the hiring of the legal advisors was urgently needed. The OGCC approved the engagement on May 31, 2011. PSALM waited for notice from COA but to no avail. After more than three months with no word from COA, PSALM proceeded to hire the legal advisors on August 29, 2011.

Faustino will assume as Defense secretary on November 13, after the one-year appointment ban on retired military officials.

Faustino took over the AFP leadership from Gen. Cirilito Sobejana who retired on July 31, 2021.

Faustino stepped down as AFP chief upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56 on November 12 of the same year.

Prior to his assumption as the 56th AFP chief-of-staff, Faustino was head of the Joint Task Force Mindanao and has also served as the acting commanding general of the Philippine Army.

He is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1988.

On May 10, the Comelec randomly selected at least one clustered precinct per legislative district for RMA, with 757 clustered precincts representing one ballot box each.

The activity was publicly held at the National Board of Canvassers at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, pursuant to the law and Comelec rules.

“Out of 757, a total of 746 ballot boxes were audited. Some ballot boxes were no longer subjected to audit, while 27 are still subject to further verification of the Technological Evaluation Committee for the following reasons: mislabeled ballot boxes, with wet/torn ballots, and no printed and online elections returns” Ferolino said.

She acknowledged the public and the stakeholders for the success of the RMA. “To every single person involved in the audit, from the teachers to the verifiers to the supervisors and security personnel, who spent long days and late nights, allow me to convey my sincerest thanks and congratulations to all of you,” Ferolino said.

“To the Filipino electorate, it is my hope that we were able to successfully carry out

the principal objective of the random manual audit as mandated by law, which is to verify whether the vote-counting machines used in the May 9, 2022 elections read and counted your sacred votes accurately,” she added.

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, drafted the report contained in approved Senate Resolution 953 on social media disinformation.

“To discourage inaction by the social media platforms, malice should be presumed on the part of the publisher (i.e., social media platform) if the libelous comment is made by a fake or fictitious person and such platform fails to take down the libelous content within a reasonable time,” the report recommended.

The report noted that legislation needed to be broad enough to capture these techniques that the disinformation producers use to elude accountability.

It also wanted government offices to ensure that their employees were not engage in disinformation and hate speech outside of their official functions.

THE Land Transportation Office’s (LTO) is determined to implement a new scheme in vehicle registration in defiance of repeated warnings by the Commission on Audit (COA) that the setup might give way to irregularities.

In an advisory released last May 4, by the LTO’s Management Information Division instructed its offices nationwide to use the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) in validating and authenticating the Certificate of Cover (COC) needed for motor vehicle registration.

This was after the Insurance Commission (IC) released an advisory last April 29 through their website, that the Electronic Compulsory Third Party Liability (eCTPL) Application Programming Interface (API) will be simultaneously used by the LTO, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association (PIRA), and the Organization of Insurance Companies in the Philippines (OICP) starting May 2, 2022.

However, the LTO clarified that LTMS would only be used for all registration renewal transactions for the time being, until it can also handle new motor vehicle registrations.

Long queues of vehicle registrants formed at LTO offices nationwide during the first day of its implementation due to the slow processing of LTMS. According to some LTO employees, the usual five-minute processing time for COC validation and authentication using the old system now takes at least 30 minutes in select LTO branches where internet connectivity is problematic.

It was also reported that the insurance companies have experienced difficulties in uploading data to the LTMS. The new IT system has also caused massive delays in motor vehicle registration in LTO Baguio as reported by a local news channel Regional News Channel – RNG Luzon on its Facebook page last May 5, 2022.

NGCP blames power outage to ‘underbuilt’ lines of Peninsula Electric Cooperative

By Alena Mae S. Flores

BACK TO THE COMELEC. Workers load the vote counting machines on trucks parked at the Diamond Hotel in Manila for transport back to the Commission on Elections for eventual conduct of Random Manual Audit in connection with the May 9, 2022 national and local elections. Danny Pata

THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has traced the cause of Saturday’s massive power outage to the “underbuilt” lines owned by the Peninsula Electric Cooperative, Inc. (PENELCO).

The NGCP said these underbuilt distribution lines were constructed underneath its transmission lines and were within the grid operator’s right-of-way.

The underbuilt lines breached the safety clearance along NGCP’s Hermosa-BCCPP 230kV line, causing the transmission outage.

NGCP already wrote to distribution utilities requesting the removal of underbuilt lines.

“We are also doing the necessary coordination with PENELCO to remove the underbuilt lines within the transmission corridor.

We appeal to other electric cooperatives to check their facilities and take the

DTI cites Salceda’s contributions to economic recovery

By Maricel V. Cruz THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has cited the legislative contributions of Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, to the country’s economic recovery, particularly on account of the lawmaker’s sponsorship of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act. DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, in a letter to Salceda dated June 8, said the passage of RA 11536 or the CREATE Act, “laid the groundwork for a new incentive regime and the development of the Strategic Investment

Promotion Plan (SIPP) for all investment promotion agencies”.

The DTI and the rest of the Investments Promotion Agencies (IPAs), through the Philippine Investment Promotion Plan (PIPP) membership are grateful for this strategic promotion tool as we pursue economic recovery efforts,” Lopez said.

Enacted by President Duterte in March 2021, the CREATE law was considered as the largest fiscal stimulus for businesses in the country’s recent history by reforming the corporate income tax and incentives systems.

RA 11534 cuts corporate income tax rate to 25 percent from the current 30 percent,

retroactive from July 1, 2020.

Most recently, Salceda gave assurance that agriculture, being a leading sector needed to push the country’s economic recovery, will receive “generous” tax incentives under the CREATE Act. He said he is “closely working with the Finance, Trade and Industry, and Agriculture Secretaries” to include several agricultural subsectors in the SIPP, the list of industries eligible for tax incentives under CREATE. Salceda explained that “by giving key agriculture sectors tax incentives, we can lower production costs and encourage farm modernization. That will lower consumer prices and boost domestic food supply”.

needed action to prevent similar incidents,” the NGCP said.

The firm said its protection system was automatically activated to isolate the affected Hermosa-BCCPP 230kV lines 1 and 2 when the system recorded the grid disturbance at 1:53 PM on June 1.

These lines were restored on Saturday at 2:35 PM and 2:44 PM. The NGCP placed the Luzon grid on yellow and red alert during the incident, as it caused multiple plant outages.

The red alert status was lifted at 5:30 PM, while the yellow alert status lasted until 10:19 PM, allowing affected generating plants to ramp back up.

However, NGCP said 596MW from the 1,997MW actual loading of plants that tripped remains unavailable, but the company expects 316MW to return to the grid on Monday, depending on the status of the generating plant.

MRS. HANEPBUHAY.

Senator Cynthia Villar (left), who has been given the moniker “Mrs. Hanepbuhay, graces the Coopreneurs Product Expo at Vista Mall in Taguig City.

The solon rallies behind the small entrepreneurs as she joins the 31st anniversary of the Simbayan nji Maria Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

A4

De Lima arrives in Manila Doctors for ‘major surgery’

TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022

By Macon Ramos-Araneta DETAINED Senator Leila de Lima arrived at the Manila Doctors Hospital yesterday for “major” surgery.

Her Senate office urged the public to pray for her successful operation.

“We ask for prayers for the success of the surgery to be conducted within this coming week on the person of Sen. Leila de Lima, and for her early recovery therefrom,” said a statement from her office.

De Lima has been granted by the courts a five-day medical furlough for the said medical procedure.

The Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court 204 and 256 granted De Lima’’s medical furlough to undergo a vaginal hysterectomy with anterior and posterior colporrhaphy as recommended by her doctor.

She was diagnosed with Stage 3 pelvic organ prolapse during her medical check-up last April.

The senator has been detained since February 2017 at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame over what she insisted at trumped-up drug charges.

She sought reelection in the last May 9 elections but lost. De Lima thanked

News

RAINBOW WALK. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte

gives an inspirational message to members of Pride PH during the celebration of Pride Month held at the Quezon City Hall grounds. (From left to right) Director of UP-Center for Women Studies Foundation Dr. Nathalie Africa-Verceles, Punong Babaylan of UP Babaylan Anna Cubacub; Mondelez PH Jean Sevilla, and UP Babaylan Pride Month Co-Head Mina Manahan walk through the rainbow crosswalk on M. Roxas Street across the West Wing of Palma Hall in the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City on Monday.

Manny Palmero and Joey O. Razon

Over 300k frontliners yet to receive COVID-19 pay

By Willie Casas

M

ORE than 300,000 medical frontliners across the country have yet to receive their One COVID-19 Allowance, the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) said Monday.

“Posible meron pa pong 346,000 health workers na hindi pa po nakakatanggap ngayon dito sa OCA benefits (It is possible that about 346,000 health workers have yet to receive their OCA benefits.),” said AHW president Robert Mendoza.

The Department of Health (DOH) requires liquidation reports before releasing succeeding tranches of the OCA benefits, said Mendoza.

“It’s almost July, yet some hospitals have only received their OCA for January or February, some have their March or April OCA already,” Mendoza told ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo.

Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. president Dr. Jose Rene de Grano said health workers from several hospitals in Calabarzon, Northern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have yet to receive their OCA.

Private hospitals need to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the DOH to enable its Centers for Health Development (CHDs) to transfer funds and for a full accounting of any funds previously given.

The DOH last week said its CHDs “welcome the submission of names of the private hospitals encountering difficulties so that the issues can be addressed immediately.”

The DOH last month said it has disbursed some P86.5 million to 54 health facilities since January 2022, while P403 million has been allocated to 266 medical facilities and was “readily available.”

“However it is pending and for issuance of check due to lack of submitted documents, especially the signed

Memorandum of Agreement and liquidation report from the previously transferred funds to the health facility,” the DOH said in a statement last May 25.

At least P639.96 million in special risk allowance has been disbursed to 234 health facilities since February.

Of this figure, P581.3 million was claimed by 218 facilities, while P58.66 million for 16 facilities was unclaimed, said the health department.

Around P80.77 million worth of Meals, Accommodation, and Transportation (MAT) allowance has been issued to 47 health facilities, of which P76.63 million was claimed by 34 facilities and P4.14 million remains unclaimed by 13 health facilities, the DOH said.

DEPUTY Speaker Rufus Rodriguez vowed to refile in the next Congress two electoral reform bills, including one that seeks to ban the substitution of any candidate in any local or national election.

Rodriguez said the other bill would restore an old provision in the election law that declared an incumbent elective official automatically resigned upon the filing of a certificate of candidacy (COC) for another position.

“These twin measures aim to further purify our electoral process. They are intended to put an end to practices by politicians and political parties that put in doubt the integrity of our elections,” he said.

The representative of Cagayan de Oro City’s second district said he is hoping that the incoming 19th Congress would approve the measures on its first or second year of session.

“I also hope that the incoming national leadership would support the bills for the sake of future elections,” he added.

Rodriguez filed Bills 10380 and 10381 in October last year, but the outgoing

Congress failed to pass them.

Under Bill No. 10380, a political party would be prohibited from substituting any candidate unless the latter dies or is disqualified.

Rodriguez said the Omnibus Election Code allows the substitution of a candidate in case of death, disqualification or withdrawal of another aspirant.

He said while there is nothing wrong with substitution in case of death or disqualification, “substitution because of withdrawal, or what others call voluntary substitution, may pose serious questions and may lead to the manipulation and mockery of the election process.”

“Withdrawals could lead the voting public to believe that the candidate who withdrew, or the political party doing the substitution or the replacement candidate, is not really serious about the candidacy,” he said.

He added that prohibiting voluntary substitution would also give the Comelec additional time to screen COC filers, prepare the final list of candidates and print the official ballots and related paraphernalia.

INSPIRED BY RIZAL. Members of the Gran Logia Soberana del Archipielago

Filipino Formerly known as Regional Grand Lodge to the Grande Oriente Español in the Philippines, pose in front of the statue of National Hero Jose Rizal, led by MR Gran Maestre Felipe L. Navarro Jr. Norman Cruz

DHSUD launches task force vs scammers

By Rio N. Araja

APPLYING FOR JOBS. A group of deaf individuals communicates through sign language as they line up to get application forms at a mega job fair conducted by the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) at the Manila City hall in celebration of Manila Day 2022 at the Arroceros Forest Park, in Ermita. Danny Pata

IN BRIEF 398 Muslim pilgrims stranded due to issues

AT LEAST 398 Muslim pilgrims bound for Mecca in Saudi Arabia have been stranded in the National Capital Region for failure to secure their visas for their yearly Hajj ritual.

In a news conference in Quezon City, Malo Manonggiring, NCMF’s Bureau of Pilgrimage and Endowment officer in charge, gave the assurance that NCMF Secretary Guiling Mamondiong is doing his best to help their stranded Muslim brothers, who came to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City all the way down from different parts of Mindanao but were aborted to take their airplane ride due to absence of visas.

“Many of them have stayed with their relatives in the metro, while some have been staying elsewhere,” he told reporters.

He said the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has given the NCMF 4,074 slots for the Hajj pilgrimage.

“But 398 of the pilgrims were not allowed to leave, forcing the plane to fly to Mecca without passengers,” he noted. Each pilgrim paid $3,990 or P170,000 for the pilgrimage.

The stranded passengers were supposed to leave last Sunday.

He blamed the Elm Co. over the fiasco, saying it has failed to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saudi Arabia about its changes of policy in the issuance of visas for the 2022 Hajj pilgrimage. Rio N. Araja

PH agency slams UN official on rights

Lawmaker wants to refile measures on poll substitution

By Maricel V. Cruz

the court for its speedy action on her medical request.

The outgoing senator promised she will not stay in the hospital if it was not necessary. She would also strongly adhere to the health and safety protocols being implemented by InterAgency Task Force.

De Lima’s request for a medical furlough has been granted, her lawyer said.

The detained lawmaker’s camp asked the courts handling her drug-related cases for a medical leave for a “major procedure” that would remove part of her uterus as it has already become a “concern,” ABS-CBN reported.

De Lima’s legal counsel Atty. Filibon Tacardon, quoted in the report, said “De Lima’s medical furlough was approved, and she is set to go to Manila Doctors for her medical procedure.

The lawyer said the “extremely urgent motion” was filed as she was advised by doctors “to undergo a vaginal hysterectomy with anterior and posterior colporrhaphy or vaginal wall repair at the soonest possible time.”

De Lima’s surgery would start on June 19 and the medical furlough would last until June 23, the report said.

THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has put more teeth into its war against real-estate scammers through an inter-agency panel to take the lead in the campaign.

Secretary Eduardo del Rosario spearheaded the launch of the National Task Force on Anti-Illegal Real Estate Practice, along with representatives from member agencies, through Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 of 2021.

“This is a testament to our partnership as we synchronize our efforts to end the fraudulent activities in the housing and real estate industry, hence, protecting homebuyers and helping them in the realization of their dream to acquire decent

and affordable homes using their hardearned money and lifetime savings,” he said.

The task force is composed of DHSUD, the Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Land Registration Authority, Professional Regulation Commission, Philippine National Police, and National Bureau of Investigation to end illegal real-estate transactions employing proactive measures.

“DHSUD accepts the challenge to take the lead in this campaign as we fulfill our mandate to protect the rights of buyers of subdivisions and condominium projects, including memorial lots and similar real estate developments,” the housing czar said in a statement.

THE United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders needs to be educated on the Human Rights situation in the Philippines, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said in a statement Monday.

On June 19, 2022, Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders appealed to the government of the Republic of the Philippines to abandon the charges filed by NSA Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. against what she calls cause-oriented groups KARAPATAN and GABRIELA, said Flosemer Chris Gonzales , acting spokesperson of the NTF-ELCAC. He said Lawlor made sweeping, baseless conclusions and accusations against the Philippine government using the term red-tagged in what can be clearly seen as a complete reechoing of the propaganda lines of the CPPNPA-NDF and their allied front organizations.

“It is sad, if not tragic, that the UN Special Rapporteur lost all sense of objectivity in issuing a statement that is full of bias, prejudice, and literally maligns the Philippine government,” Gonzales said.

“Clearly, Mary Lawlor is ignorant of the real human rights situation in the Philippines.

Her notion of human rights defenders is clearly biased and prejudiced,” he said.

She basically has become a mouthpiece of the biggest human rights violators in the Philippines, he said. Willie Casas

QC chosen to pilot online business registration

VARIOUS government agencies have chosen Quezon City to pilot a single online platform for business registration called the Philippine Business Hub to be the epicenter of innovative reforms and game-changing improvements to programs and services that are more efficient, convenient, and time and resource-saving.

At a media briefing, Mayor Joy Belmonte introduced officials from the Anti-Red Tape Authority, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, and Securities Exchange Commission to launch PBH’s new look with the integration of the Philippine Business Regulations Information System (PBRIS) into the platform.

The PBRIS, an ARTA-led initiative, is an online platform that provides accessible information on the Philippine Regulatory Management System and the laws and regulations that are relevant to the public.

More information on the PBH and the different types of businesses are also available on the PBH website, the mayor said. Rio N. Araja

Authorities arrest 11 suspects in Taguig, Navotas, Makati crackdown against drugs

By Joel E. Zurbano ELEVEN individuals were arrested in Taguig, Navotas, and Makati as part of the police crackdown on suspected drug dealers and other criminal elements in Metro Manila.

The police operations, according to the

National Capital Region Police Office, also resulted in the seizure of a total of P4.7 million worth of shabu.

Arrested in Taguig City were Abdul Wahid Solaiman alias Wahid, Bong Pagayao Mangelen, Benji Guianadal Maitum, Badrudin Talusan Dalgan, Fahad Salik Solaiman, Noel Emad Kalim, and

Buhari Komatig Malaguit.

Elements of the Southern Police District - Drug Enforcement Unit, District Intelligence Division and District Mobile Force Battalion arrested the suspects in a buy-bust operation at Block 124, Lot 12 Imelda Street in Barangay Upper Bicutan around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.

“More or less 500 grams of suspected illegal drugs with an estimated standard drug price value of P3,400,000.00 was recovered from the suspects. Likewise, one unit Red 2005 Nissan Urvan and boodle money were also seized,” said NCRPO director P/Maj. Gen. Felipe Natividad.

On Sunday, operatives of the Navotas Police - Drug Enforcement Unit in coordination with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency also conducted a buy-bust resulting in the arrest of three suspects along Tanigue Extension in Barangay NBBS Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City.

Opinion Sink or swim with BBM

As a result of all these multiple challenges facing the incoming President, his economic team will have more than enough problems to attend to which affect national interest and even national security Again, my eternal thanks to the Rotary Club of Manila for an award that culminates my over 70 years as a journalist. To borrow a quip from the farewell speech of Gen. Douglas MacArthur at Westpoint: “ Old journalists will never die, they just fade away.”

To me, my career as a journalist is a calling, more than a profession, and I don’t regret having been a journalist for over 70 years now.

My deepest gratitude to RCM and all its officers and members. As somebody now in the pre-departure area, waiting for my last flight to the Great Beyond, to Heaven with God as my pilot, I hope to bring my trophy with me. Thank you, thank you again, Rotary Club of Manila. *** The standoff between the Cebu Governor, Gwen Garcia, and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Department of Interior and Local Government over the use of masks, should be resolved immediately since other local governments have the tendency to follow the example of Cebu. .

And, my gulay, when that happens, the outcome can only result in confusion and chaos.

I believe there can only be one set of health protocol for all local governments.

And there can only be one set of guidelines and protocols for everybody.

My gulay, contrary to what Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia claims, it’s not a question of the rules, but what is proper and practical, not what the provincial board claims, that masks are optional in open spaces.

The standoff cannot be prolonged. And I believe that when it comes to questions like these, the President should have the last say. *** The people are at a loss whether to believe or not predictions that sooner or later the NCR and Metro Manila will have an elevated Alert Level 2 by next month because of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

If it will be Alert Level 2, albeit the NCR and Metro Manila had Alert Level 2 before, and nothing would be new. Thus, it would do well just to wait for the IATF decision. They know better.

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

D

Creepy COVID cases

URING the weekend, a member of the independent OCTA Research group cited data from the Department of Health which suggested the average number of new coronavirus cases in Metro Manila has increased by 71 percent over the previous week figures.

OCTA fellow Guido David said the NCR, where 13 million people of the country’s population of 110 million live, recorded an average 176 new cases per day from June 11 to 17, up from the average of 103 daily new cases the week earlier.

The metropolis reported 282 new cases on Friday last week, the highest since April 3, when new cases spiked to 332 – possibly due to backlogs in real time reports.

On the national level, the Department of Health showed that the 539 new COVID cases it recorded Friday was also the biggest number since April 3 when the total new cases hit 690.

The latest figure meant an additional 114 from the 425 new cases logged throughout the country the previous day.

If there’s a comforting thought in face of all this, Health Secretary Francisco Duque

III renewed the agency’s appeal to the people never to be complacent nor worried over the rise in COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region.

Duque cut the language clearly and said there is no need for the public to panic as the increase in COVID cases is still considered as “low risk.”

Sagacity dictates that the people, understandably eager to bump off the basic health protocols, now have an excuse to be self-congratulatory He waxed hopeful that the noted increase is going “to be very minor and short-lived and not enough to overwhelm the health system’s capacity.: That, notwithstanding, sagacity dictates that the people, understandably eager to bump off the basic health protocols, now have an excuse to be self-congratulatory.

Fact is, health experts and others involved in the doughty battle against the

not only appointed but can act only on matters laid down before its doors for resolution.

In other words, it cannot act motu propio or on its own accord in performing its mandate and authority unless first invoked and initiated by a party or parties. Hence, its exercise of power is passive.

With the passing of centuries, the Supreme Court has evolved and taken shape, not only in terms of structure and composition but also on the extent of its authority.

The Supreme Court is the progeny of the tribunal established by Act No. 136 of the Philippine Commission on June 11, 1901.

During the Spanish colonial period the Royal Audiencia was established by the King of Spain which exercised not exclusively as a judicial body but also legislative, executive, advisory, and administrative functions as well.

On June 11, 1901, the Second Philippine Commission passed Act 136 titled “An Act Providing for the Organization of Courts in the Philippine Islands” formally establishing the Supreme Court of the Philippine Islands and creating Courts of First Instance and Justices of the Peace Courts throughout the land.

Under the Act, the Supreme Court was headed by a Chief Justice with six Judges. The decisions of the early court was a blend of both the AngloAmerican and Spanish systems.

The 1935 Philippine Constitution saw the adoption of the principle of separation of powers by ac-

ManilaStandard

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can be accessed at: manilastandard.net

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PPI

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pandemic continue to unerscore the need to comply with the masking mandate and the rest of the minimum public health standards.

Others have come forward, like Rep. Janet Garin, a former DOH secretary, who said one way to curb the rise in the number of COVID cases is to intensify the vaccination drive and to give a second booster shot to everyone willing to get it.

At this point the Department of Health currently allows a second booster dose only for health workers, senior citizens and immunocomromised individuals.

We note there has been a low turnout of eligible individuals who had availed themselves of the second booster shot.

As of Wednesday last week, only about 580,000 eligible Filipinos have availed themselves of the second COVIDD-19 booster dose.

It is disturbing, to say the least, that waning protection and inadequate protection from the primary series are two reasons put forward as the causes of the breakthrough infections.

President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr., scheduled to take his oath on June 30 as the country’s chief political magistrate, himself has urged the public to continue wearing face masks to prevent another COVID-19 surge that could hold back the country’s hope for economic recovery.

Blood-curdling scenario if we ignore our guard.

Oreta loses money claim dispute with retired CMU president I HAVE written columns about the plight of Atty.

Ramon Maronilla, President of the City of Malabon University from July 2009 to December 2019.

He retired from office after more than a decade of dedicated service to the City of Malabon.

Maronilla has impeccable credentials. He is an alumnus of the University of the Philippines College of Law. He was also a member of the UP Board of Regents (2015-2018) and President of the UP Alumni Association during the same period.

The veteran litigation lawyer was also the President of Club Filipino during the centennial celebration of Philippine independence in 1998.

The record shows that Maronilla’s appointment as CMU President was duly approved and repeatedly renewed by the Board of Regents of the CMU. In January 2018, the CMU Board of Regents recognized Maronilla as the fourth president of the university.

While he was CMU President, Maronilla made CMU, which operates under the city government, more accessible to children from Malabon’s many marginalized families. He also got the Commission on Higher Education to recognize CMU’s status as a viable university. nt.

Under CMU’s charter, Maronilla is entitled to the same emoluments received by a member of the city council. In turn, city councilors are entitled to salaries, leaves and accumulated leave credits.

When Maronilla retired from the CMU on December 15, 2019, he rightfully expected the CMU to pay him his corresponding unused, accumulated leave credits.

Soon after he retired, Maronilla wrote several letters to Malabon City Hall officials, Mayor Antolin Oreta included, for the release of the monetary equivalent of his unused accumulated leave credits as CMU President for more than a decade.

Sadly, Oreta and his city hall bureaucrats refused to pay Maronilla what is due him. They gave the lame excuse that the city government never issued to him a full-time appointment as CMU President, and that his claim must be denied

pursuant to certain alleged guidelines issued by the Civil Service Commission.

The Malabon City Hall officials who rejected Maronilla’s request include Maria Caridad Soco (human resources officer); Atty. Rosalyn de Silva (assistant city legal officer); Jayson San Juan (human resource officer) and Attys. Ryan Carlo Escalada and Hermilia Campos-Banayat (city legal officers).

The CSC said Maronilla’s claim is valid and lawful (which) means the city government of Malabon is obligated by law to pay Maronilla his claim for the monetary equivalent of his unused, accumulated leave credits Determined to obtain what he is lawfully entitled to as retired CMU President, Maronilla filed a petition in court for a writ of mandamus to compel Malabon City Hall officials to release to him the monetary value of his unused, accumulated leave credits.

Being a resident of San Juan City, Metro Manila, Maronilla filed the petition in the Regional Trial Court in that city.

As expected, the Malabon city government opposed Maronilla’s petition. They gave the court the same reasons they told Maronilla earlier.

Powers of the Supreme Court WITH this column, I begin a series of articles on the Philippines’ political and governance My intent is to provide my readers the comprehensive background information as the country system.

My intent is to provide my readers the comprehensive background information as the country transitions to a new administration on June 30, 2022.

As the final arbiter of all disputes and controversies, the Supreme Court gives the final pronouncement, with no further appeal, which even the most powerful individuals and institutions of the land dare not defy.

While theoretically in a constitutional set-up like ours the three branches of government -- i.e. the executive, legislative and Supreme Court – are co-equal institutions that maintain a balance of power and prevent each one from gaining a disproportionate concentration of power that may result in a dictatorship, in practical terms, the Supreme Court is said to be the weakest among the three.

This may be because, unlike an elected president who appoints practically all functionaries in the bureaucracy and wields power over the military as commander in chief, while the legislative branch, with equally elective members, controls the purse string, the members of the judiciary are

B1

EDITORIAL

tor and congressman, Enrile certainly can advise BBM on what he should do.

With the many problems confronting Presidentelect Bongbong , JPE’s many years as finance secretary will help the young Marcos a lot. Santa Banana, I know quite well that in government there’s no substitute for experience.

Surprisingly at age 98, Enrile’s mind is still very sharp. As chief legal counsel, Enrile’s appointment comes at the right time. *** Santa Banana, I can’t believe it, I got so very many “likes” and congratulatory comments on the FB post of my”Life Achievement Award as a Journalist” given to me by the prestigious Rotary Club of Manila, the oldest Rotary Club in Asia!

They could not have come only from relatives because I don’t have that many relations, but friends and perhaps readers of my column.

I cannot stop believing in the impossible with my RCM award when my colleague and good friend Tony Lopez, BizNews Asia publisher, introduced me as a long time journalist. Tony told the audience that the only event Emil did not cover was the Last Supper.

AFTER the oath-taking of President-elect Bongbong Marcos on June 30, he is expected to hit the ground running and attend to the many problems affecting the country, the most important of which is high prices.

And because of high prices, mainly caused by the escalating high prices of gasoline almost hitting P100 per liter, the domino effect seriously affects transport fares.

BBM must also have to attend to the outcries of jeepney, provincial bus and taxicab drivers to approve higher fares.

Santa Banana, in my over 70 years as a journalist, I have never seen an incoming President confronted with so many problems as that which President-elect Bongbong must face in his first 100 days.

Aside from the problem of high prices affecting every household, there are other multiple challenges facing Marcos which he must attend to immediately.

Marcos must attend right away to the biggest challenge of all: how to jumpstart economic recovery.

And he must address the problem of jobs and livelihood of the MSMEs to stop the problem of poverty, my gulay!

As a result of all these multiple challenges facing the incoming President, his economic team will have more than enough problems to attend to which affect national interest and even national security.

Aside from his economic team, headed by by Benjamin Diokno as Finance Secretary, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual , Felipe Medalla as Bangko Sentral Governor, Bongbong has up to this date not named who will head the Department of Transportation and the Department of Agriculture.

Santa Banana, in my more than seven decades as a journalist, I have never seen an incoming President confronted with such gargantuan problems as BBM will have to face. Can Marcos hack it? The first 100 days of BBM would be worth watching.

Whether we like it or not, we can either sink or swim with him. My gulay, which will it be ? *** Another big challenge that the incoming President must attend to right away is the problem of food security which is fast becoming a big challenge as well for every country.

How to meet this challenge is so daunting that he needs not only the cooperation of the government but all sectors of the economy.

Marcos must rely on what his economic team will do, and how his Secretary of Agriculture will do. Right now we have to import not only rice, but fish and other agricultural products.

Since the secretary of agriculture can only do so much, a lot of things must also be attended to by BBM to solve the problem of other departments.

The price of rice, the staple of every Filipino household, must be edged at P20 per kilo. Can the Marcos administration do it?

It all depends on how much rice and agricultural products the country will produce each year.

Food security is something that must be attended to, whether he likes it or not, because it’s a problem of every household.

The advantage of Marcos is that he was elected as a majority President, which means that he can muster the support of the majority of Filipinos.

And whether we like it or not, we, the people, can either sink or swim with him. *** The appointment of former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile as Bongbong’s chief legal counsel is excellent.

With the many years that JPE has been with BBM’s late father, strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos, and with JPE’s various positions as Commissioner of Customs, Finance Secretary, Justice Secretary, and Secretary of the Department of National Defense, and his many years as a sena-

TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022

The legal issues call for the high tribunal to either resolve the (disqualification) cases (agaimst president-elect Bongbong Marcos) on the merits or exercise judicial restraint and give way to the sovereign will of the electorate tual division of powers of the government – executive, legislative, and judiciary.

The three branches of government exercised powers patterned after their counterparts in the United States republican system.

The shift from the 1935 to the 1973 Constitution augured a seismic shift in the functioning of the Supreme Court when, in 1972, Marcos declared martial law.

The Court during those years of the dictatorship was accused of being subservient to the president, hiding behind the political question doctrine to avoid hard decisions that would antagonize Marcos.

Unlike in the previous constitutions, the Supreme Court under the 1987 Constitution is granted an expanded jurisdiction in that judicial power

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

includes not only the “duty of the courts of justice to settle actual controversies involving rights which are legally demandable and enforceable” but also “to determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch or instrumentality of the government.”

No longer could the Supreme Court invoke blindly the political question doctrine.

The present SC also has the exclusive power to promulgate rules concerning the protection and enforcement of constitutional rights, pleading, practice, and procedure in all courts, the admission to the practice of law, the integrated bar, and legal assistance to the underprivileged.

In the last two decades, the Court has taken the

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

Surprisingly, among the documentary evidence submitted to the court by the Malabon city government is an advisory from the Civil Service Commission issued by the Commission to the city government itself in response to the city government’s query about Maronilla’s claim.

The Civil Service Commission’s advisory categorically said that Maronilla’s claim is valid and lawful. This means the city government of Malabon is obligated by law to pay Maronilla his claim for the monetary equivalent of his unused, accumulated leave credits.

Maronilla withdrew his petition in court, and urged the Malabon city government to comply with what the Civil Service Commission stated.

Meanwhile, one Gary Santos Garcia, a resident of Malabon City, lodged an anti-graft complaint in the Office of the Ombudsman against Mayor Oreta. That case, however, is another story.

Anyway, on May 11, 2022, the Malabon City legal department wrote a letter to Mayor Oreta, informing the latter that pursuant to the aforesaid advisory of the Civil Service Commission, the Malabon City government should pay Maronilla his unused, accumulated leave credits, as claimed.

“Here, it becomes imperative to grant the commutation of the leave credits, as claimed,” read the last paragraph of the letter. It was signed by Attys.

Banayat and de Silva.

Naturally, Maronilla was very happy with this development.

Maronilla’s victory at this stage notwithstanding, the question is whether or not Mayor Oreta will do what is right and instruct the city’s treasurer and human resources officer to pay Maronilla what is due him, once and for all.

The letter is dated May 11, 2022. It was submitted in a court proceeding. Mayor Oreta stays in office until June 30, 2022. Thus, Oreta has no excuse not to pave the way for the immediate release of the money that is lawfully due Maronilla.

It will be well for Oreta to pay Maronilla within his remaining days in city hall (he is ineligible to continue in office after June 30). That way, Maronilla will have no reason to sue Oreta and his minions before the Office of the Ombudsman. initiative, and rightly so, in designing and establishing new judicial remedies to add to the traditional habeas corpus and certiorari petitions – thus the writs of Amparo and habeas data to address human rights concerns and the writs of Kalikasan and continuing mandamus for environmental cases.

I hope the Court would develop writs of Kalayaan for exceptional cases of morally unjust detention (Leila De Lima comes to mind) or a writ of Klima to address climate change.

Ironically, one of the important human rights cases the Supreme Court has decided happened in the watch of President Duterte, who is being accused of crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court.

People vs Sapla, a decision penned by Justice Ben Caguioa, laid down the strongest possible interpretation of what constitutes probable cause that would justify a warrantless search.

Presently, pending before the high tribunal are disqualification cases against president-elect Bongbong Marcos.

The legal issues call for the high tribunal to either resolve the case on the merits or exercise judicial restraint and give way to the sovereign will of the electorate.

Through this case, the role that the judiciary plays in determining the future of the nation will once again be in full display.

These cases, to be decided in the aftermath of the Marcos electoral landslide, could give the Court an opportunity to clarify when and how the political questions doctrine is still applicable.

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

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Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

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TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Zelensky: Russia to ‘intensify’ K fighting as EU decision looms

YIV—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia was likely to intensify its “hostile activity” this week, as Kyiv awaits a historic decision from the European Union on its bid for candidate status.

IN BRIEF Macron allies seek to assemble majority PARIS—Allies of French President Emmanuel Macron started working Monday to cobble together a working parliamentary majority to salvage his second term, after his alliance crumbled in the election against surges from the left and far-right.

Macron’s Ensemble (Together) coalition emerged as the largest party in parliamentary elections but was dozens of seats short of keeping the parliamentary majority it had enjoyed for the last five years.

It will now begin work to try and find a majority by forming deals with other parties on the right, stirring up turmoil unprecedented in French politics in recent years.

Macron, 44, now also risks being distracted by domestic problems as he seeks to play a prominent role in putting an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as a key statesman in the EU. The election saw a new left-wing alliance make gains to become the main opposition, while the far-right under Marine Le Pen posted its best legislative performance in its history.

“This situation constitutes a risk for our country, given the challenges that we have to confront,” Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said in a televised statement Sunday, vowing: “We will work from tomorrow to build a working majority.”

The outcome severely tarnished Macron’s April presidential election victory when he defeated the far-right to be the first French president to win a second term in over two decades.

“It’s a turning point for his image of invincibility,” said Bruno Cautres, a researcher at the Centre for Political Research of Sciences Po. AFP

Spain PM thrashed in regional election SEVILLE—Spain’s main opposition Popular Party secured a landslide win in a regional election in Andalusia on Sunday, dealing a blow to Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez ahead of a national vote expected at the end of 2023.

The conservative Popular Party (PP) won 58 seats in the 109-seat Andalusian regional parliament, which will allow it to govern alone in Spain’s most populous region, near final results showed.

That is more than double the 26 seats it won in the last election in 2018 when it ousted the Socialists from office in the southern region, a longtime stronghold for the party.

The Socialists captured 30 seats, its worst-ever result in the region which is home to some 8.5 million people -- almost a fifth of Spain’s population.

That is down from 33 in the last election in 2018 when they were ousted from power in the region by the PP in the wake of a scandal over the misuse of public funds.

The Socialists had governed Andalusia without interruption since 1982 when the regional government was established.

“This victory is that of moderation and of another way of doing politics,” said the PP’s number two, Cuca Gamarra.

This is the Socialists’ third consecutive regional election loss to the PP after votes in Madrid in May 2021 and Castilla y Leon in February.

Sanchez’s leftist coalition government has been struggling to deal with the economic fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has fueled inflation worldwide, especially through increasing energy prices. AFP

HEATWAVE. Firefighters operate at the site of a wildfire in Pumarejo de Tera near Zamora, northern Spain, on June 18.

Firefighters continued to fight against multiple fires in Spain, one of which ravaged nearly 20,000 hectares of land, on the last day of an extreme heatwave that crushed the country, with peaks at 43 degrees. AFP

New US Capitol riot hearings promise fresh drama WASHINGTON—A new round of hearings this week by the congressional committee probing the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot promises further drama, with one member saying former vice president Mike Pence might be subpoenaed.

As the House select panel works to focus attention on what it says was an illegal scheme backed by Donald Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 elections, a new poll shows most Americans believe the former president should face charges.

In three earlier hearings, a series of Trump advisers were shown saying they had warned him of the illegality of attempting to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s victory by persuading Pence to block a normally pro forma process.

One committee member, Adam Schiff, told CNN on Sunday that sub-

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Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late PRESENTACION A. CUSTODIO, who died on October 23, 1989 in Lucena City, Quezon Province and left the following real property pursuant with the: a) Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-12952: b) Tax Declaration No. 02-02007-00028-R; Property Index No. 073-02-007-01-034, located at Casiguran, Aurora has been extrajudicially settled among heirs MANUEL C. LABESTE and LUNINGNING C. LABESTE with waiver of rights , as per Doc. No. 429, Page No. 86, Book No. VII, Series of 2022 before Notary Public Atty. Ryan C. Cortez of Quezon City.

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pressure campaigns,” Jamie Raskin, a committee member, told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“In a time of absolutely scandalous betrayal of people’s oaths of office and crimes being committed all over the place, somebody who does their job and sticks to the law will stand out as a hero.”

The pressure campaign, Schiff said, “put the vice president’s life in danger.”

The committee, in hearings Tuesday and Thursday, will also explore “how a similar pressure campaign directed against state and local elections officials put their lives in danger.”

Trump, in a taped call, famously called Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, and asked him to “find” enough votes to overturn Biden’s victory in that key Southern state. AFP

Aussie PM hopes for ‘diplomatic’ progress in Assange legal saga SYDNEY -- Australia’s prime minister said Monday he will engage “diplomatically” over the US prosecution of Aussie activist Julian Assange, but he is standing by earlier remarks questioning the purpose of further legal action.

As domestic pressure mounted on him to intervene in the WikiLeaks founder’s case, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he is sticking to comments he made while in opposition last year that “enough is enough”.

“I do not see what purpose is served by the ongoing pursuit of Mr. Assange,” Albanese said at the time.

But the Australian leader took a swipe at “people who think that if you put things in capital letters on Twitter and put an exclamation mark, then that somehow makes it more impor- FREE JULIAN. A mural of Julian Assange adorns a roller door in a Melbourne tant”. inner-city laneway on June 20. Former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on June Instead, he said: “I intend to lead a 20 called for his country to demand the United States drop its prosecution of the government that engages diplomati- WikiLeaks founder. AFP

Yours sincerely: Japan singles charmed by matchmaking letter-writing scheme Manila NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT and WAIVER

poenaing Pence was “certainly a possibility,” adding, “We’re not excluding anyone or anything at this point.”

Pence faced intense pressure from Trump to break with history and refuse on January 6 to formally certify Biden’s victory.

But even after Trump supporters violently stormed the building, with some chanting “Hang Mike Pence,” he refused to leave the complex and returned to the Senate chamber late at night to carry out the certification.

The committee would be keenly interested to hear from Pence exactly what pressure Trump placed on him in their private contacts. If Pence is ultimately deposed, however, it could be weeks or months away.

While the conservative Pence was never a favorite of Democrats, “on that day he was a hero for resisting all the

Nearly three months after Russia launched a bloody invasion of his country, Zelensky said there had been “few such fateful decisions for Ukraine” as the one it expects from the EU this week.

“Only a positive decision is in the interests of the whole of Europe,” he said in his evening address Sunday.

“Obviously, we expect Russia to intensify hostile activity this week ... We are preparing. We are ready,” he continued.

Moscow’s forces have been pummeling eastern Ukraine for weeks as they try to seize the Donbas region, after being repelled from other parts of the country following their February invasion.

On Friday, Brussels backed Kyiv’s bid for EU candidate status after the heads of the bloc’s biggest members -- France, Germany, and Italy -- paid a visit to the Ukrainian capital.

Ukraine could join the list of countries vying for membership as early as this week when member state leaders meet at a Brussels summit.

But officials and leaders in the bloc caution that, even with candidacy status, membership could take years.

NATO’s chief Jens Stoltenberg meanwhile warned that the war could grind on “for years” and urged Western countries to be ready to offer long-term military, political and economic aid.

“We must not weaken in our support of Ukraine, even if the costs are high —not only in terms of military support but also because of rising energy and food prices,” Stoltenberg told the German daily newspaper Bild.

Ukraine has repeatedly urged Western countries to step up their deliveries of arms, despite warnings from nuclear-armed Russia that it could trigger a wider conflict.

Zelensky made a rare trip outside Kyiv Saturday to the hold-out Black Sea city of Mykolaiv, where he visited troops nearby and in the neighboring Odessa region for the first time since the invasion. AFP

TOKYO—Sick of swiping and tired of Tinder? Old-fashioned love letters may be the answer, says one Japanese city whose unusual matchmaking scheme has been a surprising success.

Singles in southern Japan’s Miyazaki are being encouraged to put pen to paper in a low-tech search for their soulmate, part of municipal efforts to boost the low birth rate.

The charm of handwritten correspondence has attracted so many young residents that organizers have decided to expand the program to people living farther afield.

Compared to online dating, “it takes longer, and inspires you to imagine the person you’re in communication with,” said Rie Miyata, head of a local consulting firm commissioned to run the scheme.

“It’s less about how good your penmanship is,” she told AFP, “and more the fact that you write every single character sincerely and with care, thinking deeply about the person you’re writing to.”

“That’s what makes letters so powerful,” she said.

Since 2020, when the project began, 450 people have signed up—more than double authorities’ initial estimates —with around 70 percent in their 20s and 30s.

Applicants are screened by Miyata’s team and paired with potential suitors based on information they submit about themselves like their favorite films, books, and sports.

But unlike dating apps, the only thing revealed about each new pen pal is their age, with identifying details like their full name, job and address withheld—and of course, no profile pics on display. AFP

cally and appropriately with our partners.”

Assange’s wife Stella Assange told ABC radio Monday that she understood the Albanese government was raising her husband’s case with US President Joe Biden’s administration.

“That is extremely welcome news,” she said, adding that she had not been able to see Assange since a British court last week cleared the path for his extradition to the United States.

“When I heard the news, I just wanted to give him a hug,” she said.

Assange’s long-running legal saga began in 2010 after WikiLeaks published more than 500,000 classified US documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He has been held on remand at a topsecurity jail in southeast London since 2019 for jumping bail in a previous case accusing him of sexual assault in Sweden. AFP

Jubilant Petro elected Colombia’s first leftist president BOGOTA—Ex-guerrilla Gustavo Petro was elected the first-ever left-wing president of Colombia on Sunday, after beating millionaire businessman Rodolfo Hernandez in a tense and unpredictable runoff election.

With all votes counted, Petro -- the 62-year-old former mayor of Bogota -- won with 50.4 percent compared to Hernandez’s 47.3 percent.

“As of today, Colombia is changing, a real change that guides us to one of our aims: the politics of love ... of understanding and dialogue,” said a victorious Petro.

Hernandez, 77, accepted the result, in which he came up short by 700,000 votes, in a Facebook live broadcast.

“I hope that Mr. Gustavo Petro knows how to run the country and is faithful to his discourse against corruption,” said the construction magnate, who had made fighting graft his main campaign pledge.

Petro will succeed the deeply unpopular conservative Ivan Duque, who was barred by Colombia’s constitution from standing for reelection, in a country saddled with widespread poverty, a surge in violence, and other woes.

Colombian

left-wing CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

presidential candidate Gustavo Petro shows his ballot as he votes during the presidential runoff election in Bogota, on June 19.

AFP

Speaking to delirious supporters at his party headquarters in Bogota, Petro held out an olive branch to his opponents.

“This is not a change to deepen sectarianism in Colombia. The change consists precisely of leaving hatred behind, leaving sectarianism behind.”

He added: “We want a Colombia that through its diversity is one Colombia.”

In another historic achievement for a country where 10 percent of the popula-

tion identify as Afro-descendants, environmental activist, and feminist Francia Marquez, 40, will become Colombia’s first black woman vice president.

“The great challenge that all of us Colombians have is reconciliation,” said Marquez, who was the target of threats during a fractious campaign.

“The time has come to build peace, a peace that implies social justice.”

In central Bogota, thousands of Petro supporters—mostly young people —rejoiced. AFP

Business PSEi June 20, 2022

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LAST PRICE CHANGE 2.92 0.37 0.67 0.07 7.76 0.76

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8 5.17 13.96 0.012 5.41 1.51 1.07

10.34% 10.00% 9.75% 9.09% 8.42% 7.86% 7.00%

KPH WEB APVI OPMB MVC ROX EURO

0.75 0.47 1.24 0.001 0.42 0.11 0.07

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LAST PRICE CHANGE 2.3 -0.8 0.39 -0.05 17 -1.8

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OV LAND X IPM

0.0082 0.7 0.3 6.5

-0.0008 -0.06 -0.025 -0.5

-8.89% -7.89% -7.69% -7.14%

8 9

PA TFHI

2.62 103.3

-0.2 -7.7

-7.09% -6.94%

10

STI

0.325

-0.02

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B3

TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Share prices close flat; ICTSI, Jollibee advance S TOCKS closed virtually flat Monday but sentiment continues to be clouded by fears that central bank moves to rein in soaring inflation will induce a recession.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added just 2.38 points, or 0.04 percent, to 6,333.94 on a value turnover of P3.6 billion. Losers, however, beat gainers, 108 to 81, with 52 issues unchanged.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. of the tycoon Enrique Razon

Jr., the biggest port operator, climbed 2.3 percent to P199.40, while Jollibee Foods Corp., the largest fast-food chain, rose 2.1 percent to P196.

Globe Telecom Inc. of the Ayala Group, the second-biggest telecom company, however, sank 5.8 percent to P2,092, while fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. fell 4.2 percent to P19.30.

The rest of Asian markets were mixed Monday having pared earlier losses.

The tepid performances come after a sell-off last week fueled by the Federal Reserve’s sharp interest rate hike—the biggest in nearly 30 years—and a warning of more to come, while increases in Britain and Switzerland added to the gloom.

And while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq saw gains on Friday, there is a sense that indexes still have some way down to go before they find a bottom, with economic data suggesting economies are beginning to feel the pinch.

Cleveland Fed chief Loretta Mester added to the worry, saying that the risk of a recession in the United States was increasing and it would take several years to bring inflation down from fourdecade highs to the bank’s two percent target.

She told CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday that while she was not predicting a contraction, the Fed’s decision not to act sooner to fight rising prices was hurting the economy. With AFP

MOST ACTIVE

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199,945 18,287,700

423,765,480 359,628,624

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ICT ALI SM

989,490 6,847,500 224,360

196,434,858 190,285,060 177,850,360

6

SMPH

4,329,000

159,569,400

7 8 9

BPI AC JFC

1,053,030 124,660 409,950

98,944,410 79,768,555 79,738,513

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BDO

643,470

78,997,316

Britain preparing for biggest railway strike in decades LONDON, United Kingdom—Britain’s railway network this week faces its biggest strike action in more than three decades, in a row over pay as soaring inflation erodes earnings.

Rail union the RMT has said that more than 50,000 workers will take part in a three-day national strike, coinciding with major events including the Glastonbury music festival.

Schools are warning that thousands of teenagers taking national exams will also be affected.

The RMT argues that the strikes are necessary as wages have failed to keep pace with inflation, which has hit a 40-year high.

Jobs are also at risk, with passenger traffic yet to fully recover after the lifting of coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.

Countries around the world are being hit by decades-high inflation as the Ukraine war and the easing of COVID restrictions fuel energy and food price hikes.

The strikes are planned for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in the biggest dispute on Britain’s railway network since 1989, according to the RMT. The union has also announced a 24-hour walkout of its members on the Tube, London’s underground railway network, planned for Tuesday.

Rail operators, however, warn of disruption throughout the week— with lines not affected by strike action nevertheless reducing services.

“Talks have not progressed as far as I had hoped and so we must prepare for a needless national rail strike and the damaging impact it will have,” said Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, which looks after the country’s rail tracks.

“We, and our train operating colleagues, are gearing up to run the best service we can for passengers and freight users next week, despite the actions of the RMT.” The strikes are likely to compound travel chaos in the aviation sector, after airlines were forced to cut flights due to staff shortages, causing long delays and frustration for passengers. AFP

ROYAL VISITORS. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark attend a business conference focused on Danish-Dutch cooperation in the field of green and innovative solutions at a Conference Center in The Hague on June 20, 2022. The Danish Crown Prince couple pay a two-day visit to the Netherlands with a trade delegation focused on energy transition and digital healthcare. AFP

Drawing a beer: The artist sketching every London pub

By Anna Malpas LONDON, United Kingdom—Lydia Wood sits opposite The Atlas pub in west London, meticulously adding detail to her drawing of the building and pausing only occasionally to sharpen her pencil.

The 28-year-old artist has built up a sizeable TikTok and Instagram following with her detailed sketches of well-loved London pubs.

She has set an ambitious but, she thinks, not impossible, goal—drawing all 3,500 of them.

So far she has managed “a few hundred,” many of them near to her home in Catford, southeast London, she told AFP. The project came about during the coronavirus pandemic when lockdown meant she was unable to work providing children’s after-school art classes.

“It did kind of stem from just being, you know, a pub person, like that’s where I socialize with my friends,” she said.

Wood’s drawings get thousands of likes on Instagram and TikTok, where she posts short videos about the process, then holds up the finished sketch in front of the pub.

The freelance artist had always drawn some pictures of pubs to sell at Christmas markets.

But when she announced her plan and asked for commissions to draw the capiArtist Lydia Wood poses for a photograph before beginning her drawing of The Atlas pub in west London on May 26, 2022.

The 28-year-old artist has built up a TikTok and Instagram following with her detailed sketches of well-loved London pubs and has set an ambitious—but she thinks, not impossible— goal of drawing all 3,500 of them. AFP

tal’s pubs, “things went a little bit crazy,” she admitted.

Now creating art is her full-time job, mostly carrying out individual commissions, including pubs and houses.

She also sells prints on the e-commerce craft site Etsy.

“They feel so quintessentially British. I think that whether you’re a pub person or not, they’re great buildings to look at or be in.”

‘Local’ knowledge The Atlas pub, near Earl’s Court, was suggested by a TikTok follower and sits on a quiet side street near a leafy cemetery.

But Wood still has to put up with screeching ambulances driving past and a plumber’s van unhelpfully parking in front of the building.

Some publicans have given her a hearty welcome when they realized she was drawing their buildings.

But The Atlas, its bricks painted glossy red and the upper walls covered with creeper vines, is closed until late afternoon.

Inside, the Victorian-era pub has lovingly preserved period features such as wooden panelling.

It is now a “foodie” pub serving dishes such as risotto or confit leg of duck for dinner.

“It looks quite posh,” said Wood.

While she does not see the project as an excuse for a pub crawl, she likes to go into the places she sketches to get a sense of their vibe.

A “local” with regular drinkers has a completely different atmosphere from a central London pub with its transient passing trade.

“When I’ve been inside a pub after I’ve drawn it, there’s definitely a different kind of feeling of ‘oh yeah I know that pub and I can recommend it to someone’.”

‘Peaceful’ A few days later, Wood is in busy Soho to draw a very different pub, The Coach and Horses on Greek Street, which she has been into before.

“When you’ve been inside the pub you kind of have a connection to it,” she said.

She chose the pub because a commentator on one of her TikTok videos told her of a family connection to the pub.

Their grandfather, Norman Balon, was famously known as “London’s rudest landlord” and ran the pub for more than 60 years.

“I loved that sort of anecdote,” said Wood. “It immediately drew me towards it.”

The central London pub in a historic 19th-century building has had a colorful clientele, including journalists from satirical magazine Private Eye. AFP

Macau casino stocks slump as virus curbs make impact HONG KONG, China—Macau casino stocks slumped on Monday as the Chinese gaming hub battled a COVID-19 outbreak that has prompted tightened social distancing restrictions and mass testing.

The sector has been hammered by the pandemic, with vital tourism revenues wiped out by some of the world’s harshest measures to tackle the virus—including tough border controls, weeks-long quarantines and targeted lockdowns.

Case numbers are small by global comparison, with only 34 found so far in citywide mass testing according to local media, but the outbreak sent casino stocks tumbling.

Sands China fell as much as eight percent while Wynn Macau dropped more than seven percent, though both partially recovered.

A Bloomberg Intelligence index of Macau’s six major casino operators fell as much as five percent, taking their total losses this year to 28 percent.

The virus has been kept largely under control in Macau but the government said a chain of transmission discovered on Saturday posed an “extremely high” risk of community transmission.

Citywide mass testing, expected to take place over 48 hours until Tuesday, had covered almost 340,000 people by Monday morning.

Government offices and banks are shut, dining in has been suspended at restaurants, school lessons have been cancelled and residents have been asked to stay at home.

Macau’s casinos usually account for about 80 percent of government revenue and more than half of the city’s gross domestic product, with nearly a fifth of the working population employed by the industry.

Almost all gambling is forbidden in mainland China but it is permitted in Macau, a former Portuguese colony that boasts a casino industry bigger than Las Vegas.

The pandemic is not the only challenge the sector is facing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign has seen increased scrutiny of big-spending gamblers and corrupt officials who might travel to Macau to launder money.

In September Macau announced plans to criminalize underground banking in the industry and place government representatives on the boards of casino operators to oversee their dealings. AFP

Ailing Sri Lanka opens IMF talks, starts shutdown COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—Sri Lanka closed schools and halted all nonessential government services on Monday, beginning a two-week shutdown to conserve fast-depleting fuel reserves as the International Monetary Fund opened talks with Colombo on a possible bailout.

The country of 22 million people is in the grip of its worst economic crisis after running out of dollars to finance even the most essential imports, including fuel.

On Monday schools were shut and state offices worked with skeleton staff as part of government plans to reduce commuting and save precious petrol and diesel. Hospitals and the main seaport in Colombo were still operating.

Hundreds of thousands of motorists remained in miles-long queues for petrol and diesel even though the energy ministry announced they will not have fresh stocks of fuel for at least three more days.

The country defaulted on its $51-billion foreign debt in April and went cap-in-hand to the IMF. The first in-person talks with the IMF on Sri Lanka’s bailout request commenced in Colombo on Monday and will continue for 10 days, the lender and the government said in brief statements.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was also due to meet visiting Australian Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil to “deepen cooperation and assist Sri Lanka as the country faces very difficult economic times,” Canberra said in a statement.

It said O’Neil will also discuss strengthening engagement on transnational crime, including peoplesmuggling following a surge in would-be illegal immigrants by boat in the past month. AFP

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

B4

TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022

Siam Global of Thailand, Cosco create joint venture

By Jenniffer B. Austria COSCO Capital Inc. of retail tycoonLucio Co teamed up with Siam Global House Public Company Limited of Thailand to operate one-stop home improvement stores in the Philippines.

Cosco said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it signed a joint venture agreement with Siam Global to manage modern trade retail stores that will sell building and construction-related materials, home and garden decorative goods, home improvement goods, construction equipment and tools.

The new joint venture company will be 55-percent owned by Siam Global House, with Cosco holding 45 percent. The new company will have an initial capital of P500 million.

The joint venture partners are looking to finalize, construct and open three to five stores in the next 12 to 18 months. These stores will open in Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon.

Siam Global House is a distributor of home construction materials and decorative products and has 76 stores.

The signing of joint venture agreement took place at the head office of Siam Global House in Roi Et, Thailand.

Cosco is an investment holding company of Co. It is engaged in various businesses including retail, wine and alcohol distribution, real estate and mining.

Cosco saw its net income rise 10.9 percent in the first quarter to P2.7 billion from P2.44 billion in the same period in 2021.

Consolidated revenues amounted to P40.68 billion in the first quarter, up 2.8 percent from P39.57 billion a year ago.

Share price of Cosco climbed 2.4 percent Monday to P4.34.

Business Globe Telecom preparing P32-b stock rights offering

By Darwin G. Amojelar

G

LOBE Telecom Inc. said Monday it will raise P32 billion from a stock rights offering to expand its mobile and broadband network and repay debt.

“This marks the first time Globe will do a rights offer in the capital market in over two decades and shows the principal shareholders’ confidence in the company and its plans going forward,” said Globe chief finance officer Rizza Maniego-Eala.

“We believe there is excitement in the market for Globe’s future prospects and potential amid the massive demand for data-related services as more Filipinos are now embracing the benefits of digitalization,” she said.

Maniego-Eala said the company’s capital raising program would also provide flexibility to properly compete in the tele-

com sector as it aims to continue delivering quality services to millions of customers and keep its leadership position.

The proposed stock rights offer will enable the company to further expand its digital ecosystem and differentiate itself in the market, as it capitalizes on opportunities in and beyond telco, she said.

Globe saw its data traffic in its network grow significantly, reporting a 27-percent increase in the first quarter from the same period last year.

The company said the growth was buoyed by the increased smartphone penetration in the network, which grew from 81 percent in 2020 to 85 percent in 2021 and led to an increase in per person data usage of 22 percent.

It said that to support the fast-growing demand, the company continuously invests in its network, spending close to P250 billion in capital over the last four years and committing to spend another P89 billion in 2022.

Globe said to capitalize on the data trend, it also invested in businesses adjacent to the telco sector like its fintech platform, GCash, which reached 60 mil-

lion registered users in March 2022 and remained the fintech leader in the country.

Globe reported a net income of P13.7 billion in the first quarter, up 86 percent from P7.3 billion a year ago.

Core net income, which excludes the impact of non-recurring charges and foreign exchange and mark-to-market charges, reached P5.1 billion in the quarter, down from P7.4 billion last year.

Consolidated service revenue amounted to P39.2 billion, up 4 percent from P37.8 billion a year earlier.

Globe earlier formed a new company called AdSpark Holdings Inc. to consolidate initiatives around its adtech and data capabilities. It will be part of the 917Ventures’ portfolio of industries.

Comprising the holding company are digital and mobile marketing solutions provider AdSpark Inc., multi-channel messaging platform M360, intelligencepowered solutions provider iNQUiRO and adtech startup Deep Sea. The initial portfolio forms a strong base foundation where the Globe Group’s digital advertising and data business can further thrive and scale.

THE Anti-Red Tape Authority said Monday it relaunched the Philippine Business Hub as part of its plan to optimize the process of registering a business in one day.

ARTA acting director-general Ernesto Perez called on other government agencies to continue working with the agency to reduce the number of days and steps for registering businesses to one day and one step.

“I don’t think it’s impossible because we have laid down the groundwork, and we are doing things right. It’s not

CLARK PARTNER. Clark Development Corp. president and chief executive Manuel Gaerlan (third from left) and Korea Land and Housing Corp. chief executive Kim Hyun Jun (third from right) reinforce their partnership through the signing of a memorandum of understanding over the development of the Clark Smart City Urban Development Project. With them are (from left) CDC vice president for engineering services group Dennis Legaspi, CDC director Marcelino Malajacan Jr., LH director-deneral Lee Jee Soon and LH director Bae Jeong Bok.

an impossible dream,” he said.

PBH, formerly known as the Central Business Portal, reduced the length of days for registering businesses from 33 days and 13 steps to only seven days with only one step.

The PBH, since its launch in January 2021, facilitated the registration of 703 corporations and 6,729 sole proprietorships.

“We are doing what we can to really fulfill the mandate to make doing business in the country easy and provide efficient services for all. All we seek is your support and, of course, utilize the services that we provide, because this is all for your advantage and con-

Moody’s Analytics expects Bangko Sentral to adjust policy rate by 25 bps on Thursday

By Julito G. Rada MOODY’S Analytics, which operates independently of the Moody’s Investors Service credit rating agency, said Monday it expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to raise the policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.5 percent on Thursday to control the rising inflation..

Moody’s Analytics’ projection was not as aggressive as other analysts, which predicted the BSP might raise the rate by 50 basis points to 2.75 percent, in reaction to the US Federal Reserve’s move of hiking interest rate by 0.75 percentage point last week, the biggest adjustment since 1994.

“We expect the Philippine central bank to lift its policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.5 percent in June in response to the pickup in imported inflation,” Moody’s Analytics said in a report.

“This will be a quieter week in the Asia-Pacific region. Monetary policy decisions by central banks in Indonesia and the Philippines will be the highlight on the economic calendar,” it said.

Monday, June 20, 2022

2.38 PTS.

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) ADVANCES

6,333.94

764,915,553 54,668 3,571,029,140.09 81

DECLINES

108

UNCHANGED

52

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, JUNE 20, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

53.5510

Japan

Yen

0.007408

0.3967

UK

Pound

1.222900

65.4875

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127395

6.8221

Switzerland

Franc

1.031566

55.2414

Canada

Dollar

0.767460

41.0983

Singapore

Dollar

0.719580

38.5342

Australia

Dollar

0.693300

37.1269

Bahrain

Dinar

2.653083

142.0752

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266517

14.2723

Brunei

Dollar

0.717000

38.3961

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000067

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.028349

1.5181

UAE

Dirham

0.272264

14.5800

Euro

Euro

1.049100

56.1804

Korea

Won

0.000775

0.0415

China

Yuan

0.148869

7.9721

India

Rupee

0.012831

0.6871

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.227273

12.1707

New Zealand

Dollar

0.630900

33.7853

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033656

1.8023 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF

Yuchengo holding firm takes over tower THE board of directors of House of Investments, the holding and management company of the Yuchengco Group, approved the P6.05billion purchase of A.T. Yuchengco Centre in Taguig City from affiliate Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.

HI president and chief executive Lorenzo Tan said the acquisition is part of the company’s long-term plans to consolidate the property interests of the conglomerate.

“This is part of our strategy to realign the businesses of YGC, and strengthen the conglomerate’s position with a more holistic approach in the property development and management sector,” he said.

HI will form an investment vehicle to hold the newly-acquired asset as HI’s wholly-owned subsidiary. Tan said the acquisition is part of HI’s plans to grow its property business segment in line with the conglomerate’s mission to build and grow a portfolio of strategically diversified and sustainable investments.

The investment firm is also developing a 83,710-square-meter commercial property along Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. in Makati City with a foreign partner. Othel V. Campos

Solar PH bares offers to purchase 10,000 MW

ARTA restarts business hub, cuts business registration to one step

By Othel V. Campos

PSE INDEX CLOSING

Local economists earlier said the BSP might pursue a more aggressive stance of raising the policy rate by 50 basis points in the wake of the Fed’s move.

Analysts from the Bank of the Philippine Islands said in a report that hiking the policy rate gradually in contrast to what the Fed was doing “might exacerbate the headwinds affecting the Philippine economy.”

“We now expect a 50 bp hike from the BSP in its June meeting given the latest move of the Fed... A very narrow gap between US and local interest rates will likely exert more pressure on the peso, which will eventually translate to more inflation,” the bank said.

BPI said consumer prices would be likely more sensitive now to exchange rate movements as the economy was becoming more reliant on imported products like oil, rice and pork.

“A higher inflation print in the future may force the BSP to do bigger rate hikes and even inter-meeting rate hikes that may cause volatility in the markets,” the bank said.

venience. Rest assured that we will not stop here, but will continue to develop programs and initiatives that will improve our country and make your lives easier,” Perez said.

ARTA organized the relaunch to encourage more corporations and government agencies to get onboard the portal.

ARTA said it would further improve the PBH through its Business Process Mapping project. The project aims to map out all the permits and licenses involved in the entire business cycle and integrate it to the PBH. It envisions a “womb-to-tomb” approach that covers not only permits on

starting a business, but also those that concern operating and closing a business.

ARTA also integrated the Philippine Business Regulations Information System into the PBH platform. PBRIS is an ARTA-led initiative, an online platform that provides accessible information on the Philippine Regulatory Management System and the laws and regulations that are relevant to the public.

Trade Undersecretary Ireneo Vizmonte reaffirmed the DTI’s commitment to support initiatives in line with Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.

SOLAR Philippines said Monday it submitted offers to substantially contract 10,000 megawatts of solar power projects. The company said these offers are pending the approval of off-takers and regulators.

It said if approved, the projects would potentially have nine terawatt-hours of contracted energy annually, which would serve as a critical mass of demand, enabling its 10 GW of power plants scheduled to commence operations between 2025 and 2026.

“While we have been constrained from commenting on our projects due to ongoing contracting processes, we look forward to share more details in the coming days and so give a better picture of what SPNEC will look like after the asset-for-share swap,” said Solar Philippines founder Leandro Leviste.

The company said aside from the planned 500-MW Nueva Ecija solar project of Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corp., the other developments are held by companies with shares subject to the asset-for-share swap between SPNEC and parent firm Solar Philippines.

Alena Mae S. Flores

BOI approves P756-m tapioca starch factory THE Board of Investments said Monday it approved the P756.2-million tapioca starch manufacturing project of South Korean firm Daesang Philippines Corp.

“We are making strides in modernizing our country’s agriculture sector. This is a breakthrough project for it reflects the strengthened economic partnership between the Philippines and South Korea, as we are on the path to finally finalizing the Free Trade Agreement. We in the Board Investments, therefore, invite more Korean firms to invest here in the Philippines,” said Trade Secretary and BOI chairman Ramon Lopez.

The BOI said the project is the company’s third plant outside South Korea and the first to use the wastewater-to-biogas technology. Daesang also manufactures tapioca starch from its plants in Indonesia and Vietnam.

The plant is estimated to run on an annual processing capacity of 33,000 tons for tapioca starch and 4,446 tons for tapioca residue as byproduct starting January 2023.

Othel V. Campos

DTI pursuing P500-b worth of investment leads in next 18 months TRADE Secretary Ramon Lopez said Monday the incoming administration should pursue P500-billion worth of investment leads in the next 18 months.

“These are actual pledges already in various stages of preparation, site identification, company registration, IPA [investment promotion agency] application,” said Lopez.

The Department of Trade and Industry identified new investments in manufacturing like non-woven textiles for personal protective equipment, international sports and branded apparels, drones systems, electronic vehicle parts manufacturing, charging stations, battery technology, green metals processing, automotive parts manufacturing, cement investments, shipbuilding and integrated dairy operations.

It said companies such as Minebea Electronics, Brothers International Philippines Manufacturing Corp. and Videoton Holding Inc. plan to expand their investments in the country.

Digital hubs continue to attract investments from technology and IT companies, integrated telecom fiber optics and undersea broadband subsea

cables, telco towers and satellite services, it said.

Potential investments on logistics include marine services and transshipment operations, including the capacity expansion of FedEx Corp. in Clark Freeport Zone.

Lopez said the robust post-pandemic

economic recovery and growth were instrumental to bringing more investments into the country.

He said the recent approval of new policy reform measures would help generate more investments and enable the economy recover swiftly.

Julito G. Rada

LONDON EXCHANGE RE-OPENS. London Stock Exchange Group, a leading global financial markets infrastructure and data provider, reopens the doors of its Manila-based operation center two years after implementing a workfrom-home set-up among its employees due to the pandemic. Attending the opening ceremony are (from left) LSEG Philippines director for people service delivery Daisy Aquino; UK Embassy trade and investment manager Jon Perez; UK Embassy senior trade and investment manager Emma Leister; UK Embassy director for trade and investment Richard Colley; UK Ambassador to the Philippines and Palau Laure Beaufils; LSEG Philippines director for collections-Asia and Manila co-site lead Wilma Gonzales-Montano; director for client incident response and escalation and Manila co-site lead Mary Arce; and head of frontline support Lei Buendia.

Verstappen wins Canada GP to tighten grip on race MONTREAL — World champion Max Verstappen increased his lead in this year’s Formula One title race on Sunday when he drove his Red Bull to a thrilling victory in a closely-fought Canadian Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old Dutchman controlled a tactical race from pole position through three safety car interventions and resisted intense late pressure from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to win by under a second.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who on Friday declared his car as “undriveable”, came home third for Mercedes to claim his second podium of a difficult season ahead of teammate George Russell in fourth.

It was Verstappen’s first Canadian victory in his 150th career start, his sixth this year and the 26th of his career, hoisting him 46 points clear of his rivals in the championship.

“I was giving it everything,” said Verstappen. “But so was Carlos. He was pushing, charging, pushing, charging. Naturally, it’s easier to charge with DRS! I had fun today.”

Sainz said: “We were quicker, faster all race, but it’s difficult to overtake round here. I’m particularly happy with the race pace and with the pressure we put on Max.” Hamilton, a record seven-time winner in Montreal, cheered the big crowd – part of a weekend attendance of 338,000 – and said he was “overwhelmed to get third place. It’s been quite a battle, but we’ve never given up. I’ve been inspired by my crew.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who started at the back of the grid after taking a penalty for a new engine, finished fifth ahead of Esteban Ocon of Alpine.

Valtteri Bottas and his Alfa Romeo team-mate Zhou Guanyu were later promoted to seventh and eighth after Fernando Alonso in an Alpine was penalised five seconds for his defending against Bottas.

The Spaniard slipped to ninth with Lance Stroll 10th for Aston Martin.

After Saturday’s deluge, the race began with a mixed-up ‘wet’ grid – with Leclerc, Perez and several others out of their normal race positions — as Verstappen made a clean start from his 15th pole position to take control.

Behind him, Kevin Magnussen made a dazzling departure from fifth to challenge Hamilton, but the Briton resisted and retained fourth as the order settled, Russell making his move early to pass Mick Schumacher for seventh.

‘I’ve lost the engine’ On lap three, Sainz passed Alonso, who had been unable to deliver the attacking start he promised, to take second and begin his pursuit of Verstappen.

Perez suffered ill-luck on lap nine when, battling in midfield after starting 13th, his Red Bull lost drive at Turn 13. AFP

Reyes named PBA scribes’ Coach of Year CHOT Reyes capped his return from a coaching sabbatical in the PBA on a historic note.

The flamboyant mentor was named by the PBA Press Corps as its Coach of the Year for Season 46 and will be handed his sixth Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan trophy in its traditional Awards Night set Tuesday at Novotel Manila Araneta Center.

Reyes, 58, edged out Barangay Ginebra counterpart Tim Cone for the coveted award following his successful comeback to coaching in Asia’s first ever play-for-pay league after an almost decade of absence to steer the TNT Tropang Giga to the Philippine Cup championship.

The sixth Coach of the Year award

by Reyes is the most in the history of the PBAPC, but the first for him since last winning it in 2011.

It likewise marked the third time he won it while calling the shots for the telecommunication franchise, becoming only the second coach to win it three times with the same team after San Miguel Beer’s Leo Austria.

Reyes leads 14 other awardees to be feted by the men and women regularly covering the PBA beat during the two-hour affair hosted by veteran sportscaster Sev Sarmenta and former courtside reporter and now news anchor Rizza Diaz.

Re-elected Bulakan, Bulacan mayor and former MVP Vergel Meneses will be the guest of honor in the program that starts at 7 p.m.

Barangay Ginebra governor Alfrancis Chua will also share the limelight as recipient of the Danny Floro Executive of the Year, so is NorthPort forward Arwind Santos as Defensive Player of the Year, June Mar Fajardo for the Bogs Adornado Comeback Player of the Year, and Meralco’s Allein Maliksi for Mr. Quality Minutes.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022

C1

Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 takes the chequered flag during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec. AFP

Casugay receives long overdue World Fair Play award in Hungary

By Randy Caluag

ILIPINO surfing hero Roger Casugay on Saturday finally received his Pierre de Coubertin Act of Fair Play trophy during colorful awards rites by the organizing Council of the International Fair Play Committee in Budapest, Hungary.

F

“It’s an honor to receive this World Fair Play Award. I’m so grateful and happy to be one of the awardees,” said Casugay, who was accompanied by his Dutch wife Lisa.

“Finally, you were able to receive the World Fair Play award in person.

I’m proud of you mahal. Let’s keep inspiring each other,” said Lisa on the couple’s official Facebook page.

Her post was accompanied by the famous quote from the French founder of the International Olympic Committee Baron Pierre de Coubertin: “The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well.”

This famous line became the essence of the Fair Play awards, named after Coubertin and was founded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), along with international

sports governing bodies in 1963.

A native of La Union, the 26-yearold Casugay was awarded for his courageous and selfless act during the Southeast Asian Games held in 2019 in the Philippines.

Casugay earned the admiration of the international sports community when he gave up his commanding lead to help a drowning Indonesian opponent Arip Nurdihayat amid the strong waves brought about by Typhoon Tisoy during the competition.

His bravery cost him the gold medal.

He later made up for it to win the gold in another event.

Casugay’s act of kindness garnered commendations from various people, including no less than Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

The International Surfing Association recommended him for the Fair Play award.

Finally, after two years of delay due

“It is nice to recognize an athlete not only for his athletic skills, but also for his humanity,” said UPSA President Raul Canlas. “Holding surfing during the Southeast Asian Games is a milestone event. It paved the way for the ISA to recognize the region and allowed Roger to be also recognized.”

Another athlete from Iran, Saeid Mollaei, also received the Fair Play Trophy when he “showed courage and integrity during the World Judo Championships in Tokyo 2019, when he denounced the threats and pressure to which he has been subjected by the Iranian authorities in order to avoid any confrontation with an Israeli opponent on Surfing hero Roger Casugay holds his trophy or off the tatami.”

Among those who had received the CIFP World Fair to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Casugay got his hands on the pre- Play Prizes were prominent athletes Sergey Bubka (athletics), Kipchoge cious trophy.

“I would like to thank President Keino (athletics), Emil Zatopek (athMr. Jeno Kamuti, Mr. Gabor Deregan letics), László Papp (boxing), Miguel for helping me to get here in Buda- Indurain (cycling), Sir Bobby Charlpest, and the Fair Play Committee for ton (football), Wayne Gretzky (icethe warm welcome. Congratulations hockey), Stefan Edberg (tennis), to all the other awardees” added Ca- Pete Sampras (tennis) and L’Equipe (newspaper) to name a few. sugay.

Bantamweight world champ Lineker fires back at Andrade John Lineker

ONE Bantamweight World Champion John “Hands of Stone” Lineker has had enough of Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade’s trashtalk and finally fired back at his compatriot.

Lineker called out the current #2-ranked bantamweight contender for being disrespectful, and promised to dish out his own response inside the Circle should they finally meet.

This comes after Andrade went hard on him after easily dispatching “Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il earlier this month at ONE 158: Tawanchai vs.

Larsen.

“I’m getting used to this type of athlete who likes to promote

fights by disrespecting opponents. It just goes to show that he’s a disrespectful guy to his opponents. He doesn’t have an ounce of education. He wants to promote fights in [the] wrong way,” Lineker told ONEFC.com.

“I don’t care about that. I like to respond inside the cage, in my own way, kicking [expletive]. But if they (ONE) think he’s worthy to fight for the belt, I’ll educate him, for sure.”

With five wins and four finishes inside the ONE Circle, “Wonder Boy” has certainly become one of the hottest contenders in the division.

Mixing his pinpoint striking with a wellrounded ground game, Andrade has yet to be figured out. In fact, the 24-year-old’s last three bouts didn’t make it out of the first round.

While that may be impressive to some, Lineker isn’t amazed.

“To be very honest, I started to follow Fabrício just recently. What I saw in this fight [against Kwon] is that he knows how to focus. He managed to impose his strategy. I wasn’t impressed because he got a knockout.

That can happen in [any] fight, especially between strikers. He’s a good fighter, but he didn’t impress me at all,” Lineker said.

“I don’t know if he did enough to earn a title shot. It’s not for me to say if he deserves a title shot. I’m prepared, I’m ready to fight anyone in the division. If ONE thinks he deserves it, I’m here waiting.”

But if the match does happen, Lineker knows it will be a treat for fans and could even end up with some end-of-the-year accolades.

SMART/MVP Sports Foundation PH Team competes in two Asian taekwondo tourneys THE Smart/MVP Sports Foundation National Kyorugi and Poomsae Team is set to compete in two prestigious tournaments – the 2022 Asian Taekwondo Championships scheduled on June 22 to 27 and the Chuncheon Korea Open Taekwndo Championships slated June 29 to July 5, 2022 — in Chuncheon City, South Korea.

The Philippine Taekwondo is sending a 28-man delegation composed of five officials and 23 players

(10 Kyrugi and 13 Poomsae).

The team is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and MILO. Making it to the team are Darius Venerable, Justin Kobe Macario, Jeordan Dominguez, Rodolfo Reyes, Jr., Arven Alcantara, Dave Cea, Isarel Cesar Cantos, Christian Al Dela Cruz (Coach, Kyorugi), Paul Romero (Coach, Kyorugi) Raul Samson (Head of Team) Rani Ann

Ortega (Coach, Poomsae), Joseph Chua, Joaquin Dominic Tuzon, Raphael Enrico Mella, Patrick King Perez, and Kurt Bryan Barbosa.

Also with the team are Kirstie Elaine Alora, Sharifa Vianca

Dela Cr uz, Laeia Simoune Soria, Angelica Joyce Gaw, Aidaine K rishia Laxa, Juvenile Faye Crisostomo, Janna Dominique Oliva, Baby Jessica Canabal and Realis Tabiando.

C2

Sports

TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022

Fitzpatrick hits shot of his life to win US Open

B

ROOKLINE — Scrappy English underdog Matt Fitzpatrick, hardened in steel town Sheffield, endured epic pressure and hit the shot of his life when it mattered most on Sunday to win the US Open.

The 27-year-old blasted a stunning 9-iron from a left fairway bunker onto the 18th green and two-putted for par from 18 feet to capture his first major title.

“It’s one of the best shots I ever hit.

There’s no doubt about it,” he said. “That probably is such a huge shot in the moment.

“If I’m honest, I look back to my three approaches into 15, 16, and 17 as all really good shots — 18 was kind of just a bit of hit and hope.

“It just all happened so fast. It was like just kind of natural ability took over... it was amazing.

“The feeling is out of this world. It’s stuff you dream of as a kid. To achieve it, I can retire a happy man tomorrow.”

Fitzpatrick credits his upbringing with developing the work ethic and discipline

Crowded PPS Aqua Verde jr tennis tourney under way THE PPS-PEPP national junior tennis circuit got under way Monday in Bangkal, Davao City with over 300 entries disputing top honors and ranking points in eight age divisions In the biggest gathering of young talents halfway through the season.

The boys’ 14-, 16- and 18-and-under categories drew 64-player field each, while four other age categories feature 32-player casts, all eager and ready to take the spotlight in a week-long battle of power and guts in the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop at the Aqua Verde courts.

“The huge turnout further underscores the success of the PPS-PEPP program in terms of inspiring and motivating these youngsters while providing them the venue where they could hone and harness their skills and talents,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Andre Sing, Joaquino Palo, Pete Cua, Jose Palo, Gene Espinosa, Nathan Angus, Herald Aton and RJ Saldivar banner the boys’ 18-U cast with Pete Cua also gaining the top seeding in 16-U play that includes Marco Montecillo, Inigo Barrios, Jeson Battad, Jose Palo, Ben Flores, Kurt Alcantara and Angus.

Jose Palo, meanwhile, and Battad headline the 14-U division, which includes Alcantara, Barrios Montecillo, Zairex Madrid, Vanz Abecia, Julius Otoc and Rey Litang, while Otoc and Carl Eduarte are the marked players in the 12-U class of the event backed by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating).

For details, contact event organizer Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.

Chelsea Bernaldez and Julianna Carvajal gear up for a showdown in the girls’ 18-U play, along with Alice Suerte, Kyle Sonza, Saschena Francisco, Ayezza Dino and Maia Aton with four players, Pauline Palac, Alex Buday, Bernadeth Meri and Ana Sonza, fighting it out for the two remaining spots in the main draw in a qualifier set tomorrow.

that paid off with a dream come true at The Country Club, where he had won the 2013 US Amateur.

“It’s a steel town, but I love Sheffield.

It’s great. It’s where I’m from. It’s where my football team’s from. It’s where all my best pals are from,” Fitzpatrick said.

“I feel like I’m the same deal. Not expected to do well, not expected to succeed.

I’ve won a major today.

“I feel like I certainly work hard for it, and that’s kind of where I’ve grown up from is that’s the mentality of everyone around there. It’s certainly like underdog mentality and you work for what you get.”

For the past two years, part of that effort has been a fitness training program that has him hitting longer off the tee.

“Since I’ve been hard on it from the start this year, I’ve noticed an even bigger jump without really feeling like I’m going after it,” Fitzpatrick said.

“For me hitting driver and pitching it on the green, I didn’t actually expect that this morning. That was kind of a real good in-

dication of where I’ve got to.”

Major for caddie Foster Fitzpatrick’s caddie, Billy Foster, is finally the bagman for a major champion after 40 years carrying clubs for such stars as Seve Ballesteros, Lee Westwood, Thomas Bjorn and Darren Clarke.

“It means the world to Billy,” said Fitzpatrick. “It’s unbelievable. I know it’s something he’s wanted for a long, long time. To do it today is incredible.

“We ended up working together. I was kind of in between caddies. He just split up with Lee, and just happened to work out.

“It’s so funny. He kept telling me the first time on the job, I’ll just do 25 weeks and maybe get a fill-in for the others.

I think he’s had about two weeks off in four years.”

It was Foster who recognized the improvements in Fitzpatrick’s game and his knowledge of The Country Club could come together into a breakthrough major triumph.

“Billy had been saying for a while, the time will come,” Fitzpatrick said. “’You’re playing so well. Just keep doing what you’re doing. It will come. It will happen.’

“I put myself in position after two rounds and then played well yesterday. I

just really believed this could be the time.

Because of my success here before, it just felt like this was the time.

“It all just fell into place that this was the place it was going to happen.”

Fitzpatrick says that it takes six major wins to be a legend.

“I’ve got a bit of a way to go, but it’s a good start,” he said. “I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully more will come.

“I’m delighted with one so far.” AFP

Matt Fitzpatrick of England kisses the US Open Championship trophy after winning during the final round of the 122nd U.S. Open Championship at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. AFP

NIGHT RUNNING.

With the Manila City Hall as backdrop, runners soak in the moment of night racing along Padre Burgos St., highlighting the inaugural ASICS Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Manila, which lined up the race routes with live bands, cheer teams and themed water stations while showcasing the best of the host capital city.

Japan, Taiwan toughen up PVL meet TWO foreign teams, which packs power and class, bring their act to the Premier Volleyball League, eager and ready to slug it out with the best of local talents in the PVL Invitationals, which gets going July 2.

But the Kobe Shinwa Women’s University squad from Japan, which ruled the Invitational Cup of the defunct Philippine Superliga in 2017, and the Taipei King Whales, a top team in the Taiwan Volleyball League, only get to strut their wares in the semifinal round on Aug. 29 as seven local teams, led by recent PVL Open Conference champions the Creamline Cool Smashers, fight it out for the four berths in the semis in a round-robin elims skirmish tipped to be fierce and tight.

The Petro Gazz Angels, runners-up to the Cool Smashers in the first conference, and last year’s Open champions the Chery Tiggo Crossovers are also in the fold, along with the Cignal HD Spikers, the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, the Army Black Mamba Troopers and the PLDT High Speed Hitters, raring to hit the floor again after a three-month respite.

F2 Logistics and Balipure have begged from participation in the midseason offering of the country’s premier pro league organized by Sports Vision.

But the seven local squads and the two visiting teams will be more than enough to stir up play and generate interest in the coming conference. Play in the elims will have the local teams play a single round with the top four advancing to the next round where the Japan and Taiwan squads will launch their respective bids in another single round format.

All squads will be ranked using the FIVB Ranking System with the top four moving to the next phase.

“It is our continuing commitment to raise the level of local volleyball and the presence of the Japan and Taiwan squads will surely help toughen up the competition and improve the quality of play,” said Sports Vision president Ricky Palou.

Russian player changes nationality to avoid Wimby ban LON DON — A Russian tenn is player has avoided a Wi mbledon ban on all competitors f rom her cou nt r y by changi ng her nationalit y to Georgian, accordi ng to a repor t i n T he Ti mes newspaper.

Natela Dzalam id ze, a 29-yea r- old doubles player ran ked No 44 i n the world, will compete i n the women’s doubles with Serbia’s Aleksand ra K r u n ic when the tou rnament st ar ts on Ju ne 27.

Wi mbledon organ isers the All England Club an nou nced i n Apr il that players f rom Russia and Belar us would be bar red f rom competi ng this year followi ng Russia’s i nva-

sion of U k rai ne.

But an All England Club spokesman told T he Ti mes they were powerless to i nterfere i n Dzalam id ze’s change of nationalit y, as this was a mat ter for the Women’s Tenn is Association ( W TA) and the I nter national Ten n is Federation (IT F), and that she had satisf ied the ent r y re qui rements.

“Player nationalit y, def i ned as the f lag they play u nder at professional events, is an ag reed process that is gover ned by tou rs and the IT F,” the spokesman said.

Wi mbledon’s ban on players f rom Russia and Belar us

provoked a host ile react ion elsewhere i n the ten n is world, with the W TA and the AT P, its male equivalent, st r ippi ng the tou r nament of ran k i ng poi nts.

None of the other G rand Slam tou r naments have followed Wi mbledon’s lead, with the US O pen an nou nci ng last week that Russian and Belarus players will be allowed to compete u nder a neut ral f lag.

Wi mbledon’s ban has r uled out a swathe of top players, i ncludi ng Dan iil Medvedev, the men’s world nu mber one and the reig n i ng US O pen champion, as well as t wo ti me major wi n ner Victor ia A zaren ka. AFP

Natela Dzalamidze

Green Run at Vermosa encourages outdoor activity, nature appreciation for physical, mental health

World-class football pitch art Vermosa

AFTER two years of quiet and confinement, it’s time to celebrate the green outdoors and have fun in the sun.

Vermosa, an Ayala Land Estate in Imus Cavite, is front running the event. It is a modern, suburban community that promotes healthy and active living. On July 3, Sunday, everyone is invited to lace up and run for a greener tomorrow with the staging of Green Run. It will be a one-day, multi-level run within its 750-hectare property that is fast gaining fame as the new sports and fitness hub down south.

Consisting of 21K, 10K, 5K and 3K distance categories, the Green Run is targeting elite athletes, fun runners, fitness enthusiasts, athletes in training, weekend athletes, families, barkada, and just about anyone who is eager to run. Various running routes winding through wide open spaces and abundant greenery punctuated with wide pedestrian walkways, bicycle

and jogging lanes, and enhanced greenways will make this Run a truly pleasant experience.

Vermosa’s famous Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub, a state-of-theart professionally–managed sports facility that has already hosted various national and international sports events will be the center of activities for registration and information. Featuring a FINA-standard Olympic size swimming pool, a warm up pool, an IAAF standard 400m track oval, field with natural tiff grass, an Athletes Lounge, and a gym operated by Sante Fitness Lab, a premier training ground for amateur and professional athletes.

Vermosa has partnered with Pinoy Fitness, the running, fitness and multisport event organizer, to conduct the Run. A beautiful medal created by artist Cynthia BauzonArre of Forest Foundation Philippines, will be among the perks that runners will get for their participation. Proceeds of the Run will go

to Haribon Foundation’s Adopt-aSeedling Program, to build a greener tomorrow.

Vermosa Estate Head Jay Teodoro, a sports and fitness enthusiast himself, says “As more places begin to reopen, we can now enjoy the outdoors with more activities to engage in. I personally advocate sports and spending time outdoors as it helps boost physical and mental health. Physical activities, like running, provide a change of scenery and help reduce stress. This is why we organized the Vermosa Green Run. We want people to rediscover their surroundings, appreciate nature, enjoy the fresh air and boost their health. With an abundance of wide-open spaces and the state-ofthe-art sports facilities at Vermosa Sports Hub, Vermosa provides one of the best venues to engage in physical activities.”

Those interested to join Green Run may go to ayalaland.myruntime.com to register.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang,, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022

‘Jurassic’ retains box office dominion JURASSIC World Dominion again stomped to the top on North American movie screens this weekend, while new release Lightyear didn’t quite make it to infinity, or beyond.

Universal’s latest dinosaur fright fest – the sixth in the Jurassic Park franchise – took in an estimated $58.7 million for the Friday-throughSunday period, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported. It stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum.

Lightyear, Pixar and Disney’s latest computer-animated offering from the Toy Story empire, earned $51 million. David A. Gross of

A scene from ‘Jurassic World Dominion’

Franchise Entertainment Research called that “a soft opening for a spinoff of one of the most successful animation series of all time.”

Chris Evans voices title character Buzz Lightyear, who battles evil Emperor Zurg while trying to find his way home from a hostile planet.

Lightyear, which features a samesex kiss, has been denied release in more than a dozen mainly Muslim countries, a source close to Disney told AFP this week.

Still soaring in third place was Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick, with a $44 million take that Variety called “mammoth” for a film in its

Why Sanya Lopez feels like a ‘First Lady’ in her home network T ELEVISION star Sanya Lopez has been with GMA since the start of her showbiz career. Many people wonder why she remains loyal to her mother studio after all these times.

Sanya Lopez remains loyal to GMA because the network loves and takes very good care of her

“It feels great to be loyal to a station that loves and takes very good care of you,” she avers. “I owe the Kapuso whatever popularity I enjoy at present. They have given me the big breaks and they’re the reason why I’m in my present stature.”

The Sparkle artist also believes the network sees the dedication she puts into every work project assigned to her. She also always gives her best in every role given to her.

Speaking of work, who among GMA’s present roster of stars does she want to collaborate with in a project in the future?

“Well, I would say it’s Alden Richards and Bea Alonzo. It’s my wish that I’d be able to share the screen with them in the coming days. I guess it’s every star’s dream to work with Bea. She’s my idol even before. As a matter of fact, all of my audition pieces then were culled from her previous films. As for Alden, we’ve already worked before. But these were mostly hosting stints and a guest appearance in Encantadia. This time around, if possible, I want to work with him for a longer period.

I hope it’s in a telserye.”

As for her dream role, the 25-year-old star aims to play challenging characters on the small screen.

“I want something that will require heavy acting. For example, that of a mentally

challenged individual or a person with a serious illness. That way, I will not only hone my acting chops but also explore the lives of people caught in that situation.”

In the future, does she also want to venture into business?

“If given the chance, I would love to have my own clothing line.

I’m fond of designing clothes.

Most of these have simple and minimal designs. I just play with color combinations.”

Considering the role she plays in her currently airing top-rating soap opera First Lady, does she see herself entering politics eventually?

“As of now, I can’t really say. It’s hard to enter something in which you don’t have any experience yet. It hasn’t entered my mind yet. Becoming a First Lady? Well, if someone who’s bound to become president someday would ask to marry me, why not?”

Lastly, what can she say that at this point, she is being considered as one of the queens of her mother studio due to the success of her shows, particularly First Lady?

“To be honest, I haven’t thought about it! I feel that I still have a long way to go to be called such legitimately. My stature is still far from the real GMA queens. But I’m happy and my heart is full knowing that there are those who appreciate what I do for the network, including the viewers,” ends the First Lady star.

••• Rocco Nacino and wife Melissa Gohing are expectant parents. The couple just staged their baby’s gender reveal, and Rocco thanked everyone who took the time to greet them.

This early, the two are already excited with the thought that Sanya hopes to take on more challenging roles with they will be having a baby boy. heavy acting in the future

“Yes, we are thrilled that it’s a baby boy. I guess everyone knows that it’s what we want from the very start. We’re very vocal with that,” he says.

Interestingly, do they already have a name for their firstborn?

“We’re still doing research, but we already have a list.”

How about the set of godparents?

“When it comes to that, yes, we’re in the process of talking to individuals whom we like to be the godparents of our child. We can’t divulge their identities as of now though.”

The actor is presently focused on the pregnancy of his wife.

“Melissa is on her 22nd week and will soon enter her trimester. I really take extra good care of her at this point,” states Rocco.

Films on PH independence screen for free ‘Sentry’ focuses on the life of a young soldier as he uncovers the atrocities in a military camp

IN COMMEMORATION of the Philippine Independence Day this month, a diverse collection of criticallyacclaimed short and full-length films on the self-determination and sovereignty of the country are screening for free on Wednesdays of June.

Starred by the late award-winning actor and “King of Comedy” Dolphy, Markova: Comfort Gay (2000) is a historical comedy-drama that narrates the life of Walter Dempster Jr., also known as Walterina Markova, the last surviving Filipino “comfort gay”. Written by Clodualdo Del Mundo Jr. and directed by Gil M. Portes, the 97-minute biopic bares the hardships faced by the crossdressing entertainers in the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The film was on view

displacement. The film is slated for on June 8.

In A Rustling of Leaves: Inside June 29. the Philippine Revolution (1988), Curated by the Museum of award-winning Canadian filmmaker Contemporary Art and Design Nettie Wild investigates the realities (MCAD) of the De La Salle-College and revolt within the Philippine of Saint Benilde, the selection invites political landscape that persists the audience to a discussion about through different periods and the various concepts, notions, and administrations. The 112-minute theories of the Filipino liberation documentary chronicles the three in the contemporary post-colonial points of the political triangle. It was landscape. shown on June 15.

The free and public online Created by Filipino film director, screenings will be conducted producer, and educator Mark Meily, Sentry (1988) provides a glimpse of the atrocities in a military camp through the lenses of a young soldier. The six-minute short will be showcased on June 22.

Bangsamoro: Isang Sulyap sa Kanilang Pakikibaka (2022) by award-winning filmmaker Milo Alto-Paz is a 12-minute collage of interrelated segments.

It follows the challenges of 13 ethnolinguistic groups that ‘Bangsamoro: Isang Sulyap sa Kanilang comprise the Bangsamoro people Pakikibaka’ follows the challenges and how they fight for their rich and of 13 ethnolinguistic groups against complex history and destiny against colonization and war-induced colonization and war-induced displacement

via Zoom every 12:00 nn on the scheduled dates.

To register, email mcad@benilde. edu.ph. For more information, visit the official Facebook page of MCAD (https://www.facebook.com/ MCADManila).

‘A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution’ explores the realities and revolt within the Philippine political landscape through different periods

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fourth week.

With total earnings of $466 million domestically and $419 million overseas, the action-adventure sequel to the original 1986 film has become the biggest hit of Tom Cruise’s not-too-shabby career.

Fourth spot went to Disney’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, at $4.2 million.

Domestic earnings for the Benedict Cumberbatch sci-fi film are now just north of $400 million.

And in fifth place was The Bob’s Burgers Movie from 20th Century.

Based on the popular TV series, it took in $1.1 million. AFP

Adjeng combines retro and modern tunes in latest single

By Patricia Taculao LAST year was a busy year for singer-songwriter Adjeng Buenaventura as she released eight digital singles. This year, she’s continuing her streak with another single titled “More Than A Little.”

Yet releasing a new single signifies more than just Adjeng’s presence in the entertainment industry.

It also shows her progress as an artist who doesn’t restrict herself within her comfort zone.

Compared to her previous tracks, there’s a stark difference between this single and her other songs. For one, Adjeng strayed some ways from her usual pop inclination to add elements of RnB reminiscent of the ‘90s.

“I wanted to bring in the sensibilities of the 90s RnB that I particularly loved and that I heavily resonated with,” Adjeng said during an exclusive online media conference.

“More Than A Little” is a love song Adjeng wrote about the value of putting in extra time and effort in love. It also serves as her thoughts on love. She added that when it comes to love, it’s always worth going the extra mile, hence the title and message of the song.

Adjeng wrote “More Than A Little” early in 2022 when there was a resurgence in COVID-19 cases in the country.

Although she felt that there was some progress toward regaining normalcy, there are still some ways to go before achieving it.

She envisioned “More Than A Little” as a song that would transport her to a feel-good place whenever she listened to it.

Meanwhile, she also tapped Thyro Alfaro, another singersongwriter, as the song’s arranger b e c a u s e he has a better grasp of modern pop. Adjeng appreciated his arrangement of the song because

she wanted “More Than A Little” to be “something people can resonate with but also sound timeless even though it sounds current.”

“I also have to give kudos to my arranger, Thyro, because he was able to bring to life the vision that I wanted: For people to play this over and over, on heavy rotation…I wanted that feeling that when they finish the song, they want to play it again and again,” Adjeng said.

Bringing in someone younger to help with the song, according to Adjeng, balanced out the 90s sensibilities evident in “More Than A Little.”

As a songwriter, Adjeng draws inspiration from her environment, especially her family. Whenever she sees them at opportune moments, like when her son was smiling while playing a mobile game, she gets the urge to write music.

Part of Adjeng’s inspiration in music and songwriting comes from the immense influence of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. She felt passion for his artistry, prompting her to study how he performed, sang, and wrote music. Eventually, she realized that being a musician isn’t as easy as it seems.

“When you get into something that you’re passionate about, it feels like home, and you don’t let that go. It’s given me a lot of blessed opportunities through the years,” she said.

The singer-songwriter was exposed to music from the ‘60s to ‘90s during her childhood, which now influences her music and songwriting greatly.

“More Than A Little” is now available on all streaming platforms.

Adjeng’s new single, ‘More Than A Little,’ has 90s sensibilities and a modern arrangement

Life

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

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TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022

Still feeling the scorching heat?

Here’s a collection of trendy summer wear AFTER two years, it’s back to the beach, back to exciting getaways, and back to summer fun in the sun. It’s also back to great summer style at Surplus, your one-stop-shop for summer finds.

There are vibrant and colorful sundresses, stunning swimwear, as well as rash guards, and board shorts if you’re making waves in surf capitals.

For guys, there are tropical tops, casual button-downs, and relaxed shorts, perfect for the beach or just simply strolling around the city.

Surplus also has surfing shoes, statement-making hats,

stylish bags, and candy-colored water bottles to complete your summer look.

Get beyond excited with the trendy and fun summer fashion collection at Surplus located in most SM Supermalls.

For a more convenient shopping experience, you may check out Surplus at Lazada, Shopee, SM Malls Online, and ShopSM. Surplus Order to Deliver is also now available; join their Viber community and follow them on Facebook and Instagram @SurplusPH and @Surplus_ ph for more details.

Printed polo and shorts for your next tropical adventure

Surf in style with this black rash guard, board shorts, and surfing shoes

Go casual with a button-down polo, printed shirt, chino shorts, and beach bag

Pack this pretty dress for your next summer getaway

Renovating your home?

Just add to cart

By Tet Defensor

foodpanda’s carnival-themed celebration in select malls has various surprises in store for guests

Your food delivery hero for eight years and counting

By Patricia Taculao

W

HEN food delivery services became popular in the Philippines, foodpanda was among the brands that earned the public’s trust by providing consumers with food delivery services and, eventually, pabili solutions for people looking to buy from grocery stores, pharmacies, and markets.

Demand for such utilities heightened when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2019. However, foodpanda persisted and further solidified its position as an online food and grocery delivery platform in the country.

“The last few years were unprecedented. There’s a lot of disruption in our lives, but foodpanda came up with a solution for us to make our lives a little more worry-free. Over the past couple of years, we expanded our contacts and services beyond food delivery,” said foodpanda Philippines marketing director Rommel Rico.

According to Rico, the brand changed the food delivery game in the Philippines in 2014. Gone were the days when consumers had to save the delivery numbers of their favorite restaurants or scour the internet to find their delivery service. All that and more changed with just a single app.

Today, foodpanda has more than 170,000 partner restaurants in more than

foodpanda executives posing with Pau Pau, the brand’s official mascot

Fitness trainer Joanne Villablanca (right) with her daughter at the foodpanda 8th birthday event at Glorietta 4

325 cities across 13 territories in Asia and Central Europe. foodpanda Philippines currently operates in more than 50 cities across the Philippines and continuously expanding. It also offers dine-in discounts to its pandaproClub members.

Now, foodpanda continues to bring exciting surprises to the public through a campaign that runs until July 3. The campaign marks the company’s eighth year in the country.

Coinciding with the festivities, foodpanda Philippines prepared a carnival in select malls where the public can enjoy surprises or participate in booths and raffles. Some exciting games the foodpanda

Say Alonzo and her sons enjoying the festivities at foodpanda’s 8th birthday celebration

team prepared include a giant hamster wheel and a human claw machine where participants can win exclusive merchandise and foodpanda vouchers.

Guests will also get a chance to pose with the official foodpanda mascot, Pau Pau, at the photobooth.

Aside from the exciting activities, foodpanda also has a big birthday raffle with several notable prizes.

All foodpanda customers will get a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip for two to Boracay and Palawan, an Apple iPad Pro 11 (128 GB), Nintendo Switch, and eight hundred vouchers worth P800. Meanwhile, pandapro subscribers stand a chance to win a Cebu Pacific round-trip domestic flight tickets, Love Bonito gift certificates, Realme PH products, and Zalora gift certificates worth P2,000.

Participants need to register or log in to their foodpanda app. Upon the checkout page, they need to enter and use multiple-use voucher codes such as 88FOOD, 88GROCERY, 88PICKUP, and 88PRO. The raffle is open to new and existing users, including pandapro subscribers.

The contest period runs from June 1 until June 30, 2022. Meanwhile, the raffle extraction will be on July 8, 2022, and winners will be announced on July 10, 2022.

After the event at the Glorietta Activity Center from June 17 to 19, foodpanda’s 8th birthday celebration will continue from June 24 to 26 at the BHS amphitheater, and the final leg from July 1 to 3 will be announced soon on foodpanda’s official Facebook page. foodpanda is free to download on the PlayStore and App Store.

HOME improvement need not be stressful.

In fact, it can be as simple as tapping the “add to cart” button.

Renovating your home space? Order your construction materials online. No need to visit the hardware store. Download Konstruk.ph and select the materials to be delivered.

Konstruk is an e-commerce platform that provides solutions to construction needs. With one click, the canvassing app can help you find the materials you need, check the prices from the different suppliers and arrange immediate delivery.

Founder Rommel Bulalacao describes it as the “Shopee” and “Lazada” of building materials. Konstruk is unique because it directly links users to the nearest supplier in the area for easy delivery. “For example, you can buy a bag of cement from Lazada worth P70, but the delivery price can go as high as P1000, depending on the location.” The app is equipped with a system that consolidates all purchases, so buyers are not burdened with high delivery fees.

Mr. Bulalacao has been actively part of the construction industry for 31 years. A civil engineer by profession, prior to the ecommerce app he worked for Philsteel for 16 years. With the growing popularity of big depots and construction warehouses, he cannot help but feel sad for neighborhood hardware stores, as consumers opt for the convenience offered by big stores.

“Brick and mortar hardware stores were getting smaller because they were being eaten by depots like Wilcon and Ace Hardware,” he said.

Apart from the massive structure which allows buyers to leisurely explore the variety of products available, big supply stores offer the convenience of credit card payments.

“Our industry is still 90 percent traditional. Most of the businesses still follow the mom-and-pop style, like accepting only cash payments,” he said. And for contractors, credit card purchases allow cash flow control, hence the preference for established depots.

The lockdown proved to be a challenge for neighborhood hardware stores as there were hardly any building activities that required construction supplies.

With everyone at home, frequent online purchases brought tremendous growth to internet shopping sites.

Studying the business landscape during the lockdown Mr. Bulalacao knew that an e-commerce platform can give the industry its muchneeded push. “It can digitalize the commercial trade with payment gateway and logis-

Konstruk links users with the nearest hardware suppliers tics support.”

With the success of internet shopping sites, he envisioned an e-commerce gateway that catered to the construction industry? “Anything is available online. But you cannot order a truckload of cement or steel bars of different sizes from Shopee,” he said.

With Konstruk, users are linked to the nearest supplier like neighborhood hardware stores. These small businesses now have a chance to present their items to online users.

“The business model aims to help the community stores nationwide. If you are from Laguna, the system will direct you to the nearest store in the area for faster and cheaper delivery. It will not take you to a warehouse in Manila because delivery will be more expensive,” he said. Their merchant list also includes wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers of construction materials.

Konstruk also has an algorithm that determines the appropriate vehicle for the items purchased. Delivery is coursed through Transportify, Lalamove, Tokitoki, and Ninja Van. The site covers nearly every item that involves home construction. Categories range from building materials, roofing materials, cement, doors, and tools, to furniture, appliance, and home insurance, and the list can go on and on.

Just like a typical online shopping transaction, items are added to the cart, checked out, paid online via credit card or e-wallet, and delivered to your doorstep. Payment can be made via bank-to-bank transactions, credit cards, and e-wallet transactions.

Rommel Bulalacao, founder and CEO of Konstruk, describes the platform as the Shopee and Lazada of building materials

SNAPSHOT Clark City businessman receives international speaker award Dr. Andreas Klippe (right), a Philippine resident, business expert, and speaker receives an international business expert award from chairman and best-selling author Hermann Scherer (left).

Held in Mastershausen near Frankfurt, Germany last May. He won the Excellence award as Best International Business Expert at the International Speaker Slam 2022 because the jury said: “He really talks like a champion.”

Dr. Klippe is based in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga where he is the President and CEO of Flood Control Asia RS Corporation. This unique Asian Center for flood protection has attracted several Asian customers even in the Middle East due to the modern German technology being used. Most notable was in Dinalupihan, Bataan where the Jose G. Payumo Memorial Hospital was chosen by the German government for financial aid, and Dr. Klippe and Flood Control Asia RS Corporation designed and installed German flood barriers to protect the hospital from severe flooding in the future.