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Ex-PAL exec to head DOTr

Jaime Bautista, an airline old hand, leads BBM's latest key nominees

KARLO NOGRALES

CHELOY GARAFIL

CHRISTOPHER PASTRANA

By Rey E. Requejo, Vince Lopez and Vito Barcelo

P

RESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Thursday designated veteran airline executive Jaime Bautista as the incoming secretary of Department of Transportation along with other key nominees in his administration's transportation cluster.

SILVESTRE BELLO III

CESAR CHAVEZ

Marcos also nominated outgoing Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III as chairman and resident representative-designate of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office along with former Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles as Civil Service Commission (CSC) chairman-designate.

Bautista, a certified public accountant, worked at the country's flagship Philippine Airlines (PAL) for 25 Next page

VOL. XXXVI • NO. 128 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PH drops oil, gas talks with China—DFA THE Philippines has abandoned joint oil exploration talks with China amid tensions in the West Philippine Sea, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said.

Locsin, in his speech during the 124th anniversary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, said President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the termination of the bilateral oil and gas discussions.

“The President has spoken. I carried out his instructions to

PAPER GIANTS. Colorful 'higantes' of Angono, Rizal parade during the grand caracol in celebration of the feast of Patron Saint John the Baptist in Quiapo, Manila. Norman Cruz

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Esperon claims blocked websites sow enmity, discord UN: Internet shutdowns do great damage

By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta NATIONAL Hermogenes

Security Esperon on

defended his request to have 26 websites blocked, which he said have sowed “enmity and discord” through Adviser misinformation to support the Communist Thursday Party of the Philippines (CPP), which the

government has declared as a terrorist group.

"Misinformation remains to be one of the nation’s greatest enemies and is in fact a powerful tool used by the Communist

terrorist group to sow enmity and discord – dividing Filipinos from objectivity and truth,” Esperon said, after his decision drew heavy fire from human rights groups and leftist lawmakers. Next page

Comelec rejects bid vs. Guanzon as party-list sub THE Commission on Elections en banc on Thursday rejected the bid of the Duterte Youth party-list to stop the substitution of former poll commissioner Rowena Guanzon as the first nominee of the P3PWD party-list.

Acting Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the commission approved the recommendation of its law department to deny the June 17 verified opposition filed by Duterte Youth.

In another development, the poll body proclaimed Thursday reelectionist Romeo Jalosjos Jr. as the winning congressional candidate for the first district of Zamboanga del Norte.

Based on Zamboanga del Norte 1st district's Certificate of Canvass results,

THE UN called on countries to stop imposing internet shutdowns or disruptions, warning Thursday that they can have dire and even deadly consequences.

In a fresh report, the UN rights office warned that "the dramatic real-life effects of shutdowns on the lives and human rights of millions of people are vastly underappreciated."

"Hospitals being unable to contact their doctors in cases of emergency, voters being deprived of information about candidates, handicraft makers being cut off from customers, and... peaceful protesters who fall under violent attack being unable to call for help" can be just some of the impacts when internet and telecommunications services shut down, it said.

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet pointed out in a statement that such shutdowns are happening at a time when the digital world has become "essential for the realization of many human rights."

"Switching off the internet causes

DISPLACED WORKERS. A man passes by provincial busses parking at a compound in Parañaque City on Thursday, June 23, 2022. Over 20,000 provincial bus workers have lost their jobs as only a limited number of buses are being dispatched amid the unabated increase in fuel prices. Danny Pata

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All’s well that ends well: Face mask issue cleared COVID vax for kids below 5 yrs. eyed

By Willie Casas THE national government and the Cebu provincial government have agreed to end their stand-off on the enforcement of the face mask mandate amid COVID-19, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a gun exhibit in Mandaluyong City, Año said he talked with Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, and they agreed to a compromise regarding the province's ordinance that made masks optional in outdoor and well-ventilated areas.

“They are currently crafting an IRR

(implementing rules and regulations) there to rationalize the wearing of a face mask and we will wait for the result of the IRR before we give further guidance.

They will also craft how to enforce the ordinance rationalizing the wearing Next page

By Willie Casas

THE Philippines is looking into the possibility of vaccinating children below 5 years old against COVID-19, an official of the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) said Thursday.

“We will study it thoroughly. It depends on the studies abroad and if there are vaccines, although some include

below 5 years,” NVOC chairperson Myrna Cabotaje said.

The United States has begun vaccinating children as young as 6 months after the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Moderna for children aged 6 months to 5 years and Pfizer for children aged 6 months to 4 years.

Cabotaje said the country’s vaccine Next page

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News

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022

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Flexi-work in ecozones extended T

By Othel V. Campos

PEZA director-general Charito Plaza said the Department of Trade and Industry and the FIRB agreed to extend the WFH tack after considering mobility issues due to rising crude oil prices and other factors affecting the ITBPM (information technology and business process management) industry.

“It’s not in writing yet, but we expect the memo to be issued on or before June 29, in time for the turnover of leadership to the new administration,” Plaza said in a webinar Wednesday organized by the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham).

“I hope this will put a close to our very controversial WFH issue.

Nevertheless, the damage has already been done. It was embarrassing enough that our registered business enterprises (RBEs) were subjected to surprise audit visits by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR),” she added.

The BIR authorized surprise audits to keep track of the ITBPM industry’s compliance with the back-to-office directive announced last March.

Companies found not following the directive were stripped of incentives.

PEZA has been proactively pursuing

the WFH extension since early 2022, as this is the wish of many ITBPM companies supporting millions of workers under the WFH set-up.

The 70/30 work arrangement, where 70 percent of a firm’s workforce reports onsite while the 30 percent work remotely, will be in place until September 12, 2022; after that, all ITBPM firms are expected to observe 100 percent compliance to onsite or in-office work arrangement.

Plaza noted the decision of the FIRB to discontinue WFH ahead of the lifting of the state of calamity due to COVID-19 in the country by the new President “is a form of blackmail.”

“Why are we blackmailing our investors, especially in PEZA? When we registered them, we have a contract with them that these are the incentives that we're going to provide them,” she said.

Plaza stressed the WFH scheme had been conceptualized even before the passage of Republic Act No. 11165 or the Telecommuting Act enacted on

Ex-PAL...

Manila to Bicol, and the Tagum-DavaoDigos Mindanao rail projects.

Chavez is also credited for overseeing the interconnection of the LRT Line 1 in Monumento to MRT 3 in North EDSA. Before working in the transport sector, Chavez was assistant general manager for planning of the MMDA, chairman of the National Youth Commission (NYC), and youth sector representative in the 9th Congress.

Journalist and lawyer Cheloy E. Garafil, was nominated by Marcos as Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairmandesignate.

Garafil, currently a service director at the committee on rules of the House of Representatives, was a prosecutor for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and state solicitor for the Office of the Solicitor General.

She worked as a media practitioner for over a decade in various media organizations such as the Philippine

Daily Globe, Central News Agency, Associated Press, and Malaya.

Garafil also holds a Master's degree in National Security Administration from the National Defense College and is a Philippine Air Force reservist with the rank of lieutenant-colonel.

Marcos named Christopher Pastrana as general manager-designate of the Philippine Ports Authority.

A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business from the University of the Philippines, Los Baños, in 1987, Pastrana is currently the President and CEO of CAPP Industries, a supply and logistics conglomerate.

Pastrana is also the Chairman of Archipelago Philippines Ferries Corp.

(APFC), which operates FastCat ferries.

Bello has spent decades in public service and has held various positions such as acting Secretary of Justice and later on solicitor general in 1998 during the term of President Fidel Ramos.

Bello was appointed Cabinet secretary

by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from 2004 to 2010 and was a party-list representative from 2013 to 2016.

Nograles was among the Duterte adinterim appointees that were bypassed for lack of quorum by the Commission on Appointments (CA) inJune.

Nograles, a lawyer, was Davao City's 1st District representative for eight years before President Rodrigo Duterte appointed him to several posts in the executive branch.

Nograles was once Cabinet Secretary, IATF-IED spokesperson, acting presidential spokesperson, and chairman of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger.

Bello and Nograles join a growing pool of officials retained from the Duterte administration by Marcos in his bid to select officials with proven track records who will help in nation-building.

Outgoing Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra joined the incoming administration as solicitor-general.

Technology Assessment Council) has recommended, and what the DOH through the NVOC [National Vaccination Operations Center] is implementing. A second booster or fourth dose using the currently available vaccines is meant for those who have weaker immune systems that are not providing enough protection from the first booster,” the agency said.

Health care workers are given the second booster in consideration of their high-risk exposures to patients.

The DOH urged its private sector partners to encourage their employees to get their first booster shots.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has urged all government officials and employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

However, the CSC said that no employee would be compelled to get vaccinated, whether directly or indirectly such as “being discriminated against in terms of tenure, promotion, training, pay and other non-discretionary benefits, or being forced to take a leave of absence chargeable to leave credits.”

Also on Thursday, the independent monitoring group OCTA Research said there is no need for the government to escalate the alert level status of the country or impose another lockdown amid the rise of COVID-19 infections.

OCTA Research fellow Ranjit Rye said what was important was that the public adhere to minimum public health standards and get their booster shots.

Esperon...

even under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2022 and should be used responsibly and for a good cause. Hate speech, unjust propaganda, and seeking support for CTG-affiliated organizations should be seen as separate offenses that need to be limited, especially in our country where misinformation remains to be addressed with care and consistency,” Esperon added.

Upon the request of the NSC, the NTC has ordered internet service providers to block these websites, including the independent media.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) also defended the NSC move.

DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) Jonathan Malaya said the legal basis for restricting these websites primarily emanates from "The AntiTerrorism Act of 2020."

Senator Panfilo Lacson, one of the authors of the law, said the affected websites can challenge the move in court.

He said this was the basic right of an aggrieved party.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said blocking the sites was a bad idea.

"We may be keeping our people, especially our younger generation ignorant of other perspectives, other ways of looking at things, any other ways of solving our problems,” he said.

"Allowing access to other thoughts (which are not in agreement with our own thoughts) is one necessary step in the development of critical and independent thinking," he said. "And of course we want the Filipino people to have the capability to be critical thinkers.”

incalculable damage, both in material and human rights terms."

The first major internet shutdown that captured global attention took place in Egypt in 2011, during the Tahrir Square demonstrations, and was accompanied by hundreds of arrests and killings.

"Since that time, we've just seen this proliferate across the globe," Peggy Hicks, head of the rights office's thematic engagement division, told reporters.

That is particularly concerning since such shutdowns often appear to be accompanied or followed by serious rights violations, including the undermining of the freedom of expression, but also arbitrary arrests and killings.

Hicks pointed to Iran's internet blackout in 2019 as authorities cracked down on nationwide protests, the internet shutdown amid demonstrations over Belarus's contested 2020 elections, and repeated shutdowns since Myanmar's military coup last year.

"One of the key findings of the report is that when you see a shutdown happen, it's time to start worrying about human rights," she said.

The report noted that the #KeepItOn coalition, which monitors shutdown episodes across the world, documented 931 shutdowns between 2016 and 2021 across 74 countries, including some that blocked communications repeatedly and over long periods of time.

But Hicks stressed that it was difficult to gather information about shutdowns, and especially about less comprehensive measures like blocking access to major online platforms and throttling bandwidth or limiting mobile services.

"Those are only the tip of the iceberg," she said.

Many governments refuse to acknowledge that they have ordered any interference in communications, and sometimes put pressure on telecommunications companies to prevent them from revealing why communications have been blocked or slowed down. AFP

combined, Jalosjos got a total of 74,533 votes, winning over Uy by 4,942 votes.

In Guanzon’s favor, Laudiangco cited the following grounds: - Resolution 10717 provides for the rules prior to elections and not postelections; - Consistent with the 2019 case of Duterte Youth, the Commission enbanc gave due course to withdrawals, substitutions, and submission of a new list of nominees after the elections; and - Sections 8 and 16 of Party-List System Act allow the submission of

additional nominees when the list of nominees had been exhausted.

Laudiangco also said the commission noted the compliance of P3PWD to the publication requirements. The new list of nominees was publishedby Topline News Publication on June 15 and People's Balita on June 17.

The Duterte Youth party-list, led by National Youth Commission chairperson Ronald Cardema and his wife Rep. Ducielle Cardema, filed a case last Monday against Guanzon in the Supreme Court to stop her substitution. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Locsin admitted he "got as far as it is Constitutionally possible to go" in hammering out a deal with his Chinese counterpart.

“I tried for three years to come to an agreement, to facilitate exploration for, and exploitation of oil and gas in the WPS," Locsin said.

"One step forward from where we stood, on the edge of the abyss, is a drop into Constitutional crisis. That explains the sudden pullback of my part which unraveled three years of sincere hardwork on the part of Wang Yi and

me,” he added.

Locsin said the defense of the country's sovereignty was now in the hands of the administration of Presidentelect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “It remains with the new administration to protect our sovereignty all the way... but now I can rest. The irreducible template of what is Constitutionally possible is there in black-and-white," he said.

"Surrender of any portion of Philippine sovereignty is not an option. Not for love.

Not for money,” Locsin added.

HE Fiscal and Incentives Review Board (FIRB) has approved the extension of the work-from-home (WFH) set-up in businesses located in economic zones in the country until September this year, according to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

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years and was its president for a combined 13 years before retiring a second time in 2019.

Bautista rose through the ranks of PAL, eventually becoming vice president for finance from 1993 to 1994, chief finance officer from 1994 to 1999, executive vice president from 1999 to 2004, and president from 2004 to 2012, and from 2014 until 2019.

Marcos also named former Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) Deputy Administrator Cesar Chavez as Undersecretary-designate for Rails at the DoTR. Chavez, who President Rodrigo Duterte appointed to the same post in 2017, was instrumental in securing the National Economic and Development Authority's approval for the Metro Manila Subway, PNR Manila to Calamba, PNR

COVID...

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program is already in place for the incoming administration.

However, she said there is a need to advocate the inoculation of booster shots and the primary series.

The Philippines has rolled out its booster dose vaccination for immunocompromised children aged 12 to 17 years old. Authorities said the vaccination of the rest of the age group will begin after a few days.

As of June 20, the Philippines has vaccinated more than 70 million people or 77.85 percent of the target population.

Almost 9.5 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 and 3.3 million children aged 5 to 11 have also been fully vaccinated.

But only one out of five Filipinos eligible for a first booster or around 14.85 million, have received the needed third dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

The Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday concerned agencies must focus on encouraging more adults to get their first booster shot readily available for them.

In a Viber message to reporters, the DOH noted that the emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows a second booster or fourth dose only for health care workers, senior citizens, and immunocompromised adults.

“This is also what the HTAC (Health

All’s...

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of face masks. So, they will wait for that,” he added.

Meanwhile, outgoing Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he will be recommending the extension of the mandatory face mask mandate as the country records a notable uptick in COVID-19 cases.

"Well, if you ask me, I will recommend that it should be extended because there's already an increasing number of cases," Duque said during an interview Thursday with CNN Philippines.

Año earlier said the ordinance passed by the Cebu provincial board cannot supersede President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order (EO) 151, which mandates the use of face masks all over the country except in allowable circumstances.

He emphasized the country is still under a state of public health emergency and a state of calamity until September 12, 2022.

Año said the Philippine National Police will strictly enforce the mandatory face mask rule imposed by the President in Cebu, and that all police officers who refuse to follow orders from higher authorities will be relieved of duty.

Garcia, however, has argued that the resolutions of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases are merely "recommendatory in nature."

Despite the recent increase in

COVID-19 cases, the country remains at a low-risk classification with an average daily attack rate of less than 1 per 100,000 population, the Department of Health (DOH) earlier said.

Aside from COVID-19, Duque said face masks can help prevent other illnesses such as influenza, bacterial pneumonia, monkeypox, and asthma.

"So, we should continue wearing face masks for their added value. It's not just only against COVID-19 but also against influenza, bacterial pneumonia, and others,” Duque said.

Duterte has said the mandatory wearing of face masks will not be lifted until the end of his term on June 30.

Meanwhile, Duque said he is hoping the next administration will be more open to a policy mandating COVID-19 vaccination but with exceptions.

Duque reiterated that the increase in cases may be due to many people no longer complying with minimum health standards, not all qualified people taking a booster shot, and the entrance of Omicron's more transmissible subvariants.

The Health chief said this could also be due to the waning immunity of COVID-19 vaccines.

"The problem is we don't have a vaccine mandate. I broached that idea but that was thumbed down by Congress," Duque said.

"So, we'll see if the next Congress might be more receptive to a possible policy… mandating vaccination but with clear exceptions. Not all people have to be vaccinated," he said.

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Esperon pointed out that upholding and promoting the truth is a national security responsibility imbued with public interest.

He said some websites like the independent Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly have been using their platforms to spread information on causes important to communist ideology.

“We cannot simply turn a blind eye to the fact that they have actively supported organizations affiliated with the CPPNPA-NDF,” Esperon said.

Both Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly have condemned the move to block their websites as an affront to freedom of speech and of expression.

Esperon expressed gratitude to NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba for granting his request to restrict the influence of some websites for allegedly supporting the CPP, the New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

“We understand that the cost of leadership is high, especially with issues as sensitive as this. Nevertheless, the goal to protect and preserve our nation’s integrity and objectivity means that we are prepared to make difficult decisions needed to prevent further negative influence from the CPP-NPA-NDF and its affiliated organizations to spread in our cyberspace,” Esperon added.

Esperon dismissed this criticism, saying restricting access to these websites does not necessarily mean a restriction on these organizations to engage in free speech.

“The right to free speech is protected,

Comelec...

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Jalosjos originally garnered 69,109 votes from Dapitan City, and the municipalities of La Libertad, Mutia, Piñan, Polanco, Rizal, Sergio Osmeña Sr., and Sibutad.

He placed second behind Roberto “Pinpin” Uy Jr. with 69,591 votes.

The Comelec, however, decided to “legally pass” to the reelectionist lawmaker the 5,424 votes obtained by Frederico Jalosjos, who was declared a nuisance candidate. With the votes

PH...

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the letter. Oil and gas discussions are terminated completely. Nothing is spending. Everything is over,” he said.

“Three years on and we have not achieved our objective—developing oil and gas resources so critical for the Philippines, but not at the price of sovereignty. Not even a particle of it,” he added.

December 20, 2018—well before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After its leadership turnover, PEZA intends to institutionalize the hybrid/ WFH set-up, not only to keep workers but also to clip the increasing numbers of unregistered or underground ITPBM companies, many of which were found in Cebu.

“These companies are operating illegally. They pay as much as P40,000 per worker, up until the duration of the project. They do not pay taxes to the government and do not provide security of tenure to workers. The biggest loser here is the government,” Plaza said.

PEZAsaid 423 ITBPM firms petitioned the government to institutionalize the hybrid work scheme after the September 2022 extension lapses.

“The hybrid scheme must be institutionalized by the incoming Marcos administration, as we need to harmonize our laws and policies on this matter,” Plaza said.

‘Billions to die of diseases as food crisis hits’ YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia—The global food crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine will kill millions by leaving the hungriest more vulnerable to infectious diseases, potentially triggering the world's next health catastrophe, the head of a major aid organization has warned.

A Russian naval blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports has stopped grain shipments from the world's fourthlargest exporter of wheat and corn, raising the specter of shortages and hunger in low-income countries.

The knock-on effects of the food shortages mean many will die not only of starvation but from having weaker defenses against infectious diseases due to bad nutrition, Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, told AFP this week.

"I think we've probably already begun our next health crisis. It's not a new pathogen but it means people who are poorly nourished will be more vulnerable to the existing diseases," he said in an interview on the sidelines of a G20 health minister meeting in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.

"I think the combined impact of infectious diseases and the food shortages and the energy crisis... we can be talking about millions of extra deaths because of this," he said.

In the Philippines, a party-list legislator on Thursday said he expects a bigger budget for the agriculture sector with President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announcing his taking over the Department of Agriculture (DA) when he assumes office in July. Maricel V. Cruz with AFP (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

UN:...

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News

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Frontliners likely to wait longer for OCA

By Willie Casas

I

T LOOKS like the country’s frontline healthcare workers will have to wait a lot longer for their muchawaited One COVID-19 Allowance (OCA).

The Department of Health (DOH) said it cannot release the funds for the OCA without liquidation from hospitals that have already received the financial benefits.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday said they have instructed the hospitals involved, both public

and private, to liquidate their cash advances on the government’s response to the COVID pandemic.

More than 120,000 healthcare workers and personnel nationwide have yet to receive their OCA. “So you cannot just be disbursing and disbursing public funds without

the proper accountabilities, without the proper liquidation report,” Duque said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

“Once they have liquidated, I told them even partial liquidation is okay.

There has to be liquidation. Otherwise, the DOH will be liable and it will be a subject of a COA observation and a possible disallowance.),” Duque said.

“We told them, please submit the liquidation report and the liquidation report and also the memorandum of agreement because these are all embedded in the guidelines for the grant of such benefits and also under the law,”

he said.

Last May, the DOH said it has released P86.5 million under OCA to 54 health facilities since January 2022.

Under the OCA, those classified to be high risk will be given P9,000 per month, those at moderate risk will receive P6,000, and those at low risk will be given P3,000.

On the other hand, Duque said he personally monitors the disbursement of the OCA. “I monitor the release of that. They really deserve it, these benefits, the OCA is long overdue.),” he said.

Villar hails NIA achievements in irrigation SENATOR Cynthia Villar has cited the achievements of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in pursuing accelerated and sustainable irrigation development.

Speaking at the NIA’S 59th anniversary celebration, Villar acknowledged the collective efforts of the agency under its administrator, Bong Visaya, and the farmers and irrigators’ association spearheading the further growth of our irrigation system and helping our farmers and the communities in general.

“It takes both knowledge in efficient engineering to develop and maintain irrigation systems in support of the agricultural program of the government,” Villar said.

She also cited the dedication and commitment of the men and women of NIA and the support of the various irrigators associations nationwide to provide adequate level of irrigation service on a sustainable basis as a partnership with the farmers and local government units.

She congratulated Visaya and his people’s very good accomplishments “a record in history” that the status of irrigation development in 2021 is 11.68% higher than the irrigation development status 10 years ago or in 2011.

Under President Duterte’s administration, Villar also cited an increase of 311, 264.66 hectares or 7.95 percent rise in irrigation development from 2016 to 2021.

“It also pursued Solar-Powered Irrigation Projects, where NIA has 333 solar-powered irrigation projects nationwide with an aggregate cost of P1.517 billion,” she said.

Villar also said the Free Irrigation Service Act (FISA) of 2018, which she authored, has been benefitting farmers with landholdings of eight hectares or less.

“These farmers, are exempted from paying the irrigation service fee (ISF) for the irrigation derived from national and communal irrigation systems constructed and administered by NIA and other government agencies,” the senator said. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Solon supports call to review K to 12 law AN opposition lawmaker on Thursday expressed support to calls to review the Enhanced Basic Education Act or the K to 12 law.

Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro cited the need to revisit the K to 12 program that was crafted during the Aquino administration with a view to addressing issues about the law.

Among the concerns raised were inadequate salaries of teachers and other education personnel, the chronic underfunding for the requirements of basic education, work overload for the teachers and, quality of education the students receive.

“The K to 12 program has brought with it a countless number of problems with shortages in facilities, learning materials, and lacks support for adequate salaries and benefits for teachers and non-teaching personnel which ultimately compromises the quality of education the students receive,” Castro said.

“Teachers, students, education support personnel, and the parents experience first-hand the effects of the shortages, under-funding, and low salaries brought by the implementation of the K to 12 program, their clamor should be heard.”

Castro said the K to 12 program did not enhance the curriculum of basic education. It simply mandated additional two years of high school and even condensed lessons to the pupils leaving behind many.

“We should also remember that the removal of Philippine History as a separate subject in high school and the removal of the Filipino language and Filipino literature in tertiary education as required units as a result of the implementation of the K to 12 program. Moves in the policies for education that would worsen the education crisis in the country,” Castro stressed.

Maricel V. Cruz

STREET DANCING. Women dressed in varicolored costumes do the Caracol street dancing in Quiapo, Manila to celebrate the feast of their patron Saint John, the Baptist. Norman Cruz

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POGOs pile up P2.3B unpaid bills over five years—COA PHILIPPINE Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) appeared to be delinquent in paying their dues to the government, prompting the Commission on Audit (COA) to task the state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) to revisit its revenue collection mechanisms.

The COA said receivables from the POGOs have reached Philippine offshore gaming operations P2.328 billion as of the end 2021 based on the PAGCOR book of accounts.

The COA said that the amount represents uncollected fees for over the past 5 years, reflecting an increase of P846.179 million or 57 percent compared to 2020 figures.

The accumulation of receivables as of Dec. 31, 2021 is contrary to the Offshore Regulatory Gaming Manual or OGRM provision that requires POGO licensees to pay their dues every 15th of the month.

“The presence of substantial accounts receivable from POGOs has been a persistent issue for several years despite the existence of collection procedures under the OGRM,” the COA said.

They said collection procedures include a notice of delinquency to the concerned POGO licensees, forfeiture of performance bond, and suspension, cessation or cancellation of offshore gaming license.

The uncollected fees caused a “delay in the opportunity to use the much needed resources in pursuit of PAGCOR’s mandate,” auditors said.

The auditors recommended that PAGCOR officials evaluate and validate the accounts receivable under protest, totaling P815.902 million, and provide the necessary adjustments in its books.

They urged PAGCOR to revisit the effectiveness of pertinent provisions in the OGRM to improve its collection of regulatory fees.

Maynilad eyes recycled water to meet growing demand

By Othel V. Campos and Rio Araja WEST zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) has bared plans to recycle used water to make it potable anew, akin to the practices in Singapore, South Africa, Namibia, and the United States.

“Water is a scarce resource. Given the growing population’s increasing demand for water plus the strain on existing sources due to climate change, we should consider using previously untapped sources—including used water—to augment

supply. There are now reliable and effective treatment technologies that make it a viable option,” said Maynilad president and CEO Ramoncito Fernandez.

Maynilad intends to utilize some of its new modular treatment plants (ModTP) to purify used water discharged to rivers from its own sewage treatment plants (STP).

Maynilad quality, sustainability and resiliency head Roel Espiritu said the treated used water discharged by STPs is a more reliable water source than raw river water because it is climate independent and the quality is controlled and less variable.

“If we use the rivers directly as a source, trash and other pollutants thrown into it by surrounding communities could drastically change the river water’s quality. This could affect the volume output of a ModTP, which has to adjust its treatment parameters with sudden shifts in the raw water quality,” he explained.

Maynilad treats raw water from Laguna Lake in a similar way using a sewage treatment method for initial purification of the lake water before it passes through several more treatment processes for full conversion to drinking water.

The company has been tapping Lagu-

na Lake as alternative raw water source since 2010, which enabled it to reduce over-reliance on Angat Dam and serve customers in the South.

The ModTPs of Maynilad use treatment Israeli technology using a multistage process that includes pressurized media filtration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and chlorine disinfection to convert used water to drinking water.

“By including used water to our supply source options, we have enhanced capability to generate more water whenever existing supplies run short,” Fernandez said.

Hit-and-run suspect files counter affidavit; leaves his fate to court HIT-and-run suspect Jose Antonio Sanvicente on Thursday showed up at the second preliminary hearing to file his counteraffidavit regarding the criminal complaints lodged against him by the police.

Sanvicente, who was accompanied by his lawyer, left in a huff 30 minutes later.

He left after 30 minutes and declined to give any statement to the media.

The lawyer, Danny Macalino, told reporters that they submitted their counteraffidavit and would wait for the court’s decision on the case.

“We only submitted a counter-affidavit. Perhaps there won’t be another hearing, I don’t know,” Macalino said.

Sanvicente skipped the first hearing last week. This was his first public appearance since surrendering to the police at Camp Crame last June 15, and apologized to the complainant, security guard Christian Joseph Floralde, during a press conference.

Floralde “begged off” from Thursday’s hearing as he was not feeling well, said his lawyer Federico Biolena.

Biolena said he was not aware of any settlement attempts between his client and Sanvicente.

The lawyer also said they have submitted all their evidence and individual statements, and will just let the prosecutor “weigh the evidence as he sees it.”

Biolena noted that their camp’s strongest piece of evidence was the dashboard camera video of the June 5 hit-and-run incident in Mandaluyong City that went viral later on.

He added he was not privy to the financial assistance that Sanvicente’s camp previously offered to his client. Sanvicente’s family had promised Senatorelect JV Ejercito that they would shoulder the medical expenses of the security guard and that they would “face the consequences” of his actions.

ARMS SHOW. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Ano, a retired Army general, inspects a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun model DERYA MK-12 AS109SE made by local gun manufacturer Armscor which is holding its first post-pandemic Tactical, Survival and Arms (TACS) Expo at the Megatrade Hall of the Mega Mall in Mandaluyong City. Manny Palmero

Angeles is top tax collector in CL

RECYCLING AND BUNTINGS CAN GO TOGETHER. With a great sense of creativity, recycled empty soft drinks plastic replace fabric and papers for buntings to achieve that festive fiesta atmosphere in Brgy Poblacion in Makati City. Diana B. Noche

THE Bureau of Local Government Finance in Region III has cited the Angeles City government under Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. for consistently topping all cities in among Central Luzon its revenue collection.

The Bureau conferred three plaques of achievements to Angeles City LGU under the leadership of Mayor Lazatin for attaining the “Highest Nominal Locally Sourced Revenues” in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

In 2019, Angeles City generated P1,635,704,929 revenues; P1,604,635,856 in 2020; and P1,524,077,468 in 2021.

The feats were reputedly done at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by enforcing a business friendly atmosphere

and setting aside tax increase.

Acting city treasurer Jennifer Castro received the BLGF-R3 awards on Wednesday at the Subic Grand Harbour Hotel, in Subic Zambales from BLGF regional director Divina Corpuz.

Corpuz cited Angeles as “Top 3” “among all cities in Central Luzon, obtaining 11 percent year-on-year growth in locally sourced revenues for 2019.”

The city government ranks 6th in the National Level (2020) in terms of revenue generation.

Lazatin lauded the efforts of retired city treasurer Juliet Quinsaat in ensuring a no-nonsense collection of revenues in the past three years amid the pandemic.

Butch Gunio

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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Marcos’ intel chief to focus on West PH Sea

News

Manila

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022

THE National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) will focus in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) amid the Philippines’ ongoing territorial dispute with China.

“We have to view everything and integrate, harmonize our efforts. We cannot just isolate ourselves and say bahala na diyan sa ano [whatever happens, happens],” National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) DirectorYELLOW General-designate CYAN MAGENTA BLACKRicardo de Leon, in a GMA News report, PTM was no. 52, SBP was no. 53 while Angkla was said. no. 54.

De Leon was responding to The SC in its previous ruling declared as “not unconstitutional” Section 11 (b) of Republic Act 7941 questions on providing more reor the Party-list System Act that gives party-list gar- sources for intelligence-gathering nering at least two percent of the votes for the party- for WPS instead of just being surlist system (two-percenters) a guaranteed seat in the prised by the presence of Chinese vessels there.

House of Representatives.

The official further pointed Besides, RA 7941 provides that those garnering out that the AFP Modernization more than two percent of the votes shall be entitled to additional seats in proportion to their total num- Program “should be sustained ber of votes, provided that each party, organization as equipment and facilities are or coalition “shall be entitled to not more than three needed to improve intelligence capabilities. seats.”

He expressed confidence that The high court stressed that the interpretation of Section 11 (b) of R.A 7941 had long been settled in the President-elect Ferdinand “Bongcase of Barangay Association for National Advance- bong” Marcos Jr. would be on ment and Transparency (Banat) vs. Commission on board for this.”

Elections decided on July 8, 2009.

SC affirms party-list formula Manila

Republic of the Philippines Standard Department of Environment and Natural Resources

TODAY MINES AND GEOSCIENCE BUREAU

Regional Office No. V DENR Annex Bldg., Regional Center, Rawis, Legaspi City E-mail Address: region5@mgb.gov.ph Website: region5.mgb.gov.ph Telefax No. (052) 482-1056 Tel No. (052) 482-1156

NOTICE OF APPLICATION OF BENGUET CORPORATION FOR

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Supreme Court (SC) upheld with finality its decision sustaining the constitutionality of the formula it promulgated in the Banat party-list case for determining the winners in the party-list elections.

EXPLORATION PERMIT Notice is hereby given that pursuant to Section 21 of DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2010-21, Series of 2010, the Consolidated Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 7942, otherwise known as the “PHILIPPINE MINING ACT OF 1995”, BENGUET CORPORATION filed an application/proposal for Exploration Permit for the exploration of gold, copper and other related minerals particularly described as follows: A)

Tenement No.

B)

Name of Applicant :

:

BENGUET CORPORATION

C)

Contact Person and Address

LINA G. FERNANDEZ President 106 Universal Re Building Paseo De Roxas, Makati

:

Exploration Permit Application (EXPA) No. 122

ENGR. VALERIANO B. BONGALOS, JR. Vice President/Resident Manager Benguet Distric Operation Balatoc, Virac, Itogon, Benguet D)

Date Applied

:

November 12, 2021

E)

Area Coverage

:

282.3526 HECTARES

F)

Location

:

Barangays UCAB, VIRAC AND AMPUCAO all in the Municipality of Itogon Province of BENGUET

G)

Technical Description of the Unpublished Area:

In a 17-page resolution, the SC through Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier denied for lack of merit the motion for reconsideration filed by party-list groups Ang Partido ng Mga Marinong Pilipino, Inc. (Angkla), Serbisyo sa Bayan (SBP) and Aksyon Magsasaka-Tinig Partido ng Masa (AKMA-PTM) seeking the reversal of the Court’s decision issued on September 15, 2020.

The petitioners ranked just below the 51 winning party-list groups in the May 13, 2019 elections. AKMA-

Poll regulator resumes voter registration in July

For details, kindly refer to the attached Technical Decription and Location Map H)

Term of the Permit if approved: Two years, renewable for like periods but not exceed a total of eight years

I)

Exploration Activities: YEAR 1 a) Research Work b) Regional Geological Survey Studies c) Tunneling

Air Force (PAF) aircraft conduct a flyby at the National Museum in Manila during the preparation of the inauguration of Presidentelect Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr. on June 30.

Norman Cruz

YEAR 2 a) Tunneling b) Drilling

J)

The applied area covers 2,285.0423 hectares. About 282.3526 hectares was not published, hence, this publication, Section 21. Publication/Posting/Radio Announcement of an Exploration Permit Application of DAO 2010-21 provides that previously published valid and existing mining claims are exempted from publication/posting/radio announcement.

K)

EXPA No. 122 is formerly an application for Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (APSA) No. 009 that was denied by the Office of the MGB Regional and Central Offices, however, reinstated by the DENR Secretary on October 5, 2021. The conversion from APSA No. 009 to EXPA No. 122 is in accordance with the DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2021-25, Implementing Rules and Regulations of Executive Order No. 130 Entitled: Amending Section 4 of Executive 4 of Executive Order No. 79, Series of 2012.

L)

Area Clearance for APSA No. 009, now EXPA No. 122 was granted by the Undersecretary for Mining and Legal Affairs on 15 February 2006 in consonance with DENR Memorandum Order (DMO) 95-03, as amended by DMO No. 2005-05 re: Appeal covering Denial of Area Clearance for Mining Applications.

M)

APSA No. 009 now EXPA No. 122 was endorsed to NCIP-CAR in 2003 for the required Certification Pre-condition.

This “Notice of Application” shall be: (a) Published one in two (2) newspapers; one of general circulation published in Metro Manila and another published in Baguio City or Benguet Province where the proposed permit area is located. (b) Posted on the Bulletin Board of the MBG-CAR, Provincial Capitol of Benguet, Municipality of Itogon copy furnished the concerned Barangays of Itogon, Benguet where the proposed permit area is located for a minimum period of one week copy furnished the MGB-Central Office; (c) Radio broadcasted daily for one (1) week in a local radio program and shall consist of the name and complete address of the applicant, area location, duration of the permit applied for and instructions that information regarding such application may be obtained at the Regional Office(s) concerned.

Any and all persons having adverse claims, protests and/or opposition to the above-mentioned application are hereby notified that their adverse claims should be filed within ten (10) days from the last date of publication/posting directly with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Regional Office CAR or through any concerned Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (CENRO) or Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) of the DENR for filing in the Regional Office for purposes of its resolution by the Panel of Arbitrators and/or concerned appellate body/ies pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 7942 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations. Adverse claims, protests or oppostions should be accomplished in accordance with Sections 203 and 204 of DENR Administrative Order No. 2010-21, Series of 2010 and a copy thereof shall be furnished to the applicant /contractor by the adverse claimant.

For further particulars, file or course your inquiries to the Regional Director, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, DENR-CAR, Baguio City.

Issued on _____________________, 2022

FLYBY. Philippine

More than 15K cops to secure inauguration

By Joel E. Zurbano MORE than 15,200 policemen and other personnel from various government agencies will be deployed to secure peace and order in connection with the inauguration of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on June 30.

The National Capital Region Police Office has ordered all police district and station commanders in Metro Manila to intensify police operations in their area of jurisdiction to ensure there will be no disruption before, during and after the oath-taking of the country’s 17th President.

NCRPO chief P/Maj. Gen. Felipe Natividad tapped his men following reports that former cadres of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army

and National Democratic Front “are planning to disrupt and discredit the incoming administration.”

“We in NCRPO berate this attempt of the leftist organizations to taint the peace and order in the incoming inauguration. We will provide all the necessary security and safety operations to ensure the successful conduct of the said occasion,” he said.

Natividad said various government agencies joined the police force in the security preparation for the event to be held at the historical National Museum in Manila.

He added a total of 15, 213 personnel coming from the NCRPO, the Joint Task Force - NCR, the Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, Metropolitan Manila De-

velopment Authority, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and Department of Health will be dispatched for the planned security measures.

“These people and force multipliers will be deployed in different areas during the inauguration and sufficient contingents shall be on standby should the need arises.

The highest level of readiness is expected to prevent any untoward incident,” said Natividad The NCRPO chief also said intensified police visibility and invigorated patrol operations will continuously be conducted at the premises of the National Museum “to deter anyone from committing unlawful acts, need not to mention the observance of minimun health standard protocols as the threat on Covid infection still arises.”

By Vito Barcelo VOTER registration in the Philippines will resume from July 4 to 24 as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) starts its preparations for the December barangay and SK elections.

“Approval of the Resumption of Continuing Voter’s Registration from July 4-23, 2022. Resolution to be formally promulgated,” Comelec acting spokesperson Rex Laudiangco said.

The poll official said that the registration will only be less than a month, according to Republic Act (RA) No. 8189.

The voter registration is not only for regular voters or those 18 years old and above, but also those who are looking to vote in the SK polls.

Laudiangco cited RA 8189 (Continuing Voter’s Registration Act), saying voter registration is prohibited within 120 days prior to elections.

“The Comelec should publish names of voter registration applicants, set the election registration board (ERB) hearings, subject registrants to database verification, conduct ERB hearings, draft and approve the project of precincts, and cluster established precincts from July 24 to August 6,” he added.

The Comelec’s latest data shows there were 67.4 million registered Filipino voters during the May 9 elections.

Gatchalian seeks bigger cash aid for all public utility drivers

By Macon Ramos-Araneta AMID the unabated spikes in fuel costs, re-elected Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has proposed to increase the monthly ayuda of public utility vehicle drivers to P3,000 in five months.

“The immediate solution is to expand the Pantawid Pasada. Ang proposal ko (my proposal) P3,000 a month for the next five months.

That will cost us about P4 billion,” Gatchalian said.

The proposed P3,000 ayuda, he sald, will be given to jeepney, bus, UV Express, and taxi drivers while tricycle drivers could get around P1,000 as financial aid.

As he pushes for an increase in

government financial aid, he also urged PUV drivers to fix their documents immediately to ensure swift distribution of the Pantawid Pasada Program of the government.

With the lessons in the distribution of previous tranches of financial aid, Gatchalian hopes the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board will release the ayuda within one week.

“When we allocate funds, hopefully, in one week we can give cards to our drivers which is very important,” he said The government, he said, could source the additional funding for the Pantawid Pamilya Program from the unobligated funds under the LTFRB and the Department of Transportation.

FILIPINIANA GOWNS. Modern Filipiniana gowns made by designer Peñaflorida Atelier are on display in an exhibit at the atrium of the SM CIty Masinag in Antipolo City on Thursday. The ‘Traje’ Filipiniana exhibit showcased eight dazzling Filipiniana gowns. Joey O. Razon

Poe: Government must address delays in National ID delivery

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

(MS-JUNE 24 & JULY 1, 2022)

SENATOR Grace Poe said the government must address the delays in the printing and delivery of the National ID to provide the public a valid proof of identity in one card.

She said the long wait of six months to over a year to get the

ID is “unjustifiable.”

The National ID, Poe said, could have been the trusted card used for the speedy distribution of cash aid, fuel vouchers, health benefits, and other basic services that Filipinos desperately need to help tide them over the challenging times.

She noted that the stream-

lined information in one card would have made public and private transactions less cumbersome and trying.

“As it continues to encourage the public to sign up, the Philippine Statistics Authority must ensure the veracity and accuracy of the data in the card and open avenues for modifications

if needed,” she said.

With more than half of the population registered, she said Filipinos have given the program a chance. “It’s high time that the government does its share by delivering the National ID to our citizens without further delay,” she said

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Opinion THE view that filing a criminal case against an opposing party leads to the best realizable outcome may not always be the case.

Those who espouse this belief want to leverage against, threaten, or unsettle the opponent to achieve an anticipated result.

The filing of a criminal case, baseless as it is, is sometimes utilized by individuals to force the other party to settle or compromise on terms dictated by them. Afraid of imprisonment, embarrassment, and the uncertainty of litigation, the sued party may be forced to settle.

The practice of filing baseless criminal actions is not recommended since it: (a) adds to the clogging of court dockets; and (b) erodes the people’s trust in the legal system. Criminal cases must be instituted only for offenses or felonies that have been committed, and for violations of laws which carry penal sanctions.

Criminal cases cannot be based on suppositions or unsupported conclusions. This is the reason why criminal complaints must pass through preliminary investigation at the level of the City or Provincial Prosecutor.

The preliminary investigation’s goal is to determine whether or not the respondent is probably guilty of the crime.

After the exchange of affidavits by the parties, and if the prosecutor is convinced that the respondent is probably guilty, a criminal information will be filed in court.

Once a criminal action has been commenced, the civil action arising from the commission of the offense or delict cannot be separately instituted. This is known as the primacy of criminal actions over civil actions arising from the delict.

When a criminal action is instituted, the civil action for the recovery of the civil liability arising from the commission of the crime is deemed simultaneously instituted (Section 1, Rule 111, Criminal Procedure).

The offended party’s civil claim is effectively joined with the State’s by operation of law, without the need for any legal action from the former.

However, the offended party may waive the civil action, institute the civil action prior to the criminal action, and reserves the right to institute it separately (Section 1, Rule 111).

A waiver is a voluntary relinquishment of a right which in this instance is the right to recover the civil liability arising from the crime.

Criminal cases must be instituted only for offenses or felonies that have been committed, and for violations of laws which carry penal sanctions In case a civil action was instituted before the commencement of the criminal action, the civil action will be suspended for the period of time starting from the filing of the criminal action until the final judgment is made.

However, the civil action may be consolidated with the criminal action upon motion of the offended party (Section 1(b), Rule 111).

The rules on the primacy of criminal action will not apply when the civil action is rooted on the violation of rights and liberties (Article 32, Civil Code); defamation, fraud and physical injuries (Article 33); refusal or failure of a member of the police force to render aid to a person in danger (Article 34); and quasi-delict (Article 2176). These civil actions are known as independent civil actions.

Unlike reserved civil actions, the independent civil actions will have to proceed independently of the criminal action. The quantum of proof required for civil actions is preponderance of evidence and not proof beyond reasonable doubt, as in criminal actions.

Full version on www.manilastandard.net

UP proposals on foreign policy

PRESIDENT–elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to name the next Foreign Affairs Secretary as of today, quite possibly because he wants to choose from a roster of names deemed highly qualified for the job and competent to explain the new administration’s stand on complex foreign policy issues.

But the incoming Foreign Secretary may want to consider the unsolicited proposals of the premier State University regarding our foreign policy thrusts in the next six years.

The UP academics view Philippine foreign relations at present as mainly reactive to developments on the world stage, thus failing to establish a stable and consistent foreign policy compatible with long-term national goals.

The Philippines now finds itself in the midst of intensifying great power rivalry, particularly between the United States and China. At the same time, faces an ongoing territorial and maritime dispute in the South China Sea with its neighbors, notably China.

The country has a longstanding Mutual Defense Treaty with the United

States under which one side is bound to help the other when attacked by a third country.

This arrangement keeps Beijing wary of any buildup of American forces and armaments in the Philippines, and has therefore established artificial islands in parts of the South China Sea with military fortifications as part of its claimed ownership of nearly the whole of the vital sealane under the so-called “ninedash-line.”

The Philippines now finds itself in the midst of intensifying great power rivalry, particularly between the United States and China For UP, “more than at any other time, the Philippines needs to more clearly define its strategic interests to help the country navigate this period of shifting power balance.”

The academic group pointed out that while the Aquino administration from 2010 to 2016 considered China as an emerging military power and a potential threat to the country’s maritime secu-

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EDITORIAL

Primacy of criminal action The reservation is an option given to the offended party to recover the civil liability arising from the crime via a separate civil action.

However, the offended party will have to wait until the termination of the criminal action before he or she can proceed to recover the civil liability.

The reservation can be made before the prosecution starts presenting its evidence and under circumstances affording the offended party a reasonable opportunity to make such a reservation. As a consequence, he “loses his standing in a criminal case” (Tranquil Salvador III, Criminal Procedure citing Tactaquin v.

Palileo, G.R. No. L-20865, 29 December 1967).

The practical reason for requiring the reservation of the right to bring an action separately is to avoid the filing of more than one action for the same act or omission against the same party (Maniago v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 104392, 20 February 1996).

While reservation is a choice given to the offended party, the option is not given to offended parties in BP 22 cases (Section 1(b), Rule 111).

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022

Recession fears ORLD financial markets of late are swinging wildly because of recession fears.

W

Traders of oil and other global commodities, currencies, stocks and bonds are speculating the global economy is headed for a recession after the disruption in the supply of key commodity products, higher inflation and the response of central banks to raise interest rates.

Market players are trading down stocks in anticipation of a negative world economic growth.

Most companies listed in stock exchange offer little incentives to investors.

The revenues of these firms are not expected to grow strongly enough to justify dividend payments to stockholders, not under a high inflationary regime where interest rates are being aggressively hiked to curb surging prices.

The Ukraine-Russia war has choked the supply lines of crude oil, wheat and corn, resulting in higher prices of these commodities in the world market.

Rising crude prices have pushed up the cost of fuel and transportation.

These, in turn, increased the prices of meat, vegetables and basic com-

modities that need to be transported from their source to the market.

China, the world’s second-biggest economy, is compounding the problem in the supply chain.

Traders of oil and other global commodities, currencies, stocks and bonds are speculating the global economy is headed for a recession...

The general lockdown in the industrial regions of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, because of China’s zero COVID-19 policy, has also disrupted the supplies of computers and integrated circuits to the global market.

The broken supply link of commodities and industrial products has sent inflation rates in the US, Europe and developing nations like the Philippines soaring.

The US Federal Reserve Board and other central banks in the world reacted to high prices by increasing interest rates – or the borrowing cost of money – several times. Higher interest rates will slow down spending and eventually tame the inflation rate.

Unfortunately, the higher cost of money, or interest rate, will prompt consumers to postpone their investments, spend less on their credit cards and save their cash.

The general economy will slow down as a result of decreased demand from consumers. Oil traders, too, are anticipating the possible global recession.

They are buying less in the international market on expectations that the global consumption will decline.

Crude prices in the world market lately have gone down to just over $100 per barrel from over $120 a week ago.

The Philippines, meanwhile, will eventually feel the global crunch even if it is currently enjoying a strong economic recovery.

The peso is depreciating as a foreign exchange investors switch to higher-yielding currencies like the US dollar. Investment instruments denominated in US dollars are now more attractive than the peso because of higher yields or interest rates.

But a weaker peso makes imports like crude oil, rice and capital equipment costlier to purchase. And with the US, Europe and other major economies facing a possible recession, Philippine exports face the challenge of keeping their market amid a reduced demand.

The second most powerful Filipino WHEN Sara Duterte-Carpio took her oath of office as vice president of the Philippines on June 19 in her native Davao City, she officially became the second most powerful Filipino.

Duterte, better known as Inday Sara, 44, also is now the most powerful woman in the country, being only a heartbeat away from the presidency held by her standard bearer Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., 64.

Sara is the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Marcos Jr is the only son and namesake of the longest serving president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Sr. Sara and Bongbong start their six-year term at noon of June 30, 2022. Sara ensured her and Marcos’s landslide victory by agreeing to be the latter’s running mate and defying the wishes of her father that she succeed him this year to the highest office in the land.

The team-up produced an unprecedented mandate unequalled in recent Philippine history. Marcos won with 31.6 million votes and Duterte won with 32.2 million votes.

The tandem won in 80 percent of the archipelago, in 64 of the 80 major provinces, in 25 of the 27 largest cities, and in 15 of the 17 administrative regions.

The May 9 victory restored power to the Marcoses 36 years and three months after their patriarch, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, was ousted by a Church and

rity, this led to efforts to strengthen ties with allies such as the US and Japan.

But the Duterte administration chose to go in the opposite direction and sought to move the country closer to China and Russia, countries engaged in strategic competition with the US and its allies as they are seen as alternative sources for markets, technologies, and economic opportunities.

For UP, China remains the country’s greatest foreign policy challenge since it presents major opportunities for economic development, but at the same time remains a potential threat to national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Another foreign policy issue is the

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

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

CIA-backed four-day civilian-military uprising on Feb. 22-25, 1986, ending the Philippines’ longest presidency which lasted 20 years.

Sara is the third woman to hold the position of vice president, after Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 1998-2001, and Leni Robredo, 2016-2022.

The (Bongbong-Sara) team-up produced an unprecedented mandate unequalled in recent Philippine history VP Arroyo ousted then President Joseph Estrada in 2001 in a civilian-military coup and served for nine years as president, the second longest after the 20 years of Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, Dec. 30, 1965-Feb. 25, 1986, himself the first victim of a civilian-military uprising.

VP Leni lost her bid for president on May 9, 2022. She was roundly beaten by former Senator Bongbong Marcos Jr..

Leni got only 28 percent of the votes cast for president. Marcos’s 31.6 million was 59 percent of the total votes cast for president.

Sara, the two-term mayor of Davao City and one of the most charismatic local government officials, received 32.6 million votes, 61.58 percent of the votes cast for vice president.

country’s over-reliance on remittances from its overseas labor force for economic stability.

This is a major vulnerability because it could jeopardize domestic political stability.

The disruption of overseas employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the limitations of having an economy that is largely based on labor exports.

The country must therefore strengthen agriculture and build its domestic industries to ensure economic resilience in the face of disruptions caused by regional and global crises.

Yet another foreign policy conundrum

After her oath-taking, Sara, resplendent in her green Filipiniana gown, delivered an 11.4-minute speech inspired, said Rep. Joey Salceda, an adviser, by Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologia, a theological compendium of the Catholic Church that deals on God, Man and his purpose, and the Sacraments.

“We should commit to heart the priorities of God, country and family,” she said before an enthusiastic crowd of 20,000 by police estimates.

God, she explained, “will help our fellowmen overcome the difficulties they face in their lives, to change lives, to save lives.”

Noting that her oath-taking took place on the national hero’s birthday, Sara aid “Rizal taught us that selflessness and sacrifice could change our country’s fate and shape our children’s future.”

Speaking in Pilipino, Sara said “together we can rise every day fired by the promise in our hearts that we love and will continue to love our Philippines while we are alive.”

She added, in English, “let us show our love for our country by taking care of our families and communities despite the unending challenges that come our way.”

Sara declared: “We can never go wrong if we are a people dedicated to honoring the will of God, to serving our country and our fellowmen, and protecting the integrity of our families and the future of our children.”

Full version on www.manilastandard.net

is the historical tradition of leaving foreign policy solely in the hands of the Chief Executive, because this has led to contradicting narratives and different construction of identities resulting in fragmentation and self-contradiction in the pursuit of national interests.

This is further exacerbated by the absence of a clear, consistent, pro-active, non-partisan geopolitical strategy.

Foreign policy is shaped only by the leader’s own perceptions, core values, state-society relations, domestic institutions and resources, culture, and political climate.

Full version on www.manilastandard.net

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

Associate Editors News Editor City Editor

Honor Blanco Cabie Opinion Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

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TODAY FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 mst.daydesk@ gmail.com

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EU debates Ukraine bid to join bloc EU leaders will gather in Brussels Thursday to discuss calls to formally grant war-torn Ukraine “candidate status” to join the bloc, as Russian forces slowly advance in the eastern Donbas region despite fierce resistance from Kyiv’s military.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had been conducting a “telephone marathon” on his country’s behalf in the run-up to the meeting, making his case to 11 European leaders on Wednesday alone.

“We are preparing for the historic decision of the European Council. There are only a few hours remaining before it,” he said in his daily address.

But while the European Commission-backed candidacy is widely expected to be approved, some members have been lukewarm about Ukraine’s status, and any accession process is likely to take years if not decades.

On the ground in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas, massive Russian bombardments are making life “hell,” Kyiv said Wednesday, while insisting its soldiers would hold on “as long as necessary.”

Moscow’s troops have been pummelling the battleground Lugansk region and the strategically important city of Severodonetsk for weeks and are slowly advancing, despite fierce resistance from the outgunned Ukrainian military.

With President Vladimir Putin’s forces tightening their grip on Severodonetsk, its twin city of Lysychansk—located just across the Donets river—is now coming under heavier bombardment.

Taking the two cities would give Moscow control of the whole of Lugansk, allowing Russia to press further into Donbas.

“The Russian army is... just destroying everything” in Lysychansk, Sergiy Gaiday, governor of the Lugansk region, which includes both cities, wrote on Manila Telegram. AFP Standard TODAY

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that GREENCORE POWER SOLUTIONS 3, INC. is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOl) as Renewable Energy Developer of Solar Energy Resources (43.500MWdc / 30.933MWac Arayat-Mexico Solar Power Plant Project Phase 2) in Brgy. San Antonio, Arayat and Brgy. Buenavista, Mexico, Pampanga, to avail of the incentives under R.A. No. 9513, otherwise known as the Renewable Energy Act of 2008.

Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.

(SGD.) RAQUEL B. ECHAGUE Director Resource-Based Industries Service (MS-JUNE 24, 2022)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BRANCH 230, QUEZON CITY ATLANTICA REALTY & DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION REPRESENTED BY MA. LINDA MAGNO, Plaintiff, -versus-

IN BRIEF Junta: Suu Kyi moved to solitary confinement

SURVIVOR. An Afghan child is treated inside a hospital in the city of Sharan after getting injured in an earthquake in Gayan district, Paktika province.

The 5.9-magnitude quake, which killed at least 1,000 people, struck hardest in the rugged east, where people already lead hardscrabble lives in the grip of a humanitarian crisis made worse since the Taliban takeover in August. AFP

Rescuers rush to reach Afghan quake survivors D ESPERATE rescuers battled against the clock and heavy rain Thursday to reach cut-off areas in eastern Afghanistan after a powerful earthquake killed at least 1,000 people and left thousands more homeless.

Wednesday’s 5.9-magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east, downing mobile phone towers and power lines while triggering rock and mudslides which blocked mountain roads.

“Getting information from the ground is very difficult because of bad networks,” Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, head of information for badly hit Paktika province, told AFP Thursday, adding there was no immediate update to the death toll.

“The area has been affected by floods because of heavy rains last night... it is also difficult to access the affected sites.”

The disaster poses a huge logistical challenge for Afghanistan’s new Taliban EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late JESUS ISIDRO M. CONSUNJI and MINA C. CONSUNJI have been extra-judicially settled among their heirs as per Deed of Extrajudicial Settlement of Estate dated: 1. April 12, 2022 at Los Angeles, California by Secretary of State, State of California, No. 11949 before Notary Public Jennifer Arevalo, CaliforniaManila Los Angeles County Comm.# 2290091.

2. April 7, 2022 at Sacramento California, No. 44293 before Notary Public J.A. Taylor California-San Mateo County Comm.# 2304700.

3. May 2, 2022 at Bacolod City, Philippines Doc; No. 170; Page No. 34; Book No. XV, Series of 2022 before Notary Public Atty. Manuel O. Cardinal, Notary Public # 0001-23.

4. April 29, 2022 at Manila, Philippines, Doc. 308; Page No. 62; Book No. CVIII; Series of 2022 before Notary Public Atty. John Edward Trinidad Ang Notary Comm. # 2020-033.

Standard

TODAY

government, which has isolated itself from much of the world by introducing hardline Islamist rule that subjugates women and girls.

The aid-dependent country saw the bulk of its foreign assistance cut off in the wake of the Taliban takeover last August, and even before the earthquake the United Nations warned of a humanitarian crisis that threatened the entire population.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the global agency has “fully mobilised” to help, deploying health teams and supplies of medicine, food, trauma kits and emergency shelter to the quake zone.

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted Thursday that aid flights had landed from Qatar and Iran, while Pakistan had sent trucks carrying tents, medical supplies and food across the land border.

The earthquake struck areas that were already suffering the effects of heavy rain, causing rockfalls and mudslides that wiped out hamlets perched precariously on mountain slopes.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, Ramiz Alakbarov, told reporters nearly 2,000 homes were likely destroyed—a huge number in an area where the average household size is more than 20 people.

“Seven in one room, five in the other room, four in another, and three in another have been killed in my family,” Bibi Hawa told AFP from a hospital bed in the Paktika capital.

“I can’t talk any more, my heart is getting weak.” AFP

RESERVE YOUR AD SPACE NOW!

DEED OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATES OF SPOUSES SAMUEL M. CELI AND CONSOLACION F. CELI Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late Spouses Samuel M. Celi and Consolacion F. Celi (“Deed”) who died on May 4, 1997 and June 21, 2009 respectively at their residential address at 26 South Lawin cor. San Pablo Sts., Brgy. Phil-Am, Quezon City, Metro Manila have been extra-judicially settled among heirs on August 6, 2020 before Notary Public Atty. Jan Rurik D. Padiernos as per Doc. No. 508; Page No. 102; Book No. 3; Series of 2020.

(MStandard-June 10, 17 & 24, 2022)

Finding the same to be well taken, the Motion is hereby GRANTED. Let Summons be served by publication.

NOTICE OF SEARCH and CALL FOR NOMINATIONS / APPLICATIONS for PRIVATE SECTOR REPRESENTATIVE (PSR) to the MMSU BOARD OF REGENTS (BOR) The Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) is currently accepting nominations / applications for one (1) Private Sector Representative to the MMSU Board of Regents (BOR).

Nomination / application MMSUPSRNomination

I.

(Sgd.) MARIA GILDA T. LOJA-PANGILINAN Presiding Judge REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BRANCH 230, QUEZON CITY ATLANTICA REALTY & DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION REPRESENTED BY MA. LINDA MAGNO, Plaintiff,

GREETINGS: You are hereby required within fifteen (15) days after service of this summons upon you to file with this Court and serve on the plaintiff your answer to the complaint, copy of which is attached, together with the annexes.

You are reminded of the provision in the IBP-OCA Memorandum on Policy Guidelines dated 12 March 2002, to observe restraint in filing a motion to dismiss and instead allege the grounds thereof as defenses in the answer. If you fail to file answer within the time fixed, the plaintiff will take judgment by default and may be granted the reliefs applied for in the complaint.

WITNESS my hand under the seal of the Court, this 5th December 2019.

(Sgd.) ATTY. GENELOU L. SAMPAGA Branch Clerk of Court (MStandard-June 10, 17 & 24, 2022)

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from

https://bit.ly/

Criteria for Nominees / Applicants for Private Sector Representative (PSR) Must be a prominent Filipino citizen residing in the Philippines; Must be at least 35 years old; Must be a person of unquestioned integrity and probity and must not have been convicted of any administrative offense or crime; 4. Must be successful in his/her profession or chosen field; 5. Must be from the industry, business, or profession that can contribute to the pursuit of the mandate of MMSU; 6. Must have at least five (5) years proven experience in a managerial position or corporate governance; 7. Must have solid contribution to the community and/or country; 8. Must not be connected with MMSU in any manner for two years prior to the nomination / application; 9. Must have an extensive record of employment, business, expertise, and connection with the private sector. If the nominee / applicant previously worked in any capacity with a government entity or was a consultant in any government undertaking of whatever nature, the proportion of the time the nominee / applicant served in government should not exceed one-fourth of the entire time served in the private sector; 10. Must not in any way be presently employed or appointed to any position in any government agency or entity (national, local, or governmentowned or controlled corporation), be it on a full-time or part-time basis, at the time of nomination / application; and 11. Must explicitly manifest availability of time and commitment to the service of MMSU.

In open court, 21 April 2022.

NAPOLEON GONZALES DELOS SANTOS II, Defendant. x--------------------------------------------------x SUMMONS To: NAPOLEON GONZALES DELOS SANTOS II Unit 4 Trafalgar Villas Townhomes, # 15 F, Dela Rosa Street, Loyola Heights, Quezon City

be

1.

2.

3.

SO ORDERED.

CASE NO. R-QZN-19-18096-CV For: Rescission of Contract Recovery of Possession and Damage

can

Forms are also available at the Office of the Board Secretary, Room 209, FEM Hall (Administration Building), Mariano Marcos State University, Brgy. Quiling Sur, City of Batac, Ilocos Norte.

In the meantime, set this case for monitoring on 30 June 2022 at 1:30 in the afternoon, in court, at Rm. 707 7th Floor, Hall of Justice, Annex Bldg., Quezon City Hall Compound, Diliman, Quezon City.

-versus-

forms

II.

Nomination / Application Requirements 1.

2.

3.

Duly accomplished and notarized nomination / application forms; Supporting documents: • Curriculum Vitae of nominee / applicant with duly certified documents in support of data specified therein (e.g., academic records, past and current employment/service records; awards received; SEC/DTI Registration of companies owned by the nominee / applicant; etc.)

• Certification that nominee / applicant is not connected with MMSU; • Certification that nominee / applicant is not currently employed in any government agency/office; • Original NBI clearance; and Nominee Conforme—Nominees should indicate their acceptance of the nomination by signing the conforme on the designated portion of the notarized nomination form

III. Nomination / Application Process 1.

2.

Nominators / Applicants shall submit their nominations / applications and all supporting documents to the Office of the MMSU Board Secretary, Secretariat of the Search Committee, located at Room 209, FEM Hall (Administration Building), Mariano Marcos State University, Barangay 16-S Quiling Sur, City of Batac, Ilocos Norte, not later than 15 July 2022, at 5 o’clock in the afternoon.

The Search Committee shall only consider nominations / applications with complete supporting documents.

IV. Contact Information For more information on the Search for Private Sector Representative to the MMSU BOR, please contact: Ms. Luvee Hazel C. Aquino Board Secretary Rm 209 FEM Hall (Administration Building) MMSU, City of Batac, Ilocos Norte Tel. No. 077-600-0459; Email: usecretary@mmsu.edu.ph

(MS-JUNE 24/JULY 1 & 8, 2022)

Cuba sentences 74 anti-govt protesters

JUDICIAL authorities in Havana, Santiago and Matanzas announced sentences for 74 defendants accused of sedition, public disorder, and other crimes related to the protests. Two defendants were acquitted.

Of those who were sentenced, 56 got between 10 and 18 years behind bars, while the other 18 – including 12 teenagers – had their sentences commuted to “correctional labor.”

Those convicted “attacked the constitutional order and stability of our socialist state,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Mass protestsCYAN broke out across Cuba YELLOW on MAGENTA B July 11 and 12 last year, with demonstrators demanding freedom amid economic strife, shortages of food and medicine, and growing anger at the government. They were the biggest protests in Cuba since the 1959 revolution.

A crackdown by the security forces left one dead, dozens injured and 1,300 people detained, according to the Justicia 11J civil society organization.

In previous court proceedings some protesters were jailed for up to 25 years.

The 74 latest sentences bring the total number of people sentenced as part of the demonstrations to 488. AFP

LESIONS. File handout photo taken on June 22, 2022 made available by the UK CYAN Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows a collage of monkeypox rash lesions at an undisclosed date and location. As the lone laboratory manufacturing a licensed vaccine against monkeypox, Danish company Bavarian Nordic has seen its order book fill up as the usually rare disease spreads around the world. AFP

email us at advertise@manilastandard.net or call us at 8564-6229

CASE NO. R-QZN-19-18096-CV

NAPOLEON GONZALES DELOS SANTOS II, Defendant. x--------------------------------------------------x ORDER In today’s hearing for monitoring, the plaintiff is represented by Atty. Ricardo C. Pilares, Jr., who informed the Court of the filing before the OCC of a Motion for Service of Publication in a Newspaper of General Circulation on 20 April 2022 and he gave the Court an advance copy of the same. The same shall now form part of the records of this case.

OUSTED Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved from house arrest to solitary confinement in a prison compound in the military-built capital Naypyidaw, a junta spokesman said on Thursday.

“In accordance with criminal laws...

(Aung San Suu Kyi) has been kept in solitary confinement in prison” since Wednesday, Zaw Min Tun said in a statement.

Since her ouster in a coup last year, Suu Kyi had been under house arrest at an undisclosed location in Naypyidaw, accompanied by several domestic staff and her dog, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

The Nobel laureate, 77, left those premises only to attend hearings for her trial in a junta court that could see her handed a prison sentence of more than 150 years.

Suu Kyi’s lawyers have been banned from speaking to the media and journalists barred from her trial. AFP

Monkeypox vax maker ready for orders AS the lone laboratory manufacturing a licensed vaccine against monkeypox, Danish company Bavarian Nordic has seen its order book fill up as the usually rare disease spreads around the world.

“The approval we got in 2019, when we only sold maybe a few hundred doses, all of a sudden became very, very relevant for international health,” the company’s vice president Rolf Sass Sorensen says with a smile at the biotech company’s headquarters in Copenhagen’s harbor.

Bavarian Nordic was caught by surprise by the disease’s sudden spread earlier this year to dozens of countries outside West and Central Africa where it had previously been generally confined.

But Sorensen says he is confident the company can meet global demand even though it only has one production facility.

“With the current demand we can easily supply the global market. We have a couple of million doses in bulk that we can put into vials and make sure that the current outbreak is handled,” he told AFP in an interview.

Bavarian Nordic has an annual production capacity of 30 million vaccine doses.

The Danish company’s smallpox vaccine, marketed as Imvanex in Europe, Jynneos in the US and Imvamune in Canada, is a third-generation serum (a live vaccine that does not replicate in the human body).

It has been licensed in Europe since 2013.

It was designed against smallpox in adults, a disease considered eradicated some 40 years ago, and requires two doses for inoculation.

According to Sorensen, the vaccine is in stock “in many countries” and can also be used against monkeypox, both before and after exposure to the virus.

“If you are vaccinated a few days after you are exposed, you can also be protected,” he explained.

After getting the green light from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) three years ago to use its smallpox vaccine against monkeypox, Bavarian Nordic is now applying to do the same in Europe.

The European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), created by the European Commission during the COVID-19 pandemic, has already bought more than 100,000 doses for the 27 EU countries as well as Norway and Iceland. AFP

UK by-elections: Fresh threat to Johnson CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

VOTERS head to the polls on Thursday in two closely watched UK by-elections that risk renewing pressure on beleaguered Prime Minister Boris Johnson following months of scandals and setbacks.

His ruling Conservatives are tipped to lose both contests, for the parliamentary seats of Tiverton and Honiton in southwest England and Wakefield in the north, after both Tory MPs resigned in disgrace.

Tiverton and Honiton’s MP Neil Parish quit after admitting watching pornography on his phone in the House of Commons, while Wakefield’s Imran Ahmad Khan was jailed for sexually assaulting a teenage boy.

The votes come just weeks after Johnson narrowly survived an attempt by his own lawmakers to oust him as party leader and prime minister.

The June 6 vote among Conservative MPs saw

more than 40 percent of the parliamentary party desert him, leaving him severely weakened and struggling to reset his turbulent tenure in power.

Johnson has spent months fighting for his survival after a series of controversies including the “Partygate” saga led many Tories to question whether he should remain as leader.

Various opinion polls have shown the public think he lied about Covid lockdown-breaking events at Downing Street and should resign.

Even before the controversy erupted last December, the 58-year-old Brexit architect saw the loss of two once-safe seats in by-elections last year.

He then scored dismally in May’s local elections.

Defeat in the true blue Tory heartland of Tiverton and Honiton, and in Wakefield, which Johnson snatched in 2019 from the main opposition Labour party for the first time since the 1930s, could see his position challenged again. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business PSE INDEX CLOSING Thursday, June 23, 2022

-102.77 PTS. 6,065.23

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

1,084,618,570 73,575 5,424,719,104.30 65 143 36

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

54.4840

Japan

Yen

0.007345

0.4002

UK

Pound

1.226800

66.8410

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127395

6.9410

Switzerland

Franc

1.040691

56.7010

Canada

Dollar

0.772260

42.0758

Singapore

Dollar

0.721137

39.2904

Australia

Dollar

0.692300

37.7193

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652872

144.5391

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266517

14.5209

Brunei

Dollar

0.718546

39.1493

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000067

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.028301

1.5420

UAE

Dirham

0.272279

14.8348

Euro

Euro

1.056700

57.5732

Korea

Won

0.000771

0.0420

China

Yuan

0.149209

8.1295

India

Rupee

0.012794

0.6971

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.227118

12.3743

New Zealand

Dollar

0.628100

34.2214

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033652

1.8335 Source: BSP

Filinvest Land secures P11.9b from bond sale

B3

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Monetary Board increases interest rate again to 2.5%

By Julito G. Rada

T

HE Monetary Board, the policy-making body of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, on Thursday raised for the second time this year the benchmark overnight borrowing rate by 25 basis points to 2.5 percent to help contain the rising inflation rate.

Outgoing BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno, in his last policy meeting before taking the helm of the Department of Finance in the incoming Marcos administration, said the board also hiked the interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities to 2.0 per-

cent and 3.0 percent, respectively.

“In deciding to raise the policy interest rate anew, the Monetary Board noted that upside risks continue to dominate the inflation outlook up to 2023, with pressures emanating from the potential impact of higher global non-oil prices, the continued shortage in domestic fish supply, as well as pending petitions for transport fare hikes due to elevated oil prices,” Diokno said.

He said the impact of a weaker-thanexpected global recovery and the possible re-imposition of local COVID-19 restrictions amid an uptick in infections continued to be the main downside risks to the outlook.

“The BSP’s latest baseline forecasts have shifted higher, with average inflation projected to breach the upper end of the 2 to 4 percent target range at 5.0 percent in 2022 and at 4.2 percent in 2023.

However, average inflation is also seen to subsequently decline to 3.3 percent in

2024,” Diokno said.

He said inflation expectations also continued to rise. He said while they remained within the target range for 2023 to 2024, the elevated expectations underscore the risk of further secondround effects arising from sustained price pressures.

“Given these considerations, the Monetary Board believes that a followthrough increase in the policy rate enables the BSP to withdraw its stimulus measures while safeguarding macroeconomic stability amid rising global commodity prices and strong external headwinds to domestic economic growth,” Diokno said.

The Monetary Board reiterated its support for the carefully-coordinated efforts of other government agencies as part of a whole-of-government approach in implementing non-monetary interventions to mitigate the impact of persistent supplyside factors on inflation.

Synergy Grid to pay P0.26 cash dividend SYNERGY Grid and Development Philippines Inc. declared a second-quarter cash dividend of P1.37 billion, or P0.26 per share.

The dividend payout is P0.04 higher than the P0.22 per share dividend it distributed and paid out on April 26, 2022.

SGP disclosed that its board approved on June 21 the declaration of cash dividends from the company’s unrestricted retained earnings, given the dividends received from National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), Pacifica21 Holdings Inc. and OneTaipan Holdings, Inc. The cash dividends will be payable on July 22, 2022, to stockholders on record as of July 6, 2022.

“The declaration of a higher dividend per share is a result of the recent investment of SGP in preferred shares issued by the NGCP using the proceeds of the SGP follow-on offering (FOO) last November 2021,” said SGP chairman Henry Sy in a statement.

“The SEC approved the issuance of the preferred shares of NGCP early this month, which entitled SGP to direct dividends from NGCP on the preferred shares. This resulted in a higher dividend yield of 8.66 percent per annum at SGP level,” Sy said. Alena Mae S. Flores

Real estate prices up by 5.6% in first quarter

By Jenniffer B. Austria PROPERTY developer Filinvest Land Inc. of the Gotianun Group successfully raised P11.9 billion from a fixedrate retail bond offering amid strong demand from investors.

FLI said in a statement the bonds, which were listed on Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp on Thursday, were 10 times oversubscribed.

The bond offering represents the third tranche to the group’s P30-billion debt securities program approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

BDO Capital & Investments Corp., BPI Capital Corp., China Bank Capital Corp., East West Banking Corp., First Metro Investments Corp., RCBC Capital Corp. and SB Capital Corp. were the underwriters of the offering.

FLI plans to use the net proceeds from the offering to partially fund capital expenditures to expand its affordable and middle income residential developments and refinance maturing obligations.

“We have a strong line up of over P30 billion new residential projects to be rolled out in the coming year in new territories and expansion in our 32 existing medium rise building townships nationwide,” said FLI president Tristan Las Marias.

Las Marias said the group plans to launch residential projects in new areas like Bataan, Sta. Manila in Bulacan, Naga in Camarines Sur and General Santos, South Cotabato.

“Housing continues to grow at stable rate despite the pandemic. We expect this to further grow as we transition out of the pandemic,” Las Marias said.

FLI will use a portion of the proceeds to support new businesses, such as co-living and co-working spaces. Its first two co-living buildings in Clark Mimosa are scheduled to start operations in the third quarter while two more buildings are under construction.

The property developer has also ventured into logistics. Industrial parks with ready-built warehouses will soon rise in New Clark City in Tarlac and Filinvest Technopark in Calamba, Laguna.

IN BRIEF

TMP SOLAR FACILITY. Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. inaugurates its expanded 1.46-megawatt solar facility that will power its plant and headquarters in Santa Rosa City, Laguna. The manufacturer of local vehicle models Vios and Innova plans to make its production plant carbon-neutral by 2035, aligned with the new target of Global Toyota to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of all its manufacturing plants. Attending the ceremonial switch-on ceremony are (from left) TMP vice chairman Dr. David Go, TMP president Atsuhiro Okamoto, Manila Electric Co. vice president and head for corporate business group Ma. Cecille Domingo and Spectrum chief operating officer Patrick Henry Panlilio.

Peso falls further to 54.70:$1 on gradual BSP adjustment THE peso neared the 55-per-dollar mark Thursday, the lowest in over 16 years, as the 25-basis-point adjustment in the Bangko Sentral’s interest rate failed to draw the interest of investors in the local market.

The peso shed P0.23 or 0.4 percent to close at 54.70 against the greenback on Thursday, down from 54.47 on Wednesday. It was its weakest level in more than 16 years, or since Nov. 21, 2005 when it settled at 54.74.

Michael Ricafort, chief economist of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said the peso’s weakness was driven by consistent relatively dovish signals of a gradual 25-basis-point local policy rate hike in the coming months amid bigger and faster Fed rate hikes,

“thereby making interest differentials P146.8 billion in May 2022, down in favor of the US dollar vs major by 26.72 percent from P200.3 bilglobal/Asian/Asean currencies that lion a year ago mainly because of the also weakened against the US currency 1.10-percent contraction in governas a result.” ment spending.

The Monetary Board of the Bangko Ricafort said the next resistance Sentral ng Pilipinas on Thursday raised level for the peso would be the 55-perby another 25 basis points the policy dollar mark. rate to 2.5 percent, taking into account Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas officials the rising inflation rate. were unfazed by the movement of the Ricafort said the acknowledgement peso, saying it remained in the middle of Fed chairman Jerome Powell on re- of the pack of regional currencies. cession risks due to more aggressive “The peso’s weakness is due to rate hikes also weighed on market sen- a strong US dollar phenomenon, timent. rather than something attributable to Ricafort said the latest budget deficit domestic considerations,” BSP Deputy data also contributed to the decline of Governor Francisco Dakila said during the peso. Data showed that the gov- the online policy meeting briefing Manila ernment incurred a budget deficit of Thursday. Julito G. Rada Standard TODAY

RESIDENTIAL real estate prices are up in the first quarter of 2022 on increasing demand as the economy recovers from the impact of the global health crisis, the latest survey of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas shows.

The Residential Real Estate Price Index (RREPI) rose 5.6 percent from a year ago, although it declined 1 percent from the previous quarter.

“The year-on-year increase in the RREPI is consistent with the outcome of the First Quarter 2022 Consumer Expectations Survey, which showed a higher percentage of consumers preferring to buy real estate property in the first quarter of 2022,” the BSP said in a statement Thursday.

Residential property prices in the National Capital Region climbed 9.5 percent on year, primarily driven by the increase in the prices of condominium units and townhouses, which more than offset the decrease in the prices of duplex housing units and single-detached/ attached houses.

Property prices in the areas outside NCR rose 5 percent year on year as all types of housing units registered an upturn, except for single-detached/attached houses, which posted a decline.

Julito G. Rada

2GO Travel offers P22 one-way fare 2GO TRAVEL, the Philippines’ largest premier sea travel provider, said Thursday it is offering a P22 one-way fare to major local destinations despite high fuel prices.

“Now that we are seeing and feeling a resurgence of travel demand, we see this as an opportunity to create more meaningful travel experiences,” said 2GO group head for marketing Blessie Cruz.

From 2GO’s main port in Manila, passengers can travel to their favorite local destinations like Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Coron, Dipolog, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Ozamiz, Puerto Princesa, Tagbilaran and Zamboanga.

From Cebu, travelers can sail directly to Cagayan de Oro, Ozamiz, and Butuan, while those coming from Dumaguete can hop on a voyage directly to Zamboanga.

The P22 sea sale is inclusive of 50kg baggage allowance and accommodation.

The selling period for the promo runs until June 30 for voyages from August 1 onwards. Darwin G. Amojelar

MANILA WATER AQUEDUCT.

The Novaliches-Balara Aqueduct 4 project of Manila Water Company Inc. in Quezon City is set to be completed in June. The NBAQ4 will pave the way for the inspection, assessment and subsequent rehabilitation of three other aqueducts, which have been operating since 1929, 1956 and 1968 to help ensure continuous water supply for more than 7 million users in the East Zone. The flagship project involves the construction of a new intake facility and access bridge at the La Mesa reservoir, a 7.3-kilometer underground aqueduct with a 3.1-meter diameter passing under Commonwealth Ave. and an outlet portal and downstream distribution works at the Balara Treatment Plant.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO ALL STOCKHOLDERS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of AXELUM RESOURCES CORP. (the “Company”) will be held on July 29, 2022 at 1:00 PM, to be conducted, and participation will only be, by remote communication through MSTeams platform using the following link:https://teams.microsoft. com/l/meetupjoin/19%3ameeting_ZTk3Y2UwNzMtMzQ4Mi00NDdiLTg2N2MtYjc1OWFhNjkwOTI1%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2 2e4671b80-fcd8-4c04-963c-529add66323b%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22e15efb95-0118-4d34-bfec-32a61fb7de27%22%7d with the following agenda: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Stockholders of record as of 10 June 2022 will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting.

In light of current conditions and in support of the efforts to contain COVID-19 and pursuant to Sections 23 and 57 of the Revised Corporation Code, SEC Memorandum Circular No. 06, Series of 2020, and the Company’s Amended By-Laws allowing voting through remote communication or in absentia and the Company’s Amended By-Laws, the Company decided to hold the Annual Meeting via remote communication, and allow the stockholders to cast their votes by remote communication or in absentia, or by proxy.

To participate in the Annual Meeting, stockholders must register from 9:00 AM of 04 July 2022 until 5:00 PM of 15 July 2022. The procedure for participation via remote communication and in absentia are contained in the Information Statement.

Stockholders who wish to appoint proxies may submit proxy instruments until 5:00 PM of 15 July 2022 by email to asm-secretariat@axelum.com.ph.

Validation of proxies shall be from 04 July 2022 until 18 July 2022. A sample proxy form is enclosed in the Information Statement for your convenience.

We are not soliciting your proxies. An electronic copy of the Definitive Information Statement, Management Report, SEC Form 17-A, and other pertinent documents and information on the Annual Meeting can be accessed through the Company’s website, www.axelum.ph and at the PSE EDGE. For any clarifications, please contact the Office of the Corporate Secretary via email at asm-secretariat@axelum.com.ph.

Muntinlupa City, Philippines, 17 June 2022.

Budget deficit declined 26% in May on lower spending THE government incurred a budget deficit of P146.8 billion in May, down 26.72percent from P200.3 billion a year ago on double-digit revenue growth and a slight contraction in government spending, the Bureau of the Treasury said Thursday.

The figure brought the budget deficit in the first five months to P458.7 billion, down 19 percent or P107.5 billion from the previous year’s gap of P566.2 billion.

Data from the Treasury showed government expenditures fell 1.1 percent in May to P451.7 billion from P456.7 billion a year ago. Five-month cumulative

Call to Order Proof of Notice of the Meeting and Determination of Quorum Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Annual Meeting Annual Report of Management and approval of the Audited Financial Statements Ratification of the acts of the Board of Directors and its committees, officers and management Appointment of External Auditor Election of Directors Other matters Adjournment

disbursements reached P1.895 trillion, up 4.7 percent or P84.9 billion from the same period last year.

Revenue collection climbed by 18.91^ percent in May to P304.9 billion from P256.4 billion in the same month last year. This resulted in a cumulative collection of P1.437 trillion in the fivemonth period, 15 percent or P192.4 billion higher than a year earlier.

About 90 percent or P1.289 trillion of the total collections came from taxes while the remaining 10 percent or P147.6 billion represented non-tax revenues.

Net collections by the Bureau of

Internal Revenue grew 17.9 percent in May to P216.6 billion from P183.7 billion a year earlier. The agency’s total five-month collection of P959.0 billion surpassed last year’s performance by 9.92 percent or P86.6 billion.

Collections by the Bureau of Customs went up 36.35 percent in May to P66.3 billion from a year ago, the highest growth achieved since the beginning of the year. The Customs’ cumulative collections in the first five months hit P320.5 billion, 28.42 percent or P70.9 billion above the previous year’s outcome of P249.6 billion. Julito G. Rada

(sgd.) PRECIOSA D. CASTILLO Corporate Secretary EXPLANATION OF AGENDA ITEMS 1. Call to Order The meeting will be formally opened at approximately 1:00 in the afternoon.

2. Proof of Notice of the Meeting and Determination of a Quorum The Corporate Secretary will certify that: 1) the stockholders of record were duly notified of the meeting by way of publication of the Notice of Meeting, including the date of publication and the newspapers where the notice was published, and 2) stockholders representing at least a majority of the outstanding capital stock are present in person or by proxy and, therefore, a quorum exists for the transaction of business.

3. Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Stockholders Meeting The minutes of the annual meeting of stockholders held on June 24, 2021 may be viewed at the Company’s website, www.axelum.ph.

4. Annual Report of Management and approval of the Audited Financial Statements The performance of the Company in 2021 and outlook for 2022 will be reported and the financial statements for the fiscal year 2021 will be presented to the stockholders for approval.

5. Ratification of the acts of the Board of Directors and its committees, officers and management Ratification of the acts of the Board of Directors and its committees, officers and management of the Company since the last annual stockholders’ meeting up to the current stockholders’ meeting, as duly recorded in the corporate books and records of the Corporation, will be requested. A summary of these acts will be contained in the Definitive Information Statement.

6. Appointment of External Auditor The Company’s external auditor is KPMG and will be nominated for reappointment for the current fiscal year.

7. Election of Directors The nominees for election as members of the Board of Directors, including independent directors, will be presented to the stockholders. The Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee of the Board has evaluated and determined that the seven (7) nominees for directors, including the nominees for independent directors, have all the qualifications and competence necessary for the effective performance of the Board’s roles and responsibilities, and none of the disqualifications to serve as members of the Board. The profiles of the candidates to the Board of Directors will be in the Definitive Information Statement.

The members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall be elected by plurality vote, with cumulative voting allowed.

8. Other matters The Chairman will answer certain questions previously submitted by the stockholders. The Chairman will decide whether matters raised by the stockholders may be properly taken up in the meeting or in another proper forum.

9. Adjournment Upon determination that there are no other matters to be considered, the meeting shall be adjourned.

(MS-JUNE 23 & 24, 2022)

Cone to be part of Miami Heat’s Summer League coaching staff

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

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FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022

By Peter Atencio

Sports PBA AWARDEES. Baby Dalupan Coach of the Year Chot Reyes (center) and Danny Floro Executive of the Year Alfrancis Chua (center) lead the awardees honored during the 2022 PBA Press Corps Awards Night held Tuesday at Novotel Manila Araneta Center. With them (from left) are Arwind Santos, governors Robert Non (San Miguel) and Eric Arejola (NorthPort), Robert Bolick, guest of honor Bulakan, Bulacan mayor Vergel Meneses, Allein Maliksi, Ian Sangalang, Jamie Malonzo, and Mikey Williams.

Smith, Holmgren tipped for top spot in NBA Draft; moment of truth for Kai

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EW YORK—US college star Jabari Smith Jr. is strongly tipped to be chosen with the top pick by the Orlando Magic when the 2022 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday.

The 19-year-old Smith, who excelled for Auburn University’s Tigers this year during his only season as a college player, has emerged as the bookmaker’s favorite to be chosen first in Thursday’s annual scramble for the top collegiate talent.

The 6’10” power forward impressed for the Tigers in a college season that saw him average 16.9 points per game along with 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

Meanwhile, 7’2” Filipino sensation Kai Sotto, who is coming off a decent showing in the National Basketball League in Australia, has not been rated highly in the mock drafts, but he has been getting creditable attention, especially after his private workouts with several NBA teams.

“We have so many teams who want to bring him in for individual workouts and we actually have a commitment from at

least one team that said if he stays in the draft, [they’ll] draft him,” said Joel Bell, draft agent of Sotto, who is bidding to become the first homegrown Filipino to be drafted in the NBA. Smith, whose father Jabari played four seasons in the NBA, is also a distant cousin of Kwame Brown, the No.1 pick in the 2001 draft.

Brown’s NBA career ought to be a cautionary tale for Smith and other hopefuls in the draft, where top picks often fail to live up to lofty expectations.

Brown, who ended his professional career with a scoring average of just 6.6 points per game, is routinely described as one of the “biggest busts” in NBA draft history.

Conversely, players chosen way down the pecking order on draft day often

emerge as dominant MVP-caliber talent.

Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the past two seasons, was chosen with the 41st pick in the draft in 2014, while Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, the back-to-back MVP in 2019 and 2020, was chosen 15th overall.

There are strong grounds, however, for believing that Smith may have little difficulty living up to his expected top billing.

The teenager has a rare combination of size and shooting touch, with deadly accuracy from three-point range and an athleticism likely to make him a defensive asset for any team that ends up recruiting him.

Smith’s biggest rival for the No.1 pick is expected to be Gonzaga University’s Chet Holmgren, who stands an imposing 7ft tall.

The 20-year-old Bulldogs standout also offers a combination of elite ballhandling and footwork as well as being an expert shot-blocker. Holmgren aver-

aged 14.1 points per game with 9.9 rebounds for Gonzaga.

If Orlando fail to pick Holmgren with the first choice, he is almost certain to go to the Oklahoma City Thunder with the second pick.

James Jones, an assistant coach with the US Team at last year’s Under-19 World Cup that Holmgren played in, describes him as a “Kevin Durant kind of player.”

“He has great instincts. He’s the kind of guy that can do multiple different things,” Jones told AFP. “He’s not one kind of player, he can do a lot of different stuff, very versatile.

“As a kid, leader, hard worker, great person, very friendly, very outgoing, and very dedicated into becoming the best basketball player he can.”

“He’s a Kevin Durant kind of player in terms of his skill level, to be ableto do some of those things. He’s obviously not Kevin Durant. But he has that skill, a similar skill set.” AFP

Galedo, Prado fastest in time trial races TAGAYTAY City—Mark John Galedo and, again, Jermyn Prado were class acts in the individual time trial races in Day 2 of the PhilCycling National Championships for Road 2022 on Wednesday.

Galedo, the most veteran in the field, clocked 52 minutes and 43.10 seconds to win gold in men’s ITT raced over 30 kms from Nasugbu to the Praying Hands Monument here, reiterating that at 37, he still packs the legs that made him a former Southeast Asian Games winner and many-time domestic tour champion.

“I prepared hard because these are the national championships,” Galedo, riding for 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines said. “I still feel them in my legs and I’ll go on riding.”

His opponents were also the who’s who in Philippine cycling in

Schroecky’s final third

the championships co-presented by Standard Insurance, MVP Sports Foundation and Smart and backed

by Chooks-to-Go, San Miguel Corp., Petron, Le Tour de FilipinasAir21-One LGC, Tagaytay City, Go For Gold, Cavite’s First District, Batangas First District, Batangas and the Philippine National Police.

Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance’s Ronald Oranza and Jhon Mark Camingao finished 2-3 behind Galedo at 31 seconds and 2:22 behind.

Nichol Pareja (7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines) topped the Men’s Under-23 also raced over 30 kms in 55:49.20, followed by Macryan Lago (Go For Gold) 14 seconds behind and Arvin Duanne Digap close to six minutes behind.

Former SEA Games queen Prado?

After ruling the criterium with

FOOTBALL fans can expect a big news from former Philippine Azkals’ team captain Stephan Schrock in the coming days. The Pinoy football icon and legend told The Designated Kit Man that he is going to make an official announcement on the next phase of his illustrious career soon and it will surely benefit Philippine football, to be specific, the next generation of Philippine Azkals.

Schroecky, as he is fondly called by his legions of fans, is eyeing to play an active role in coaching the Azkals Development Team or ADT. The ADT is composed of young and promising Pinoy footballers, who are expected to be in the senior squad once they are ready and needed.

“I’m going to announce it probably in two weeks’ time what I have worked on in the past four weeks so there’s going to be something that will help [Philippine] football,”

impunity—she gained a lap on her opponents—on Tuesday, she came back smoking anew the day after to dominate the 20-km women’s ITT in 39 minutes and 14.20 seconds.

Two Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance riders completed the podium—Marianne Grace Dacumos (2:30behind) and Avegail Rombaon (2:39 behind) in the championships that went down in Philippine cycling history as the most attended with close to 600 riders registering across two genders and four categories.

Phoebe Salazar (7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines) clocked 41:56.10 to win gold in Women’s Under 23, followed by Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance’s Kate Yasmin Velasco (42.34 behind) and Mary Joy Zamora 1:53.80).

Schrock said.

In one of my previous conversations with Philippine Azkals Team Manager Dan Palami, there was a mention of how Schrock can help and bolster the ADT. Schrock’s desire to do more for the young ones might be the push that is needed to make the plan into a reality.

“It’s a very exciting time. I know, moving toward my final third of my career – it’s time to give back, to help out. Question for me if not, again abroad, is to try Thai or the Malaysian leagues. I have plenty of offers this summer after my announcement that I’m leaving United City FC, but I wanted something that is related to Philippine football. And I wanted to do something here. Hopefully, everything will push through,” Schrock explained.

Aside from his vast experience and solid contributions to the Azkals and Philippine Football in general, Schrock believes that it is time to hand these knowledge and other valuable lessons not only in football, but in life as well tothe next Azkals.

“It is very important for me to believe in something in the Philippines. I have always considered playing for the national team or playing in the local league to help develop football. Overall, wherever I get involved in, that’s good for me. I’m happy to help. I’m happy to give back and I’m happy to let them learn and experience from someone who reached higher league and other higher divisions,” he added.

Schrock said he can help make the ADT

The winners of the criterium races on Tuesday—Jermyn Prado, Mathilda Krog, Jan Paul Morales, Rench Michael Bondoc, Pepito Khalil, Guill Aisaiah Farin and Kim Bonill—proudly wear their national champions jerseys.

stronger and battle ready. And as their mentor, he has one priority in mind to start from.

“As a player, I think I’m mentally stronger than others. That’s something young players lack here. They are not really professional in terms of preparing themselves for a league, a cup or a tournament. I’m turning 36 in August and I’m still not having days off. I’m still not slacking off the work and that’s a big part of a football or in life where you can reach higher stages, not just relying on talent, abilities or God given strengths, but is something you work on and stay on track through hard work,” he said.

Aside from his exploits as player, Schrock was with the national team for more than 11 years. But he will not just lean on his stints with the national team and spells in playing overseas in guiding the ADT. We have to remember that Schrock was the former playing coach for United City FC in the domestic league.

“Everything is something that I have to also prove on the pitch. I was the playing coach at United, you can clearly see that the team that I was leading played the best football and we deserve the league title back in 2020. So I’m looking forward to do the same at ADT,” Schrock said.

He added that talks are ongoing with Palami to finalize everything on his role in ADT. He is confident that thing will work out well not only for him and the team. He is excited and happy the way things are shaping up.

Schrock is also grateful that his family is 100% behind his decision to stay in the coun-

try. Just like his stops overseas and even during the pandemic, his wife and kids are with him no matter what.

“We stayed here throughout the time and when I was Ceres Negros FC and United City. Obviously the pandemic forced us to move back to Europe even if we didn’t like it but for my family. My wife and my kids have no objections to go to Thailand or Malaysia, but they love it here. They feel at home here and they are very supportive,” he explained.

Of course any chat with Schrock will not be complete if he will not be asked regarding the failure of the Philippines to advance in the 2023 Asian Cup. While he can’t say with certainty that the outcome maybe different, he assured that he would have played his heart out in the pitch if he was selected to play with the team.

Incidentally, Schrock was the first and only Filipino so far to score a goal in the Asian Cup when the Philippines qualified in the 2019 Asian Cup in United Arab Emirates. Schrock wrote himself into the record books when he rifled a strike in the 80th minute against Kyrgyzstan in the group stage of the competitions. While the Azkals lost the match, 3-1, Schrock’s goal was among the highlights of the campaign.

And in two weeks’ time, Schrock will make an announcement that will mark another chapter of his career.

“I think that’s the right time and the right way for me to do. Like I said before, my long-

COACH Tim Cone couldn’t hide his excitement after the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Gin Kings repulsed the NLEX Road Warriors, 83-75, and posted their third win in four games Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

But it’s not the coming games of the Kings in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup that have Cone giddy with delight.

His dream of being part of the coaching staff of a team in the NBA is finally happening as he is now set to join the Miami Heat in their offseason games in the Summer League in Las Vegas, San Francisco and Salt Lake City.

Cone said watching the Miami Heat coaching staff prepare and plan for games in the locker room is something he looks forward to.

“I will be able to go. For the first time, I will get a preview of what goes on in the locker room. That to me is exciting,” said Cone, who is also now part of the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball team coaching staff.

The NBA Summer League 2022 will take place July 7 to 17 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada, featuring all 30 NBA teams playing five games each.

Erik Spoelstra won’t be coaching the Heat, which is putting a different group of players for the 11-day cagefest.

The 12-member squad of the Miami Heat will be coached by Malik Allen, to be made up a few rookie draftees, a part of their regular roster, some free agents and imports and those who won’t part of the draft.

And Cone hopes that the coaching staff will get NBA hopeful Kai Sotto to play for them.

Reid, China national team big man, banner Dragons’ roster LONGTIME Hong Kong national player Duncan Reid banners the initial roster of the Bay Area Dragons set to compete in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup and the coming East Asia Super League in October.

The club announced the lineup on Thursday as it starts preparations for its two major campaigns under multi-titled head coach Brian Goorjian.

The 6’9” Reid is widely regarded as the best player in Hong Kong SAR, a five-time Hong Kong A1 Division champion and played in the country when it hosted the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championship.

Reid will be joined by 7’5” China national team center Liu Chuanxing, along with China national team youth and 3x3 player Zhang Zhiyuan, guard Kobey Lam of NCAA Division 1 school University of Charleston, former Hong Kong scoring champion Scotty Ewing, Song Jianhua, Zheng Qilong, among others.

“We’re building this team to be competitive right off the bat. Ultimately our goal is to win games and establish a strong culture that will allow the players to excel and sharpen their skills against the best competition the region has to offer,” said Goorjian, the six-time Australian NBL champion who led the Boomers to their first ever Olympic medal in last year’s Tokyo Games. term goal is to become a coach at the Philippines Football League. That’s what I have mapped our for my self and I believe in that and it will happen,” he added.

We can’t discount what will be the impact of Schrock’s presence in the ADT. Not all good players become good coaches. I even heard someone say that shitty players make for good coaches. But whether Schrock turns out to be a boon or bane to the ADT, I will let the football gods decide on that. Better, I will let Schroecky show us. His experience and influence over the next generation of Azkals can’t be measured and even discounted. But I’m going way way ahead of the story. I just want him to get the job, be more involved with the ADT soon and take it from there. I, along with the multitudes of football fans wait with bated breath and hope that Schrockey’s success in the pitch will also resonate when he calls the shots for ADT. And speaking of making things happen, Kaya FC Iloilo will begin its campaign in the AFC Cup by taking on Cambodian champions Visakha FC today at 5 p.m. in Bali, Indonesia. The Filipino side is in Group G, along with Indonesian kings and hosts Bali United FC, Malaysia Super League runners-up Kedah Darul Aman FC and Visakha.

Let’s get the win Kaya FC Iloilo!

Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

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

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FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 advertise@manilastandard.net

How Moreno spruced up Manila during his term as mayor

By Patricia Taculao

S

INCE 2019, Manila has been abuzz with various projects under Mayor Isko Moreno. From installing light fixtures on public roads to constructing new infrastructures for the benefit of Manileños, the Manila mayor’s ambition for his city towers higher than the buildings he erected under his version of the “Build, Build, Build” program, which he calls “Build, Build Manila.”

Isko Moreno showing off the colorful murals that now adorn the Lagusnilad Underpass He held back no expense in constructing new buildings to address concerns from his constituents like housing, health, and recreation. After all, he was on a mission to rehabilitate Manila as a part of his commitment to the people.

RECREATIONAL SITES IN MANILA Just outside Manila City Hall, Moreno set his sights on the Katipunan Revolution Monument and the spacious area in front of it frequented by commuters, students, and vendors. Before he assumed the mayoral position, the area was known as a parking area for trucks and a dumping ground for various pieces of equipment.

Moreno’s early projects focused on rehabilitating the Katipunan Revolution Monument. The once barren location became a sprawling park, now known as Hidden Garden in Lawton, complete with a cemented walkway, rustic fixtures, and lush greenery.

The revamped Katipunan Revolution Monument is now more spacious and commuter-friendly As more people flocked to the area to experience its beauty amid the city, Moreno added other features to the Hidden Garden in Lawton by establishing a cafe where people can relax, study, or catch up with friends. The revamped Katipunan Revolution Monument makes it worthy of its location beside Manila’s seat of government.

Manileños welcomed this change with open arms, becoming more curious about the extent of Moreno’s vision for the city.

Not long after, the surrounding area of Lawton received Moreno’s attention.

For instance, the Lagusnilad Underpass connecting the Manila City Hall to Intramuros receives a huge volume of foot traffic every day. Manileños know it as an area teeming with vendors peddling their wares and a decrepit interior signifying its overuse throughout the years. Moreno relocated the vendors and invested in the development of the Lagusnilad Underpass.

What once was a narrow area where people trudged through broken tiles, and navigated their way through a crowd of passers-by and vendors, became a spacious, well-lit, and eye-catching area. Photos of breathtaking Manila line the walls of the Lagusnilad Underpass, persuading passers-by to take photos or selfies in the revamped location.

Several feet away, the Mehan Garden wasn’t exempt from Moreno’s bid to beautify Manila to delight his constituents and show visitors that the city deserves to be the Philippines’ capital. The 22nd Manila mayor personally inspected the garden, noting several changes to improve its area.

Eventually, cleaning operations and the installation of new light fixtures added to the nature of Mehan Garden, surprising Manileños further.

Mehan Garden hosted several events, including some speeches from Moreno, like night markets, free concerts, and several food stalls. Aside from bringing fun to Manileños, these events also aimed to gen-

The Mehan Garden now serves as a venue for various events erate income to help business owners and other industries recover from the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Moreno’s most ambitious project when it comes to recreational areas in Manila is the rehabilitation and reopening of the Manila Zoo. Countless Manileños grew up visiting Manila Zoo, watching the animals go about their day, engaging in vari-

Manila Zoo is now open to tourists who want to marvel in local and foreign species of flora and fauna

ous outdoor activities, and making the most out of the day. Yet, at some point, the Manila Zoo and its animals lost their former glory.

Moreno took on the task of restoring Manila Zoo’s grandeur, while modernizing its facilities to create a different level of experience for its guests. Modern fixtures embellish the newly developed Manila Zoo and have new features like a viewing deck for hippopotamuses, an interactive enclosure for monkeys, and a butterfly sanctuary for visitors to enjoy.

Various species of flora are also highlighted in the zoo as it surrounds a picnic area where guests can relax and spend quality time with their loved ones.

SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURES FOR HEALTH AND HOUSING One of the most relevant projects Moreno has achieved in his administration is the establishment of the Bagong Ospital ng Manila. It boasts of modern fixtures, including a helipad, to better treat Manileños who sorely need better medical attention. Aside from its imposing, modern facade, the new hospital also houses new pieces of medical equipment ready to address patients’ needs.

The Bagong Ospital ng Manila is a 10-story, fully-airconditioned building with a bed capacity of 384, including 12 intensive care units and 20 private rooms, and amenities like the three-story parking building.

Moreno’s decision to construct the new hospital near Manila Bay may also help in patients’ recovery as some rooms have a full view of the dazzling sunset and sunrise on the famous tourist sight. After all, a strong

The facade of the 10-story Bagong Ospital ng Maynila mental fortitude also aids in combatting numerous diseases.

Since Manila faces problems of overpopulation, Moreno also had several housing projects done during his administration.

It’s no secret that he came from the slums of Tondo before he made a breakthrough in the entertainment industry. He also draws inspiration from Singapore’s public housing program. He aims to replicate it in the city of Manila. As a result, one of his many promises to Manileños includes housing in several key locations throughout the city.

For instance, in the Tondo district, one of the most densely populated areas in Manila and its largest slum area, two residential buildings called Tondominium 1 and 2 were constructed to address the housing problems in the city. The combined buildings have a total of 336 two-bedroom apartment units, each with a size of 44 square meters.

Under Moreno’s numerous housing projects is the Basecommunity, Manila’s in-city horizontal public housing project in Baseco, Port area. It has 229, two-storey, 42 squaremeter housing units, with each unit having two bedrooms, a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room.

Other housing projects, including San Lazaro Residences, Pedro Gil Residences, and San Sebastian Residences have already broken ground, marking the fulfilment of Moreno’s promise to put a roof over people’s heads.

As Manila celebrates its founding day, also known as Araw ng Manila, this June 24, 2022, it serves as a reminder of the city’s continuous development to create an inclusive environment that caters to the needs and wants of its constituents.

Tondominium 1 & 2 hopes to address the housing crisis in Manila

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|| FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 advertise@manilastandard.net

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HONEY LACUNA

makes history as Manila’s

1st female mayor

By Patricia Taculao

M Lacuna.

ANILA has seen its fair share of mayors throughout the years, and all of them have one characteristic: they’re all men. This 2022, however, the cycle is disrupted as the upcoming 23rd Manila Mayor is a woman named Honey

Lacuna, whose full name is She earned a biology degree at Maria Sheilah Honrado Lacunathe University of Santo Tomas, Pangan, is also the first female passed the Medicine Board in vice mayor of the city after 1992, finished her residency winning under former Manila training in dermatology at the Mayor Joseph Estrada. She was Ospital ng Maynila Medical reelected for the vice mayor post Center, and obtained her Doctor in 2019, but this time under inof Medicine degree from the De cumbent Manila Mayor Isko La Salle University.

Moreno.

She worked as a resident phyShe secured the top position sician in the dermatology dein the city’s government against partment of Ospital ng Maynila mayoral aspirants Alex Lopez, Medical Center from 1992 to Cristina Lim-Raymundo, Ama1995 and later as a public health do Bagatsing, Onofre Abad, and center physician under the MaElmer Jamias. nila Health Department from With Lacuna’s election as 1995 to 2004. Lacuna always Manila Mayor, not only did she applies a hands-on approach to make history as the first female her patients, making them feel mayor of the city, she also broke secure under her care. the belief that her surname is Yet her experiences in the field only good for the vice mayoralty of medicine don’t deter her from post as her father, former Manila her goals as a politician. Rather, Vice Mayor Danilo “Danny” it complements her knowledge Lacuna, unsuccessfully ran for and exposure to politics. mayor in 2007.

During the height of the COHer father’s involvement in VID-19 pandemic, Lacuna used politics also sparked a similar her medical expertise to intenManila Mayor-Elect calling within Lacuna. From sify the medical response to the Honey Lacuna-Pangan 2004 to 2013, Lacuna served as virus. She stood as the point pera Councilor for the 4th District son for the city government as it of Manila. During her terms, Lacuna kept busy and au- coordinated with hospital directors across Manila to dethored several ordinances, including the designation of velop efficient COVID-19 response plans and intensify bicycle and motorcycle lanes in the main thoroughfares vaccination efforts. As a result, Lacuna advocates better in Manila, the creation of the Manila AIDS Council, the health programs for the city. implementation of mandatory drug testing in businesses She’s also present in several relevant events for the across Manila, the requirement of the city’s hymn in all city, always showing her dedication to public service. flag ceremonies of schools, offices and other institutionManileños hold Lacuna in high regard as she pursues a al/official programs, and the opening of all official gath- progressive future for Manila. In the next three years, she erings in Manila. has the opportunity to achieve her goals for the city and Lacuna also holds the distinction of being a physician. prove that she’s worthy of the position she rightfully won.

‘Bagong ospital para sa bagong Maynila’ NO one deserves to be deprived of their basic needs.

This has been the thinking and policy being implemented by outgoing Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso in the nation’s capital - the City of Manila. As the chief local executive, and someone who came from the slums of Tondo, Domagoso personally knows the plight of the poor. He knows and once saw the struggle of the social discrimination on medical treatment between the lower class, middle class, and the high class. This pushed Domagoso to apply an inclusive approach across all borders.

For Domagoso, medical services must be given equally to the public regardless of their social status.

He firmly believes that what the rich can experience in a hospital, the poor deserves to be treated the same way. Domagoso has been like that in all its programs and policies. It was a breath of fresh air to Manilenos to have a leader that treats each one equally. Like his vision in life, “lahat ng buhay mahalaga. Mahirap, middle class, mayaman, lahat ay pantay-pantay.”

The concept on the Bagong Ospital ng Maynila started as one of the campaign promises of Domagoso when he was running for the mayoral race back in 2019. It was part of the 10-year infrastructure plan together with Vice Mayor HoneyLacuna Pangan under the banner of the Asenso Manileno, Domagoso’s local political party. The plan was to expand the city’s health services to further cater the needs of the public. The plan is to make Manila as a reimagined city, a city of hope, a city that regained its old glory.

“A new Ospital ng Maynila building will be constructed adjacent to the current building. It will be a huge fully air-conditioned public hospital for all Manileños to enjoy the city’s public health services,” he said during his campaign trail before.

As politicians and during campaign period, it was normal to hear highfalutin promises in order to gain the trust and votes from the public. Some, if not most, hold on to this promise of Domagoso.

The then mayoral candidate knew that only some believed that he could make this dream possible, but his vision for the city was crystal clear.

May 15, 2019 came and Domagoso was formally proclaimed as the new mayor of the City of Manila after defeating former Manila mayors president Joseph Estrada and Alfredo Lim. Domagoso had a landslide victory with 357,925 votes gained from the six districts of the nation’s capital. His win may be the start for a new Manila, but it was also the beginning of expectations on his campaign promises. It was also the start where he became the darling of the press.

Barely two weeks after his inauguration as the new mayor, Domagoso reiterated his promise on building a new Ospital ng Maynila. In a press conference held on July 16, 2019, the newly elected mayor said that it would be nice for a public hospital to have glass windows facing the sunset of Manila Bay as he eyed to make the facility to have top quality services. The dream was to build it in a matter of two years “if constructed properly and with proper timeline,” Domagoso said.

As such, last June 24, 2020, roughly three months since the pandemic started, the Manila city government had its groundbreaking ceremony for the Bagong Ospital ng Maynila located on Quirino Avenue. The event further marked the beginning of the city’s 449th founding anniversary and the end of the first year of the Domagoso administration. Joining Domagoso during the event was incoming Manila Mayor Doktora Honey Lacuna-Pangan who echoed the sentiment of the 47-year-old mayor on the importance of strengthening the healthcare facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Domagoso, construction should not be hampered, and medical services should be improved in order to support the needs of the public.

“No matter how good our healthcare workers are, if they have limited tools na hindi naaayon sa hamon ng panahon, mahihirapan po sila. I won’t mind investing billions for their equipment,” Domagoso said during the groundbreaking ceremony. As how he leads the whole city, it is when at the worst situation, if not worse, should the people feel the government. The government cannot stop at any point because the public depends on its government at times of adversity. This has been the policy being implemented by his administration: be there for the people, listen to their needs, and that no one should be left behind. This has been the statement echoing in the four corners of the Manila City Hall during meetings amid the pandemic. “Tao muna.”

Thus, during the planning on the construction of the Bagong Ospital ng Maynila, it was a strict directive to City Engineer Armand Andres to ensure that the new facility should have high standards. Domagoso once said: Kapag ang Bagong

Ospital ng Maynila na itatayo natin ay hindi naging mas maganda kaysa sa St. Luke’s, hindi papasa sa’kin. He even joked in front of the students of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila that if this would not be fulfilled, he would ask the contractor to give back the payment of the city.

He said that not because a hospital is a district or public hospital, it could not provide what a private hospital could provide. For the mayor, a hospital should function as a hospital regardless if this is a private hospital or not. “Dapat kahit public facility, first class service ang ibibigay sa tao. Kung ano ang nabibigay ng private hospital kaya rin dapat ng isang public hospital,” he said.

“Hindi porke’t public hospital, hindi na pwedeng makamit ng ating mahihirap na kababayan ang serbisyong natatanggap ng mayayaman.”

Under the plan, the Bagong Ospital ng Maynila will be a 10-story fully-airconditioned hospital that will be built adjacent to its current building. It will have six operating rooms, 11 beds for pre/post operation, 12 beds for its neonatal intensive care unit, 25 beds for its intensive care units, 19 private rooms, 52 ward rooms, one room each for MRI and CT Scan, two service elevators and escalators, four bed elevators, and a helipad. Domagoso highlighted the importance of having a helipad as some emergency cases are from outside Manila or vice-versa. He said that one cannot fully depend on ambulances as situations can arise anytime.

As for the part of the old building of the Ospital ng Maynila, Domagoso said that it will be converted into the new College of Medicine building for the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) – one of the cities state colleges located inside the walls of Intramuros. According to PLM President Emmanuel Leyco, this development would help in the improvement of quality education and training for its students. Leyco said that once finished, the old hospital building will become the PLM Allied Health Sciences Campus.

It was a bold statement for a first term Mayor to declare such words. Hopes are getting high, and expectations are being set. Could he fulfill these words? Those who do not know the ins and outs of the Domagoso administration may look at it as outrageous promise against him; however, those part of Domagoso’s inner circle would know that he’s not taking the job as the chief executive lightly. He knows what he wants, but not for personal gain, but always for the people.

It doesn’t matter for Domagoso if it will take him until the late hours to inspect the ongoing construction of the Bagong Ospital of Maynila – may be alone or with other city government officials. He was known for that. The regular 8pm to 5pm government hours do not exist in the mind of Domagoso. Once, he had an inspection at the said hospital at 9pm to see for himself the development being done not only for the people of Manila but for the public. Indeed, the slogan of Bagong Maynila was evidently seen under his helm.

Staying true to his words during the groundbreaking ceremony, construction and inspection were continuously made for the part of the construction workers and government officials. Domagoso knows that pandemic became a challenge in every aspect to the lives of the public, but he knows as well that medical services should be constantly provided. He knows that every lives is at stake in every tick of the clock; that no time should be wasted; that the government should act fast and provide solutions two steps ahead of the possible problem.

Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic did not become a hindrance to fulfill the promise of Domagoso for the Manilenos who gambled on him. Record from the Department of Engineering and Public Works showed that during the last quarter of the year 2021, the Bagong Ospital ng Maynila was 70 percent complete “The Filipino people deserve better from their government.

While it is true that we are challenged nowadays, utilization of funds for public purposes can be directed to priorities,” the mayor said. “This one was designed as a long-term solution: better healthcare facility, better services, fully equipped, enough medical professionals,” he added.

Life

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

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FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022

The spacious interior of the Mehan Garden

Guests at Manila Zoo can interact with the animals for a memorable experience

Manila is abundant in historical yet thriving restaurants like Ambos Mundo

Four centuries of preserving Filipino heritage and advocating progress

By Patricia Taculao TODAY, Manila celebrates its 451st Founding Day, also known as Araw ng Maynila. While most Manileños usually enjoy the holiday off, others take the opportunity to explore the city and immerse themselves in the city’s culture.

As the capital city of the Philippines, Manila is home to numerous tourist attractions that cater to everyone’s interests, from a park stroll, a museum visit, or a unique experience. There’s always something to do in Manila.

In the heart of Manila, near the City Hall, lies a spacious garden ideal for quiet walks, outdoor activities, and even as a venue for curated events. The Mehan Garden, established in 1858 by the Spanish colonial authorities as a botanical garden, was recently renovated under the initiative of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. He emphasized the relevance of the Mehan Garden in Manila’s history and continued to make it accessible to the public.

During some holidays, like Valentine’s Day and Christmas, the Mehan Garden also served as a venue for events that

allowed Filipinos to earn a livelihood and boost the local economy.

When it comes to food, Manila has numerous restaurants and kiosks that offer various flavors. One example found along the streets of Sta. Cruz is Ambos Mundo, possibly the oldest Spanish restaurant founded in 1888. It has menu items that range from Spanish to Filipino to Chinese food. The humble restaurant reminisces Manila’s olden days with its authentic flavors from three significant cuisines that shaped local culture while celebrating its current progress through

modern interiors.

Recently, however, Manileños are gushing over the reopening of Manila Zoo, a favorite tourism spot that played a hefty role in their childhoods. After all, it’s not every day that people come across an elephant or a python in person.

Through the revamped zoo, kids and nature enthusiasts can see local and foreign species of fauna. A good portion of the zoo is also dedicated to some local plants to raise awareness and encourage guests to discover more about endemic species in the country.

Celebrating Manila Day goes beyond tasting good food, visiting local tourist spots, and creating new memories within the city. It’s a time for Filipinos, especially Manileños, to remember how far the city has come since its founding.

For more than four centuries, Manila grew into a town where its citizens enjoy continuously adapting amenities that advocate inclusive communities, modern technology, and sustainability.

Indeed, Manila is a city with endless possibilities for those who know what they’re looking for.

‘And we have reached the most exciting part ‘ W

HEN ABS-CBN management tapped director and filmmaker Connie Macatuno to helm the local adaptation of the phenomenal family drama Doctor Foster, the media company had one thing in mind, they wanted a female perspective on a narrative that is already familiar. Now, it’s up to Macatuno and her team on how they would make the series as engaging as the previous adaptations that have won the hearts of people across the globe.

But the bigger challenge here was not being faithful to the entire story, but how to make Doctor Foster, adapted locally as The Broken Marriage Vow, different and at the same time make it very Filipino and still be at par with other versions that were directed mostly by male directors.

“We were aiming for a global look but still very local,” Macatuno told Manila Standard in an exclusive interview.

“That’s the beauty of creating something remarkable. It’s like directing Glorious in a sense that people will remember it.

Yet again, The Broken Marriage Vow is different. Iba ito. The series is an entirely different experience,” Macatuno carried on juxtaposing her current work with her previous project that also made a mark on local pop culture.

By all standards, Macatuno has succeeded in creating something unique.

The Broken Marriage Vow is distinct in itself, it’s also a testament that Filipino talents can produce world-class drama while pushing and highlighting national identity.

By now, you would have already used Jodi Sta. Maria’s (who plays the now iconic lead Dr. Jill Ilustre) line “papunta pa lang tayo sa exciting part” either in your social media posts or in your conversations with friends and family members. It’s definitely a pop phenomenon based on how netizens came up with memes and parodies

Connie Macatuno is successful in adapting ‘Doctor Foster’ into a local version that’s relatable to viewers The cast and directors of ‘The Broken Marriage Vow’

that attracted massive engagements online.

But does Macatuno considers this as a measure of success for the series?

She certainly does. But The Broken Marriage Vow is more than just a pop phenom. It’s a passion project that elevated series production in the country.

In fashion, for instance, the series took Filipino costume design to a whole new level. Macatuno, who is also the show’s costume design head, showcased all Filipino-made clothing. Yes, 19 local designers and brands in total.

“Our vision was to showcase the contemporary way of wearing these clothes without bastardizing the origin of the fabric or its cultural heritage,” Macatuno said.

From clothing, bags, and accessories, to bespoke shoes, Macatuno made sure that “local fashion” will have its grand exposure.

“It’s our team effort to highlight original Filipino designs to celebrate our pride in being a Filipino in this series,” the prolific director added.

The global appeal of the drama, according to Macatuno also lies in the choice of location. She said the charming Summer Capital made all the difference.

“Baguio is a small place where everybody knows everybody, that’s why it matches the original version in the sense that the characters are familiar with each other and live in almost the same community,” Macatuno pointed out.

The director admitted that doing the yan,” she carried on stating that they had series was not a walk in the park which to go into 200-400 is why she’s extremely proud of the end The most Powerpoint slides result. She lauded the acting ensemble that exciting part during the pre- made the series even more colorful and Just like one of their effort to make their characters stand production phase. the most iconic lines Asked how she out in every frame. in the show, in a “I hope this series would reawaken our would like The separate interview with Broken Marriage efforts to introduce our talents globally, Manila Standard during Vow to be remembered magpakilala globally bilang Pilipino,” she the series’ finale media by viewers, Macatuno underscored. conference, Macatuno shared Sharing the director’s chair with reiterated the series’s what she considered the attempt at pushing Macatuno is Andoy Ranay. Completing most exciting part of doing Zanjoe Marudo (left) and Jodi the cast are Zanjoe Marudo, Sue Ramirez, national identity. the series.

Sta. Maria are convincing in “Based on the feedback Zaijian Jaranilla, Bianca Manalo, “For me, it’s seeing my playing their roles as David and Jill I got, I think this is the Ketchup Eusebio, Jane Oineza, and Jake vision three-dimensionally, seeing your concept that’s just in your first local series that used Filipino approach Ejercito.

The Broken Marriage Vow can be seen mind, turning into reality. Yung parang ang but in a global context. Pinoy naman tayo so sarap maglaro. I call it ‘play’ because it’s lahat naman ng gawa natin very Filipino di on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, and like toying on the idea of ‘what if we do ba? Kuwento ng Pinoy. Except that there’s Kapamilya Online Live on ABS-CBN this or let’s go for this kind of approach.’ a conscious effort, mindful effort to have a Entertainment’s YouTube channel and Inside you know where it’s going to go, but global approach. We wanted to introduce Facebook page. The series is also available at the same time, the whole shoot does not our country through The Broken Marriage to viewers out of the Philippines on rely on one person alone. It relies on each Vow by saying, ‘heto kami bilang Pilipino’,” iWantTFC and The Filipino Channel (TFC) on cable and IPTV. and everyone to make that vision happen,” Macatuno enunciated.

Macatuno explained.

“So yun yung part ng excitement na makikita mo. For you to realize this vision in a short period of time, you need teamwork. It’s a nice feeling when you see everyone bloom, tapos makita mo yung location mo biglang mag-fit in Many influencers enjoy making memes with the kasi dati pictures lang AC Soriano (right) is popular for making parodies of Jodi Sta. Maria’s character

scenes of ‘The Broken Marriage Vow’

PCCR honors victorious celebrity alumni at Manila Hotel Honorees with Senator Robin Padilla and Vice Mayor Yul Servo Nieto (fifth and fourthfrom right, respectively)

THE Philippine College of Criminology (PCCR) has hosted a Testimonial Dinner for its alumni who won in the recent Elections and in last month’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Dubbed “Gabing Parangal Para sa Batang 641” and was held at the Centenial Ballroom of the historic

Manila Hotel, the honorees included actor and now Senator Robin Padilla, actor-turned-public servant Yul Servo Nieto, who is now the Vice-Mayor of Manila, and former Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary and Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr.

PCCR President Ma. Angelica Lei Bautista, lead singer of Prettier Than Pink and composer of the hit song “Cool Ka Lang,” awarded each honoree with a plaque and Academic Scholarships. Both Padilla and Nieto found the time to earn their BS Criminology degrees in spite of their busywork schedule as celebrities in our movie world. While the former continued his successful stint in the movies and television, the latter made his presence felt in the local government scene, first as councilor, then as Congressman, and now as Vice Mayor of Manila.

Currently the Governor of Zambales, Gen. Ebdane served his two aforementioned posts during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He was also the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary before being elected to his current post. Gen. Ebdane obtained his Master of Arts in Criminology

from PCCR in 1997.

Other honorees are Governor Jose “Otik” Riano of Romblon (BS Crim ‘88), Sangguniang Bayan Members Alvin Truita of Dauin, Negros Oriental (BS Crim ‘18), Joel Landicho of Agoncillo, Batangas (BS Crim ‘95), and Felipe Abigan, Jr. of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte (BS Crim ‘88, MA Crim ‘02, PhD Crim ‘18).

The Alumni Honorees who competed and won in the recent SEA Games are Estie Gay Liwanen (BS Crim ‘09) for Kurash, and Alvin Campos (BS Crim ‘20) for Pencak Silat. A third honoree, James El Mayagma for Pencak Silat, is currently a sophomore student of BS Criminology.

More information on PCCR’s academic offerings may be obtained through 0918-452-8300 and www. pccr.edu.ph