By Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Human Set tlements and Urban Development to build one million housing units a year, Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar told the Senate on Wednesday. During yesterday’s organizational meeting of the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettle ment, Acuzar said he was instructed by the President to build 6 million houses in six years. The DHSUD chief admitted the num ber isn’t sufficient due to the huge back log in housing, but their hands are tied owing to the limited budget allocated for the department under the General Appropriations Act.
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By Vince Lopez and Vito Barcelo, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz A SHAKEUP at the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is imminent, after the agency approved the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar without the consent of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a move the Palace calledMarcos“illegal.”toldreporters Wednesday the reorganization would be done by the end of the week, following the res ignation of two of its board members and Agriculture Undersecretary Le ocadio Sebastian, who signed Sugar Order No. 4. His announcement comes as the Sen ate and the House of Representatives moved to open investigations into the aborted importation of sugar. The President said after the shake up, he would focus on addressing the shortage of sugar that is affect ing industrial consumers of the com modity, and leave the investigations to PressCongress.Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, however, said the Palace probe into the unauthorized signing of the resolution will still continue despite the Presi dent’sLastpronouncement.week,Sebastian resigned af ter signing the SRA order on behalf of the President. 0917-8848655
By Maricel V. Cruz
EMBLEM OF SUNSHINE. People take photos of the sunflowers at the center island of the University Avenue in Quezon City on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. The sunflowers at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus have been a fixture during graduation season since the 1970s. Joey Razon LACK OF ONIONS CAN ALSO MAKE YOU CRY. Fastfood chain Burger King says it is out of onions for its flame-grilled burgers, offering instead extra lettuce or tomato or crispy onions.
DHSUD ordered to build 1m housing units yearly Gov’t
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PINASLAKAS VS. COVID-19. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, do the ‘strong and boosted’ pose together with Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna (left) and Department of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire after receiving their second and first booster shots, respectively, at SM City Manila.
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Palace budgetP5.268-treadiesnat’lforOK
THE Department of Budget and Man agement will be submitting the Mar cos administration’s first spending plan to Congress on Monday. In a video message during an economic forum hosted by the Economic Journalists Associa tion of the Philippines and the San Miguel Corp., Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the DBM would submit the proposed P5.268-trillion national budget for 2023 to Congress. “[We] have already presented the administration’s first National Ex penditure Program or NEP amount ing to P5.268 to President Marcos Jr. on July 28 and we are gearing up for its submission to the 19th Congress on Monday, August 22,” she said in herPangandamanspeech. admitted that “it was not easy” to prepare the NEP af ter the country’s gains were under mined by inflationary pressures and external conflicts. “But this only strengthens our re solve to ensure that the government’s programs, activities, and projects will reach every Filipino and improve their quality of life amid the pandemic, through our recovery and beyond,” sheSheadded.said the 2023 NEP is anchored on the theme “Agenda for Prosperity: Economic Transformation Towards Inclusivity and Sustainability.”
THE House of Representatives Com mittee on Legislative Franchises will hold a briefing today on the reported agreement between media giants ABS-CBN Corp. and TV5 Network Inc.
By Willie Casas PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said he is likely to extend the state of public health emergency in the country due to the COVID-19 pan demic until the end of the year. Marcos said the county would lose international assistance in combatting COVID-19 if the declaration of a state of calamity, which expires on Sept. 12, is lifted. He said the international medical community, including the World Health Organization (WHO), is supporting countries under a state of emergency, adding “if we lift it, the support will stop, as well.”
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or email: circulation@manilastandard.net BBM sets move this weekend, Congress tables import mess inquiry
By Julito G. Rada ECONOMIC managers said Wednes day that the sugar supply shortage in the country could affect the economy’s recovery from the pandemic.
In a San Miguel Corp.-sponsored Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines forum, Economic Plan ning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the impact could be felt in terms of low tax revenues generated from manufac turers of soft drinks and other carbon ated“Ifbeverages.softdrinks production goes down, billions of pesos in revenues will be lost,” Balisacan said. to lose billions tax softdrinks
“The international medical commu nity is giving us a lot of help when there is a state of emergency,” he said. The President said amending the procurement laws for vaccines
What, no onion rings on Whopper?! Yes dear, veggie is in short supply page Marcos to extend public health emergency until yearend
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The committee, chaired by Par añaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting, will hold the public hearing at 2 p.m., a few days after SAGIP party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta delivered a privi lege speech questioning the THEY don’t mean to make you cry, but Burger King Philippines on Wednesday said they were not put ting onion rings on their Whoppers anytime soon owing to a shortage of the tasty vegetable in the country. “Our onions are a bit hard to come by these days due to a short age in regular supply affecting our House panel hears ABS, TV-5 deal, Marcoleta nixes it, Tulfo roots for it
The Senate meeting also tackled the low 30-percent collection rate of the National Housing Authority before the pandemic, the collection rate was just pegged at, with Acuzar saying he believes the law that created the NHA should be revisited. Acuzar said the collection rate de creased due to the NHA being prohib ited from evicting those who failed to settle their obligations, and with the non-eviction policy, the tendency of lenders to not pay their dues. Senator Nancy Binay suggested giv ing housing units for free since their occupants are not capable of paying. “They are indeed giving housing grants, especially to victims of calam ities,” she Committeeremarked.chairperson Sen. JV Ejercito, however, said a housing ben eficiary should still pay despite the small amount involved. For her part, Sen. Cynthia Villar, whose family owns one of the biggest real-estate firms in the country, raised the possibility of “palakasan” (influ ence peddling) if a housing unit is given for free. She warned against the indiscrimi nate distribution of houses, even to unintended beneficiaries. For his part, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla said as the economy was recovering from the pandemic, it was natural that the demand for sugar was rising. He said the growing demand and shrinking supply could be “a formula forMedalladisaster.”on Wednesday proposed that the government set up a tariff scheme on imported sugar as food manufacturers appealed to allow more sugar imports even as farmers’ groups opposed higher import quotas. Medalla said that instead of quotas, it would be better to allow stakehold ers to do the importing with tariffs as this would also prevent corruption. Medalla added that this would also reduce red tape and smuggling. In January 2018, the country started imposing a tax of P6 per liter on sweet ened beverages under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. Studies have shown that the tax could generate total health care savings of P31.6 billion over 20 years, and raise P41 billion in revenue per annum. Earlier, leading soft drinks manu facturers said the bottling industry has started to feel the impact of the sugar supply shortage in the country. Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc., Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc., and ARC Refreshments Corp. said in a joint statement that the indus try was facing a shortage of premium refined sugar, which is a key ingredi ent in many of their products. In another statement, the Founda tion for Economic Freedom said it was informed that a number of bottling and fruit juice firms in the country have cut down on the number of workers they hire due to the sugar shortage and in creasing prices of the commodity. Balisacan said the sugar shortage woes were compounded by the lower domestic production following the damage wrought by Typhoon Odette, which hit the sugar-producing areas in the Visayas and Mindanao. “The economy is recovering... so you can imagine the increase in de mand for food, including soft drinks. So the requirements have increased... Our local producers were not able to meet the demand due to said prob lems,” Balisacan said. Whopper and other flame-grilled burgers,” the hamburger chain said on its social media posts. This dovetails with the Depart ment of Agriculture’s confirmation of a lack of supply of white onions in the market, which it is already tak ing steps to address. Senator Imee Marcos, however, is not convinced by the DA statement, alleging on GMA News’ State of the Nation report that it is merely “a mo dus operandi” and a “same old story” of agricultural smugglers. “First, they smuggle. Then they create a shortage and produce a le gitimate import permit. By next week, I have no doubt smuggled on ions will flood the market covered by a ‘legitimate’ importation order of gargantuan proportions,” said Marcos, whose brother – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. – is concurrent Agriculture Secretary. DA Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista said white onions are no longer in wet markets, “bagsakan” (food depot) places, supermarkets, restaurants, and institutional buyers, based on their discussion with buy ers, thus the department is consider ing importing the vegetable to fill local demand. would take time, hence his deci sion to extend the nationwide state of Hecalamity.added that he had discussions with the Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Undersec retary Maria Rosario Vergeire about theMarcossituation.made these remarks dur ing the PinasLakas vaccination cam paign in Manila, where he received his second booster dose against COVID-19.“Iwasjust told by Health Undersec retary Ma. Rosario Vergeire that there will be a vaccine against the new sub variants of Omicron,” he said. “We will study this and if it is go ing to be helpful, then we will do everything to bring it here to the Philippines and we can give it to those who need to receive the boost er shot,” he added. The President and his son Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Mar cos received their second booster shots against COVID-19 on Wednes day in a mall in the City of Manila. During his speech to the “PinasLa kas” vaccination campaign in Ma nila, Marcos reiterated the impor tance of getting COVID-19 boosters amid the presence of emerging vari ants and to revive the pandemic-bat teredVergeireeconomy.administered Marcos’ 4th“Todose.be fully immunized again, you need to have a booster shot,” MarcosMarcossaid.tested positive for COV ID-19 for the second time in July and experienced mild symptoms, in cludingMeanwhile,fever. Vergeire said Wednes day that the travel advisory released by the US Centers for Disease Con trol and Prevention (CDC) telling travelers to be up-to-date with their vaccines before visiting the Philip pines was in line with the Marcos administration’s policy. “We do not admit foreigners who are unvaccinated because we know the importance of vaccination to prevent severe infections,” she said in a radio interview in Filipino. At the same time, Vergeire said the Philippines is using different metrics from the US CDC in clas sifying COVID-19 risks, and that preserving the country’s health care system is of top priority. Meanwhile, an infectious dis ease expert said there is a need to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for teachers as face-to-face classes re sume on Aug. 22. Dr. Rontgene Solante made the re mark during the Malacanang brief ing when asked if he would recom mend to the government to protect
Palace... From A1 Gov’t... From
mst.daydesk@gmail.comTHURSDAY,AUGUST 18, 2022A2
Taiwan displays most advanced fighter jet after China exercises
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T AIWAN displayed on Wednesday its most advanced fighter jet, the missile-equipped F-16V, in a rare nighttime demonstration in the wake of China’s unprecedented military drills around the island. Beijing staged days of air and sea drills in the Taiwan Strait this month after visits by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a congressional delegation to the self-ruled island territory. Taipei has carried out its own drills to simulate defence against invasion by China and on Wednesday air force per sonnel loaded an F-16V fighter with a US-made anti-ship missile in a “combat readiness” exercise at an airbase in east ern Hualien county. Six F-16Vs later took off for night reconnaissance and training missions, including two armed with missiles, ac cording to Taiwan’s air force. “In the face of the threat from Chi nese communist forces’ recent mili tary exercises, we have stayed vigilant while establishing the concept of ‘bat tlefields everywhere and training an ytime’... to ensure national security,” it said in a statement. Taiwan lives under constant threat of an invasion by China, which claims the democratically-ruled island as part of its territory to be seized one day, by force if Taipeinecessary.hasaccused Beijing of us ing the trip by Pelosi—the highestranking elected US official to visit in decades—as an excuse to kick start drills that would allow it to re hearse for an invasion. Taiwan has been upgrading its age ing fleet of fighters in recent years, as fear of military action by Beijing rises and as its air force is kept under constant pressure by more frequent Chinese incursions into its air de fence zone. In November, the island deployed its first squadron of US-made F-16Vs -- an upgraded and much more sophisticated version of its other F-16 fighters, which date back to the 1990s. The F-16V deal was approved by the administration of then US President Donald Trump as he feuded with China on a host of issues, but his successor Joe Biden has maintained similar sup port for Taipei. AFP
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ity content following their landmark partnership deal signed last week. By joining forces, the Lopez-led ABS-CBN and Manny Pangilinan-led TV5 are set to offer high-quality en tertainment and news programs, Tulfo said on ANC’s “Headstart.” “The best of two worlds joining together and the end result, a dream team. Who will benefit from this? The viewing public,” he said. Tulfo said he has so far not seen any violations in the partnership deal. “If there is a violation, then it’s a different story, it’s a different ball game. But if we don’t see anything wrong and the merger is okay, so let it be,” he said. “I, for one, will support that and I’m talking based on me be ing a former broadcaster who knows how the media runs.” But Marcoleta, who withdrew from the Senate race in the May 9 elections, said at the House: “This particular deal must be looked into, Mr. Speaker, and I think, because of this deal, we have yet to have let the proverbial cat out of the bag.” “Why? MediaQuest, the parent company of TV5, is owned by PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund. And the grape vine is so loud that PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund is owned by an Indonesian national,” the party-list solon said. “So, if we will reminisce, that the PDRs were utilized indirectly as con duits for foreigners to own mass me dia in this country by desecrating and circumventing the very Constitution that we have, maybe what will hap pen will be the same. We will wake up and we will have to see deja vu once again,” he Marcoletaadded.wasamong the legislators who opposed providing a franchise to ABS-CBN in 2020 during the 18th Congress, as the network ran afoul of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte alleged ABS-CBN never ran his campaign videos on its chan nels during the 2016 elections despite taking payments for them. During the 17th Congress, Marco leta was one of 70 congressmen who voted “yes” to reject the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise, which even tually rendered around 11,000 em ployees jobless during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Duterte then admitted in June that he used “presidential powers” against ABS-CBN and reiterated that the company “never paid taxes” — a claim debunked by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bu reau of Internal Revenue. In the current 19th Congress, Mar coleta filed a resolution calling for an investigation into ABS-CBN’s possible violations of its franchise and requesting Congress to deter mine the administrative fines that must be Marcoletaimposed.saidABS-CBN should be fined over P1 trillion for its supposed vio lations. With Macon Ramos-Araneta
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students who are not yet allowed to receive booster shots. “One of the things I want to ad vocate is for teachers to have a very high rate of immunization or vacci nation. This is because we see that many teachers are not yet vaccinated [against COVID-19],” he said. Solante said, to build a wall of im munity in schools, teachers should set an example so students will also comply with the vaccination. “Many parents are scared that when their kids go to school, the teachers aren’t vaccinated,” he said. “So it’s important, we need to mandate vaccination also for teach ers, not only for the children,” he added.Solante’s call runs counter to the official Department of Education stand that vaccination for teachers and students is not mandatory. Also on Wednesday, the DOH said it has consolidated the Commission on Audit’s report that flagged the P85 million worth of expiring or ex pired medicines caused by deficient procurement planning, poor distri bution and monitoring systems. Vergeire said the DOH would respond to the COA report within the 60-day period set by the audit agency.Vergeire also appealed to COA to “avoid announcing to the public” their findings without giving the DOH the opportunity to reply.
Another signatory of the resolution, SRA board member Roland Beltran, also stepped down on Sunday. On Tuesday, SRA administra tor Hermenegildo Serafica also resigned, which leaves Negrense sugar leader Aurelio Gerardo Val derrama Jr. as the only remaining SRA board member. Marcos said he is in talks with sugar traders to impose a suggested retail price (SRP) of P70 per kilo gram of sugar as several stores in Metro Manila have increased prices to as high as P100 per kilogram. “They first offered at P80 so I said, ‘Can I ask for P70?’ Just help the people since they’re struggling and we’re getting there,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino. He hoped that he could arrive at a good agreement with traders. On Monday, Marcos met with of ficials of the Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers Inc. (PCFMI) to arrive at a concession with trad ers to tame sugar prices. Marcos said there was a need to import sugar to prevent a domestic shortage. Earlier, he said the gov ernment may need to import 150,000 MT of sugar if the supply is depleted by“WeOctober.will import. Unfortunately, it’s the same situation in all the ag ricultural commodities in the Phil ippines. We don’t want to import as much as possible but the problem is that our production is not enough. Sometimes the price is also very high,” he said.
The Senate leader emphasized that about 6million Filipinos—from sugar farmers to laborers to depend ents—are reliant on the industry. In the House, Minority Leader and 4Ps part-list Rep. Marcelino Liba nan sought a congressional inquiry into Sugar Order No. 4. Libanan filed House Resolution 259 urging the House committees on good government and on agri culture and food to conduct look into the “Thereorder.isaneed to conduct an indepth investigation on this botched attempt to import sugar to identify all the persons who connived with Undersecretary Sebastian for this unauthorized sugar importation or der and for them to answer possible criminal charges,” Libanan said in theHeresolution.saidthe congressional inquiry in aid of legislation is also intended for the government to formulate a clear-cut policy on importation not just for sugar but for all agricultural products to avoid the unnecessary burden and prejudice to small Fili pino farmers and producers. A1 From A1 From A1 From A1 A1
“Our agenda for prosperity focuses on food safety and security and hu man capital and infrastructure devel opment among other priority sectors. It is anchored on the administration’s overarching goals of creating more quality and green jobs, reducing pov erty incidence, promoting digitaliza tion, and achieving an inclusive and resilient economy,” she said. In a press conference during the event, Budget Undersecretary Jo selito Basilio said the NEP is already being“Everythingprinted. is on time. Things have been polished already,” he said. The proposed national budget for 2023 is 4.9 percent higher than this year’s P5.024 trillion national budget. Pangandaman said Marcos wanted to stick to the timeline and pass the proposed budget before December thisUnderyear. the 1987 Constitution, the NEP should be submitted to Congress within 30 days after the opening of the regular session of Congress, which coincides with the delivery of the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).
News
The Senate Ribbon Committee said Wednesday it will begin hear ings on the sugar importation fiasco next week starting Tuesday. It would also begin hearings on the delivery of “pricey and outdated laptops” intended for use by public school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the panel chairman, Sena tor Francis Tolentino, said. In his resolution, Senate Presi dent Juan Miguel Zubiri called for a Blue Ribbon investigation into the unauthorized issuance of Sugar Order No. 4 to import 300,000 MT of “Atsugar.the very least, there’s usur pation of authority. At the very least, there’s a violation of the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” Zubiri said.
DHSUD... From A1 What,...
Marcoleta earlier said the deal be tween the two broadcasting networks violates laws and the 1987 Constitu tion. He said TV5 violated Section 10 of its broadcasting franchise by en tering an agreement with ABS-CBN, which bought common shares in TV5 worth P2.16 MediaQuestbillion.Holdings, the media arm of the MVP Group, still has the controlling stake in TV5 at 64.79%. But Senator Raffy Tulfo – a former TV and radio talent for TV5 – said the viewing public will benefit ABSCBN and TV5 team up to deliver qual
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com A3News
THE Makati police have served warning against counterfeit money being circulated by criminal elements as the “ber months’ or the peak shopping season draws near. The Makati City Police Station issued the warning following the arrest of a 31year old man who allegedly tried to make purchases using a bogus P500-bill last Aug.The13.suspect, identified as Thom Jerome Pinzon, of Valenzuela City, entered a bake shop in front of Power Plant Mall in Baran gay Poblacion Saturday evening and bought bread worth P400 using his fake money. However, store employees used an ul traviolet light and discovered that the P500 bill paid by Pinzon to the cashier was not genuine.Theshop’s security guard immediately accosted Pinzon and sought police for as sistance, resulting in the suspect’s arrest. The suspect was detained at Poblacion po licePolicesub-station.saidPinzon will be charged with violation of Article 168 of the Revised Pe nal Code (Illegal Possession and use of False Treasury or Bank Notes) before the Makati City Prosecutors Office. By Rey E. Requejo
NTC asks CA to NewsnetreconsiderrulingCopswarnvs.fakebillsafterarrestofsuspectinMakati
Regional director Roseller Tolentino said the projects backstop a program for better access to various agricultural communities in Nueva Ecija. In Jaen, the DPWH second district engineering office (DEO) finished the construction of roads connecting the Barangays of Dampulan, Pakul, San Pablo, San Vicente, and Santo Tomas to the town’s major road networks. With 1.95 kilometers of new ly-paved roads, Tolentino said residents can now experience faster travel, in sharp contrast to unpaved rough roads which become muddy af PNP: Las Piñas a ‘safer’ place in metropolis
“Now even assuming that the DOJ Resolution may not affect the rights of petitioner for not being a party to the proceeding for adjudication filed before the DOJ, as found by the Honorable Court, still, it is humbly submitted, however that the Honorable Court cannot close its eyes to the fact that said DOJ resolution, after it had attained finality, binds the ARTA,’ the OSG ar gued. acquits ex-QC graft charges
THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to reconsider its writ of mandamus issued last month directing the agency to immediately comply with an order by the Anti-Red Tape Author ity (ARTA) giving the News and En tertainment Network Corp. (Newsnet) the green light to operate and maintain interactive pay TV and multimedia ser vices in the country. In an 86-page motion for reconsid eration, the NTC through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), asserted that the CA should have dismissed the petition for mandamus filed by News net for being moot and for lack of merit. The NTC headed by Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba argued that there was no more ARTA order to implement since it has already reversed its Febru ary 12, 2020 ruling through an order is sued June 17, 2022. Newsnet sought the issuance of a writ of mandamus against the NTC by virtue of ARTA’s February 12, 2020 “Declaration of Completeness and Or der of Automatic Approval in favor of Newsnet.”ButARTA reversed its February 12, 2020 in compliance with the July 9, 2021 resolution issued by the Depart ment of Justice (DOJ) which held that ARTA does not have the authority to issue the declaration of completeness and compel NTC to issue a Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) including the use of frequencies. The DOJ resolution has become final and executory as declared by the Office of the President (OP) in an order issuing an entry of judgment. The OSG stressed that the said DOJ order has become “immutable, and may no longer be disturbed.”
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has recognized Las Piñas as a “Safe City” in Metro Manila in conjunction with the 121st Police Service Anniver sary held recently at the National Cap ital Region Police Office (NCRPO) headquarters in Taguig City. Las Piñas City police commander Col. Jaime Santos presented the plaque of recognition to Mayor Imelda Agui lar on Aug. 15, signed by then NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Felipe Natividad. Aguilar congratulated the local police for making Las Piñas a “safer place to live in.” She said the award was based on the police performance making Las Piñas as the city with the least crime incidence.Themayor also said the city police has recorded the highest number of ar rests of crime suspects. “I am proud of our Las Piñas police, they have made our city a “safe city” in the entire NCR (National Capital Region) and I also congratulate Col. Jaime Santos and our police officers who maintain peace and order in our city,” Aguilar said. Joel E. Zurbano
DPWH finishes 9 road projects in Nueva Ecija
A SCHOOL in Quezon City could face legal problems over its sudden and un expected closure, leaving its students no where to go with the school opening fast approaching.Quezon City legal coun sel Orlando Paolo Casimiro said the city government is willing to assist parents, students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel in case they want to file charges against the Colegio de San Lorenzo which abruptly shut down. “The possible legal action(s) against CDSL will be dependent upon those di rectly affected as well as on the CHED (Commission on Higher Education) and DepEd (Department of Education) who have jurisdiction over it as an educational institution,” Casimiro said. He said Mayor Joy Belmonte has in structed him to assist those who have been affected by the school’s closure. “They can come to my office for any le gal assistance concerning the matter,” the lawyer said. He added that they were already looking at the school’s possible violations of local ordinances, as well as compliance with the necessary permits relating to the schools operation.“Thepriority right now is to help the students continue their studies and for the teachers and non-teaching staff (to) have a source of income or livelihood,” he added. Over 1,300 students were affected by the sudden and unexpected closure of CDSL announced on its supposed first day of classes last August 15.
Nash B. Maulana NCMF holds one-day consultative meeting today ter the Meanwhile,rains. four agricultural baran gays in Rizal are now beneficiaries of P19.3 million worth of road projects completed by the DPWH. The farmers of Barangays Agli pay, Casilagan, General Luna, and Maligaya are now enjoying the 2.02 kilometers of concrete roads in their areas.Aside from significantly boost ing the agricultural economy, the paved roads also facilitate bet ter access to basic services such as health, education, and trade in goods and services in and around the towns, the DPWH said.
OXFORD ONLINE COURSES FOR FILIPINOS. Oxford International, Education Group offers its university programs and online courses to Filipino learners, particularly those eyeing employment in Canada. Oxford executives Andy Caldwell, chief commercial officer and Carlyle Lim, regional manager for Southeast Asia, preside at a press conference at the Holiday Inn Makati held in conjunction with the program launch. Diana Noche
By Vito Barcelo T HE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has completed nine road projects that will ensure better mobility and ease of transporting of agricultural products in the mu nicipalities of Jaen and Rizal in Nueva Ecija to adjacent localities in theDPWHprovince.
treasurer of
By Rio N. Araja A QUEZON City official on Wednes day lauded the decision of the Supreme Court, acquitting him of criminal culpability in the auction of a threehectare lot inside the Manila Seedling Bank Foundation Inc. at the corner of Quezon Ave. and Epifanio delos San tos Ave. (EDSA). City treasurer Edgar Villanueva, in an exclusive interview, said the High Court’s Second Division ruling has established that the foreclosed Ma nila Seedling was not tax-exempt, and that its auction in 2011 was valid. “WHEREFORE, the Decision promul gated on 15 November 2019 and Reso lution dated 13 February 2020 by the Sandiganbayan in Criminal Case No. SB-17-CRM-0119 are REVERSED and SET ASIDE. Accused-appellant Edgar T. Villanueva is ACQUITTED of viola tion of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, on the ground that his guilt was not established beyond reasonable doubt,” the decision stated. The Sandiganbayan convicted Vil lanueva on charges violating the antigraft law, and sentenced him to six years to to 10 years, permanent disqualifica tion to hold public office. The anti-graft court ruled that Vil lanueva unlawfully auctioned off a por tion of the Manila Seedling property without a notice of assessment. “Out of the 12 respondents in the Office of the Ombudsman, only I was left behind to face charges at the Sandiganbayan. If there was no notice of assessment, why is it that the (chief of the) assessor’s office not included in the complaint, and why is it that there was a dismissal of complaint against the other 11 respondents?” he told the Manila Standard. The Sandiganbayan ordered Villanue va’s dismissal from government service and forfeiture of his benefits. “I won in the administrative case at the Court of Appeals that directed the city government to pay me back some P4 million in back wages,” he said. By Joel E. Zurbano
QC school faces raps for abrupt closure
Court
EX-PRESIDENT TURNS DEPUTY SPEAKER. Speaker Martin Romualdez administers the oath to former President now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who has been designated as Senior Deputy Speaker, with her family in attendance, notably former Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo. Ver Noveno IT’S NOT HEAVY; IT’S UKAY –UKAY. A man carries a bale of used clothing commonly called ukay-ukay which is ostensibly good business along Bangbang Street in Sta. Cruz, Manila. The worker is presumably unmindful that the issue on his merchandize has reached the august halls of the Senate where neophyte Sen. Raffy Tulfo bats for the legalization of the importation of pre-owned garments. Norman Cruz
COTABATO CITY—The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos will hold a one-day stakeholders’ consultative meeting here on August 18, the NCMF local Soccsksargen regional office an nounced.NCMF Region 12 director Datu Mama Sinsuat Jr. said the meeting is designed to generate baseline data and profile for its domain of constituency in South-Central Mindanao.Itisalso aimed at generating commit ment of support and the sense of owner ship of the stakeholders output, based on three main programs of the Commission, namely: socioeconomic, sociocultural and socialSinsuatprotection.saidNCMF officials from Ma nila will be coming to attend the event. He said a series of similar activities will also be held in NCMF Lanao Region and in NCMF Zamboanga Region, on differ entSinsuatdates. said the consultation will be in preparation for the First Muslim Summit tentatively scheduled in October this year.
“This program is an approach to pro mote the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources to maximize economic and social welfare without compromising our ecosystem,” the Office of the President said on its official Facebook page. Marcos concurrently serves as Secre tary of the Department of Agriculture. In his first State of the Nation Address on July 25, the President urged Congress to pass a measure creating a Department of Water Resources. He said the proposed IWRM will be adopted as the strategic framework for national water management, policymak ing, and planning once the department is created.Marcos also said he wanted the gov ernment to look into the freshwater sup ply situation in the country, especially in urban areas. He noted that many of the country’s water supply systems date back to the 1950s and must now be rehabilitated and improved. The President has instructed the De partment of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Public Works and Highways to explore possible partnerships with the private sector to ad
PRICE CHECK. A customer checks the prices of canned goods while shopping at a supermarket in Tondo, Manila on Wednesday. Increases in the suggested retail prices of processed canned meat and beef as well as bottled water, among others, have been announced by the Department of Trade and Industry. Norman LYDIA.Cruz
Lawyer questions NCAP, files High Court petition
During last Tuesday’s organizational meeting of the Senate Committee on Pub lic Information and Mass Media, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles told sena tors that while Congress had allocated a budget for the payment of the unsettled dues, the GCG supposedly disallowed the use of the funds. Angeles noted that corporate funds of the two television stations should instead be tapped based on existing laws and government guidelines. “But since the money came from GAA (General Appropriations Act), they are not corporate funds,” Angeles told Es trada upon the latter’s questioning. Estrada was also told that the unsettled overtime and back pay of PTN and IBC13 employees cover the period 2013 until 2015. By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice (DOJ) will submit to the Senate a report on the status of the illegal drug cases pending in court against detained former Senator and for mer Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. “We will submit to Senator Angara a status report on these cases,” DOJ spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano said in a text message to reporters. “The prosecutors in charge have al ready finished their presentation of evidence and it is now former Sen. De Lima’s turn to present her evidence. We will submit ASAP (as soon as possi ble),” the DOJ official said. Clavano made the assurance in re sponse to the request made by Sen. Ed gardo “Sonny” Angara who sought a status report on the cases. Angara asked DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla for a report during a meeting with the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Wednes day, August 17. De Lima has been detained since 2017 at the Custodial Center of the Philippine National Police (PNP) at its headquarters at Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Estrada says GCG should pay backwages DOJ to submit reports on cases vs. De Lima
Speaker hails DSWD for quick cash aid release Preserve SK and brgy. funds—solonpoll
By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE Speaker Martin G. Romual dez on Wednesday lauded the re cent milestone of Social Welfare Sec. Erwin Tulfo in streamlining the grant of financial assistance to indi gents by the DSWD and shortening the period needed in order to avail of such benefits from three to five days to just one. “I commend Sec. Tulfo for this remarkable feat of responsi ble governance. His efforts only prove that no amount of barri ers in the bureaucracy can stop the will of a strong leadership seeking efficiency in government processes,” Romualdez said as Tulfo along with his officials led by Undersecretaries Niña Taduran and Jerico L. Javier paid a courtesy call on him Wednesday. “This is especially important for services such as medical aid, where the element of time is of utmost im portance. Sec. Tulfo recognizes this and has implemented measures to en sure that indigents receive the aid at a time they need it most,” the Speaker added.
By Macon Ramos-Araneta Muslims and other groups will soon be protected against discrimination if a bill filed by Sen. Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla is passed into law. In filing Senate Bill 233, Padilla stressed the need to protect the rights of all Filipinos, adding there is no room for dis crimination on the basis of race, religion or being formerly incarcerated persons. The bill pushes severe penalties against discrimination, including a jail term of at least six years, and a fine of at least “ThisP100,000.billlays down the prohibited and punishable acts of discrimination against a person, his/her relative up to the fourth degree of consanguin ity or affinity, or representative, when committed on the basis of race, color, descent, national oe ethnic origin, reli gion, or religious affiliation or beliefs, or being formerly incarcerated,” said Padilla, who himself has experienced discrimination because of his religion. “Regrettably, it is a reality that differing and adverse treatment on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion or even involvement with the justice system still exists in a democratic country like ours. Like other nations around the world, social exclusion, intolerance and discrimination prevail and harm the basic rights of every member of our society... In order to ensure that every Filipino’s equality is preserved and human dignity is pro tected, the passage of this measure is earnestly sought,” he added.
A LAWYER has filed a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) challenging the constitutionality of the “No Contact Apprehension Program” (NCAP) of the City of Manila. Atty. Juman B. Paa, the petitioner, said that on June 29, 2022 he went to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to register his vehicle. However, he was informed by the LTO that his vehicle cannot be registered because of unpaid fines for four traffic violations he al legedly committed in 2021 which were captured through the NCAP of the City of TheManila.violations include “Obstruction of the Pedestrian Lane,” which he alleg edly committed in four separate occa sions on Orosa (P-Burgos Northbound) and the fines he was made to pay to taled P13,000, but due to penalties, the amount ballooned to P20,2360. The lawyer said the penalty imposed is P7,320.00 which is equivalent to ap proximately 56% of the fine imposed or roughly, 4.6% penalty interest per month.Paasaid he has not received any No tice of Violation with respect to these traffic incidents. Paa said in fact, it ap peared that the said notices were sent to an incorrect address. But despite the apparent error, Paa said he was still made to pay the fines and penalties. One of the grounds of Paa’s petition in cludes Violation of Due Process, because he was not given the proper notice. He also questioned the exorbitant amount of the fine for his alleged traffic violations.
PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is study ing a proposal to adopt an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) program for the country.
BBM eyes integrated water resources program for PH
By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada said the Governance Commission for Government-Owned or Controlled Cor porations (GCG) should pay back wages and overdue benefits of employees of state-owned People’s Television Net work Inc. (PTN) and Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp. (IBC-13). Due to long delays, he noted that some of their employees have already died without being able to get their back pay, unpaid overtime pay and retirement ben efits.Estrada, chairperson of the Senate labor committee, stressed these employ ees, who have rendered, should be given their hard-earned money and other ben efits due to them.
Padilla files bill protecting Pinoys vs. discrimination NO CONTACT. Vehicles pass a “No Contact Apprehension (NCAP)” sign along Quirino Avenue in Manila. Quezon City Fourth District Rep. Marvin Rillo has filed House Resolution No. 237, directing three committees of the House of Representatives to probe the controversial NCAP amid a growing number of complaints from motorists. Norman Cruz
Filipina “Sprint Queen” Lydia De Vega is laid to her final resting place at the Pandayan Memorial Park in Meycuayan, Bulacan on Wednesday. Danny Pata
A4 THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 News
By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE Deputy Minority Leader and Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera on Wednesday cited the im portance of preserving the funds in tended for the barangay and SK poll exercise and ensuring its availability for the same purpose at a later date. Herrera made the statement after the House committee suffrage and electoral reforms decided to post pone the conduct of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to Dec. 4, 2023. “Prudence dictates that in the event of postponement, the appropriation for this year’s BSKE should remain with Comelec and continue to be available for the same purpose after ward,” Herrera said. The Bagong Henerasyon partylist representative stated assurance from the Comelec that no public funds would go to waste if the BSKE scheduled in De cember this year are postponed anew. Last Tuesday, the House suffrage and electoral reforms committee ap proved a proposal to postpone the BSKE scheduled on Dec. 5, 2022 to Dec. 4, 2023, believing it would help the government save a lot of money that can be diverted to fi nancial aid for the poor and beef up the country’s COVID-19 response. According to Comelec, the budget for the BSKE is still in its coffers and remains unspent except for the very minimal amount. The appropriation for the 2022 BSKE amounts to P8.441 billion, of which P1.045 billion is for person al services (PS) and P7.397 billion is for maintenance and other operat ing expenses (MOOE). Herrera noted that the allotment for BSKE has already been released to Comelec and the incurrence of obliga tion is currently ongoing. dress this crucial situation. Marcos in his SONA enumerated 19 measures which he hoped Congress would pass, including the creation of the said Department of Water Resources. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos said it’s a crucial requirement to manage water resources better. “It is unfortunate that in this day and age, water is still a luxury for many Filipi nos who still do not have access to clean drinking water,” Abalos said. “With the creation of a Department of Water Resources, there will be a dedi cated government agency that will integrate and harmonize water man agement efforts of different water agencies and ensure the optimal manage ment of water resources.”
Salceda’s demand management is indeed quite apt. We consume a lot of sugar, in the form of soft drinks and ersatz fruit drinks (mostly sugar plus artificial flavoring), pastries and desserts, bread (our Pinoy tasty and even our pan de sal use up a lot of sugar), candies and “kakanin.” Even the staple “ulam” of canned sar dines use sugar. Why, we even have sweet spaghetti, and our ketchup and tomato sauc es have a “Pinoy” sweet version! So Rep. Joey wants to ban sugared soda and “fruit” beverages in schools. Accompa nied by the proper teaching of nutritional values to our kids, we can in due time “man age” demand. For starters, we should teach everyone that brown sugar is healthier and better, while white refined sugar is bleached with chemicals to acquire its nice color. Healthier and cheaper too. In our house, ever since I can remember, we use brown or washed sugar with our coffee, because my mom told us early on that white sugar was unhealthy. Nowadays I use a teaspoon of honey with my morning mug of coffee. We can also manage demand by impos ing higher taxes, treating sugared beverages like we treat tobacco products and alcoholic drinks. Not necessarily “sin” taxes but with pretty much similar effect -- to curb con sumption. It’s all about deliberately cultivating a mindset, and the taste buds. My kids hardly touch soft drinks because we trained them that way in their grow ing years. Drink water, not Coke nor Pepsi products. Take real fruits, instead of bottled “fruit” juices. These solutions take time to materialize and take effect, but we should start in that direction. Salceda should talk to his good friend, Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte about demand management starting from early education, and to DOF Secretary Ben Diokno about taxing these unhealthy sugary sinful products.
The National Association of Philippine NewspapersPPI can be accessed manilastandard.netat: Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Baldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad Solutions Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager
This is one important reason why we should have more people writing books and a public devouring these books be cause knowledge enriches the country in manyUnfortunately,ways. this does not appear to be so. What we seem to have is a public that do not have the luxury of time to be reading books because they are perhaps too busy working, do not have the time to read or simply cannot afford to buy the books. Over the years, I have always made it a habit that when I go to the malls, I always go to the book stores to see what books are available.Thereused to be several book stores of fering many selections of books. Today, however, only the National Book Store seems to be around and the books available are so limited with not much to choose from. This could only mean that many book stores had to close shop be cause people are no longer buying books. This is really a shame. Since the momentous events of EDSA 1, we have had EDSA 2, and maybe about 9 coup attempts. We have also conducted six presidential election since 1992. Yet, as far as I know, there are not many books written about theseSurely,events.if Malaysia and Thailand could turn out more than 15,000 books each ev ery year, we should be able to exceed that number by the sheer size of our population. Among the principal characters of EDSA 1 for instance, only former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile is still around. Former Presidents Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., Cora zon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos all passed away without leaving us their versions of events leading to those four earth-shatter ing days of February 1986. Most of the military officers who played significant roles have also chosen not to write anything except for a few like the for mer Senior Aide to former President Ferdi nand E. Marcos Sr, the late Colonel Arturo Aruiza who was not only quite decent but was also a first class gentleman. What sometimes filter out are verbal recollections or interviews by participants during anniversary celebrations which do not end up being recorded for posterity’s sake. The few books that have been written and published by academics and journalists that I have come across are good but we need a lot more from the direct participants. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact rea son why the number of books coming out of the printing presses have declined over the years. Could the pandemic that has ravaged the country for almost three years have some thing to do with it? I do hope that the government can do something to rekindle the interest of the public to take up reading and that it will not do anything to discourage people from writing books. Otherwise, the country will be in a lot of trouble.
YOU would think that book burning is something that’s already part of history, as it conjures images of crowds gathered in frenzy before a huge pile of books up in flames deemed as contrary to Adolf Hitler’s vision of a superior Aryan race. That vision, as we know, led to the extermination of some six million Jews during the Second World War. Something akin to book-burning is what’s taking place here, more than eight decades later, as certain quarters try to whip up an anti-Red hysteria and purge libraries of books considered “subversive” or pro-communist or tend ing to incite rebellion against the gov ernment. Last week, the Komisyon ng Wikang Pambansa (KWP) stopped the printing of five books written by Malou Jacob, Bienvenido Lumbera, Dexter Cayanes, Rommel Rodriguez, Don Pagusara and Reuel Aguila supposedly for being “subversive.”Theseauthors, however, are unfazed by the agency’s move to ban their books.Rommel Rodriguez, a professor at the University of the Philippines Dili man’s Filipino and Philippine literature department, said the KWF’s decision only emboldened him further to write stories about the Filipino people. “Censorship is my muse. The more an artist or writer is prevented from writing, the more enthusiastic we be come and the more we want to write,” he said. Don Pagusara, for his part, said the parts of the book considered subversive by the KWF were not even meant to be historical accounts. “It was fictional but based on true events that happened in side a maximum security prison at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.
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‘Shadow government’ scandal roils Australian politics
• • • A lot of speculation swirled around the 300,000 ton “unauthorized and therefore il legal” sugar importation. In its aftermath, we have USec Leocadio Sebastian, an upright and competent DA official, resigning and taking the sword for his boss, the President. Following him, as of this writing, was SRA board director Ro lando Beltran and SRA Administrator Her menegildo Serafica, both hold-overs from the Duterte administration. We have yet to see how this sugar import brouhaha unfolds. Most people judged SRA and Sebastian immediately, but domestic production numbers are easy to compute, and industry consumption as well. So if we foresee a shortage of supply by October, we should be importing this early. It’s not like buying “suka” from the sari-sari store. It takes time from a letter of credit to actual shipments and delivery to our ports. Meanwhile, our manufacturing industry’s processed food products, many of them with export markets, or our bakeries and pastry shops, should not be held hostage by indeci sion and the lobbying of the sugar bloc. Nor our consumers, for that matter. There is a whole value chain on which sugar plays an important role, and manag ing consumer demand is for the future, not present market realities.
In a joint statement, the five authors demanded that the KWF commission ers, as well as the hosts of pro-govern ment media network SMNI who called their works subversive, recant their al legations. “What is this travesty? Their claims are libelous and would put our lives in grave danger,” they said. National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario, a former chair of the KWF, called on the commissioners not to in volve the arts in their squabble. “The vigor of the national language and literary freedom are among the na tion’s sacred aspirations. Leave them out of the power struggle within KWF and its rotten bureaucracy,” he said in Filipino. Arthur Casanova, the current KWF chair, defended the five books, saying they had all passed the commission’s review process. A renowned author, educator, linguist and theater director, he said the claim the books were subversive “is a danger ous accusation which may already be stepping on the boundaries of freedom of expression and academic freedom.” Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III also decried the KWF’s move. “This is not good. Fili pinos should have access to different kinds of ideas, including those of Karl Marx.”Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel said the KWF’s order only proved the “chilling effect” of the anti-terrorism law, which the Supreme Court had affirmed as con stitutional except for two provisions. Project Gunita, a group that has been archiving materials on the Marcos ad ministration, said only cowards and li ars were frightened by the truth. This is not the first time the gov ernment has cracked down on books deemedDuringsubversive.theprevious administration, several state colleges also pulled out books they said were anti-government. The Adarna publishing house was also recently identified as an outlet of children’s books that tended to put the government in a negative light. The Na tional Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) claimed Adarna was attempting to “subtly radicalize” Filipino children with its books touching on the martial law era. The virtual book-burning by the gov ernment runs counter to the freedom of expression guaranteed by the 1987 Constitution. This must stop if we want to preserve our democratic rights and prevent our democracy from being undermined by forces opposed to contrary views and meaningful change.
Thepositions.scandal has shone a light on the opaque nature of decision-making inside Australia’s government -- and raised ques tions about whether more stringent demo
Something akin to book burning is what’s taking place here, more than eight decades later, as certain quarters try to whip up an anti-Red hysteria and purge libraries of books...
A country is not only poor because of limited financial resources but can also be poor due to knowledge or information deprivation
In Australia, elected politicians are se lected by the prime minister before be ing sworn in by the governor-general in a formal ceremony that is usually publicly recorded.Constitutional law expert Anne Twomey described the allegations as “bizarre” and said it raised possible legal challenges to some of the former government’s deci sions. “The secrecy involved in this is just simply bizarre. I mean, you know, you just wonder what’s wrong with these people, if they have to do everything in secret,” she said. “It’s just utterly inappropriate. We live in a democracy, which requires transpar ency.” AFP SOMETIMES, it pays to browse the many channels on social media. One item that caught my attention was a country comparison on the number of books being published by various coun tries.According to this report, our country turns out about 1,500 books annually com pared to Malaysia and Thailand with more than 15,000 each. The United States, which came in as number one on the other hand, rolls out more than 150,000 books every year. There is no surprise there since people in the US are always writing their memoirs. With a population of about 110 million people, 1,500 books is an awfully low number and my initial reaction was that the data could not be accurate. We should be publishing a lot more but, unfortunately, it does not seem to be the case.Malaysia and Thailand with a popula tion of about 31.5 million and 70 million respectively, are publishing 10 times more. Of course, we do not know whether the figures posted are accurate or where the data came from but, assuming the figures are accurate, this does not paint a good pic ture for the country. This miniscule number of publications could mean a lot of things. Perhaps, there are really not too many people writing novels, other literary works or their life experiences. For instance, while our country went thru many convulsive events in the last 40 years like EDSA 1 and the many coup at tempts that followed, not one of the prin cipal characters of those historical events wrote about their participation, depriving the nation of valuable knowledge. A country is not only poor because of limited financial resources but can also be poor due to knowledge or information de privation. Sometimes, this can be reflected in the depth of a country’s sophistication or lack of it especially when people are easily swayed by the many postings they read on social media. A well informed, intelligent and discern ing population is the foundation of a strong and stable society. It has often been said that books open the world to those who love to read.
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A lot of speculation swirled around the 300,000 importationtherefore“unauthorizedtonandillegal”sugar
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cratic safeguards are needed. It is still not clear how many posts Mor rison held, but local media reported that he took on the resources portfolio and used his power to axe a significant gas project off Sydney’s Morrison’scoast.conservative coalition lost power in May elections, ending nearly a decade of center-right rule in the country.
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In Australia, elected politicians are selected by the prime minister before being sworn in by the governor-general in a formal ceremony that is usually publicly recorded
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REVELATIONS that Australia’s ex-prime minister secretly appointed himself to sev eral ministerial posts during the pandemic have sparked a political firestorm, with his successor promising a rapid investigation. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ac cused Scott Morrison of “tin-pot activ ity” after it emerged the former leader had made himself minister of health, finance and resources, among other positions, without informing colleagues, parliament or Describingvoters. Morrison’s actions as “ex traordinary and unprecedented.” Albanese said Monday he had sought legal advice from the solicitor-general and would be briefed later on. “This is a sort of tin-pot activity that we would ridicule if it was in a non-dem ocratic country,” Albanese said. “Scott Morrison was running a shadow govern ment”Insome cases, Morrison made himself a co-minister without telling the Cabinet members he had already appointed to those
NOT really out of the box but quite interest ing is Albay Rep. Joey Salceda’s posit of the need for “demand management” to mitigate food supply problems in the country. In an interview when I was with the Na tional Food Authority, I underscored the country’s high per capita consumption of rice, and mentioned the Mang Inasal “unli rice” promotional gimmick as an example. That marketing tool was quite success ful, and Mang Inasal made a billionaire of Iloilo’s Injap Sia. Meanwhile, I was criti cized in media for even proposing to limit the Filipino’s intake of rice. In a Senate budget hearing, Sen. Serge Osmena stressed that “curbing demand” is not a viable solution to our rice supply prob lems, as it is very difficult to “fight culture” which includes dietary habits. Our per capita consumption of the staple grain is anywhere between 126 to 132 kilos of rice per annum. This determines the annual over-all de mand for rice when multiplied by the popu lation. Supply is measured in terms of local production, a function of two major harvests each year: summer, the April-May harvest, and the September-October main harvest. The summer harvest is smaller because only irrigated lands can be planted in the November-December planting season, while the wet season crop includes rain-fed lands. Generally, a 10 percent shortage between demand and domestic production is a given. It could become higher, generally 15 per cent or more, if harvests are low due to ei ther drought or strong typhoons that destroy our mature palay. In contrast, the Japanese eat very little rice, although their short-grain variety is so, so ambrosial in taste, texture and aroma. So do the Taiwanese, whose preference for rice, unlike that of the mainland, is for the short-grain variety. But the Japanese per capita consumption is only around 52 kilos, while Taiwan’s 23 million people eat only 48 kilos per capita annually.Vietnamese and Thais eat about the same as Filipinos, give or take a few kilos here and there. But there is an inside story to those high numbers. There is also the observation that the richer a country gets, the lower the con sumption of rice, which probably explains why Bangladesh, Cambodia and Laos con sume plenty of rice per person each year compared to the rest of Asia. In China, urban consumption is markedly lower than in rural populations. But how do you tame per capita con sumption of rice? When I was in Taiwan from 2016 till mid-2021, I noticed that viands were rela tively cheap, aside from being of good qual ity, whether you bought from the grocery or ate in their “ipay-ipay,” our version of the carinderia. A typical lunch box worth 80 to 120 NT (roughly 140 to 200 pesos) would have a little rice, topped with pork, beef, chicken or fish, and two vegetables plus tofu. Very healthy and Juxtaposebalanced.thatwith the minimum wage of 24,000 NT (around 43,000) and you have an idea as to why Filipino job-seek ers prefer Taiwan, over other Asian work destinations. Why do the Taiwanese eat less rice? Because viands are cheap and vegetables abound. Fish is plentiful, and so are pork and poultry, though beef is generally im ported. Children are exposed to vegetables early on. Now let us tackle sugar, where perhaps
The union says expanding Britain’s Seasonal Workers Scheme is vital to en sure the country does not see a repeat of what Bradshaw called this year’s “dev astating level of food waste next year.” Britain this year authorized some 38,000 visas for seasonal workers but the sector says it needs around double that at nearer 70,000. To counter the problem the NFU wants to see the visa scheme expanded to permit a minimum five-year roll ing scheme, pointing out horticultural growth is a plank of the government’s National Food Strategy. “This survey has demonstrated just how crucial it is for fruit and veg grow ers to have access to the workforce they need,” said Bradshaw. AFP US outputindustrialsoared0.7%inJuly
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The Philippine Stock Exchange Index declined 31.65 points, or 0.5 percent, to 6,818.99 on a value turnover of P8 billion. Gainers, however, beat losers, 117 to 94, with 34 is suesBankunchanged.ofthePhilippine Islands of the Ayala Group, the thirdbiggest lender in terms of assets, fell 2.7 percent to P93, while sister firm Ayala Land Inc. dropped 2.6 percent to P29.40.
BUSY AIRPORT. A picture shows a baggage drop area at terminal 3 at Dubai international Airport, in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, on August 16, 2022. Emirates last month rejected an order from London Heathrow for airlines to reduce passenger numbers to ease summer travel chaos sparked by staff shortages. AFP
Forecast-beating earnings from retail titans Walmart and Home Depot provided optimism that US consumers remain resilient even as inflation remains elevated and borrowing costs are going up. In a sign of the work ahead for banks in battling inflation, figures Wednesday showed prices rose in Britain last month at their fastest pace since 1982 as food costs rocketed. The news sent sterling sharply higher against the dollar. With AFP 0.179 0.335 August 17, 2022 UK inflation rate jumps to 40-year
The rest of Asian markets rose with oil prices on Wednes day following a rally on Wall Street, with Asia given a lift after China’s premier called for more measures to boost the strugglingInvestorseconomy.remain on edge as they try to navigate an uncertain landscape while central banks hike interest rates to fight runaway inflation, in turn fueling fears of a possible recession. Hong Kong and Shanghai enjoyed healthy gains, while Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore, Wellington, Taipei, Mumbai and Bangkok were also up—though Seoul dipped. While officials at the Federal Reserve and its peers are expected to keep tightening monetary policy for the rest of the year, talk is building that they will be able to ease up in 2023—and maybe even cut rates—if the pace of price rises comes down. Minutes from the Fed’s July meeting will be pored over when they are released later in the day, with investors hoping for some insight into policymakers’ thinking and an idea of its plan for next month’s gathering. “We expect the ... minutes to have a hawkish tilt,” Carol Kong, at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said. “We would not be surprised if the minutes show (officials) considered a 100 basis points increase in July.” The bank lifted rates by 75 points in both June and July.
-0.015 -7.73% 7 FILRT 6 -0.5 -7.69% 8 RCI 0.57 -0.04 -6.56% 9 CHIB 29.2 -1.8 -5.81% 10 ALLDY
STOCKS retreated Wednesday to snap a seven-day rally that saw the benchmark index soaring to over three-month high in the previous session.
WASHINGTON, United States—A solid rebound in American manufac turing, especially vehicles, following two months of declines, help push overall industrial production up in July, the Federal Reserve said Tues day.A massive 6.6-percent surge in motor vehicle and parts production was a key driver the 0.7-percent rise in manufacturing, which was the biggest gain since March, the data showed.Thatboosted total industrial output by 0.6 percent last month, which was double the consensus forecast among economists.Thegain contrasted with the mas sive decline in a regional survey by the New York Fed for the first week of August, which briefly spooked in vestors on “ManufacturingMonday. activity is cool ing, but retains some momentum; no indications of a massive pullback,” said Gregory Daco, chief economist of EY Parthenon. “I’d downplay the huge drop in the Empire State survey & focus on the ISM readings pointing to cool ing activity,” Daco said on Twitter, referring to a nationwide survey that showed a slowdown but continued growth last month. Mining production also rose 0.7 percent, on “gains in coal mining and in oil and gas well drilling,” while utilities fell 0.8 percent, the Fed said. Overall production was 3.9 percent higher compared to July 2021, while manufacturing has risen 3.2 percent, the report Industrialsaid.capacity in use edged back over 80 percent, to 80.3 percent, after slipping below that threshold in June. AFP LACKLUSTER DATA. Traders work during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on August 16, 2022 at Wall Street in New York City. Wall Street stocks were mostly lower early Tuesday following lackluster housing data and as Walmart results highlighted how inflation is altering consumer behavior. AFP
PLDT Inc. of Indonesia’s Salim Group, the largest telecom munications firm, slipped 2.7 percent to P1,708, but BDO Unibank Inc. of the Sy Group, the biggest bank, climbed 2.2 percent to P128.20.
Stock market declines to snap seven-day rally
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BEIJING, China—Scorching temper atures in eastern China have pushed up egg prices because hens are laying fewer in a hotter-than-usual summer, local media reported. Extreme weather has become more frequent owing to climate change, sci entists say, and this will likely grow more intense as temperatures rise, impacting economies and societies around the world. Multiple major cities in China have recorded their hottest days ever this year, and the country’s national obser vatory issued a red alert on Monday. And the heat wave is putting not only humans, but animals under stress too.In Hefei city, farmers reported a drop in egg production because of the heat, according to a Jianghuai Morn ing News report last week, adding that some facilities have installed cooling systems for their hens. The drop in supply in several prov inces has caused egg prices to jump. In Hefei, Anhui province’s capital, they were up around 30 percent, and there were similar spikes in the cities of Hangzhou and Hai’an, according to localHefeimedia.has so far logged 14 days of temperatures above 38 degrees Cel sius, Hefei Evening News said, noting that this was a record. Sustained exposure to extreme tem peratures can exacerbate losses in pro duction from animals, including eggs and milk, according to the US Depart ment of WhileAgriculture.thenumber of hens laying in China has not decreased, they have been eating less on hot days, Qianjiang Evening News added. In addition to impacting poultry farms, the heat wave has also forced electricity rationing in lithium hub Si chuan in the face of soaring demand for power. Provinces including Zhejiang, Ji angsu and Anhui that rely on power from western China have also issued electricity curbs for industrial users to ensure homes had enough power, local media reported. AFP
Torrid pricesincreasesweatheregginChina
Britain labor shortages see mass of food go to waste MOSTVOLUMEACTIVEVALUE (PHP) 1 BDO 6,946,310 887,855,287 2 ALI 21,857,200 654,339,370 3 ICT 2,253,140 420,724,361 4 SM 465,840 410,739,250 5 AC 416,180 321,297,685 6 CNVRG 15,749,600 309,630,674 7 SPNEC 170,050,000 305,560,340 8 BPI 2,746,190 261,680,489 9 TEL 141,655 243,868,015 10 PX 72,302,000 242,347,010 TOP LASTGAINERS % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE 1 MACAY 4.59 1.52 49.51% 2 DIZ 4.91 1.41 40.29% 3 ABG 4.09 0.57 16.19% 4 PHR 0.85 0.09 11.84% 5 ECP 3.9 0.38 10.80% 6 LAND 0.99 0.08 8.79% 7 GPH 11 0.88 8.70% 8 SFI 0.093 0.006 6.90% 9 BRN 0.78 0.05 6.85% 10 FRUIT 1.17 0.07 6.36% TOPPRICELASTLOSERS%CHANGECHANGE 1 FPI 0.203 -0.047 -18.80% 2 MJC 1.26 -0.23 -15.44% 3 VVT 15.76 -2.12 -11.86% 4 MB 0.34 -0.045 -11.69% 5 BALAI 0.82 -0.08 -8.89% 6 GEO
LONDON, United Kingdom—Brit ish inflation surged to a new 40-year high in July on rising food prices, of ficial data showed Wednesday, adding to a cost-of-living crisis as the country faces the prospect of recession. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) accelerated to 10.1 percent last month from 9.4 percent in June—a 40-year record at the time—the Office of Na tional Statistics said. The Bank of England warned earlier this month that inflation will climb to just over 13 percent this year, the high est level since 1980. It also projected that the country would enter a recession that would last until late 2023, with official data last week showing Britain’s economy shrank in the second quarter. “I understand that times are tough, and people are worried about increas es in prices that countries around the world are facing,” said finance minis ter Nadhim Zahawi following the re lease of the latest inflation data. “Getting inflation under control is my top priority, and we are taking action through strong, independent monetary policy, responsible tax and spending decisions, and reforms to boost productivity and growth,” Za hawi said. He said the government is “helping where we can” through its £37-billion supportBritainpackage.isfacing a cost-of-living cri sis, with wage values falling at a re cordThepace.deteriorating economy will be inherited by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s successor after he leaves of fice next month, with fellow Conserva tives Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak vying to take the reins. The central bank raised its key rate by 0.50 percentage points to 1.75 per cent at its last policy meeting, the big gest hike since 1995. The BoE move mirrors aggressive monetary policy from the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank last month, as the world rac es to cool red-hot inflation that has been fueled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The UK’s statistics office said the “largest movements” in the CPI in July came from food. Bread and cereals were the largest contributors to the rise in food prices, followed by milk, cheese and eggs. The increases were reflected in higher prices for takeaway food prices, said ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner.AFP
-0.02 -5.63% PSEi
LONDON, United Kingdom—More than £60 million ($72 million) worth of food went to waste in Britain in the first half of the year for want of people to pick it, the National Farmers’ Union said Monday. “It’s nothing short of a travesty that quality, nutritious food is being wasted at a time when families across the country are already struggling to make ends meet because of soaring living costs,” said NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw. According to a union study of farm ers, 40 percent complained they had suf fered losses owing to a shortage of pick ers with some £22 million worth of fruit and vegetables alone lost from January to June. Those questioned said they needed recruitment to rise around 14 percent and added 17 percent of pickers failed to turn up for work while a further nine percent left before their contracts ex pired.Brexit has contributed to the shortage by making it more difficult for farms to employ workers from EU member states, with freedom of movement ended following Britain’s exit from the bloc. Ukrainians had temporarily partly filled the gap but since the Russian inva sion of their country in February many have been stuck in their homeland. To overcome the shortages, Britain has had to cast its net far further afield to recruit from countries including Indo nesia, the Philippines and Uzbekistan as well as South Africa. “At the same time, the prolonged dry weather and record temperatures have created a really challenging growing environment for our fruit and veg,” said Bradshaw.“Everycrop is valuable—to the farm business and to the people whose plates they fill. We simply can’t afford to be leaving food unpicked.”
Australia
By Julito G. Rada THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is set to increase the benchmark interest rate today to tame inflation, its top official said Wednesday. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov ernor Felipe Medall, during the Eco nomic Journalists Association of the Philippines-San Miguel Corp. eco nomic forum in Manila, said members of the Monetary Board would decide whether to raise the interest rate by 25 basis points or 50 basis points. The Monetary Board ruled out the possibility of keeping the policy rate at 3.25 percent or raising it by another 75 basis points, he said. “It will not be zero [hold] or [anoth er] 75 [basis points hike] tomorrow... It is like a toss coin... but I will not say which side of the coin is heavier,” Medalla said. The Monetary Board raised the benchmark policy interest rate by 75 ba sis points in July to 3.25 percent to con trol the rising inflation and support the peso, a move that surprised the domestic financial markets. The board also adjusted the interest rates on the overnight deposit and lend ing facilities to 2.75 percent and 3.75 percent, respectively. The rate hike was the third time this year. Medalla said raising the policy rate for the rest of the year would remain possible, given the continuing risks to economic growth of the higher inflation. Latest data from the Philippine Sta tistics Authority showed that inflation in July accelerated to a 45-month high of 6.4 percent from 6.1 percent in June, driven by faster increases in the prices of food, non-alcoholic beverages and higher transport fares. The July outturn was faster than 3.7 percent in July 2021. This also brought the average inflation in the first seven months to 4.7 percent, above the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent. Medalla said inflation would likely miss the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent this year because the headline inflation of 6.1 percent in June and 6.4 percent in July were higher than expected. “The [policy] actions we take are all meant to bring inflation within the tar get range... We will use everything in our toolkit to bring inflation within the target band,” Medalla said. Security Bank Corp. and the Ayalaled Bank of the Philippine Islands both predicted a 50-basis point hike in the policy rate today. “It would be between 25 and 50 basis points... But personally I see 50 [bps]... We are in between two US Fed policy meetings, and we don’t know what the US Fed will do in its September meet ing,” BPI lead economist Jun Neri said. “I think 50 [bps] is the consensus now... If the Fed raises 75 bps in Sep tember and BSP does 25 tomorrow... that is not good,” he said.
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Bangko Sentral prepares another interest rate hike
IN BRIEF Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor extrastory2000@gmail.combusiness@manilastandard.net
SPNEC eyes 2,500 hectares of land in C. Luzon to host 3,500-MW farms
By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Philippine Ports Authority said Wednesday net income rose 9 percent in the first half as it sustained its rebound from the effects of the global pandemic.Datafrom the PPA showed net income in the six-month period reached P5.024 billion, up from P4.611 billion registered in the same period in 2021. It also exceeded the P4.056-billion target for the period by 24Grosspercent.revenues climbed 14.28 percent in the first half to P9.438 billion from P8.25 billion a year ago. Expenses went up 14 percent to P4.413 billion from P3.646 billion. PPA said almost all revenue streams posted a positive deviation in the first six months, with the highest revenue increase from concession fees and other income posting a 552-percent hike, followed by storage fees that increased 55 percent and domestic dockage that went up by 28 percent. Revenues from lay-up operations and interest incomes suffered the biggest setbacks of 93 percent and 87 percent, respectively. The PPA posted a 9-percent increase in revenues in the last 18 months, reflecting a steady pace moving toward pre-pandemic levels. PPA said earlier that total cargo throughput went down 1.46 percent to 125.485 million metric tons from 127.343 MMT in the same period last year. Export volume posted the most significant decrease of 14.4 percent, dragging the total foreign cargo volume by 5.5 percent.
PSE INDEX CLOSING Wednesday, August 17, 2022 -31.656,818.99PTS. F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2022 Currency Unit US Dollar Peso United States Dollar 1.000000 55.9660 Japan Yen 0.007450 0.4169 UK Pound 1.209400 67.6853 Hong
39.2937
By Jenniffer B. Austria SSI Group Inc., the country’s larg est specialty retailer controlled by the Tantoco family, said Wednesday net income soared 383 percent in the first half to P491 million from a year ago, on the back of a strong rebound in SSIsales.said in a disclosure to the stock exchange revenues in the first half climbed 56 percent to P10.1 billion. Net income in the second quarter jumped 671 percent to P424 million, as revenues surged 91 percent to P5.6 billion.The company said second-quarter net income, sales and gross profit mar gins exceeded the pre-pandemic levels in SSI2019.said the positive second-quarter results reflected strong consumer de mand for the group’s brands and con tinued resilience of core customer base and brand portfolio. SSI president Anthony Huang said the group saw a significant turnaround in sales and net income as operating conditions began to normalize in the second“Strongquarter.consumer demand during the period allowed the group to capi talize on strategies put in place in or der to ensure responsiveness to chang ing market conditions, and to convert improving consumer confidence and mobility into sales and profitability,” Huang“Apartsaid.from a return to pre-COVID sales and profitability, the group saw extremely strong cash flow generation during the first half of 2022,” Huang said. Sales from e-commerce platform increased 19 percent in the second quarter and accounted for 8.2 percent of total Huangsales.said the company was well equipped to deal with possible head winds in the form of higher inflation and a weaker peso in the second half of the “Weyear.continue to be confident that SSI has put in place the tools to deal with changing market conditions,” Huang said. SSI entered signed a P350-million joint venture with G Distribution B.V. (Gucci) in May to accelerate the growth of the Gucci brand in the Phil ippines.Share price of SSI rose 3.3 percent Wednesday to P1.56. By Alena Mae S. Flores SOLAR Philippines Nueva Ecija Corp. said Wednesday it will use proceeds from several capital-raising activities to secure 2,500 hectares of land between Bulacan and Nueva Ecija provinces to host 3,500 megawatts of solar farms. This would mark SPNEC’s expansion of operations in the two provinces where it is developing 500 MW of solar projects. SPNEC’s combined developments in the area with a capacity of 4 gigawatts would surpass the output of India’s Bhadla Solar Farm, the world’s largest solar project with over 2.2 GW It would also exceed the capacity of the total grid-connected solar projects in the Philippines at 1.3 GW as of end-2021. Solar Philippines began consolidat ing land and permits for the project in 2016, when it applied its first solar en ergy service contract in the area with the Department of Energy. SPNEC said the clustering of projects in the same area supports the develop ment of transmission, extending over 60 kilometers to connect to National Grid Corp. of the Philippines’ substations that supply the Greater Manila Area. “Over the years, others did not believe these ranchlands far from the grid could be the site for a solar farm. By the end of this year, our planned share issuances should result in the consolidation of ingredients that would enable SPNEC to expand its flagship project to be the world’s largest solar farm,” said Solar Philippines found er Leandro Leviste. The share issuances include the company’s asset-for-share swap where SPNEC would acquire shares of Solar Philippines in a portfolio of projects primarily under joint ventures. The projects include the 3.5-GW so lar, 4.5-GWh battery Terra solar project that plans to supply Manila Electric Co. mid-merit requirement for around 12 hours a day; 1.8 GW of projects con tracted under the DOE’s Green Energy Auction; another 1.8 GW solar, 1.8 GWh battery project which plans to supply Meralco’s baseload requirement for up to 24 hours per day; and over 400-MW projects that are operating or under construction. Kong Dollar 0.127527 Franc 1.052964 Dollar 0.778513 Dollar 0.725426 40.5992 Dollar 0.702100 Bahrain Dinar 2.652731 Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266383 Brunei Dollar 0.722804 40.4524 Indonesia Rupiah 0.000068 Thailand Baht 0.028273 UAE Dirham 0.272279 15.2384 Euro Euro 1.017000 56.9174 Korea Won 0.000763 0.0427 China Yuan 0.147297 8.2436 India Rupee 0.012619 0.7062 Malaysia Ringgit 0.224014 12.5372 New Zealand Dollar 0.634100 35.4880 Taiwan Dollar 0.033396 1.8690 Source: BSP TOTAL VOLUME 89,9831,173,161,028 TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) 8,040,792,150.69 ADVANCES 117 UNCHANGED 34
PPA recorded 9% increase in 1st-half income amid recovery SSI Group’s profit soared by 383% to P491m in 6 months
Metrobank named top bank employer ONLINE professional network LinkedIn named Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. as the best bank for job seekers aiming to enter the banking and finance industry in the Philip pines this Metrobankyear.secured the fourth spot among all Philippine employers in LinkedIn’s 2022 Top Companies List for the Philippines where the network ranked 15 local compa nies. It also bested other domestic banks as the best banking employer in the country. LinkedIn said these companies offer stabili ty amid a constantly changing work environ ment and they not only attract employees, but strive to retain them. The past two years have been tough for companies, especially in terms of human resource operations. The pandemic has com pelled employers to drastically overhaul their systems and procedures, as well as ini tiate measures to maintain staff productivity andAgainstmorale. this backdrop, Metrobank made it a priority to ensure that all its over 14,000-strong employees are being cared for and equipped with tools to help in their pro ductivity. Cebu Pacific adds more flights to Seoul CEBU Pacific said Wednesday it is expand ing its Cebu hub with additional direct flights to Seoul, South Korea starting next month. The airline unit of the Gokongwei Group said it would increase its flights from Cebu to Seoul (Incheon) to daily operation from a twice-a-week service starting Sept. 9 this year.“These additional flights will enable more passengers from VisMin to fly to South Korea any day of the week so they may fi nally make their travel dreams a reality. This ramp-up just two months after the route is a testament to our commitment to every Juan and reflects the travel demand amongst Filipinos and foreigners,” CEB corporate communications director Carmina ReyesRomero said. Cebu Pacific flies to Cebu from 22 do mestic destinations. “With our extensive do mestic network in and out of Cebu, we are happy to provide more flight connections to our passengers. We hope this encourages ev eryJuan to fly more and travel international for less via Cebu Pacific,” Romero said. Darwin G. Amojelar Figaro optimistic on 2022 operations FIGARO Coffee Systems Inc., the sole sub sidiary and operating company owned by listed Figaro Coffee Group, is optimistic about its business operations this year after a banner year in 2021 with multiple store openings leading to a strong increase in profitability.“Despite the pandemic crisis, the previ ous year has certainly been significant for us. Back when people were still restricted to their homes and the demand for food de livery was at its peak, our company’s im mediate response was to keep our kitchens operational. Angel’s Pizza was among the strong food brands with a focus on high quality and service during the pandemic, making us one of the top choices for piz za orders. This is why our brand Angel’s Pizza emerged as a front-runner, favored and recognized by many today,” said FCSI president Justin Liu. “Now that the pandemic restrictions have lessened and people are slowly start ing to return to their pre-pandemic ways, living their lives outside of their homes once again, we are looking to continue our momentum through the expansion of our stores in various areas nationwide,” Liu said.
AUGUST 18,
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0.0038
58.9302 Canada
B4 THURSDAY, 2022
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Smart emerges as fastest network—Ooklamobile SMART Communications Inc. emerged as the country’s fastest and best mobile network in the first half according to Ookla, the global leader in mobile and broadband network in telligence.Thelatest Ookla’s Speedtest Awards covering first and second quarters showed that Smart emerged as the ‘fastest mobile network’ with a speed score of 62.22, while its clos est competitor posted a speed score of 32.48. Smart posted a median download speed of 24.26 megabits per second and a median upload speed of 6.59 Mbps, while its closest competitor posted a median download speed of 17.47 Mbps and a median upload speed of 6.43 Mbps. Smart also dominated the ‘best mobile coverage’ category with a score 794, surpassing its closest competitor’s coverage score of 732. The coverage score captures both the number of locations in which an operator offers service (its footprint) and the quality of service in each lo cation, Ookla said in its report. “Speedtest Awards, presented by Ookla, are an elite designation re served for the fastest and top-per forming fixed broadband and mobile operators around the world. It is our pleasure to present Smart with the award for Best Mobile Network in the Philippines,” Ookla chief execu tive Doug Suttles said. “This recognition is testament to their exceptional performance in H1 2022 based on Ookla’s rigorous anal ysis of consumer-initiated tests taken with Speedtest,” he said. PLDT and Smart president and chief executive Alfredo Panlilio said being the first Philippine mobile ser vices provider to be declared as the ‘best mobile network’ is a huge hon or for Smart. Darwin G. Amojelar
43.5703 Singapore
ECONOMIC FORUM. Government and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas officials share their insights and outlook during an economic forum organized by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines and San Miguel Corp. at the Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros, Manila. Leading the event are (from left) Finance Undersecretary Zeno Ronald Abenoja, BSP Governor Felipe Medalla, EJAP president Cai Ordinario, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan and Budget Undersecretary Joselito Basilio.
7.1372 Switzerland
CAVITEX EXTENSION. Top executives of the Metro Pacific group and government officials attend the inaugural ceremony for the Cavitex C5 Link Flyover Extension that will provide motorists more convenient access to and from the cities of Taguig, Pasay and Parañaque. Shown are (from left) Rep. Monico Puentevella, Cavitex Infrastructure Corp. president and general manager Raul Ignacio, Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. chairman Manuel Pangilinan, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco and MPIC head of government relations and public affairs Atty. Michael Toledo.
Business
Arabia at the Mall of Asia Arena on Aug. 29, SamahangMonday.Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director and spokesman Sonny Barrios said that Reyes will be coaching Gilas in both games. As for Reyes’ responsibilities as coach of the Talk N Text Tropang Giga, who are in the finals of the 2022 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup, it will be up to team management if he will be present during any of the games of the best-of-seven finals. “For now, Chot (Reyes) will coach both Gilas games,” said Barrios in an interview with the Manila Standard. Barrios earlier said that its’s up to TNT team management to make a final decision on the status of their coach as discussions are currently going on if Reyes can also handle the TNT Tropang Giga’s championships matches in between. The matches in Philippine Cup finals are scheduled close to the games of the fourth window, with Game 1 set on Aug. 19, Friday. Game 2 is on August 21 (Sunday), while Game 3 is slated on the Aug. 24 (Wednesday), followed by Game 4 on Aug. 26 (Friday). Gilas currently has a 2-2 win-loss record in the Group E standings of the second window to remain in contention for the main draw. The practice sessions have started Monday under the supervision of Reyes at the Meralco gym. Kai Sotto is expected to be around with Fil-American cager Jordan Clarkson in the next two days. Ravena brothers Kiefer and Thirdy were among the first to have showed up in the scrimmages with Bobby Ray Parks, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, and Francis Lopez.
Sports
ALYSSA Valdez leads the list of 14 players from Creamline named by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation on Wednesday t o the national team that will play in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Cup for Women starting Sunday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. The national women’s team is composed of players from newly-c row ned Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference champion Creamline. The team opens its campaign against Vietnam on Sunday before taking a Monday off. The Philippines resumes its bid against China on Tuesday and Iran on Wednesday before wrapping up pool play action against Korea on Thursday. The national women’s team needs to finish in the top four in Pool A to qualify for the quarterfinals. The fifth-placed team in Pool A will finish in ninth place. Pool B was reduced to four teams after the withdrawal of Kazahkstan on Tuesday. Japan, Thailand, Chinese-Taipei and Australia make up Pool B. Four players—Valdez, Jia de Guzman, Jema Galanza and Risa Sato—were part of the Philippine squad that placed ninth in the last AVC Cup for Women competition in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, in Completing2018. the 14-women team are Ced Domingo, Jeanette Panaga, Michele Gumabao, Ella de Jesus, Pau Soriano, Kyla Atienza, Fille Cayetano, Kyle Negrito, Rose Vargas, and Tots Carlos. Sherwin Meneses is the head coach and his assistants are Karlo Santo s and Bok Morado, with strength and conditioning coach Mark Caron. The team has resumed training on Wednesday at the PhilSports Arena.
Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson and Arvin Tolentino, Magnolia’s Jio Jalalon and Ian Sangalang, San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez, Meralco’s Chris Newsome, Allein Maliksi and Raymond Almazan, NorthPort’s Robert Bolick and former Terrafirma forward Roosevelt Adams made the pool. The 24-man roster will be trimmed to 12 players when Team Philippines meets the Lebanon Cedars on Monday in Beirut. After that, Gilas clashes with Saudi Blu prepareBoysforAsiaCupinJapan
MARINERONG Pilipino and EcoOilLa Salle arranged a title clash in the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup after hurdling their respective foes Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. Juan Gomez de Liano caught fire when it mattered the most for the Skippers in their tough 69-64 win over top seed Apex FuelSan Sebastian, while CJ Austria warmed up early to propel the Green Archers to a comfortable 97-74 victory over Adalem Construction-St. Clare. Gomez de Liano, the shifty Gilas Pilipinas guard, uncorked eight points in the last 3:01 of the game, scoring backto-back triples before the insurance layup with 52.4 seconds left to push Marinerong Pilipino up by four, 66-62. Arvin Gamboa then put the game under wraps, firing the last three points including the game-sealing undergoal stab in the last 12.5 ticks as Marinerong Pilipino made its second Finals appearance.
Marinero, La Salle set D-League title clash
By Peter Atencio WITH 12 more players added to the Gilas Pilipinas 24-man pool, the team continued with its preparations and with Chot Reyes set to coach all of its scheduled games in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers’ fourth window.
Chot to coach all of Gilas’ games in FIBA 4 th window
The national women’s team is composed of players from newly-crowned Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference champion Creamline.
“It was really all about our team mindset,” said Gomez de Liano, who led the Skippers with 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in the clincher. “We just had the right mindset coming into this do-or-die game.” Austria, meanwhile, delivered 19 of his 26 points in the first half as EcoOil-La Salle jumped to a 52-40 lead at the half and never looked back. They pushed that margin to as big as 27, 75-48, late in the third frame. Austria also tallied five rebounds and three“I’massists.really happy and satisfied with the way we played. The boys just played really hard today and the things we were supposed to do last time around, we did it right today,” said coach Derick Pumaren. This will be a chance for redemption for Marinerong Pilipino, which finished runner-up to BRT Sumisip-St. Clare back in the 2019 Foundation Cup. On the other hand, Pumaren is also craving for success as he made his second PBA D-League Finals stint after coaching Centro Escolar University to a bridesmaid finish in the 2019 Aspirants’ Cup, losing to Cignal-Ateneo in four games The best-of-three finals start on Sunday. The Skippers also drew solid games from guards AC Soberano, who had 14 points from two treys off the bench, and Jollo Go, who scored 11 in the clincher. Kevin Quiambao also produced 16 points, four boards, two dimes, and two steals, and Michael Phillips tallied a double-double of 14 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, five blocks, and four steals to help Austria’s cause for the Green Archers.
IT IS the turn of the Blu Boys to make a bid for next year’s World Cup Softball in New Zealand as they leave for Japan by end of the month to compete in the Men’ Softball World Cup Qualifier. “We believe we have relatively good chances of taking one of the two slots at stake as Japan will take the first seat in all probabilities. This is part of our continuous effort to develop the sport and men’s softball here,” said ASAPHIL President Jean Henri Lhuillier. The qualifying tournament is scheduled September 3 to 9 in Shimanto, Kochi in Japan. The Blu Boys, aching to redeem themselves from their disappointing runner-up finish in the 2019 SEA Games, will be composed of eight carryovers from that team and UAAP players from UP, UST, Adamson and PUP, according to head coach, former softball standout Apol Rosales. As part of their preparations, the Blu Boys underwent a recent team-building at the PJLI training center in Antipolo and will play a series of tune-up games against teams from Dasmarinas in Cavite, and Tanauan and Cuenca in Batangas.“Thesewill be good practice games considering our opponents will feature former national players. Our concern is we have a lot of rookies and it would have been better had we gotten international exposure prior to this,” said Rosales. He is looking at more than even chances for his team to get a seat in next year’s finals. “I would say based on where we are now, we have 60% to 70% chances of accomplishing our goal,” he concluded.
VolleyPHtoCreamlinerepresentatAsianCup
Super League aims to promote amateur volleyball
Marinero’s Juan Gomez de Liano lays one in. Proponent of the Shakey’s Super League in the “Thiscountry.isdifferent because we have players playing for their schools,” addedReigningLaurel. UAAP season 84 titleholder National University and runner-up La Salle are set to join with NCAA Season 97 finalists College of St. Benilde and Arellano University. Organizers said there will be no conflict at the start of the first conference, since they will run their event right before the opening of UAAP Season 85 and NCAA Season 98. Their pre-season offering will highlight the return of Shakey’s support in organizing volleyball meets, as a fitting follow-up to the V-League, which ran for 13 seasons, from 2004 to 2017. Laurel said the pandemic halted the staging of PSL events back in 2020. Peter Atencio Game Sunday (Smart Araneta Coliseum) Game 1 of Best-of-3 Finals 12 p.m. - Marinerong Pilipino vs EcoOil-La Salle Chot Reyes
THE two conferences organized by the Shakey’s Super League will mark a new undertaking for organizers who used to dabble into club-level competitions.SSLpresident and CEO Ian Laurel said this after they did a makeover of their programs and series of tournaments, which were once held by the Philippine Super Liga. “PSL was a totally complete and different league from SSL. This is new. PSL was at the club level,” said Laurel. The SSL will have yearlong activities and two conferences, once its preseason collegiate tournament kicks off the SSL’s first conference this September.Laurelsaid the league will have a program that’s designed to promote the development of amateur volleyball at the grassroots level, across 18 regions
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 C1 Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor
IT’S all systems go for the staging of the newest cage league in town, dedicated to basketball-loving Businessman/sportsmanFilipinos.Jun Valenzuela, multi-titled amateur/commercial leagues’ coach Pablo Lucas and sports enthusiast Francis Dayrit, all chief architects in building the foundation of the unique basketball league, recently launched Bagong Basketball ng Masa (BBM)-Liga para sa Pilipinas, which is set to kick off in the last quarter of this year. “It is a unique league for a cause. Our advocacy is to give an opportunity to young potential cagers especially in the countryside. They only need to be discovered to fulfill their dreams of a bright basketball career in the future. This is also a chance for adult cagers to get back and prove their worth in the hardcourt,” said Valenzuela, a former commercial player at home and in the United States during his prime before venturing successfully into business. “This league is a long vision program as I’m optimistic that with strong will to succeed, unity and dedication, we will surely get there.”
NEW YORK —Tiger Woods was reportedly huddling with the PGA Tour’s top professionals on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing battle with the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV golf circuit. Woods and fellow professional Rickie Fowler jetted into Philadelphia from Florida before meeting players on the sidelines of the BMW Championship in MultipleDelaware.US reports said Woods and around 20 of the top players on the PGA Tour were set to discuss strategies aimed at tackling LIV, which has been steadily luring players away from the tour with lucrative multi-million-dollar contracts. Golf has been in turmoil since the launch of LIV this year, with Australia’s newly minted British Open champion Cam Smith reported to be the next big name to join the upstart circuit. Woods, who is reported to have turned down between $700-800 million to join LIV, has been one of the new circuit’s most trenchant critics. At St. Andrews last month, Woods said he “disagreed” with players who had signed with the series. “I think that what they’ve done is they’ve turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position,” Woods said, adding that younger players joining LIV may “never, ever get a chance to play in a major“That,championship.”tome,Ijustdon’t understand it,” he said. The BMW Championship is the second leg of the PGA Tour’s lucrative season-ending FedEx Cup Playoffs. Several players who would normally be expected to challenge in the playoffs —such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau—have joined LIV and been barred from playing.
Tuesday’s player meeting in Delaware comes after three LIV defectors lost a bid to force their way into the field for last week’s St Jude Championship in Memphis.“Ithink it could have made things a little bit awkward, yeah,” Spanish star Jon Rahm told reporters on“TheyTuesday.chose to leave the PGA Tour, they chose to go join another tour knowing the consequences; and then try to come back and get, you know. It wouldn’t have, I would say, sit extremely well with me.” Patrick Cantlay meanwhile joked about Woods’s role in Tuesday’s talks. “Well, I’ve heard Tiger is the new commissioner, right?” Cantlay quipped before the meeting got under“That’sway.what everyone has been saying. I’m going to go to the meeting. I’m going to listen to what it’s all about, and I’ll probably have more for you after.”
PH to host East Asia Super League season 1 Final Four weekend
AFP FOILED at home in Bohol, Jonathan Pagaura focuses on a top podium finish in a short course race down south this time as he headlines the crack field in Penong’s 5150 Davao, which fires off Sept. 4 in Tagum City, Davao delPagaura,Norte. a Maribojoc native, yielded the overall crown and the 25-29 age group title to Lanao del Norte’s Satar Salem in Sun Life 5150 on his home turf last July but has toughened up for another stab at glory in the upcoming endurance race set over the Olympic distance of 1.5k swim, 40k bike and 10k run. The Omega Triathlon Team spearhead likewise saw action in the recent IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines Cebu but could only post a seventh place finish in his age division and 17th in the overall competition.Butthose stints only made the former duathlete a lot tougher and ready for another shot at 5150 glory against an equally determined international field at The Wrec, Hijo Resorts Meanwhile,Davao.10 foreign entries, including two each from France and the United Kingdom, are in the early roster of the event organized by The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc., all set for an explosive staging after being postponed twice the past two years due to Registrationpandemic.isongoing until race week. For details, log on protocols.heldBulletinectLightwater,bikefeaturingmixedmale,becompetitions,theNetherlands,fromTagumpresidentJubahib,DavaoGoGrill,nong’sdentbackedreachheld#5150Davao.Twitter):Hashtagscounts:orpenong’s.5150philippines.comtofollowusonsocialmediaac-Penongs5150Davaowith(Facebook,Instagram,#Penongs5150andOthersvyingintheevent,forthosebuildinguptoIRONMANlevelandbyChadRegis,presi-ofthesponsoringPe-BarbecueSeafoodandalongwithPowerball/forGold’sJeremyGo,delNorteGov.EdwinHijoResortsDavaoRosannaTuazonandCityMayorReyUy,areAustralia,Singapore,theGreece,France,USandQatar.AsidefromtheindividualothertitlestodisputedaretherelayallrelayallfemaleandrelayandtheSunriseSprint750mswim,20kmand5kmrun.Theevent,supportedbyFinis,RudyProj-Sante(Barley),ManilaandTempo,willbeunderminimumhealth
Tiger, PGA players talk strategy to counter Saudi’s LIV tourney
“Napapanahon ang pagkakatatag ng liga na may inspirasyong hugot sa liderato ng bansang may tunay na malasakit sa larangan ng sports particularly basketball. Take note, our new league is apolitical,”said Borja. Basketball patriarch Valenzuela, father of three young varsity players here (Daniel, Vinci and Jared) cannot just resist the urge in helping the sport closest to his heart to get it back on its feet after being ravaged by the pandemic. “Let’s all contribute for nation rebuilding in our own humble way, make way for Bagong Basketball ng Masa Para sa Pilipinas!,” he said.
SportsTHURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022C2
Tiger Woods, who is reported to have turned down between $700-800 million to join LIV, has been one of the new circuit’s most trenchant critics. AFP Basketball ng Masa-Liga PH launched
KIMI Brodeth sets out for the PPSPEPP City of Naga national age group tennis tournament, upbeat but wary of her chances for another golden double with a slew of rivals out to foil her bid in the Group 1 tournament which got underway in CebuBrodethyesterday.hopes to get past Zenna Logrono in the first round of what promises to be an uphill battle in 16-U play with Judy Ann Padilla, Joy Ansay, Kate Imalay, Angel Vosotros, Chloe Ortega, Keena Clarke and Nicole Bonza all geared up for a crack at one of the eight division titles in the penultimate leg of the four-stage Cebu swing of the circuit which wraps up in Consolacion, Laray next week. For details, contact Bobby Mangunay at Brodeth0915-4046464.likewisetop-bills the 18-U category that also features Padilla, Vosotros and Tiffany Nopcos, whom the Ormoc City lass toppled in three sets to spike a two-title romp in last week’s leg of the circuit presented by Dunlop in McLeenMandaue.Gomera also tries to make it back-to-back in boys’ 16-U class but the Bacolod, Lanao del Norte bet faces another tough test in the premier side, headed by last week’s tormentor John David Velez, also from Ormoc City, Cyd Villamar, Hans Cabellon, Ivan Manila and Bryan Paster. The boys’ 14- and 16-U categories drew 64-player cast each while the girls’ 12-, 14- and 16-U groups feature 32-entry list apiece, underscoring the sustained popularity of the country’s longest talent-search put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro to help boost the development of the sport and produce future members of the national team. Focus will also be on Danao, Cebu’s Juvels Velos, who posted the biggest reversal last week when he upended a slew of seeded rivals to snatch the boys’ 14-U diadem, including a threeset escape over No. 1 Josh Lim in the finals of the tournament backed by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating). Ansay, meanwhile, banners the girls’ 14-U cast that also includes Imalay, Alexa Cruspero and 12-year-old Caroliean Fiel, who also gets the top seeding in her age bracket that also features Jan Dagoon, Zita Clarke and Cruspero.
Ormoc runsustainlookinglasstoPPSinNaga
MANILA will host the Final Four of the East Asia Super League Season 1 in March. The league announced the choice of the Philippines as the venue for the three-day event on Wednesday, serving as the culmination of the EASL’s inaugural home-and-away season. The Final Four tips off on March 3 featuring two semifinals games, a music festival on March 4, and finally, the Finals on March 5. “We couldn’t ask for a better city to host the first EASL Final Four. I would like to thank the local government authorities, our colleagues at the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), and the Filipino fans for welcoming us. The Final Four weekend will be unique and memorable, bigger than any event EASL has ever held, featuring a music festival and a variety of fan activations,” said EASL CEO Matt Beyer. No pre-departure or on-arrival COVID testing, nor quarantine is required for fully vaccinated travelers, which meant Manila is ready for a warm-up event to the FIBA World Cup taking place in Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines beginning in August 2023. “The decision to stage the inaugural EASL Final Four in Manila this March is a welcome development.
Pagaura Penong’sredemptioneyesin5150Davaomeet
Lucas, a former PCU Dolphin standout and D-League and PSL mentor, said the BBM league is a unique 29- under, regional LGU and corporate-backed basketball year-round tourney with a maximum 10 teams in the initial staging, where young potentials and adult players are allowed to see action in their respective teams. “It’s all systems go! Bagong liga, bagong oportunidad para sa masang basketbolista,”said Lucas at the launching, also attended by secretariat head Nelson Galang, basketball operation in charge Jeff Murillo with ex-PBA star cager Ed Cordero and marketing strategist (spokesperson) Gigi Borja.
Bagong
The Philippines is a basketball-loving country and Filipino fans will be following the EASL games closely. Hosting the Final Four would be an exciting prelude to the FIBA World Cup as our country opens its doors to the global basketball community next year,” said PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial. TNT already clinched one of two PBA berths to represent the country in the kick-off season on Oct. 12 after entering the finals of the ongoing Philippine Cup. Reigning champion Seoul SK Knights and runner-up Anyang KGC will represent the Korean Basketball League (KBL) in the meet, the P. League + of Chinese Taipei is sending the Taipei Fubon Braves, the B. League of Japan will have the Utsonomiya Brex and Ryukyu Golden Kings, and the Bay Area Dragons are competing in behalf Greatet China. “Having recently spent time in Manila for the EASL inaugural grouping ceremony, I can say with certainty that this is a great decision by EASL to host the Final Four Weekend in this magnificent city. Manila is truly a basketball city with some of the biggest and liveliest crowds,” said KBL Commissioner Kim Hee Ok. At the same time, EASL also announced the Final Four Weekend for Season 2 taking place in early 2024, will be held in Okinawa, Japan. “The prefecture of Okinawa and the OCVB couldn’t be happier to partner with EASL in the planning and promotion of the 2024 EASL Final Four. We are thrilled that Okinawa has been chosen as the destination for this global sporting event at our state-of-the-art Okinawa arena,” said Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau Chairman Yoshiro Shimoji. “We are promoting a ‘Sports Island Okinawa,’ and we are confident that it is a world-class place with great sports resources. The EASL Final Four solidifies Okinawa as a world class destination for sports and entertainment. We look forward to hosting all of the guests taking part in the EASL Final Four.”
Thea Tolentino is a member of the Atubaw tribe who bears Diego’s child
EZRA Miller, the troubled star of Warner Bros’ major upcoming superhero movie The Flash , is seeking treatment for mental health issues after a string of high-profile controversies, the actor said. The 29-year-old, who has already appeared as the key DC Comics character in several blockbuster films including Justice League, was charged this month with felony burglary in Vermont, and earlier this year was charged with disorderly conduct following two arrests in Hawaii. Those incidents – and further allegations of choking a woman in an Icelandic bar, which did not result in charges – have raised questions in Hollywood over the future of The Flash and Miller’s career more“Havingbroadly.recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment,” Miller, who identifies as non-binary, said in a statement sent to AFP by their representative on Tuesday. “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe, and productive stage in my life.”
YOUNG diva Morissette has taken to social media to promote the release of her new Bisaya single “Undangon Ta Ni,” which came out on all streaming platforms on August 1. In a slew of teaser photos and videos on her social media accounts, the singersongwriter unveiled her new music release bit by bit, starting with a mystery silhouette image of herself drenched in full glam and a 20-second video of her “vibin’ to something new,” as the caption reads, while playing with her dog. In a lengthier teaser, the NYMA talent flashed words on paper as the new single played in the background, revealing the title “Undangon Ta Ni.” She continued to explain that this will be her very first track in EnglishBisaya “with a twist.” She reminded everyone she is a proud Cebuano and then shared the theme of the single towards the end of the video: “The song reminds us that it’s okay to choose ourselves and not settle for less.” In her latest teaser, posted July 25, Morissette introduced an open verse challenge encouraging TikTokers to sing along with the song. “In a way, this song is still connected to my Signature EP of original music, because one of the things that make me unique is that I am a Cebuana,” Morissette said about the song’s context in her body of work. “Undangon Ta Ni,” which loosely translates to “Let’s Stop This” in English, released under Underdog Music, was composed and produced by Cebu-based songwriters Relden Campanilla Carlisle Tabanera, and Ferdinand Aragon, along with Morissette and her husband Dave Lamar
‘The Flash’ star Ezra Miller ‘The Flash’ star Ezra Miller seeking treatment for mental health
‘Lolong’
Despite the controversies, Warner Bros earlier this month signaled it intends to go ahead with releasing The Flash , which is due in theaters next summer. Filming has already been completed on the movie, which has a reported $200 million budget. It is the first standalone movie for Miller’s character in the DC Extended Universe of inter-connected movies owned by Warner, a rival franchise to the Disney-owned and record-breaking Marvel superhero films. Miller shot to early success with lead roles in acclaimed dramas Afterschool, We Need to Talk About Kevin , and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. AFP
The track tells of moving forward and choosing oneself. “The girl in my song chose to stop a stagnant relationship with this guy and move forward. She chose herself and decided to not settle for less. I hope that message resonates with people. One of the things that I also really love about this song is the production of it.
ABS-CBN’s modern-day account of the most iconic Pinay superhero has finally seen the light of day as Mars Ravelo’s Darna debuted to rave reviews, encouraging support, and high viewership that promises an exciting run for the highly anticipated series top billed by Jane De Leon The first episode, which soared to a peak of 296,334 live concurrent viewers via Kapamilya Online Live on YouTube, introduced viewers to Jane’s Narda Custodio, her mom Leonor (Iza Calzado), brother Ding (Zaijian Jaranilla), and grandmother Berta (Rio Locsin). It also provided an explanation as to how Leonor, the first Darna, came to Earth from her planet of origin Marte, and gave viewers a clear image of her capabilities as she fought off an alien being that has invaded their town as Darna. Narda also learned of Leonor’s superhero identity and her inevitable fate as the next protector of the white mythical stone. Meanwhile, a scene also showed an enigmatic female character who was infected with a toxic element from the alien creature—alluding to how Janella Salvador’s Regina would become the serpent villainApartValentina.fromJane, Zaijian, Janella, Rio, and Iza, Joshua Garcia also appeared in the first episode as Brian Robles, Narda’s high school friend who she tries to help from bullies. Mars Ravelo’s Darna is directed by the Chito S. Roño Avel Sunpongco, and Benedict Mique and produced by ABS-CBN’s JRB Creative Production unit. The series airs weekdays, 8:00 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, CineMo, and TV5. It is also available to watch via Kapamilya Online Live, iWantTFC, and The Filipino Channel.
Nickie Wang Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant
The Voice Philippines: Season 1 In 2017, she represented the Philippines in the 14th Asia Song Festival in Busan, South Korea, and returned the following year for the 15th Asia Song Festival. Since then, she has been called “Asia’s Phoenix” for soaring performances. Morissette is currently a “Jukeboss” (judge) in the TV5 show Sing Galing Kids, with new episodes every Saturday at 6:00 p. m. Morissette is one of the exclusive talents under NYMA, a talent agency focused on nurturing trailblazers to break through all media spaces. She currently posts vlogs on her channels: https://www.youtube.com/c/ MorissettePH on YouTube, https://www. facebook.com/MorissettePh on Facebook, and https://www.tiktok.com/@itsmorissette onNYMA’sTikTok. vision is to be the home of the best Filipino talents in the country and the world. The agency is one of eight brands under tradigital entertainment company KROMA. To know more about NYMA, visit nyma.ph.
THIS month, select international feature films and documentaries highlight the significant role of language in identitymaking while shedding light on the struggles of the locals in keeping their mother tongue alive. Tongues of Heaven (2013) by independent media artist, educator, and writer Anita Chang is a one-hour experimental documentary that focuses on the importance of saving a language. Set in Taiwan and Hawaii where the Austronesian languages are spoken, it highlights the questions, desires, and challenges of four young indigenous women from diverse backgrounds as they are challenged to learn the dialect of their ancestors. It screened on August 10. Keep Talking (2017), the directorial debut of film producer and true Chicagoan Karen Lynn Weinburg presents the joy and hope brought by the revitalization of one’s cultural heritage. It follows the journey of four born and bred Alaska Native women as they fight to preserve Kodiak Alutiiq, an endangered language now spoken by less than 40 remaining fluent Native Elders. It became available on view on August 17. In My Blood It Runs (2019), directed by filmmaker Maya Newell, is an observational historical film that tackles the inherited generational trauma caused by the dispossession of land. It is told through the lenses of a 10-year-old aboriginal boy named Dujuan. It is scheduled for August 24. Conlanging: The Art of Crafting Tongues (2017) by Britton Watkins is a feature documentary about conlanging, the hobby of creating constructed languages. It provides a sneak peek into the mysterious world of conlangs, such as Dothraki and High Valyrian from the 2011 drama series Game of Thrones, Klingon from a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe, Na’vi from the 2009 film Avatar and Kryptonian of within the DC Comics. It is slated for August 31. The line-up was curated by the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. The free and public online screenings are conducted via Zoom at 12:00 noon on the scheduled dates. To register, email mcad@benilde.edu.ph. For more information, visit the official Facebook page of MCAD (https://www. facebook.com/MCADManila).
Entertainment THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 C3 E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com
Meanwhile, Alma shares the sentiments and feels excited to be a part of the next chapter of Lolong. “Sa buhay ng isang aktor, talagang maghihintay ka ng mga ganitong klaseng break and ganitong klaseng kataba ang utak ng script. There are so many projects that will come and go pero very few lang ang masasabi ko na very unforgettable,” Alma added. Besides the new cast, the original members of the show will also further their roles as Lolong dives into new depths of storytelling. Viewers can expect to see more of the characters played by Shaira Diaz, Arra San Agustin, Christopher de Leon Jean Garcia, Bembol Roco, Malou de Guzman Rochelle Pangilinan and Paul Salas Regardless of the show’s outcome and a new chapter, Ruru is happy to be a crucial part of Lolong “I’m just grateful kasi alam kong binuhos naming lahat para sa programa. Bukod sa entertainment, nakakapagbigay kami ng aral at inspirasyon. Sobrang sarap sa loob kasi alam namin na lahat ng pinaghirapan namin nagbunga na,” he said. Lolong airs from Monday to Friday, 8:00 p.m. on Telebabad.GMAViewerscanalso catch it at 9:40 p.m. on GTV and GMA Public Affairs’ social media accounts. Ruru Madrid is grateful for the support he receives as the lead star for ‘Lolong’
A still from ‘In My Blood It Runs’ (2019) by Maya Newell
Morissette Amon’s ‘Undangon Ta Ni’ is her first English-Bisaya track with a twist ‘Undangon Ta Ni’ tells of moving forward and choosing oneself welcomes new cast for show’s next chapter
By Patricia Taculao AFTER receiving positive reviews from Filipino audiences locally and internationally, Lolong, the action-packed fantasy series from GMA-7, continues to delight viewers as the show enters a new chapter.
The show’s lead star, Ruru Madrid, wasn’t expecting a warm turnout from fans but remains grateful for their support. In the show’s next chapter, Ruru will get another opportunity to work alongside established and neophyte actors in the industry to bring more depth to the show. Joining him are Vin Abrenica, Thea Tolentino Alma Concepcion Rafael Rosell, and Lucho Ayala Alma plays Ruru’s aunt in Lolong and helps him realize their tribe’s full potential as he reconnects with his roots. Thea also portrays a member of the Atubaw tribe who is pregnant with the child of Vin’s character. As the story progresses, the audience will learn more about her child’s relevance. Vin, however, shared that viewers should watch out for his character’s development as they’ve yet to determine whether he’s an enemy or an ally.“Isa akong Atubaw witness niya (his character Diego) lahat ng mga pang-aapi sa mga Atubaw so malalim talaga yung galit niya dito,” Vin said during an online media conference. Lastly, Rafael is a priest who values all life, whether it’s people, plants, or animals. The next chapter of Lolong also introduces Lucho as Victor, Abet’s (DJ Durano) best friend. Although he doesn’t fight alongside Lolong, he will lend his hand whenever possible. Still, he encourages audiences to stay tuned to the series as the tides could turn on the Lolong and his tribe at any moment.Asthe new cast members, Vin, Thea, Alma, Rafael, and Lucho all feel grateful for being included in a well-loved series. “Sobrang happy ako na maging part nitong Lolong kasi talagang napakaganda ng story nito. Ang pinakapaborito ko about is yung mahalaga ang bawat character, and lalo na ngayon na may bagong ‘Darna’ flies to primetime, makes record-high viewership during premiere (From left) Zaijian, Iza, and Jane portray a strong and loving family in ‘Darna’ Joshua Garcia is Brian Robles, Narda’s high school friend who she tries to help from bullies
Morissette releases Bisaya single ‘Undangon Ta Ni’
Beginning August 15, viewers are in for more revelations and chapterentersprimetime,seryebiggestscenesaction-packedastheadventure-onPhilippine“Lolong,”anew
Language preservation is focus of August free film screenings
(From left) sceneRuruConcepcion,Abrenica,Pangilinan,RochelleVinAlmaandMadridinafrom‘Lolong’
The instrumentation of it. Napaka-angas lang talaga. Working with my producers is really an honor for me. It’s very different from what people know my music to be and I cannot wait to release it!” said Morissette. Morissette, who is celebrating her 12th anniversary in show business, got her big break after finishing in the top 8 of ABSCBN’s
New guidelinesWHOonHIV,hepatitis,andSTIs
In the consolidated guidelines by WHO, prioritizing key populations in every setting was highlighted — including reaching out to them first with the prevention, testing, and treatment as well as prioritizin
The red ribbon symbolizes supportsymbolize support and solidarity for people living with HIV for key populations at the AIDS 2022 Conference in Montreal, Canada. Per WHO, there are five key populations that can use the guidelines as an outline for public health response to HIV, viral hepatitis, and STIs. These are men who have sex with men, trans and gender diverse people, sex workers, people who inject drugs, and people in prisons and other closed settings. It has been established that these populations are the ones more vulnerable to diseases and, unfortunately, many of the people under these categories are obstructed from accessing health and other essential services, especially those who are from Third World countries. That is why the new guidelines highlight the critical importance of addressing the structural barriers in all settings. WHO promotes evidence and a rightsbased approach to addressing viruses and infections as the center of the response. In 2020, WHO commissioned the global key population network – including the International Network of People Who Use Drugs (INPUD), the Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE), the Network of Sex Worker Projects (NSWP, and the Global Action for Gay Men’s Health Rights (MPACT) – to conduct values and preferences research within their communities in relation to HIV, viral hepatitis, and STIs services. Their research has been used to inform the development of the new WHO Consolidated guidelines on HIV, viral hepatitis, and STI prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care for key populations.“Keypopulations must be prioritized in every setting, and this means, as outlined in these new guidelines, planning to reach them first with the prevention, testing, and treatment as well as prioritizing key populations in funding programs,” says Erika Castellanos, director of programs at GATE (the Global Action for Trans Equality) and former co-chair of the WHO Guidelines Development Group. It was reported that 70 percent of new HIV infections came from key populations and their partners. Services such as virtual or online interventions and peer navigators to help the members of the five populations with health services are some of the new recommendations highlighted in the guidelines.Inaddition, the new recommendations address chemsex, or using drugs to coincide with a person’s intimate life, more frequent testing of hepatitis C virus (HCV) for people at ongoing risk of infection, and provision of immediate HCV treatment for those who recently acquired the virus. It was noted in the guidelines that prioritized behavioral interventions aimed at changing behaviors have no impact on the incidence of HIV, viral hepatitis, and STIs or behavior change. The new guidelines, which can be accessed and downloaded through the WHO website, is a 105-page file, divided into nine chapters. In it, the methods employed were discussed thoroughly. As well as the critical enablers of these new guidelines, also dissected were: the key population’s experience, values, and preferences related to structural barriers; the essential interventions for impact, as well as legal and policy barriers. The guidelines also touched on the stigma and discrimination attached to these diseases, and how community empowerment can help address these concerns. A full chapter was also dedicated to the recommended package of interventions by key populations; service delivery; program and service considerations for young key population groups; and the developing response on the decision-making, planning, and monitoring process utilized for this entire project. You may check and download the file at website.informationitem/9789240053274https://www.who.int/publications/i/.Formoreaboutthis,visittheWHO
ToothpasteKoreisuconceivedTisu(happy),(bright),KokotaruwordsUreshiand(teeth).BeautédermFamilyas a top-tier oral hygiene essential that is fluoridefree and triclosan-free with very minimal ingredients that make it safe and effective for the entire family to use. Koreisu is formulated with Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) that makes it a safe alternative to commercial toothpaste without sacrificing anti-plaque benefits while fighting tooth decay that causes bacteria. The brand is also a whitening toothpaste that contains activated charcoal that eliminates stains and unpleasant odor. Etré Clair is a line of antibacterial
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President and Chief Executive Officer Rhea Anicoche-Tan, on the other hand, is equally thrilled to have Zeinab onboard. “Zeinab is a very welcome addition to the family and she will surely be very instrumental for us to reach a younger and wider market because of her awesome platforms. I am honored to have her as my newest brand ambassador,” says Rhea. Zeinab also gushes knowing that she will soon experience a one-of-a-kind adventure with her Beautéderm family. Developed, tested, and manufactured in Japan, Ko-rei-su is a combination of the Nihongo
Dr. Francis Decangchon, Medical Director, Asian Centre for Ageless Beauty (left) and David Tan, Gfoxx Chief Executive Officer and President
too!brightensandhydrates—lotionoffersbrandskincareJapaneseThisafacethat
mouthwash and mouth spray that is part of the brand’s all-natural oral care products. Made with 100 percent organic ingredients, Etré Clair is a minty breath freshener that has potent antibacterial and antiseptic properties that kill bacteria and reduce bad breath. Like Koreisu, it also whitens teeth by removing stains and brightens dull teeth for a vibrant, more confident smile.
By Joba Botana SOME years ago, stem cell therapy became a controversial topic. Even those who have not heard about this certainly learned a thing or two. So, what is stem cell therapy and why did it become a hot topic in the past?
Zeinabmedia(left)Anicoche-TanCEOPresidentBeautédermandRheaandsocialstarHarake
Say hello to skin mochi-mochibrightcrystal
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Beautéderm’sHarakeZeinabisoralcarebrandambassadorforKoreisuFamilyToothpasteandEtréClair
Elixir Placenta is made from New Zealand Deer Placenta, combining the benefits of stem cell therapy, DNA therapy, and anti-inflammatory therapy in one soft gel capsule animals from the southern island mountains of New Zealand, live and grow within pristine and pollutionfree surroundings,” shares David Tan, founder, and president of GFoxx International during the media launch of the product at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel. Tan is a Malaysian businessman who has been recognized as an Outstanding Professional for Small and Medium Enterprise by the Asia Pacific Enterprise Award for Corporate Excellence Award in Direct Selling. At the launch, Dr. Francis Decangchon, Medical Director at Asian Centre for Ageless Beauty talked about the benefits of the product. “The combination of stem cell therapy, DNA therapy, and antiinflammatory therapy has proven to be an effective treatment for arthritis, multiple sclerosis, heart attack, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and other chronic diseases. The antiaging supplement also promotes cell growth and boosts immunity,” heGfoxxsays.
Elixir placenta contains 14 high-quality ingredients – New Zealand Deer Placenta, Angelica Sinesis, grape and olive extract, D-Ribose, yeast extract, Squalene oil, MCT, fermented red ginseng, rice bran oil, sea buckthorn oil, Rhodiola Rosea, Black currant seed oil, Fenugreek, and Nigela seed oil. Researchers hope stem cells will one day be effective in the treatment of many medical conditions and diseases. However, experts are reminding the public that unproven stem cell treatments can be unsafe. Therefore, if you’re considering any treatment, make sure to get all the facts straight. Be certain that any stem cell treatment you are considering is either (Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved or being studied under an Investigational New Drug Application (IND), which is a clinical investigation plan submitted and allowed to proceed by the FDA. Other potential safety concerns for unproven treatments may include: Administration site reactions; The ability of cells to move from placement sites and change into inappropriate cell types or multiply; Failure of cells to work as expected; and The growth of tumors. Note that even if stem cells are your own cells, there are still safety risks such as those noted above. In addition, if cells are manipulated after removal, there is a risk of contamination of the cells. Elixir Placenta is exclusively distributed by Gfoxx International. GFoxx International Incorporated is one of the fastest-growing network marketing companies in the Philippines. Visit www.gfoxxint. com. GFOXXCompanyOffical on Facebook and GFOXXOfficial on Instagram.
BEAUTÉDERM Corporation jumpstarts its month-long 13th anniversary celebration with the official launch of social media star Zeinab Harake as oral care brand ambassador for Koreisu Family Toothpaste and Etré Clair. As a certified star with over 50 million followers across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube, Zeinab is one of today’s most influential personalities on social media with her lifestyle vlogs and challenge videos being top favorites byAsnetizens.ayoung artist, Zeinab prioritizes dental and oral health which she regularly mentions on her vlogs which makes her the perfect brand ambassador for Koreisu and Etré Clair. “For me, we really need to take care and prioritize oral hygiene. I always remind the viewers of my vlogs that we must brush our teeth three times a day.”And Zeinab is absolutely elated now that she is officially part of the family.Beautéderm“It’ssuchanhonortobepartofthe Beautéderm family. I really felt the love and warmth when they welcomed me.” “I feel so grateful that they trusted me to represent Koreisu because it is so different from all the kinds of toothpaste that I used in the past. Etré Clair is also perfect as it freshens my breath and protects my mouth in an instant,” ZeinabBeautédermadds.
LifeC4 THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 Nickie Wang Editor Joba Botana, Associate Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com
Stem cells are known as the body’s raw materials. Under the right conditions, these cells can regenerate, repair, and replace damaged, dysfunctional, or dead cells using stem cells or their derivatives. Known as regenerative medicine, stem cell therapy has been known to effectively treat several illnesses but unfortunately, the treatment can be very expensive. It has been reported that as of 2016, the only established therapy using stem cells is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, which usually takes the form of bone-marrow transplantation from cells derived from umbilical cord blood. Various research has since been done regarding developing various sources of stem cells to be used for neurodegenerative diseases. Stem cell therapy became controversial following reports pointing at the ability of scientists to isolate and culture embryonic stem cells, which was often related to abortion and human cloning issues. The controversy also led to talks about efforts to market treatments based on transplants of stored umbilical cord blood.Enter GFoxx International’s Elixir Placenta, stem cell therapy in a capsule, which is made from New Zealand Deer Placenta, combining the benefits of stem cell therapy, DNA therapy, and anti-inflammatory therapy in one soft gel capsule. “Studies show that the New Zealand deer placenta is closely like the human placenta. These
By Windie Khyla Pultam SOME of the life-threatening diseases that the world has been grappling with are the same ones that health experts have been dealing with for decades now. Researchers, doctors, health professionals, and investors have been pouring their knowledge and resources to develop the most advanced and effective treatments. However, these are not enough. The public has to play a role as well. Everyone in the world must come together to prevent the spread of life-threatening and contagious diseases including the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), among many others. Last July, the World Health Organization (WHO) published new consolidated guidelines on HIV, viral hepatitis, and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care IS YOUR skin looking dull lately? There are many reasons why your complexion is lacking that glow from within, but most of the time, it can be simply caused by a lack of hydration. Japan’s number 1 face lotion brand Hada Labo can help give your tired, lackluster skin that crystal bright, hydrated glow with its Shirojyun Premium Whitening Lotion. This Hada Labo product has a unique formula that combines the hydrating power of Hyaluronic Acid with brightening ingredients, so it doesn’t only keep the skin hydrated and bouncy, but it also addresses freckles and skin pigmentation, helps rebalance skin tone, and restores skin radiance to bring out your brighter, youthful glow. This face lotion contains two types of Hyaluronic Acid that form a layer of barrier on the skin’s surface to prevent moisture loss and enhance the absorption of other skincare ingredients, all while penetrating deeply into the skin to provide moisture into the inner skin layers. The Shirojyun Premium Whitening Lotion is infused with Vitamins C and E which are known for soothing and relieving discomfort after sun exposure. These good-for-the-skin ingredients also come with specific benefits that contribute to skin rejuvenation. Vitamin C is a popular skin brightening ingredient that beauty gurus swear by for effectively fading dark spots, reducing redness and dullness, and evening out the skin tone. Vitamin E, meanwhile, can help protect your skin from discoloration. It’s also linked to minimizing the appearance of scars, fine lines, and wrinkles. With its light texture and formula that’s free of fragrances, mineral oil, alcohol, and colorant, this face lotion is suitable for normal as well as oily and combination skin. Use it twice a day as a must after cleansing the Hada Labo way—by patting the product onto the skin. For more beauty and skincare tips, visit hadalabo.com.ph and follow @HadaLaboPH on Facebook and Instagram
Promoting oral health in style
