By Vito Barcelo, Vince Lopez and Macon Ramos-Araneta C USTOMS agents, police and soldiers seized 44,000 sacks of imported sugar with an estimated value of P220 million in separate raids on warehouses in Bulacan and Pampanga on Thursday, after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to find out who was hoarding the commodity.
“The BoC’s Pampanga sugar warehouse raid may very well serve as a warning to un scrupulous traders who are currently hoarding their stocks of sugar in order to profit from the current artificial sugar shortage,” Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez said. He said the government will continue going after unscrupu lous traders jacking up prices of food items, particularly sug ar, as consumers continue to feel the burden of rising costs. Rodriguez said his office is also investigating reports that Next
By Joel E. Zurbano and Maricel V. Cruz METRO Manila mayors on Wednes day insisted on carrying out the no-contact apprehension program (NCAP) despite mounting opposition from motorists and transport groups, some of which have filed a petition before the Supreme Court to chal lenge the policy. “We, the undersigned local chief exec utives, have joined together on a common stance to continue the implementation of NCAP within our respective territorial jurisdictions,” the mayors said in a joint statement Wednesday. They denied that the system denies
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NATIONAL Security Adviser Dr. Clarita Carlos visited Palawan and the Kalayaan Group of Islands near the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Wednesday, the Armed Forces Western Command (Wescom) said yesterday. This happened as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian in Malacañang also on Wednesday, the Palace revealed Thursday.Carlos’ visit to Pag-Asa Island (Thitu), which China continues to claim as its own, “bespeaks of our common aspiration, strong stand, and unwavering dedication to protecting the people and the state under our responsibility," said Wescom chief Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos (no relation to the adviser).
By Willie Casas
VOL. XXXVI • NO. 184 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com 44,000 sacks
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will distribute financial assistance to indigent students every Saturday until September 24, Secretary Erwin Tulfo announced Thursday. During a Palace briefing, Tulfo said the DSWD will give out P1,000 for elementary students, P2,000 for high school students, P3,000 for senior high school students, and P4,000 for college students or vocational courses. He said there can be three beneficiaries per family. “This program is under the Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situation,” Tulfo“Thisadded.program is aimed to help our indigent students all over the country, which means to say children coming from poor families will be given cash assistance to buy their school supplies or whatever that they need in school,” the secretary said. Tulfo said the DSWD central office will open at 7 a.m. while regional, provincial, and satellite offices will open at 8 a.m. Those who wish to avail of the assistance only need to bring their enrollment certificate and school ID. Carlos at WPS as China envoy calls on PBBM
THE price of white onions in local markets spiked to as high as P400 a kilo on Thursday, with few vendors selling the suddenly rare commodity—and those that did refusing to sell piecemeal to regular retail buyers. This developed as the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported it confiscated smuggled carrots declared as chocolates at the Manila North Harbor Port on Aug. 16.Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. discussed with his Cabinet the proposals to ensure food security, boost the energy sector, and improve the national government’s housing program.TheDepartment of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) presented their plans during the meeting convened by Marcos at Malacañang Palace, Press Secretary Trixie CruzAngeles said. Mr. Marcos stressed the need to solve the logistics problem in the agriculture sector to lower food prices in the country. He said this after the issues on the movement of agricultural products were raised, including complaints of forwarders and cargo handlers on policies imposed by local government units (LGUs), as well as the presence of many checkpoints. “We cannot afford to do that anymore. seized in separate raids of two warehouses in C. Luzon Carlos looks through the Kalayaan Islands Group near the West Animal exposure risk infection—WHOmonkeypox
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BITTERSWEET REALITY. Customs officials seized thousands of imported sugar at a warehouse in Bulacan that has no permit from the Sugar Regulatory Administration. Malacanang says the government will continue to crackdown on unscrupulous traders as prices of food items, including sugar, continue to soar. Bureau of Customs ALLIES . President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with visiting US lawmakers led by Sen. Edward Markey. 'We look forward to continuing our partnership with the US in the areas of renewable energy use, agricultural development, economic reform, and mitigation of drug problem,' Mr. Marcos said in a Facebook post.
Scarcity of white onions pushes price to P400/k
Depots yield hoarded sugar
COVID mutations now harder to detect Next page AWARENESS.
DSWD to extend cash aid to poor students
THE World Health Organization has warned that a global decline in genome sequencing is making it “so much hard er to understand” how the COVID-19 virus is Sequencingmutating.enabled the world to rap idly identify SARS-CoV-2 and develop diagnostic tests and other tools for out break management, the WHO said. But the number of sequences shared per week has fallen by 90 percent since the beginning of the year, said WHO Di rector-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus. "The number of countries sharing sequences has dropped by 75 percent, making it so much harder to understand how the virus might be changing," he said during a WHO briefing. "With colder weather approaching in the northern hemisphere and people spending more time indoors, the risks for more intense transmission and hospital ization will only increase in the coming months – not only for COVID-19, but for other diseases including influenza." The United Nations agency also noted an increase in COVID-19 deaths over the past four weeks, with 15,000 fatalities reported around the world in the recent "Fifteenweek.thousand deaths a week is completely unacceptable when we have all the tools to prevent infections and save lives," Tedros said.
By Vince Lopez
THE World Health Organization called Wednesday for people infected with monkeypox to avoid exposing animals to the virus following a first reported case of human-to-dog transmission. A first case of human-to-dog trans mission of monkeypox – between two men and their Italian greyhound living together in Paris – was reported last week in the medical journal The Lancet. "This is the first case reported of hu man-to-animal transmission... and we believe it is the first instance of a canine being infected," Rosamund Lewis, the
From A1
"I led a delegation of stakeholders from the farmers, millers, sugar workers and refiners to consult with the President on the issues of importation and produc tivity," said Zubiri. He said they first thanked the Presi dent for rejecting excessive importation of sugar, which would hurt hundreds of thousands of farmers and farm workers. "We however acknowledged the need to import a smaller amount of sugar for industrial and household consumers," Zubiri said. He noted that the consensus us ing available data was to import only 150,000 MT, which was half of the 300,000 MT that was stipulated in the aborted SRA order. Zubiri said there were other initia tives recommended to the President to ease the increase of sugar prices, "but we will let the President make the an nouncement at the proper time." "What is important is that all the stakeholders came together to propose concrete short-term and long-term solu tions on the sugar situation," he said.
“May I remind the LTO that as an attached office of the Department of Transportation, its constituency is the transport sector, which this policy is hurting, and not the local government units,” Salceda said. “And besides, to say that the ques tion is a matter of LGU jurisdiction is a gross simplification of the problems be hind NCAP. Number one, some LGUs delegate the duty to a third-party from the private sector. There are serious questions of legal ity and constitutionality in that regard, especially since traffic apprehension is a penalty, not a service that can be del egated via public-private partnership.”
DSWD... From A1 “Now, who are qualified? All children living in poverty. Not only children of solo parents,” he said, later adding that beneficiaries of the 4Ps program are also qualified. Tulfo said parents of elementary and high school students could get the assistance without bringing their children, while senior high school students and college students may get the cash themselves. He said those interested may set appointments or they can walk in. “I want this done immediately. But we advise you to email us first. Don’t worry, the budget has already been set aside for this. You will still receive it because we saved around P500 million in funds,” he said. When asked how they can make sure that only indigents will avail of the assistance, Tulfo said he is hoping that only indigents will line up. “The question is, how will we know? We are hoping that only indigents will avail of this. Maybe those with money will not line up for six hours just to get money for uniforms and school supplies,” he said. Tulfo said he lessened the number of requirements, including a certificate of indigency from the barangay. “There was something like that before. The problem is...we took it out for now. It will be bypassed because it is being politicized. That is very unfortunate,” he said. “We received many complaints that the (barangay) chairman, or the barangay councilor, or the Office of the Mayor only give certificates to those who voted for them,” he added. “We are distancing the project away from being politicized in distribution.
COVID...
From A1 "We’re all tired of this virus, and tired of the pandemic. But the virus is not tired of us." The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed 229 COVID-related deaths from Aug. 8 to 14, the highest in four months.The country on Thursday registered 3,758 new COVID-19 infections, increas ing the nationwide tally to 3,844,708.
Carlos... From A1 As the NSA, Dr. Carlos concurrently chairs the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea. Meanwhile, photos shared by Mr. Marcos and Huang on their respective social media accounts indicated the latter's courtesy call on the Philippine leader happened on Aug. 17. “We are very grateful for the visit, and we look forward to further strengthening the relationship between China and the Philippines for the benefit of both our peoples,” said the President.InhisFacebook post, Huang said he "exchanged views" with Mr. Marcos on boosting their countries' ties. "I’m fully confident that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Marcos, the China-Philippines relationship will further grow and achieve more benefits in the years to come," the envoy said. Malacañang has yet to provide more details about the meeting.
The chairman of the House of Rep resentatives committee on ways and means on Thursday called out the Land Transportation Office for its “seemingly 180-degree turn from calling for a sus pension of the no-contact apprehension policy (NCAP) to just letting LGUs do as they wish with it.”
Animal... From A1 WHO's technical lead for monkeypox, told reporters. Experts had been aware of the theo retical risk that such a jump could hap pen, she said, adding that public health agencies had already been advising those suffering from the disease to "iso late themselves from their pets." She also said "waste management is critical" to lowering the risk of con taminating rodents and other animals outside the household. When viruses jump the species bar rier, it often sparks concern that they could mutate dangerously. Lewis stressed that so far there were no reports that was happening with monkeypox.Butsheacknowledged that "as soon as the virus moves into a different set ting in a different population, there is obviously a possibility that it will devel op differently and mutate differently."
The main concern revolves around animals outside of the household. "The more dangerous situation... is where a virus can move into a small mammal population with high density of animals," WHO emergencies direc tor Michael Ryan told reporters. "It is through the process of one ani mal infecting the next and the next and the next that you see rapid evolution of theHevirus."stressed though that there was little cause for concern around house hold pets. "I don't expect the virus to evolve any more quickly in one single dog than in one single human," he said, adding that while "we need to remain vigilant... pets are not a risk." Monkeypox was originally identified in monkeys kept for research in Den mark in 1958, though it is found most frequently in rodents. The disease was first discovered in humans in 1970, with the spread since then mainly limited to certain West and Central African countries. But in May, cases of the disease, which causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, began spreading rapidly around the world, mainly among men who have sex with men.Worldwide, more than 35,000 cases have been confirmed since the start of the year in 92 countries, and 12 peo ple have died, according to the WHO, which has designated the outbreak a global health emergency. With global case numbers jumping by 20 percent in the past week alone, the UN health agency is urging all coun tries to do more to rein in the spread, including ensuring at-risk populations have access to services and information about the dangers and how to protect themselves.Thereis also a vaccine, originally developed for smallpox, but it is in short supply. Lewis also stressed that there was still little data on the effectiveness of the vaccine in protecting against mon keypox in the current outbreak. While no randomised control trials had been conducted yet, she said there were reports of breakthrough cases fol lowing vaccination, indicating "the vac cine is not 100 percent". Pointing to limited studies in the 1980s suggesting that the smallpox vaccines used at the time might offer 85-percent protection against monkey pox, she said the breakthrough cases were "not really a surprise." "But it reminds us that the vaccine is not a silver bullet," she said. Studies are under way to see whether genetic changes in the monkeypox virus are driving the rapid spread of the disease, the WHO said. The two distinct clades, or variants, of the virus were called the Congo Ba sin (Central African) and West African clades, after the two regions where they are each endemic. On Friday, the WHO renamed the groupings as Clade I and Clade II re spectively, to avert the risk of geograph ic stigmatisation.Italsoannounced that Clade II had two sub-clades, IIa and IIb, with vi ruses within the latter identified as being behind the current global out break. The UN health agency specified that Clades IIa and IIb are related and share a recent common ancestor – therefore IIb is not an offshoot of IIa. Clade IIb contains viruses collected in the 1970s, and from 2017 onwards. AFP (See full story online at manilas tandard.net)
The MMDA stated the NCAP has been effective in catching illegally parked vehicles and other traffic vio lations with the help of closed circuit television cameras, digital cameras and other handheld devices.
“Some 24 hours ago, the Land Trans portation Office was calling for a sus pension of the NCAP by arguing that we need guidelines first, before we imple ment such a drastic and problematic policy change,” Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda said. “Today, suddenly, the LTO says, LGUs can do as they please, and they will just craft guidelines, but perhaps these guidelines will be optional," he added.Salceda was referring to the state ment of LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Teofilo Guadiz III that the NCAP was “proprietary to LGU as an autonomous body.”
But the independent OCTA Research Group said COVID-19 cases in the Na tional Capital Region (NCR) are now trending downward, with a weekly growth rate of minus 9 percent. OCTA fellow Guido David, in a tweet, said that NCR’s seven-day case average went down to 1,173, after recording 845 new cases on Wednesday. Its average daily attack rate (ADAR) also slightly decreased to 8.14 per 100,000 population from 8.70 on Aug. 14. NCR’s reproduction number or the number of people infected by one case, also declined to 1.03 on Aug. 14 from 1.18 on Aug. 7. Its one-week positivity rate, on the oth er hand, also decreased from 17.1 percent on Aug. 9, to 15.7 percent on Aug. 16. The positivity rate refers to the percent age of people who were found positive for COVID-19 among the total number of in dividuals tested. The NCR’s health care utilization for COVID-19 patients also remained at 37 percent, while intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy was also still at 31 percent as of Aug.t 16.
“Second, there remains the issue of whether the penalties under NCAP, especially absent a clear and simple adjudication process, are not confisca tory. To a transport sector worker who doesn’t earn much from being on the road every day, but is at greatest risk of this, it certainly looks confiscatory.”
Newsmst.daydesk@gmail.comFRIDAY,AUGUST 19, 2022A2 Depots... From A1 the aborted importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar was meant to provide cov er for traders so they could release their hoarded sugar without depressing prices. The BOC agents were assisted by ba rangay officials and the local unit of the Philippine National Police. Customs personnel immediately seized suspected hoarded sacks of im ported sugar from Thailand neatly stockpiled by the thousands inside the warehouse.Theyalso seized hundreds of sacks of sugar found loaded inside delivery vans. The warehouse owners were given 15 days to prove the items were legally imported into the country. Aside from sugar, sacks of corn starch from China, sacks of imported flour, plastic products, oil in plastic barrels, motorcycle parts and wheels of different brands, helmets, LED tele visions sets and paints were also found in the warehouse. A BOC statement said agents found 44,000 sacks of imported sugar in the twoAwarehouses.certainVictor Teng Chua, the alleged owner of the warehouse in Bulacan, was invited to San Jose del Monte Police Sta tion for questioning due to the lack of a permit from the Sugar Regulatory Admin istration (SRA), the BOC said. Acting Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz assured the public that the BOC would remain relentless in con ducting operations against smuggling. Ruiz said that failure to present im port documents and proof of payment of duties and taxes on the seized articles would cause the issuance of a warrant of seizure and detention. To address the problems hounding the sugar industry, the President met with stakeholders and Senate Presi dent Juan Miguel Zubiri in the Palace Wednesday night. Zubiri described as "very productive" the two-hour meeting, which started at 5 p.m.
Metro... From A1 due process to motorists since local gov ernments have their traffic adjudication boards where they can contest their vio lations.“We, therefore, collectively urge all relevant government agencies to stand with us in pursuing and continuously in novating this international-proven pro gram for effective traffic management,” theyThesaid.statement was signed by Va lenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian, Parañaque City Mayor Eric Olivarez, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Ma nila Mayor Honey Lacuna, and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora. Transport groups have asked the Su preme Court to issue a temporary re straining order against local ordinances related to the NCAP in five cities in MetroTheManila.chairman of the Metropoli tan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said he supported the NCAP being enforced by local government units in the National Capital Region. In a one-page “statement of solidar ity,” Dimayuga said his agency “fully supports NCAP which is being imple mented by some Metro Manila local government units (LGUs) and stands in solidarity with them in this respect.” He said empirical evidence clearly showed that the MMDA’s own version of the policy was and continues to be an effective force multiplier to its traffic enforcers on the ground and has, in fact, raised public awareness on and compli ance with existing traffic laws, rules and regulations.
The Land Transportation Office earlier asked local chief executives to suspend temporarily and review NCAP to clarify the guidelines of the traffic policy. This was after the LTO received nu merous complaints from public utility vehicle operators about being charged fines for the traffic violations of their drivers.Atthe House of Representatives, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Bar bers also sought a congressional inquiry into the BarbersNCAP.said he also received reports and complaints from motorists, par ticularly motorcycle drivers engaged in delivery services, who were penalized with enormous fees “without due pro cess of law.”
There are suggestions but it will be easier if it will be downloaded to the municipal level. I don’t want that to happen the same as what happened on our SAP [Social Amelioration Program]; I want it really to be given to the children and to those who are poor.” “I’m sorry, I mean, I might offend some people. But then, that’s just the way it is,” Tulfo added.
Carlos' 5-hour visit to Pag-asa Island, and participation in the aerial patrol over those waters before and after that visit on Wednesday "is very important that she will see for herself (the situation there) as the NSA," said Maj. Cherryl Tindog, Wescom spokesperson. Dr. Carlos thanked the troops “for their efforts in protecting what is ours there", Tindog told reporters. Weeks after winning the May 9 elections, Marcos said he will assertthe Philippines' claim in the West Philippine Sea while continuing to pursue bilateral contact with China. "We have the arbitral ruling, so we have a very important ruling in our favor. We will use it. It's not a claim, it's already a right," the President added. Pag-asa Island is part of the disputed Spratlys in the South China Sea and which Beijing calls Zhongye Dao. Known internationally as Thitu Island, Pag-asa is located some 285 miles west of mainland Palawan and is the seat of government of Kalayaan, a Palawan municipality created in 1978. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)
He said this is looking for the “sweet spot” between producers and consum ers.Senator Risa Hontiveros urged the President to fix the “deeply problemat ic” leadership issues in the Department of Agriculture (DA), and appoint an Ag riculture secretary who would focus on preventing an impending crisis in sugar and other essential products. She said the recent controversy in volving an unauthorized order by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) shows the need for a revamp of the leadership structure of the DA and its attached agencies, especially with the looming shortage and skyrocketing sug ar prices in the country. “This fiasco with the SRA is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the chaotic organization and operation of the DA," she said. She noted that the President should reconsider his position as concurrent DA chief and appoint a competent per son who would take charge of the de partment.
The logistical challenge is clear, and we are not handling it,” Mr. Marcos, as quoted by the Presidential News Desk (PND), said. The suggestions are still being finetuned, Cruz-Angeles said, adding that more details would be made public “at the convenience of the departments involved.” Television reports indicated that local restaurants had already snapped up available stocks of white onions from supplies in Nueva Ecija, while middlemen said they had no white onions to sell for several days now because the local harvest season for the vegetable ended several months ago. The prices of other vegetables also rose by P5 to P10 per kilo at the Marikina and Pasig public markets, according to an ABS-CBN report. The Bongabon, Nueva Ecija Farmers' Association confirmed in the report the lack of supply of white onions in the country. The Central Luzon region, where the province is located, is the second largest onion-producing area in the country after the Ilocos Region. Hernan Andres, a member of the group, told Teleradyo that white onion supplies were running out fast since it could not be held in stock for long, and not all farmers plant the vegetable. Farmers were also grappling with the steep cost of fertilizers, Andres added, as he called on the government to give them added support.
The Manila International Container Port said an inventory by the Bureau of Plant Industry, which tipped Customs of the carrot shipment from China, is ongoing to determine its total value. The consignee of the shipment was not identified. The carrots will undergo seizure and disposal proceedings as the shipment violated Sections 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture), 117 (Regulated Importation and Exportation), and 1401 (Unlawful Importation and Exportation) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), BPI-National Plant Quarantine Service’s Rules and Regulations for the Importation of Plant products, and Republic Act No. 10845 or the “Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.” Jojo Villarosa, a vegetable supplier, said in Filipino: “No imported (onions) are coming in, and these are the times when we depend on purely imported stocks, as the local white onions are only produced over the two-month harvest period.”
Some restaurants have been forced to use more red onions in their recipes, admitted “sisig” vendor Edgar Albitos, who preferred to use the white bulbs for his signature pork dish. It didn’t help that the prices of meat in local markets averaged from P290 to P310 per kilo of pork, and P280 to P290 for chicken. District Collector Romeo Allan Rosales said the MICP would further enhance measures to improve its border protection programs against the entry of smuggled agricultural products like the carrot shipment. At the Palace, Cruz-Angeles said after the Cabinet meeting: “We cannot release the details because the proposals were discussed just this morning. So, there will be revisions and refinements,” she said. The Press Secretary said the DA, currently headed by Mr. Marcos, presented initiatives to boost food production in the country. The President, in his first State of the Nation Address on July 25, vowed to modernize Philippine agriculture by relying on research and technology. The DA is heading for an immediate tweaking of the value-chain system in the country to address pressing concerns, such as rising agricultural commodity and farm input prices. Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said he would discuss with Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual the revival of express lanes for food trucks, a move which was first carried out during pandemic-induced lockdowns. Abalos said express lanes would make the cargo movements “freeflowing.” Another possible solution raised during the Cabinet meeting was the use of technology to determine areas with good harvest, allowing the government to bring their produce to areas with short food“Forsupply.instance, agricultural products will be tracked along the way to identify bottlenecks and raise possible issues with the concerned LGU with the help of the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government),” the statement read. Jimbo Gulle
“Third, the NCAP imposes duties for which there are not yet any equivalent rights articulated. Is there a right to dis pute? A right to a clear apprehension? A procedure for appealing the penalty on account of capacity to pay? There are none.”“So, please, don’t tell me that the simple answer is, it’s LGU’s turf. There are serious questions of con stitutionality and legality here that are well within the scope and authority of nationalSalcedapolicy.”added that, on top of his House Bill 3423, which enshrines a bill of rights for motorists to protect them from being infringed upon by policies such as NCAP, he will be filing a reso lution with the committee on transpor tation and the committee on local gov ernment calling for hearings in aid of legislation to determine the legality of the NCAP. “I hope the LTO will stick it out for its core constituency in the process of crafting guidelines for NCAP. Its recent statements erode the confidence of ordi nary motorists that they will be fair and will protect motorist rights,” he said.
Scarcity...
By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Raffy Tulfo has described the government’s effort to rescue distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as “woefully short and glaringly insufficient.”
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Manila Standard TODAY REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS A N N O U N C E M E N T President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has submitted to the Commission on Appointments (CA), to give its consent to the nomination of: Commission on Elections (COMELEC) MR. NELSON JAVA CELIS, as COMMISSIONER, COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS, for a term expiring on 02 February 2029, vice Aimee B. Torrefranca-Neri The public may submit any information, written report, or sworn/notarized complaints or oppositions to the above nomination in seven (7) copies to the CA Secretariat, 6th Floor, PNB Financial Center, D. Macapagal Blvd., Pasay City, Metro Manila. For the schedule of the public hearings, the CA Secretariat can be reached through telephone numbers 8834-2713, 8831-1824, 8831-0527, 8832-9830, 88342706 and 8551-1989. 18 August 2022. HECTOR A. VILLACORTA Secretary (MS-AUG. 19, 2022)
THE Japanese government vowed to continue supporting the Philippine government’s infrastructure projects, particularly the ‘Build Better More’ program under the President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Tulfo slams sloppy efforts to rescue distressed OFWs
By Joel E. Zurbano MOTORISTS, beware. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has started penalizing motorists violating the number coding scheme following a three-day dryrun of the policy. As of 12 noon Thursday, at least 370 drivers were apprehended and given citation tickets by MMDA traffic enforcers along major thoroughfares. Of the number, 147 were caught along the busy street of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA). The agency’s closed circuit television cameras used for non-contact apprehension also captured 146 vehicles violating the rule. During the first day of the dry-run, a total of 1,588 violators were flagged down but no penalties were imposed against them, and were just reminded about the resumption of the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP)— commonly known as number coding. From Aug. 18 onwards, a fine of P300 will be meted to violators. The policy is being enforced in the National Capital Region effective August 15, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays except holidays. Under the scheme, vehicles with license plates ending in 1 and 2 are prohibited on Monday, 3 and 4 on Tuesday, 5 and 6 on Wednesday, 7 and 8 on Thursday, 9 and 0 on Friday during the said coding hours. The MMDA reactivated the campaign to ease traffic in the metropolis amid the expected upsurge in the volume of vehicles upon the resumption of face-to-face classes on Aug. 22.
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE. This double image is not your typical spot-the-di erence quiz because it is a regular picture taken before a mirror of a young boy getting his haircut in a barber shop at the Baseco Compound in Manila in preparation for the opening of schools on Monday. Danny Pata
Cops seize P3.6-m shabu, nab 8 in drug raids
MMDA reimposes number coding scheme after dry run
Tulfo issued the statement following his election as chair of the newly-created Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) committee in the 19th Congress. “I am proud that our OFWs have seen me as safe harbor whenever they were desperate to send their family members home. But, admittedly, my solutions were only symptomatic treatment to a systematic problem,” Tulfo said. Tulfo vowed that the problems of OFWs would not be overlooked and disregarded anymore. He said the creation of the DMW signified the “rebirth of hope that we may yet fix the system and improve our means to be proactive in the defense of our OFWs.” With the creation of the DMW, the senator asserted that they can now focus on providing legislation that would allow embassies abroad to monitor OFWs, to ensure that abuse is prevented before it is committed. “We, standing as one, have the opportunity to pass laws that would authorize our embassies abroad to institute offices dedicated solely to the vetting of prospective employers and the enforcement of the laws that are meant to protect our OFWs,” Tulfo said “I am more than elated when I was given the honor to be the first chairman of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers,” he added. Tulfo, a staunch defender of the marginalized sector with a career in public service spanning over 20 years, presented before his colleagues on Wednesday a series of video clips showing Filipino migrant workers experiencing grave abuse from their foreign employers. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) records showed there were 1.77 million OFWs from April to September 2020, 1.71 million of whom were contract workers. Sen. Pia Cayetano cited the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.
cal assistance to the country since 1966. Sadain said the Japanese government thru JICA currently supports 13 DPWH major infrastructure projects including the widening of the 23-kilometer Arterial Road (Plaridel) Bypass in Bulacan province. JICA also provides financial assistance for the improvement and maintenance of about 1,184-kilometer of arterial national roads under Road Upgrading and Preservation Project (RUPP) and the 30-kilometer Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) connecting the Subic-ClarkTarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) in Balingcanaway, Tarlac City that ends at the Daang Maharlika Highway in Cabanatuan City. “In support of the government’s peacebuilding initiatives, JICA is also financing the Road Network Development Project in Conflict-affected Areas in Mindanao (RNDP-CAAM) involving the development, construction and improvement of about 174.50-kilometer access roads connecting Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and other regions in Mindanao including another 18.78-kilometer Marawi Transcentral Road Phase ,” Bonoan said.. Japan has also committed to support the construction of the Cebu-Mactan Bridge and Coastal Road Construction Project.
News A3FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, mst.daydesk@gmail.com2022
\THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) has negotiated with transport consortiums operating public utility buses (PUB) along the EDSA Carousel to increase the route’s maximum fleet capacity to 650 units to address long queues of passengers during peak hours. In a Laging Handa briefing on Thursday, DOTr Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said the number of passengers using the EDSA Carousel has been increasing. “The operator will increase the number of buses from 550 to 650 buses. So, we have increased the number of bus units there,” Batan said. To further improve its service for the comfort of its passengers, he said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to open two more EDSA Carousel stations along Tramo and Ayala Avenue.Thiscomes after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the DOTr unveiled two new median bus stops early in August -- along Roxas Boulevard and Taft Avenue. Excluding the two stations that are still under construction, there are a total of 15 median bus stops for the EDSA Carousel plus three other bus stops on the outer lanes.
DOG DAY AFTERNOON. Generally considered as man’s furry best friend, these four-legged representatives of homeless pets commonly called Askals (for asong kalye) or Aspins (for asong Pinoys) loiter around a construction site in Sta. Ana, Manila even as the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has declared Aug. 18, 2022 a National Aspin Day. Danny Pata QUEZON DAY IN QUEZON CITY. It is a special non-working holiday today in Quezon City in observance of former President Manuel Luis Quezon’s 144th birthday. A worker of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines spruces up the late Commonwealth leader’s tomb at the Quezon Memorial Circle. Manny Palmero
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) issued this statement following the call of Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa on DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan. The two officials discussed how to push forward the completion of ongoing big-ticket infrastructure projects in the Philippines. “Hearing about all the exciting new plans, I truly value the kind visit and grateful for the time spent despite the busy schedule of the Japanese Ambassador,” Bonoan said. Bonoan was accompanied by Undersecretary Emil Sadain in welcoming the Japanese delegation at the DPWH central office. Japan is the largest donor of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the Philippines, providing grants, loans, and techni-
SSS unwraps aid package for quake victims
Angeles rolls out vax bus among schools ANGELES City –With the opening of classes on Monday, the city government will roll out its Ronda Bakuna Bus project to administer the COVID-19 booster shots to all the teachers in the city’s 53 publicMayorschools.Carmelo Lazatin, Jr. has announced that the drive has targeted the Angeles Elementary School on August 23 for a one-day vaccination activity.Themayor said he wanted to ensure the safety of the teachers and the students amid the resumption of face-toface“Ngayonclasses. pong magbabalik na ang face-to-face classes, we need to put a priority to the safety of everyone in the classroom setting,” Lazatin said. Lazatin said the vaccination campaign was also in support of the Department of Education’s policy to require teaching personnel involved in the face-to-face classes to be vaccinated. The Ronda Bakuna Bus will have on board doctors, nurses, medical technologists and health workers and support staff from City Health Office led by Dr. Verona Guevarra; Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office headed by Rodolfo Simeon; and Gender and Development Office led by MinaAccordingCabiles.to Guevarra, it is recommended to take the booster shots in order to best stay protected from the virus. “Open po [ito] for first and second shots ng booster. For those who have not yet receive their first booster shot, we will accommodate them too,” GuevarraAngelessaid.City Schools Division superintendent Ma. Irelyn Tamayo expressed her gratitude to the city government for caring for the health, safety, and welfare of the teachers and students; and to bring the vaccines closer to them. Butch Gunio
NEWLY designated Metro Manila Police commander Brig. Gen. Jonnnel Estomo on Thursday commended his men assigned in Manila and Northern Police districts for their latest seizure of P3.6 million worth of shabu and arrest of eight suspected drugThetraffickers.contrabands were confiscated during three separate police operations conducted late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning also resulted in the arrest of eight suspected drug dealers, including a high value target, and the confiscation of a firearm. In Manila, operatives of the Malate Police Station - Drug Enforcement Unit arrested Joel Gan Jr., alias Nok, 28, and Micaella Malto, 26, during a buy-bust operation along San Andres Street near Osmeña Highway around 10:40 p.m. Seized from the suspects were 372 grams of shabu worth P2.5 million and a .38-cal revolver loaded with six live ammunitions. The Northern Police District also made two entrapment operations, one in Barangay 120, Caloocan City, and the other in Barangay Gen. T. De Leon in Valenzuela City which resulted in the arrest of a so-called high value target identified as Arjay Perez. Also arrested were Abegail Torres, Morris Bacod, Geoffrey Cardinez, Jr. Enrico Rosales, Jr., and and Erwin Manuel. Police found 165 grams of shabu worth more than P1.1 million in their possession. Charges for violation of Sections 5, 26 and Section 11 of Art. II of Republic Act 9165, and Art. 151 of the Revised Penal Code are being prepared against the suspects. Joel E. Zurbano THE Social Security System (SSS) has announced that members and pensioners affected by a magnitude 7 earthquake in Abra and nearby areas may now avail themselves of the calamity assistance package until Nov. 14. SSS president and chief executive officer Michael Regino said the benefit package consisted of calamity loan assistance program CLAP) and threemonth advance pension for retirees in earthquake-stricken areas in Abra and MountainHard-hitProvince.areasin Mountain Province have been placed under a state of calamity, notably the towns of Bauko and Besao. The earthquakestricken towns in Abra were Bangued, Boliney, Bucay, Bucloc, Daguioman, Danglas, Dolores, Lacub, Lagangilang, Lagayan, Langiden, La Paz, Licuan, Luba, Malicbong, Manabo, Penarrubia, Pidigan, Pilar, Sallapadan, San Isidro, San Juan, San Quintin, Tayum, Tineg, Tubo and Villaviciosa. Regino said members and pensioners residing in other earthquake-affected areas declared under a state of calamity by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council or the Sangguniang Bayan, Panglunsod, or Panglalawigan can also avail themselves of the assistance package. Under the CLAP, qualified members can secure a loan equivalent to their one month salary credit computed based on the average of their last 12 MSCs or the amount they applied for, whichever is lower. Retirement, disability, and survivor pensioners under the Social Security Program and disability and survivor pensioners under the Employees’ Compensation Program may also apply for a three-monthadvancepension. Interested SSS and EC pensioners must be residents of the earthquake-stricken areas declared under the state of calamity. Rio N. Araja
By Vito Barcelo
Japan fully supports PH infra projects
The government of Japan likewise extended financing support for the construction of interchanges on major intersection in Quezon City under the Metro Manila Interchange Construction Project, Phase VI
News
TWO lawmakers have pushed for a congressional investigation into the proposed Mindanao Railway Project (MRP), specifically on the way the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has undertaken its right-ofway acquisitions and expropriation of private properties to be affected by the railInline.filing House Resolution 286, Reps. Paolo Duterte of Davao City and Eric Yap of Benguet urged the ap propriate committees of the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry into the project, which recent reports revealed will also pass through densely populated areas in Davao City, “with out the appropriate geological surveys or proper public consultations with the affectedDutertecommunities.”andYapcited reports from various local communities to be tra versed by the proposed rail line about disparities in the offers for the acquisi tion of right-of-way and expropriation made by the DOTr and its service pro viders.“There is a need to properly deter mine the correct and appropriate man ner of identifying the areas where the MRP will traverse in order to ensure public safety and welfare while still being able to pursue the MRP for sus tained growth and development in the region,” they said in filing the House Resolution. Maricel V. Cruz Garcia, in an ABS-CBN News re port, said the P8.4 billion current budg et for the 2022 elections will no longer be enough if lawmakers decide to post pone the Postponingelections.theelections would mean additional expenses to register more voters, produce more ballots, and pro cure more equipment, the official said. Garcia, quoted in the report, said the continuing registration will bring in young people who are now of voting age as well as former voters who had failed to vote in previ ous“Theelections.morevoters you have, the more you register means you will need more equipment...That means we will need more teachers who will serve as poll workers on Election Day,” he said. The government will also need an additional P5 billion if a proposal to in crease the payment to teachers who will serve as poll workers will be approved. But this amount could even go higher if the elections are postponed to anoth er year to December 2023, the poll of ficial said..
COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) chairperson George Garcia said the Comelec will need P5 billion if the 2022 barangay and SK polls are postponed to 2023.
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said it will not allow Ameri can lawmakers led by Senator Edward Mackey to interact with detained former Senator Leila de Lima if they plan to visit her at the PNP Custodial Center. PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba, however, assured that they will extend due assistance to the visiting foreign lawmakers in compliance with existing guidelines and procedures on visitorial privileges in the detention facility. “The Headquarters Support Service is, in fact, prepared to present a brief ing for the visiting delegation. How ever, such accommodation excludes di rect interaction with any Person Under Police Custody (PUPC) confined in the detention facility, particularly PUPC committed by the Court to PNP custo dy. Such interaction with any specific PUPC is subject to the express permis sion of the concerned judicial authori ties,” he added in a statement. Alba said this is also in compliance with health and safety measures amid the coronavirus pandemic. As of Thursday, he said there are around 15 active cases and one new case in Camp Crame, Quezon City. The US lawmakers were reported to have expressed their intention to visit de Lima who has been detained for over 2,000 days now. De Lima is facing drug charges but some of the convicted drug lords who initially pinned her down in the cases have already recanted their statements. Meanwhile, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the protocol has been explained clearly to the lawmakers who said they understood it. “The intention is to check the con dition of the detention facility not only here in Camp Crame but in other de tention facilities. I understand they are able to do that but we have to respect the judicial processes which say that we cannot just talk to PUPCs and of course, we have Covid-19 cases here in Camp Crame and we also prevent crowding inside the facility. This is why we only allow a limited number of visitors to our detention facility,” she said.
SC approves transfer of convicts involved in Jack Lam bribery case
By Rey E. Requejo T HE Supreme Court (SC) has paved the way for the transfer to the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City of the two fraternity brothers of former President Duterte and a re tired policeman who were sentenced to 50 years in prison by the Sandi ganbayan last year after being found guilty of plunder and graft in connec tion with the P50-million Jack Lam bribery scandal. In an eight-page resolution, the SC’s First Division denied the separate mo tions filed by former Bureau of Immi gration Deputy Commissioners Al Ar gosino and Michael Robles and retired policeman Wenceslao “Wally” Sombe ro Jr. seeking the reversal of Sandigan bayan’s decision issued on July 9, 2021, denying their plea for continued deten tion at the Metro Manila District Jail at Camp Bagong Diwa (MMDJ), Taguig City, pending the resolution of their ap peals with finality. The Sandiganbayan held that Argo sino, Robles, and Sombero are national prisoners because their maximum pris on terms consist of 40 years (plunder) and 10 years Consequently,(graft).the Sandiganbayan is sued an order of commitment for their transfer to the NBP in Muntinlupa. In their appeal filed before the SC, the petitioners asked for the issuance of a special order suspending their trans fer to the NBP, invoking “humanitarian and compassionate considerations.” They cited the surge of the COV ID-19 “Delta” variant as reason, along with their health conditions which al legedly make them susceptible to the lethal effects of the COVID-19 virus.
US
V. Cruz A4 FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022
AYUDA. Residents from Pasay City flock to Cuneta Astrodome to apply for the DSWD’s Cash for work program on Thursday. Cash for work is the short-term intervention to provide temporary employment to distressed or displaced individuals by participating in or undertaking preparedness, mitigation, relief, rehabilitation, or risk reduction projects in their community. Danny Pata CEASE AND DESIST. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) posted a ceaseand-desist order to stop the demolition of the first theater in the country on Thursday. The Capitol Theater, which was designed by National Artist Juan Nakpil in the 1930s, served as one of the go-to cinemas and performance venues during a time when Escolta was the bustling center of commerce and culture in the metro. Danny Pata Garcia
CAMARINES Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte on Thursday sought a congres sional review of the heavy use of Filipino as a medium of instruction in schools, saying that the practice has stymied the chances of graduates in getting jobs. Villafuerte sought the review in re sponse to the first State of the Nation Address of President Marcos where he asked for enhanced instruction in the English language to improve the chanc es of graduates in the job market. Villafuerte said “a serious rethink ing of our means of communication for learning is a must after President Marcos himself had stressed in his first Lawmakers seek probe of Mindanao rail plan Solon wants review on ‘heavy’ use of Filipino in schools
Gov’t will need extra P5b if SK, brgy. polls are postponed to 2023 Imee says extended emergency might trigger procurement spree
won’tlawmakersbeallowedtointeractwithDeLima—PNP
Mindanao lawmaker files bill on heroes’ burial for Filipino athletes
State of the Nation Address (SONA) that English is the language of the Internet, which has become the global marketplace, and that foreign employers have always favored Filipino workers because of our command of the English language.”
“A ‘review’ of what medium of instruc tion should be used in our schools, as what the President mentioned in his July 25 SONA, should be one of the focal con cerns of the would-be second Congres sional Commission Education (Edcom II), in line with its mandate under the law that created it to come up with educational re forms to, among others, address the chal lenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is distinguished by the digital revo lution or brisk development of information technology (IT),” Villafuerte said. Villafuerte was referring to the Ed com II, which the new law—Republic Act (RA) 11899—has tasked to make another comprehensive national assess ment and evaluation of the performance of the education sector, by reviewing the mandates of the Department of Educa tion (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Techni cal Education and Skills Development Authority(TESDA).
CLEAN HANDS. A teacher guides a kindergarten pupil in washing her hands using liquid soap before going inside a classroom of the Delfin Geraldez Elementary School in Quezon City. The school held simulated face-to-face classes as part of the annual Brigada Eskwela ahead of the opening of classes on Aug. 22. Oliver Marquez
By Maricel V. Cruz
By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Imee Marcos yesterday warned of procurements during the “extended emergency” as declared by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Mar cosSheJr. is pressing for greater direct pro curement by national government agen cies, ahead of an extended state of pub lic health emergency and Congressional hearings on the 2023 national budget. The state of calamity due to the coronavirus pandemic expired on Sep tember 12. “The series of procurement controversies that surfaced during the pandemic must end,” Marcos said. She said the Commission on Audit (COA) has reported that they go back more than a decade. “We can step up emergency response with more direct purchases of supplies, equipment, and services,” said Marcos. The government, she added, will also be able to avoid redundant allocations and save billions in next year’s national budget.Marcos has revived her call to abolish the Procurement Service – Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) and the Philippine International Trad ing Corporation (PITC) via Senate bills 1122 and 1123, which she first asserted during the 18th Congress. “Both agencies were created by my dad (former President Ferdinand Mar cos) in the 1970’s. But they have not only outlived their usefulness; they have in fact become agencies of malfea sance and corruption,” the senator said. She also emphasized that the procure ment services of national government agencies should instead be strength ened, in accordance with Republic Act 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act. The PS-DBM has faced allegations of overpricing in the procurement of P42 billion worth of face masks, face shields, and personal protective equip ment for the Department of Health last year and P2.4 billion worth of teachers’ laptops for the Department of Educa tion just last Sen.Marcosweek.also questioned the PSDBM’s practice of reselling equipment and supplies to national government agencies that funded their procurement.
A LAWMAKER from Mindanao on Thursday filed a bill that mandates the burial of sports heroes at the Libingan ng mga QualifiedBayani.tobe buried in the heroes’ cemeteries are at least a gold medal in any Southeast Asian Games, at least a silver medal in any Asian Games or Asian Cup, at least a bronze med al in any Olympic or World Games, or a world champion in any profes sional sports competition, according to Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers who filed House Bill 3716. Barbers filed the measure in honor of the country’s sports heroes and giv ing them the chance to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. “Sports stars become heroes when they are admired for their athletic ac complishments. As a society, we yearn to feel a connection to them, bask in their success, and pattern our lives af ter them”, Barbers said quoting Joseph Hastings in an article written recently. “Filipino sports icons have this amazing, unique way of making a pos itive impact in our society. They are our source of inspiration and strength in direst situations and serve as good role models, especially to the youth. With their incredible achievements that brought honor to our country, they deserve a spot at the Libingan ng mga Bayani,” Barbers added. Maricel
Earlier, a House panel voted to post pone the Dec. 5 polls for a year. The panel picked the first Monday of De cember 2023 as the new date for the said elections. The proposed bill also said that the winners of the 2023 polls will begin their terms on Jan. 1, 2024, or a period of 3 Theyears.supposed May 2020 election for barangay leaders and youth councils was moved to Dec. 5 this year through a law.Inthe interview, Garcia said Comelec is ready to push through with the elec tions at anytime but urged lawmakers to make a decision soon, ABS-CBN News further reported. “We need a decision before the end of August because we start printing bal lots by September to middle of Octo ber,” he Meanwhile,said. the Comelec is also pre paring for the conduct of 18 plebiscites including a plebiscite to split Magu indanao province into two.
the sitting chairman on behalf of the President. Did Sebastain have any importation plan ? If not, the Memorandum Order of ES Rodriguez was in effect illegal.
China, the world’s second-biggest economy, is already experiencing a slower recovery due to higher infla tion and its strict adherence to a zeroCOVID-19 policy. With high inflation rates in China, the US, UK and the rest of Europe, the world economy is facing the risk ofStagflation,stagflation. or recession-inflation, is a situation in which prices are increas ing, the economic growth is slowing and the unemployment rate is steadily high.Lower economic activities translate into reduced demand for commodi ties like oil. Crude prices are tumbling from their peaks because there are less engines to fire up, so to speak. Indications that Iran may soon re sume crude exports and Libya is boosting production are adding to downward pressures on oil prices. Sooner or later, the pressures on the inflation rate will decelerate as oil pricesAndstabilize.theeconomic growth cycle will resume.
Grasping the concept of residual exception
The reduced spending from con sumers, in turn, will prompt factories to cut back on their production, lay off some of their personnel and defer ex pansion plans. The higher unemployment resulting from lower manufacturing output fur ther decreases consumption or demand in the economy. These factors slow down overall economic activities.
There is no procedural canon against the exercise of common sense in deciding the admissibility of hearsay evidence
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ONE of the most important amendments to the 2019 Philippine Rules on Evidence was the intro duction of residual exception as an additional ex ception to the Hearsay Rule. The whole point of having a “residual” excep tion is that it may serve to admit hearsay when no other exception suits the purpose (Evidence, George Fisher, Third Edition). The residual exception provision adopted by the Philippines is the amended Rule 807 of the United States (US), which took effect in 1997. Under this US Rule, hearsay evidence may be allowed only if it was offered to prove a “mate rial fact,” is supported by “equivalent guarantees of trustworthiness,” will serve the purpose of the Rules and the interests of justice, and gives reasonable no tice of the intent to offer the statement to the adverse party.These were slightly tweaked to conform to the PhilippineHowever,experience.theUSamended its Rule 807, with the amendments taking effect on December 1, 2019. The new Rule removed the requirement that the admitted evidence proves a “material fact” and that it “will serve the purpose of the Rules and the inter est of justice.” It also changed the yardstick of trustworthiness from “equivalent guarantees” to “sufficient guaran tees,” and expressly required that the notice must be in writing and should describe the substance of the statement.Someopine that “[a]lthough the [US] advisory committee notes … that the changes are not in tended to broaden the scope of admissible hearsay evidence … the new language will undoubtedly serve to broaden the scope of admissible hearsay evidence” (Morgan J. Kleoppel, Amendment to ResidualObviously,Exception).theold Rule 807 adopted by the Phil ippines is narrower in application than the new Rule 807.As it was in the US in the mid-1970s and early 1980s when the application of residual exception was conservative in most courts (Evidentiary Foun dations, Edward J. Imwinkelried), the author fore sees that Philippine courts will also be conservative. However, as its application progresses with the guidance of the Supreme Court, courts will be more receptive to its use. The Dallas County v. Commercial Union Assur ance Co. case is “universally acknowledged to be the direct antecedent of the catch-all philosophy” that lies behind the provision of residual excep tion to the hearsay rule (Evidence, George Fisher, Third Edition citing 14 T.M. COOLEY L. REV. 1, 5 [1997]).Thequestion raised was the admissibility of a newspaper article in the Morning Times showing that the Dallas County Courthouse in Selma, Ala bama, was damaged by fire in 1901. The Dallas County case involved the collapse of the clock tower of the Dallas County Court House at Selma on July 7, 1957. The damage was estimated to exceed $100,000, and an examination of the tower debris showed the presence of charcoal and charred timbers (286 F.2d 388, 5th Cir. 1961). In the opinion of the engineers and investigators, the char was a result of a fire in the courthouse tower and roof that must have occurred many, many years before July 2, 1957. For this reason, the insurers denied liability. Hence, Dallas County sued the insurers (286 F.2d 388, 5th Cir. 1961). During the trial the defendants introduced a copy of the Morning Times of Selma for June 9, 1901. This issue carried an unsigned article describing the fire that occurred in the morning of June 9, 1901, while the courthouse was still under construction. The article stated, in part: “The unfinished dome of the County’s new courthouse was in flames at the top, and … soon fell in. The fire was soon under control and the main building was saved.” The insurers did not contend that the collapse of the tower resulted from the charred (and therefore brittle) timber used in the repair of the building after theTheyfire. offered the newspaper account to show that there had been a fire long before 1957 that would account for the charred timber in the clock tower (286 F.2d 388, 5th Cir. 1961). The defendants called to the stand the editor of the Selma-Times Journal who testified that the publishing company maintains archives of the published issues of the Times-Journal and the Morning Times, its predecessor, and that the archives contain the issue of the Morning Times of Selma for June 9, 1901 (286 F.2d 388, 5th Cir. 1961).The plaintiff objected that the newspaper article was hearsay; that it was not a business record nor an ancient document, and was not admissible under any recognized exception to the hearsay doctrine.
The historical record shows that unlike Martin Romualdez, past House Speakers did not have the good fortune of getting the overwhelming, if not nearly inacceptanceunconditional,oftheirpeersthelegislature
As it turned out, Santa Banana, there was no im portation plan. An importation plan becomes necessary follow ing the harvest season for sugar producers and the onset of the milling season for sugar. To import sugar this time would be prejudicial to the sugar producers and millers, especially so because of an early import of sugar had not fully arrived.Thus, to me, it is more than a misunderstanding on the part of Sebastian, but the lack of sufficient knowledge on the importance of an importation plan, to which he must take full responsibility and accountability.Ialsobelieve that the other members of the SRA should be held accountable and responsible, in which case they should be investigated. To me, this case of the sugar importation con troversy is a good lesson for all bureaucrats in the Marcos administration to realize that they must be aware of their responsibility and accountability, and not just follow orders like robots. President Marcos, it seems, is not content with bureaucrats in his administration taking for granted, Santa Banana, memorandum orders or Administra tive Orders. An importation plan for sugar is the crucial part of any import. As attested by Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-An geles, there was some confusion resulting in a mis understanding of Memorandum Order 4 ordered by the Executive Secretary on the creation of an “im portation plan.” And, my gulay, as the Press Secretary asserted, an importation plan was needed to decide on an impor tation of sugar from abroad. Thus, the confusion arose when the SRA ordered the importation without considering whether or not it was time to import sugar. There is also a suggestion that perhaps the apparent shortage of sugar was due to hoarding by middlemen. These facts further resulted in the misunderstand ing by the SRA. Now, Santa Banana, whether or not this misun derstanding by the SRA constituted an illegal act must now be determined. No wonder Sebastian told the House in a probe that he was innocent.
Inflation pressures ebbing Opinion
Institute The
Speaker Martin Romualdez inspires many Filipinos INFLATION pressures appear to be softening up, which is good news for everybody.Globaloil prices, the main culprit behind soaring inflation, along with COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are starting to drop from their peak level of $120 a barrel in June this year. They are now just un der $90 a Surgingbarrel.oilprices have resulted in skyrocketing inflation in both devel oped and developing nations. The inflation rate in the United Kingdom rose to a new 40-year high of 10.1 per cent in July, while that of the United States eased to 8.5 percent in the same month from 9.1 percent in June. But surging inflation tends to damp en economic growth. Consumers will balk at spending because of high pric es.They will reduce their expenses, purchase only the more essential items and try to save some of their precious money in the bank. In some cases, consumers will post pone investments, like purchasing properties and automobiles.
There was a call for a probe and whoever was accountable and responsible for that ‘illegal’ importation should be made to pay, and that ‘order’ of Executive Secretary Rodriguez to Sebastian should be investigated After the resignation of Sebastian there was also the resignation of no less than the chief administra tor of SRA and another board member . That the President has accepted all the resignations confirms the fact that, more than just the confusion and misunderstanding of the importation plan, the impor tation of the 300,000 metric tons of sugar was illegal. Full version on www.manilastandard.net
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022 B1
The deferofproduction,towillconsumers,spendingreducedfrominturn,promptfactoriescutbackontheirlayoffsometheirpersonnelandexpansionplans
THE botched importation of 300,000 metric tons of refined and raw brown sugar is really a mess. While some call it an attempt to pull one over President Marcos, others simply call it a case of mis understanding of what should be done by those au thorized to carry out an “importation plan” because of an apparent shortage of sugar. I have read newspaper reports about the reported “mess.” But to understand what really happened, let’s take the case step by step, my gulay! Malacanang authorized Undersecretary for Operations Leocadio Sebastian to “sign contracts, memorandum of agreement” among others, “nec essary to effectively achieve the objective, plans and projects” of the Department of Agriculture which included the controversial decision to import sugar amid a looming sugar shortage. The authorization was contained in a memoran dum dated July 15, 2022 issued by Executive Sec retary Victor Sebastian,Rodriguez.whoacts on behalf of the President as concurrent DA Secretary and Chairman of the Sugar Regulatory Administration, thus subsequent ly took “full responsibility as chairman of the SRA and issued Administrative Order 4 authorizing the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar. Santa Banana, when the sugar mess broke out in the media, which Malacanang first called illegal and unauthorized, all hell broke loose. There was a call for a probe and whoever was accountable and responsible for that “illegal” im portation should be made to pay, and that “order” of Executive Secretary Rodriguez to Sebastian should be Thisinvestigated.prompted Sebastian to resign as Under secretary for Operations and said he will take full responsibility for the allegedly illegal importation. The probe, which the President said he would not interfere in, raises questions like: Was the ac tion taken by Sebastian illegal ? Was it an attempt to pull one over the President? Or was it just a case of lack of understanding of what the President really wanted as contained in that order of ES Rodriguez to Sebastian? Note that in the order of ES Rodriguez to Sebas tian there was a need for an import plan. It must be recalled that while Sebastian was au thorized to sit as chairman of SRA on behalf of the President, what is really the crux of the problem is whether or not an importation plan was first made by Sebastian, an SRA board member. This, to me, is the crux of the problem, since the style of BBM is systematic. He must know every step of a decision made by Illegal sugar importation
MEMBER
FERDINAND Martin Romualdez, the new Speak er of the House of Representatives, is undoubtedly an inspiring leader for many Filipinos. The eloquent, charming, good-looking Philip pine and American-educated lawyer and seasoned political leader from Leyte already holds the dis tinction of being the only House Speaker of recent times who has not created a stir in assuming the top post in the lower house of Congress. Romualdez’ election as House Speaker did not trigger any serious or manifest opposition from any sizeable group of legislators. It was almost as if the highest post in the House was simply waiting for him all along. The historical record shows that unlike Romual dez, past House Speakers did not had the good fortune of getting the overwhelming, if not nearly unconditional, acceptance of their peers in the leg islature.One example is provided by incumbent Davao del Norte Representative Pantaleon Alvarez, whose past stint as House Speaker was short-lived. Political observers attribute Alvarez’ winning the top house post to his close ties to then President Ro drigoManyDuterte.congressmen eventually found Alvarez too abrasive as House Speaker, and many others believed he was intoxicated with power. In less than two years as House helmsman, Alva rez lost the throne to Pampanga Representative and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. One of the most controversial contenders for House Speaker is the over-ambitious Allan Peter Cayetano, seen by many as a traditional politician who would do anything to stay in power. Cayetano was the vice presidential running mate of presidential aspirant Duterte in the 2016 polls, but he lost. In 2019, after a brief, inconsequential stint as Foreign Secretary, Cayetano won a seat in the House representing the City of Taguig. Exploiting his close ties to President Duterte, Cayetano muscled his way to the speakership in a three-way contest between and among Romualdez and Marinduque solon Lord Allan Velasco. To avoid a serious splinter within the ranks of the ruling party, Romualdez selflessly set aside his bid for the speakership, and took on the role of majority floorCayetanoleader. and Velasco, however, went on with their rivalry. The fight ended only when Cayetano and Velasco agreed to divide the three-year term of Speaker between themselves, with Cayetano serv ing the first Althoughhalf.hewas an ally of President Duterte, the latter was not very keen on having Cayetano lead theAnyway,House. after assuming the post of Speaker in July 2019, Cayetano practically spent the bulk of his incumbency currying favor with many con gressmen with a view to getting himself to stay on as Speaker even beyond his one and half year tenure which he negotiated with Velasco. Alas! When Cayetano’s 18 months as Speaker were over, he tried every trick in the book, including shedding tears in public and portraying himself to be prayerful, to stay in office. His manipulations were unsuccessful. He suc ceeded, however, in tarnishing the post of House Speaker.Tired of Cayetano’s self-centered style of man agement, the members of the House unceremoni ously unseated Cayetano in October 2020, and re placed him with Velasco. For three years since July 2019, Romualdez stayed in the wings, biding his time. His patience and perseverance were fruitful. Last July, Romual dez was elected House Speaker with barely any serious opposition from any sector. Two months in office as House Speaker, Ro mualdez has managed to keep the trust and confi dence given to him earlier by his colleagues in the legislature. His continued stay as House Speaker looks very bright. The people are looking forward to the promised realization of Romualdez’ post pandemic economic recovery program that puts emphasis on a bright future for young Filipinos, a caring government for the marginalized, and support services for the work ing class and the business sector. Nobody, not even the most rabid of the stragglers from the political opposition, can disagree with the famed Romualdez plan. Romualdez also has the good fortune of being a first cousin of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Ro mualdez Marcos Jr. His close ties to the President should make cooperation between the legislative and the executive departments of the government, which is indispensable to speedy and effective leg islation, proceed with ease. Like his cousin the President, Romualdez does not speak ill of others, maintains a relatively low profile in public, and easily creates an atmosphere characteristic of friendly and kind-hearted Filipinos everywhere he goes. His natural charisma and undisputed record of dedicated public service, unblemished by even any remote suggestion of corruption, anomalies or in competence, make Romualdez the personification of the young and vibrant Filipino leader of the cur rentRomualdez’generation. turn as House Speaker has long been awaited, and it is now a reality that will prove beneficial to the people, and unite the nation’s di verse political sectors.
EDITORIAL
The Judge admitted the newspaper as part of the records of the Selma Times-Journal (286 F.2d 388, 5th Cir. 1961). In the Anglo-American adversary system of law, courts usually will not admit evidence unless its ac curacy and trustworthiness may be tested by crossexamination.Here,therefore, the plaintiff argues that the newspaper should not be admitted: “You cannot cross-examine a newspaper” (286 F.2d 388, 5th Cir. 1961).The appellate, court in affirming the findings of the trial court, relied heavily on Wigmore on Evi dence, particularly on his analysis that “requisites of an exception to the hearsay rule are necessity and circumstantial guaranty of trustworthiness” (286 F.2d 388, 5th Cir. 1961). As for necessity, Wigmore points out that this requisite means that unless the hearsay statement is admitted, the facts it brings out may otherwise be lost, either because the person whose asser tion is offered may be dead or unavailable, or because the assertion is of such a nature that one could not expect to obtain evidence of the same value from the same person or from other sources (Wigmore 1421, 3d. ed. cited in 286 F.2d 388, 5th Cir. 1961). The fire referred to in the newspaper account oc curred fifty-eight years before the trial of the case. Any witness who saw that fire with sufficient understanding to observe it and describe it ac curately, would have been older than a young child at the time of the fire (286 F.2d 388, 5th Cir. 1961).Itwould have been burdensome, but not impos sible, for the defendant to have discovered the name of the author of the article and, perhaps to have found an eyewitness to the fire. But it is improbable that any witness could have been found whose recollection would have been ac curate at the time of the trial of the case (286 F.2d 388, 5th Cir. 1961). The appellate court declared that the rationale behind the “ancient documents” exception is ap plicable here: after a long lapse of time, ordinary evidence requiring signatures or handwriting is vir tually unavailable, and it is therefore permissible to resort to circumstantial evidence (286 F.2d 388, 5th Cir.In1961).thecase of Montgomery County v. Farmers & Citizens Savings Bank Co. (Ohio Com. PI. 1953), the court in the latter case admitted 80-year old newspapers as ancient documents. Full version on www.manilastandard.net
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AFP Commuters wait on a platform at Clapham Junction in London on August 18, 2022 as Britain’s train network faced further attheinflationdecades-highvastareBritain’sthis30strikesector’sthatmajordisruptionheavyinwalkoutsfollowthebiggestactionforyearsalreadysummer.workersstrikinginnumbersaserodesvalueofwagesarecordpace.
Business FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022 || B3 extrastory2000@gmail.com Stock market closes flat; Emperador tops gainers SHARE prices closed virtually flat Thursday following a sell-off in New York spurred by minutes from the Federal Reserve indicating officials intended to keep lifting interest rates to tackle decadeshigh inflation. MOSTVOLUMEACTIVEVALUE (PHP) 1 EMI 62,128,400 1,254,952,905 2 ALI 18,143,900 523,737,400 3 SM 427,160 375,597,460 4 BDO 2,031,480 257,101,781 5 SMPH 5,394,200 203,990,045 6 SPNEC 111,158,000 194,143,240 7 AC 245,750 189,039,175 8 CNVRG 9,221,900 181,222,398 9 TEL 103,560 180,942,575 10 SECB 1,778,300 163,475,783 TOP LASTGAINERS % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE 1 MJIC 1.02 0.32 45.71% 2 I 0.95 0.16 20.25% 3 KPPI 2.44 0.27 12.44% 4 MJC 1.38 0.12 9.52% 5 T 0.69 0.06 9.52% 6 PRMX 2.65 0.22 9.05% 7 LFM 19 1.4 7.95% 8 WPI 0.49 0.035 7.69% 9 NRCP 0.7 0.05 7.69% 10 CEI 0.088 0.006 7.32% TOPPRICELASTLOSERS%CHANGECHANGE 1 MBC 6.51 -1.96 -23.14% 2 CAB 43.7 -6.25 -12.51% 3 GREEN 1.74 -0.13 -6.95% 4 EVER 0.3 -0.015 -4.76% 5 GMAP 10.52 -0.48 -4.36% 6 SPNEC 1.73 -0.07 -3.89% 7 IPO 6.25 -0.25 -3.85% 8 TECH 3.16 -0.12 -3.66% 9 AUB 42.2 -1.55 -3.54% 10 HOME 4.69 -0.16 -3.30% PSEi August 18, 2022 More interest rate hikes coming—Fedare
WASHINGTON, United States—US central bankers remain committed to raising interest rates further to quell rising prices, but agreed it would be appropriate to slow the pace of the hikes “at some point,” the Federal Reserve said Wednesday. The central bank has raised the benchmark borrowing rate four times this year, including two massive three-quarter-point increases in June and July as it tries to cool demand to lower prices that have surged at the fastest pace in more than 40 years. The aggressive moves took on more urgency after US annual infla tion spiked to 9.1 percent in June. In the minutes of the July policy meeting, which produced a second massive rate increase of 75 basis points, Fed officials said it will take some time to bring “unacceptably high” inflation back down near the two percent goal. Policymakers are trying to tread a narrow path and avoid pushing the world’s largest economy into reces sion, and many officials at the meet ing cautioned that there is a “risk” the Fed could go too far. Since the last Fed meeting, finan cial markets have been cheered by hopes that a slowing economy will allow the central bank to dial back or even halt the rate hikes, especially after comments from Fed Chair Je rome Powell, who signaled that the rapid increases eventually would give way to more normal steps. But Fed officials have tried to dis pel some of that excess optimism, stressing in recent speeches that the central bank is committed to pursu ing its battle on inflation—a message echoed in the minutes. And economists see no suggestion of a pivot from the Fed’s policy-set ting Federal Open Market Commit tee (FOMC) any time soon. After the benchmark rate was slashed to zero at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, it now sits in a range of 2.25 to 2.5 percent. AFP The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added just 5.64 points, or 0.08 percent, to 6,824.63 on a value turnover of P13.8 billion. Losers, however, edged gainers, 104 to 96, with 40 issues unchanged. Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corp., a major solar power developer, dropped 3.9 percent to P1.73, while property developer Ayala land Inc. of the Ayala Group, fell 2.7 percent to P28.60. Emperador Inc. of business tycoon Andrew Tan, the biggest liquor maker, however, advanced 2 percent to P20.55, while Security Bank Corp., the eighthlargest private bank in terms of assets, rose 1.9 percent to P92.45. The rest of Asian markets dropped
AFP ARGENTINA DISSENT. Street vendors sell ‘choripanes’ (grilled sausages on bread) to people taking part in a demonstration against the inflation held by the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) in Buenos Aires, on August 17, 2022. For the first time since President Alberto Fernandez took office in December 2019, the unions, who are allies of the government, decided to march to the Congress to protest against the high cost of living in a country that records one of the highest inflation rates in the world, with an accumulated rate of 46.2 percent from January to July. AFP
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—The Saudi economy is expected to grow 7.6 per cent this year, up from 3.2 percent in 2021, on the back of soaring oil rev enues, the International Monetary Fund saidTheWednesday.government’s Vision 2030 re form program, designed to reduce the kingdom’s dependence on oil, has also given the economy a boost as more Saudis join the workforce, particularly women, the IMF said. “Liquidity and fiscal support, reform momentum under Vision 2030 and high oil prices and production helped the economy recover with a robust growth, contained inflation and a resilient finan cial sector,” it said. “Overall growth was robust at 3.2 percent in 2021, in particular driven by a rebounding non-oil sector—sup ported by higher employment for Saudi nationals, particularly women.”
By Olivier Devos LONDON, United Kingdom—Rail way and postal staff, dockers too. Brit ain’s workers are striking in vast num bers as decades-high inflation erodes the value of wages at a record pace. Britain’s train network faces further heavy disruption Thursday and Satur day in major walkouts that follow the sector’s biggest strike action for 30 years already this summer. Tens of thousands of staff are ex pected to strike over the two days, leaving a skeleton train service that will hit holiday-makers and commut ers, even if home-working continues for many office staff after COVID re strictions were lifted. London’s underground railway, the Tube, will be hit by a strike Saturday, ahead of an eight-day stoppage start ing Sunday by dockers at Felixstowe, Britain’s largest freight port that is situated in eastern England. “We will continue to do whatever is necessary to defend jobs, pay and conditions during this cost-of-living crisis,” Sharon Graham, head of major British union, Unite, said this week. Official data Wednesday showed UK inflation at a 40-year-high above 10 percent, as soaring food and energy prices hurt millions of Britons. Inflation to keep rising And the situation is set to worsen un der a new prime minister, as under-fire Boris Johnson prepares to step down. The Bank of England has forecast inflation to top 13 percent this year, tipping the British economy into a deep and long-lasting recession. “This record fall in real wages dem
US, Taiwan set formal trade talks in early autumn
WASHINGTON, United States— The United States and Taiwan an nounced on Wednesday objectives for trade negotiations set for the early autumn in another step to boost ties even as tensions soar with China over the self-ruled island. The negotiations would cover a va riety of areas, including agriculture, digital trade, good regulatory prac tices and removing trade barriers, the Office of the US Trade Representa tive said in a statement. The negotiations “will deepen our trade and investment relation ship, advance mutual trade priorities based on shared values, and promote innovation and inclusive economic growth for our workers and business es,” said Deputy United States Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi. “We plan to pursue an ambitious schedule for achieving high-standard commitments and meaningful out comes covering the eleven trade ar eas in the negotiating mandate that will help build a fairer, more pros perous and resilient 21st century economy.”Thetalks, dubbed the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, were unveiled on June 1. In recent weeks, tensions in the Taiwan Strait have soared to their highest in decades following a trip to Taipei by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.The visit sparked a furious re sponse from Beijing, which launched its largest-ever military drills around theChinaisland.views Taiwan as its own ter ritory to be seized one day, by force if necessary, and bristles at any per ceived treatment of it as a sovereign nationTherestate.is wide bipartisan support for Taiwan in the United States, es pecially in recent years as Beijing has become more assertive towards the democratic island under President Xi Jinping.Washington diplomatically rec ognizes Beijing over Taipei, but it maintains de facto relations with Tai wan and supports the island’s right to decide its future.
AFP onstrates the vital need for unions like Unite to defend the value of workers’ pay,” Graham said, while hitting out at suggestions, including from BoE gover nor Andrew Bailey, that pay rises were fueling“Wagesinflation.arenot driving inflation,” she insisted ahead of the latest UK inflation data that showed rocketing food prices were the main factor behind July’s spike.Inflation has soared worldwide this year also on surging energy prices, fu eled by the invasion of Ukraine by ma jor oil and gas producer Russia.
Britain’s workers strike as surging inflation crushes earnings
Pay deals Some proposed strikes planned for the British summer have been halted after unions and companies agreed pay deals at the eleventh hour. But while British Airways ground staff and plane re-fuelers at Heathrow airport have scrapped proposed walk outs, other sectors are holding firm. More than 115,000 British postal workers employed by former state-run Royal Mail plan a four-day strike from the end of TelecomsAugust.giant BT will face its first stoppage in 35 years and walkouts have recently taken place or are soon to occur by Amazon warehouse staff, criminal lawyers and refuse collectors. Major UK business lobby group, the CBI, this week acknowledged workers’ ongoing “struggle with rising costs like energy prices” and said employers were “doing their level best to support staff.” It also claimed, however, that “the vast majority” of companies “can’t af ford large enough pay rises to keep up withRegardinginflation.”the part-privatized British railway sector, unions accuse Transport Secretary Grant Shapps of not helping to resolve the impasse. Shapps is part of the Conservative government that recently amended a law to allow agency staff to help fill gaps caused by strikes, further angering the RMT railway union.
IMF sees Saudi Arabia growth soaring 7.6% this year on high oil prices
Thursday.WhileUS policymakers said they would eventually have to start tempering their tightening pace, they said they would keep borrowing costs elevated “for some time,” though admitted there was a risk of going too far and damaging the economy. The minutes dampened hopes that after a period of quick, sharp increases this year, the bank could possibly begin lowering them in 2023 once inflation was coming down. Bets on a more dovish approach in the new year had been boosted by data showing inflation came down quicker in July than expected. That helped drive a rally in equities from their June lows and weighed on the dollar. But the realization that policy would likely stay restrictive undermined the sense of optimism, pushing all three in dexes on Wall Street down Wednesday with the tech-heavy Nasdaq taking the biggest hit, while the dollar rallied and extended gains in Asia. And news that UK inflation spiked above 10 percent for the first time since 1982 added to the downbeat mood. Asian traders appeared increasingly wor ried that the Fed will slip up as it tries to bring down inflation without causing another re cession in the world’s biggest economy. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Shang hai, Seoul, Taipei, Mumbai, Wellington and Bangkok were down, though Singa pore and Jakarta edged up. “The key takeaway from these minutes would appear to show that there is little inclination on the part of anyone on the (policy board) to even look at the possi bility of rate cuts,” said Michael Hewson at CMC Markets. With AFP
Gross domestic product was “expect ed to increase significantly to 7.6 per cent in 2022 despite monetary policy tightening and fiscal consolidation, and a, thus far, limited fall-out from the war in Ukraine,” the IMF said, while pro jecting GDP growth of 3.7 percent in 2023.The kingdom managed to contain inflation at 3.1 percent in 2021, and the IMF predicted it would remain little changed this year at 2.8 percent, even as rates soar in much of the developed world. The fund said that was largely due to “low passthrough” of the double-digit wholesale price inflation and increas ing shipping costs battering the world economy. Bumper oil revenues and increased tax revenues from the non-oil economy saw the overall fiscal balance improve by almost nine percentage points to a deficit of 2.3 percent of GDP last year, the IMF said. AFP
DEVELOPERS’ COURTESY CALL. The board of directors of the Subdivision and Housing Development Association pays a courtesy call on Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar (left). SHDA reiterated its support and cooperation to DHSUD and to its policies and programs to help address the increasing housing demand and backlog in the country. With Acuzar is SHDA national treasurer and Pueblo de Oro senior vice president and general manager for Luzon operations Leonardo Dayao Jr.
Diokno says record P12.79-t gov’t debt remains manageable PH a high-income country in 20 years—NEDA Smart ties up with Omnispace on 5G network
B4 FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022
BSP Governor and MB chairman Felipe Medalla
By Darwin G. Amojelar SMART Communications Inc. said Thursday it teamed up with US-based Omnispace Llc to explore and demon strate the capabilities of space-based 5G communications using low earth orbit“Thissatellites.collaboration with Omnispace will allow our companies to work to gether to define use cases for the Phil ippine market,” said PLDT’s technol ogy strategy and transformation office head Arvin Siena. Siena said possible use cases in clude enabling 5G connectivity in remote areas, incorporating inter net of things and sensors for use in monitoring weather disturbances and natural calamities and augmenting network coverage for disaster relief, maritime and telematics for vessels and“Thisequipment.isalsopart of PLDT’s broader initiatives to future-proof our services, including Smart 5G. This includes ex ploring opportunities to team up with companies like Omnispace to test the interoperability of our network with their 3GPP-compliant 5G non-terres trial network which will support the 5G ecosystem of the future,” Siena said.Having launched Omnispace Spark-1 and Spark-2 in April and May, the company completed the deploy ment phase of “Omnispace Spark,” representing the initial phase in the de velopment and delivery of the world’s first global 5G-capable satellite net work.The Omnispace 5G NTN global network will interconnect with ter restrial or land-based mobile networks to serve mobile subscribers using the company’s 2 GHz mobile satellite spectrum allocation and operating in 3GPP band n256.
FINANCE Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Thursday the government debt re mains at a manageable level despite ris ing to a record level of P12.79 trillion as of end-June, or equivalent to 62.1 per cent of the gross domestic product. Diokno issued the statement in re sponse to Senate committee on ways and means chairman Sherwin Gatchalian’s concern that the Philippines might fol low Sri Lanka in defaulting on its debt and declaring itself bankrupt. Diokno assured senators the national debt remained within manageable levels, allaying fears about the country default ing on loans amid a slightly elevated debt-to-gross domestic product ratio. “I can assure you… that we won’t go the Sri Lanka way. We’re very careful with our borrowings. In fact, as [Trea surer Rosalia De Leon] said, I think most of our debt is long term. [Former Finance Secretary Carlos Domniguez] has been very good in making sure that we borrow at the lowest possible interest rate and it’s spread out,” Diokno said in a briefing before the Senate committee. The government’s Medium-Term Fiscal Framework aims to bring down the debtto-GDP ratio to less than 60 percent by 2025 and reduce the deficit-to-GDP ratio from 6.5 percent to 3.0 percent by 2028. “The implication is clear: we do not have to borrow as much as we did during the crisis years,” Diokno said. De Leon said in the same briefing the government’s prudent debt management strategy enabled the country to safe guard its sovereign ratings amid a sea of downgrades. Diokno earlier expressed confidence that there would be no downgrades in the country’s credit rating, as the Marcos administration crafted a comprehensive economic plan to boost investor confi dence and ensure accelerated recovery. He said rating agencies affirmed the country’s investment grade rating despite the pandemic, while downgrading nearly one-third of the emerging economies and even some developed countries. Diokno told senators that the enhanced tax system instituted by the Duterte ad ministration would ensure that the gov ernment would meet its obligations. “I think, what you’ve done, because you have strengthened the tax system, I think we should be able to service what ever we borrowed down the road,” he said. Julito G. Rada
Business
BSP raises borrowing rate by another 50 bps to 3.75%
accelerating inflation.
THE Philippines may attain a high-in come status and eradicate poverty in the long term if it sustains its high-growth trajectory for two decades, the National Economic and Development Authority said.NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said in an economic forum of the Eco nomic Journalists Association of the Phil ippines the country would achieve rapid poverty reduction by sustaining a high level of economic growth. The outcome can also be facilitated by a reduction in inequality of opportunities and a relatively low level of inflation, he said.“Expanding the economic pie quickly and sustainably leads to more resources for social services like health and educa tion, better infrastructure like railways, ports, roads, and airports, as well as en ergy, water, and telecommunication net works. These encourage investment and business activity, create jobs, raise in comes and improve the Filipino’s quality of life,” Balisacan said. Balisacan said inequality partly deter mines how responsive poverty reduction is to economic growth. “The more unequal an economy is, the more difficult it becomes for its members to participate in expanding opportunities made available by growth. In other words, in a highly unequal society, growth is likely to be exclusive, with the wealthier segments of the population reaping most of the gains,” he said. Balisacan underscored how high in flation could dampen prospects for pov erty reduction, especially as different seg ments of the population exhibit different expenditure patterns for essentials like food. “I want to add that food inflation, espe cially, is a primary determinant of poverty simply because food constitutes a more significant proportion of the expenditure of poorer households,” he said.
BSP Governor and MB chairman Fe lipe Medalla said in a news briefing the interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were also adjusted to 3.25 percent and 4.25 percent, respec tively.“The BSP’s latest baseline forecasts have shifted higher for 2022, with av erage inflation projected to breach the upper end of the 2 percent to 4 percent target range at 5.4 percent,” Medalla said.“While the forecasts for 2023 and 2024 have declined to 4.0 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, the inflation target remains at risk over the policy ho rizon, owing to broadening price pres sures. Elevated inflation expectations likewise highlight the risk of further second-round effects,” he said. Oxford Economics, a UK-based think tank, said that despite the weaker-than-expected growth in the second quarter, the BSP continued to prioritize tackling inflation, which quickened to 6.4 percent in July, and supporting the peso, which remained depressed amid narrow interest rate differential with the US. “We continue to expect another 25 bp hike in Q4. Inflation is yet to reach its peak of around 7.7 percent in Q4, and we see the peso remaining weak in 2022 entering into 2023, keeping im port prices elevated. As such, the BSP still has more work to do. But thereafter, we expect the bank to take an extended pause,” Oxford Economics said in a statement.Medalla said upside risks continued to dominate the inflation outlook until 2023 because of the potential impact of higher global non-oil prices, the contin ued shortage in domestic fish supply, the sharp increase in the price of sugar and the pending petitions for transport fare adjustments.Theimpact of a weaker-than-expect ed global economic recovery and the resurgence of local COVID-19 infec tions were the main downside risks to theMedallaoutlook.said that despite some mod eration in economic activity in recent months, “overall domestic demand con ditions have generally held firm, sup ported by improved employment out turns and by ample liquidity and credit.” He said further monetary action was deemed necessary to anchor inflation expectations and avoid a further breach in the inflation target over the policy ho rizon.He said the favorable gross domes tic growth in the first half at 7.8 per cent gave the BSP the flexibility to act against inflation pressures, while allow ing domestic demand to sustain recov ery momentum amid prevailing head winds.
By Julito G. Rada THE Monetary Board, the 3.75rateovernightfourthThursdaySentralbodypolicy-makingoftheBangkongPilipinas,onraisedforthetimethisyeartheborrowingby50basispointstopercenttotamethe
The adjustment bought the total pol icy rate increase this year to 175 basis points, after it stayed at a record low of 2 percent in 2021.
PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPORT. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (fifth from left), with support from the Private Sector Advisory Council, firms up concrete plans to create more jobs and attract more investors. With the president are members of the council’s jobs sectoral group (from left) Kevin Tan of Alliance Global Group, Joey Concepcion of RFM Corp., Rizalina Mantaring of Ayala Corp., Tessie Sy Coson of SM Investments Corp., Doris Ho of the Magsaysay Group, Lance Gokongwei of JG Summit Holdings Inc. and Sabin Aboitiz, Gie Polanco and Ginggay Hontiveros of the Aboitiz Group.
By Jenniffer B. Austria BLOOMBERRY Resorts Corp. said Thursday it will start developing a newly-acquired property in the Puerto Azul-Paniman area in Ter nate, Cavite into an integrated re sort and casino, after the opening of Solaire North in Quezon City. Solaire North, Bloomberry’s sec ond integrated resort and casino, is scheduled to start operations in the fourth quarter of 2023. Bloomberry director for investor relations Jonas Isaac Ramos said in an investors’ briefing sponsored by the Philippine Stock Exchange the company would fully pay out the 280-hectare property in Ternate for P7.5 billion once it received the clean titles from several landowners. “We still start probably major con struction works after we open Solaire North next year. But that does not pre clude us from doing surveys, studies, master planning, getting environmental compliance certificate and prime our selves for major work to be done after Solaire North,” said Ramos. Ramos said the company had not yet finalized the capital spending plan for the Cavite property. Ramos said Solaire North was on track to opening by the fourth quar ter of 2023. Under the plan, Solaire North will have 500 to 600 hotels rooms, 200 to 250 gaming tables and 2,000 to 3,000 slot machines. “This property is envisioned to be mass focused space. This will be at par, if not even better than Soliare in Entertainment City,” Ramos said. Bloomberry executive vice presi dent and chief financial officer Estela Tuason-Occena said the company was conducting due diligence on the planned investments in two casinos owned by PH Resorts Group Hold ings Inc. of businessman Dennis Uy. “The completion of the planned acquisition is subject to satisfactory completion of our due diligence as well delivery of a number of condi tions. So until then we have not re ally closed the transaction,” TuasonOccena said.
PSE INDEX CLOSING
Bloomberry eyes new Puerto Azul resort and casino IN BRIEF Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor extrastory2000@gmail.combusiness@manilastandard.net
UK to grant duty-free access to PH products THE Philippines will be eligible for dutyfree access for over 99 percent of exported goods to the United Kingdom, saving around P1.4 billion in tariffs each year through the UK’s new Developing Countries Trading Scheme.TheBritish Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines said the UK was reshaping trade with developing countries through the new trading framework that would replace the UK Generalized Scheme of Preferences. The DCTS will come into force in early 2023.British Secretary of State for international trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan launched the new preferential trade scheme on Aug. 16 after outgoing British Prime Minister Bo ris Johnson announced the new preferential trade scheme at Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on June 23. “The launch of the Developing Countries Trading Scheme is a great opportunity for the UK and the Philippines to build on our strong existing bilateral trade and invest ment relationship. More than 80 percent of exported Filipino products, and 99 percent of total goods by value exported from the Philippines, will be eligible for duty free ac cess to the UK,” said British Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils. Othel V. Campos Expedock raises $17.5m in funding TECHNOLOGY startup Expedock, one of the portfolio companies under Kickstart Ventures Inc., raised $17.5 million for the modernization of its freight forwarding pro cess and the reduction of inefficiencies. Global software investor Insight Partners led the funding round, with participation from existing investors Neo and Pear and executives from Salesforce, Meta, eBay, Clearmetal and Project44. “Insight’s bread and butter is software companies driving transformative change in their industries, and that’s exactly what Ex pedock is doing in the international freight industry,” said Insight Partners senior asso ciate Connor Guess, who is joining Exped ock’s board of directors. “Expedock is reinventing how supply chain businesses are able to harness their own data. Given our 600% growth this past year, we are going to do even better by bring ing on engineers to expand our use cases and our account executives to support more customers,” said Expedock chief executive King Alandy Dy. Darwin G. Amojelar Pfizer launches new campaign PFIZER Philippines Inc. launched a new corporate communications program high lighting the company’s work in developing breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Themed “Life caring, life changing,” the new program, marked by a video story, show cases how Pfizer has enabled and empowered people to continue hoping and live their best lives thanks to its creation of various innova tive medicines, vaccines and treatments. The program represents Pfizer’s multiyear journey to reshape the company into an agile innovation powerhouse fully equipped to take on the difficult health challenges fac ing patients, communities and society. Pfizer spent the last 10 years building on its heritage as a scientific leader to further enhance its research and development en gine and evolved from a diversified enter prise to a more focused and innovative bio pharma company. It is now advancing one of the strongest pipelines in company history. “We at Pfizer believe that Filipinos deserve to have breakthrough medicines that give them hope,” said Angelica Claveria, country medical director of Pfizer Philippines. Thursday, August 18, 2022 5.64 6,824.63PTS. F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 Currency Unit US Dollar Peso United States Dollar 1.000000 55.8260 Japan Yen 0.007402 0.4132 UK Pound 1.205200 67.2815 Hong Kong Dollar 0.127499 7.1178 Switzerland Franc 1.050751 58.6592 Canada Dollar 0.774533 43.2391 Singapore Dollar 0.723851 40.4097 Australia Dollar 0.693500 38.7153 Bahrain Dinar 2.652942 148.1031 Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266375 14.8707 Brunei Dollar 0.721241 40.2640 Indonesia Rupiah 0.000068 0.0038 Thailand Baht 0.028209 1.5748 UAE Dirham 0.272279 15.2002 Euro Euro 1.017700 56.8141 Korea Won 0.000761 0.0425 China Yuan 0.147482 8.2333 India Rupee 0.012602 0.7035 Malaysia Ringgit 0.223914 12.5002 New Zealand Dollar 0.628100 35.0643 Taiwan Dollar 0.033407 1.8650 Source: BSP TOTAL VOLUME 909,507,231 TOTAL TRADES 74,264 TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) 13,764,300,454.94 ADVANCES 96
Nadal was rocked by his loss after six weeks away as he healed an abdominal muscle injury that forced his withdrawal from a Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios. Now Nadal goes into the US Open, which begins on August 29 in New York, with only one summer hardcourt match. “In terms of New York, it’s a Grand Slam, a different kind of tournament,” Nadal said. “I was only able to play two sets before this match in the last 40 days. “I know that to gain condition. I will have to (be) on the tour practicing with the guys (other players).” The 36-year-old Spaniard with 22 Grand Slam titles said he hopes to feed off fan energy at the US Open, where Nadal won titles in 2010, 2013, 2017 and“There2019. is an energy the crowd gives me in New York. It’s a very special place for me,” Nadal said. “I’ve had unforgettable moments there and I’m going to try my very best every single day to be ready for that.”
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022 C1 Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor
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AFP Superal shares 2nd spot with world’s no. 4 Ko at AsPac golf NCAA to limit events in Season 98
THE calendar of events will still be limited when the National Collegiate Athletic Association opens its 98th season in less than a month. NCAA Season 98 management committee chairman Boying Boquiron of host Emilio Aguinaldo College said this, with the men’s basketball competitions to begin on September 10. “We are still on schedule after Season 97. Dire-diretso ang practice ng basketball,” said Boquiron in an interview with the Manila Standard. GMA-7 remains as NCAA’s broadcast partner until 2025, according to Boquiron. Events on tap are men’s basketball, women’s volleyball, online chess and taekwondo. Still being discussed is the inclusion of men’s volleyball and other regular events like swimming, badminton, football, lawn tennis, soft tennis, beach volleyball and athletics. Also in question are the holding of numerous high school competitions.
Rafael Nadal of Spain wipes his face o using his wristband during his match against Borna Coric of Croatia during the Western & Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. AFP
CINCINNATI—Rafael Nadal’s disaster comeback match on Wednesday at the Cincinnati Masters leaves the Spaniard lagging in the chase for the top ATP ranking. Nadal was ambushed 7-6 (11/9), 4-6, 6-3 in his second-round start by Croat Borna Coric, ending his hopes of overtaking Daniil Medvedev for the world number one rankings. Top seed Medvedev, who plays on Thursday for a quarter-final spot against Denis Shapovalov, can tighten his grip on his current top position heading into the US Third-rankedOpen.
With two gold medals already tucked under its belt, Team Philippines hopes to bag three more when the finals get underway on Saturday in the IFMA World Youth Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Competing in the 10-11 female youth 30+kg category, Mara Luz Dagame added a silver to the coffers of Teen Bagsik, which has so far won two golds, one silver and two bronze medals. The 11-year-old Dagame reached the semifinals before losing to Ladda Zhokhova, 27-30, in the final. But Dagame will have a chance for the gold when she competes in the final of wai kru event on Saturday. Also on Wednesday, Keith Margaret Balinas settled for the bronze medal in the 1213 female youth -38kg division after losing to Kotchakorn Watthakorn of Thailand, 27-30, in the semis.
By Randy Caluag A FTER weightlifting, it’s the Muay Thai Philippine youth team’s turn to make waves in the world stage.
Princess Superal (left) with ICTSI teammate Pauline del Rosario series of tournaments on the Ladies Asian Tour following the seasonopening DB Group 36th Korea Women’s Open last March, offers a prize purse of $500,000 in team play and $250,000 in individual competition. The individual champion will receive $100,000 while the runner-up will get $57,500.Unlike Superal, Ryu, the 2011 US Women’s Open champion and winner of the 2017 Chevron Championship, banked a blistering start to take command, birdying three of the first four holes then closing out her big frontside with two birdies in the last three. The sixtime LPGA Tour winner slowed down a bit at the back with two birdies, the last matching Superal’s lasthole feat to seize the solo lead at 65.
The Letran Knights are defending the men’s basketball champions, while the College of St. Benilde is primed up to defend its title in the women’s volleyball games, which will be held in February. Fans will be allowed at the venues now that COVID-19 protocols have stayed at level 1. With face-to-face activities set to be allowed by the government, the league will hold events in a semibubbleStudent-athletessetup. will still be restricted to their team dormitories, and they will regularly undergo antigen tests.
Muay thai youth bets bag 2 golds in world tourney
WORLD no. 3 pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ Obiena vowed to sweat it out to and earn more glory for the country in the world stage. The 26-year-old Obiena said this after he was formally reinstated to the national athletics team recently. “This was a long awaited and just decision; and one in the best interests of Philippine sport. It’s also a decision that is congruent with the values and principles of the Olympic Spirit. Now, I look forward as I work tirelessly to bring more glory to our beloved Philippines!” said Obiena in a statement on Instagram. Obiena’s re-inclusion in the national roster was decided during a meeting of the Philippine Track and Field Association board on Saturday. The decision was made known to Obiena after he finished fourth in the 12th Gyulai Istvan Memorial Athletics Championships in Szekesfehervar, Hungary. “I am very thankful to the PATAFA leadership and PSC for reinstating me back to the national team. While I shall properly leave the past in the past; I believe the facts have spoken. The Commission on Audit has spoken. My fellow countrymen have spoken. And my team and I have proven our dedication with our performances on the world stage and a first-ever World Championships medal,” said Obiena. Peter Atencio Obiena vows to give more glory to PH Balinas paired with Jan Brix Ramiscal to win the gold in the mae mai muay mixed doubles’ category on Tuesday. Clark Fattit and Edel Ali Ngina bagged the Philippines’ second gold so far after ruling the 14-15 male open division. Fattit will get another crack at the gold medal of the combat event when he meets Evgenii Ponomarev in the 14-15 male youth -40kg final on Saturday. The 14-year-old Fattit assured himself of a silver medal after scoring an emphatic knockout win over Ashley Kar Kit Chow in the semifinals on Wednesday.JasmineDagame also gets a chance at gold as she tackles India’s Mary Christine Wriang in the final of the 14-15 female youth -35kg class.The duo of Jan Brix Ramiscal and Keith Margaret Balinas topped the Mix Doubles category (Precious Delarmino)
PRINCESS Superal rode on a threebirdie binge from No. 10 to fuel a fiery a six-under 66 for a share of second with world No. 4 Lydia Ko, just a shot behind two-time major winner So Yeon Ryu in individual competition while steering the Philippines to joint second in team play at the start of the Asia Pacific Cup at the Pondok Indah Golf Course in Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday. Failing to gain much headway with a one-birdie frontside card, Superal bucked the winds that started to pick up at the back as she birdied the first two holes on crisp iron shots then added another on the par-3 12th to find herself in the mix. She drilled in another on the 15th then struck a brilliant approach shot to within three feet on the par-5 18th. “I played consistently, especially with my drives. I also hit solid iron shots and my putting clicked at the back as I made a couple of up-and-down saves to preserve by bogey-free card,” said Superal. But while Superal flourished with a closing 31, Epson Tour campaigner and ICTSI teammate Pauline del Rosario wavered with three bogeys in the last nine holes, including on No. 18. She ended up with a 75 as the Philippines slipped to joint second with Japan in team competition with a three-under 141 aggregate. Ko actually turned in a more explosive finish, holing out with a birdie-eagle feat to churn out her version of a 35-31 at the par-72 layout, whose tricky surface bedeviled the games of the rest of the 44-player cast with only nine players able to break par. But Team Korea 2 rose to the challenge as Ryu fashioned out a bogeyfree 65 (34-31) round to wrest control in individual play while teaming up with Bomee Lee, who also shot a solid 67, to put the team way out in front by nine at 12-under 132. The Philippines and Team Japan 2 matched 141s for joint second with New Zealand slipping to fourth as Ko’s teammate Momoka Kobori faltered with a 76 for a 140. Team Thailand 2, made up for Patcharajutar Kongkraphan and Saraporn Chamchoi, assembled a 143 for joint fifth with Team Korea 1 as world No. 8 Hyo Joo Kim struggled with a three-birdie against one double bogey and a bogey card for a 72 and You Min Hwang shot a 71. Superal is coming off a break following an exhausting campaign on the Thailand Ladies PGA and Thai Women’s PGA marked by two runnerup finishes, including a playoff setback to Aunchisa Utama in the Thai LPGA Championship last May. The former US Girls’ Junior champion actually didn’t get that much respite as she had to undergo intensive training with swing coach Bong Lopez at the Manila Southwoods while doubling up in sharpening her short game and putting for the inaugural championship that features team and individual competitions. The 54-hole event, the second of a By Peter Atencio
Tokyo Olympics exec arrested overallegationsbribery
Bataan seeks rebound against Muntinlupa, Quezon City, Manila tackle separate rivals
The deal, according to ESPN and The Athletic, includes a player option for the 2024-25 season, in which James could see his 17-year-old son Bronny become an NBA rookie.
NEW YORK—Defending champion Golden State will host the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston will entertain Philadelphia when the 2022-23 NBA season opens on October 18 in a league schedule announced Wednesday. Each team will play 82 regular-season games through April 9 with a playin tournament ahead of the April 15 start of the playoffs and the NBA Finals commencing on June 1. The schedule sees the resumption of international regular-season contests with the Miami Heat playing the San Antonio Spurs on December 17 in Mexico City and the Chicago Bulls meeting the Detroit Pistons in Paris on January 19. There will be five games played on Christmas Day for the 15th consecutive year, tipping off with Philadelphia at New York and followed by the Lakers at Dallas, Milwaukee at Boston and Memphis making a December 25 debut at Golden State before the holiday slate concludes with Phoenix at Denver. In a move to encourage fans to vote, no NBA games will be played on US Election Day, November 8, while all 30 teams will play on November 7 as well as April 9 to end the campaign. On opening night, the 76ers will visit the reigning Eastern Conference champions before the NBA champion Warriors receive their championship rings before hosting superstar LeBron James and the Lakers. On October 19, New York will visit Memphis and Dallas go to Phoenix in a rematch of a Western Conference semifinal series from last season. The next night, Milwaukee travel to Philadelphia while the Los Angeles rivals the Lakers and Clippers meet. October 21 will feature Boston at Miami and Denver at Golden State. There will be two rematches of last season’s NBA Finals when the Warriors play host to Boston on December 10 and visit the Celtics on January 19. The week of January 23 will be NBA Rivals Week, a series of games featuring various league rivalries. A trio of January 28 contests include the Lakers at Boston, New York at Brooklyn and reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic leading Denver against Philadelphia and MVP runner-up and 2021-22 scoring leader Joel Embiid. The estimated average miles traveled for NBA clubs in the 2022-23 regular season has been reduced to 41,000 miles per team, a record low in the era with 30 teams and 82 games each. AFP Warriors face Lakers, 76ers meet Celtics in NBA openers
Ernesto Bondoc is one of the Bataan Risers’ dependable players.
LOS ANGELES—LeBron James has agreed to terms on a two-year NBA contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $97.1 million, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.
LeBron agrees to 2-year LA extension worth $97m
AFP THE Bataan Risers hope to bounce back when they tackle the Muntinlupa Cagers in the OKbet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season presented by Xtreme on Friday at the Orion SportsReelingComplex.from back-to-back setbacks on the road, the Risers are raring to please the supportive home crowd and restart their stalled quarterfinal drive in the 9 p.m. tussle of another triple-bill. Other games pit Quezon City against Caloocan at 5 p.m. and Bacoor against Manila at 7 p.m. Top Gun James Darwin Castro will again be at the forefront of Bataan’s offense with his 14.9 points per game average. He will be supported by Arvie Bringas, Jamil Gabawan, Ernesto Bondoc and Kristoffer Torrado in the Risers’ bid to improve their 7-win, 4-loss record in the single round-robin elimination phase of the 22-team tournament.DomarkMatillano, the MPBL’s leading scorer with 19.9 points per game and No. 2 in steals with 2.3 per game, will spearhead the Cagers, who have dropped their last five games for a 2-6Apartslate.from Matillano, Muntinlupa also depends on veteran Harold Arboleda and John Cantimbuhan Jr. Although it boasts a better 5-6 card, Quezon City MG Cars couldn’t take Caloocan Victory Liner (3-7) lightly as the Excellence are coming off a 95-87 stunner over Rizal Xentromall on August 12. Manila (6-7) is expected to encounter stiff resistance from Bacoor as the Strikers bested Laguna Krah Asia Heroes (1-11) on August 13.
HOLD your horses please. This was the immediate reply of Nonong Araneta, the Philippine Football Federation chief, on The Designated Kit Man’s query on the question above following news that India has been suspended by FIFA due to third-party interference. The ban makes it impossible for India to participate in any international matches or tournaments, including its league champions.Footballfans in the county got excited following India’s suspension as it opens the door on the Philippine Azkals being able to play in the 2023 Asian Cup. The Philippines is next in line in case one of the 11 teams that earned spots in the tournament proper after the Mongolia qualifiers fails to do so. Following this development, it can’t be helped that this news might have serious implications on our football fortunes in the near future. Or even now. Nonong, however, cautions everyone not to expect too much from India’s suspension yet. He says the Asian Cup won’t happen soon and there is the possibility that India will address its suspension even sooner. If this happens, then the possibility of the suspension being lifted earlier might also happen. “Ang rule book kasi ang nasunod sa India suspension. So hindi sila puwede magparticipate in any competitions now as of the moment. May isa silang club nasa Uzbekistan so hindi makakapaglaro ‘yun. Pero what if they comply with FIFA? Sa FIFA naman kasi automatic ang suspension pero ‘pag nag comply ka puwede rin ma-lift ang suspension,” Araneta explained. When it comes to the Asian Cup next year, Araneta said that a lot things can still happen between now and then. The hosting of the competitions is one of them, which is not decided yet following China’s decision to withdraw from hosting the biggest football event in the “Angcontinent.nagbi-bid kasi ngayon ay Korea, Qatar and Indonesia. Kung Korea or Indonesia ang mananalo, the Asian Cup will be in June or July next year. Kung mananalo ang Qatar, for sure hindi ‘yan June or July, kasi mainit sa Qatar nu’n, it will be probably in November,” Araneta said. Araneta said there will be an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) meeting on October 17 in Kuala Lumpur to discuss on India’s Asian Cup fate and the Philippines, too. “Baka ang mangyari niyan they put a deadline na by this time next year for India and the next (country) in line, makakasama na sa Asian Cup. Depende na rin ‘yan sa Competitions Committee. But AFC follows FIFA, so there is a possibility that FIFA will give a timeline to India and it has to comply within the timeline. I feel FIFA will give India a deadline. ‘Pag hindi nag comply ang India sa deadline or hindi pa na-lift ang suspension nila, then the AFC will decide that India will not participate in the Asian Cup anymore. But for now, that’s all speculation,” Araneta added. For the meantime, Araneta said it would be better for all to just wait for the final decision of the AFC to be fair to India and to avoid unnecessary confusion and raising of high hopes that the Philippine Azkals might be back in the tournament for the second consecutive time via the back door. Whether the Azkals participate or not, that is no longer in our hands. Honestly, I hope India fixes its problems soon and settle its concerns with FIFA the soonest possible time. To be fair. Which comes to mind the big day tomorrow in the domestic front. The Azkals Development Team or ADT will face Maharlika FC tomorrow, 3 p.m., at the Rizal Football Stadium. The ADT vs Maharlika Manila FC fixture is a part of a rare triple-header in the ongoing Philippines Football League tournament. The ADT is hoping to bounce back from their opening-day loss against title favorites Kaya FC Iloilo. The team’s morale is quite high with football icon Stephan Schrock leading the charge as the heart and soul of the young squad. Off the pitch, there are some interesting developments too. Team Manager Josef Malinay says talks are ongoing with several possible sponsors that have shown interest in supporting the team in the ongoing domestic league. He also added that they have extended invitations to the decisions makers to watch the games in person or live to fully appreciate the game, soak in the atmosphere or simply to relax. “Our goal really is to bring more support to the team, not only to the Azkals Development Team but to the senior team, the Philippine Azkals, as well. By inviting these sponsors to the games, they can see that football is alive and well in the country and they can really help make the games more exciting and convenient for the fans. Aside from helping sustain the momentum football has gained in the past few months, these sponsors can see for themselves that they can benefit too from the sport,” Malinay explained. Malinay said sponsors too can see for themselves the future of the Philippine Azkals in the ADT with several standouts having the chances to be called in the senior team that will see action in the Mitsubishi Electric Cup set to unfold in December this year. Formerly known as the AFF Suzuki Cup, the Mitsubishi Electric Cup is the biggest football event in Southeast Asia before this year ends. As of now, Tender Bobs and Fireside of the Meat Plus Group, Family Rubbing Alcohol and Mr. Freeze have pledged their support to ADT’s game against Maharlika by sending food packs and other goodies to the boys. Coca-Cola might even join the fray soon. Malinay is hoping that this will be the start of something big and positive for the team which is not lacking in promise and potential in making the lives of other teams in the tournament difficult. Due to the pandemic, food is so hard to come by the stadium with nearby establishments close, undergoing renovations or are no longer in business. So foodpacks and other things are always welcome for ADT. “We have to start somewhere and no matter how small the help we get, these will be much appreciated and hopefully, more will come in the coming days,” Malinay added. Kaya wil face Mendiola FC 1991 in the second game at 5.30 p.m., while United City FC will battle Dynamic Herb Cebu FC at 8pm for the night cap. And speaking of something new, Alex Conejos Jr. or more specifically, his Lex Wellness Products, have been the subject of endorsements made by notable sports personalities in the country of late. These prominent athletes such as Alvin Patrimonio, James Younghusband and many more are endorsing Lex’s massage therapy balms for muscle aches and relaxation, blood circulation, back spasms, gout, and more. For more details, please check Conejos’ Facebook page. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps! For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@ yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @ erelcabatbat
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors dribbles in front of LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 124-116 Lakers win at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The defending champion Warriors will host the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston will entertain Philadelphia when the 2022-23 NBA season opens on October 18 in a league schedule. AFP guaranteed total earnings number of $532 million, edging the four-time NBA champion and four-time NBA Most Valuable Player ahead of Kevin Durant for the record guaranteed career earnings total. James, 37, has said he wants to play through the 2024-25 season for the chance to play alongside his eldest son, a top high school prospect in Los Angeles.James, who would have been entering the final season of his Lakers’ contract in October, will now be able to negotiate a new deal or become a free agent in two seasons, the same options available to star teammate Anthony Davis. The Lakers won their most recent NBA title in 2020 but missed the playoffs last season, going 33-49, and James was limited to 56 games by injuries although he averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists a game. AFP
The contract could be worth $111 million to the superstar forward if the NBA salary cap makes a major jump for the 2023-24 campaign. Terms would give James a career
TOKYO—A board member for the Tokyo Olympics was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of taking bribes, prosecutors said, along with three other men believed to be connected to the scandal. Haruyuki Takahashi allegedly received $380,000 from high-street business suit retailer Aoki Holdings, an official partner of last year’s pandemic-delayed 2020 Games. The 78-year-old was arrested along with former Aoki chairman Hironori Aoki, 83, and two other current and former executives from the retailer, according to Tokyo Prosecutors Office documents seen by AFP. They accuse Takahashi of accepting bribes “with the understanding they were meant as thank-you money for the beneficial and preferential treatment” he bestowed on Aoki. According to the prosecutors, Takahashi had a total of 51 million yen ($380,000 at today’s rates) transferred to the bank account of a company he runs, in more than 50 transactions between October 2017 and March 2022. Later in the day, Aoki Holdings issued a statement apologizing for the “enormous trouble” caused by the arrests and saying the firm “takes the matter“Weseriously”.willcontinue to cooperate f ully with investigations by authorit ies,” it said. The arrests came after Takahashi’s Tokyo home was raided last month by investigators, according to Japanese media, with searches also conducted at the former Aoki chairman’s home and the disbanded Tokyo 2020 organizing committee office. Takahashi, a former executive at Japan’s biggest advertising agency, Dentsu, served on the Tokyo 2020 board from June 2014. During that time, he was reportedly considered a quasi-civil servant who was not permitted to accept money or gifts related to his position. The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee has wound down its operations, but it maintains a presence to deal with assets and liabilities. The Tokyo Olympics were held in 2021 after an unprecedented one-year delay because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Stadiums were largely empty with fans banned over surging virus infections in Japan. Aoki became a Tokyo Games sponsor in October 2018, allowing it to use the event’s logo and sell officially licensed products. The case is not the first time questions have been raised about alleged impropriety around the Games. French prosecutors launched an investigation into allegations of corruption linked to Tokyo’s bid for the Games in 2016. The former head of Japan’s Olympic Committee, Tsunekazu Takeda, stepped down in 2019 as French authorities probed his involvement in payments made before Tokyo was awarded the event.
SportsFRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022C2
Baka puwede pa? Azkals in the 2023 Asian Cup
Nickie Wang Patricia Taculao, Assistant
Shaniah Rollo is here to stay
LeonDeLotlot GarciaKristof Hit Koreanovelas air onback-to-backGMATelebabad
December 2022 or January 2023 to do gigs and meet newUnderneathpeople. her timid personality lies a creative and sensitive individual, making her a young artist who’s here to stay as she slowly makes a name for herself in the music industry. Listen to “Just Stay” on Spotify and subscribe to Shaniah’s social media accounts to learn more about the artist.
‘MarsDarna’ Ravelo’s Decades after comiccritically-acclaimedtheartistreleased Darna, Filipinos across the country and the world continue to support the 2022 series adaptation by giving its pilot episode a warm welcome. Netizens rapidly made #Darna, #Valentina, and #Leonor trend on Twitter as they eagerly watched the first episode. As with earlier generations, we can expect audiences to anticipate every episode as the new Darna leaves her mark on today’s society. Matteo Guidicelli Tropang LOL is facing some heat from netizens for their jokes and segments. The show’s co-host, Alex Gonzaga, teased Matteo to other women, specifically his exgirlfriends. Matteo had enough of the heckling and called out Alex during the show. He gave his wife, Sarah Geronimo, what most women look for from their spouses: reassurance. No wonder Sarah G remains blissfully married.
The judges of ‘Idol PH’
President of the Mister AsiaPacific Philippines Organization (MAPPO) Michael Alamillo“Mikkayla”
Shaniah Rollo is a herandwhoFilipinoyoungartistcomposesperformsownsongs
THE first Mister AsiaPacific Philippines was recently launched inviting prospective franchise owners for the national search for delegates. A prerequisite, all candidates for Mister Asia-Pacific Philippines 2022 must be winners of city, regional, municipality, and provincial searches. “We are looking for a ‘total package,’ one who will best represent the pageant’s cause and willing to get involved in various outreach programs,” said entrepreneurAustralian-basedandpageant aficionado, Michael “Mikkayla” Alamillo president of the Mister Asia-Pacific Philippines Organization (MAPPO). Ferdinand Abejon, MAPPO PR officer, said that the first edition of Mister Asia-Pacific Philippines is set in early 2023 while its international counterpart, Mister Asia-Pacific 2023, will be launched in October 2023. The winner will receive a P150,000 cash prize and other valuable sponsors awards.
Search is on for inaugural Mister Asia-Pacific Philippines
, Editor
ABS-CBN’s Idol Philippines marks history in the entertainment industry as it becomes the first Filipino program to launch nonfungible tokens (NFTs) or digital trading cards in partnership with Theta Network for its audience. These NFTs will be available on ThetaDrop, Theta Network’s green and low-cost NFT marketplace. This follows Theta’s previous partnership with its sister show, American Idol, earlier this year. The first drop took place last August 12, which included a commemorative digital collectible of the Idol Philippines logo at P50 each and Golden Ticket NFT tickets priced at P999 each, which holders can use for the live shows throughout August till September. Idol PH viewers can also purchase the “Finalist Pack” featuring the Idol Philippines contestants at P899 each. Aside from this, Platinum Ticket NFTs which cost P1,999 and can be used as passes to the Idol Philippines finals on September 17 and 18. Owners of the Platinum Ticket NFTs will also have the chance to meet the grand winner of the second season of Idol PH Meanwhile, the competition gets more intense as the Idol judges have chosen the Top 12 hopefuls advancing to the Live Gala Shows. They are Nisha Bedaña, Ann Raniel, Misha de Leon, Trisha Gomez, Delly Cuales, Anthony Meneses, Kice, PJ Fabia, Khimo Gumatay, Drei Sugay, Bryan Chong, and Platinum ticket holder Ryssi Avila Viewers also have the power to support each of the Top 12 hopefuls by saving up voting credits as early as now on Uplive. Download the Uplive app. Create a profile, click the banner landing page, and Idol account profile. Log on to earn vote credits, or fans can purchase the said credits. Viewers can only use their voting credits within the show. The voting period will only be open during the live shows.
• • • Celebs shift to Contura Medica for great skin look Enhance your beauty and be the best version of yourself with Contura Medica, a trusted skincare, cosmetic, and plastic surgery center in the Philippines for more than ten years. Located right at the heart of Quezon City, Contura Medica offers advanced cosmetic surgery and skin care procedures done by the best doctors trained here and “boobAugmentationTuck,Assistedtechnology,tighteningReFirme-skinservicesrecommendedabroad.HighlyincludeLipoTummyBreastorjob”,LowerBlepharoplastyforeyebagremoval(forwomenintheir30sand40s),PicoLaserRejuvenationTherapy(forskinimperfections,acnescarring,discoloration,prematureaging,unwantedtattoos,andotherconditions),OxygenFacialTherapy effective (for people in their 20s), Male Rhinoplasty and Otoplasty Ear Surgery (designed specifically for men to address structural nose and ear defects) and Botox and PermaDry (to combat excessive sweating). Winner of the prestigious Jury Brandsasia’s Admired Brand 2022, Contura Medica celebrity endorsers include brand ambassadors singer Gino Padilla, film/TV actor Kristof Garcia, The Face of Contura Medica
Vivian Velez Comparing Maris Racal and Heart Evangelista’s fashion sense captured the public’s attention, with many of her followers agreeing with her. Yet, with the internet being the internet, her spot on the trending list came and went, especially since Heart and Maris didn’t pay any attention to the comparison. Regardless of wearing luxury or thrift clothes, the most significant thing a woman should always have is confidence. Jomari Yllana His son, Andre Yllana, with former partner Aiko Melendez shed some light on their relationship—or lack thereof. It seems that among the roles Jomari played, the absent father is among them. Fortunately, the young adult bears no grudges against his father and now shares a better connection with the former actor. However, Andre has gotten used to Jomari’s presence and hopes his father won’t make his siblings feel the same.
‘Idol PH’ makes history as first local show to launch NFTs
GMA Heart of Asia brings good vibes to its loyal viewers as well-loved Korean dramas The Red Sleeve and About Time air back-to-back on GMA Telebabad. The Red Sleeve is a historical romance series set in the 1700s. Based on real-life events, it tackles the love story of the King of Joseon and an ordinary court woman who serves the royalty.The series stars award-winning actors Lee Jun-Ho as Yi San, Lee SeYoung as Sung Deok Im, Kang Hoon as Hong Deok Ro and Jang Hye-jin as Court Lady Seo. The Red Sleeve took home the Best Drama award, while Lee Jun-Ho was hailed as the Best Actor in the 2022 Korea PD Awards. Recently, Lee Jun-Ho also won the Best Actor at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards, one of the most prestigious award-giving bodies in South Korea. Yi San is an aloof and perfectionist young prince who strives to be a compassionate king. However, his father’s death has left an emotional trauma in his heart and he fears that he might also end up dying miserably. Later on, he meets Sung Deok Im, an lady who wants to live the life of her choice rather than become one of the “King’s women.” Yi San falls in love with her and tries to convince Sung Deok Im to be his concubine. Will Sung Deok Im accept the proposal and learn to love him back? Will Yi San take the throne from his ruthless grandfather and rule as a benevolent king? Meanwhile, the fantasy romance About Time stars Lee Sung-kyung as Michaela, Lee Sang-yoon as Dino, Im Se-mi as Cielo, Kim Dong-jun as Jason, Han Seung-yeon as Abby, and Ro-woon as Kevin. It tells the story of an aspiring musical who has the incredible ability to see everyone’s lifespan including hers. In the aftermath of a minor car crash, Michaela crosses paths with Dino, the chief director of a cultural foundation. She realizes that her own “life clock” stops whenever she is near Sincehim.Dino gives her hope that she can live longer, Michaela pursues her ultimate dream to become the lead star in a musical play that is being produced by his company. She does everything to be with Dino all the time. Will this lead them to a budding and passionate love? Will Michaela be able to reach her ultimate aspiration through the existence of Dino? Catch The Red Sleeve at 9:35 p.m, Monday to Thursday, while About Time airs at 10:20 p.m. from Monday to Thursday and at 10:35 p.m. every Friday on GMA Telebabad.
Entertainment FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022 C3 E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com
…are talking about ...are not talking about
The young artist continues to work on her social skills as her confidence grows along with her craft
Editorial
‘The Red Sleeve’ tackles the love story of the King of Joseon and an ordinary court woman ‘About Time’ tells the story of an aspiring musical actress who has the ability to see lifespaneveryone’s By Patricia Taculao AFTER her appearance on the reality talent show Ireland’s Got Talent and being a finalist in Junior Eurovision 2018, the 18-yearold Filipino singing sensation Shaniah Rollo is making waves in the music industry with a new single she sang and composed herself. Her appearance on those two shows gave her the confidence she needed to jumpstart her career as an artist. “Ever since that day, I became more passionate sa music, and I gained a lot more confidence than when I was younger. When I was younger, I didn’t have that much confidence. I didn’t re ally believe in myself,” Shaniah told Manila Standard Entertain ment in an interview. Yet her eagerness to im prove her craft gave her a renewed sense of purpose, especially after receiving positive feedback from the audience and judges in the in ternational competitions. Shaniah’s love for music is born of her family’s close influence on her. Her mom was a singer, her dad was a guitarist, and her sister participated in musicals to exhibit her musi cal prowess. Shaniah, on the other hand, dabbled in songwriting. At 14 years old, she made her first composition, “Just Stay,” which she recently released as her first single under RJA Productions, the talent manage ment company that signed her. Her inspiration was the American singer-songwriter and YouTuber, mtoon (or Maia). Her song, “Feelings Are Fatal,” resonated with Shaniah on an emotional level. The song gave Shaniah an optimistic perspec tive that maybe she could also write straightfor ward yet meaningful songs. “Just Stay,” according to Shaniah, is a song that asks for reassurance from a person they ad mire.“We often ask stupid questions to our partners when we are in a relationship, like whether they’re going to stay until the very end. We already know the answer, but all of us deserve to hear those words [of reassurance] all the time because we want emotional security,” the young artist shared. If you ask Shaniah who she wants to stay in her life, she’d answer her friends. Throughout her life, she lost friends along the way, which she thinks of as a normal process. Yet it was dif ficult for her when she moved to Ireland from the Philippines when she was 12. Not only did she have to start over again, which is a challenge for the in troverted Shaniah, but she also saw how her friends back home slowly lost touch with her. The young artist proceeded to share that it was the lowest point in her life, and she hoped her friends from high school, since she had just graduated, won’t forget about her However, as an artist, Shaniah won’t be soon forgotten by her sic enthusiasts. She is turninglookingtothepinesby
PEOPLE
takesbreakingacknowledgetobelievethingsinclusivitypromotingandareIpersonallyinandwishadvocate,Ialsothatbiasestime.Aswe wait for that to happen, everyday life makes us roll with the punches and deal with realities. And a reality that I have also come to terms with is that skincare, when given enough time and effort, has its health advantages that go beyond vanity. Being complacent about and negligent of self-care is not equivalent to celebrating my God-given attributes that do not meet society’s beauty standards. In line with that, there are four criteria we need to look into in order to achieve good skin quality. Doc Kaycee named them as skin tone, skin texture, skin firmness, and skin radiance (Hence, glass skin is in.). Convincingly, confidence still comes from within. But if it will help boost one’s confidence, there is no doubt the skin is worth investing in. To meet and consult Dr. Kaycee ReyesBacani, visit luminisce.com and follow @luminisce_official on Instagram. For your random thoughts, email the author at randomrepublika@gmail. com.
This is the part when people left their seats to come closer— albeit in a safe and mindful manner— to the stage per Chito’s invitation, which according to him came with a blessing from the Finally,organizers.SB19did not disappoint fans who waited all day by performing their debut song “Tilahula”, withclosedThey“What?,”hit“SLMT,”and“Mapa.”alsotheshowtheirnewsong
Chito Miranda of Parokya ni Edgar group andPhilippinesPredatorSB19GamingambassadormusicianCLR Dr. Reyes-Bacani, is worth Dr. Kaycee Reyes-Bacani, founder and owner of Luminisce Skin Clinic
“KATE, how often do you apply sunscreen?,” Dr. Kaycee ReyesBacani, founder and owner of Luminisce Skin Clinic, asked me in the gentlest manner, while flashing her bedimpled smile. She asked a simple question that made me panic inside. I immediately responded with a grin, like a child explaining a broken rule to her mom, and came clean that it has only been two weeks since I became diligent with sun protection.Iamglad I made it to Luminisce Clinic’s anniversary event last Wednesday and had my skin consultation over hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Eagle-eyed Doc Kaycee pointed out nicely that my Hori’s Nevus is starting to show up again. She was a meter away but still saw the spots peeking right above my face mask. Hori’s Nevus is scientifically described as blue-gray to gray-brown spotty pigmentation on the prominence of the cheeks. They look very much like freckles and melasma (To best illustrate, think comic book character Archie Andrews!). Among a number of dermatologists I consulted through the years, Doc Kaycee is the first one to correctly diagnose and treat what I have always considered a source of insecurity. Her expertise creates no wonder she is celebrating a decade of growth and success in the beauty business. Living in a generation of hashtags and filters, being selfieready is something aspirational. And this is completely aligned with the results of scientific studies (with some readily available online) telling us that ofatbothmorepersoncontributesattractivenessphysicaltoagettingopportunitiesinlifeandwork.Thisfactfavoritismfor the attractive ones is also backed by a number of social experiments. A local version that came out with results validating the claim was executed by Lourd De Veyra’s “Word of the Lourd” segment more than a decade ago. What is interesting is how skin quality, as shared by Doc Kaycee, is a huge part of a person’s physical attractiveness. “That is what one instantly sees,” Doc Kaycee shared and zoomed in on how others concoct judgments based on another person’s skin condition. While embracing our flaws
for Acer titled “Make Your Green Mark,” co-written by the group’s very own Pablo Other Acer and Predator ambassadors Alodia Een Mercado Kang Amara, Burg, TNC Predator, ArkAngel Predator Team Secret Chibiby, and Team Payaman were also present to celebrate Acer Day “We are happy that this year’s celebration was a huge success but our mission to protect the planet is not over yet. You can still join the 21-day #MakeYourGreenMark Challenge and do your part to help save the environment just as Acer has done with its green initiatives,” said Acer Philippines General Manager Sue Ong-Lim Founded in 1976, Acer is now one of the world’s top ICT companies with presence in over 160 countries. It is focused on enabling a world where hardware, software and services will fuse with one another to open up new possibilities for consumers and businesses alike. From serviceoriented technologies to the Internet of Things to gaming and virtual reality, Acer’s 7,000+ employees are dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of products and solutions that break barriers between people and technology.Torelive moments from Acer Day 2022 and to learn more about the 21-day #MakeYourGreenMark Challenge, follow Acer on its social media platforms: @AcerPH on Facebook, @acerph on Instagram, and @acerphils on Twitter or go to www. acer.com
FRENCH smartphone WIKO, a brand launched in 2011, aims to bring French and fresh aesthetics to the local market with its line of smartphones. The brand entered the Philippine market in 2022 with its signature models: WIKO T50 and WIKO T10. To further introduce the brand to the local consumers, WIKO tapped the members of P-pop group G22 as its first celebrity endorsers. The four-member girl group composed of Alfea, AJ, Bianca, and Jaz debuted in February 2022 under Cornerstone Entertainment. The group has released two hit songs, “BANG!” and “Babalik.” They were also part of PPOPCON 2022, a two-day P-pop convention held at the New Frontier Theater and Smart Araneta Coliseum earlier this year. “We’re very excited because this is our first endorsement as a group,” said AJ, the leader, and main rapper. “We want to share our advocacy and spread more awareness that everyone is a female alpha, and that WIKO is also an alpha brand,” added Alfea, the lead vocalist and Cornerstonevisuals.Entertainment vice president Jeff Vadillo also expressed that WIKO and G22 have the same vision of supporting people with dreams. “[WIKO] is at the forefront of technology in terms of function and design. That is exactly the type of branding we want for G22. We wanted to create a girl group that is at the forefront of OPM and P-pop in terms of music, style, visuals, and music videos. Definitely, being an alpha girl group makes WIKO the perfect brand to partner with as one of the up-andcoming tech brands right now,” he said. “Not only that, for their generation, it’s really the smartphones that they use to reach out to their fans, particularly in terms of communicating their artistry, advocacy, and beliefs, and what a good way to do exactly that, than with WIKO.” “G22 has a creative, youthful passion and style that resonates well with their fastgrowing number of young fans. This is why we think that they’re the perfect fit to bring WIKO to the forefront by using the phone to personally express themselves and share their experiences and dreams with the Bullets fandom. We’re excited to partner with G22 and we can’t wait to grow as well with this talented group,” said Jacqueline Li, WIKO marketing director for the Philippines. As part of the partnership, WIKO and G22 have upcoming projects and events lined up for the next few months, including mall shows, slated for this year and next.
Life C4 FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022 Nickie Wang, Editor Joba Botana, Associate Editor Patricia Taculao Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com
WIKO is available on Lazada and Shopee. For more details, visit www. ph.wikomobile.com
By Joba Botana WHEN I was asked if I wanted to watch a Parokya ni Edgar concert, my first thought was “Are you kidding me? I would love to!” My siblings and I grew up listening to their music and suffice it to say, we witnessed how this well-loved band journeyed towards success. Until now, the ‘80s and ‘90s kids surely know their hit songs. Yet little did I know that it wasn’t just a Parokya concert I will be going to with my friend event is the much-awaited annual Day This year’s version is dubbed The Green Mark Concert, an important reminder to all of us to do our part, no matter how little, to make the Earth a greener and more sustainable planet to live in for us and the generations to come.The SM MOA Arena crowd last August 8 went a little bit wild in a good way when Acer Day 2022 ambassadors, led by P-pop kings SB19 performed the audience’s favorites to the delight of everyone. Not surprisingly, the huge crowd maintained the energy from start to finish, unaware of the pouring rain outside. #AcerDay2022, in fact, trended locally and worldwide on Twitter and had over 2.4 million views on TikTok. What Acer did was instead of selling tickets to the concert, the company enjoined fans to do sustainable acts, such as buying products from Acer’s sustainable line, Aspire Vero; donating to GreenEarth Heritage Foundation, and collecting cleaned, washed, and dried Lucky audience members got to perform with them for “Pangarap Lang Kita” and “Bagsakan.”
investing in
Phenomenal
TEAM AmplifyD takes pride in hearing the stories of laudable young people they now embrace as their scholars. Thus, the organization seals the deal with Food For Hungry Minds to essentially secure the scholars’ future as well-rounded, properly educated individuals. The gallant and hard-working men and women of Team AmplifyD are all very proud of Trisha, Ashley, CJ, Ericka, Anna Dominique, and Imiesan — scholars with heartwarming stories and immense potential worth seeing through by their loved ones and communities. They had been carefully chosen to embody the kind of inspirational figures people their age can draw strength from. To a great extent, regardless of age. “Thank you again, @HungryMinds school, for allowing us to share our blessings and touch other people’s lives. It was such an inspiring moment to hear the stories of our scholars,” expressed the executives of Amplifyd Group, led by its founder and chairman, Jojo Ampeloquio Both the people of AmplifyD and Food For Hungry Minds met up during a recent well-attended occasion where this set of scholars was formally presented and happily celebrated.TheAmplifyD Group of Companies has embraced the current digitized trends and the future that we collectively tread on in a new normal approach as we keep dealing with life’s realities. The recent event put in the same room the scholars and the pool of young gentlemen and ladies behind Amplifyd and Food For Hungry Minds. Their gathering solidified the essence of this venture that empowers the value of relevant work in the context of today’s world and the pure beauty of extending kindness to those who are in need and deserved to be given proper assistance. The AmplifyD Group of Companies is a fast-growing multi-faceted services business run by competent, fair, and compassionate people. Small wonder it is quickly gaining ground in the field of social media, production, and marketing. Each group is worthy of mention for how distinctive and effective it delivers. Amplifyd Digital is into digital marketing and events, influencing marketing, and the like, handled by young professionals in touch with Amplifydinterconnectivity.Mediaspecializes in video production and editing, producing quality movingTalentmarketers,images. Inc. tackles talent management and celebrity marketing in a format attuned to the current times. Amplifyd Creator Hub provides modular courses in content creation and social media optimization, venue, and equipment rental. It’s a hub highly technical yet creative. Last but not least, e-BI Solutions showcases its expertise in Human Resource services and programs to maximize the manpower of consistently growing organizations.FoodforHungry Minds, on the other hand, has developed a good reputation for helping provide underprivileged children with a holistic education. The goal is always to give underrated, poor children a fair chance at life through academic excellence, a prepared mindset, and a competent skill set for the future.
Tech brand encourages public to ‘make your green mark’
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