Manila Standard - 2022 July 20 - Wednesday

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BBM eyes cheaper fertilizer Sets G2G deals with foreign sources to avail of better prices

By Othel V. Campos and Maricel V. Cruz

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RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said he was keen on pursuing government-to-government (G2G) deals to address the rising costs of fertilizers. Marcos, who concurrently heads the Department of Agriculture (DA), said the government could avail of cheaper fertilizers through G2G deals. “They want to help us, so why don’t we take advantage of that,” Marcos said in Filipino during a meeting at the Bureau of Soils and Water Management Convention Hall in Quezon City. “Give us fertilizer at a better price. That’s the whole point of G2G.” The President said he is looking at deals with China, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Russia for the procurement of fertilizers. The President asked agriculture officials to provide data on the source of and price of fertilizers, as well as on the department’s distribution plan during the planting season. Marcos said the most pressing issues that need to be addressed in the agricultural sector include increasing rice production and reorganizing the DA Next page

VOL. XXXVI • NO. 155 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

RICE PROTEST. Members of the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women and the group Bantay Bigas gather signatures at the Kamuning Market in Quezon City on Tuesday to raise public support in demanding the repeal of Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Liberalization Law and the enactment of House Bill 405 or the Rice Development Act. Manny Palmero

Palace retains COVID alert system, new mode up mid-Aug. Break in fuel

price rollback likely next week

By Vito Barcelo, Willie Casas, and Othel V. Campos PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. retained the COVID-19 Alert Level System for the time being while a new classification system more compatible with the current milder strains is under study, the Palace said Tuesday. In a statement, the Palace said the government will come up with a new alert level classification by mid-August. “The alert level could be adjusted or improved if people get their booster shots,” the President said. This developed as the Department of Health said it hopes to administer about 23 million booster shots within Marcos Jr.’s first 100 days in office. The DOH also declared that Metro Manila and other areas will remain under Alert Level 1 until the end of July. General Santos City and 18 other localities were also de-escalated to the lower level. The President instructed the DOH to make COVID-19 boosters more accessible Next page

By Alena Mae S. Flores

MASK UP. A member of the Manila Police District (MPD) Station 2 puts a face mask on a cargo hauler and other citizens without masks in

PUMP prices for domestic oil products may rise anew—after three straight weeks of rollbacks—if China lifts its COVID-19 lockdowns and the United States Federal Reserve does not push through with its planned interest rate hikes, an Energy Department official said Tuesday. “There’s a possibility this situation will happen, as the supply side is still very tight. There’s a slim difference in supply against demand,” Rino Abad, Department of Energy director for the Oil Industry Management Bureau said in a briefing. China, one of the world’s biggest consumers of oil products, has been battling a surge in coronavirus cases Next page

Divisoria, Manila on Tuesday, amid a surge of COVID-19 cases nationwide. Norman Cruz

Lakas-CMD now biggest party in House, ranks swell to 64 THE Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats now have the most members in the House of Representatives as its ranks swelled to 64, after party president and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez administered the party’s oath to four more congressmen,

apart from 12 mayors and several other local officials on Tuesday. With Lakas-CMD chairperson and Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio as witness, Davao City 2nd District Rep. Vincent Garcia, Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab,

Davao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Alan Dujali, and Camarines Norte 1st District Rep. Josefina Tallado took their oaths yesterday. They joined Maguindanao Rep. Dimple Mastura, who earlier joined the party but Next page

MORE FOR ‘LAKAS’.

With Lakas-CMD chair and Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio (2nd from left) as witness, party president and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez (left) administers the oath to new members (from left) Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab, Davao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Alan Dujali, Davao City 2nd District Rep. Vincent Garcia, Maguindanao Rep. Dimple Mastura, and Camarines Norte 1st District Rep. Josefina Tallado on Tuesday. Ver Noveno

Purging of 4Ps list frees up P15b for new beneficiaries By Vince Lopez THE government has freed up P15 billion to use on other poor Filipino families after the Department of Social Welfare and Development trimmed the list of beneficiaries of its cash assistance program by 1.3 million families, a Cabinet meeting Tuesday revealed. The DSWD is validating the list of 1.3 million beneficiaries from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps who are no longer considered “poor,” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said. Angeles said Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo made the report before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the 3rd Cabinet meeting held at the Aguinaldo Hall in Malacañang Palace. “Of note is Sec. Erwin Tulfo’s declaration that in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program, at least 1.3 million beneficiaries out of 4.4 million are no longer considered ‘poor’ as a qualification for the 4Ps benefits,” Angeles said. “This frees up P15 billion for other qualified persons to replace them and now be included in the 4Ps program,” the Press Next page

Marcos likes his first SONA to be simple PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25 to be simple, House Secretary General Mark Leandro Mendoza said Tuesday. “They have asked us to make it simple so he can prepare the message to the general public,” Mendoza told CNN Philippines. At least 1,300 guests have been invited to the SONA, most of whom have confirmed their attendance, Mendoza said. Guests will be required to present a copy of a Next page

Filipina philanthropist Davao school leader honored in New York cites Abe with award Story on A4

Story on A2

‘Bat-man and Robin’ team-up for ELCAC? Story on A4

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News

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Monkeypox, dengue loom over PH By Willie Casas

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MMUNOCOMPROMISED persons, children, pregnant women, and the elderly are at high risk of contracting monkeypox, a health expert said Tuesday.

cases recorded from January 1 to July 2, 2021. Since January 1 this year, a total of 7,892 monkeypox cases have been reported in non-endemic countries, Solante said, citing data from the World Health Organization. The Philippines has yet to detect a case of the monkeypox virus. The DOH earlier said it was ready to contain it. Some 78 percent of the cases were males ages 18 to 44, according to data as of July 9. Around 98 percent of the overall cases were identified as men who have sex with men, of which 41 percent were living with HIV. Solante said the recent spread of monkeypox came with atypical presentations versus its original. Patients in non-endemic regions pre-

sented with lesions first instead of fever and body malaise, and some had fewer or even just a single lesion instead of an eruption of rashes, he said. Cases in non-endemic countries also presented lesions in the genital or perineal areas, he said. “It’s difficult to really explain why they present atypical presentations. Is it because they’re immunocompromised, members of the HIV population, or is it because the behavior of the virus is different in this group of patients?” he said in a media forum organized by the Philippine College of Physicians. “That’s why the high index of suspicion is important. The challenge now among non-endemic countries, is how will you be able to tell...Access to testing is also very important.”

But the overall risk of the general population contracting monkeypox is “considered low,” said infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante, head of adult infectious diseases at the San Lazaro Hospital. This developed as the number of admissions of non-COVID-19 patients is increasing in hospitals, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) said Tuesday. PHAPI president Dr. Jose de Grano said they were seeing a rise in dengue

cases in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Zamboanga, as well as in the Visayas. The Philippines has recorded a total of 16,324 dengue cases from June 5 to July 2, 2022, the Department of Health said Tuesday. Overall, 65,190 dengue cases were registered nationally from January 1 to July 2, 2022, which was around 83% higher compared to the cases reported during the same period last year, the DOH noted. There were only 35,715 dengue

Palace... From A1

PH school head remembers Abe via Japan award

to the public, Health Department officerin-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said. Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion also appealed to the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) to allow citizens to take their second boosters and avert wastage of some 1,516,040 vaccines expiring by the end of July. He said the call aligns with the President’s goal of administering at least 23 million booster shots within his first hundred days in office. “To avoid confusion, we will retain the alert level system for now. We are, however… studying very closely… decoupling the restrictions from the alert levels,” Marcos said during a meeting with DOH. Vergeire said the DOH could come up with new classifications by the second week of August. She said the country is currently experiencing an uptick in COVID-19 cases because of the highly contagious Omicron BA.5 variant. Based on current projections, more relaxed compliance to minimum public health standards (MPHS) would result in a higher number of COVID-19 cases, Vergeire said. However, that is preventable, she added. The DOH is also reconstituting the member agencies of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to only those with relevant and intended functions. Pending the reconstitution, Vergeire said they will streamline IATF meetings and processes with clear directives to assist in safe reopening and will be using the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) platform. The platform will replace the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) to integrate it with the regular processes. This will allow the IATF health expert groups to continue their work as they serve as the voice of science in the country. Meanwhile, the independent OCTA Research Group said some areas, especially in Luzon, have logged an increase in new COVID-19 cases. OCTA fellow Guido David said that based on their monitoring, a rise in positivity rate, as well as new infections in Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Pangasinan, and La Union, has been observed. Other areas that posted a spike in new cases are Cagayan, Isabela, Iloilo, Pampanga, Bulacan, Bataan, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac, he said. David said the decoupling mentioned by the President would mean that despite the rise in cases, what is important to monitor is the health care utilization, he said. The Philippines recorded 14,640 new COVID-19 cases in the previous week, reflecting about a 40-percent increase from a week before, data from the DOH said Monday.

Marcos... From A1 negative RT-PCR test for COVID-19 taken 48 hours before the event. Mendoza said there will also be enough space at the Plenary Hall of the Batasang Pambansa Complex to observe social distancing. Some 21,000 security personnel will be deployed during the SONA, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said. A gun ban will also be imposed in Metro Manila from July 22 to July 27. The whole stretch of Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City has been declared a no-rally zone as part

Identify persons in notarizing docs, SC warns lawyers By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has exhorted lawyers who have been commissioned as notaries public to faithfully exercise their duties, particularly in ascertaining the identities of persons availing their services. In a nine-page en banc decision, the SC through Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao ordered the suspension of two lawyers identified as Miguel Padernal and Delfin Agcaoili Jr. from the practice of law due to their gross negligence in fulfilling their duty to identify the signatories to a document before performing a notarial act. The SC emphasized that notarization is not merely “a mechanical act” since it would have an effect on the public’s daily transactions. “Prefatorily, it is a time-honored principle that notarization is not an empty, meaningless, and routinary act. It is one heavily impressed with public interest, for notarization converts a private document to a public one, making it admissible without further proof of its authenticity,” the 15-member bench ruled. “Plain as a pikestaff, a notary public must observe the highest degree of care in complying with the basic requirements in performing his or her duties in order to preserve the public’s confidence in the integrity of the notarial system,” it said. The SC found both Padernal and Agcaoili guilty of violating the provisions of the Code of Professional Responsibility (CPR) as well as the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice. Padernal was suspended from the practice of law for one year and barred from being commissioned as notary public for two years.

A DAVAO-BASED school head honored the assassinated former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe as she formally accepted last weekend an award from Japan’s government. Ines Yamanouchi Mallari, president of Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku lin Davao City, was conferred with The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in November last year. She received the award last Saturday at Dusit D2 Davao Hotel, ABSCBN reported. “I am personally grateful to PM Abe

for his kindness and generosity to us Nikkeijin (Japanese descendants in the Philippines),” Mallari said in her speech, a copy of which she shared to ABS-CBN News. Abe died after being shot last July 8 in Nara, Japan while delivering a campaign speech. Japan’s longest-serving prime minister visited Mallari’s school in January 2017, during which, according to her, “he was able to do some high five, selfies or shook hands with” the students. Mallari is also president of the Phil-

ippine Nikkei Jin Kai, Inc. which helps post-war Filipino-Japanese descendants regain their Japanese citizenship. She recalled that in 2015, Abe accommodated her group in his office in Tokyo “to listen to our appeal to help fasttrack the recognition of our remaining stateless members who are already in the twilight of their existence.” “The Nikkei community was saddened by the way PM Abe died… The world lost a great leader, while the Philippines including the Nikkei community, lost a great friend and supporter,” she said.

BBM... From A1

officials to identify priority areas, create the necessary maps, and provide copies of the master plan to the country’s economic managers and local government units. Meanwhile, Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda proposed a stronger and more aggressive national corn program to address the lack of supply of chicken in restaurants and supermarkets. He said Congress needed to pass “a livestock, poultry, and dairy development act” to address the structural constraints that are holding back the industry. “I have had conversations with chicken suppliers, and the problem does not appear to be a shortage of headcount, but the quality of chickens being produced. Broiler raisers have brought to my attention the fact that they are not meeting the standards set by their buyers,” he said. “That, I attribute the nearly 50 percent increase in the prices of corn feed, yearon-year. And as much as 60 percent of costs to broiler raising costs are attributable to corn. So, you would expect some broiler raisers to cut back on corn feed, leading to weight issues in produce.” “The result is chickens are basically malnourished… Essentially, they are chicken-joyless. So, supermarkets and restaurants don’t want to serve them,” Salceda said. Salceda said the short-term solution is to boost local production of corn during the upcoming corn season,

which begins in July and will be harvested in September. “We should ensure delivery of services under the National Corn Program within the peak crop season this July to September. That will be extremely essential to solving the poultry supply quality problem.” “Fertilizer will be the most crucial assistance, I believe. So, any pending fertilizer assistance programs will also have to be released in strategic cornproducing locations within this peak season. The fastest way to do that is through Fertilizer Discount Coupons, which was a successful program we amplified in Albay when I was governor. The effect will be immediate on yield.” In the long run, Salceda said the passage of the livestock, poultry, and dairy development act, which he filed as House Bill 440, will also help address the structural constraints to the livestock and poultry sectors. The proposal will earmark tariff revenues from corn imports for domestic corn productivity improvement under a Corn Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which will be at around P2 billion annually. “Unlike in rice, we can be globally competitive in corn, based on [what] many agricultural experts [say],” Salceda said. “The problem with livestock and poultry boils down to feeds, feeds, feeds. And corn is the single most essential feed source.”

American and African countries, which have lifted millions of people around the world from poverty. The DSWD is the lead government agency of the 4Ps. Marcos Jr. presided over his third Cabinet meeting on Tuesday after holding the second one virtually as he recovered from his second bout of COVID-19. The meeting yesterday focused on the DSWD and the Department of Education. The President asked how he should address Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, who also serves as DepEd secretary. “How do I address you? VP-Secretary? Secretary-VP?” Marcos asked. “Inday Sara, sir,” Duterte-Carpio, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, said in response, drawing laughter from the other Cabinet members.

A statement released by the Palace said the DepEd had discussed their priority programs and projects for basic education, while the DSWD presented their plans for social welfare. The video stream, uploaded on the social media pages of the Radio-Television Malacañang, was cut before substantial portions of the meeting began. The 4Ps also help the Philippine government fulfill its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) -- specifically in eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality, reducing child mortality, and improving maternal health care. The 4Ps operate in all the 17 regions in the Philippines, covering 79 provinces, 143 cities, and 1,484 municipalities.

and has imposed lockdowns as part of its zero-COVID policy. “If the surge in demand returns, pressure will resume on supply, and will reverse the trend and most likely lead to (price) increases again,” Abad said in Filipino. Pump prices have gone down for three consecutive weeks due to the US interest rate hikes and recession fears. Abad said the US Federal Reserve plans to review its policy rate during a meeting on July 26 to 27. According to a report by Reuters, US Federal Reserve officials may stick with a 75-basis-point interest rate increase during their meeting. “They are considering their decision on the interest hikes. If they do that, other Central Banks will follow, and there will be global action. When that happens, that will be favorable because the rollback will continue,” Abad said. On Tuesday, local oil firms cut the pump price of gasoline by P5 per liter, diesel by P2 per liter, and kerosene by P0.70 per liter to reflect the movement of prices in the world market. Phoenix Petroleum Philippines decreased the prices of diesel by P2 per liter and gasoline by P5 per liter effective 6 AM of 19 July 2022, it said in its advisory. PTT Philippines, Chevron Philippines, Seaoil Philippines, PetroGazz, Cleanfuel, Unioil Petroleum Philippines, and Flying V also announced price cuts. Unioil announced over the weekend that fuel prices would go down during the week of July 19 to 25 by P1.90 to P2.10 per liter for diesel and P4.60 to P4.80 per liter for gasoline.

Lakas-CMD... From A1

Bongbong Marcos Jr.,” he added. Romualdez is poised to become House Speaker once the 19th Congress opens next week, completing the return to power of Lakas-CMD, which has produced two Presidents -- Fidel V. Ramos and current Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is backing the Leyte lawmaker as the new leader. From a low of 27 members, the party has taken in new members, some from the erstwhile ruling PDP-Laban, which had 52 members in the previous Congress that it ruled with a supermajority coalition but has fractured with the exit of former President Rodrigo Duterte. As it stands, the supermajority of about 268 House members is comprised of Lakas-CMD, PDP-Laban, the

39-member Nacionalista Party of billionaire tycoon and former Senate President Manny Villar, 34 from the National Unity Party headed by Dasmarinas City Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., about 60 members of the Party-list Coalition Foundation of Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero, and nine from the opposition Liberal Party. The Nationalist People’s Coalition, led by former Senate President Tito Sotto and perceived as friendly to the administration, may also reach 50 members in the incoming Congress from a base of 36. Romualdez also administered the oath to former Surigao Del Norte Governor Francisco Matugas with 12 mayors from the province. Maricel V. Cruz

and its attached agencies. “We need an immediate plan to ensure that our food supply and the food prices are within reach of ordinary Filipinos from now until the end of the year,” the President and current DA Secretary said. Undersecretary for Operations and Chief-of-Staff Leocadio Sebastian presented the agency’s catch-up plan, which will prioritize the production of rice, corn, livestock, poultry, vegetables, and fisheries. Strategies for other programs such as a fertilizer subsidy were also presented. The President also said the country’s system of importation should be reformed in coordination with the Bureau of Customs, the House of Representatives, and the Senate to address rampant vegetable smuggling. The meeting also tackled the country’s farm-to-market (FMR) network plan. “FMR is the first step to solve some of the supply chain problems,” the President said. He said the construction of farm-tomarket roads and infrastructure support should be prioritized in major food production areas, and that all these be aligned with the overall plan. Marcos also instructed the concerned

Purging... From A1 Secretary added. Tulfo earlier said families without eligible household members or who have already met the self-sufficient stage would be delisted from the 4Ps program. The vacated slots will be given to new beneficiaries as many applicants are on the waiting list, he had told Teleradyo. The 4Ps is a human development measure of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition, and education of children aged 0-18. It is patterned after the conditional cash transfer (CCT) schemes in Latin

of security measures for the SONA, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Tuesday. National Capital Region Police Office Chief Maj. Gen. Felipe Natividad said banning protests on Commonwealth Avenue would save motorists and commuters from inconvenience. He said if protesters insist on staging demonstrations, the police would prevent them from reaching Commonwealth Avenue “with maximum tolerance and calibrated response.” PNP Officer in Charge, Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao, said protesters could only conduct their activities at the University of the Philippines grounds and Quezon Memorial Circle, which are designated as freedom parks.

only formalized her membership Tuesday at the Lakas-CMD headquarters in Manila, Romualdez said in a statement. Lakas-CMD supported the candidacies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Duterte-Carpio in the May 9 national elections. “We await with great expectations opportunities for engaging and bonding with them and the rest of our membership. We hope they will have an enjoyable and fruitful engagement with us,” said Romualdez, a cousin of Marcos Jr. “[Lakas-CMD] will 100 percent support the legislative and unity agenda of President

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THURSDAY, APRIL 28 2022

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Filipina philanthropist honored in New York N

EW YORK—A Filipina lawyer-philanthropist seeking a cure for a rare degenerative disease that afflicts Visayan men, and an American businessman-philanthropist who helped bring the Balangiga Bells back to the Philippines, were among 11 individuals, organizations, and enterprises that were honored last week by the Philippine Consulate General in New York and the Hiraya Foundation for Filipino-American Heritage Preservation.

Lawyer Geraldine Acuna-Sunshine

Also honored in the first-ever Gawad Alab ng Lahi: Pagkilala sa Mga Natatanging Dangal ng Lahing Pilipino held at the Whitby Theater in Manhattan on July 12 were Filipino nurses who have been tirelessly serving in the frontline against Covid-19 and veterans seeking recognition for Filipino World War II veterans. “Our Gawad Alab ng Lahi awardees

bring not only pride and honor to the Filipino race -- they are the flames that should inspire all of us to work together to help us achieve our shared aspirations for our country and our people,” Consul General Elmer Cato said. “We hope that the Gawad Alab ng Lahi will inspire more of our kababayan to stoke the flames of Filipino pride by demonstrating the best of our race in

whatever they do,” Dr. Romulo Aromin, President and Chair of the Hiraya Foundation, said. Lawyer Geraldine Acuna-Sunshine, a member of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University, who is also president of the Sunshine Care Foundation and co-founder of the Collaborative Center for X-Linked Dystonia Parkinsonism, was presented with the Gawad Alab ng Lahi for spearheading efforts to find a cure for the disease that afflicts Filipino males from the Visayas while providing comprehensive support for patients and their families in the Philippines. Dr. Henry Howard, Philippine Honorary Consul in Miami, Florida, was recognized not only for his scholarship

programs in the Philippines but also for his role in securing the release and eventual return of the Balangiga Bells from the United States. The other awardees include the Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA), which was recognized for the service and sacrifice of its members, especially during the coronavirus pandemic that claimed the lives of as many as 66 nurses from the Philippines. Another awardee is Dr. Leo Felix Jurado, Chair of the Nursing Department at the William Patterson University in New Jersey, for his role in getting the Philippines included as a testing center for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) that benefited thousands of Filipino nurses.

Million Trees supports Yulo appointment MILLION Trees Foundation, Inc. and Maynilad Water Services, Inc. have expressed their support on the designation of Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga as Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). In a statement, the MTFI, represented by its chair emeritus Gen. Reynaldo V. Velasco and president and executive director Melandrew T. Velasco, said the nomination of Secretary Yulo-Loyzaga to head the government agency responsible for the conservation, management, development, and proper use of the country’s environment and natural resources is a laudable step by the new administration. For his part, Maynilad president Ramoncito S. Fernandez said “we welcome the appointment of Secretary Yulo and she is an ally, especially in our common advocacy of reducing carbon emissions. We support her advocacies on climate change and disaster resilience.” He made the statement of support at the launching of Maynilad’s Road to 1 Million Trees planted in 15 years as part of its 15th-year celebration as water concessionaire of the West Zone and for the Annual Million Trees Challenge of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS). Fernandez said that Maynilad is aiming for Climate Neutrality by 2037 which he described as an ambitious target.

IN BRIEF DENR reclassifies 4 new caves for conservation THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources has approved the reclassification of four caves in Abra, Quezon and Albay for proper management and conservation. Its Biodiversity Management Bureau, and regional and provincial offices, reclassified from Class I to Class II the Ganway Cave in Barangay Malamsit, Penarrubia town and the Quitinday Cave in Barangay Quitinday, Jovellar town, both in Albay. Sung Wan Cave in Brgy. Lawigue, Tayabas City, Quezon was also reclassified from Class I to Class II. Rio N. Araja

QC, NHA team up, help settler families relocate THE Quezon City government is helping the National Housing Authority relocate families living along the waterways and other hazard-prone areas to save lives during the rainy season. Maria Bianca Perez, the city’s Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office’s Research and Planning chief, said they have already been implementing the effort even before the death of two informal settlers living under a bridge during Saturday’s flash flood. Mayor Joy Belmonte vowed to extend assistance help the relatives of the two victims whose bodies were found in Parkway Village in Barangay Apolonio Samson and Barangay Bahay Toro. Rio N. Araja

NEW DENR CHIEF. President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. presided over the swearing-in of Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga as Secretary of the Department of Environment and

Natural Resources.

Authorities arrest four on most wanted persons list in Metro Manila By Joel E. Zurbano THE National Capital Region Police Office on Tuesday announced the arrest of four individuals included in the list of most wanted persons in Metro Manila. Arrested were Miguel Philip Garnace, 18, of 1676 Maingat Street, Phase 4, Barangay CAA, Las Piñas City; Rodnel Layug, of Western Bicutan, Taguig City; Desiree Saludo, 53, of 15Q Lotus Tower, Oriental Garden, Pasong Tamo, Makati City, and

Joseph Soterio, 33, a native of Cainta, Rizal and resident of Barangay Submakin, Labo, Camarines Norte. A composite team from Las Piñas City police station and Southern Police District - Mobile Force Batallon led by Lt. Jay Joseph de Guzman and Lt. Ricardo Quibrantos apprehended Garnace on Monday based on a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Nerina Anastacio-Mendinueto of Las Pinas City Regional Trial Court, Branch 199 on May 6.

A warrant of arrest was also served in Mandaluyong City against Saludo, known for her alias Dess, who ranked Top 5 in the list of most wanted person in the city. She was accused of qualified theft, estafa and for violating the tax code and bouncing checks law. Meanwhile, elements of the Project 6 Police Station 15 served the arrest warrant of Soterio who topped the list of most wanted men in Quezon City. Soterio is wanted for two counts of rape and sexual assault.

Over P5m in smuggled ‘ecstasy’ from Cebu seized in NAIA raid By Joel E. Zurbano GOVERNMENT agents assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have seized a smuggled shipment of ecstasy and arrested its claimant during a controlled delivery operation in Cebu City. The shipment worth more than P5 million from the Netherlands was misdeclared by the importer as women’s clothing, a case of technical smuggling, according to the Bureau of Customs. The contraband arrived at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) in Pasay City on June 10 and is consigned to the claimant identified as Lunel Paden. A composite team from the Port of NAIA, Interagency Drug Interdiction Task Group (IADITG) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency conducted the operation after Customs examiners and enforcement group personnel discovered that the shipment contain 2,984 pieces of party drug ecstasy. Customs officials said ecstasy is a

Class-A drug, which is an artificial stimulant, popular among clubbers. They added those who take the drug can have a rush of energy which makes them alert, excited, and happy. The Airport authorities arrested Paden using the controlled delivery operation with the help of PDEA’s regional office and other law enforcers in Cebu. The controlled delivery technic is used when a consignment of illicit drugs is detected and allowed to go forward under the control and surveillance of law enforcement officers in order to secure evidence against the organizers of such illicit drug traffic. This operation has been proved effective in identifying and bringing to justice principals, organizers and financiers of the drug trade. Paden, who is now in police custody, will be charged with violation of Republic Act 9165 also known as the Dangerous Drug Act and RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).

Caloocan cops nab 2 alleged ‘shabu’ peddlers CALOOCAN City Mayor Dale Gonzalo “Along” Malapitan applauded the Caloocan City Police for apprehending suspects and seizing 200 grams of illegal drugs believed to be “shabu” worth P1,360,000 in a buy-bust operation in Barangay 171. “Kinikilala at nagpapasalamat po tayo sa ating kapulisan. Tuloy-tuloy ang naging operasyon niyo laban sa ilegal na droga na ating iniatas sa simula pa lang ng ating administrasyon,” he said. The Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) named the suspects as Myka Ofalsa, 28 years old, and Jomel Mang, 32 years old. Jun David

Police said Garnace, who ranked No. 4 in the district level of most wanted person for the 3rd Quarter of 2022 in Las Pinas, is wanted for two counts of rape. Also on Monday, Taguig City Police operatives arrested Layug, the city’s Top 8 Most Wanted Person and member of the Bobby Arao Robbery Hold-Up Group. The suspect is also wanted for car theft and the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 69 of Taguig City.

WATERWAY. Sitangkai’s Boats Market Waterway will soon be replaced by a permanent structure of a wet market on stilts. Nash Maulana

ACCIDENT. A ‘karinderia’ booth was damaged along Pasong Tamo St. Magallanes, Makati City when a passenger jeepney via PRC to Mantrade crashed into the booth. A person was injured and rushed to the nearest hospital. Norman Cruz

New market on stilts to rise in Tawi-Tawi By Nash B. Maulana SITANGKAI, Tawi-Tawi—Bangsamoro regional officials over the weekend marked the ground under low-tide seawater for the construction of a market building on stilts here. The proposed structure will stand in the heart of Sitangkai’s Barangay Datu Baguinda Puti, a small multi-trading village by night and day, officials and residents have said. A new municipal hall building will also rise here, according to an official of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) signing a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with with Mayor Tiblan Ahaja for the construction of a government center building, and a wet market structure on stilts here. BARMM interior and local government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo noted that in Datu Baguinda Puti, a village

under seawater, still exist, Sitangkai’s traditionally distinct enterprises of land-based goods, and on-boats-sell of fresh sea products. Sinarimbo said he was here on orders of BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Al-Hadj Murad Ebrahim to deliver efforts in terms of policies and in substance, in bringing forth the governance closer to the people. The Washington Post reported in spring of 1901 that an “administrative error” had existed out of the Sibutu Group of Islands and the Cagayán de Sulu which had remained “vassals of Spain” while the rest of Las Islas Filipinas (Philippine Islands) were ceded to the United States under the Treaty of Paris on December 1898. However, these groups of islands were formally ceded to the U.S, upon the ratification of the Treaty of Washington on March 23, 1901

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News

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

LAKAS CONTINUES TO GATHER STRENGTH. Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (left) administers the oath to new Lakas-CMD members from Surigao del Norte led by former Gov. Francisco Matugas (4th, left). Others in photo taken during the oath-taking witnessed by Vice President Sara Duterte are Burgos Mayor Angie Arcena of Burgos, Georgia Gokiangkee of Claver, Elizabeth Matugas of Dapa, Alfredo Coro II of Del Carmen, Sol Matugas of Gen. Luna, Crisanta Mondano of Mainit, Wallace Sinaca of Malimono, Maria Liza Resurreccion of Pilar, Gina Menil of San Benito, Lamberto Domiños Jr. of San Isidro, Arwela Dolar of Santa Monica, and Reizl Timcang of Socorro. Inset shows Romualdez welcoming Tolosa, Leyte barangay officials who called on him at the Lakas-CMD headquarters in Mandaluyong City. Ver Noveno

Landmine blast kills Armyman, injures 5 others By Ronald O. Reyes TACLOBAN City-An army soldier was reported killed while five others were wounded in an apparent landmine attack on Tuesday in Northern Samar. The Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division said the victims who belonged to the Army’s Community Support Program (CSP) teams were conducting combat patrol in Barangay Osang, Catubig, Northern Samar, when the blast occurred at about 9:25 a.m. The identities of the victims were not immediately disclosed. “The 20IB has been doing its best to help the conflict-affected barangays through our CSP teams to achieve longlasting peace and sustainable development in Northern Samar,” Lt. Col. Joemar Buban, commanding officer of 20IB, said. He called the incident a “terroristic attack” of the NPA rebels, adding that it was “a clear violation of the Ottawa Convention (Mine Ban Treaty) that prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.” Buban also called on the Commission of Human Rights to investigate and issue a statement about the incident. Barangay Osang was among six barangays in Northern Samar that will receive P20 million worth of support from the Barangay Development Program (SBDP) for the year 2021. “This is one of the reasons why the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police tied up to redeploy CSP teams in Barangay Osang and other conflict-affected barangays to ensure that the project implementation of SBDP will push through and not be hampered by the NPA’s extortion and intimidation,” said 2Lt. Joyce Ann Bayron, acting spokesperson of the Army’s 201B.

Risa warns against abuse of minors via the internet By Macon Ramos-Araneta

S

ENATOR Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday warned against sexual exploitation of minors through social media accounts.

The senator issued the warning as she called for the immediate passage of a bill meant to curb cybercrimes against the children. Hontiveros cited such Facebook groups as “Atabs” and “LF Kuya and Bunso” which allegedly post images of minors in a bid to attract pedophiles and other sexual predators. The perpetrators also reportedly use Facebook groups to advertise that they sell children’s photos or videos on other messaging apps, such as Telegram. “They use FB messenger or Telegram to sell thousands of pictures and videos,” Hontiveros said.

She noted that others even use cloud storage like Mega to store large volumes of the minors’ online images. As a mother, Hontiveros said she fears for the dangers confronting the children through the internet. Hontiveros thus underscored the need to pass her proposed Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) Law to run after the cyber criminals and other unscrupulous users of social media platforms and internet intermediaries preying on Filipino children. Hontiveros, principal author and sponsor of the measure, earlier revealed the “Usurping Diskette” Facebook page

and YouTube channel, “which teaches subscribers on how to prey on children. After the senator’s call to her followers to report the accounts to the authorities, both the page and the channel were taken down by Facebook and YouTube. “It’s not enough to take down pages or channel. Even if reported online, they will still make new accounts,” the senator said, adding that media platforms and messaging applications should be “proactive in curbing activities that endanger the youth.” “The YouTube is part of the lives of our youth on the internet. But this should not be part of the violence and abuses against them, whether offline or online, she said. “Let us do everything to ensure the protection of our children,” Hontiveros said.

SM-COMELEC TIE-UP. The Commission on Election and the SM Supermalls seal a pact to provide voters with more registration venues

at all SM malls for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections. 2022. The signatories are Comelec Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, SM Supermalls president Steven Tan with Comelec deputy executive director for operation Teopisto Elnas, Comelec director for election and Barangay Affairs Divina Blas-Perez and SM Supermall senior vice president for operation Bien Mateo as witnesses. Danny Pata

Villar foundation cops award for environmental advocacies A FOUNDATION established by the business-political Villar family based in Las Pinas City has copped an award from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for “dedication, continuous support and esteemed contributions towards a cleaner, healthier and greener environment.” The Villar Sipag, put up by the family of Sen. CynthiaVillar as a vehicle for

their environmental advocacies, was conferred the award in ceremony held July 14 at the Manila Hotel in conjunction with the DENR’s Environmental Summit and Exhibit 2022. In her keynote address, Villar thanked DENR for the award and vowed to continue cultivating awareness and encouraging the engagement of stakeholders to reduce and properly manage waste.

“We appreciate the recognition because it validates our commitment that we are doing something right for the environment and we ar looking forward for other communities to follow our lead,” said Villar during the summit with the theme, “Strengthening Waste Management for a Healthier Environment.” She also lauded the organizers for highlighting during the event the solid waste

management best practices that may be replicated by local government units, communities, and private entities nationwide. Over the past years, Villar related that she and Villar Sipag have established barangay-based livelihood enterprises that are models of proper waste management and good examples of how garbage can be turned into useful end-products. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Robin sees link with Bato on NTF-ELCAC NEOPHYTE Sen. Robin Padilla yesterday said he is ready to work with Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa in pushing support for the programs of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conf lict (NTFELCAC). Padilla said the NTF-ELCAC has good programs to address the threats from the communist rebels through development programs especially in the remote areas. As far as Dela Rosa’s intentions to support the NTF-ELCAC are concerned, Padilla believes “we can be a ‘Batman and Robin’ tandem.” “We have seen the positive effects of the NTF-ELCAC’s projects especially in remote barangays that are

not accessible to everyone. In fact, the NTF-ELCAC in many cases has been the bridge between government and the people,” noted the neophyte lawmaker. Padilla has earlier aired his support for institutionalizing the NTF-ELCAC due to its development projects in areas cleared of the New People’s Army (NPA)’s influence. He also threw his full support behind localized peace talks which he said have been effective. “I served as the face of the NTFELCAC having been in the Philippine Army. I talked to and welcomed surrenderees. I am in favor of this, this is one very good government program,” he said. Macon Ramos-Araneta

RACE AGAINST TIME. Workers of Department of Public Work and Highways (DPWH)

race against time—and the rains—to complete the repair and rehabilitation of the Timog fly over in Kamuning in Quezon City. The Metro Manila Development Authority has set the deadline for the completion of the repairs on July 23. Manny Palmero

Solon files bill mandating day care rights, pay A PARTY-list group has filed a bill making day care a permanent job with reasonable compensation and government support. House Bill 1830 filed by Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Ray Florence Reyes cited the “integral role day care workers play in nation-building,” thus the need to protect their rights and provide them with livable wages. HB 1830, also called the Magna Carta of Day Care Workers, mandated that day care be considered permanent position with just compensation and government support. “This representation hopes that the State can provide our day care workers with proper compensation, training, and the necessary support such as plantilla positions and security of tenure, as they are a vital cog in the drive towards taking care of our children’s formative years,” Reyes said. The bill details the creation and assignment of at least two plantilla positions in all day care centers nationwide. It also urges the standardization of their compensation to Salary Grade 6 and 8, as well as the creation of a Special Personnel Selection Board (SPSB) which will screen and create a pool of 10 qualified candidates for possible appointment. “Although the legal duty of guarding the young’s future falls under the parents and guardians, many of our children spend their early years in the hands of our day care workers. Thus, the bare minimum of providing them just compensation and rightful entitlement is well-deserved,” Reyes said. The bill provided that day care workers enjoy benefits and privileges availed by government workers. These includes free legal services, free medical check-up and treatment, and access to alternative livelihood, loans, grants, and skill enhancement. The proposed source of the salaries will be the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) and the Special Education Fund of the Local Government Unit (LGU), along with funds from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the Early Childhood Care and Development Council (ECCDC).

Digital upgrade sought for all public schools THE COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the nationwide digital divide and the need for innovative teaching methods for learning continuity, Senator Win Gatchalian said. Gatchalian thus filed a bill seeking to accelerate the digital transformation of the basic education sector, one of his 20 priority measures for the 19th Congress. He recalled that for school year 20202021, the first year of distance learning, up to 87 percent of public school students relied on self-learning modules. But he noted that there were at least 945 public basic education schools with free public wi-fi constituting only about two percent of all public schools in the country. This is based on the most recent data from the free public wi-fi monitoring dashboard. Under Gatchalian’s proposal, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will accelerate the installation, deployment, and activation of free public Wi-Fi in all public basic education institutions. This is in compliance with the mandate of Republic Act No. 10929 or the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Bong eyes probe on flood control master plan SENATOR Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. has filed a resolution calling for legislative inquiry on the current status and viability of the government’s existing flood control master plan and pending flood control projects. The resolution came on the heels of flash floods spawned by heavy rains that swept Metro Manila and nearby provinces over the past days. Revilla said many affected commuters and drivers shared on social media video clips of roads that have become impassable. The senator admitted that the dilemma of flooding is not new to the Filipinos. However, he noted that the problem seems to have gotten worse over the years, especially with climate change which evidently affected natural calamities. “Each passing year we witness more roads getting flooded, and more people getting endangered.” Being one of the most cyclone-prone countries in the world due to its geographical position, approximately 20 typhoons enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility annually. And as a consequence of these severe cyclones and heavy rainfall, the country is highly exposed to flooding. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Opinion Institutional shakedown?

THE Metro Manila Development Authority and the local governments in Manila and Quezon City are now implementing a novel traffic scheme supposedly aimed at making motorists strictly comply with traffic rules by imposing hefty fines for violations. The no-contact apprehension scheme utilizes high-definition CCTV cameras in certain intersections to catch those violating traffic rules and regulations without having to be accosted by traffic enforcers. Instead, erring motorists receive an official letter from the MMDA or local government informing them of the date and time of such violation complete with photos and a link to an actual video that can be accessed online. The idea behind it is to minimize human contact between motorists and traffic enforcers and therefore avoid under-the-table deals between them, such as bribery and extortion. Besides, it could instill discipline among motorists who tend to violate traffic rules with impunity, or when no one is looking. That’s all well and good. For LGUs, it’s one more fund-raising scheme to beef up their coffers, with the extra funds going to help the needy. For another, it targets everyone, both rich and poor, and does not discriminate against the latter. It’s, we must concede, democratic. The fines imposed on common traffic violations such as beating the red light, disregarding traffic signs and road markings, ignoring speed limits, and so on, start at P2,000 and I suppose, can go higher. For motorists, the fines constitute an amount that can be spent on other basic needs in these difficult times. But does the cost of putting up a dedicated 24-hr., high-end and no doubt expensive CCTV system in selected intersections offset the cost of the monthly salaries of one or two traffic enforcers deployed in the same intersections? The MMDA and LGUs also have to hire additional personnel to monitor the CCTVs on a daily basis. Will the no-contact apprehension scheme also help bring about better traffic flow in the metropolis, especially during the morning and evening rush hours and really keep motorists disciplined? That we would like to know. I experienced the no-contact apprehension scheme first-hand in the city of Manila last April, when I received a Notice of Violation from the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau telling me that I had to pay P2,000 for disregarding lane markings and proceeding to cross Taft Avenue to the left from Pedro Gil St. (formerly Herran St.) I decided to contest the Notice of Violation because the video clearly showed that the leftmost lane of Pedro Gil St. going to Taft Avenue was occupied by four tricycles and a passenger jeepney that were obviously waiting for passengers at the time. Here’s what I told them in a formal letter: “What was the proper thing to do since the street corner was occupied by five other vehicles that clearly did not intend to turn left to Taft Avenue? “It is clear that these four tricycles and the jeepney were illegally occupying that portion of the street corner while the traffic signal had yet to turn to green. “What I did was to occupy the middle lane while waiting for the traffic light to turn green and to proceed to turn left when it turned green. “My point is this: the MTPB should have a traf-

fic enforcer assigned at that particular location to ensure that public utility vehicles waiting for passengers should not be allowed to stay there at all since that is exclusively for the use of left-turning vehicles, according to the lane markings. “In short, the MTPB appears to have been too selective in enforcing traffic rules. As the video itself would show, the five public utility vehicles were not going to turn left but were simply waiting for passengers to pick up before going straight to the other side of Pedro Gil St. “My question is this: Did the MTPB also issue notices of violation to the 5 other vehicles waiting for passengers at that time based on your CCTV footage? “If not, then the agency should bear in mind that first, rules should apply to everyone, and second, that the concrete context should be considered. In this particular case, I would have had to wait perhaps for a very long time for the five other PUVs to pick up passengers in a street corner that they have no business occupying in the first place since that lane is exclusively for left-turning vehicles.

Will the no-contact apprehension scheme also help bring about better traffic flow in the metropolis, especially during the morning and evening rush hours and really keep motorists disciplined? “My other point is this: the law is the law, and rules are rules, but there are exceptions as well in meritorious cases, and this is one such case. “I do appreciate the work the MTPB is doing to ensure smooth and orderly traffic in the nation’s capital. But at the same time, law enforcement should be tempered with due consideration for the actual situation on the ground.” When I submitted the letter to City Hall contesting the violation, I noticed that there were many others waiting in line at the MTPB office. I was told to attend a hearing by an Adjudication Officer one month later. I dutifully showed up before the Adjudication Officer on the day of the hearing. It didn’t take him a minute to read my letter of explanation and to look at the video evidence to dismiss the case outright for lack of merit. Many netizens are also up in arms against the traffic scheme and urging LGUs to install 21st century digital traffic lights with the minutes remaining for green lights to turn to amber and red instead of the old ones with no such numbers. This, they are saying in unison, stacks the cards against motorists and allows the government to demand hefty fines from them without due process. Sure, you can contest the violation but you have to go through a lot of inconvenience going to City Hall, lining up for hours so that you can explain yourself before traffic authorities. Many, I think, simply cough up the fines imposed so they can avoid all the hassle. The lesson here: the no-contact apprehension program, by “convicting” the offender on the basis of video evidence and demanding payment of fines during these hard times, appears to me as nothing less than institutional shakedown. Or perhaps, even plain and simple extortion. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

National Children’s Book Day

“ANG tanan nga aklat ay para sa lahat.” (All books are for everyone.) This slogan is the refrain of a catchy tune composed for National Children’s Book Day (NCBD), which was marked yesterday (July 19) by several government and private organizations with online activities to promote the love of literature, and Filipino literature in particular, among the young. NCBD is celebrated every third Tuesday of July to commemorate the anniversary of the publication of Jose Rizal’s retelling of “The Monkey and the Turtle” folktale in the July 1889 issue of Trubner’s Oriental Record in London. This year, the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY), in coordination with the Cultural Center of the Philippines-Intertextual Division (CCP-ID), National Book Development Board (NBDB), National Library of the Philippines (NLP), and the Museo Pambata kicked off the activities for the 39th NCBD with the theme “Tahanan ng Katotohanan: Aklatan.” The theme aims to promote the significance of truth and truth-telling. Yesterday morning, the PBBY recognized this year’s winners of the PBBY-Alcala and PBBYSalanga Grand Prizes and the 7th National Children’s Book Awards’ (NCBA) Best Reads and Kids’ Choice Awards. This year, the book A Girl Named Villea was honored with its writer Dulce Maria Derada receiving the PBBY-Salanga Grand Prize and its illustrator Jennelyn Joy Duran the PBBY-Alcala Grand Prize. In the afternoon, PBBY held an online panel discussion with Supling Sining on “Bringing Chil-

dren’s Literature to the Communities.” Meanwhile the CCP, together with The Independent Publishers Collab Philippines, a community of small press, launched earlier the “Tahanan ng Katotohanan: Aklatan Online Children’s Book Fair” featuring children’s books and other literary works from independent publishers. It runs until July 31 and can be accessed through the official Facebook pages of the CCP, CCP Intertextual Division, and TIPCPH. The importance of children’s literature Why am I writing about this? First, to bring attention to the efforts of people in government and the private sector, the unsung heroes who toil without recognition, prestige, and huge amounts of compensation to bring children’s literature to the forefront of Filipinos’ awareness. Next, to point out the significance of stories in the development of the minds of children and young people. Studies have shown that high reading and comprehension skills contribute to an individual’s success. And in order for children to read, understand, and write well, they have to be exposed early on to written works. It starts in toddlerhood, with mothers reading aloud to their children in their laps. This practice promotes reading as something pleasurable and exciting. And naturally, children’s books are the best for reading aloud as they are written with simple words and pictures that grab attention and interest. In line with this is the need to give children access to literature. We cannot develop a reading culture if all that people have at home is a TV. I’ve had many students tell me that they come late to reading the classics because “Wala po kaming libro sa bahay.” This despite their shelves being crammed with DVDs of films. And this unattachment to reading is not for lack of reading material, because many schools and cities have libraries, and there are second-hand bookstores in many areas and online.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com Honor Blanco Cabie, Editor

EDITORIAL

More effective peace talks

T

HE Marcos administration, which found on its front yard a 53-year-old communist insurgency, will continue localized peace talks with the rebels, a move immediately rejected by the Communist Party of the Philippines. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity or OPAPRU finds peace talks with local communist commanders more effective than previous strategies, when top rebel leaders were given safe passes to roam around beyond being arrested. We have seen such strategies for decades, at times the national government negotiators meeting up with CPP leaders abroad as though the latter had the same political muscle as the former. We heard OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez say—and we agree with his thesis —that localized peace engagement has been an effective measure in resolving issues between the government and the communist insurgents. We also read the statement of CPP Marco

The Marcos government will continue pursuing the localized peace engagement strategy rather than resume national peace talks since this is undoubtedly more instrumental in encouraging rebels to join the political mainstream Valbuena that the “party … reject[s] the ‘localized peace talks’ of the NTF-Elcac,” —referring to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, a task force organized by the government to respond and raise awareness to the current communist rebellion in the Philippines. Valbuena added the proposal is nothing but “a smokescreen for psywar (psychological warfare), pacification and suppression

operations” of the military. Earlier, National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos, who also serves as the vice chairperson of the NTF-Elcac, said the task force is recommending the conduct of localized peace talks. Galvez has said the government had tried a national approach in peace talks in the past, but it “ended up to nothing” compared to local peace engagements, which he called “successful.” This means the Marcos government will continue pursuing the localized peace engagement strategy rather than resume national peace talks since this is undoubtedly more instrumental in encouraging rebels to join the political mainstream. We agree with Galvez’s assessment that, with localized peace talks, almost all front commanders are stepping down and, at the same time, this strategy has effectively empowered local leaders -- barangay leaders, mayors and governors. The sound of his assessment reverberates: “The past 50 years, we have not done well in the national peace talks. Here at LPE, there is goodwill, trust and confidence. We can see the authentic intentions of both parties to really come to peace.” As of May this year, at least, as shown by Department of Natio nal Defense data, 26,414 communist rebels have laid down their arms.

My week A REMARKABLE week for me last week, July 11 to 16, 2022. MONDAY, I had a severe bout of gout -- a reminder for me to go easy on nuts and some rich foods. TUESDAY, I had breakfast with my Tuesday Club, a group of senior editors and columnists and top corporate professionals, businessmen and senior government officials. I discussed with them that President Bongbong Marcos Jr. (BBM) seems to have a serious communications problem. In two press conferences, he made roundabout statements signifying nothing. BBM was asked about marching orders to his Cabinet. It seems there was none, it turned out, except for a blanket authority to “streamline” the Cabinet bureaucracies. “Streamline” is the code word for disposing of excess baggage. With 2.3 million (including 923,000 teachers and 450,000 soldiers and policemen), the bureaucracy is heavily overpopulated. You can “streamline” a third of it and you can get the job done better. In the 2022 budget, P1.456 trillion is allotted for “personnel services,” up 12 percent from P1.299 trillion in 2021, and up 22 percent from P1.184 trillion in 2020. About 27 percent of total government budget goes to salaries -- almost double the ratio in the private sector. In a press conference, BBM was asked about his support for public transport commuters. No more libreng sakay he said first. Then he realized he was wrong before completing his sentence. BBM conducts press conferences without briefing notes, the political equivalent of hi wire dancing, the action or practice of dancing or performing acrobatic feats while balancing on a wire or tightrope. WEDNESDAY, I attended a lunch forum on nutrition and education by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and Philippine Business for Education (PBED). The forum was led by Manuel V. Pangilinan of the MVP Group, Edgar Chua, chair of the Makati Business Club; Ramon del Rosario Jr., CEO, of the Phinma Group; Babes Singson, president of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), Dr. Chito Salazar, CEO of Phinma Education and president of PBED; and former Central Bank Governor Joey Cuisia. Our kids lack nourishment in body and mind. In 2018, 30.3 percent of kids had low height for their age (stunted), 5.6 percent had low weight for their height, and 58 million Filipinos lacked

Among the values connected to reading is the development of cognitive skills and the facility in the use of language in speaking and writing, skills Filipinos need to survive and thrive in the digital and globalized world of outsourced work

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

enough food during the pandemic. During the pandemic, 33 percent of Filipinos lacked money to buy food. Poverty is the main reason for malnutrition of the Filipino. About 26.1 million Filipinos are poor or nearpoor. About 42.4 percent of poor children are stunted. Undernutrition is more prevalent in the rural areas than in urban areas. Ironically, our food producers –our farmers—are the poorest and most food insecure Filipinos. Dr. Chito Salazar cited a 2017 study in which 97 percent of school children were found to be below proficiencies in math, science and English. World Bank and Unicef data show that during the two years of the pandemic, the ratio of 10-year-olds (fourth graders) who could not read simple text, rose from 70 percent, to 90 percent. Stunted kids who become adults learn 20 percent less than their non-stunted counterparts. Our young are growing knowing nothing. This makes them very good voters. They are gullible. Closing the forum, MVP urged companies to invest in agriculture. I joined in the singing of happy birthday to the PLDT top honcho, a compadre and friend from way back. THURSDAY. I missed my Rotary Club of Manila weekly meeting and board meeting in favor of a Facebook link to the first FTF general meeting of MAP. DTI Secretary Fred Pascual discussed his 10-point program. MAP president Babes Singson made three demands on behalf of SMEs: Do not harass them, stop audits on them, and big companies must pay their payables to the SMEs, on time, 30 days, not

180, so the SMEs don’t prey on victims of loan sharks masquerading as banks. The 10 points of DTI Fred Pascual’s program: 1) Upgrade, upskill, and upsize micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSMEs); 2) Foster industries geared to domestic demand; 3) Promote and support regional development; 4) Ensure the availability of accessible and affordable food; 5) Reconfigure PH export sectors into industry clusters; 6) Enable jobs-skills matching and skills upgrading; 7) Improve the ease of doing business; 8) Create an enabling environment for attracting investments, and expanding exports; 9) Protect and empower consumers; and 10) Transform DTI into an agile organization. FRIDAY. I joined a small group of biz columnists riding in Ramon Ang’s sleek superjet Gulfstream 650 for a whole day tour of the 22,500-ha. Bugsuk island, Balabac, near the tip of the vast Palawan archipelago. Bugsuk is the next Boracay, only 10 times bigger. It already has an airport that can take in A320s and Boeing 777s and on one side of the island, an 8-km-long 100-meter wide white beach with sand finer than Boracay’s. Bugsuk has an 8-lane well-paved road that is 36 kms long, the distance from Makati to Nuvali. That gives you an idea how long and how large the island is. At 22,500 hectares, Bugsuk is 22 times the size of the original Makati. RSA opens Bugsuk tourism in 2024. At lunch, we feasted on prawns, lobsters and wild Lapulapu fished out from the sea. Going back to Manila, we arrived at NAIA with the same Gulfstream executive jet of RSA but were made to wait for 30 minutes in the air before landing, and another 10 minutes to wait before the sleek executive air saloon could park at its hangar. Airport congestion. RSA sees the congestion crisis at NAIA to worsen. Yet, President BBM has vetoed a bill, sponsored by his sister, Senator Imee Marcos, granting freeport zone status to San Miguel’s Aerocity New Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan. Without such setbacks, RSA promises to open in just three years the P740-billion NMIA, the single biggest investment in the Philippines by any entity, government or private corporation. It is fully funded by SMC. SATURDAY, I joined a breakfast of a dozen people with Finance Secretary Ben Diokno and Albay Second District Rep. Joey Salceda. What was discussed? Well, wait for the SONA. According to Joey Salceda, Ben is the most powerful man in the Philippines today, after BBM. biznewsasia@gmail.com

It is just that Filipinos in general have not developed a reading habit. Among the values connected to reading is the development of cognitive skills and the facility in the use of language in speaking and writing, skills Filipinos need to survive and thrive in the digital and globalized world of outsourced work. Reading also promotes creativity and innovation, appreciation for our own cultures and that of others, helps us develop emotional intelligence and maturity, and nurtures the growth and development of personality and social skills. In fascist and totalitarian regimes and repressive religions, the first thing they clamp down on is reading because it allows persons access to diverse ideas. Writing, on the other hand, is linked to freedom of expression and the exchange of ideas. This is why there have been and are book bans and book burnings, and writers and journalists are harassed, punished, or killed. “Sa pagbasa may pag-asa, di lang aliw ang dala…!” PBBY announces 2022 NCBA winners In the NCBA, the winners are unranked, and a

maximum of 10 books are awarded. Among the winners of the 7th NCBA for Best Reads 2020-2021 are: Magtanim ay Di Biro, illustrated by Jamie Bauza; Safe Space: A Kid’s Guide to Data Privacy, by Gigo Alampay; Youthink: Fight Fake News, by Gigo Alampay; Ako ay may Kiki, by Glenda Oris; and Alandal, written by Jay Ignacio, illustrated by Alex Niño, and lettered by Lorraine Marie Barte Nepomuceno. Some of the winners of NCBA-Kids’ Choice Awards-Chapter Books Category are: I Am the Change in Climate Change, by Alyssa M. PeleoAlampay, PhD; Anak ng Tinapay, by Jacqueline Franquelli; and Catch a Falling Star (Filipino edition) by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, translated by Chuckberry J. Pascual (both connected with the University of Santo Tomas Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies). Meanwhile, all of the winners of the NCBAKids’ Choice Awards-Picture Books Category were published by Chikiting Books. For the full lists of winners, visit the PBBY Facebook page (@PBBYPH). *** FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

World Bank and Unicef data show that during the two years of the pandemic, the ratio of 10-year-olds (fourth graders) who could not read simple text, rose from 70 percent, to 90 percent

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

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

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Europe proposes joint arms purchases to replenish stocks

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HE European Commission on Tuesday proposed spending 500 million euros ($508 million) to finance joint defense purchases among member states to replenish weapons stocks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a first for the European Union, the fund would draw on the EU budget over the next two years and would help countries replace depleted stockpiles after arms shipments to Ukraine emptied arsenals. “(EU countries) have drawn on their stocks of ammunition, light and heavy artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-tank defence systems, and even armoured vehicles and tanks,” European Commissioner Thierry Breton said. “This has created a de facto vulnerability that now needs to be addressed urgently,” he warned. Defense spending in Europe varies widely among the 27 EU member states and lacks coordination, drawing criticism that neighbouring countries often double up on investments, driving up prices. Debate has raged for decades over whether Brussels should bring in more unity on defence matters. EU member nations—most of which are also NATO allies—have often been reluctant to agree moves to integrate military capabilities.

But under the impulse of France, ambitions on common defense have gathered steam in recent years, including a 7.9-billion-euro defense fund agreed last year, in a separate program. Under the latest proposal, the fund would accept purchase requests from at least three member states at a time when spending on weapons is ramping up due to the war in Ukraine. The commission said replenishing stockpiles, replacing Soviet-era legacy systems and reinforcing air and missile defense systems were the top priorities. On Monday, Russian shelling of a town in eastern Ukraine killed six people, Kyiv said, as EU ministers meeting in Brussels insisted the pressure of Western sanctions on Moscow was working. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile appointed an acting security chief, having announced the suspension of senior law enforcement officials. Rescue workers were digging through debris and clearing rubble from a collapsed two-storey building in Toretsk in the industrial east that was struck by Russian artillery early Monday. “I had my windows open. There was a huge explosion around 5:00 a.m.—stones and dust,” local resident Nadia said. Emergency services said five people had been pulled dead from the rubble, while a sixth, seriously wounded, had died in hospital. Toretsk, a town of around 30,000 residents, lies 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Kramatorsk, a key target for Russian forces, who invaded Ukraine in late February. AFP

in the Philippines from the date of the filing of this petition up to the time of my admission to Philippine citizenship.

SCN FORM NO. 1 (R.A. NO. 9139)

001698

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON NATURALIZATION IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION OF KENN DERICK SZE YEUNG to be naturalized as Filipino citizen pursuant to Republic Act No. 9139.

14. My character witnesses are Ernest J. Nieva and Derrick Ko Sia both Filipino citizens, of legal age, and residing at 1629 G. Perfecto St. Tondo and 407 Dasmariñas St., Sta Cruz, Manila respectively, who have executed sworn statements attached hereto in support of my instant petition, together with: (a) brief biographical data about themselves; (b) detailed statements on the dates they first came to know me, the circumstances of our initial acquaintance and the reasons and extent of our continuing familiarity; and (c) the number of times they have acted as character witnesses in other petitions for naturalization. 15. Attached hereto as annexes and made part of this petition are the duplicate originals or certified photocopies of the following documents (please check the appropriate box):

SCN CASE NO. x------------------ x

PETITION Pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 9139, petitioner hereby submits a petition for naturalization to become a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines and respectfully declares: 1. My full name is KENN DERICK SZE YEUNG, but I have also been known since childhood as KENN or I have been judicially authorized to use the alias name(s) N/A . 2. My present place of residence is Phase 3 Building, Barangay Balibago National Highway City/Municipality of Sta Rosa Province of Laguna and all my former places of residence are (please indicate periods of residence)

RESPLENDENT SUNRISE. Hikers cross a bridge at sunrise to beat the heat at De Waalbrug, in Nijmegen on July 19, 2022. The first walking day of the 104th Nijmegen Four Days Marches has been canceled due to a heatwave. AFP

Iran hosts Putin, Erdogan for 3-way summit IRAN’S president will host his Russian and Turkish counterparts on Tuesday for talks on the Syrian war in a three-way summit overshadowed by fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The summit is the first hosted by Iran’s ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi since he took office last year, and the second trip abroad by Russia’s Vladimir Putin since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February. It comes days after US President Joe Biden visited the Middle East for the first time since taking office, with stops in Iran’s regional foes Israel and Saudi Arabia. But the trilateral summit is ostensibly centred on Syria, as part of the

so-called Astana peace process to end more than 11 years of conflict in the Arab country. All three are involved in Syria, with Iran and Russia supporting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey backing rebel forces. The gathering comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened late last year to launch a new offensive in northern Syria against Kurdish militants. Iran has already warned that any Turkish military action in Syria could “destabilize the region.” The summit will also enable Erdogan to hold his first meeting with Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The Turkish president has for months

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Block 2, Lot 2 & 4 E. Cojuangco St., BF Resort, Las Piñas, Metro Manila 3. I was born on 9 November 1998, in Tondo, Manila Philippines. I have been a resident of the Philippines since birth. At present, I am a citizen or subject of Hongkong.

Myanmar rebels claim capturing junta troops

4. My father's name is Yeung Ka Lok and he was born on December 1, 1969, in Fujian, China. He is a citizen or subject of China. My mother's name is Sze Lee Lee and she was born on January 22, 1973 in Fujian, China. She is a citizen or subject of China. 5. My trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is Operating Manager at Green Island Asia Pacific Corp and from which I derive an average annual income of 360,000.00, inclusive of bonuses, commissions and allowances. My wife's/husband's trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is N/A and from which she derives an average annual income of P N/A . (Where the above does not apply): I am exempt from the requirement of lucrative trade or occupation and from submitting income tax returns for the past three (3) years because I am a college degree holder [please state (1) degree obtained:BS in Marketing Management, (2) name of school: UST and (3) years graduated: ____] who cannot practice my profession (the practice of which requires a government licensure examination) by reason of my citizenship. 6. My civil status is Single, I was married on N/A in N/A. My wife's/husband's name is N/A and she/he was born on in N/A in N/A She/he is a citizen or subject of N/A and presently resides N/A

FRESH FINDS. Vendors sell meat at Khlong Toei Market, the biggest fresh market in Bangkok, on July 19, 2022. AFP

7. I am legally separated from my spouse; my marriage was annulled, per decree of legal separation/annulment dated N/A granted by N/A. (please indicate the particular court which granted the same). I am a widower/widow and my spouse died on N/A in N/A.

Three-way fight to lead Sri Lanka

8. I have N/A child/children, whose names, dates and places of birth and residences are as follows:

Name

Date of Birth

Place of Birth

Residence

N/A

Manila

9. I received my primary and secondary education from the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philippine history, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality:

Name of School Chang Kai Shek

Place of School

Dates of Study Highest Grade Completed

10. I am able to read, write and speak Filipino and/or any of the following dialects of the Philippines: English and Tagalog 11. I have enrolled my minor children of school age in the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philipine History, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality:

Name of Child N/A

Name and Place of School N/A

Date of Enrollment N/A

12. I shall never be a public charge. I am of good moral character. I believe in the principles underlying the Philippine Constitution. I have conducted myself in a proper and irreproachable manner during the entire period of my residence in the Philippines in my relations with the constituted government as well as with the community in which I am living. I mingled socially with Filipinos and have evinced a sincere desire to learn and embrace the customs, traditions and ideals of the Filipino people. I have all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications under Republic Act No. 9139. I am not opposed to organized government or affiliated with any association or group of persons who uphold and teach doctrines opposing all organized governments. I am not defending or teaching the necessity or propriety of violence, personal assault or assassination for the success and predominance of one's ideas. I am not a polygamist nor a believer in the practice of polygamy. I have not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude. I am not suffering from mental alienation or from any incurable contagious disease. The country of which I am a citizen or subject is not at war with the Philippines and grants to Filipinos the right to be naturalized citizens or subjects thereof.

been offering to meet the Russian leader in a bid to help resolve heightened global tensions since the war began. “The timing of this summit is not a coincidence,” Russian analyst Vladimir Sotnikov told AFP. “Turkey wants to conduct a ‘special operation’ in Syria just as Russia is implementing a ‘special operation’ in Ukraine,” he said. Turkey has launched waves of attacks on Syria since 2016, targeting Kurdish militias as well as Islamic State group jihadists and forces loyal to Assad. Putin and Erdogan, who arrived in Tehran on Monday, would meet in the Iranian capital on Tuesday to discuss mechanisms to export grain from Ukraine, a Kremlin source said.

Standard

TODAY PRAYER

WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed that petitioner be conferred Philippine citizenship pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No, 9139. Dated at Makati City, Metro Manila, this 8th day of June 2021.

Kenn Derick Sze Yeung Name and Signature of Petitioner Telephone Number: 0917-8142093 Email Address:reyes.rojas.law@gmail.com

Right Thumbmark of Petitioner

Petitioner's signature and right thumbmark REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) CITY/MUNICIPALITY OF PASIG CITY) S.S. I, Kenn Derick Sze Yeung of legal age and a resident of Phase 3 Building, Brgy. Balibago, Sta Rosa, Laguna after being duly sworn, depose and say that I am the petitioner herein, that I have read the foregoing petition and know the foregoing petition and known the contents thereof, and that the same is true of my own knowledge.

Kenn Derick Sze Yeung Name and Signature of Petitioner SUBCRIBED AND SWORN to before me at Pasig City, this 1st day of November 2021. _______________________________ Official authorized to administer oaths/ Notary Public

13. It is my true and honest intention to become a citizen of the Philippines and to renounce absolutely and forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, and, particularly, to China of which at this time I am a citizen or subject. I will reside continuously

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THREE candidates were nominated Tuesday to replace former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country and resigned last week after protesters overran his residence. The winner will take charge of a bankrupt nation that is in talks with the IMF for a bailout, with its 22 million people enduring severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines. Sri Lanka ran out of foreign exchange to finance even the most vital imports in a crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic but exacerbated by mismanagement, critics say. Months of protests culminated in Rajapaksa fleeing his palace before flying to the Maldives and then Singapore, from where he submit-

ted his resignation. The parliament announced Tuesday that acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe would face former education minister Dullas Alahapperuma—who has the backing of the main opposition‚and leftist leader Anura Dissanayake in a secret ballot on Wednesday. The three were formally nominated by legislators in a session that lasted less than 10 minutes at the tightly guarded parliament building. Moments earlier, opposition SJB party leader Sajith Premadasa had announced on Twitter that he was withdrawing from the race in favour of the 63-year-old Alahapperuma, a dissident member of Rajapaksa’s divided SLPP party. AFP

A MYANMAR ethnic rebel group said Tuesday it had captured 14 junta troops and killed an unspecified number, in the latest blow to a fragile peace in the only region to have seen no post-coup crackdown. Days after its putsch last year, the junta reaffirmed a ceasefire with the Arakan Army (AA), which has for years fought a war for autonomy for Rakhine state’s ethnic Rakhine population. Thanks to the truce, the western state was a rare spot of respite, in a country that has seen the majority of its population push back against military rule as the junta cracked down violently against dissent. But the ceasefire has frayed, with small, sporadic clashes reported since last November and both sides accusing the other of infringing on territory and harassing supporters. Following two clashes in Maungdaw, near the Bangladesh border, on Monday “13 soldiers and an officer were captured” and a number of weapons seized, AA spokesman Khaing Thukha told AFP. The spokesman said several troops were killed in the clashes, without giving a specific figure. AFP

Dozens of sea turtles stabbed to death A FRUSTRATED fisherman has confessed that he stabbed to death dozens of protected sea turtles on a southern Japanese island after they got caught in his fishing nets, local officials say. Between 30 to 50 green sea turtles were found dead or dying last Thursday, with stab wounds on their necks and elsewhere, on a beach in remote Kumejima island, some 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) southwest of Tokyo. It was “an extremely grisly scene,” according to Yoshimitsu Tsukakoshi, a senior staff member at Kumejima Umigame-kan, a local sea turtle conservation body. “Sea turtles are gentle creatures and they move away when humans approach them,” Tsukakoshi told AFP on Tuesday. “I couldn’t believe it could happen in this day and age.” Yuji Tabata, the head of the local fishermen’s cooperative, told AFP that the man responsible has confessed to stabbing the animals after dozens become tangled in his gillnet. The fisherman, whose name has not been released, told the cooperative that he released many of the tangled-up turtles, but after struggling with the animals, he began stabbing them to try and weaken them. AFP

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Stocks up slightly; ICTSI, Semirara rise

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TOCKS rose slightly Tuesday in cautious trading as investors remained wary over rising inflation and a possible global recession.

The Philippine Stock Exchange added 17.46 points, or 0.3 percent, to 6,286.24 on a value turnover of P3.8 billion. Gainers beat losers, 99 to 77, with 51 issued unchanged. International Container Terminal Services Inc. of tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., the biggest port operator, climbed 4.5 percent to P186, while Semirara Mining

and Power Corp. of the Consunji Group, the largest coal producer, advanced 3.4 percent to P39.25. BDO Unibank Inc. of the Sy Group, the biggest lender in terms of assets, however, fell 2.9 percent to P117.50, while Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. of the Ty Group, the second-largest bank, declined 2.6 percent to P45.70. Meanwhile, most stocks fell Tuesday after a Wall Street sell-off fueled by fresh recession worries following a report that Apple planned to ease back on spending due to uncertainty over the economic outlook. The drop across most markets in Asia also came as oil held a Monday surge

caused by fading expectations that Joe Biden had convinced Saudi Arabia to pump more to ease a supply crisis and temper prices. The losses among equities ate into Monday’s gains, which came after a forecast-beating US retail sales report suggested consumers—the key driver of growth—remained resilient despite decade-high inflation and rising interest rates. And analysts warned that with the earnings season just getting under way, there could be more pain ahead for investors as firms report falling profits or warn about the outlook. In a sign of concern among big-cap

firms about an economic slowdown or recession, Bloomberg News said tech titan Apple was pulling back on hiring and some investments. The report led to a reversal on Wall Street, with all three main indexes ending in negative territory, having enjoyed most of the day well up. Asia and Europe struggled Tuesday. Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Wellington and Bangkok all fell, though Tokyo rose as investors there returned from a long weekend to play catch-up with Monday’s regional rally. Mumbai and Jakarta also rose, while Shanghai was marginally higher. With AFP

Musk, Twitter begin buyout court hearing WASHINGTON, United States— Elon Musk and Twitter will face off Tuesday in the first court hearing over the Tesla chief’s move to abandon their $44-billion buyout deal, a case with massive stakes for both sides. Twitter wants a judge to force Musk to complete the purchase, which he is trying to scrap over his allegations the social media platform misled him about its tally of fake accounts. Billions of dollars are at stake, but so is the future of the platform that Musk has said should allow any legal speech, an absolutist position that has sparked fears the network could be used to incite violence. The hearing in the eastern state of Delaware is set to include arguments over Twitter’s push for a September trial date, which is aimed at limiting the uncertainty plaguing the firm. “Questions have been raised about Twitter’s future, and they don’t want this to drag on for very long,” said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor. Musk’s legal team has filed papers arguing that date is far too soon for such a complex matter, and instead proposed mid-February. Twitter lawyers noted the deal is supposed to close toward the end of October, just six months after Musk launched an unsolicited bid that the company’s board first resisted but then supported. The world’s richest person has backed away from the deal in recent months as tech stocks have tumbled, and Twitter’s value has fallen well below the $54.20 per share he offered. AFP

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1.8 0.18 0.02

25.00% 13.64% 10.53%

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0.73 6.94 1.37 0.53

0.05 0.42 0.08 0.03

7.35% 6.44% 6.20% 6.00%

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6.29 1.5 13.7

0.34 0.08 0.66

5.71% 5.63% 5.06%

TOP LOSERS

FRESH MARKET. A vendor sorts vegetables in front of a table fan at Khlong Toei Market, the biggest fresh market in Bangkok,

on July 19, 2022. AFP

Indian rupee breaches 80 a dollar, hits new record low MUMBAI, India—The Indian rupee fell to more than 80 per US dollar for the first time on record Tuesday, as the greenback extended its rally and foreign capital outflows intensified. The rupee hit 80.0600 against the greenback soon after trading started, compared with the previous close of 79.9775, Bloomberg data showed. High inflation and rising interest rates in the United States coupled with fears of an impending recession in the world’s biggest economy have fueled a broad dollar rally in recent weeks as investors turn increasingly risk-averse. Tighter US monetary policy has exacerbated outflows from emerging markets such as India, where foreign investors have withdrawn a net $30.8 billion in debt and equity this year.

Data released last week showed that US consumer price inflation hit a fresh four-decade high in June, exceeding market forecasts and stoking expectations of another large Federal Reserve rate hike next week. In a written statement to the Indian parliament on Monday, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman attributed the rupee’s sharp fall to external reasons. “Global factors such as the RussiaUkraine conflict, soaring crude oil prices and tightening of global financial conditions are the major reasons for the weakening of the Indian Rupee against the US dollar,” she said. At the same time, the Indian currency has strengthened against the British pound, the Japanese yen and the euro in

2022 so far, Sitharaman added. But higher crude prices have resulted in a deteriorating trade balance in a country that imports 80 percent of its oil. India’s merchandise trade deficit widened to a record $26.18 billion in June, official data showed last week, largely because of higher crude and coal import prices. In its monthly economic review, the Ministry of Finance said costlier imports could widen the current account deficit and cause the rupee to depreciate further. “The near-term outlook for the rupee will continue to be weak as it tracks developments on the oil and gas front in international markets,” forex market expert K Harihar told AFP. AFP

Johannesburg public transport digs into wounds of the past By Griffin Shea JOHANNESBURG, South Africa— Off Johannesburg’s main highway, surrounded by skyscrapers, heavy machinery has unearthed one of the city’s original wounds—a deep gash left by the 1880s gold rush. The entire city center is built over tunnels dug by generations of miners who extracted gold from the richest deposits the world has ever discovered. The city of around six million grew around cavernous pits and mountainous dumps, which eventually became the physical barriers of racial segregation. Now the rather poetic challenge of healing wounds both social and geological has fallen to property developers, who are turning this symbol of division into a bus terminal, connecting the city and the region. “This is a gateway site,” said Richard Bennett, marketing director for iProp, the company tasked with rehabilitating the site. “It will allow the South African populace in Johannesburg and surrounds to gain easy access to public or effective transport.” Connections In the 1880s, the mine was one of the first places where prospectors dug with pickaxes, and eventually dynamite, hauling the gold 40 meters (130 feet) back up to the ground. After the easiest finds were depleted, this crevice—which looks like a canyon in the middle of the city— was simply filled with sand and used as a parking lot. The sand has now been hauled off, readying the pit to be refilled with a cement-like material that is to support the construction of a new, large bus terminal. The gold once mined there fueled both fabulous wealth and deep social

PSEi July 19, 2022

A general view of a previously operational gold mine in the Johannesburg CBD on April 14, 2022. The entire city center of Johannesburg is built over miles of underground tunnels dug by generations of miners who extracted gold from the richest deposits the world has ever discovered. AFP

divides that persist to this day. But the future of the city depends on connecting people with better transport and more walkable streets, said David van Niekerk, CEO of the Johannesburg Inner City Partnership, a group working to revive the city center after decades of official neglect. “Mixing is an important concept for the future of this city, and mixing in the widest possible sense,” van Niekerk said. “The vision that I certainly have for this city is to turn it into a walkable city,” he added. “A city that’s walkable is a city that works for everyone, and I’m talking about from the homeless person to the major international corporate investor, and everyone in between.” It’s a big challenge in a starkly divided country. A World Bank study last year found that the top one percent of South Africans own

55 percent of the nation’s wealth. The wealth of the poorest half of the country is actually negative—their debts outweigh their assets. The top 0.01 percent, or about 3,500 people, own more than the bottom 90 percent, representing 32 million people. Miners’ suffering Much of that inequality stems from the early days of mining, which took a tremendous and largely uncounted toll on the mostly black miners, while a few owners—wealthy whites—pocketed most of the profits. “Those early mines were done very chaotically and very hastily. There were no proper plans, and a lot of people died... in rockfalls and such,” said author Fred Khumalo. His novel “The Longest March” centered on black mine workers in early Johannesburg who lived in compounds where “the conditions were really appalling,” he said.

“People slept on cement blocks. There were no cushions, no mattress whatsoever. The blankets they provided were flimsy, and Johannesburg winters can be cold. People fell sick, and some of them died from exposure.” As the city braced for war between British and white Afrikaners settlers in 1899, the mines shut down and food supplies were cut off, leading to riots. Segregation In later decades, black mine workers who built homes nearby were forcibly removed as the gold digging expanded. When apartheid fully took hold, blacks were pushed to designated areas to the outskirts of the city with poor access to transport—and needed a “pass book” to access the city at all. Almost three decades after the end of white rule, transport links remain patchy and residents of black townships who can afford it drive cars into the city, clogging its roads. AFP

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LAST PRICE CHANGE 0.01 -0.002 900 -80

% CHANGE -16.67% -8.16%

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

MVC PAX LSC WEB VMC ALHI RCB

5.14 1.7 0.46 3.3 2.53 5.95 18.92

-0.43 -0.13 -0.035 -0.23 -0.15 -0.35 -0.88

-7.72% -7.10% -7.07% -6.52% -5.60% -5.56% -4.44%

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VOLUME 2,498,240 13,288,800 8,252,600 146,390 5,271,100 1,907,560 3,430,600 13,717,300 881,140 4,625,300

VALUE (PHP) 459,943,248 327,163,005 322,708,110 243,079,095 241,011,860 226,042,635 129,483,500 113,259,643 101,442,993 92,634,609

Mexico resumes building president’s tourist train project CANCUN, Mexico—Mexico has resumed building part of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s flagship tourist train project, an official said Monday, despite a judge suspending construction on that section on environmental grounds. A judge indefinitely suspended construction of part of the Mayan Train in the Yucatan peninsula in late May. The ruling followed a legal challenge brought by opponents, including scuba divers, who are concerned about the effect of the train on wildlife, caves and water-filled sinkholes known as cenotes. But construction resumed on July 13 under a measure implemented in November that deemed the government’s major infrastructure works “national security.” Under that ordinance, Lopez Obrador intends to shield the train and other projects from lawsuits that have delayed construction, as well as to expedite obtaining permits and licenses. The Mayan Train “is a work of national security because of the railroads,” said Javier May, head of the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism, the government agency overseeing the project, on Monday. The public security and interior departments are determined to resume construction of the 60-kilometer (37mile) section between the resorts of Playa del Carmen and Tulum, May said. Lopez Obrador hopes to inaugurate the roughly 1,500-kilometer rail loop linking popular Caribbean beach resorts and archeological ruins by the end of 2023. In the May ruling, the federal judge cited the “imminent danger” of causing “irreversible damage” to ecosystems, according to one of the plaintiffs, the non-governmental group Defending the Right to a Healthy Environment. AFP

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

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

IN BRIEF

Transco to address Mindoro power issue STATE-RUN National Transmission Corp. signed a memorandum of agreement with Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc. to help address the power supply situation in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. TransCo president and chief executive Jainal Abidin Bahjin II and OMECO president Eleanor Costibolo led the ceremonial signing of the partnership to solve the lingering power issues in the province. The agreement is a big leap in the local and national economic development of the island, as it aims to improve power supply, power delivery and effective system operations in the areas under the coverage of OMECO. TransCo will perform the functions of small grid system operator for the optimal dispatching of power plants and generating units to achieve leastcost generation of electricity for the consumers and minimize the subsidy requirements for universal charge for missionary electrification. It will also operate and control the Mindoro Grid system frequency, voltage and power flows. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business Property sector expected to see significant recovery A By Othel V. Campos

REAL estate services company said Tuesday the property sector is on track to post a major rebound in the next three years under the Marcos administration.

“The Philippines’ property sector is likely to see a significant recovery in the next two to three years into the administration of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. as demand returns on both commercial and residential property,” Santos Knight Frank said. It said with the government’s returnto-office order to business process outsourcing companies, the office space market would likely see an increase in

activity in the second half. “Second quarter was the first quarter for many employees to return to the office. With that, we also saw an increase in leasing activity for the first time in a while,” Santos Knight Frank senior director for occupier strategy and solutions Morgan McGilvray said in a news briefing. Vacancy rate remained high at 23 percent in the second quarter, as 228,500 square meters of office space were added to the Metro Manila market during the period. “The Philippines, as with India, South Korea, Singapore and most of Asia, is likely to see a greater rate of RTO for employees than the rate in developed Western economies. RTO in the Philippines is a result of both the office culture and the needs of its BPO occupiers,” Santos Knight Frank said.

It said the high vacancy rate could be a combination of some move outs among tenants, along with the completion of new buildings. “It’s very natural for the vacancy to go up,” said SKF senior director for occupier services and commercial agency Morgan McGilvray. The consultancy firm said despite the increase in vacancies, there was a slight uptick in the average lease rates in Metro Manila. “This is a pretty modest increase, but it is representing a bit of a turnaround as compared to the many quarters prior in which we continue to see rental rates decrease,” Mcgilvray said. He said this trend would likely continue, albeit slowly, as more businesses continued to reopen and demand for office space would be in the upswing in the coming months.

BOI approves P924-m coconut investment

THE Board of Investments said Tuesday it approved the application for registration of the P924-million desiccated coconut project of Consolidated Coconut Corp. “Indeed, we are making headways in sustaining Philippine exports, particularly desiccated coconut with the approval of the project by Consolidated Coconut Corp. We are truly seizing the opportunity, as the Philippines is the top producer of such product globally,” said Trade Undersecretary and BOI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo. The company will start the production and export of desiccated coconut in September 2022 to more markets overseas. Its plant will operate from Plaridel, Misamis Occidental with an annual capacity of 93,750 metric tons of desiccated coconut. The BOI said the project would build on the country’s competitive advantage in manufacturing and exporting desiccated coconut. Othel V. Campos

PLDT supports bill on faster Internet

PLDT Inc. said Tuesday it supports a proposed bill calling for fast, secure and affordable internet for Filipinos, particularly in unserved and underserved areas. “We remain committed to expanding our network coverage, which is key to our goal of elevating the quality of customer experience across the country,” PLDT and Smart Communications president and chief executive Alfredo Panlilio said. “Our mission is to keep our countrymen connected by ensuring that our network is reliable and accessible to more Filipinos, wherever they may be in the country,” he said. This follows the refiling of Senate Bill No. 329 in the 19th Congress. Also known as The Better Internet Act, the bill asks all telecom companies and internet service providers to cover unserved and underserved areas within three years. “With price points that provide real value for money, our fixed and wireless internet services are also designed to cater to all segments of the market,” Panlilio said. Darwin G. Amojelar

PROJECT RELY’S AWARD. Project Renewable Energy for Livelihood and Youth, which provided livelihood to 12 women’s organizations and installed solar energy that now powers 16 off-grid and remote schools in Cebu, Bohol and Palawan, receives the Europa Awards 2022 for Clean and Green Energy from the European Chamber of Commerce. RELY is a European Union-funded project implemented by sequa gGmbH, Vivant Foundation and Process-Bohol.

Abacus Coal reaches operating agreement with Oriental Vision By Jenniffer B. Austria ABACORE Capital Holdings Inc. said Tuesday unit Abacus Coal Exploration and Development Corp. signed an operating agreement with Cebu-based Oriental Vision Mining Philippines Corp. AbaCore said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Abacoal upgraded its business venture with ORVI from an exploration agreement to a coal operating contract. Abacoal, under the agreement, will provide three of the seven coal blocks it owns in the municipalities of Tago and Marihatag, Surigao del Sur for ORVI to develop. Each coal block has an area of 1,000 hectares.

ORVI agreed to commercially operate coal block 85 within six months after the signing of the agreement and coal blocks 84 and 86 within a year. “We are pleased to enter into the next phase of our partnership with ORVI that will allow us to fully unlock the strategic value of the assets that we own in Surigao del Sur,” AbaCore president and chief executive Raul de Mesa said. “Considering the current high prices of coal in the world market, this venture will allow ABA to increase its revenues and bottom-line and further strengthen its balance sheet and liquidity,” he said. Abacoal will generate revenue from its coal assets through the royalty fees ORVI will pay out.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

17.46 PTS. 6,286.24

TOTAL VOLUME

1,066,949,657

TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP)

56,354 3,793,363,005.51

ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

99 77 51

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

56.3410

Japan

Yen

0.007240

0.4079

UK

Pound

1.195400

67.3500

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127392

7.1774

Switzerland

Franc

1.023332

57.6555

Canada

Dollar

0.770416

43.4060

Singapore

Dollar

0.716076

40.3444

Australia

Dollar

0.681200

38.3795

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652520

149.4456

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266375

15.0078

Brunei

Dollar

0.713521

40.2005

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000067

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

0.027289

1.5375

UAE

Dirham

0.272279

15.3405

Euro

Euro

1.014600

57.1636

Korea

Won

0.000759

0.0428

China

Yuan

0.148247

8.3524

India

Rupee

0.012502

0.7044

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.224669

12.6581

New Zealand

Dollar

0.615400

34.6723

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033462

1.8853 Source: BSP

Diokno urges SEC to expand digitalization, boost market By Julito G. Rada FINANCE Secretary Benjamin Diokno asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to further expand the capital market through digitalization. “My marching order to you now is to make the Philippine capital market more broad-based and inclusive through digitalization and strengthened corporate governance,” Diokno said in a recorded video message to the SEC on Monday. Diokno commended the SEC’s digital transformation initiatives, which the securities regulator accelerated at the height of the global health emergency. This allowed the market to continue functioning normally amid the difficulties posed by the pandemic. The SEC developed the Electronic Simplified Processing of Application for Registration of Companies and the One Day Submission and Electronic Registration of Companies which are systems for faster and easier registration of corporations. It said that from its launch on April 11, 2021 to June 19, 2022, the eSPARC processed 77,476 applications for company registration, 7,095 of which were processed in OneSEC. Linked to the eSPARC and OneSEC is the Electronic System for Payments to the SEC that enables online payments of registrations and other transaction fees. Tthe eSPAYSEC catered to 31,027 transactions since its launch on March 1, 2021 until June 19, 2022. Meanwhile, the SEC’s Electronic Filing and Submission Tool was built for the submission of audited financial statement, general information sheet and other reportorial requirements. From the start of its operation on March 15, 2021 to June 17, 2022, SEC accepted 277,430 reports through eFAST. The said platforms are among a suite of online systems that make transaction with the SEC easier and faster.

Raslag energizes third solar plant with 18-MW capacity in Pampanga

WATER SAMPLING.

Laguna Water’s laboratory receives a certification from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to analyze water samples for chemical oxygen demand, fecal coliform, total coliform, true color, pH, settleable solids, temperature, total dissolved solids and suspended solids. The certificate allows Laguna Water to conduct tests and analyses on environmental samples for private companies and individuals, NGOs, and other government agencies and local government units.

By Alena Mae S. Flores

Metrobank and PERA HUB bolster money remittance partnership METROPOLITAN Bank & Trust Co., the second-largest lender in terms of assets, said Tuesday it expanded its partnership with remittance company PERA HUB, allowing individuals to conveniently send money to the bank’s account holders nationwide. Metrobank executive vice president and retail banking sector head Richard So said Tuesday the latest partnership shows that Metrobank remains com-

The fee is at 8 percent of the gross selling price coal per metric ton. It said that if ORVI finds other materials aside from coal during exploration, the company would pay Abacoal a royalty of 5 percent of the gross price per ton. ORVI paid P10 million in advance royalty to Abacoal to be deducted from the future royalties Abacoal will receive from ORVI. “AbaCore is confident that ORVI will successfully and responsible operate our coal assets given its expertise and experience in the industry. We look forward to a productive partnership that will provide long term benefits to our stakeholders and communities we serve,” De Mesa said.

PSE INDEX CLOSING

mitted to improving its services and providing customers with more accessible and convenient channels to conduct their financial transactions with the bank. Under the partnership, senders can remit P100 up to P25,000, with a minimal fee of P100 per transaction. Recipients can easily withdraw the money they received from any Metrobank ATM or overthe-counter in Metrobank branches for

passbook account holders. Individuals who need to send cash to Metrobank account holders can simply head to the nearest PERA HUB branch; accomplish the remittance form; and show one valid ID to the PERA HUB agent. Metrobank and PERA HUB provide Filipinos with accessible remittance channels to help them send money to their loved ones. Julito G. Rada

LISTED Raslag Corp. said Tuesday it energized its third solar plant with a capacity of 18 megawatts this month after receiving an approval from National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. Raslag said in a statement the new solar plant, which went online for testing and commissioning, would provide additional revenues of about P215 million to the company in the first two years of operation. The company’s third solar project reached its maximum capacity in July. It offered the facility’s available generation capacity to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market as a merchant plant. “Raslag will capitalize on the uptrend of WESM prices thus far to push its financial figures higher than expected,” the company said. The power plant is expected to generate 13.5 gigawatt-hours for the remaining months of 2022 and 27 GWh in 2023. It can contribute around P71.6 million in 2022 and P142.9 million in 2023, assuming an average WESM settlement price of P5.30 per kilowatt-hour. Raslag connected the third plant to the grid through NGCP’s 69 kilo-volt

transmission asset, which serves as the interconnection point that bridges the generated electricity produced from the solar panels. The newly completed solar plant doubles the company’s solar generating capacity to 41.198 MW. Raslag’s two other plants—Raslag-1, with a capacity of 10.046 MW and Raslag-2 with 13.141 MW—both enjoy a feed-in tariff rate of P9.68 per kilowatt-hour and P8.69 per kWh, respectively. The FIT rates have an annual escalation based on inflation and foreign exchange rates and are guaranteed for 20 years from commercial operations. Raslag is developing its fourth solar plant with a capacity of 35.159 MW, which will be the company’s largest plant once completed. It is in the advanced stages of land acquisition, permitting and development work and is expected to achieve commercial operations by March 2024. The company, whose solar projects are all based in Pampanga, supports the call from the national government to increase the renewable share by 35 percent in the generation mix and to reduce harmful gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

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Olivia Bong Coo

Bowling great Coo appointed to PSC as commissioner

NEWSOME CIGNAL BEST PLAYER. Meralco team captain

Chris Newsome steadied the ship for the Bolts during the absence of coach Norman Black. In that crucial span, Newsome came through allaround numbers, while holding his own on the defensive side to help the Bolts climb to 6-4 and solidify their place in the Top 6 for a spot in the best-of-three series. The seasoned guard, shown here against San Miguel Beer’s Marcio Lassiter, normed 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists laced by 1.3 steals in three games for Meralco, earning for him the Cignal Play-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honor for the period July 13-17.

By Peter Atencio BOWLING great Olivia Bong Coo is coming in as one of the commissioners of the Philippine Sports Commission. Malacañang has informed Coo’s status in its recent communication with the government sport agency. The 74-year-old Coo, who collected a total of 78 bowling medals won in regional and world competitions during her time as a national athlete, is expected to come aboard once Palace officials have finalized their list of new officials for the PSC. The Office of the Executive Secretary, through its head Victor Rodriguez, informed the PSC of Coo’s appointment. Coo is a four-time world champion bowler and has 37 gold medals to her credit during her 21-year stint with the national squad from 1970 to 1991. At present, she is the chairwoman of the Women in Sports Commission of the Philippine Olympic Committee since February 2021 and president of Philippine Bowling Federation, Inc. No replacement for William Ramirez as PSC chairman has been named yet. Ramirez served as chairman during the tenure of Rodrigo Duterte as president. The 72-year-old Ramirez, known for the successes of the agency’s support for elite and national athletes in national and international competitions, and its immersive grassroots development program, stepped down at the end of Duterte’s term last June, and so did commissioners Ramon Fernandez, Charles Maxey, Arnold Agustin and Celia Kiram.

Another Zambo teen dominant with 4-gold haul in Uzbekistan Ayton signs long-term O deal to stay By Randy Caluag

LYMPIC hopeful Rose Jean Ramos reigned supreme in the Asian Women’s Youth and Juniors Weightlifting Championships’ 45-kg event as she emerged with four golds, one silver and one bronze medal on Monday night (PH time) at The Training Area in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Ramos, a 17-year-old student from Zamboanga City High School-Main, lifted 70 kgs in the Snatch and 85 kgs in the Clean and Jerk for a total of 153 kgs in a dominant performance that earned her a sweep of the golds in the youth category. She got her 70 kgs after clearing the 65 and 67 in the snatch, while also getting 85 in the Clean and Jerk after three attempts. She cleared 81 and 83 kgs earlier. Competing in the Juniors’ play of the same weight category, Ramos finished

second overall in the Junior Women’s 45-kg category against seven other athletes. She led the Snatch with 70 kgs for her fourth gold medal, while taking third place in the Clean and Jerk with 83 kgs. Her total of 153 kgs gave her a silver medal. The previous day, Angeline Colonia, a 15-year-old prodigy from a family of Olympic lifters, opened the country’s campaign on a bright note after erasing the World and Asian youth records in her weight category to bag two gold

medals and a silver. Last June 13, Ramos was also victorious in the 2022 International Weightlifting Federation Youth World Championships, bagging two gold medals and one silver in the women’s 45-kg division. The Barangay Mampang, Zamboanga City lass has ruled her division for three years in a row now, topping the online event hosted by Peru in 2020 and the 2021 version held physically in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia prior to her most recent achievements. On the other hand, Ramos, who is coached by Allen Diaz, lifted 70 kgs on her third try in the snatch for a silvermedal finish. She rallied in the Clean and Jerk with an 85-kg effort for a 155kg total, netting herself a pair of golds. Trumpeted as one of the worthy successors of Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, Ramos improved her total lift of 147 kgs she recorded last year during the youth world championships held in Leon, Mexico.

More friendlies lined up for Filipinas PHILIPPINE Football Federation president Mariano Araneta Jr. is lining up more international friendly matches for the Filipinas, the newly-crowned AFF Women’s Championship queens, to boost their FIFA world ratings higher for a better draw in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup scheduled in October. “The draw will be in October that is why we are trying to schedule more games for the Filipinas against opponents that are higher than us in the rankings so they, hopefully, will also improve their ratings,” said Araneta during the Philippine Sportswriters Association online Forum on Tuesday. On the way to winning the country’s historic first major international football title, the charges of Australian Alen Stacjic toppled Asian football titans Australia, Vietnam and Thailand, which are ranked Nos. 12, 32 and 43, respectively. By beating their higher-rated rivals, the Filipinas, currently ranked 53rd, can expect marked improvement once the latest Aduke Ogunsanya is all eyes on the ball as she soars for a hit before getting sidelined by an injury due to a bad fall early in the fourth.

ratings are out, which Araneta said would give the side a better spot in the World Cup draw barely three months away. “Coach Alen told me that we only need four to eight points to go from the fourth to the third pot. This will help the Filipinas avoid facing the heavyweights early in the tournament,” the football chief explained. “There has been an invitation from World Cup qualifier Costa Rica to play in Costa Rica and another from New Zealand. Those friendlies are now on the pipeline” bared Araneta. The Kiwis and Costa Ricans are presently ranked Nos. 22 and 37, respectively, in the FIFA rankings. Also present in in the session backed by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Amelie Hotel Manila, Unilever, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), were national team members Inna Palacios, Hali Long, and Camille Rodriguez.

PFF president Mariano Araneta with some members of the PH National Women’s Football team at the PSA Forum

They shared their own experiences over how the highly-successful stint had impacted them personally. “What I learned is that our victory showed that we can do it. Na kaya namin.

I am also grateful for having been a part of the journey of this national team, seeing it from its lowest then getting better and better to reaching our highest potential at the moment,” Palacios noted.

in Phoenix

LOS ANGELES—Deandre Ayton signed a long-term contract Monday to stay with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, locking in the star center who helped the club reach last year’s NBA Finals. The Bahamas big man, who turns 24 on Saturday, reportedly inked a four-year maximum contract worth $133 million. Ayton was chosen by the Suns with the first overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. Over his first four NBA seasons, Ayton has career averages of 16.3 points on 59.9% shooting from the floor plus 10.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots a game. “Deandre is a force on both ends of the floor who has elevated his game every year and will continue to do so,” Suns general manager James Jones said. “DA is so important to what we do and without him we could not have reached our recent levels of success. We are excited to keep Deandre at home in the Valley where he belongs.” Ayton averaged 17.2 points on a career-high and franchise-record 63.4% shooting plus 10.2 rebounds this past season for the Suns, who were upset by Dallas in the second round of the NBA playoffs. He recorded both his 3,000th career point and his 2,000th career rebound this past season, becoming the second-fastest player to reach these milestones in a Suns uniform, behind only Charles Barkley. “I’m happy to put free agency behind me and ready to work and compete for a championship with my teammates,” Ayton said. Ayton joined Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal as the only players to average a double-double on at least 57% shooting through four career seasons. AFP

Troopers down undermanned Flying Titans, seize 3rd EXPERIENCE—and number—triumphed over youth as Army Black Mamba subdued Choco Mucho, 25-22, 22-25. 26-24, 25-18, to fuel its semifinal drive in the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan yesterday. But the Lady Troopers needed to charge back from a second set stumble and a big deficit in the pivotal third to turn back their rivals, who sorely missed the services of two of their top hitters, and notch their second straight win after repelling Petro Gazz, also in four, following an opening game loss to Cignal for solo third. Kat Tolentino, one of the leading scorers in the early going of the mid-season conference of the league organized by Sports Vision, and Des Cheng didn’t suit up, along with Chery Nunag and Thang Ponce, who were all in-

disposed, according to team tory and glory through the Games Thursday report. years, slammed in backSta. Rosa, Laguna Army assistant coach to-back hits to close the 2:30 p.m. – Petro Gazz Rico de Guzman admitextended set. vs Chery Tiggo ted their main play was 5:30 p.m. – Cignal vs Creamline It was an all-Army designed to containing show in the fourth as Tolentino. the Flying Titans ran “We were really sur prised after out of offensive options, enabling the f inding out she (Tolentino) wouldn’t Troopers to post an 18-11 bulge. Choco play. But even without her, it didn’t Mucho racked up four straight points come easy although we did exploit her but Army countered with three straight absence,” said de Guzman, who took hits and the Flying Titans got no closer over from Kungfu Reyes. than three again at 18-21 before Honey But the Flying Titans still fought hard Royse Tubino fired away back-to-back and rebounded in the second set but attacks after a Balse blast to wrap up cracked when pressed by their seasoned the two-hour, four-minute victory. rivals after taking command, 12-7, in the “We played pressure-free. With a lot of third, leading to a pressure-packed end- veterans, this team doesn’t get rattled game where MJ Balse-Pabayo and Nene anymore,” said Ivy Perez, who delivered Bautista, still relentless in pursuit of vic- 27 excellent sets on top of nine points.

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Sports

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

Ethiopia’s Gebreslase wins world women’s marathon 10-episode E reality series UGENE—Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase cut loose in the latter stages to claim gold in the women’s marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Monday.

kicks off EASL Season 1

EAST Asia Super League kicks off its Season 1 excitement behind a groundbreaking, long-form reality series about the inaugural of the home-andaway regional championship league. Production already began for the series to be helmed by award-winning Korean film director John H. Lee of the ‘Battle for Incheon: Operation Chromite’ fame, alongside Korean production powerhouse studio IGNITE. Executive producers are Jonah Greenberg of Salty Pictures and Ezra Holland, director of CTRL Media which is owned by NBA legend and current Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash, along with Marc Iserlis of Third Culture Collective. The series will explore the high stakes drama on and off the court throughout the basketball league’s inaugural season as teams compete from all over Greater China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines. Taking center stage will be the heart and soul of the players, the coaches and the greater team rivalries. The series will pull back the curtains on the contrasting cultures, gameplay and lifestyles of all that East Asian basketball has to offer. During the inaugural grouping ceremony held last month at ShangriLa The Fort, Lee and his production crew on the ground in Manila to document the historic event and begin interviewing league commissioners, top players, coaches and influencers. In just two days, the crew interviewed more than 40 different stakeholders who were all gathered in Manila for the kick-off event, including EASL ambassador and NBA champion Metta World Peace, PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, B.LEAGUE chairman Shinji Shimada, KBL commissioner Kim Hee Ok, among others. As one of the oldest-running leagues in the world, the PBA has no shortage of stories to tell. “The Philippines is a very basketball-passionate country, and the PBA is a league full of dynamic players and vibrant fans. We fully welcome and support this production series from EASL, and we look forward to working together on this in order to create something that our fans will really enjoy,” said Marcial. “We’re telling real human stories in a way that’s never been seen or done before with the best of the best,” said Lee, who once directed Squid Game star Lee Jung-Jae. “This will be a multi-layered 10-episode docuseries that dives deep into the world of basketball via East Asia Super League’s prem ie r competition. John Lee

Gebreslase, who won the 2021 Berlin Marathon on her debut and finished third in this year’s Tokyo Marathon, kicked with 2km to go, winning in a championships record of 2hr 18min 11sec. Judith Jeptum Korir of Kenya claimed silver in a personal best of 2:18.20. Kenyan-born Israeli Lonah Chemtai Salpeter claimed bronze in 2:20.18. Gebreslase said Korir had asked her

to pass after leading for a large period of the race. “But I stayed patient,” she said. “Towards 40km, I felt strong and decided to leave.” It was a second marathon title for an Ethiopian runner in Eugene after Tamirat Tola won the men’s marathon on Sunday. “Tola’s win yesterday motivated me a lot today,” Gebreslase said. “I did not know I was the first Ethiopian woman

to win (the world title since 2015). “I plan to prepare well and defend my title in Budapest” at next year’s world championships. Korir admitted that it was “not easy to run with the fast Ethiopians”. “It bothered me a bit the fact that she (Gebreslase) did not want to pace with me.” Meanwhile, Olympic champion Katie Nageotte won the women’s pole vault gold. Nageotte managed a best of 4.85m and won on countback from US teammate and training partner Sandi Morris, already twice a world silver medallist. Australian Nina Kennedy took bronze with a best of 4.80m. AFP

Gold medalist Gotytom Gebreslase of Team Ethiopia poses during the medal ceremony for the Women’s Marathon on day four of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. AFP

IRONMAN 70.3 Cebu draws huge foreign cast TOP age-group triathletes from around the world will test their mettle against the local aces in a race against time in the IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines which reels off Aug. 7 in an exciting but exacting new course in Mactan, Cebu. Singapore and Malaysia have 68 and 66 entries, respectively, the US is fielding in 58 bets while 44 and 42 bidders banner the Hong Kong and Japan’s campaign, respectively, in the challenging 1.9 km swim, 90km bike and 21k run event starting and ending at the Mactan Newtown in Lapu-Lapu City. This marks the premier endurance race’s return to Cebu in the new normal with 1,896 entries from at least 42 nations confirmed to participate three weeks into the event serving as the second of a number of tri-sport races lined up for the year by the organizing IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc. Australia and the United Kingdom, two hotbeds of triathlon talents in the world, will be represented by 26 triathletes each while Korea and China have 22 entries and France, another triathlon powerhouse, has 18 competitors in various age-group categories. Lanao del Norte’s Satar Salem, who topped the Sun Life 5150 triathlon in Bohol two weeks ago, headlines the local cast’s drive for the overall championship in the event sponsored by Megaworld and The Mactan Newtown and presented by AIA Vitality. Aside from the overall individual crown, 12 other titles will be up for grabs from the youngest category of 18-24 to 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69. 7074 and 75-and-above. Also on tap in the event, backed by Active, Breitling 1884, Gatorade, Hoka and ROKA, is the CEO division. Other countries represented are Norway, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Brazil, South Africa, Macau, South Africa, Thailand, Montenegro, Indonesia, Cambodia, India, Bermuda, Belgium, Vietnam, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Guam, Canada, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Kenya, Ireland, Sweden, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Poland.

Trump urges golfers to ‘take the money’ and join LIV circuit LOS ANGELES—Former US President Donald Trump on Monday urged golfers to “take the money” and sign with the Saudi-backed LIV series amid reports more players were poised to join the controversial circuit. Trump, who is hosting LIV events at two of his golf courses this year, said in a post on his Truth Social network that players should not hesitate to abandon the PGA Tour, which he branded “disloyal.” “All of those golfers that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year,” Trump wrote. “If you don’t take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place, and only say how smart the original signees were,” he added. Trump concluded the post with a message of congratulations to newly minted British Open champion Cam

Smith, the Australian who stormed to victory at St Andrews on Sunday with a superb final round. Smith is among the latest list of names who are reportedly poised to sign with LIV Golf, which has already recruited a slew of top names with jaw-dropping contracts which in some cases are reported to have run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. LIV Golf, which is fronted by Australian great Greg Norman, is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Human Rights groups have criticized the venture saying it exists solely to boost Saudi Arabia’s international reputation, a phenomenon labelled “sportswashing.” Smith bristled—but did not issue an outright denial—when asked about reports linking him to LIV following his victory in the Open on Sunday. “I just won the British Open, and you’re asking about that. I think that’s pretty not that good,” Smith said. “I don’t know, mate. My team around

me worries about all that stuff. I’m here to win golf tournaments.” Besides Smith, LIV is also reported to be on the brink of signing Swedish star Henrik Stenson. Stenson is expected to be stripped of Europe’s Ryder Cup captaincy if he signs with LIV. Golf analyst David Feherty has split with NBC and is expected to join LIV broadcasts, the New York Post reported on Monday. The 63-year-old native of Northern Ireland is a former US and European tour player. ‘Frustration and anger’ Trump, meanwhile, did not address criticism of the involvement of his golf properties with LIV events by relatives of those killed and injured during the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers involved in the atrocity were Saudi nationals. In an o p e n letter to Tr ump

Nueva Ecija subdues Bacolod in 3 OTs; Zamboanga prevails BACOLOD CITY—Nueva Ecija found a savior in John Bryon Villarias as it subdued gritty Bacolod Bingo Plus, 81-74, in a thriller that started Monday and ended early Tuesday after going through three overtimes here. Villarias outscored the Bacolodnons, 8-7, including two triples in the third extension to power the unbeaten Rice Vanguards to their ninth straight win in the single round-robin elimination phase of the OKbet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season presented by Xtreme at the full house University of St. La Salle Gym. Finding his range at the right time, the 6-foot gunner out of nearby Silay City also canned three charities to knot the count in regulation play, 52-52. In the first extension, veteran Mark Yee drilled in a triple as Bacolod sent the nightcap of the “City of Smiles Invasion” into second

overtime at 57-57. Yee split his charities to give Bacolod a 67-64 lead, but Villarias calmly drilled in a triple with 5.7 seconds left to extend the game anew. Bacolod was still ahead at 72-71, until Villarias and JR Taganas, who completed a 3-point play, dropped a 9-2 salvo that sent local fans to the exit, 80-74, with 39 seconds to go. Villarias poured 16 points in the extra periods and wound up with 24 points to go with 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. He was supported by Jay Collado, who clustered 8 points in the fourth quarter, and finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds for Nueva Ecija, which overcame the absence of head coach Jerson Cabiltes. Yee carried the fight for Bacolod, which dropped to 4-3, with 19 points and 17 rebounds, followed by Edrian Lao with 11

points and 7 rebounds. Earlier, Jaycee Marcelino delivered 21 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to lift Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines to a come-from-behind 86-82 victory over Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc. Zamboanga, which also got 12 points from Jefferson Comia and 10 points plus 10 rebounds and 7 assists from Jaycee’s twin brother, Jayvee, climbed to 7-0. Jaycee, who only had five points after three quarters, also tallied 6 rebounds and 4 assists for Coach Vic Ycasiano. Valenzuela, which got 18 points from Ronjay Buenafe, 16 from Patrick Cabaug, 11 from Kevin Ray Villafranca and 10 from Jaymar Gimpayan tumbled to 4-5. The four teams here switch opponents on Tuesday, with Nueva Ecija battling Valenzuela at 7 p.m. and Zamboanga tackling Bacolod at 9 p.m.

John Bryon Villarias stars as Nueva Ecija thwarts Bacolod.

released on Sunday, the 9/11 Justice group urged Trump to cut ties to LIV Golf. Trump National Golf Club at Bedminster, New Jersey is set to host a LIV event on July 29-31, while his Trump National course at Doral in Florida will stage the October 27-30 tournament. “We simply cannot understand how you could agree to accept money from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s golf league to host their tournament at your golf course, and to do so in the shadows of Ground Zero in New Jersey, which lost over 700 residents during the attacks,” the group wrote in its letter. “It is difficult for us to fully express the extreme pain, frustration and anger this upcoming tournament at Bedminster causes our community... it is incomprehensible to us that a former President of the United States would cast our loved ones aside for personal financial gain.” AFP

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

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Haven for cosplayers reopens doors in San Diego

In addition to 135,000 screaming fans, comic book, sci-fi, and fantasy extravaganza Comic-Con draw Hollywood's biggest studios and their A-list stars to San Diego

By Patricia Taculao

I

T’S BEEN seven to eight years since Darren Espanto and AC Bonifacio became best friends in real life. They’ve been there for each other through their ups and downs. Now, they traverse through their lives as young adults with new career opportunities still beside each other. Their new upcoming youthoriented musical series, Lyric and Beat, marks their first project together where they get to do what they love most: singing and dancing. But that’s not the only part of the show that makes it memorable for Darren and AC. For Darren, Lyric and Beat is his first series after appearing in the KathNiel movie The Hows Of Us. On the other hand, AC is no stranger to making appearances in shows, given her history of performing in shows such as Ellen and pop sensation Ariana Grande’s concert. Still, both find Lyric and Beat a worthwhile project because they get to do it with their best friend. In the trailer of the youthoriented musical series, there’s a scene where Darren tries to plant a kiss on AC’s cheek but misses as the latter avoids him playfully. The gesture is “kilig”-worthy for onlookers, especially since many of their fans have been pairing them up for quite some time. However, during a blogcon

hobbits, dragons or princesses—will be required to wear face masks. In addition to 135,000 screaming fans, the comic book, science fiction, and fantasy extravaganza draw Hollywood’s biggest studios and their A-list stars to show off upcoming titles—kicking off this year with Paramount’s Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Marking the first time the world’s most popular role-playing game has received a mega-budget silver-screen adaptation, the movie out next March stars Chris Pine, Hugh Grant, and former Bridgerton heartthrob Rege-Jean Page. But the week’s headlines are set to

A platonic friendship that brings on-screen ‘kilig’

Darren Espanto (left) plays Jazz while AC Bonifacio plays Cadence. Their names are a nod to the series’ musical aspect

AC (right) and Darren during the official blogcon for ‘Lyric and Beat’

JC de Vera reflects on his role as co-detective agent in ‘Flower of Evil’ ACTOR JC de Vera was elated to have been asked to join the sterling cast of the Philippine adaptation of the hit Korean series Flower of Evil, which is now receiving rave reviews and is the first Philippine series to be released in 16 countries worldwide. “It was a chance to do something different because I have always played the leading man or the romantic interest or the third wheel in my past projects,” confesses JC, on why he jumped at the opportunity of taking in the role of a detective agent in the series. Last year, however, JC also got to play an offbeat role as the spoiled heir who was out to avenge his family’s misfortunes in La Vida Lena. By getting very good reviews as a ‘baddie’, JC’s transformation was a success. “I really want to explore more of my versatility as an actor now, one who is character-driven, and it’s about time,” he states. Now that he was given a chance to portray the character of Andrew Marcelo, the investigative partner of Iris Castillo Del Rosario, Lovi Poe’s character in Flower of Evil, JC did not hesitate and have any second thoughts to accept it. “It’s something very different for me and it’s a big co-production with Viu International LTD. Yes, it’s a big deal and a great opportunity, and I am very fortunate to be part of it,” explains the Kapamilya actor and he adds, “This is something I would run out and chase for and I’m so thankful it ended up on my lap.” “And what an experience it was, and it was hard work, a good learning

COMIC-CON finally returns to San Diego this week, where new Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones TV series will compete before tens of thousands of cosplaying geeks and nerds at the world’s most famous pop culture gathering. Disney and its Marvel superheroes will also preview their upcoming films and shows to adoring fans at the sprawling convention, which has not taken place in full for three years due to the pandemic. “I think it’ll look like ComicCon from 2019,” said the event’s communications chief David Glanzer, even if guests—whether dressed as

environment and it was a blast working with all these highly skilled professionals and co-actors in our Kapamilya set,” he reiterates. JC also has several projects under his belt. He recently finished an entry for the forthcoming Cinemalaya festival entitled Bakit Di Mo Sabihin set to be released in August, where he is paired for the first time with Janine Gutierrez. “It’s not a typical love story, it’s another different concept, one of which we put a lot of our heart and soul into,” says JC. And this month, JC returns to romantic comedy in The Entitled, which is set to premiere on Netflix by the end of July. JC costars with Alex Gonzaga under the direction of Theodore Boborol. Meanwhile, catch JC De Vera in Flower of Evil airing every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel and A2Z and on Viu every Thursday and Friday at 8:00 p.m.

(From left) JC de Vera, Lovi Poe, and Piolo Pascual in ‘Flower of Evil’

The pair’s friendship is evident in how they treat each other

GMA’s biggest network promo is back with great news for all mamimili and sari-sari store owners nationwide with the fourth season of Bigay Premyo Panalo (BPP)! On top of the promo’s winning formula of easy-to-join mechanics, accessibility nationwide, and exciting prizes, Bigay Premyo Panalo Season 4 enables sari-sari store owners to also join and submit their own entries to win big prizes for the first time! Beginning July 16, GMA will give away more than P8 million worth of prizes to almost 2,000 winners from all over the country. Both consumers and sari-sari store owners can get to win daily to weekly prizes ranging from P1,000 to P100,000. For the grand prizes, the winning mamimili can secure a brandnew house and lot from Lumina Homes, while the winning sari-sari store owner has a chance to take home 500,000 pesos cash! Continuing to add to the winning beat this season are the energetic and talented cheer dancers from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) schools as they groove to the official BPP jingle performed by Kapuso OST Singer Hannah Precillas. To join, participants must simply follow these easy steps: Bumili. Mamimili and sari-sari store owners must simply buy participating products: Bear Brand Fortified Powdered Milk Drink, Nescafe Classic and Original, and Aji-Ginisa Flavor Seasoning Mix. Enclose the required proof of purchase and a piece of paper with complete contact details in a plain white envelope. The mamimili can also write the name of the sari-sari store where they bought the product, store address, and store owner’s contact number for a chance to win additional prizes. On the

be dominated by two huge fantasy series coming to television screens soon: Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and HBO’s House of the Dragon. The Rings of Power is Amazon’s enormously ambitious saga taking place in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, set long before the events of Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning film trilogy. The series—playing out across five seasons, the first of which launches September 2—is reported to have cost Amazon well over $1 billion, and is said to be a personal obsession of founder Jeff Bezos. AFP

for Lyric and Beat last July 15, Friday, Darren shared that the kiss wasn’t scripted and happened after the director, Dolly Dulu, said, “Cut!” At this point, fans may see it as a budding romance between the two artists, but for Darren and AC, it’s how they treat each other as best friends. Darren added that after Dulu shouted, “Cut!” they had to stay in character for a while to make the scene effective. As they waited for the scene to clear, he thought of kissing AC on the cheek to fill in the awkwardness because it’s normal for them as best friends. The heartfelt and authentic gesture made it to the series’ final cut. “Most of our ‘kilig’ moments [happened] nung naka-cut na. It was just us fooling around. That’s how we fool around because I feel that’s what our friendship is talaga. Anyone close to us can see that,” AC said. Although Darren and AC, who play Jazz and Cadence, respectively, enjoy working together in Lyric and Beat, they also felt pressure to deliver their best performance because it required more than just singing and dancing, which came easy. Since late last year, they both underwent acting workshops to hone their skills for the project. Darren and AC also feel grateful to their co-stars Andrea Brillantes and Seth Fedellin for guiding them during specific scenes. In the meantime, Darren and AC also help other cast members during the production numbers because they have more experience in that area. With each other’s help, they get through rehearsals and shooting more efficiently. Lyric and Beat, the first iWantTFC original musical series, will air on August 10. It features many great hits by music producer Jonathan Manalo throughout the decades.

GMA Network ‘Bigay Premyo Panalo’ makes joining easy for consumers, store owners

GMA’s ‘Bigay Premyo Panalo’ returns for a fourth season with more than P8 million worth of prizes to almost 2,000 winners

envelope, write “Kapuso Bigay premyo Panalo,” the brand of the enclosed proof-of-purchase, and area of residence (NCR, Luzon, Visayas, or Mindanao). Sari-sari store owners, meanwhile, should write their own sari-sari store name on their entry, and ‘Sari-sari Store’ outside the envelope. Padala. The promo further extends its reach to Kapuso participants as it offers more drop boxes all over the Philippines! Participants can submit entries through designated drop boxes in selected Mercury Drug branches nationwide, at GMA Network Center in Quezon City, and now, at drop boxes in all GMA Regional TV Stations. Panalo.Wait for the announcement of promo winners which will be done weekly via Facebook Live on the official

GMA Promos Facebook Page www. facebook.com/GMApromos. Participants can also visit the official promo microsite to know the detailed mechanics, the complete list of winners, and other promo details. Sending of entries runs until September 23. The announcement of the grand winners will be on October 15. The public is reminded to be careful of scam texts and fake Facebook accounts using the names of GMA Network, GMA Promos, or Bigay Premyo Panalo to solicit money. GMA will notify winners via voice call and SMS using its official numbers, and will not ask for money or anything in exchange to claim prizes. Per DOH-FDA-CFRR Permit no. 0930 Series of 2022.

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

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

Life

A rare public display of Patis Tesoro’s art and fabrics MALLGOERS had the rare opportunity to see woven wonders from renowned Filipino artist and designer in Busisi, an exhibition held recently at the Mega Fashion Hall in SM Megamall. A joint project of SM in partnership with Finale Art File and curated by Gino Gonzales, the exhibition featured a selection of exquisite textile art and intricate tapestries characterizing Patis Tesoro’s approach to graphic art and textile design. The Filipino word busisi translates to fastidiousness, while its adjective mabusisi means meticulous. In the arts and crafts, being mabusisi connotes attention to minute details. It also articulates a unique Filipino sensibility that permeates Tesoro’s embroidered textiles and fabric collages. As a textile designer and prominent advocate for the promotion and conservation of indigenous and traditional Philippine fashion and textiles, Tesoro has worked with artisans in Kalibo, Aklan, where piña is still woven today, and in Lumban, Laguna to embroider piña cloth. In the 1980s, Tesoro was at the forefront of the production of piña-seda (a textile that combines pineapple and silk threads) and piña-abaca (pineapple and abaca fibers). She also admonished the use of natural dyes and the farming of plants that produce these pigments.

After more than 30 years of an extremely demanding pace in the fashion business, Tesoro moved to the more rustic setting of Putol, Laguna. Here she cultivated an environment that reflected her philosophy of harmonious co-existence with nature. “I don’t throw away anything,” Tesoro says, and this propensity for salvaging bits and pieces was evident in her assemblages from the shop’s precious retazos (remnants of textiles). Over the last four years, she designed tapestries that combined printed cloth, embroidered nipis [a generic term referring to fabrics made from fine fibers of abaca, pineapple, maguey, raw silk, or a combination of these in the nineteenth century, as well as hand-dyed materials— Sandra Castro]. Unsatisfied with mere patchwork, she guided her atelier in the application of various surface decorations. Beadwork and obsessive stitching introduced texture on an otherwise flat surface. They also layered new forms over the existing patterns. In contrast to the flourishes of traditional embroidery on piña cloth, Tesoro’s compositions of the diaphanous material produced vivid geometric patterns. Pieces of natural, sepia, and black colored piña were combined to create checkerboard,

Finale Art File’s Evita Sarenas and Sylvia Gascon (leftmost and rightmost) with renowned artist and designer Patis Tesoro (second from left) and SM’s Millie Dizon (second from right) at the opening of ‘Busisi’ at the Mega Fashion Hall

Photo shows the artist (left) in her workshop in Putol, Laguna Mallgoers now have the rare opportunity to see woven wonders from renowned Filipino artist and designer Patis Tesoro in ‘Busisi,’ a joint project of SM Megamall in partnership with Finale Art File and curated by Gino Gonzal

Redefining the Filipino museum and gallery experience ‘Echoes and Silence I and II’ by Jaime Pacenas

By Patricia Taculao

M

etro Manila is home to numerous galleries, museums, and art shows that feature artwork from local and foreign artists. Often, the pieces follow various styles, like classical, abstract, realism, and contemporary. However, not all artists, especially contemporary ones, get the opportunity to have theirs displayed for public viewing.

Vintana.ph is here to change that. Vintana is an online Philippine contemporary art gallery that aims to redefine the Filipino gallery experience. The gallery also doubles as an online resource featuring educational content on contemporary art. This year, Vintana went from URL to IRL (in real life) with The Little Big Art Show, a small show featuring big talent, at The Astbury in Poblacion, Makati. Some upcoming and established artists who answer the question, “What is Filipino contemporary art today?” include Lourd de Veyra, Kirk Dijamco, Jaime Pacena, and more. Vintana.ph founders Ram Bautista, Angela Gaddi, and Mikko Sandejas work closely with these artists as they share content meant to expand the art community to make it more accessible to every Filipino. “There are many art galleries out there, but we want a place that’s special. We want something that gives back to the community in the sense of it being a place of gathering,”

The Astbury is now home to contemporary art pieces from local artists specially curated by Vintana.ph said Bautista, Vintana.ph’s co-founder and managing director. Inaugurated on July 16, the physical exhibit found a home underneath the premier creative hub, The Astbury. It occupies 170 square meters of gallery space to house works from current and future greats of Philippine contemporary art. Its exteriors are reminiscent of New York City’s subway stations, from the graffiti-sprayed walls and metal directional signage hanging above the entryway. Going down its ramp takes art lovers and curious enthusiasts to a space where local contemporary art thrives. Choosing the location, according to Bautista, was a thorough process for the owners because they wanted to secure a place in the metro that invites guests to immerse themselves in the contemporary arts. Bautista added that their goal isn’t to gatekeep art but to bridge academic, commercial, and popular aspects of art in service of the art community. Vintana.ph began as an online gallery to highlight art in the online space. It addresses a unique need for a democratic platform to bridge the distance between artists and the public. “We started online, and part of the idea was from wanting to sell art is do something that hasn’t already done. We thought of featuring our local contemporary artists, and then we branched out to art history,” Gaddi added. Feedback from their followers praises Vintana.ph’s founders for making art history understandable to everyday people without completely toning down its purpose and message. By expanding the art community, the

Colorful artworks by Aba Lluch Dalena (leftmost) and Dex Fernandez

Vintana.ph founders (from left) Miko Sandejas, Angela Gaddi, and Ram Bautista gallery initiates a cycle wherein people gain greater artistic literacy and appreciation for art that grows the market to the benefit of the Filipino artists. The Little Big Art Show runs until July 27 at The Astbury and online at www. vintana.ph. Every month, Vintana.ph is also planning to release new exhibitions to bring more artists (and their works) closer to the public.

Manila Piano Trio at Sunshine Place Galang II, violinist Denise THE concert series Sunshine Santos Huang, and cellist Classics continues this year Antoni Josef Inacay, the with Manila Piano Trio’s Manila Piano Trio combines first live concert in the “new the passion, temperament, normal.” excellence, and dedication of The concert is a three of the country’s most collaboration between outstanding musicians who Sunshine Place Recreation are accomplished performers Center and pianist Mariel and established pedagogues. Ilusorio, sponsored by 98.7 All three artists took their DZFE and Holland Buela. undergraduate studies in the The live concert will take The Manila Piano Trio consists of Dr. Abelardo Galang II, Philippines. Both Huang place on July 15 at 2 pm at Denise Santos-Huang, and Anthoni Joseph Inacay and Inacay further trained the roof deck of Sunshine in the US (San Francisco Place, Senior Recreation Center, 56 Jupiter Street Barangay Bel-Air, Makati. Seats State University and Boston Conservatory, respectively) must be reserved and purchased before the event, to control while Galang took further training in Japan (Musashino maximum capacity. The concert will be recorded live and Music Academy, Tokyo) and Germany (Hans Eisler Music Academy and Technical University Berlin). available online starting July 25. The Manila Piano Trio has performed concerts in Xiamen The Manila Piano Trio will perform Mozart’s “Piano Trio in G major,” and K496 and Astor Piazzolla’s “Four and Cairo, besides performing in the Philippines. For ticket reservations, please contact Mariel Ilusorio at Seasons.” Officially formed in late 2017 with pianist Abelardo Goco 0917-7092255.

argyle, and bricks—all reminiscent of 20th-century pattern design. There were also references to the triangular linework of indigenous ikats. While emphasizing the graphic compositions, the needlework also imbued the works with a more personal stamp. A hand embroidered flower or fern occasionally emerged to disrupt the repetitive motif. The rogue patches certainly belonged to a bolt of embroidered piña. Was it for barong or a traje de mestiza created in Tesoro’s atelier? In any case, the tiny peculiarities contributed micro-histories within the larger story of a tapestry. Busisi, which was first exhibited in Finale Art File in March 2022, is one of the many exciting cultural events at SM Megamall. Exhibition partners include Unang Panahon Arts and Antiques and HABI: The Philippine Textile Council.

Sensitively shorts The toughest aspect of short filmmaking WHAT is it about short films that some people like? Do they find them one-dimensional? Are they too short or perhaps too long (as opposed to the two-minute videos on Tiktok and YouTube)? I have talked to the filmmakers competing in the Short Feature Category of this year’s Cinemalaya about the toughest aspects of making short films, and the possibility of turning their short films into full-lengths. Glazing Life (GL): Why did you want to tell this story in your short film? Maria Estela Paiso (MP): Ampangabagat is both my love letter and farewell to my turbulent childhood. I’ve always wanted to consume Sambal media but there weren’t really that many Sambal pieces readily available, so this piece is also a response to that. Lastly, I’m a post-production girl, so this piece was also an attempt to illustrate the power of post-production in boosting a film’s narrative. Claudia Fernando (CF): Roundtrip to Happiness is, in its simplest form, an enumeration of some of a nation’s basic needs such as education, public infrastructure, and sovereignty – needs t h a t have been intensified yet set aside during the mishandling of the current health crisis. I wrote this for the state to be reminded of what it owes us, and for the audience to be reminded that genuine sovereignty is integral, if not a prerequisite, for the pursuit of happiness. Cypher John Tan Gayorgor/Nino Maldecir (Team Mata): Mata Kang Busay is a showcase of Ilonggo folkloric beliefs made creatively through moving pictures. We wanted to tell this story because it is in the very foundations of our identity as Filipinos. Some of us tend to forget these things; thus, Mata Kang Busay was conceived for us to revisit and rekindle a part of ourselves that we may not be aware of. Kat Sumagaysay/Richard Salvadico (Team Handum): We bring you Mga Handum Nga Nasulat Sa Baras, a comedy-drama narrative that focuses on the huge change that has happened in the educational system [during the pandemic]. We have always heard our parents or grandparents say that we should study hard because we are lucky to have even stepped into school. Raz De La Torre (RT): The past two years were a challenging time for all of us. It was a communal ordeal, but it was still very personal to everyone. It wasn’t always easy to look out for our neighbors and find space f o r compassion for what others are going through when we are also right in the thick of it. I want decision-makers in government to watch it and realize what it’s like on the ground, to give a face to the desperation that overwhelms ordinary people. But ultimately, I made this film to send a message of hope. Kwits is about how kindness comes in many forms. It may run scarce and is sometimes hard to recognize, but it is never wanting. Xeph Suarez (XS): City of Flowers was born out of frustration and anger when the national government expressed its plans on dropping the charges against the main perpetrator of the 2013 Zamboanga Siege despite the Zamboanga LGU’s stand on pursuing the case. City of Flowers is an anti-war short film dedicated to the City of Zamboanga. It is my way of calling for justice. Because personally, I believe that peace can never be achieved without justice. GL: What are the toughest aspects of making a short film? MP: I think the toughest aspect of making a short film is its length because you need to get your intention across and make an impression in a matter of several minutes. But length is also what I like about shorts. CF: Concept-wise, it’s knowing for how long or how short you’d want your film to be. For a short film, every minute counts. You’re either leaving out important details to meet the time requirement or dragging out the film to be able to say what you want to say; both of which you’d want to refrain from. Economically, it’s mostly the funding. Grants are already competitive for short features, which mostly only cover principal photography (which is only one-third or even one-fourth of film producing/ film making). Team Mata: Formulating a story and putting it on the screen is one of the toughest aspects of filmmaking, as a filmmaker you need to deliver a significant message to your audience. Next, the resources. It is very hard to create and produce a film without enough resources and as a filmmaker, we should utilize what is around us. Lastly, the location of the film, it is difficult to find a place that matches the settings of your story. In making films, you should consider their feasibility and attainability of it. Team Handum: The toughest aspects were; Shooting during the pandemic and ensuring our actors’ safety; and the storm that is approaching the island. It was both challenging and fulfilling to be able to finish the film despite the pandemic and the weather. RT: Short films are fruits of passion. Very few filmmakers create short films expecting to recuperate their investment of time and resources. They’re not as easy to move as other content like full-length films, digital series or teleseryes. When you can’t make money from something, it’s hard to find financial support for such endeavors. And when you can’t find the support, it’s not encouraging to make more of it. That’s the biggest challenge for short films. Where do you get the support for one-off stories that are best told in less than 30 minutes? Not all messages need to be told as 90-minute narratives, as 60-minute episodes, or for an entire season. But that doesn’t mean that short films are less valuable. They can be just as potent and life-changing as full-length films. It’s not about the running time but the message and storytelling. Sadly, the industry is only used to bankrolling the usual formats or content categories. XS: Finding funds. There are very few funders and grants for short films. GL: Do you see this short as a standalone piece or would you like to expand it into a feature? Read full story on manilastandard.net