Manila Standard - 2022 July 23 - Saturday

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SONA focus: Nation’s ‘health’

Palace says BBM drafting wide-ranging roadmap for recovery, growth

By Vince Lopez, Maricel V. Cruz, and Willie Casas

LANS for the nation’s overall health—its economic recovery, the resumption of face-to-face classes, and his administration's COVID-19 response -- are high on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA), which he himself is crafting, Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez said Friday.

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"It’s all about our economy, the economic plans. With the face-to-face opening of this coming school year, it’s all about COVID response, and when we speak of COVID response, it’s not Next page

READY FOR SONA. Tarpaulins of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. adorn the center island along EDSA ahead of his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday. Meanwhile, policewomen under the PNP-National Capital Region Command (NCRPO) try on their new body protection suits, while Presidential K-9 units and their sniffing dogs inspect the rostrum at the Plenary Hall of the House of Representatives, where Marcos will deliver his first SONA. Manny Palmero, Danny Pata and Ver Noveno

VOL. XXXVI • NO. 157 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Marites’ on the loose? ExecSec Rallies on Commonwealth Ave. okayed junks quit rumor, extort yarn on July 25 ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA), parallel to a party-cumconcert of groups allied with “BBM” near THE local government of Quezon City the Batasang Pambansa. has allowed progressive groups to conActing on the directive of Quezon City duct their protest march and assembly Mayor Joy Belmonte, officials of the De-

By Rio N. Araja, Maricel V. Cruz and Joel E. Zurbano

By Vito Barcelo and Vince Lopez EXECUTIVE Secretary Vic Rodriguez on Friday denied reports that he had resigned from the Cabinet of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. due to alleged pressure within the "inner circle" of the administration.

He also denied allegations he was asking P100 million each from those who wanted to be part of the Marcos government, saying: “That amount is fantastic—demanded by whom?”

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partment of Public Order and Safety, City Epidemiology and Surveillance, and Task Force on Transport and Traffic Management met with QC Police District Director Brig. Gen. Remus Medina and the city’s Department of Interior and Local Government director Manny Borromeo. Next page

VIC RODRIGUEZ

Fresh COVID cases reach 3,389, highest daily tally in 5 months

By Willie Casas THE Philippines on Friday logged 3,389 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily tally in more than five months or since Feb. 12.

Of the additional infections, 1,169 are from Metro Manila, the Department of Health said.

The total number of active infections increased to 24,478, the highest tally since April 13.

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Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista has tested positive for COVID-19, the department said Friday.

"He is now in isolation, and is exhibiting mild symptoms of headache and cough," the DOTr said.

Bautista will continue to perform his duties and will be in "constant communication with his staff," it added.

New US envoy marks defense of PH sovereignty

By Vince Lopez and Rey E. Requejo

vowed on Friday that the United States would continue its partnership with the Philippines as she presented her credentials to PresiTHE new US ambassador to the dent Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Philippines, MaryKay Carlson, Palace.

"We are fellow democracies, bound by a rich shared history.

We share the powerful, positive ties of family, embodied in the 4 million Filipino-Americans in the Next page

FIRST MEETING. US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson (left) presents her credentials to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday at Malacanang Palace, marking the official start of the American envoy’s term. US Embassy photo

CARLOS: PRESIDENT CHR LAUDS VP SARA TO UPHOLD RIGHTS FOR UNIFORM RULE

PINOYS WARNED VS. HATE CRIMES Next page

REMEMBERING MABINI. A homeless person with a disability sits before

the statue of Apolinario Mabini along Quirino Avenue in Malate, Manila on Friday. The country will celebrate the 158th birth anniversary of Mabini, a polio victim who was regarded as the "Brains of the Revolution" against Spain, today. The national hero was born on July 23, 1864 in Barrio Talaga, Tanauan, Batangas. Danny Pata

Price cuts up on diesel, LPG; gas none

By Alena Mae S. Flores

"There might be no adjustment for gasoline. Indicative there is a rollback for PUMP prices may go down next week by diesel of more than P1 and kerosene more more than P1 per liter, the Department of or less P1," Rino Abad, DOE director for Next page Energy said Friday.

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SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘BBM to guard PH human security’

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The pitfalls of lawlessness and armed conflict, territorial disputes, and economic and social threats are just some of the issues that need to be addressed by the Marcos administration, Carlos noted.

Stressing that national security must

be "reckoned on the individual level," the adviser said she intends to undertake a "human security" approach that focuses more on monitoring the daily lives and addressing the concerns of the Filipino people.

"The security that we're really con-

cerned as an individual would be human security," Carlos, a political scientist, said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

"Food security, security ng water sources mo (of your water sources), security of the air that you breathe, these are all individual security issues."

The United Nations Development Programme's 1994 Human Development Report introduced a new concept of human security, equating it "with people rather than territories [and] with development rather than arms." According to the report, threats to human security may be classified into economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, and political security.

SONA...

“It is his vision for us not only to have food security but food sovereignty. Meaning, if we can feed ourselves as a nation, if we can feed ourselves as Filipinos, I think we are on our way to where we want to be, much like where our neighbors are," he added.

Marcos is expected to deliver his SONA in the plenary hall of the Batasang Pambansa before a joint session of Congress at around 4 p.m. Monday.

Around 1,200 people will be allowed inside the Congress, including over 300 congressmen, 24 senators, and members of the diplomatic corps. But only a limited number of guests and members of the press will be allowed in the gallery.

Article 7, Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution requires the President to “address the Congress at the opening of its regular session.”

The President delivers the SONA every year, usually held on the last Monday of July, to report the state of the country, unveil the administration’s agenda for the coming year, and ask Congress to pass priority legislative measures.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday urged President Marcos to prioritize resolving human rights issues and to acknowledge them in his first SONA. “President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should demonstrate a serious commitment to human rights in his first State of the Nation Address on July 25, 2022,”

HRW said in a statement.

“After six years of [President Rodrigo] Duterte’s disastrous ‘drug war’ that killed thousands of people, Marcos needs to make a clean break by showing he is serious about accountability for past human rights violations as well as preventing abuses in the future,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at HRW. This developed as thousands of Marcos supporters will join the watch party and street concert for the chief executive's SONA. Dubbed "SONA All: Kilos Suporta para sa Pagbangon at Pagkakaisa,” the festive event will be held near the Batasan Pambansa Complex in Quezon City starting 1 p.m. on SONA day.

The celebratory party is open to all Filipinos who are supporting President Marcos' "leadership of unity," according to former Anakalusugan Rep. and Malayang Quezon City chairperson Mike Defensor, who organized the event.

"We will be there to celebrate the start of reconciliation and unity among Filipinos under the leadership of President Bongbong Marcos," said Defensor.

"With the problems confronting the nation, the Herculean task of putting back the economy on track and returning to the new normal will require the cooperation of all. We wanted to show PBBM that Filipinos will rally behind him so he could achieve that task for the progress of our nation," he added.

Rep. Toby Tiangco of Navotas City,

together with Mayors Along Malapitan (Caloocan City), Emi Calixto (Pasay City), Jeanie Sandoval (Malabon), and Wes Gatchalian (Valenzuela City) invited their constituents to join the SONA watch party.

San Jose del Monte City Rep. Rida Robes, convenor of the Kilusang Nagkakaisang Pilipino, said her constituents are also heeding the call for unity and will make their presence felt on SONA day.

More mayors from Metro Manila and nearby localities will also invite their constituents to join the concert, Defensor said.

Malayang QC president Edwin Rodriguez and former Councilor Winnie Castelo were tasked as the overall organizers of the event.

Rodriguez said their group mounted the event in response to President Marcos' invitation for all Filipinos to watch his maiden SONA where he will discuss the key policies and priorities under his presidency.

Giant LED monitors will be placed in strategic areas near the President Corazon Aquino Elementary School (PCAES) on Batasan Road for the watch party.

The concert will feature bands and entertainers Repakol, Inner Voices, Arriba, Plethora, and other surprise celebrity guests.

The organizers sought the permission of the Quezon City government to use a portion of the Batasan Road for the festivities.

The city government will suspend classes on all levels on Monday to give way to the SONA and to avoid inconveniencing students who may find transportation difficult.

“Quezon City-based businesses are likewise highly encouraged to do the same, or adopt work-from-home arrangements, in order to ease mobility requirements and congestion,” the statement added.

“We are also reminding organizers of the activities to follow minimum health protocols, such as wearing face masks, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as to discipline their ranks and finish their activities on the agreed time. For their part, the PNP has agreed to exercise maximum tolerance throughout the day's activities,” it added.

Presidential Security Group (PSG) commander Col. Ramon Zagala said the group is heightening security measures to ensure the safety of Marcos, the First Family, and all SONA attendees.

Over 21,000 police officers will be deployed for the security of the annual event, the Philippine National Police's National Capital Region Police Office earlier said.

House Secretary General Mark Llandro Mendoza earlier said the House of Representatives is expected to be at full capacity during Marcos's first SONA. This would be the first time that Con-

gress will be allowed at full capacity since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Police Maj. Gen. Valeriano De Leon, PNP director for operations, said stricter security measures will be implemented especially around the Batasang Pambansa.

“We are asking for understanding from the public... These security measures are necessary to ensure the safety of everyone,” said De Leon.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has already released its traffic rerouting plan for Monday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will be enforcing a limited no-fly zone in the areas around the Batasang Pambansa from July 23 to 25, including drones.

The House of Representatives has been placed on lockdown as part of security measures ahead of the SONA. The lockdown period began Thursday and will last until Sunday, July 24.

“Only authorized personnel will be allowed entry to the House of Representatives premises. For this purpose, heads of secretariat offices shall submit to the Office of the Secretary General (OSG) the names of their essential personnel, with corresponding ID numbers, who will report for work on the lockout days,” the House memorandum stated.

During the lockout dates, the PSG will conduct a K-9 security sweep of all congressional offices. The offices will be sealed and will be made available for use again on July 25.

Metro Manila police director Maj. Gen. Felipe Natividad said they will not act against protests and other mass gatherings provided they are in the right place at the right time and done “in the right way.”

“In fact, we guarantee that we will uphold and protect these rights vested upon our people and we will even be there to ensure the safety and security of those who will participate in their program,” said Natividad.

“This however is not without reservation. The organizers and leaders of these protests must ensure that their programs are conducted in accordance with the law.

Freedom parks are the best option for them for want of further requirements but if they wanted to go beyond the area covered by such, they must secure the necessary permit from the local government unit,” he added.

The PNP also reminded firearms owners that a gun ban is in effect in Metro Manila starting Friday, as part of security measures for SONA. PNP director for operations, Maj. Gen. Valeriano de Leon said the gun ban, which will last until July 27, coincided with the activation of the Task Force Manila Shield.

pand bilateral trade and investment, and promote democratic freedoms and good governance.”

Carlson, who was appointed by US President Joe Biden, replaces Ambassador Sung Kim, who ended his tour of duty in 2020.

Before arriving in Manila, Carlson was deputy chief of mission and chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She also previously served as deputy chief of mission and chargé d’Affaires in New Delhi, India, and as principal deputy executive secretary on the staff of the Secretary of State in Washington, D.C. A foreign service officer since 1985, she has also been posted to US diplomatic missions in China, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Mozambique, Kenya, and the Dominican Republic.

Carlson obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and International Studies from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, and her Master’s degrees in International Relations from Georgetown University and in National Security Studies from the National War College. She speaks Spanish and Chinese.

Heather Variava, who has been serving as chargé d'affaires ad interim since September 2021, will remain in Manila as deputy chief of mission.

Ambassador Carlson arrived with her husband, Aubrey Carlson, a retired US diplomat.

‘Marites’...

ed,” he added.

"Thats's why I said tinitingnan ko yung mga hitsura niyo kanina kung meron kayong parang nakakita kayo ng multo (I was looking at your faces, you look like you had seen a ghost)," the Executive Secretary said.

Rodriguez said he did not know how the rumors of his supposed resignation started but noted all the news and information that has spread throughout social media and posted on some news agencies “are all lies and hearsay.”

“I don’t know how the rumor started but all of us in the Cabinet, regardless of the portfolio that we are holding or handling, I think it must be clear that the moment he or she accepts the nomination and the request coming from the President by the president to help him serve and run the country,” he said.

“Well, honestly, I have been reading those news—Sino nagsabi? (Who said?)

We cannot be held to explain on something (which is) unverifiable or chismis lang dahil (hearsay only because) we don’t want to end up explaining something that need not be explained,” the Executive Secretary said.

“Ang dapat siguro magpaliwanang diyan, go to the source, sino ang nag post ‘nyan, ano ba ang sources mo, pakipalawanag mo nga (The one who must explain is the source. Who posted that? Who were your sources? Explain it.” (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has assumed the presidency amid difficult times, given the pressing national security challenges that continue to plague the country, but National Security Adviser (NSA) Clarita Carlos said he has made a clear stance the new administration will pay attention to the needs of each Filipino and protect and safeguard the national interests.

From A1

only about health, it goes all the way to the entire cycle of the economy, not just health, the economy, you go into education, and so on and so forth," he said.

Rodriguez added that Marcos would also talk about the digitalization of the government, the projects of the Department of National Defense focusing on the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program “Horizon 3,” and plans of the Department of Agriculture, of which the President is the Acting Secretary.

The Chief Executive’s plans on energy, trade, and finance will also be “one of the most awaited parts of the speech,” he said.

Marcos is taking a hands-on approach to his first SONA and is busy drafting his speech that will be delivered at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on July 25.

"He’s the one writing his SONA message. And he will be very busy. Yesterday, we tried to relax his schedule so he can write," Rodriguez said.

The Executive Secretary said he could not say how long the SONA speech will last, noting that it remains "a work in progress."

He said, however, that a major part of this will be about the President’s thrust to ensure food security.

Rallies....

From A1

They discussed the appeal for reconsideration of militant group Bayan Muna regarding rally permits for the upcoming SONA, which were initially denied by the Philippine National Police.

The city officials earlier met with Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr., Obet de Castro, lawyer Carlos Montemayor Jr. of the National Union of Peoples Lawyers, Sanlakas leader Flor Santos, and lawyer Jose Pedrosa and Lieu Razos of the Philippines Build Better Movement.

“The focal point of the discussion was how to uphold the fundamental constitutional right to freedom of peaceful assembly and free speech, while simultaneously ensuring public order and safety,” the QC government said in a statement.

Based on these dialogues, the local government decided to allow progressive groups to conduct their march and assembly along Commonwealth Avenue (eastbound) up to the corner of Tandang Sora Avenue on Monday.

The PBBM and allied groups will also be allowed to conduct their program along Interim Batasan Pambansa Road near Sinagtala Street, Barangay Batasan Hills (see related story on A1 – Editors).

New...

From A1

United States and the 350,000 US citizens in the Philippines," Carlson said.

"Our alliance is a bedrock of our bond, and our Mutual Defense Treaty and other agreements are at the heart of our commitment to help defend the Philippines’ sovereignty and independence," she added.

"I arrived in Manila inspired by the bond between our great nations and devoted to making it even stronger. I feel especially fortunate to arrive in the early days of your administration," Carlson said in her remarks during her visit to Marcos.

"The United States is committed to partnering with you and your team as you move ahead. As you act to ensure the security, prosperity, and freedoms of the Philippine people, we are here to help, and invested in your success," she added.

Carlson said she looked forward to the Philippines and the US working together to develop new trade and investment ties, partner on clean energy solutions, protect marine and terrestrial resources, and help tackle the climate crisis.

The envoy said that she looks forward to working with the Marcos administration “to upgrade and modernize our alliance to face new challenges, ex-

From A1

Asked whether the report was true, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz Angeles earlier said in a text message, “No.” Rodriguez said he would only resign for health and family reasons but noted accepting a post in the Cabinet also meant that one might be asked to leave anytime.

"But until that happens then you stay, 'di ba (right)?" he said, while also debunking rumors he was being eased out over his connections with an influential religious group.

The 48-year-old lawyer has been with Marcos' camp since 2016 when the thensenator unsuccessfully sought the vice presidency.

Marcos’ longtime chief of staff and his spokesperson during the last election period said he was puzzled as to where the reports came from.

Speaking to Palace reporters, Rodriguez said he received messages asking him if the online reports about his supposed resignation were accurate.

“Even the messages I got this morning, essentially what they said I have resigned.

But as you know, you made this courtesy call; I’m still here in my office,” he told the Malacañang Press Corps officers.

“I’m just here. I hardly ever leave my office. I don’t know how the rumor start-

Meanwhile, the Philippines has reaffirmed its commitment to international law and the rule of law in terms of handling inter-state relations.

Philippine Ambassador to The Netherlands Eduardo Malaya said the government continues to adhere to the Rule of Law and because of this, it is only fitting that the government pays tribute to the valuable services of three eminent Filipinos.

They include Cesar Bengzon, the first and only Filipino judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in the legal institution through the inauguration of Judge Cesar Bengzon Hall at The Hague.

Rey E. Requejo (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Competitiveness of PH agri needs probing—solons SENATOR Francis “Chiz” Escudero wants to investigate the country’s agricultural competitiveness to determine the government intervention the sector needs to boost farmers’ income while ensuring a food-secure Philippines.

“Ensuring agricultural competitiveness would require a measured deliberation geared towards determining the most effective government intervention and the most efficient allocation of public funds to achieve the objectives of government,” he said.

In filing Senate Resolution No. 55, Escudero underscored the need to assess the current state of the agriculture sector, which employs 23.9% of the Filipino workforce or about 10.3 million people.

Escudero said this is needed to align laws and policies in order to “stabilize and improve incomes of farmers and fisherfolk, and to make food affordable and accessible to the poor and marginalized sectors has led to diverging, if not competing, public policy directions.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur proposed the establishment of regional food terminals or depots across the country in support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s plan to prioritize quality infrastructure support to farmers. Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Fresh....

From A1

Fifteen new fatalities were reported, raising the country's COVID-19 death toll to 60,656.

The DOH earlier detected 910 more cases of highly transmissible omicron subvariants BA.5, BA.4, and BA.2.12.1.

All regions except Bangsamoro have logged a case of the omicron BA.5, DOH officer-in-charge and Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

The COVID-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) rose slightly to 14.6 percent on July 20, from 14 percent five days earlier, the independent OCTA Research Group also said Friday.

“It is not clear yet what is driving this change in trends. It is also not clear at this time when the peak will be reached in the NCR,” said OCTA fellow Guido David.

Two weeks ago, David said the COVID-19 wave in Metro Manila could already be close to peaking following the decrease in the weekly growth rate.

In a tweet 10 days ago, David said it is possible the COVID-19 wave in the region could have peaked already, citing the decrease in the growth rate from 57% on July 4 to 32% on July 11.

The positivity rate refers to the percentage of people who were found positive for COVID-19 among the total number of individuals tested.

The NCR has so far registered 11,112 new cases in the past two weeks, the Health Department said on Thursday.

“Cases are now rising in many parts of the country. The new subvariants are immune evasive. We strongly advise the public to observe caution,” David said.

But in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, David said vaccines remain effective against the virus, as shown by the country’s low number of severe and critical cases.

“That’s the good news... Even if the variants have immune evasion, the vaccines remain effective because we have a low number of severe cases. You will not die, you will not get hospitalized,” David said in Filipino.

David also urged the public to get their booster shots as the immunity offered by the vaccine wanes over time. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Price...

From A1

the Oil Industry Management Bureau, said.

Abad said the European Central Bank recently announced a hike in interest rates.

The impending review of the US Federal Reserves of its interest rates during a meeting from July 26 to July 27 also weighs on world oil price movements.

"Let's see if this will push through," Abad said, referring to the planned US interest rate hike.

On July 19, local oil companies rolled back prices for gasoline by P5 per liter, diesel by P2 per liter, and kerosene by P0.70 per liter.

These resulted in total year-to-date adjustments at a net increase of P19.30 per liter for gasoline, P34.80 per liter for diesel, and P29.35 per liter for kerosene.

Crude prices fell last week amid fresh lockdown fears in China and the release of US inflation data.

China detected the first case of the highly contagious omicron sub-type BA.5.2.1, triggering a surge in cases.

The release of the US inflation numbers, which stood at 9.1% in June, fueled recession fears.

News

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022

CHECKPOINT. The Land Transportation Office and PNP Highway Patrol Group conduct an operation along R10 and the corner of Moriones in Tondo, Manila to apprehend vehicles with blinkers, ‘wang wang,’ and other traffic law violators. Norman Cruz

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IN BRIEF Bulatlat files appeal on website shutdown ALTERNATIVE news site Bulatlat. com on Friday filed a motion for reconsideration before the Quezon City court, seeking the reversal of the court’s denial to issue a temporary restraining order against the National Telecommunications Commission blocking its website and 26 others.

Managing editor Len Olea urged Branch 306 to reconsider its order that had caused grave injustice and irreparable damage if not enjoined. “[A]ny continuing and impending implementation of (NTC Memo) is anathematic to a democratic framework where a free, alert and even militant press is essential for the political enlightenment and growth of the citizenry,” the petition read. Rio N. Araja

Manila probes alleged food poisoning in Tondo

Pinoys in New York urged to be vigilant vs. hate crime

Bill filed pushing no-interest loans for gov’t workers

By Maricel V. Cruz

F

REP. Misamis Occidental Rep. Ando Oaminal filed House Bill 2199 which will require government financial institutions to extend “zero interest salary loans” to government employees.

Oaminal stated in the bill’s explanatory note that “despite the fact that government employees are the backbone in ensuring the people’s continued and fast access to public service, their meager remunerations can hardly make both ends meet, and often force these unsung heroes to avail of numerous high interest-bearing loans from both government and private lenders just to provide for their families.”

Oaminal cited the need for Congress to enact a measure that allows eligible government employees “to borrow a zero-interest cash loan (from all government-owned and/ or controlled financial institutions) amounting to a maximum of twelve (12) months of their gross salary, payable through salary deductions for the next six (6) years.”

Last month, the Philippines recorded its highest inflation rate since October 2018, with the headline rate topping at 6.1 percent.

Consequently, Oaminal said in his bill’s explanatory note that many Filipino workers have turned to unregulated and unregistered private lenders, who often charge usurious interest rates.

“It’s about time that we give our government employees an opportunity to draw water from the well, without being crippled by debilitating interest charges in their moment of need,” Oaminal stressed.

ILIPINOS in New York are advised once again to remain vigilant as the victims of hate crimes there climb to 42.

The Philippine Consulate General in New York on Friday reported that a 51-year-old Filipina has become the 42nd case of a hate-related incident or criminal act involving a member of the Filipino community there since last year.

The victim was verbally assaulted and harassed by what appeared to be a homeless woman who also tried to prevent her from boarding her train at the 63rd Drive Subway Station in Rego Park, Queens on Saturday afternoon.

Another Filipino was also victimized, this time an 18-year-old Filipino tourist

from Cebu who was attacked in Manhattan, the Philippine Consul General in New York confirmed.

Reports said the tourist was walking near the Philippine Center in Manhattan on Wednesday with three other Filipinos when he was assaulted by an unidentified suspect. The suspect was later subdued and handed over to the police. The victim reportedly suffered facial injuries.

“Kababayan residing in New York and those on temporary visits are reminded to always remain vigilant and to take the necessary precautions, es-

pecially when walking in the streets or taking mass transport,” it said.

The consulate also asked all Filipinos who may find themselves in distress due to hate incidents or other crimes to call the hotlines of the Consulate at +1917-294-0196 and +1-917- 239-4118 for assistance or 911 for emergencies.

The latest statistics released by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) indicated a 37 percent increase in major crimes citywide.

Citing the NYPD, the Consulate said grand larceny was up 49 percent this year; grand larceny auto, 46.2 percent; robbery, 39.2 percent; and burglary 32.9 percent.

Transit crimes and hate crimes have also increased by 55.5 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively, compared to last year.

ATAYDE WITH SUPPORTERS.

Quezon City District 1 (QCD1) Representative Arjo Atayde meets with supporters and barangay officials as part of efforts to address floods affecting not only his district but the entire National Capital Region as well.

BBM urged to prioritize rehabilitation of Agus-Pulangi hydro complex

By Maricel V. Cruz REP. Paolo Duterte of Davao City has appealed to the Marcos administration to prioritize the rehabilitation of the Agus-Pulangi hydropower complex and transform the Philippines into a “world leader” in climate action while ensuring a clean and reliable

energy source in the region.

“Rehabilitating the decades-old facilities of the Agus-Pulangi power plants will jumpstart the country’s process of transitioning to low-emission energy sources and will contribute to its commitment of helping the world overturn the devastating effects of climate change,” Duterte said.

“If we want to be a global leader in climate action, we can start with rehabilitating the Agus Pulangi power plants in Mindanao,” added Duterte, adding that this long-term measure will eventually reduce Mindanao’s reliance on coal, and accelerate our shift to clean energy sources.

Duterte issued his statement in re-

1,800 cops deployed for visibility

By Joel E. Zurbano

MORE than 1,800 police personnel were dispatched in strategic areas in southern part of Metro Manila to conduct beat patrol and routine round operations to prevent robbery and other crimes.

The move, according to SPD commander Brig. Gen. Jimili Macaraeg, is in line with the program of the National Capital Region Police Office to increase police visibility and make them more accessible to the people.

He said his men will be an additional force to render patrol beats in places of convergence in Metro Manila.

The policemen, composed of 482 personnel from the SPD Mobile Force Battalion and 1,378 from different police stations, will be having

additional two hours of patrol duties from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“Adding more police on the streets concentrating in hotspot crime areas are our preventive and effective way to lessen street crimes,” Macaraeg said.

“To be more visible on the ground, especially in crime-prone areas and places of convergence, are our effective deterrents and would result to lowering the rate of serious crimes and of course we see to it that additional patrol duty will not affect their administrative function,” he added.

NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Felipe Natividad had required all office personnel from the police command districts, stations, sub-stations, and community precincts to perform patrol duties in a minimum of two hours.

sponse to Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno’s recent pronouncement before a high-level Group of Twenty (G20) forum that the Marcos administration will continue to pursue a “whole-of-nation” approach in mitigating climate risks and is committed to be a world leader in the fight against the climate crisis.

THE Manila Health Department (MHD) on Thursday said it is investigating the alleged food poisoning incident that led to the death of one resident and the hospitalization of 15 other persons.

In a statement, the MHD said food samples were sent for laboratory analysis in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH) Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), and Philippine National Police (PNP). Willie Casas

Zamboanga projects aim to boost food production TWO ongoing projects in Zamboanga are on track to provide food production technologies and livelihood opportunities to help families during a health pandemic.

The project, “Embracing Backyard Farming for the Family,” has provided farm inputs, such as assorted vegetable seeds, fertilizers, and tools to 750 households in 13 municipalities in Zamboanga.

News dispatch from PCAARRD said according to project leader Irene Dinoy, the project team is currently monitoring the beneficiaries’ backyard gardens, which are already at the harvesting stage. Butch Gunio

PH signs pact to protect borders against TADs

By Othel V. Campos THE Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and National Livestock Program (NLP) signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Minnesota (UNM) to strengthen the country’s borders against transboundary animal diseases (TADs).

BAI officer-in-charge director Reildrin Morales said the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) deeply appreciated the efforts of the UNM and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for collaborating with the Philippines and the DA. “The United States and the Philippines have a long history of friendship, of caring. And I do hope that this engagement will further expand in other areas of food safety concerns,” Morales said.

The 3-year MOU will establish knowledge-sharing through the exchange of faculty, scientists, and technical staff and organize joint conferences, symposia, and other activities.

Veterinary experts from the DA are set to visit UNM within the year for the drafting of the specific terms of the partnership.

INTERVENN LAUNCHING.

Officials of InterVenn Biosciences including (L-R) Randy Barr, chief information and security officer; Axel Kornerup, general manager; Dan Serie, chief data officer; Erwin Estigarribia, chief operating officer; and Dr. Beatrice Tiangco, consulting scientist, meet during the company’s launch.

InterVenn Biosciences is a cancer diagnostics research company founded by two Filipinos.

Manny Palmero

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News

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022

CHR cites Sara’s policy banning school uniforms

By Rio N. Araja THE Commission on Human Rights on Friday welcomed a policy of Vice President Sara Duterte providing that students would not be required to wear uniforms during the incoming school year.

Meanwhile, Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Friday praised the Boholanos for their “united efforts to bring the province back from the devastation of Typhoon Odette.”

“This is a compassionate policy that considers the financial difficulties of indigent families who are unable to afford the cost of uniforms due to the rising prices of goods and commodities, as well as the economic constraints resulting from the pandemic,” CHR executive director Jacqueline Ann de Guia said.

“As we all anticipate the reopening of classes, CHR shall monitor the situation in schools and continue to work with all branches of government and stakeholders in upholding the right to education, health, safety, and just compensation in the education sector,” De Guia stressed.

The return of face-to-face classes is vital in ensuring the right to accessible and quality education, she noted.

“As the Department of Education

SARA TAKES CARE OF BUSINESS. Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio gets a hands-on assessment of the damage inflicted by Typhoon Odette on public schools in Bohol province where she also discussed concerns of the teachers and employees of the Clarin National School of Fisheries (inset). Inday Sara Duterte FB page

Comelec warns vs. stalling barangay polls

By Vito Barcelo

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HE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday warned that postponement of the 2022 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections would have an impact on its preparations for the 2025 midterm polls.

Meanwhile, the poll body has already started administrative and operational preparations for the village and SK elections scheduled on Dec. 5, 2022.

Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said however that the poll body was ready to comply should Congress pass a law postponing the village elections.

“Definitely, the postponement, coupled with a re-setting or re-scheduling of any priorly-scheduled electoral exercise has a potential to impact preparations and activities of succeeding elections,” Laudiangco

told reporters in a text message.

“This impact may be more readily apparent on the early planning and preparations which the Commission intends to undertake for the conduct of the May 12, 2025 national and local elections,” he added.

Quoting Comelec finance services director Martin Niedo, Laudiangco said the bulk of the P8 billion allocated for the barangay and SK elections remained untouched.

He added that any procurement of goods would not go to waste should the polls be postponed. Ballots and accountable forms

may still be used on a later date, just like when the Comelec used election paraphernalia dated October 2017 for the May 2018 barangay elections, said the official.

“None of the procured goods, including indelible inks, pens and ballot and others were wasted,” Laudiangco said.

Laudiangco also said the poll body was undertaking specific activities in preparation for the Dec. 5 barangay and SK elections, including voter registration which will end on July 23, 2022; drafting and promulgation of implementing resolutions which may be reissued or re-promulgated in the event of postponement of the polls; and procurement of ballot papers, printing of the ballots, as well as accountable and non-accountable forms and other election paraphernalia.

Laudiangco said the Comelec en banc would promulgate soon the resolution for the forthcoming poll exercise despite suggestions to postpone the holding of baran-

gay and SK elections to May 6, 2024.

The Comelec spokesman also said the procurement of ballot papers and other election supplies was already on track.

“We are confident that we are on track and that we will be able to conduct the Barangay and Sangguniang Elections on Dec. 5,” Laudiangco added.

In another development, the Comelec disclosed that more than 1.3 million individuals registered as new voters for the barangay and SK elections. In a report, Laudiangco said there were 1,370,593 new voters as of July 15, including 863,078 who belonged to the 15-17 age bracket.

The Comelec said 1,805,272 applications were processed as of July 15.

These also include transfer of voting location, reactivation, correction of entries, change of names, inclusion of record in the book of voters, and reinstatement of name in the list of voters.

EDSA-Kamuning flyover reopens to traffic today

By Joel E. Zurbano and Vito Barcelo THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has announced the reopening today of the southbound lanes of the EDSAKamuning flyover in Quezon City which were closed last month for rehabilitation.

However, some parts of EDSA and other major thoroughfares in the city were closed late Friday night until early Monday for the resumption of weekend road re-blocking of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

DPWH Quezon City 2nd district engineer Eduardo Santos said all three lanes of the southbound direction of the Kamuning Flyover would be passable for motorists starting at 5 p.m. Saturday.

He said the DPWH has already completed major repair works, spanning 30 meters, which include the reconstruction of the damaged bridge diaphragm and the construction of a new bridge deck slab of the flyover.

“We are happy to report that we were able to deliver on the given 30-day timetable despite the intermittent rain showers experienced in the past weeks,” Santos said.

The southbound lanes of Kamuning Flyover were closed on June 25 to give way for repairs after large cracks and potholes developed on the structure.

Some 140,000 vehicles passing through the flyover daily were affected by the closure.

Following the closure, DPWH National Capital Regional director Nomer Abel Canlas called for a meeting to round up major bridges and flyovers around Metro Manila, especially aging structures, to schedule the conduct of thorough assessments.

GEARING UP AHEAD OF SONA. Various environmental groups gather at Quezon City Memorial Circle to present their concerns to President Marcos who is set to deliver his first State of the Nation address on July 25. Among the groups are The Greenpeace Philippines, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), Koalisyon Isalbar Ti Pintas Ti La Union, Save Sual Movement, Quezon Environment Network, Zone one Tondo Organization, Naga neighborhood Association Against Coal, Lapu Lapu Cebu youth parish council, Sangguniang Kabataan of Barangay Agapito Verde Islands, Batangas City. Norman Cruz

Mindoreños are restless over worsening power outages

By Robert A. Evora CALAPAN CITY—Electric consumers from the three largest towns of Mindoro island will hold simultaneous public rallies on Saturday and Sunday to express their displeasure over alleged government inaction on persistent power outages sweeping the island for some years now.

As a result of the power crisis, food productions in Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro suffered serious setbacks, while numerous business establishments have closed shops due to the economic slowdown.

The disgruntled residents of Pinamalayan in Oriental Mindoro, and Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro will launch their

respective rallies at 3 p.m. today (Saturday) while those in San Jose, a major trade hub in Occidental Mindoro, will hold their own protest action tomorrow (Sunday).

A volunteers’ group, the Mapsa Samarica Volunteers Organization or MASAVOR, has announced it will launch its demonstration against the rotational brownouts by marching around various places in San Jose at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The group said their main objective was to let the national government “to hear and listen to our voice” speak against the destructive four to 14 hour rotational brownouts affecting their daily lives.

The erratic power distribution on the island was being blamed on the Orien-

tal Mindoro Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Ormeco) and Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Omeco) whose independent power providers operate 17 oil-fed and renewable energy power plants scattered all over the island.

The three Mindoro municipalities are agricultural centers and major producers of palay and corn, as well as fishery products. Sablayan is noted for its being the country’s top producer of yellow fin tuna which were being exported to membercountries of the European Union.

Lory Ordenes, a Sablayan resident and a retired government employee, said he fully support the public march to address thedebilitating power problem in the province.

DOH leads Nutrition Month fest AS the Philippines celebrates the 48th Nutrition Month, the Department of Health (DOH), and its partner-entities including the UNICEF Philippines on Friday jointly reaffirmed their “staunch collaboration and steadfast commitment towards strengthened nutrition interventions in the new normal.”

Attuned with this year’s Nutrition Month theme, “New normal na nutrisyon, sama-samang gawan ng solusyon,” which highlights the importance of active participation among key stakeholders from the government, private sectors, and communities to scale up nutrition interventions, the organizers underscore the urgency of ensuring priority actions to address malnutrition among Filipinos, especially children.

The other participating agencies were the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines through Korea International Co-

operation Agency (KOICA).

Substandard diets have been cited as a major contributor to the triple burden of malnutrition According to the 2018 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS), 30.3 percent (about 3.9 million) of children under 5 years in the Philippines were stunted or too small for their age. There is also in increasing number of overweight and obese children at 10.4% and 11.6% respectively. Overweight and obesity are a public health concern as they have the potential to negate many of the health benefits that have contributed to increased life expectancy.

The proportion of infants and young children receiving a diversified diet in the country has been decreasing, as shown in the series of National Nutrition Surveys since 2003, and this situation is feared to have worsened during the pandemic. Willie Casas

STONE FROM OUTERSPACE. National Museum of the Philippines Geology and Paleontology division chief Maileen Rondal views the Orconuma meteorite weighing 160.17 grams which actually was just a portion of a 7.8-kg meteorite that crashed on March 7, 2011 in Orconuma, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro and was retrieved by three local farmers who hid it for nine years before selling it to international meteorite collectors John Higgins and Jasper Spencer, who in turn gave a small portion of the stone to the National Museum of the Philippines. Danny Pata

gears up for 100 percent reopening of schools, it is equally important to ensure the safety of learners, educators, and school personnel amid the rising number of COVID cases and the emergence of variants that pose new threats,” the CHR chief said.

“As part of the recovery efforts, the reopening of schools is also an opportune time to address gaps that surfaced before and during the pandemic by enacting crucial policies and reforms in the education sector,” she added.

She also said the CHR welcomes the proposed Safe School Reopening Bill that would provide ways to support the safe reopening of classes and the transition to face-to-face format.

The proposed measure outlines key safety areas that would ensure the health and safety of learners and education personnel, De Guia said.

According to her, the proposed bill is a concrete way to uphold the right to education while protecting the right to health in educational institutions.

To jumpstart the reopening of schools, the CHR also expressed support for the passage of the House Bill 203 that seeks to increase the salary of teachers to ensure compensation for them that is comparable with other government professionals who have been given salary increase in recent years, De Guia said.

Robin bats for parliamentary, federal gov’t

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Robin Padilla on Friday said it is high time to fine-tune the 1987 Constitution to include a shift to federalism and parliamentary form of government to give the people a just and humane society.

At the same time, the movie-actor turned politician urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to resume the bilateral talks with the People’s Republic of China (PROC) “to guarantee cooperation on oil and gas development in the West Philippine Sea.” In another move, Padilla filed Senate Bill 229 seeking to suspend excise taxes on unleaded premium gas, regular gas and diesel oil, to address the effects of rising oil prices.

Under the measure that seeks to amend Section 148 of the National Internal Revenue Code, the excise tax for fuel products will be automatically suspended if the average Dubai crude oil price based on the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS) will reach or exceed US$80 per barrel in three months “It is time to study federalism to undertake policy-making and legislative functions reflective of the concerns of our various geographical regions,” Padilla said.

He noted that a federal government would decentralize the concentration of immense government powers from a unitary system.

It will provide a long-term response to political and economic inequality, inequitable access to the delivery of goods and services, and undue distribution of government resources, Padilla said.

He added that a shift to a parliamentary system might provide political stability that would prevent an unconstitutional or divisive way of removing a head of government such as coup d’etat or “mob rule.

Padilla filed a resolution to review provisions in the Charter which he described were stumbling blocks to equitable economic growth.

SBMA releases P180.67m to 8 LGU recipients SUBIC Bay Freeport—Eight neighboring local government units (LGUs) of this premier freeport have received their share of revenues from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), amounting to ₱180.67 million.

The funds were sourced from the SBMA’s revenue collection from January to June this year. SBMA administrator Rolen Paulino led the distribution of the funds to the local government officials in a simple ceremony at a newly opened Japanese restaurant here.

“I am optimistic that under the leadership of our new President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., our economy will improve and the LGU’s shares will be bigger especially if more investors will invest in Subic,” Paulino said.

Paulino called for unity among the stakeholders in much the same way the SBMA patronizes businesses in the freeport by holding meetings and other events in various establishments. This way, businesses here are able to earn and pay their rent and the salaries of their employees, he said.

Paulino said that this practice would also be beneficial to potential investors eyeing the Subic Freeport as a new destination.

During the turnover ceremony, Olongapo City Mayor Lenj Paulino received the biggest share at ₱42.02 million; while, Subic, Zambales municipal treasurer Rosemarie Custodio received ₱24.62-million. Butch Gunio

Opinion Australia totally ignored our Constitution (Part 1) THE first time I saw the alleged map drawn by some adventurers from the Bangsamoro Liberation Front, this columnist was aghast at how these self-styled liberators insist in drawing the boundary to separate The Republic from their area called “Moroland.”

The map indicates the utter disrespect to our boundary separating the whole area of Luzon and the Visayas from Mindanao but including the entire Palawan archipelago as part of their “Moroland.”

Effectively, that makes the waters separating Leyte and Bohol and the whole of the Palawan Sea an open sea, of which all international shipping lanes can pass under the principle of freedom of navigation or right of innocent passage to traverse that sea lane.

The insistence by these adventurers of drawing the boundary they think as belonging to them automatically means that the Philippines has abandoned our constitutionally provided “archipelagic doctrine” incorporated in the 1973 and 1987 Constitutions, and to quote Section 1 of Article 1 of the 1973 Constitution:

United States of America concerning Military Bases, foreign military bases, troops or facilities shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty duly concurred by the Senate and, when the Congress so requires, ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum held for the purpose. and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting Sates.”

What is apparent is that elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines took it to themselves to enter into an agreement with Australia allowing it to establish a forward base inside Zamboanga utilizing Philippine military camp with the assistance of our armed forces.

The AFP should know that it is prohibited by our Constitution to allow the establishment of foreign military bases in the country “except those that have already been established, and duly concurred by the Senate and, when the Congress so requires, ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum held for the purpose, and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting Sates.”

This means, any move to establish foreign military bases, station troops or erect facilities is not allowed in whatever circumstance.

Those responsible in unilaterally entering into an agreement with Australia violated the requisite of our Constitution, and neither can Australia proceed to operate its own military base within our territory without going through the process of formalizing it into a treaty or agreement.

In effect, Australia is illegally and unconstitutionally operating a military base in this country.

Unless we sooner make our protest for Australia to dismantle and remove all their bases, troops and facilities they erected in our territory, this Australian military base effectively constitutes a threat to our national security.

Provocation committed by its military personnel, aircraft or naval ships would thus constitute a clear violation of the country’s sovereignty.

If the Philippines will not act on this sensitive issue, countries whose sovereignty has been violated by this illegal, unauthorized and unconstitutional Australian military base could be interpreted as an act of provocation committed by the Philippines against its neighbors.

It would not matter whether the provocation committed by those Australian military personnel was without our consent.

What is important and crucial is that this unauthorized Australian military personnel began their operation in our territory and committed provocative acts detrimental to the national security of other countries.

It does not matter whether we have knowledge of the act of provocation then committed.

What is important is we have knowledge that an Australian military base is operating in our country and using a sequestered military camp as their base.

Unless, we demand their removal from our territory before any act of provocation is committed, we will always share the blame of responsibility.

Most unusual is we do not have any direct military agreement with Australia.

What exists between Australia and the Philippines is only a collateral agreement which is not sufficient to allow that country to intervene in our internal affairs.

This means that in the event war breaks out between Australia and China, technically this could involve the Philippines with China, citing the fact that the provocative operations began in our territory, meaning that Australia used the Philippines as launch pad to attack China. (rpkapunan@gmail.com)

“The national territories comprise the Philippine archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all the other territories belonging to the Philippines by historic right and legal title, including the territorial sea, the air space, the subsoil, the sea-bed, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas over which the Philippines has sovereignty and jurisdiction. The waters around, between and connecting the islands of the archipelago, irrespective of breath and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines.” (Archipelagic doctrine) The same provision was reiterated in Article I of the 1987 Constitution, to quote: “The national territory of the Philippine archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial and aerial domains, including territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas. The waters, around and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breath and dimension, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines.” (archipelagic doctrine restated) Any interpretation of autonomy as a legal component in government certainly would not include the right to violate the Constitution like seceding from the territory of the Philippines or for a rebel government to decide on matters that would diminish its sovereignty over certain areas where it has established territorial jurisdiction.

Maybe in the field of taxation and decentralization of powers, the idea of autonomy can be granted but not to one that would diminish the power and jurisdiction of the Philippine territory.

Talking of foreign military bases, Section 4, Article XVIII of the 1987 constitution provides: “Sec. 4. All existing treaties or international agreements which have not been ratified shall not be renewed or extended without the concurrence of at least two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate.”

Without observing this constitutional requisite, the country could never enter into any treaty or agreement.

Section 25 Article XVIII of the Constitution to quote: “Sec. 25. After the expiration in 1991 of the Agreement between the Philippines and the

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

EDITORIAL

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Any interpretation of autonomy as a legal component in government certainly would not include the right to violate the Constitution...

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022

Trust fund for Filipino athletes

HE Philippine Olympic Committee’s special incentive trust fund for Filipino medalist athletes is a timely development.

It comes at at time when Filipino athletes, especially women, are shining brightly in international competitions in weightlifting, karate and most recently in football where the Philippine national football team, collectively known as the Filipinas, reigned supreme for the first time in the Asean Football Championship.

The POC’s project is a timely endeavor that must be pushed and supported by both the government and the private sector, especially on the heels of the news that former athletics icon, Lydia De Vega Mercado, is in critical condition due to bout with Stage 4 cancer.

Her family is pleading for financial assistance.

It’s good to note though that the government has an agency, the Philippine Sports Commission, that takes care of the athletes’ needs in and out of the playing field.

And we have a president who listens and acts decisively.

When informed by PSC Officer-InCharge and Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy, Jr., President Bongbong Marcos instructed him to extend all possible assistance to the family of Mercado, a many-time sprint queen of Asia and multi-titled medalist in the the Southeast Asian Games from 1981 to 1993.

It’s interesting to note that Mercado, fondly called Diay, in the the sporting world, was a product of Project Gintong Alay during the time of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., that started in 1979.

In a country that is always hungry for heroes to look up to and in a country that is engaged in a never-ending battle against drugs, sports will always play an important role in molding the next generation as more responsible citizens In August last year, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 1988 Seoul Olympic bronze medalist Leopoldo Serrantes succumbed to a lingering pulmonary illness at the Veterans Memorial Hospital. He did not live in comfort but he died, aged 59. in his children’s embrace.

Too bad , the “National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act” was

not yet a law when Mercado and Serrantes were winning medals and reaping honors for the country during their heydays.

The “incentives” law (RA 10699) was an expanded version of the approved benefits for athletes on April 5, 2001. It mandates the government to provide financial rewards for the victorious athletes and coaches.

Before the law was enacted, most Filipino sports heroes whose glories have faded after their exploits that elicited raves and recognition, have sunk to oblivion and were only remembered when they die, but not after living a life in abject poverty.

Since the law was passed, the PSC has effectively taken the role of a doting mother to athletes - -active and retired -- in need.

But still not enough to really provide lifelong comfort for our national athletes who have devoted their youth to representing the country’s flag in the international scene.

Now the POC has taken the lead in complementing the PSC’s efforts to provide comfortable life for our athletes and the private sector is beginning to take notice.

The MVP Group and San Miguel Corporation have committed to support the trust fund. We hope that more companies will join in growing and sustaining this first-ofits-kind project in Philippine sports.

They say sports transcends life.

In a country that is always hungry for heroes to look up to and in a country that is engaged in a never-ending battle against drugs, sports will always play an important role in molding the next generation as more responsible citizens.

FIVE MONTHS ON

Anger and despair prevail in Donbas

By Cecile Feuillatre FATIGUE, despair and anger are prevalent in eastern Ukraine after five months of what volunteer humanitarian aid worker Oleksiy Yukov calls “a war without mercy that has gone crazy”.

There has been fighting in the vast industrial area of Donbas–made up of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions--ever since 2014 when Russia-backed separatists took over part of the area.

But Moscow’s invasion on February 24 took the suffering to another level in a working-class area where there can be as much resentment against Ukrainian troops as against Russian ones.

Towns and villages along the frontline are hit by shelling and lives are cut short every day.

In the best cases, it is only homes that are destroyed – one-story bungalows with welltended gardens and vegetable plots turned into ruins.

Even farther from the frontline in Kramatorsk, the main administrative center for the Donetsk region, there is a constant threat of strikes.

Regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said over 600 civilians have been killed since the start of the invasion and more than 1,600 have been injured.

Russian forces, which have gradually captured almost the whole of the Lugansk region, are now trying to do the same in Donetsk.

And even though the frontline has not moved much in recent weeks, the ongoing war of attrition is inflicting havoc on local residents.

‘Bad omens’ In the mining town of Toretsk, an exhausted soldier covered in grey dust after a bombing that killed six people--most likely brothers in arms, although he refuses to say-

-raises his fist in a victory sign but there is hopelessness in his eyes.

In Sloviansk, 54-year-old Andriy shows an enormous crater left by a shell in his mother-in-law’s garden and suddenly breaks down in tears.

In the best cases, it is only homes that are destroyed – onestory bungalows with well-tended gardens and vegetable plots turned into ruins A woman in Bakhmut on the frontline points at journalists, her face tense with anger, calling them “harbingers of misfortune” in the ruins of her pharmacy, destroyed by a missile she thinks was Ukrainian.

In a region where Soviet nostalgia is strong, there is sometimes fierce opposition to the government in Kyiv, accused of ignoring local needs for years.

Some locals are looking forward to the arrival of Russian troops while others are firmly opposed.

All of them have had enough.

‘Nobody answers’ Many inhabitants say they feel despair and incomprehension and feel abandoned.

In Chasiv Yar, which was hit by a strike on July 10 in which more than 45 people were killed, a 64-year-old woman gathered apricots in a scene of devastation in front of the destroyed building.

“There are still children under there. Their parents call them but nobody answers,” cried Lyudmila, a mother of six and grandmother of 12.

“Nobody needs us here. There is nothing anymore. The officials have left. We have to fend for ourselves to stay alive,” said Lyudmila, who like most people refused to give her full name.

Local officials are often absent in the aftermath of strikes while the military stay silent.

“The mayor of one village will be the first to flee, the mayor of another will be the first to collaborate with the Russians,” one local said.

‘I used to love my life’ The authorities have called for people to evacuate many times. But many have nowhere to go.

“I used to love my life. I had my work in a factory nearby. I had a house. Nothing special but we lived well,” sighed Tatyana.

The woman in her 50s spoke from the town of Pokrovsk in the aftermath of a strike that damaged a dozen homes in a single street.

Many civilians also complain, more or less openly, about Ukrainian soldiers setting up bases inside residential areas--in abandoned schools or homes.

In response to a question from AFP, a representative from the Ukrainian army in Donbas refused to comment on the allegations.

The issue is very sensitive since it is often a claim made by Moscow that strikes on those areas are necessary because of a military presence.

“I should not be talking to you. I could have problems,” said one woman in Toretsk, hours after a strike on a residential building.

“But I would like the military to leave, to go and fight elsewhere. There are children here and normal people,” she said. AFP

‘Trump years with a smile’: Palestinians reject Biden trip

By Gareth Browne AFTER hearing Joe Biden identify Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and concede a two-state solution seemed “far away,” one Palestinian official gave a blunt assessment of the US president’s visit to the region.

“It’s like the Trump years with a smile,” said the official, who requested anonymity.

Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump was loathed among Palestinians over his unequivocal proIsraeli policies.

With Israeli politics gridlocked, few thought that 79-year-old Biden could jumpstart peace talks which have been moribund since 2014.

But there was tempered optimism that Biden’s meeting Friday with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem could deliver modest results.

Palestinians had hoped the US president would finally make good on a promise to re-open a consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem.

The mission was shuttered by Trump in 2019 and its revival is staunchly opposed by Israel, which considers the city its “undivided” capital.

Reopening the mission could serve as a “shot in the arm” for the peace process, said another Palestinian official speaking anonymously.

But the US leader offered no substantive plan to redress Israel’s occupation, even side-stepping Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank, an issue highlighted by former president Barack Obama’s administration, in which Biden served as vice president.

The US delegation, however, did announce plans for 4G internet access in the West Bank and the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, addressing a longstanding demand by Palestinians which has repeatedly been blocked by Israel.

Biden’s Zionist declaration The president’s visit got off to a bad start for Palestinians, when Biden declared at an Israeli welcome ceremony: “You need not be a Jew to be a Zionist.”

While every US president since Israel’s creation in 1948 has arguably met a technical definition of Zionism by actively supporting the Jewish state’s existence, Biden’s comment last Wednesday was rare, if not unprecedented for a US leader-and Palestinians took note.

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“He came to Israel and declared he was a ‘Zionist’, then he came to Palestine and refused to talk about the fundamentals of the conflict,” the first official said.

On the peace process, Biden reaffirmed his support for Palestinian statehood while urging perseverance even as conditions appear bleak

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

A protester attending a rally during the president’s visit to Bethlehem hoisted a sign saying: “Biden, Jerusalem is Palestine--no matter your Zionism.”

Palestinians claim the Israeli-annexed eastern part of the city as their capital.

Biden has for decades publicly supported recognizing west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and has said he will not reverse Trump’s controversial decision to move the US embassy there back to Tel Aviv.

‘We are so weak’ On the peace process, Biden reaffirmed his support for Palestinian statehood while urging perseverance even as conditions appear bleak.

“I know that the goal of the two states seems so far away,” he said in Bethlehem.

“But we never give up on the work of peace,” he added. “There must be a political horizon that the Palestinian people can actually see or at least feel. We cannot allow the hopelessness to steal away the future.”

Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh on Sunday said a difficult terrain for peace talks does not excuse American inaction.

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“If, as the US president said, the (two-state) solution is currently out of reach, then there must immediately be a (Jewish) settlement freeze, in accordance with international law and resolutions to preserve the right of the Palestinian people to their independent state,” Shtayyeh said.

For Tahani Mustafa, West Bank analyst at the International Crisis Group think-tank, Biden’s visit left “no indication that the situation of the Palestinian people has any place in his administration’s agenda”.

According to sources close to the Palestinian leadership, initial plans to issue a joint Biden-Abbas statement on Friday were scrapped because the sides could not agree on wording.

For Palestinians seeking US leadership capable of forcing Israeli concessions, seeing Biden’s delegation jet off from Tel Aviv to Saudi Arabia on Friday after a short, unremarkable meeting with Abbas brought familiar feelings of disappointment.

“As usual, we are left with the crumbs,” Issa Abu Ayash told AFP, as he watched television in a Bethlehem cafe broadcasting images of Biden’s motorcade heading to Israel’s airport.

“We are so weak here,” he said. AFP

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

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SATURDAY, TODAY JULY 23, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

US Capitol riot probe slams Trump inaction WASHINGTON—The House committee probing the assault on the US Capitol laid out a searing, prime-time indictment on Thursday of Donald Trump’s refusal to halt or condemn the violence and insisted he should be held accountable for gross dereliction of presidential duty.

Committee chairman Bennie Thompson, speaking at the televised finale of a series of public hearings, said Trump “recklessly blazed a path of lawlessness and corruption” as he sought to overturn the results of the 2020 US election.

The Mississippi congressman, addressing the committee virtually because he has Covid-19, said there must be “accountability” for what he called an attack on democracy.

During a two-and-a-half-hour hearing, lawmakers presented testimony from

Pope to visit Canada on ‘penitential pilgrimage’ VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis departs Sunday for a historic six-day visit to Canada where he is expected to ask forgiveness of Indigenous survivors of abuse committed at residential schools run by the Catholic Church.

The “penitential pilgrimage”, as the pontiff has described it, is seen as an important step in addressing the global scandal of clerical sexual abuse of children and decades of cover-up.

It has long been awaited by Canada’s Indigenous communities.

Pope Francis will begin his 37th international trip since becoming pontiff in Edmonton, in the western province of Alberta, before heading to Quebec City and then Iqaluit, Canada’s northernmost city.

He plans to reiterate an apology delivered to Canadian delegations who visited the Vatican in April, which he then said would hopefully “contribute to the journey of healing and reconciliation already undertaken”.

The discovery last year of hundreds of remains of Indigenous children in unmarked graves on the site of state schools administered by the Catholic Church has forced Canada to confront its failed policy of forced assimilation.

It has similarly shone a spotlight on the Church’s role in what a national truth and reconciliation commission has called “cultural genocide”.

Around 150,000 First Nations, Metis, and Inuit children were enrolled from the late 1800s to the 1990s in 139 residential schools, where they spent months or years isolated from their families, language, and culture. AFP

White House aides who said that Trump watched the Capitol attack unfold on television and ignored their repeated pleas to tell his supporters to leave.

“From the comfort of his dining room he watched on TV as the attack escalated,” said Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the panel.

“He sent tweets that inflamed,” Kinzinger said. “For three hours he refused to call off the attack.”

“Donald Trump’s conduct on January 6 was a supreme violation of his oath of office and a complete dereliction of his duty to our nation,” Kinzinger said. “It is a stain on our history.”

Thompson said Trump “did everything in his power to overturn an election—he lied, he bullied, he betrayed his oath.

“He tried to destroy our democratic

institutions,” he said. “There needs to be accountability. Accountability under the law, accountability to the American people... all the way up to the Oval Office.”

With Trump mulling another White House run in 2024, Republican vice chair Liz Cheney said “Every American must consider this: ‘Can a president who is willing to make the choices Donald Trump made during the violence of January 6 ever be trusted with any position of authority in our great nation again?’”

Lawmakers provided a minute-by-minute account of Trump’s actions between the time he gave a fiery speech to his supporters near the White House claiming the November 2020 election was stolen and extending until the moment when he finally told the rioters they were “very special” but should go home. AFP

SPOTLIGHT. A January 6 video of former US President Donald Trump telling his supporters to go home is seen on screen during a hearing by the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the US Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC, on July 21. AFP

Japan defense report sounds Russia alarm, Taiwan threats

T

OKYO—Japan’s defense ministry said Friday it was alarmed at fresh threats from Russia and had growing worries about Taiwan, in an annual report that comes as Tokyo weighs significantly increasing military spending.

The document includes a chapter on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which it says risks sending the message “that any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force is acceptable”.

The paper surveys the global security

landscape and specific threats to Japan and says there was concern Russia could “further enhance and deepen relationships with China”.

It also warns Moscow may increasingly lean on its nuclear capacity as a deterrent, which could, in turn, mean an uptick in activity around Japan, where Russian nuclear submarines are routinely active.

Meanwhile, Japan will hold a state funeral for assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe on September 27, the government announced Friday, with foreign leaders expected to attend.

The ceremony will be held at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan, a large venue that has hosted concerts and sports events, and was used for Japan’s last state funeral for a former prime minister in 1967.

Government spokesman Hirokazu

Matsuno said Abe’s record as Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, his “truly praiseworthy” achievements, and his ties with foreign leaders made a state funeral appropriate.

Japan has backed sanctions led by the United States and the European Union against Moscow and has seen increased Russian military activity around its territory.

In May, Chinese and Russian military jets carried out joint flights near Japan immediately after a meeting of the USled Quad grouping in Tokyo.

The defense paper also devotes significant space to Taiwan.

It includes the most detailed overview yet of the security situation on the island and notes “since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan has been working on further strengthening its self-defense

efforts”.

This year’s paper was released amid growing expectations that Japan will significantly boost defense spending.

While the defense budget has been rising for years, Japan still has the lowest ratio of military expenditure to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) among Group of Seven countries.

Kishida has publicly backed boosting spending, and his ruling party has a long-term goal of a defense budget equal to two percent of GDP, though experts say it may be difficult to reach that figure quickly.

Japan’s military is not officially recognized under the country’s postwar constitution and spending is limited to funding nominally defensive capabilities. AFP

IN BRIEF Singapore executes 5th drug trafficker

FIRE TRAIL. Two people walk on a path covered with ashes after a wildfire hit Brasparts, western, France, on July 21. The fire in the Monts d’Arree is “controlled”, the situation “totally stabilized” and the roads will reopen “during the day”, the prefecture of Finistere announced. AFP

DEED DEED OF OF EXTRAJUDICIAL EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT SETTLEMENT OF OF ESTATE ESTATE OF OF THE THE LATE LATE MARLENE MARLENE I.I. GARCIA GARCIA Notice Notice is is hereby hereby given given that that the the estate estate of of the the late late MARLENE MARLENE I.I. GARCIA GARCIA who who died died on on March March 16, 16, 2021 2021 at at Las Las Piñas Piñas City, City, Metro Metro Manila, Manila, Philippines Philippines have have been been extra-judicially extra-judicially settled settled among among heirs heirs before before Notary Notary Public Public Atty.

Atty. Jan Jan Rurik Rurik D. D. Padiernos Padiernos of of Makati Makati City City as as per per Doc. Doc. No. No. 435; 435; Page Page No.: No.: 80; 80; Book Book No.: No.: 11; 11; Series Series of of 2022.

2022.

(MStandard (MStandard -- July July 16, 16, 23 23 && 30, 30, 2022) 2022)

N OTICE Notice Notice is is hereby hereby given given that that MAXIFLEX MAXIFLEX PHILIPPINES PHILIPPINES CORP. CORP. with with office office and and plant plant address address at at Access Access Road Road Parulan, Parulan, Plaridel, Plaridel, Bulacan Bulacan is is applying applying for for registration registration with with the the Board Board of of Investments Investments (BOI) (BOI) as as aa New New Export Export Producer Producer of of Mattresses Mattresses with with aa capacity capacity of of 637,742 637,742 pieces pieces per per year year under under 2022 2022 Strategic Strategic Investment Investment Priority Priority PlanPlanTier Tier 11 and and under under the the heading heading of of “Export “Export Activities” Activities” of of the the 2020 2020 IPP IPP Any Any person person with with valid valid objection/s objection/s on on the the above-mentioned above-mentioned project project may may file file his/her his/her objection objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) (3) days days from from the the date date of of this this publication. publication.

Myanmar villagers accuse junta troops of raid massacre BANGKOK—Myanmar junta troops killed at least 10 people and torched hundreds of houses during a raid on a village as fighting rages in a hotspot of opposition to the coup, locals and media reports said.

Northwest Sagaing region has seen fierce fighting and bloody reprisals since the coup last year, with junta troops struggling to crush resistance by a local “People’s Defense Force” (PDF).

On July 18, soldiers were dropped near Kyi Su village by two helicopters, one local told AFP, and around 100 people who had not fled were Manila Manila

Standard TODAY

taken prisoner by the military.

“The elderly men were released on the following day while around 10 younger people were kept there,” they said, requesting anonymity.

Villagers discovered the bodies as they returned on July 20 after soldiers had left, another resident said.

“I went to look for my animals in the forest, but I found nine burnt human bodies with their hands tied,” he said.

Another local, also requesting anonymity, said 10 bodies had been found and nine of them had been

identified by family members.

They also said the bodies had been found with their hands tied.

At least 30 people from the village are missing, they added.

Around 400 houses in the Muslim quarter of the village had been burned to the ground and a mosque had been partly damaged by fire, said a Muslim resident who fled before troops arrived and whose house was among those torched.

“We survived, but we are displaced. When it rains, we have to suffer mosquitoes and bugs,” he said, also requesting anonymity. AFP

SINGAPORE—Singapore hanged a drug trafficker on Friday, the fifth execution in the citystate since March, after a court rejected a lastditch appeal and despite pleas for clemency.

The spate of hangings -- which included the widely criticized execution of a mentally disabled man in April -- has prompted growing calls for Singapore to abolish the death penalty.

But the city-state, which has some of the world’s toughest anti-drugs laws, insists it remains an effective deterrent against trafficking.

On Friday, Singaporean man Nazeri Lajim was executed in prison, the prison service said in a statement to AFP. The 64-year-old was convicted in 2017 of possessing over 33 grams (1.1 ounces) of heroin “for the purpose of trafficking”, Singapore’s drug enforcement agency said.

This was enough “to feed the addiction of about 400 abusers for a week”, it added.

But Amnesty International urged an end to Singapore’s “relentless wave of hangings.” AFP

Sri Lanka troops wreck protest camp

COLOMBO—Sri Lankan security forces demolished the main anti-government protest camp in the capital, evicting activists in a nighttime assault that raised international concern.

Troops and police Special Task Force commandos wielding batons and armed with automatic assault rifles swooped in on protesters blocking the Presidential Secretariat.

Hundreds of soldiers removed the demonstrators’ barricades outside the sea-front building, while the last remaining protesters on the premises—some still on the steps—were evicted.

The operation came hours before the country’s new president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, swore in a new prime minister to try to manage the financial crisis that has crippled the economy and triggered months of protests.

Wickremesinghe himself was elected by legislators on Wednesday to replace Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled to Singapore and resigned CYAN M after demonstrators chased him from his CYAN M palace. AFP

TODAY

(SGD.) (SGD.) REYNALDO REYNALDO D. D. LIGNES LIGNES Acting Acting Director Director Manufacturing Manufacturing Industries Industries Service Service (MS-JULY (MS-JULY23, 23,2022) 2022)

N OTICE Notice Notice is is hereby hereby given given that that JOHNDORF JOHNDORF VENTURES VENTURES CORPORATION CORPORATION with with office office address address at at 14F 14F Ayala Ayala Life-FGU Life-FGU Center, Center, Cebu Cebu Business Business Park, Park, Cebu Cebu City City is is applying applying for for registration registration with with the the Board Board of of Investments Investments (BOI) (BOI) as as aa New New Developer Developer of of Economic Economic and and Low-cost Low-cost Housing Housing Project Project (Tiera (Tiera Nava Nava Lumbia Lumbia Subdivision) Subdivision) under under Tier Tier 11 of of the the 2022 2022 Strategic Strategic Investment Investment Priority Priority Plan Plan (SIPP) (SIPP) of of the the CREATE CREATE Act, Act, with with aa capacity capacity of of 822 822 H&L H&L units units and and project project site site located located at at Brgy.

Brgy. Lumbia, Lumbia, Cagayan Cagayan de de Oro Oro City City Any Any person person with with valid valid objection/s objection/s on on the the above-mentioned above-mentioned project project may may file file his/her his/her objection objection in in writing, writing, under under oath, oath, with with the the BOI BOI within within three three (3) (3) days days from from the the date date of of this this publication. publication.

(SGD.) (SGD.) MARY MARY ANN ANN E. E. RAGANIT RAGANIT Acting Acting Director Director Infrastructure Infrastructure and and Services Services Industries Industries Service Service (MS-JULY (MS-JULY23, 23,2022) 2022)

RIO RIOT. Residents of the Complexo do Alemao favela carry the corpse of a dead man during a police raid in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 21. At least four people died this Thursday during a new police raid against organized crime in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, police and local media reported. AFP

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PSE INDEX CLOSING

Megaworld unit ready to launch big convention hub on Boracay

Friday, July 22, 2022

7.22 PTS. 6,263.39

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

604,043,382 46,315

TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

3,286,464,457.17 82 92 56

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

56.3450

Japan

Yen

0.007280

0.4102

UK

Pound

1.199700

67.5971

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127410

7.1789

Switzerland

Franc

1.034661

58.2980

Canada

Dollar

0.777242

43.7937

Singapore

Dollar

0.719632

40.5477

Australia

Dollar

0.693300

39.0640

Bahrain

Dinar

2.653224

149.4959

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266134

14.9953

Brunei

Dollar

0.717051

40.4022

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000067

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

0.027233

1.5344

UAE

Dirham

0.272279

15.3416

Euro

Euro

1.023000

57.6409

Korea

Won

0.000765

0.0431

China

Yuan

0.147754

8.3252

India

Rupee

0.012523

0.7056

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.224467

12.6476

New Zealand

Dollar

0.625300

35.2325

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033452

1.8849 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF SEC okays P4-b bond offering of Megawide

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said Friday it approved the P4-billion retail bond offering of Megawide Construction Corp.

Megawide plans to offer up to P3 billion of 3.5-year Series A bonds due 2026 and five-year Series B bonds due 2027, with an oversubscription option of up to P1 billion, based on the filing with the SEC. Megawide plans to use the proceeds from the bond offering to repay Megawide’s short-term debt and fund capital expenditures and general corporate requirements.

The bond offering period will start on July 28 to August 5, 2022. Listing on bonds Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. is tentatively set on August 17, 2022.

Megawide engaged RCBC Capital Corp. and SB Capital Investment Corp. as joint issue managers, joint lead underwriters,and bookrunners of the bond offering. Jenniffer B. Austria

JobStreet: 4 sectors have fully recovered

LEADING online job platform JobStreet identified computer and IT-software, education, healthcare, and medical and telecommunication as the top four industries that recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

The latest Job Outlook Report 2022 said the industries had fully bounced back amid the pandemic due to digital transformation and implementation of key government initiatives.

JobStreet Philippines country manager Philip Gioca said it is the top job platform’s mission to guide jobseekers and hirers on how to thrive in the Philippine job market.

“We hope that through this report, they will be able to evaluate and recalibrate their career and hiring plans as needed to grow in their profession of choice or to retain and attract talents in the long run,” he said.

Jobstreet noted that since the pandemic, digital industries especially computer and IT-software have been resilient. For companies that shifted to digital platforms, the demand for professionals in the industry surged 83 percent with offers of higher salary. Othel V. Campos

Now Telecom bares SBA Towers tie-up

NOW Telecom Company Inc. signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with a subsidiary of US-based tower company as part of its strategy to offer 5G services in the country.

Now Telecom and SBA Towers Philippines Inc., a unit of NASDAQ-listed firm SBA Communications Corp., are negotiating the lease of build to-suit sites, towers and passive telecommunications infrastructure and facilities where NOW can install equipment to provide telecommunications and internet services.

The agreement is part of the roadmap of the NOW Group to provide 5G or the fifth generation wireless network technology that will allow the delivery of up to 20 gigabit per second speed to enterprises and homes.

“It is an integral policy in NOW Group’s roadmap to partner with trusted vendors that are part of the Clean Network. We look forward to working with SBA Towers Philippines whose expertise is providing support to operators like NOW to achieve our vision,” said NOW Telecom president and chief operating officer Rene Rosales. Darwin G. Amojelar

By Jenniffer B. Austria

BPI FOUNDATION AWARD. The BPI Foundation team led by executive director Owen Cammayo (fifth from right) receives recognition during the 2022 League of Corporate Foundations CSR Guild Awards for Breakthrough as the Outstanding CSR Project in Financial Inclusion. Released in February 2021, the Breakthrough mobile game application aims to make financial education more accessible, enjoyable and effective for Filipinos.

Monetary Board prepared to reduce PH inflation rate T

By Julito G. Rada

HE Monetary Board, the policy-making body of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, said it is ready to do what is needed to rein in inflation and bring it within the target range in the medium term.

The MB stance was contained in the highlights of the meeting of the board on the monetary policy stance released Friday.

“Looking ahead, the Monetary Board emphasized that it is prepared to take all necessary policy action to bring inflation toward a target-consistent path over the medium term and deliver on its primary mandate of price stability,” said the BSP. The board raised the BSP’s policy interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.50 percent on June 23 and increased the interest rates on the overnight deposit facility to 2 percent and overnight lending facility to 3 percent. It was followed by a hefty 75-basis-point rate increase

in a surprise move on July 14, which brought the overnight borrowing rate to 3.25 percent.

The interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were also raised to 2.75 percent and 3.75 percent, respectively. The July 14 rate hike was the third time this year.

The BSP said the decision of the Monetary Board was based on assessment that inflation was projected to breach the upper end of the 2 percent to 4 percent target range for 2022 at 5 percent and 2023 at 4.2 percent. Inflation is seen to subsequently soften to 3.3 percent in 2024.

It said the inflation projections further shifted higher since the May 2022 monetary policy meeting, indicating that elevated inflation pressures could persist over the policy horizon.

“The risks to the inflation outlook continue to lean towards the upside for both 2022 and 2023. Major upside risks in the near term include the potential impact of higher global non-oil prices, higher fish prices and additional jeepney fare hikes due to rising oil prices,” it said.

Meanwhile, the BSP said the impact of a weaker-than-expected global recovery and potential re-imposition of quarantine restrictions amid an uptick in infections were the downside risks to the outlook.

“In assessing the monetary policy stance, the Monetary Board also noted that persistent inflationary pressures from global factors along with limited spare capacity in the domestic economy could lead to mounting second round effects. Nonetheless, inflation expectations have remained within the target range for 2023-2024,” it said.

BSP Governor Felipe Medalla said the favorable conditions arising from the strong rebound in the first-quarter growth suggested that the domestic economy could accommodate a further tightening of monetary policy settings.

“By taking urgent action, the MonManila etary Board aims to anchor inflation Standard TODAY expectations further and temper mounting risks to the inflation outlook. In particular, policy action is intended to help manage spillovers from other countries that could potentially disanchor inflation expectations,” Medalla said.

GLOBAL-ESTATE Resorts Inc. (GERI), a unit of Megaworld Corp., said Friday it will open a 1,200-seater convention facility within its 150-hectare Boracay Newcoast property in Boracay Island next month.

GERI said in a statement Boracay Newcoast Convention Center (BNCC) is a modern structure that can be divided into three smaller rooms, each with a capacity of 400 persons for theater-type set-up and 250 persons for banquet-type arrangement.

Surrounding the facility is an open garden lawn, which can be used as an extended amenity for events.

“A theater-type setting will give us a capacity of around 1,200 persons, while a banquet set-up will allow up to 750 persons. With a view overlooking the Sibuyan Sea, the Boracay Newcoast Convention Center is perfect blend of a modern MICE facility and a tropical haven, right at the heart of our 150-hectare tourism township,” said Cleofe Albiso, managing director of Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, the operator of BNCC. GERI said BNCC is a fully-airconditioned facility equipped with a 100^percent back-up power supply.

The convention facility is also installed with WiFi internet access, fixed video screens and motorized projector screens with sound system.

The facility will have its own service kitchen, ensuring smooth banquet services for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events.

GERI said Savoy Hotel Boracay and Belmont Hotel Boracay, the two hotels already operating inside Boracay Newcoast, would handle the banquet requirements of BNCC. The new convention facility is near the beach area of Boracay Newcoast.

NOTICE OF THE 6TH ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING 14 AUGUST 2022 TO ALL STOCKHOLDERS: On its meeting held on 05 April 2022, the 2021 Board of Directors had decided to postpone the Regular Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of Asia-Pacific Medical Center Bacolod, Inc. (Formerly Allied Care Experts Medical Center - Bacolod Inc.) to 14 August 2022 at 9:00 o’clock in the morning.

The meeting will be conducted via remote communication through a Zoom conference.

The Revised Agenda for the said meeting shall be as follows:

CARGILL PH VISITORS. Cargill in the Philippines hosts delegates from the United States Department of Agriculture Agribusiness Trade Mission as they go on a tour of the company’s flagship poultry plant C-Joy Poultry Meats Production Inc. in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Shown are (from left) Minnesota Department of Agriculture commissioner Thom Petersen, Cargill Philippines corporate affairs director Christopher Ilagan, C-Joy president Anthony Wu, Andrea Vaubel and Jeffrey Philips of Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Harrison Grafos of USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service and C-Joy shift manager John Albert Pagayonan.

Pag-IBIG Fund finances 8,471 low-cost units PAG-IBIG Fund financed 8,471 socialized homes for minimum-wage and low-income members amounting to P3.67 billion in the first half, top officials said Wednesday.

Socialized home loans made up 19 percent of the total number of housing loans funded by the agency from January to June this year.

The amount represented 7 percent of the total housing loans released by the agency during the period.

Pag-IBIG Fund posted record-highs of 47,184 in housing units financed and P51.96 billion in home loans released in the first six months.

“We at Pag-IBIG Fund remain committed in pursuing our mandate to provide a home for every Filipino worker. With our Affordable Housing Program, achieving the

dream of homeownership is made possible especially for minimum-wage workers. The program’s lowest rates and longest payment term allow our members from the low-income sector to buy or build a home of their own,” said Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive Acmad Rizaldy Moti.

Pag-IBIG Fund’s Affordable Housing Program is a special home financing program specifically designed for minimum-wage and lowincome members from the National Capital Region who earn up to P15,000 a month, and from outside the NCR who earn up to P12,000 per month.

Under the AHP, eligible borrowers enjoy a special subsidized rate of only 3 percent per annum for home loans of up to P580,000 for socialized subdivision projects.

Gov’t bodies say vape bill to support livelihood of 2.7m Filipinos EXECUTIVE departments of the government expressed strong support to the vape bill, which is expected to sustain the livelihood of over 2.7 million Filipinos relying on the tobacco industry while providing more than 16 million Filipino adult smokers with less harmful smoke-free alternatives and protecting minors.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it was backing the enactment of the bill that seeks to provide significant income, employment and livelihood to tobacco farmers, workers and their

dependents; increase revenues; regulate vapor products; and provide alternative option and transition for smokers to lessen or quit smoking.

This is the position issued by the department through former Secretary Silvestre Bello III in response to the request by Malacañang Palace for comments and recommendation on the consolidated House Bill No. 9007 and Senate Bill No. 2239.

The Office of the Executive Secretary solicited inputs on the approval of the bill which was already ratified by the Senate

and the House of Representatives. The enrolled bill aims to regulate “the importation, manufacture, sale, packaging, distribution, use and communication of vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products and novel tobacco products.”

“Tobacco growing, manufacturing and sales are important economic activities which support the livelihood of 2.7 million Filipinos including tobacco farmers, workers and their dependents. This reality must be considered in the treatment and regulation of this novel industry,” said DOLE.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV.

Call to Order Proof of Notice of Meeting Certification of Quorum Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Annual Stockholders’ Meeting (24 July 2021) Presentation and Approval of the 2021 Annual Report and Financial Statements Management Report Amendment of Articles of Incorporation Amendment of By-Laws Ratification of all Acts, Proceedings and Resolutions of the Board of Directors, Corporate Officers, Board Committees and Management from the date of the Last Annual Stockholders’ Meeting up to 14 August 2022 Appointment of the External Auditor Election of the Board of Directors including the three (3) Independent Directors to serve for 2022-2023 Other Matters Open Forum Adjournment

Only Stockholders of Record as of 5:00 PM of 25 July 2022 shall be entitled to participate and vote at this meeting. Stockholders who intend to attend by remote communication shall inform the Company by email to acemcbacolod@gmail. com on or before 01 August 2022 subject to procedure set in the Information Statement which will be posted in the Company’s website www.apmcbacolod. com If you wish to cast your vote as a stockholder, you may vote remotely or in absentia or through proxy voting. Voting by remote communication or in absentia may be done using the Online Voting Portal. Voting will be available to all stockholders who registered through the link sent to their emails starting 8:00 AM of 07 August 2022 until the adjournment of the 14 August 2022 Meeting. The requirements and procedure of the Online Voting and Election can be found in the ANNEXES Menu of our website at www.apmcbacolod.com Stockholders who cannot attend the virtual meeting may execute a PROXY in favor of another stockholder. PDF Proxy Form can be downloaded from the ANNEXES Menu of our website www.apmcbacolod.com and must be received and validated by the Corporate Secretary not later than 5:00 PM of 07 August 2022 through email at acemcbacolod@gmail.com and hard copies at Asia Pacific Medical Center Bacolod, Inc. (Formerly: Allied Care Experts Medical Center Bacolod Inc.), Room 4, Ground Floor, MC Metroplex Bldg., BS Aquino Drive, Bacolod City 6100.

For ASM-related queries and concerns regarding shareholdings, you may send an email to the Corporate Secretary, Dr. Ma. Ivy V. Malata at acemcbacolod@ gmail.com or at (63)917-709-5659, (63)917 188 4699, (034) 703-1637.

During the meeting, the Company shall entertain questions and comments from the stockholders during the open forum.

Lastly, there will be a visual and audio recording of the Meeting in compliance with the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For your guidance.

SGD. Ma. Ivy V. Malata, MD Corporate Secretary (MS-JULY 22 & 23, 2022)

National Telecommunications Commission B4 || SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022 advertise@manilastandard.net

43 Founding Anniversary rd

Maintaining the standard of quality telecommunications in the Philippines

By Patricia Taculao

F

OR years, telecommunications have become a crucial aspect of peoples’ lives. It satisfies people’s basic needs from social communication, entertainment, and information dissemination. It became more relevant as the modern world shifted to digitalization. Eventually, families, businesses, and even government sectors began to rely on telecommunications.

With such a significant impact on society and its numerous industries, a particular body must oversee its operations, set standards, and start initiatives to further its development.

In the Philippines, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) supervises all telecommunication services, including radio stations, telephone systems, cable companies, satellite television providers, and internet services.

The NTC has four mandates that dictate its functions. The first is to regulate radio stations’ installation, operation, and maintenance for private and public use according to the Radio Control Law, Act No. 3846 (as amended). It also regulates and supervises the provision of public telecommunications services according to the Radio Control Law, Act No. 3846 (as amended and Public Telecommunications Policy Act of 1995, RA No. 7925).

Another mandate of the NTC is managing the radio spectrum under the Radio Control Law, Act No. 3846 (as amended and Public Telecommunications Policy Act of 1995, RA No. 7925). The regulatory agency is also responsible for regulating and supervising radio and television broadcast stations, cable television (CATV), and pay television (EO No. 546 and EO No. 205).

NTC COMMISSIONER GAMALIEL CORDOBA Simply, it aims to maintain a responsive regulatory environment for an effective telecommunications/ ICT sector.

KEEPING BUSY Due to the immense number of telecommunications and other encompassing industries under the NTC’s watch, it remains abuzz with projects and efficient actions to manage its contents or services and maintain quality standards.

Recently, the regulatory agency shifted its attention to protecting national security and interest.

It ordered internet service providers to block several websites, including independent media, “found to be affiliated to and are supporting terrorist and terrorist organizations.”

NTC commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba signed the order upon the request of National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon. The NTC eventually ordered internet service providers in the country to block access to 26 websites “affiliated to and are supporting” designated terrorists and terrorist groups Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), New People’s Army, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

However, the list also includes websites of progressive groups and independent media such as Bulatlat. The media outlet said the move “sets a dangerous precedent for independent journalism in the Philippines.”

The NTC also began taking action against scam messages prevalent in the country. While it’s still unknown how people’s numbers leaked to scammers, the NTC is now advising telecom companies to send text blasts to warn their customers against the messages and their possible consequences.

In 2021, one initiative the NTC kept pursuing until today revolves around gender and development. The regulatory agency began a campaign to end violence against women, ultimately creating a safe space for all.

Among its top priorities is raising awareness about the dangers and consequences of child pornography. In its 2021 accomplishment report, the NTC took necessary actions to fortify its presence in meetings, fora, and policy formations with the Inter-Agency Council Against Child Pornography (IACACP) and other related organizations.

The NTC also addressed the absence of a mechanism that directly deals with perpetrators and the trading process. It coordinated with the PNP, NBI, IACACP, and even the public to tackle platforms involved with recording and disseminating sensitive content. Together, they blocked 68 URLs and 10 other platforms to mitigate the spread of malicious media that endangers the welfare of children.

Since the NTC’s efforts fall under Gender and Development, the regulatory agency also highlighted the relevance of women through information, education, and communication materials on specific programs and services to promote gender equality.

NTC managed to improve 16 Gender and Development corners among their central and regional offices throughout the country.

During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the NTC assisted the Department of Education in securing the continuity of providing quality education amid the global health risk.

which aims to promote an open government by increasing the transparency of the executive branch and its agencies. It strengthens the right to information as enshrined by the constitution.

As a regulatory agency, the NTC shares the FOI requirement. The NTC regularly complies with the FOI mandate, thus receiving recognition for its efforts. In 2020, the NTC received the FOI Plaque of Recognition for being one of the top requested and performing agencies with more than 500 requests and 90 percent closed transactions in the eFOI portal.

The 2020 recognition marks the NTC’s third consecutive year of receiving such a prestigious award.

Besides earning the FOI’s recognition

RECOGNIZING FREEDOM OF INFORMATION Expressing one’s self has become prevalent in today’s society as people and other organizations discovered new avenues to convey their intentions.

It also mandates government agencies and other related establishments to provide any necessary information to people requesting it.

It coincides with Executive Order No. 02 or the Executive Order on Freedom of Information (FOI),

As media, telecommunications, and other related services continue to dominate society, the NTC remains vigilant in addressing threatening issues the quality of services under their mandate to uphold the quality of content and utilities Filipinos receive.

With its prompt action, the NTC is closer to achieving its goal of becoming a world-class regulatory agency meeting the challenges of the digital world.

for their performance, the NTC also earned the 2020 Certificate of Compliance from the same organization for cooperating with the enhanced FOI requirements. The regulatory agency also won the certificate in 2019 and 2018.

This year, the NTC celebrates 48 years of upholding the standard for quality and accessible telecommunications in the country to uplift Filipinos’ lives. It continuously pursues its vision to become a world-class regulatory agency to meet the challenges of the digital world.

The late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., through Executive Order No. 546, established the regulatory agency in July 1979. Presently, NTC works closely with DOST-ASTI and DICT to improve government processes, provide better services to citizens and businesses, and promote public participation.

Sports

SBP calls on PH basketball stakeholders to unite JAKARTA—Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio on Friday called on the country’s basketball stakeholders to come together in supporting the Gilas national team with the goal of forming a competitive squad for the FIBA World Cup next year.

Panlilio said Gilas’ performance in the FIBA Asia Cup here was a disappointment as the ninth-place finish was the Philippines’ worst in 13 years. He said lack of training time and player availability are issues that must be addressed with three FIBA World Cup Asia qualifying windows lined up for August, November and February, the SEA Games in Cambodia on May 5-16 and the World Cup on Aug. 25-Sept. 10 next year.

Gilas head coach Chot Reyes had no excuses for the dismal showing, but said the outcome could’ve been different if top scorer Dwight Ramos and naturalized player Ange Kouame suited up. He said the team began practice last July 6, a week before the Philippines’ first game against Lebanon and Poy Erram, the only active PBA player on the roster, attended only thrice. Any coach would’ve backed off from the challenge but Reyes chose to play the cards he was dealt with in keeping his commitment to the country and SBP. “As FIBA secretary-general Andreas Zagklis mentioned, it’s been nearly 25 years since Greece hosted a world basketball event,” said Panlilio.

“We really have to give it full support from all basketball stakeholders.”

PBA chairman Ricky Vargas said: “The World Cup will never happen again in Manila in our lifetime … it took 45 years to bring the World Cup back to Manila … dapat laban na, all out … we need the best to play and be allowed to play … we call on all stakeholders to unite for flag and country.”

SBP has scheduled a general meeting of stakeholders on Aug. 1 and will lay out the timetable in the run-up to the World Cup. Panlilio said FIBA will assist in securing clearance for Gilas players from foreign leagues. The PBA will play only two conferences next year and clear its calendar starting in May up to the end of the World Cup. Drafting players for the three coming windows, however, is a concern. Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson is sure to play in the World Cup and will likely join Gilas in the fourth window against Lebanon in Beirut on Aug. 25 and Saudi Arabia at the MOA Arena on Aug. 29 but won’t be available for the two other windows and the SEA Games.

SBP will reach out to Kai Sotto for the three windows, SEA Games and the World Cup.

NLEX secures 6th place in quarterfinals

By Peter Atencio RAUL Soyud drained a conference-high 19 points for the NLEX Road Warriors, who smothered the NorthPort Batang Pier, 109-95, on Friday to secure its place in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

Soyud struck during crucial moments in the first and last quarters, as the Road Warriors clinched the sixth seed in quarterfinals with their sixth triumph in 11 outings.

Calvin Oftana and Don Trollano knocked in 18 and 16 points, respectively, for the Road Warriors, who moved into a possible showdown with either Ginebra or Magnolia in the first round of their best-of-three playoffs.

“Itong game namin, it assured us of a sixth-place finish. This will keep us from being in seventh and eighth place, na mahirap,” said Road Warriors’ coach Yeng Guiao.

Soyud’s two charities in the final 5:47 handed the Road Warriors their biggest lead at 27, 103-76.

He had six points with Philip Paniamogan in the first quarter as the Road Warriors moved away immediately. The 6’6” Soyud joined hands with Paniamogan and Anthony Semerad in unleashing a 20-9 blast and helping theWarriors take a 28-16 spread.

JM Calma made 21 points for Batang Pier, who now have a 3-8 slate.

Oftana made nine points, while Trollano eked out eight in the second, with their triples in last 1:27 putting the Road Warriors out of range by 21 points, 57-36.

Semerad scored eight in the third, with his trey with 10:57 to go in the third allowing the Road Warriors to hold on to their 21-point lead, 63-42.

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022

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The CSB Lady Blazers celebrate their perfect season in winning the NCAA women’s volleyball crown.

St. Benilde wins title with 11-game sweep of season C

OLLEGE of Saint Benilde completed a stunning 11-game sweep of the National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s volleyball season with a 2624, 25-12, 25-9 stomping of Arellano University Friday at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

So dominant were the Lady Blazers that in their perfect record, they only lost one set the entire season as they captured their second league championship.

Gayle Pascual came with 14 points, including three blocks and one service ace to capture the Finals MVP honors.

She tallied 17 points in CSB’s Game 1 victory.

“Puwede na sabihin na nanalo na kami kasi natapos na namin ang season,”

said Pascual.

Jade Gentapa contributed 11 points and 10 digs, while Cristy Ondangan also had three blocks for a 10-point outing for the Lady Blazers.

Season MVP Mycah Go had eight points, including the championshipclinching service ace, to go with 15 digs and four receptions, while Michelle Gamit added seven points, including three blocks for CSB.

Cloanne Mondoñedo, who provided the Lady Blazers stability all-season long, tossed in 15 excellent sets to go with three points.

“Tiwala ako sa girls. Masipag ang mga girls. Nakita ko ‘yung mga abilities nila, kasama ko na sila, matagal na,” said CSB mentor Jerry Yee. The loss ended the Lady Chiefs’ threecrown reign that started in 2017.

Pau de Guzman led Arellano with 10 points, while Charmina Diño added six kills, 10 receptions and nine digs.

In their final game for the Lady Chiefs, Carla Donato had six points while Cess Bello, bothered by swelling knees all-season long, scored one point.

“Nakita ko na ibinigay nila ang best nila,” said Arellano coach Obet Javier.

“Happy pa rin ako kahit short lang ang preparation. Proud ako sa nakuha ng team ko ngayong season.”

Earlier, Kat Santos of San Sebastian took home the Rookie of the Year plum in the awards ceremony prior to Game 2.

Go and Dolly Verzosa of Jose Rizal University were the 1st and 2nd Best Outside Spiker awardees, respectively, while San Sebastian’s Reyann Cañete was named the Best Opposite Spiker.

The 1st and 2nd Best Middle Blocker honors went to Lyceum of the Philippines University’s Zonxi Dahab and Mapua’s Nicole Ong. LPU’s Venice Puzon claimed the Best Setter award while Best Libero honors went to Emilio Aguinaldo College’s Alex Salvaloza.

POC grants P.5m bonus to Tsukii, comes to De Vega’s aid THE Philippine Olympic Committee on Friday announced the granting of a P.5 million cash bonus for World Games karate gold medalist Junna Tsukii but, on the same breath, expressed shock and sadness on former Asian Sprint Queen Lydia de Vega’s enormous fight— against the Big C. De Vega is currently confined at the Makati Medical Center because of Stage 4 breast cancer, an ailment diagnosed in 2018 but was kept under wraps that she didn’t show any sign of the dreaded disease when she joined her fellow former Filipino sports greats carry the country’s colors during the opening ceremony of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019.

“The news saddens me and the POC, our very own Lydia de Vega, our sports great, a Philippine treasure,” Tolentino said. “We in the POC family, my family, are hoping and pray-

ing that she wins this fight in the same manner as she won those great races in her prime.”

The POC Board approved a P100,000 medical assistance for De Vega with Tolentino adding another personal contribution of P100,000 for the sports heroine’s hospital needs.

Tsukii’s gold, the only medal won by a 10-athlete Team Philippines to the World Games that ended over the weekend in Birmingham, Alabama, was worth P.5 million under POC policy on cash bonuses for athletes winning medals overseas.

“The POC recognizes Junna’s feast with honor, it wasn’t the Olympics but the World Games are that tough a competition,” Tolentino said.

The Philippines now has two gold medals from the World Games with Carlo Biado winning the first one in men’s 9-ball of billiards at the 2017 Wroclaw, Poland, edition.

Junna Tsukii

Dr. Q Motorsports’ Corpino leads ROK GP Jr division

Fourteen-year old Bernard Corpino flashes a victory smile and sign after receiving the trophy for his class lead at the ROK GP Philippines Karting Series Junior Class championship at the Clark International Speedway recently. (Photo by Jerald Photography)

COMMANDING a 20-point lead with 154 points at the end of rounds two and three of the of the ROK GP Philippines Karting Series is Junior Class champ Bernard “Bern” Corpino of Dr.Q Motorsports.

He edged out his closest rival Danzel Waytan, who has a total of 134 points.

It was excellent form and consistency that led to these stunning wins at Clark International Speedway last July 9.

Even with a third-place finish in Round 2 and a second-place feat in Round 3, Corpino’s total points pushed him upfront overall in the leaderboard.

He is now headed for furiously

technical South Garda Karting track in Lonato, Italy to represent he country in the prestigious ROK GP World Karting Series later this year.

Corpino, who will turn 15 next month, only started competitive karting last year. A crucial part of Team Dr.Q Motorsports along with AAP Karter of the Year Miguel Quiñones, Corpino has also landed 3rd overall in the Intermediate Class of the Petron Motorsports Karting Academy, a race program that scouts for racing talents in the country.

“I want to be Junior Karter of the Year of the Philippines this year.

One day I hope to compete in For-

mula 4, where all F1 drivers started their international racing careers,” Corpino said, with cautious confidence, though his racing records prove that he is quickly chipping away to achieve this goal.

He has already started competing in the novice class for Autocross car racing. With the experience here, he hopes to participate either or both the Toyota Vios Cup or Formula V1 races. He believes that the Lonato race will surely enhance his driving skills. To see more of his exploits visit https://www.racersph. com/post/drq-motorsports-racerbern-corpino-leads-in-overall-rokgp-junior-points-standings-after3-rounds.

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SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor E-mail: jdlacsamana@gmail.com

Home/Design

Federal Land partners with US Open, SEA Games golf champ Yuka Saso

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EAL estate developer Federal Land, Inc. recently signed a partnership with Sterling Sports Management, the sports agency handling Philippine-born Japanese professional golfer Yuka Saso.

“We welcome Yuka Saso to represent Federal Land and its values,” said Federal Land chairman Alfred V. Ty. “Her Filipino-Japanese heritage is an embodiment of discipline, perseverance, and excellence, which mirrors Federal Land’s commitment to provide unparalleled living experiences within our developments.”

Saso won twice in back-to-back events on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association or LPGA Tour in 2020, winning the NEC Karuizawa 72 Golf Tournament and Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament. In 2021, she was the first Filipino to win the ladies US Open.

The partnership with Saso is part of many collaborations for Federal Land. A prime example of Federal Land’s partnerships is Sunshine Fort North Bonifacio Realty Development Corp., a tripartite joint venture with Nomura Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., and Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. The venture developed The Seasons Residences — a premier Japanese-inspired, four-tower residential development in the heart of Bonifacio Global City.

Green living starts at home EVEN before the COVID-19 pandemic, ACE Hardware already offered sustainable home solutions products such as LED lights, energy-saving appliances, water-saving fixtures, leadfree paint and other biodegradable items, including environment-friendly cleaning chemicals.

“Perhaps, the only major shift for ACE Hardware during the pandemic has been the increased consumer interest in plants so we expanded our gardening range to serve the plantitos and the plantitas out there,” says Bernard L. Ong, senior vice president, ACE Hardware Philippines.

Lawn and garden range Once the green products were introduced to the ACE Hardware lineup, Ong said they have been continuously growing in popularity.

The lawn and garden range, he said, kept expanding to meet customer demand, while customers have shifted almost 100 percent to LED already.

Sometimes, Ong said, it really takes

BGC CONDOTEL TARGETS END-2023 OPENING. If you like to add a new income-earner to your portfolio, check out Ridgewood Premier Hotel, located just beside Bonifacio Global City or BGC. The condotel occupies the 15th to 17th floors of the final building of Ridgewood Square. Ridgewood Premier Hotel is set to open its doors to the public by the last quarter of 2023. It will have a world-class management team handling hotel operations. Led by Novel Residential Concepts Inc. chief operating officer and veteran hotelier Marc Ngo, the team promises a condotel that would cater to the demands of the modern traveler. It also means guaranteeing that each unit will remain well-cared-for and ready to accept guests anytime. “With Ridgewood Premier Hotel, clients will find the creature comforts they can expect from upscale hotels, but without the highly prohibitive costs that usually come with a central business district address,” Ngo said. To learn more about the Ridgewood Premier Hotel, call 8882-7995 or (0917) 808-4905.

time for consumers to adopt to new, eco-friendly products, and they would eventually shift when sustainable products deliver similar performance at reasonable prices compared to traditional products.

Among the sustainable products that ACE Hardware added to their product range include ACE-branded paints that are not only lead-free but also odorless and non-toxic, and are better than most leading brands. ACE Hardware also has a wide range of garden supplies like seeds, tools, hoses, biodegradable pots, and anti-erosion coco-coir mats.

“It’s heartening to note that the pandemic also opened the eyes of many Filipinos to turn to planting despite the limited space in their residence, and help in their own little way to save the planet’s precious oxygen since plants directly reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere,” Ong pointed out. He added that ACE Hardware considered market demand, value-for-money, and brand strength among the factors in

adding these green finds to the list of products.

The pandemic also brought constant changes to the product preferences of customers, said Ong, but the stiore was able to adapt to these changes by doing constant monitoring of consumer sentiment through social media and online trends.

“We list customer requests at each branch and collate these monthly,” he said. “Our merchandising team engages suppliers to respond to emerging trends quickly, then new products are sourced and evaluated for inclusion into our assortment monthly.”

Support to go green from SM key to sustainable shift Catherine Ileto, SM Retail’s vice president for corporate communications revealed that across the SM Group of Companies, there is a Green Movement and pushing for Green Finds is SM Retail’s contribution to the groupwide effort.

“ACE Hardware believes sustainable shopping is not only feasible but necessary,” Ileto said..

For more about ACE Hardware, visit https://www.acehardware.ph.

MPIC CFO bags 2022 sustainability leader plum CHERYL “Chaye” A. Cabal-Revilla, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation’s (MPIC) chief finance, risk, and sustainability officer, was named as the 2022 Sustainability Leader of Campaign’s Women Leading Change Awards Asia-Pacific.

Recognized among the outstanding women who lead, inspire, and motivate greatness in their respective fields, CabalRevilla rose above nominees from all AsiaPacific countries, likewise heralded as the only winner from the Philippines.

“Sustainability and the passion for inspiring positive change have always been the backbone of the work that we do, allowing us to do good while doing well,” said Cabal-Revilla.

MPIC is an infrastructure investment company with holdings in Manila Electric Company, Maynilad Water Services, Inc., MetroPac Water Investments Corporation, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc., Light Rail Manila Corporation and mWell PH.

Work is where the home is EMPLOYEES of real estate platform Lamudi Philippines recently voted their company as a “Great Place to Work.”

The recognition was based on a survey that evaluated employees’ perceptions of the office culture. A total of 150 workers participated in the poll, and 85 percent reported that Lamudi is a great place to work in. certification

followed a rigorous process, which involved a research-backed employee survey called the Trust Index.

According to Ashima Lamba, HR Director at Lamudi, the company’s certification is a testament to the high level of trust and overall happiness employees experience within the firm.

“We always strive to create a positive

environment for Lamudians, where they feel respected, heard, seen, and celebrated,” said Lamba.

The corporate culture of Lamudi is deemed excellent in the area of justice, garnering a top score of 92 percent.

The majority of employees believe that people in Lamudi are treated fairly regardless of gender, among other factors evaluated.

CITYLAND LAUNCHES NEW PROJECT

Cityland recently announced the launching of its newest project – Two Premier. This 32-storey condominium is located at 1st Street, Alabang Premier, Alabang Zapote Road near corner Concha Cruz Drive, Almanza Uno, Las Piñas City. The project has functionally designed and affordably-priced office, commercial and residential units of studio, one bedroom and two bedroom units that are offered in cash or easy installment terms, on a first come – first served basis. For more details, visit www. cityland.net

Motoring

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022 MILO RIVERA, Sub-editor

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Chery Cars’ roadshow 2nd stop treats guests, patrons to luxurious experiences

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OLLOWING the bespoke experiences that graced Filipinos in The World of Luxury Nationwide Roadshow grand kick-off in SM Aura Premier, CHERY Auto Philippines further ramped up the introduction of the Tiggo 8 PRO - The New Seat of Power - during their next stop which was at SM Megamall last July 14-20, 2022.

Guests were treated to a whole range of luxurious experiences during the roadshow that highlighted the allnew Tiggo 8 PRO 1.6 Turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection (TDGI) and Tiggo 8 PRO Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). Test drive activities for the complete Tiggo lineup (Tiggo 2 PRO, Tiggo 5x, Tiggo 7 PRO, and Tiggo 8 PRO) were available on location as well. Exciting items were also

given away.

What made the roadshow’s second stop more successful was the high number of quality leads and several closed sales deals that were generated—a positive sign for the company as they aim to fast-track their growth with the newly unveiled and current best seller - the Tiggo 8 PRO. A big part of this success is credited to the leading media outfits and re-

nowned content creators who attended.

Their good reviews have catapulted the Tiggo 8 PRO to be one of the major players in the industry, being one of the pioneers for the 195 horsepower engine in the 7-seater SUV category.

Most of all, this success is best attributed to the luxurious style and design, and excellent features of the Tiggo 8 PRO. It has Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) inclusive of 12 safety functions, such as Rear Cross-Traffic Assist, Blind Spot Detection, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Door Opening Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist, Traffic Jam Assist, Integrated Cruise Assist, Intelligent High-Beam Control, Lane Departure Warning, and Speed Limit Sign Recognition.

Watch out for the next “The World

of Luxury” stops come July 29-August 3 at Eastwood City, Estancia from August 12-18, SM City North EDSA from August 25-31, and SM Mall of Asia

Enhancement works ongoing at Subic Freeport Expressway A BETTER and safer road infrastructure is on the way as the NLEX Corporation implements enhancement works at the Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX).

These P105-million worth of improvements, which include pavement surface upgrade, construction of ditch and slope protection, installation of guard rails, and application of hazard paint, intend to make the SFEX and its surrounding slopes safer for motorists.

The pavement surface upgrade, which will help drain water away from the roadway especially during heavy rains, covers a total length of 4,374 linear meters between Jadjad and Argonaut bridges.

To stabilize the slopes and prevent erosion, a wire mesh is being installed and concrete is being applied on a 1,830-square meter portion of the SFEX. Concrete barriers and other structures are painted with hazard warning marking to make motorists aware of potential risks.

Last February 2021, NLEX Corporation completed the SFEX capacity expansion.

A total of 16.4 new lane kilometers, two new bridges, and a new tunnel were constructed as part of the P1.6-billion expansion project. The tollway company also installed international standard LED lights, raised the elevation of the Maritan Highway-Rizal Highway-Tipo Road junction, and enhanced the area’s drainage system to boost motorists’ safety.

This was constructed despite the pandemic in response to the need to accelerate business activities and facilitate the flow of goods and services between the economic zones in Clark and Subic. It has been fulfilling its primary function of improving mobility and helping the infrastructure development program and growing transshipment operations in Subic.

Bickering Steel Plates IF you are a regular motorist travelling Epifanio de los Santos Avenue these days, chances are you are always on the lookout for those steel plates that annoyingly dot the almost 24 kilometers of the country’s busiest thoroughfare.

Not only so annoying, these steel plates (almost all of them are exposed with dangerous spikes since they are welded into

from September 1-7, 2022. More stops in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are to be announced very soon.

let’s GO RACING! Members of the media were indulged in a day full of high speed adrenaline and fun during the recently concluded Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival 2022 last July 21 at the Clark International Speedway.

One of the main highlights of the event was the exclusive unveiling of the all-new Toyota GR86. The subtly brute sports car is the latest addition to Toyota Motor Philippines’ (TMP) continuously growing lineup of GR variants. SRP is yet to be announced.

Pleasure personified with Suzuki’s GSX-S1000GT THE all-new GSX-S1000GT aims to skillfully blend the winning superbike performance of its 999cm3 engine and compact, lightweight chassis with the comfort, functionality, luxurious styling and equipment features that distinguish it as a true GT (Grand Tourer).

Exploring life and the world on two wheels and riding motorcycles is a healthy hobby full of adventures. But with so many bikes to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know where to start, and sometimes, it can be tempting to buy the most popular brand on the market.

Choosing a motorbike that offers comfort and controllability, with eye-catching style combined and commanding large-displacement performance, is always on top of our list.

Of course, it is a bonus if you are touring with a motorbike with a GT (Grand Tourer) appellation.

Whether you prefer high-speed runs on long, open straights or negotiating winding roads; ride alone or choose the company of a passenger; how far to ride; and the gear you may wish to carry along, the GSX-S1000GT is designed to make your destination secondary to the pleasure of the journey itself.

The 2022 Suzuki GSX-S1000GT sport-tourer comes in three colors to satisfy your taste. There’s the Metallic Triton Blue (YSF), Metallic Reflective Blue (QT8), and Glass Sparkle Black (YVB).

Exciting features The new Suzuki GSX-S1000GT comes with exciting new features.

The Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (SIRS.) introduces a collection of advanced electronic systems that let you optimize performance characteristics to best suit your riding style or level of riding experience, enhance operation, and help free you to concentrate on the ride.

In addition, SIRS brings greater confidence and pleasure by making the new GT more controllable, predictable, and less tiring, whether touring for long

the road with potholes) also pose safety hazards to both the motorists and their respective vehicles alike.

EDSA should have long been repaired, but the pandemic and the apparent lack of money were the main reasons why we continue to see its dilapidated state.

What we are seeing from time to time are “band-aid repairs” that include those welding of steel plates on potholes. They were installed to cover potholes that have not yet been repaired. The result is the slowing down of traffic especially during rush hours and too many unreported damages to the vehicles that ran over them.

There is this one observation when steel plates littered the roads in the US which does not jive well with what is happening in EDSA these days. “Given their obviousness and potential danger (real or perceived), steel plates play a curious, secondary role on American roads today: calming traffic. As roads become more congested and as drivers traverse them at

distances or enjoying a ride on your local streets.

Ride-by-wire electronic throttle system This new cable-free system is more straightforward, lighter, and compact than a mechanical throttle and provides a light, natural, linear response to throttle operation. Precision control over throttle valve action, as realized by leveraging the onboard 32-bit ECM, also makes it possible to introduce other advanced systems that enhance riding ease and controllability.

Cruise control system Cruise control is a convenient new system that lets you maintain a set speed without operating the throttle. This helps reduce fatigue when touring long distances, particularly when traveling at constant speed on highways.

You can easily adjust the speed setting up or down using the (+/-) select switch on the left handlebar and confirm the current setting on the TFT LCD instrument screen by pressing the left handlebar switch’s RES button. Cruise Control can be set at 30km/h to 180km/h while riding above 2,000rpm in second gear or higher.

Suzuki Traction Control System (STCS)

higher speeds while increasingly distracted by smartphones, steel plates have become an accidental, ad-hoc speed limiting service on our roadways. It’s hardly systemic or strategic solution, and it’s certainly not an attractive one. But as long as we have to put up with steel road plates, we might as well appreciate the small role they can play in encouraging us to use our cars less hastily—and maybe even just less, overall.”

But this is not the case in EDSA with the return of too many cars on the roads after the easing of the Covid-19 lockdown as too many steel plates sprouted like mushrooms that cause real havoc to the motorists.

For how long do we have to endure these dangerous steel plates are yet to be determined. *** WE would like to congratulate Isuzu Philippines Corporation for achieving another milestone when it celebrated its 25th anniversary here in the country.

That figure (25 years) is just three short of the 22 years that IPC has been lording it over

The GT’s new 5-mode traction control system (+OFF setting) provides excellent stability for confident control with less stress and fatigue. Fine incremental mode settings allow the system to better fit the diverse riding conditions under which a grand tourer is expected to excel, whether riding alone or with a passenger, carrying a load of gear, or riding in inclement weather.

The higher the mode selected, the faster the control takes effect, and the more proactive the system is in limiting wheel spin.

Pure power and reliability to go the distance A high-performance 999cm3 four-stroke powers the new GT DOHC liquid-cooled inline-four engine was developed to realize the ideal of a true grand touring riding experience. The engine underwent a thorough review and updates to increase power output and achieve an even better balance of overall performance, all while satisfying Euro 5 emissions standards.

The new version delivers superbike-level performance while minimizing vibration to make riding more exciting, more comfortable, and less tiring, whether traveling long distances on the highway or enjoying a ride around town. Its broad, smooth torque curve featuring more excellent cumulative torque production consistently delivers abundant power throughout the engine’s operating range.

It makes this grand tourer equally adept at street riding as it is at high-speed long-distance touring, even under load when carrying gear and a passenger on the back.

Engineered for real-world enjoyment The new GT delivers nimble handling and confidenceinspiring controllability, whether out touring long distances on the highway, negotiating twisty mountain roads, or simply enjoying its sporty performance on city streets.

Every chassis and running gear component is engineered to bring you the right balance of agility, stability, and comfort for a true grand touring experience. At the core is the compact, lightweight chassis design. The rigid twin-spar aluminum frame and ruggedly braced aluminum-alloy swingarm are essential to excellent road holding ability that will go the distance, even when carrying a passenger and a full load of gear.

its competitors in the local truck business.

Noburo Murakami, the IPC president who took over the post from the former IPC chief Hajime Koso (who is considered the longest serving Japanese executive in a local car manufacturer) recently, cited the various contributions of IPC in the local economy since it started in 1996.

He even promised that the company is confident “although the road to progress may not be that easy and that our strength may be tested, but with the support of all our shareholders the future of IPC looks bright ahead.”

We were able to ask some quite bold questions at the sideline after the prepared program was finished last Thursday inside the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

When asked if Isuzu would join the “electric vehicle” bandwagon that is now sweeping not only the country but also worldwide, Murakami calmly said: “Isuzu is capable and very much ready to go electric anytime. But there is no demand yet for our vehicles (to go electric).”

Being the leader in the diesel technology for the longest time, Isuzu had already passed the test of time and even promised to serve the Filipino progress for the next 25 years and beyond. Cheers! *** THE horrendous traffic that happen more often at NLEX and SLEX can be resolved only if the administrators of both expressways would assign a team of ready-to-deploy officers wherever there is a need for them.

A heavy downpour and a “bottleneck” greeted us at the end of the Viaduct as we went back from Clark to Manila recently.

Much to our surprise, not a single traffic officer was assigned there as motorists tried to outmaneuver each other at the intersection where those who were allowed to “counter-flow” met with those who choose to stay at the 2-lane southbound traffic.

Putting in at least one or two traffic officers would surely put sense to this pressure-laden intersection or anywhere where motorists forget to behave.

C4

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Tech & Gadgets

Jaw-dropping 3-day battery life gives Nokia G21 users freedom to do more

By Maria Michaela Nabaza

N

OKIA is one of the most iconic names in mobile technology after decades of producing “indestructible” mobile phones. And when it comes to designing sustainable and accessible technology, Nokia also definitely never misses.

Perfect for travel

After years of lockdowns and travel bans, more and more places are opening their doors to tourists. Although there are still travel restrictions and protocols to follow, everyone is eager to visit their dream destinations.

The Nokia G21 is every travel lover’s ideal smartphone with a jawdropping three-day battery life and 90Hz refresh rate for seamless performance. This way, users wouldn’t have to get frustrated over a lagging screen and a forgotten charger— most of the time, an adaptor for the charger.

Users can quickly charge their phone with Nokia G21’s 18W fast charge capability, leaving more time for thrill and adventure and giving

Vibrant colors

Great detail

users the freedom to do more. With people often forgetting to unplug their phones when having fun, the Unplug Charger Reminder is one of the smartphone’s best features.

Lasts longer

Vacations are difficult to enjoy when a device detects a virus, especially when most users upload personal information or paperwork on their phones. The affordable smartphone boasts of two times more security updates than other smartphones and two years of software upgrades, protecting the Nokia G21 from malware.

It is powered by a Unisoc T606 chipset, an octa-core CPU, 6GB of RAM, and the Android 11 operating system (OS), pushing the budget smartphone to work efficiently.

The Nokia G21 is ready for Android 12, which means users can access all the latest features. With doubled updates and upgrades (and a free

30-day trial of ExpressVPN), users can enjoy the features and functionality of the smartphone for longer, making it worth every peso.

Sometimes a protective case is not enough to stop a phone from breaking, and because many travel lovers go for thrill-seeking activities, having a resistant phone is fitting—the Nokia G21 sports a tough polycarbonate shell with a sleek Nordic Blue color.

Improved camera

Everyone wishes to take photographs of magnificent landscapes and sceneries. Many people find photography challenging, but with the Nokia G21’s 50 MP triple-camera, which combines main, depth, and macro lenses with advanced AI imaging, users can capture photographs with vibrant colors in great detail.

Bigger and better

With Nokia G21’s 6.5-inch screen, users can now watch their favorite movies or TV shows more comfortably while waiting for departure or arrival. The 90Hz refresh rate also saves users from boredom and stress, especially during long travel times.

The Nokia G21 also features a fin-

Nokia G21

gerprint scanner on the side, a Google Assistant button, 4G LTE connectivity, and 128GB expandable storage, allowing users to access and navigate the smartphone with ease.

Users can also now stream music or even discover opportunities while traveling with Nokia smartphones now pre-installed with Spotify and LinkedIn.

Sustainable technology

Electronic waste rapidly piles up each year with the fast-paced technological advancements. Nokia has always expressed its commitment to sustainable practices and has limited the use of dangerous compounds on their devices that may affect the environment and the user.

The Nokia G21 is not only perfect for traveling but is ideal for reducing electronic waste as well. Throughout its years of production, Nokia continues to create mobile technology that is affordable and less harmful to the environment.

Work out with a purpose with Xiaomi Smart Band 7 STEP up your game, and achieve your fitness goals with the help of the Xiaomi Smart Band 7, powered by an upgraded chipset and advanced monitoring chipset.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 can scan your SpO� or blood oxygen saturation levels. It has an all-day heart rate monitoring system and sleep tracker, as well as an alert syst em to monitor stress levels. The data is useful in making the necessary adjustments to our overall health and lifestyle.

110+ sports modes at your disposal Whether it’s cycling, walking, weight training, swimming and many more, the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 can keep track Achieve your fitness goal Xiaomi Smart Band 7

of burned calories, heart rate changes, and workout durations. No need to perform mental gymnastics to monitor your progress. Just focus on you and the Smart Band 7 will do the rest!

Professional workout analysis The Xiaomi Smart Band 7’s 110+ sports modes are accompanied by its innovative VO2 max professional workout analysis. This feature not only monitors your progress, but advises you on how to achieve your goals and improve your form. It monitors your oxygen uptake, which is an important indicator of your aerobic capacity. The workout analysis feature also analyzes your training load and gives recommendations based on your performance. Of course, rest is just as important and the Smart Band 7 can advise you on your recovery intervals.

Style upgrade The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is not only

functional, but stylish. With 6 TPU strap options and 4 additional exclusive styles to choose from, it can go with any outfit, day or night. Take your pick with a wide variety of colors such as Pink, Orange, Ivory, Blue and many more. You can also choose from 110+ custom watch faces and personalize it to fit your personal style.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is a musthave for busy bees out there who want to follow a healthier, fitter lifestyle. Remember, we only get one body, so it’s important that we take care of it.

Step up your everyday routine with the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 for only P2,499.00. Don’t forget to personalize it with a TPU strap in your favorite color for only P359. All these are available at Xiaomi stores nationwide and online at Xiaomi’s official Shopee stores.

For more information, visit the Xiaomi website.

Globe Group’s investments accelerate PH’s digital transformation THE continued expansion of the Globe Group’s services has sped up the digital transformation of Filipinos’ lives, making it easier for customers to fulfill their daily tasks and pursue new and enriching experiences.

Globe is the country’s leading digital solutions platform, with major interests in telecommunications, fintech, digital marketing solutions, venture capital funding for startups, entertainment, and virtual healthcare.

While the company has been making full use of innovations and leading technology to ensure connectivity at home, its portfolio has also diversified to serve the growing needs of its business and enterprise clients.

Just recently, Globe announced a data center partnership with ST Telemedia Global Data Centres and Ayala Corporation. Through this joint venture, Globe is fast-tracking upgrades to its data center services to meet the growing demand from MSME and corporate clients across various industries.

Since 2001, Globe’s data centers have been known for being globally competitive, advanced, standard-compliant, and having highly secure facilities offering world-class data, network, telecommunication, and IT services ranging from carrier-neutral colocation space, managed security, mission-critical applications, and cloud solutions.

“Digital tools and services have become indispensable for today’s customers, and nothing less than a comprehensive digital solutions platform will be able to serve their needs best. The goal is always to empower and uplift Filipinos’ lives, and our continued investments in tech and high-growth enterprises are making that happen,” said Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu. Globe recorded another world first for its flagship telco business this June, as it completed the deployment of a new series of antennas that enables the acceleration of 4G and the evolution of 5G technology.

This effectively boosts the telco’s network capabilities while ensuring greater energy efficiency. The deployment complements Globe’s aggressive and accelerated 5G rollout, with 380 new sites fired up in the first quarter of the year.

Globe is also exploring the use of space-based broadband technology, while its wholly-owned corporate venture builder 917Ventures is also looking at new ways to support local businesses and strengthen virtual connectivity via the metaverse.

Cu said Web 3.0, or 3rd-generation Internet, will change the way people and organizations use the web. It is characterized by the decentralization of data networks and the absence of a governing body, allowing anyone to participate. It is also expected to further push the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and cryptocurrency.

“Globe plays a vital role in the country’s socio-economic development, we must continue to explore new opportunities in areas such as the metaverse, and constantly study other growing ecosystems for the benefit of our stakeholders,” said Cu. Globe’s tech investments and partnerships are in line with its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9, which highlights the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development.

Filipinos’ online shopping habits continue even during return to physical stores FILIPINO consumers are returning to physical stores, but their digital shopping habits formed during the pandemic continue to be relevant, according to the latest Seasonal Holidays Study by Meta.

The study, a survey of nearly 2,000 people aged 18+ in the Philippines about their year-end shopping attitudes and behaviours, was conducted in December 2021. Sixty-seven (67%) of year-end shoppers surveyed said their purchases were made in-store, while 79% also did online purchases. For Gen X and Baby Boomers, mobile as a discovery channel increased by 13 points to 76%. Overall, almost 7 out of 10 shoppers surveyed have discovered and shopped on social platforms and have said that they will spend more or the same as last year.

The study outlined five new year-end Mega Sale Days consumer shopping trends to help businesses maximise every sales moment: 1. Mega Sale Days drive new product dis-

covery and consideration. Ninety-four (94%) of year-end shoppers surveyed are likely to try a new brand particularly in the following categories: Food (55%), Apparel and Fashion (38%), and Electronics (36%). Seventy six percent (76%) of all year-end shoppers enjoyed discovering relevant items they were not actively looking for.

2. Consumer shopping behaviours shift across different Mega Sale Days. In the Philippines, Mega Sale Days span across the calendar year. Among year-end shoppers surveyed, 90% bought something during Mega Sale Days in 2021. 12.12 and 11.11 are the most popular Mega Sale Days, with 24% and 44% of year-end shoppers surveyed participating respectively.

Product category skews are also noted – for 12.12, sales are skewed towards preparation for the holiday season with shoppers purchasing Apparel and Fashion (52%), Food (43%) and Health and Beauty related

items(38%). For 11.11, sales are similarly skewed towards purchases for Apparel and Fashion (43%), Food (34%) and Health and Beauty (30%).

3. Gen Z and Millennials are shopping more on social platforms. Almost 7 out of 10 of those surveyed have discovered and shopped on social platforms, and 76% of which tends to be Gen Z and Millennials.

Ninety two percent (92%) of social shoppers made a spontaneous discovery while shopping online and are 1.3 times more likely to purchase on mobile compared to a non-social shopper. Among social shoppers, 80% have purchased a product they discovered via a personalized ad. In addition, 76% of social shoppers surveyed are most likely to trust a brand who partners with a trustworthy creator and influencer.

4. Entertaining and immersive experiences influence Mega Sale Days purchase decisions. Social media is a strong discovery

driver through personal connections and recommendations (78%), sponsored content (68%) and video content (64%). 81% of social shoppers surveyed have watched or are open to a live shopping event online, with shoppers moving from awareness to purchase within one session. Augmented Reality (AR) technologies also have a strong influence on shoppers with 88% believing AR tools are influential in their purchase decisions.

5. Cross-border shoppers start shopping earlier, rely on instant business messaging and focus on brand value. APAC shoppers surveyed, 48% including Filipinos, made a cross-border purchase, with 43% of APAC cross-border shoppers starting their shopping earlier (by end November) than regular shoppers.Among APAC cross-border shoppers, 61% have messaged a business this past year-end.