FIRST Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos marked her 63rd birthday with a ribbing from her son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, on social media. “Happy birthday, mom! We love you so much! I consider it such a privilege to have you in our lives” the lawmaker said in an Instagram post. “You better be nice to me, or I might have to post pictures of you crying after reading Dad’s birthday card this morn ing,” the eldest son of the First Lady and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. added. DOH commercialstudyingsaleofCOVIDvax
THE sugar shipment from Thailand that Customs agents seized at the Sub ic port of Zambales was aboveboard, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said Sunday. This developed as authorities are finding out if warehouses recently in spected by Customs and Trade officials were used for hoarding sugar stocks -and if it constitutes economic sabotage, SRA Deputy Administrator Guillermo Tejida III said over the weekend. In a statement, Tejada said the 7,000 metric tons of sugar intercepted by Cus toms agents at the Subic port onboard vessel M/V Bangpakaew were part of Sugar Order No. 3 on the importation of 200,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar May 2022. In a memo to the Bureau of Cus toms, Tejida also said the Thai ship ment was legitimate. “This is to certify that the import ed cane refined sugar from Thailand By Rio N. Araja AN INITIAL 48,000 students ben efited from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s educational aid amounting to P141 million, DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo said Sunday. Meanwhile, Tulfo said he and Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos will sign an agreement Monday for the smooth and orderly release of payouts to qualified SRA claims sugar shipment seized in Subic aboveboard 48,000 students get cash aid, smoother payout set 2022
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WEATHER Signal No. 1 in Cagayan as ‘Florita’ gains steam NEWS / A2 NEWS / MAYONA2 VOLCANO AT ALERT LEVEL 1
Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera, a deputy minority leader, on Sunday said the proposed national budget would be thoroughly reviewed and would “pass through the eye of the needle” at the House of Representatives.
All roads lead to schools today MlaStandardtwitter.com/ ManilaStandardPHfacebook.com/ manilastandard.net Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net
FIRST LADY’S DAY. First Lady Liza Araneta Ramos (right) is beaming beside President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in this file photo, as she celebrated her 63rd birthday on Sunday, August 21.
House to get proposed P5-t national budget, solons to scrutinize outlay
By Willie Casas
First Lady gets ribbing from son on 63rd birthday By Rio N. Araja and Joel E. Zurbano
By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja F OR the first time in over two years since the COVID-19 pandemic started, some 27.6 million elementary and high school students will troop back to over 54,000 schools nationwide today as in-person classes finally resume.
TO PROVIDE more comfort to wom en, children, and the elderly and amid the return of face-to-face classes to day, the Department of Transportation on Sunday reinstated the segregation scheme at the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, which runs the length of EDSA in Metro Manila. In an advisory, the DOTr said the first two doors of the first train car will be designated for the exclusive use of senior citizens, persons with disability (PWDs), pregnant women, and those with children. The last three doors of the first train car will be exclusively for female pas sengers, while the rest of the train set will be open for all other passengers. The DOTr also noted that minimum public health standards will continue to be implemented, including the man datory wearing of face masks and vol untary use of face shields.
MRTreinstatedSegregationonLine3 Next page Next page Next page Next page Next page Next page Next page
54k schools nationwide welcome back 27.6m students after 2 years
Department of Education spokesman Michael Poa said 24,175 public and pri vate schools nationwide or 46 percent will implement five-day face-to-face classes, while 29,721 schools, or about 51.8 percent will implement blended learning modality. The remaining 1.29 percent or about 1,004 schools will conduct distance learning, Poa said. The number of returning learners is about a million short of DepEd’s target of 28.6 million. With the expected influx of people, the Philippine National Police has ac tivated its Balik-Eskwela operational guidelines.InMetro Manila alone, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is deploying more than 5,000 police of ficers to ensure peace and order dur ing today’s opening of classes in 1,212 schools in the region. The deployment includes 1,033 per sonnel in police assistance desks, 384 motorcycle patrollers, 38 Explosives and Ordnance Division/K9 personnel,
THE Philippines is moving a step closer toward making COVID-19 vac cines available commercially with the creation of Task Force Edward that will work on the evaluation and ap proval of jabs for sale. The task force, named after British physician Dr. Edward Jenner, who is known for his work on immuniza tion, “aims to make safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines more accessible to the Filipino people,” according to the Food and Drug Administration. In an earlier interview, Depart ment of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said COV ID-19 vaccines might be commer cially available in the country by early next year. As of now, Vergeire said only Jans sen Pharmaceuticals of Johnson &
READY FOR CLASS. Learners with special needs teacher Lina Laguinday writes a welcome message on the whiteboard at the Aurora Quirino Elementary School in San Andres, Malate, Manila on Sunday, while a school worker mops the floor near a ‘back to school’ sign at the Rafael Palma Elementary School also in Manila as the school year 2022-2023 begins with in-person classes in public schools on Monday. Danny Pata and Norman Cruz By Rio N. Araja MINORITY lawmakers have vowed to subject the proposed 2023 nation al budget of P5.268-trillion to “tight scrutiny” even as the House leader ship has committed to ensuring its timely passage.
VOL. XXXVI • NO. 188 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, AUGUST 22,
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Ro sario Vergeire on Friday also said there is no need to close the coun try’s borders despite the reported monkeypox cases. What should be done, Vergeire said, is to intensify the country’s surveil lance system, and to inform Filipinos on what to do and what to avoid.
“Even the Department of Trade and Industry would not categorically state that there is hoarding in these ware houses,” he added. The Bureau of Customs said Sun day it is inspecting warehouses to ensure that the supply of sugar will be sufficient, as its agents found at least 60,000 bags of suspected hoarded sugar during surprise in spections in four warehouses in Gui guinto, Bulacan on Saturday. The huge volume of sugar was discovered when Customs person nel, armed with a Letter of Author ity, wielded their visitorial power to inspect warehouses inside T12 Polo Land Industrial Estate, locat ed along Ilang-Ilang St. in Baran gay“AuthoritiesTabang. found imported sugar from Thailand in the inspected ware houses at 50 kilograms per sack. At least two of the warehouses were halffull while one warehouse had sacks of sugar neatly stacked up to the roof,” the Office of the Press Secretary said in a BOCstatement.inspectors learned from the warehouse caretaker that the sacks of sugar imported from Thailand arrived at the Manila International Container Terminal on Friday night. Johnson has applied for a Certificate of Product Registration (CPR). The government has so far only is sued emergency use authorizations (EUA) to all COVID-19 vaccines and drugs, subject to certain conditions. “Once a vaccine has a CPR, it can already be available commercially. Janssen has already submitted an ap plication, and it is already being eval uated. But it needs to be studied care fully because this is not just an EUA anymore,” Vergeire said. “This is going to be the CPR which will give the general popula tion commercial access to vaccines, so it is imperative to study this care fully. It would take months – perhaps early next year we will already have a vaccine that has secured a CPR,” sheVaccinesadded. that will be issued CPR will then be made available in FDAlicensed drug establishments. “Any post-market issues will be ad dressed through a more rigorous sur veillance and pharmacovigilance,” the FDA said but did not elaborate. “This initiative will help the current administration to shift its focus from COVID-19 crisis management to a more robust recovery of the national economy,” it added. On Sunday, the country logged 3,643 new COVID-19 cases. Active cases stood at 35,271 while 49 new deaths were reported. The DOH said outbreaks are to be expected as face-to-face classes re sume today (Monday).
Mayon Volcano alert status raised
Videosmanagers.uploaded on social media over the weekend showed President Marcos serenading his wife, whom he described as the family’s “all-around lifesaver,” with his rendition of “Never Let Her Slip Araneta-MarcosAway.”was born on Aug. 21, 1959 in Manila to Manuel Araneta Jr. and Milagros Cacho. She graduated with a degree in In terdisciplinary Studies in 1981 and earned her Law degree in 1985, both at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. In 1989, she enrolled in post-grad uate classes in Criminal Procedure at the New York University. It was in New York where she first met Presi dent Marcos, who was also studying there at the time. They got married at the San Franc esco Convent in Fiesole, Italy on April 17,The1993.couple have three sons –Sandro, Joseph Simon, and Wil liamSheVincent.isapart-time faculty mem ber teaching Criminal Law 1 at West Visayas State University in La Paz, Il oilo City starting this school year.
student beneficiaries. The Social Welfare Secretary on Sunday apologized again for the chaotic distribution of cash aid to poor students on Saturday and vowed to do better af ter unruly crowds gathered around the offices of his department and dozens of people rushing to get their handouts in Zamboanga City were injured. Tulfo said the DSWD would work with local government units through Abalos to bring order to the distribu tion of cash aid, which the department planned to release every Saturday until Sept. 24. A DSWD social worker will interview the student-client, while the local govern ment is tasked to determine where the payout would be conducted, and to assign more cashiers, traffic enforcers, police men, and barangay to the area. “We do not want a repeat of what hap pened last Saturday when many were not able to receive the benefits due to huge crowds of people in different ar eas,” he said. Tulfo also said recipients of the Pan tawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) are no longer qualified for the edu cational cash Interviewedassistance.overradio dzBB, he apologized for his previous statement that 4Ps beneficiaries may still be enti
tled to the educational assistance. Under the DSWD program, poor students can get between P1,000 and P4,000 in cash assistance. The Ilocos Region and Western Visayas had the highest payouts, with more than P20 million worth of cash as sistance distributed to more than 5,000 students in each region. Tulfo had said that the payout will be done every Saturday from Aug.20 until Sept. 24. Only up to three students per family can participate in the program. The secretary did not say how many students would benefit from the cash aid but said the DSWD’s central office alone recorded 24,000 poor students. In the wake of the chaos on Saturday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sought the orderly and immediate distribution of financial assistance to indigent students. “President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. di rected the Department of Social Welfare and Development to ensure the orderly and swift payout of educational assistance for students-in-crisis, which is part of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situa tion,” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Ange les said in a Facebook post. Marcos is monitoring the DSWD’s distribution of financial aid to eligible students, Cruz-Angeles said. ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro urged a higher budget for cash aid for students and a better system for distributing the cash aid. She cited the overcrowding of ben eficiaries in the agency’s central and regional offices, saying a stampede in Zamboanga two days before the start of classes was alarming, indicating that “there is an obvious and urgent need for aid for Filipino students and families.”
TELLING travelers headed to the Phil ippines they could be infected with monkeypox in the country is more important than keeping them from en tering it, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said Sunday. In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, Solante disagreed with tightening the country’s borders against Filipinos and foreign travelers coming from countries with confirmed monkeypox cases. “I think we don’t need restrictions. We don’t need to ban them. The only important thing here is giving travel ers correct information that when they will be arriving, they can be infected as well,” he said. This came after the Department of Health (DOH) on Friday confirmed two more cases of monkeypox in the Philip pines, bringing the total number of con firmed cases to three. These new cases were detected in two individuals who had recently traveled to countries with monkeypox infections. Solante underscored the importance of having travelers declare their health information, such as if they had close intimate contact in countries where there is monkeypox when they arrive in the“ItPhilippines.isimportant for those who arrive here to report also if they have pos sible monkeypox symptoms to doc tors,” he Solanteadded.alsocalled on the public to always wash their hands, considering the health protocols against COVID-19 could also be used against monkeypox.
In an advisory released Sunday, PHI VOLCS placed the Mayon Volcano at LowLevel Unrest from Alert Level 0 or Nor mal as it exhibits “abnormal conditions.” The raised alert comes after observa tions from global positioning systems (GPS), precise leveling (PL), and elec tronic tilt and electronic distance meter (EDM)Undermonitoring.AlertLevel 1, the public is urged to avoid entering the 6-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) due to higher chances of sudden stream-driv en or phreatic eruption. The PHIVOLCS also warned of rockfalls, avalanches, and ash bursts at the summit area, which may happen without warning. It also cautioned residents of nearby valleys and active river channels to re main vigilant against sediment-laden stream flows and lahars should there be heavy“Theserainfall.observation parameters in dicate that volcanic gas-induced pres surization at the shallow depths of the edifice may be occurring, causing the summit dome of Mayon to be pushed out,” the advisory read. Mayon is the most active of the Philippines’ volcanoes and last erupt ed in 2018. Rio Araja
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“The stampede, long lines, and large crowds of people asking for financial assistance could have been avoided if the DSWD had set up a more efficient way of distributing the cash aid,” she said in a statement. “The DSWD could have maximized the Learners Information System of the Department of Education so that par ents and students did not have to bom bard teachers asking for certificates of enrollment,” Castro said. “The DSWD also should have asked for the help of the LGU and barangays so that people would not have to crowd central and regional offices for the cash aid,” she added. A child rights group urged Tulfo to take accountability for the chaotic and disorganized distribution of cash aids for students seeking educational as sistance two days before the opening of “Sayingclasses. sorry is not enough. DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo must take ac countability for the injured crowds and the disorganized and poorly planned distribution of cash aid to students seek ing financial help from the department,” said Salinlahi spokesperson Vinzar Sa miana. With AFP Passengers are also prohibited from talking on the phone and eating while on the premises and are urged to ad here to physical distancing measures. Those with symptoms of COVID-19 are also prohibited from using any public transportation. “We have enough trains that we can deploy during peak hours, along with the continuous deployment of train and security marshals to ensure order and safety of passengers in the stations and trains,” MRT3 General Manager Federico Canar Jr. said. shipped by Ruamkamlarp Export Co. Ltd., and consigned to Oro-Agritrade Inc. for the account of ARC Refresh ment Corporation.... onboard M/V Bangpakaew.... has been cleared by this Office as ‘C’ or reserve sugar as per Sugar Order No.3, Series of 20212022,” read the certification letter ad dressed to the Customs bureau. The SRA stated the clearance is valid until Sept. 4, 2022. Importer Oro-Agritrade Inc., in a statement, denied government state ments saying their import permit was “recycled” and that it is “open for“Wescrutiny.”holda valid permit and clear ance from the Sugar Regulatory Ad ministration,” the statement said. On the hoarding suspicions, Tejida said during an interview on Dobol B TV: “We have to under stand that hoarding is an offense subject to verification.”
House... From A1 48,000... From A1 SRA... From A1 All roads... From A1 First... From A1 Segregation... From A1 DOH... From A1
mst.daydesk@gmail.comMONDAY,AUGUST 22, 2022A2
T HE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has raised the alert status of the Mayon Volcano to Level 1 after observing an increased level of activity.
THE state weather bureau has raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 over parts of Cagayan Valley region and Aurora as a low-pressure area intensified into Tropical Depression Florita late Sunday. Florita is seen to become a storm by Monday morning, with rains expected over northern Luzon, as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astro nomical Services Administration (PA GASA) said the storm may reach a peak intensity of 75 kilometers per hour. The center of the tropical cyclone is expected to make landfall in Cagayan or the northern portion of Isabela on Tuesday morning or afternoon, before moving west northwestward crossing severalTropicalprovinces.Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 was raised over the following areas: the northern portion of Aurora (Di lasag), the eastern portion of Isabela (Dinapigue, Palanan, Divilacan, Ma conacon, San Pablo, Cabagan, Tu mauini, Ilagan City, San Mariano), and the eastern portion of Cagayan (Peñablanca, Baggao). It is expected to continue moving west southwestward in the next 12 hours, before shifting westward on Monday then west northwestward by Tuesday towards northern Luzon. “Under these conditions, scattered to widespread flooding and rain-in duced landslides are expected espe cially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazard…” the bulletin read. Florita is set to bring in light to moderate with at times heavy rains over Cagayan, Isabela, Batanes, and Aurora. It will then bring heavy to intensive with at times torrential rains over Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, the Cordillera Administrative Re gion, and Ilocos on Monday evening through Tuesday evening. Rio Araja Signal No. 1 up as ‘Florita’ heads for North Luzon
“We, the minority group, assure our countrymen that we will examine the proposed budget. We will scrutinize it,” sheThesaid.House of Representatives is set to receive today the proposed National Ex penditure Program for next year – the first full one-year outlay of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Budget Secretary Amenah Panganda man will turn over the budget proposal to Speaker Martin Romualdez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, committee on appropriations chairperson and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, and his senior vice chairperson, Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo. Next year’s NEP is P244 billion or al most 5 percent higher than this year’s P5.024-trillion outlay. House leaders have vowed to finish committee and plenary deliberations on the budget proposal before Oct. 1, during which Congress is scheduled to go on its first recess which would last until Nov. 6. “Last Congress, we did it, we were able to beat the Sept. 30 deadline. We gave all members of the House time to deliberate and interpellate intelligently on all departments,” Dalipe earlier said. The appropriations committee would begin hearings on the NEP on Aug. 26 with a briefing by President Marcos’ economic
74 bus marshals, 90 marshals in trans portation hubs and terminals, 318 per sonnel in “Libreng Sakay” areas, and 3,296 street patrollers. The Land Transportation Franchis ing and Regulatory Board also open more than 100 “modified” routes to address the need for more public transportation for the public going to face-to-faceMeanwhile,classes.DepEd on Sunday said 92 percent of teaching and non-teach ing staff are fully vaccinated with primary doses against COVID-19 but only 19 percent of students are simi larlyPoaprotected.saidDepEd adheres to a “no dis crimination” policy for both vaccinated and unvaccinated personnel and stu dents as face-to-face classes resume. Last school year, only fully-vaccinat ed teaching and non-teaching personnel were allowed to participate in limited in-person classes. Poa said the DepEd is in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH) to implement counseling and mobile vaccinations in schools. “What we will be doing with the DOH is counseling sessions before we push through with mobile vaccination. We must have a number first before we roll out mobile vaccination,” he said. Poa said those who refuse vaccina tion will be educated through coun seling“Oncesessions.theyagree, whether learner, parent, teaching or non-teaching staff, we will set up mobile vaccination sites,” hePoaadded.reiterated his call for teaching, non-teaching personnel, and students to continue to adhere to minimum public healthAmongstandards.DepEd’s safety guide lines is a double shift policy to prevent classroom congestion. Stu dents will not be allowed to eat to gether during breaks. If the space won’t allow students to eat separately, they should do so while facing one Blendeddirection.learning will be imple mented before full face-to-face classes start on Nov. 2 in private and public schools. A total of P3.7 billion funds for main tenance and other operating expenses were released to DepEd field offices to support in-person classes. Poa said it will be up to regional di rectors to decide how they will use the budget, which may include the purchase of face masks and other items to ensure a safe reopening of in-person classes. On the eve of the start of classes, Senator Joel Villanueva said the “all systems go” pronouncement of the DepEd or the opening of class es must be matched with the readi ness on the ground of the facilities, teachers, and students. He said the era of missing classrooms, sharing tables and chairs, and holding classes under the shade of trees must come to an end. “We expect our students to have their classes in comfortable classrooms and with complete learning materials as promised by DepEd,” he said. Villanueva said the observance of minimum health standards must be en sured as the threat of COVID-19 contin ues to linger. The opening of a new school year also brings to focus the hardships of teachers, he said. “A salary upgrade is ideal which we will continue to push. But a realistic measure that may be immediately ad dressed would be an increase in the allowance of public-school teachers, including those in state universities and colleges and state-run technical-voca tional institutions.”
Let visitors know monkeypox risk in PH, expert says
All-New Nissan Kicks e- POWER : The Best of Both Worlds An All-Powerful and Fuel-Efficient SUV Arrives in the Country
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1Combined city and highway driving based on UNR101 testing but actual consumption may vary depending on different driving conditions and habits.2Based on 22 km/L fuel efficiency rate and 41 L of fuel capacity. of both worlds—the speed and power of a sports car and the torque-on-demand nature of an EV, giving rise to the AllNew Nissan Kicks e-POWER. A UNIQUE combination. The e-POWER is a 100% electric motor-driven system where the wheels are solely driven by an electric motor at all times. But what powers the electric motor? Purely acting as a generator, the e-POWER system has an onboard gasoline engine that charges the battery when needed. The result? A more powerful and thrilling EV-like drive. Enjoy longer, smoother rides, and say goodbye to range anxiety. THE EXCITEMENT that’s built-in. With the wheels being solely driven by an electric motor, you’ll get the same powerful, instant torque and smooth acceleration that electric vehicle owners love to brag about. In addition, the e-Pedal Step is ready for you when you’re in the mood for a more convenient and enjoyable drive. It lets you accelerate and decelerate with just the accelerator pedal.
By Charles Arvin Dantes IN today’s world of automobiles, the promise of achieving the best of both worlds in terms of raw power and fuel efficiency for your car is and will always be out of reach without shedding your finances. But, worry no more as Nissan Philippines Inc., officially launched the latest model for its Nissan Kicks e-POWER to help drivers conquer the best of both worlds. Living true to its name, the new Nissan SUV surely packs heat with every kick and step on the way with its e-POWER technology that delivers a more exciting, powerful, and quiet drive with instantaneous torque. A POWERFUL, smooth drive meets exceptional fuel efficiency. Let’s go straight to the numbers because numbers don’t lie. The AllNew Nissan Kicks can deliver up to 280 Nm of instant torque and 22 km/L fuel economy1 in combined city and highway driving conditions, giving you an approximate driving range of 900 km in one full tank2. A radical set of figures that can only be achieved by an equally revolutionary tech—the Nissan e-POWER system. A HERITAGE that’s purely Japanese. From the same powertrain engineer that developed the legendary Nissan GT-R and the world’s first massmarket EV, the all-electric Nissan LEAF, Naoki Nakada merge the best
Rio N. Araja Villar wants to boost protectionwildlifelaw
AS CONSTANT exploitation of wild fauna and their habitats raises the risk of zoonotic disease transmission, Senator Cynthia A. Villar seeks to strengthen the country’s wildlife con servation and protection mechanism with a new measure. Her proposed Senate Bill 125 or the Revised Wildlife Resource Conserva tion and Protect Act seeks to address, among others, the evolving nature of wildlife offenses and fortify the mech anisms in place to afford better protec tion to our wildlife resources. “There were studies suggesting that COVID-19 virus may have originated from bats and that the first people in fected were traders in bat meat, who may have subsequently visited the Huanan seafood market, where the virus spread was first traced,” related Villar.Due to this, the senator said the need “to fortify our wildlife resources is more critical now as we have been confront ed, and still continue to experience” the ill effects of the COVID-19 virus. Despite the existence of Republic Act No. 9147 for more than 20 years, Villar said the incidence of wildlife crimes still thrives since criminals “have evolved and grown.” Macon Ramos-Araneta ILOCOS Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alex ander “Sandro” Marcos, House senior deputy majority leader, is batting for the establishment of a Northern Lu zon branch of the country’s specialty hospitals.Theseinclude the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Lung Center of the Philip pines, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Philippine Orthopedic Center, and Philippine Cancer Center. “Health facilities and services, to be beneficial to the people, must be ade quate, affordable and ‘accessible.’
By Rio N. Araja ALBAY Rep. Joey Salceda on Sunday warned against a possible global rice supply downturn amid droughts in China, the world’s top rice-producing nation.
Should a global shortage take place, Salceda warned that rice prices could increase to at least P48 per kilo by November, unless the country sees a strong dry season harvest and secures import contracts from foreign govern ments.“China’s Yangtze River regions are experiencing bad spells of drought this year, and there are indications that the Mekong River (Lancang River before it leaves China’s borders) could suf fer similar issues. They have the same source. That’s not good for our rice sup ply, because Thailand and Vietnam rely heavily on the Mekong for rice produc tion,” he “Myanmarsaid. is also suffering from lower rice production, as some agricul tural areas have been affected by civil strife. India, our major non-ASEAN source of imported rice, is likewise suf fering drought in some key areas. So, one can almost certainly predict that there will be global rice supply issues within the next three to four months,” heSalcedaadded. clarified that he is just being realistic on his presumptions. “I’m not trying to sound negative, given all the other crises we have to deal with. But I think, now that we can see the problems ahead before they can come, we have a chance to act. We have a 30-day window before the dry crop ping season starts,” he said.
NewsA4 MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2022
SCHOOL CRUSH. Last-minute shoppers Pasay Binibining Pata
‘China drought adds to rice pressure’
Jinggoy bill eyes 20% discount on gov’t doc fees for indigent applicants
THE national treasury’s dividend in come from government-owned orcontrolled corporations (GOCCs) can fund the P25 billion needed to double the pension of indigent senior citizens to P1,000 per month, as required by a new law, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said on Sunday. “The country’s economic recovery is on track, so we are counting on GOCCs to generate higher profits and pay out more cash dividends. The money can be used to bankroll the pension in crease,” Pimentel said. “In 2021 alone, GOCCs remitted a combined P57.55 billion in cash divi dends to state coffers,” he pointed out. Pimentel was responding to reports that the Department of Budget and Management is still looking for money to finance the twofold increase in the monthly pension of impoverished sen iors to P1,000 from P500. The raise is mandated by a bill that lapsed into law on July 30. “If the government does not pro vide money for the pension increase, the incidence of hunger could worsen among the elderly who do not have any means of financial support,” Pi mentel“Theirwarned.current P500 monthly subsidy has been reduced into a pittance by rampant inflation,” he said. “Indigent seniors” refer to Filipinos 60 years old and above who do not re ceive any old-age pension from exist ing retirement benefit systems, who have no regular source of income, and who do not receive any aid from relatives.Last week, Pimentel asked Malacañang to include in the proposed 2023 national budget the extra P25 bil lion needed for the Social Pension Pro gram for Indigent Senior Citizens.
Aspin,’ where dogs competed while wearing their best Filipiniana outfits. Danny
“Crucial 30 days for action,” Salceda said as he called on the Department of Agriculture for “heavy support” for the local rice crop dry season, and secure contracts on imports to guarantee rice supply.“What we do over the next 30 days will be crucial. We need a comprehen sive package of assistance, and a plan to deal with potential global rice issues. It’s like the half-time break,” he said. The solon appealed to the DA – cur rently headed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. -- to invest heavily in at taining a domestic bumper crop of rice during the dry cropping season, which starts next month and peaks in Novem ber.This is amid reports of drought in China’s Yangtze River. This feeds into some of the Philippines’ major sources of imported rice.
CALOOCAN City Mayor Dale Gonzalo “Along” Malapitan has instructed the Office of the City Building Official (OCBO) to inspect private school buildings and determine their structural integrity in preparation for face-to-face classes this month. OCBO Officer-in-charge Engr. Jay Bernardo led the inspection at University of the East-Caloocan, STI-Caloocan, World Citi College, and La Consola tion College over the weekend. “Mayor Along reminded us to ensure the integ rity of the infrastructure to be used by our students, especially since we haven’t had face-to-face classes in a while,” Engr. Bernardo said. “This way, according to our mayor, we can avoid tragedies in case of any calamity,” he added. Jun David
Sandro hospitalssatellitepushesspecialtyinnorth
JOB.ALL-WEATHER It’s business as usual for this balloon vendor amid a theflashCityPartsafternoon.onQuezonTimogdownpourheavyalongAvenue,CitySaturdayofQuezonexperiencedfloodsafterthunderstorm.
‘GOCC
The problem with our health system is that the major specialty hospitals are all lo cated in the Metropolitan Manila area, specifically in Quezon City,” he said in his proposed House Bill No. 3752. “Most Filipino patients residing outside the capital region, afflicted as they are with their ailments or in juries, are additionally burdened with the additional cost of transportation and sionSinaittownscenterspecialtytheproposedwithHospitalsourtionalinpatientsissue“Thisaccommodation.sometimes-insurmountableofdistancetendstodenysaidwithqualityhealthcarewhicheffectrendersillusorytheconstituguaranteeof‘righttohealth’ofpeople,”hecited.TheproposedSatelliteSpecialtyforNorthernLuzonAct,aninitialfundingofP5billion,toestablishthebranchesofsixspecialtyhospitalsandothermedicalfacilitiesinoneorcompoundinbetweentheofBadocinIlocosNorteandinIlocosSurunderthesupervioftheDepartmentofHealth.
ANGELES CITY — Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. has ordered the immediate release of ₱10,000 in financial assistance to each of the six households af fected by a fire in Barangay Virgen Delos Remedios onTheSaturday.cashassistance to the households, composed of 21 individuals, will be charged to the Office of the City Mayor.TheLocal Finance Committee (City Budget Office, City Accounting Office, and the City Treasurer’s Of fice) are now processing the immediate release of the assistance, the mayor’s office said in a statement.
Robert Oswald P. Alfiler
Caloocan orders check of city school buildings
buy school supplies along Ilaya Street in Divisoria, Manila, as a young girl tries pens and pencils and parents line up to pay for their purchases at a National Bookstore branch (inset photos) on Sunday. School year 2022-23 officially opens today across the country. Norman Cruz RUN NO MORE. A pet owner carries her dog after it failed to run during the Asong Pinoy fun race at a mall on Macapagal Boulevard in
Lazatin releases P10k aid to families in recent fire
On the order of Lazatin, the families also will re ceive food packages and goods such as mats, candles, hygiene materials, towels, which will be distributed by the City Social Welfare and Development Office led by EdnaAngelesDuaso.City Disaster Risk Reduction and Manage ment Officer-in-Charge Rodolfo Simeon said that one was reported injured, who was quickly assessed and treated by the medical rescue team of ACDRRMO. Butch Gunio dividends can fund poor seniors’ pension hike’
City on National Aspin Day on Sunday. Another event was the ‘2022 Ginoo at
By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada has filed a measure to grant indigent appli cants a 20-percent discount to pay fees and charges for certain government-is sued pre-employment documents. “He who has less in life should have more in law. This Magsaysay credo is my guidepost in this bill,” stressed Es trada. In Senate Bill No. 47, Estrada proposes to provide indigent job applicants look ing for jobs here and abroad a 20% dis count in the payment of fees and charges for certain certificates and clearances is sued by government agencies. In proposing the Indigent Job Appli cants Discount Act, the senator aims to help indigent applicants gain decent em ployment.Themeasure cover clearances issued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), certificate of marriage and cer tificate of live birth from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), transcript of records and authenticated copy of diplo ma from state universities and colleges (SUCS);Medical certificates for local employ ment from any government hospital licensed by the Department of Health (DOH), certificate of civil service eligi bility from the Civil Service Commis sionNational(CSC); certificate (NC) and cer tificate of competency (COC) issued by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other documentary requirements is sued by the government that may be required by employers from indigent job applicants.
ONLINEManilaStandard Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors
Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor
Also this month, August 21 to be exact, marked the 39th death anniversary of Ninoy Aquino, a patriot and a martyr. Volumes have been said and written about the life and times of Ninoy. How he fought the Marcos dictatorship, suf fered imprisonment and persecution to finally fall from an assassin’s bullet 39 years ago. For sure, Ninoy was no saint which he him self admitted. His ordeal however in the hands of Marcos, his nemesis, was an epiphany of sorts that reawakened in him the latent good ness in the man. While in prison he became deeply religious. He preached non-violence in the midst of op pression and pursued social reforms and lam basted the iniquitous social order at that time every chance he could. Surely, adversity brings out the best and the worst in Heroespeople.andmartyrs as well as villains and opportunists are produced when people are im mersed in difficult situations. Lucky for us, Robredo and Ninoy chose to become heroes rather than villains. Which is why, to this day, we have every reason to cel ebrate their lives and their legacies. Heroes are not born heroes, they are but ordi nary people who make their lives extraordinary, the intrepid souls who choose to transcend their “ordinariness” to achieve a noble goal. As Ninoy once said: “We must transcend our petty selves, forget our hurts and bitterness, cast aside thought of revenge, and let sanity, reason, and above all, love of country prevail during our gravestJessiehour.”andNinoy were fortunate to have, dur ing their lifetime, supportive and likeminded,
Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Honor Blanco Cabie Opinion Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer
Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Baldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad Solutions Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager
IT’S been 39 years since a man clad in white came back to his country only to be shot to death at the tarmac of the airport. That assassination sparked an outpouring of grief that many of us who welcomed him at the Manila International Airport did not quite expect. Weeks before, we celebrated my wife’s birth day over lunch at our weekend home in Tagay tay, where Doy and Celia Laurel along with Tes sie Aquino Oreta were special guests. At that time we were not yet certain about the exact date of Ninoy Aquino’s return. Originally, the date was August 7, and Tito Doy had already informed Gen. Fidel V. Ramos, the chief of the Philippine Constabulary, about the political ex ile’s intention to come home. Tessie Aquino Oreta said Ninoy decided to move the date for security reasons, as he could not just book a flight back to Manila without necessary precautions. I told my guests that we had coined a nice homecoming message for Ninoy -- Hindi ka Nag-iisa.Itwasn’t really all that original. Erik Espina, the youngest son of Cebu’s Sen. Rene Espina, came to the office one day with a news clipping of We Forum, the precursor of today’s Malaya, wherein those words were printed in a cartoon describing a totally unrelated, apolitical subject. Then and there, I thought the words would be most apt for Ninoy Aquino’s forthcoming return.Ninoy may have been largely forgotten. Peo ple may have thought that his exile, initially for health reasons, would mean he would stay in the United States with his family for good. And so “Hindi ka Nag-iisa” was a message intended to assure him that his kababayans had not forgotten him, that they were with him. I was taking off from that memorable evening in 1978 where people cheered him with a noise barrage that stunned the dictatorship on the eve of the Batasang Pambansa elections where he headed the Laban slate contesting the ruling party’s hand-picked candidates. People from all walks of life, from the young and the upper middle class drove around the main streets of the nation’s capital blaring their horns and were met by ordinary folks showing support by cheering and banging pots and pans along the way. A wealthy friend cynically remarked right after we finished our rounds that night that to morrow it would be “back to normal,” that the results had been “Comelected.” True enough, the regime managed to make all their candidates for the Batasan “miraculously” win! So now with his return, we wanted to tell him: “You are not alone, we are with you.” Days after that lunch, Doy Laurel told a small group where Sen. Eva Estrada Kalaw was pres ent that Ninoy called him from the US and the homecoming date was set for August 21, but we were to keep it confidential until the right time. So I had tee shirts and placards with the words “Ninoy, Hindi ka Nag-iisa” printed.
The Philippines as a global creative powerhouse TODAY marks the official resumption of face-to-face classes after more than two years of online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For teachers, face-to-face classes will provide them with more oppor tunities for increased interaction with their students that online learning sim ply could not match. Teachers can also closely interact with other teachers and enhance or improve their teaching skills.For students, face-to-face classes will not only give them the chance to ask their teachers more questions or clarification on concepts they don’t readilyBesides,understand.theycan also re-connect with other students and make new friends in school and perhaps share learning experiences with others to give them new perspectives they can find useful later on. At the same time, it is true that the re sumption of face-to-face classes could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases in large school populations. That’s why schools should strictly enforce policies on mandatory wear ing of face masks and social distancing at all times, until health authorities de clare COVID-19 no longer a pandemic but an epidemic that can be addressed by the scientific and the medical com munities in due time. But the return to face-to-face classes is only the first hurdle that should be overcome by the DepEd to bring the Philippine educational system back on track amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
ofoneprovidersandstakeholders,industrythetelcosinternetserviceandshouldbeofthetopprioritiesCongressSchoolsshouldstrictlyenforcepoliciesonmandatorywearingoffacemasksandsocialdistancingatalltimes,untilhealthauthoritiesdeclareCOVID-19nolongerapandemicbutanepidemicthatcanbeaddressedby
Hindi ka nag-iisa Jessie and Ninoy were fortunate to have, during their lifetime, supportive and likeminded, and loving of it all is that 39 years have passed and, till now, despite Cory and PNoy’s presidencies, we have yet to know who was the real mastermind of that airport...assassinationdastardlyatthe
In fact, if we’re to believe a recent World Bank report, Philippine educa tion is in serious crisis. One in every four Grade 5 students does not have the reading and math ematics skills for Grade 2 or 3, and four in every five 15-year-old students do not understand basic mathematical concepts such as fractions and deci mals that should be mastered by fifth graders.Thesad state of education in the Philippines described by the World Bank is based on three different mul ticountry assessments.
Opinion MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2022 A5 Honor Blanco Cabie, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com EDITORIAL
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THE Philippine creatives industry, a sector that has been in a protracted state of crisis even be fore the pandemic, has now been given institu tionalized support from the government when Republic Act 11904 or the Philippine Creatives Industry Development Act lapsed into law last JulyThis27. new law, jointly pushed by the public and private sector, aims to harness the huge potential of the country’s creative industry and make it the leading creative economy of Asia. In a published statement, House Special Committee on Creative Industry and Perform ing Arts chairman Rep. Christopher De Venecia said, “This law will also provide centralized State support to our creative industries, unlike the current system where State support is spo radic.”RA 11904 establishes by law the Philip pine creatives industry defined as, “trades in volving persons, whether natural or juridical, that produce cultural, artistic and innovative goods and services originating in human cre ativity, skill, and talent, and having a poten tial to create wealth and livelihood through the generation and utilization of intellectual property.”Thelaw supports the vision of the “Creative Economy Roadmap” submitted to the Depart ment of Trade and Investments by the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines which projects that “by 2030, the Philippines will be the number one Creative Economy in ASEAN in terms of size and value of our creative in dustries, as well as the competitiveness and at tractiveness of our creative talent and content in international markets.”
In a recent forum, DTI Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual said the Philippines should penetrate the global economy by going above and be yond in support of the digitalization of the cre ative industries and make outlined DTI’s policy recommendations such as promoting creative hubs and clusters and advocating for the devel opment of Philippine Creative Cities. On the other hand, DTI Assistant Secretary Glenn Peñaranda pointed out that the Philip pines as an exporter of creative services ac counts for only 2 percent market share in the Asia Pacific region. He quoted CECP data counting about 3 mil lion creative freelancers of which 1.5 million or half are contracted for international projects. This reveals a big potential for growth.
The lockdowns of the pandemic spurred the surging growth of the animation and game de velopment industry which, according to Statista 2020 data, generated $24 million revenue in the Philippines, a 27.9 percent boost from the previ ousPutyear.this in the context of the 2021 games market data reported by Newzoo at an esti mated $180 billion which trumps the combined performance of the music and movie industries. Imagine our armies of creative talent pen etrating and thriving in this global market’s in satiable demand for new content. Related is the booming esports sector where Filipino gamers can develop careers that pay international rates. The Philippine Creatives Industry Develop ment Act and the inherent potential of Filipinos to shine even in the highly competitive global
Leni is no different. A long-time human rights lawyer and social activist, she eventu ally ran for public office when Jessie died, and was elected in 2013 as the 3rd district representative of Camarines Sur, her home province. She assumed the vice-presidency in 2016.Asde facto leader of the opposition, Leni did not hesitate to criticize the Duterte government especially over its human rights violations. We all know that her role as the primary fiscalizer did not sit well with those in power which tried relentlessly to alienate and deplat form her every chance they got. Despite her untainted public record, she lost in the 2022 elections. Retirement however, is not in her vocabulary. Her unsuccessful bid for the highest post is an occasion to return to her first love – to do her part in uplifting the lives of the poor and the marginalized, which she endearingly refers to as people in the “laylayan.”
Face-to-face classes
Meanwhile, Tita Eva’s group came up with the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘round the old Oak Tree,, a folk song about a man returning home after years of imprisonment. Thus did the “yellow revolution” begin. But flashback to the US in the winter of 1981, when I met the former senator at a hotel lobby and, after introducing myself as a kababayan, we had a long and lively discussion about the politics of martial law and the state of our country. It was the first time I met the opposition lead er when he visited Washington DC. This was followed by several visits to Boston and his home where I met his wife Cory who in timated once over breakfast that she was so hap py where they were and was even thinking of some small restaurant business in Faneuil Hall where several Asian cuisines, but not Filipino, were making a dent in the American palate. Those visits and long discussions with Ninoy prepped me up for a sea change in my life, and converted me from a young entrepreneur and college instructor in Manila to the turbulently exciting world of politics. When I was about to leave back for home, Ninoy asked me to see Doy Laurel, and help or ganize the opposition. I was rather quizzical about the Laurels, knowing that it was Doy’s older brother, Pepito, who ushered Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to the Nacio nalista Party, eventually becoming the president after defeating the incumbent, Diosdado Maca pagal Sr. of their Liberal Party. But Ninoy assured me, saying, “Para kong kapatid si Doy.” Thus did Doy, Eva Kalaw, Rene Espina and a small band of brave and dedicated souls, which included Neptali Gonzales Sr. and Ernesto Maceda form the United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO); and I was appointed a deputy secretary general to Espina. I initiated what we called “truth rallies” in key capitals of the country where we bared the ills of the country under the long night of authoritarian ism. It was difficult. As I write this article in Tacloban City, I recall how in 1982 we landed on a commercial plane at the airport and had to hire several tricycles to bring us to a gathering organized by our local leaders, Cirilo Roy Montejo and Leopoldo Petil la (the husband of former Gov. Martin and father of now Gov. Icot). There was a brown-out, and we had to use bullhorns to amplify our voices. It was only after that murder at the tarmac of the international airport now named after Ninoy, that people, from all walks of life including many once silent and complacent political and business leaders, began rallying to the cause of the opposition. After Cory and Ninoy’s family returned from Boston, the people awakened, and Ninoy’s fu neral from Santo Domingo in Quezon Avenue all the way to Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque became the longest and biggest procession in history, where a million lined up the streets or walked all the way to his final resting place. Ninoy -- Hindi ka Nag-iisa was immortalized. The rest is now history. The irony of it all is that 39 years have passed and, till now, despite Cory and PNoy’s presi dencies, we have yet to know who was the real mastermind of that dastardly assassination at the airport, leaving a band of soldiers to serve long imprisonment for a crime they probably knew neither the motive nor the act that would happen when they escorted Ninoy down the door of the China Air Meanwhile,plane.the political clock of the nation has turned full circle.
Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board
And then there are the children in the case of theCertainly,Aquinos. Noynoy Aquino did his part to build our country; while his sisters as private citizens did their part. And the Aquino grandchildren too must be good citizens. And of course the three daughters of Jesse and Leni – no one can be prouder of what they have become than their parents. Ninoy and Jessie, Cory and Leni. We thank you for your lives of service. Website; tonylavina.com. Facebook: deantonylavs Twitter: tonylavs
THIS month of August we celebrate the death anniversaries of two of the most illustrious fel lows who graced the local political landscape. Their extraordinary lives and legacies have left indelible marks in our history, leaving a pro found mark on our people, not even the passage of time can dim. On August 18, 10 years ago, Jessie Manalas tas Robredo met his tragic end in a plane crash off the shore of Masbate from an official func tion as Interior Secretary in Cebu on a flight home to Naga City when the small aircraft en countered engine problems. Taken at a very early age of 54, Robredo’s ac complishments in public service will easily ob scure those of many of our public servants who have been in positions of power for decades. Unlike mediocre politicians who strut like peacocks and wield power like potentates, Jes sie, as a public servant, gave premium to action and helped his constituents in Naga City with outHefanfare.wasaverse to don the trappings of pow er, mingling with ordinary folk and, taking on the most menial tasks just like them, thus, his “tsinelas style of leadership.”
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and loving Widowedpartners.bytheir husbands’ untimely death, Cory and Leni chose not to remain ensconced in their own private lives but offered themselves, albeit reluctantly at times, to fill in the void left by their Cory,husbands.wasthrust into the limelight after the death of Ninoy to lead the nation after the EDSA Revolt. As president, Cory took no time to restore democracy and dismantle the vestiges of the dictatorship.Likeitor not, Cory may have had her share of shortcomings as a leader, but thru sheer grit and unassailable integrity, she slowly raised the nation from the ashes of decades-long misrule and abuse by the Marcos conjugal dictatorship and their hordes of enablers. By the end of her term, a functioning democ racy was restored, and democratic space once again made available to the people.
The Philippines took part in the Pro gram for International Student Assess ment (PISA) for the first time in 2018, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2019 af ter a break of 16 years, and the first cycle of the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) in 2019. PISA assessed achievement and ap plication of key knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science. TIMSS gauged proficiency in math ematics and science at the fourth and eighth grades, while SEA-PLM evalu ated reading, writing, and mathemati cal literacy, with an initial focus on GradeAcross5. the three assessments, poor learning results were observed among Filipino students, with more than 80 percent of them falling below mini mum levels of proficiency expected for the respective grades. We were last in reading and second to last in science and mathematics among 79 countries in PISA. In TIMSS, we ranked last in both mathematics and science among 58 countries in the fourth-grade assessment. In SEA-PLM, we were among the bottom half of the six countries in read ing, mathematics, and writing literacy. The World Bank also noted students’ poor health and nutrition conditions that could have likely hindered their readiness and ability to learn. “There is a crisis in education –which started pre-COVID-19, but made worse by COVID-19,” the World Bank said, as “more than 80 percent of children do not know what they should know” in school. If that’s the case, what does DepEd intend to do about it in the next six years?
It’s not just COVID-19 that the gov ernment should address with the re sumption of face-to-face classes. The DepEd, now headed by Vice President Sara Duterte, has ample op portunity to reform the educational system to make it more responsive to current needs.
House Bill 0799 has the strong support of creative the scientific and the medical communities in due time
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Two heroes, two widows stage indeed paints a bright horizon for growth as an important economic pillar like the success of South Korea’s worldwide K-Pop phenom ena.But unless the rights and rightful income from intellectual properties are protected from online piracy, the world class creations pro duced by Filipinos will only be stolen and en rich the criminal operators of the piracy web sites. Though the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines National Telecommunications Commission, and various internet service pro viders have put up mechanisms to rapidly block pirated sites, new anti-piracy legislation is needed to address policy gaps in the Intellectual Property Code to effectively block piracy web sites which has been proven to be very effective in many jurisdictions. To this end, House Bill 0799, “An Act Es tablishing for The Revised Intellectual Property Code Of The Philippines” sponsored by Rep. Joey S. Salceda proposes to amend the IP Code to include “the power for regulators to issue “permanent blocking orders, take down orders, cease-and-desist, or disable access orders, to the intermediary service providers, domain name registries and registrars, website owners, online intermediaries, online platforms, social media platforms, or any similar medium in relation to an online violation of intellectual property rights.”The key provisions of the bill and the best practices on fighting online piracy and the is sues as well as the opportunities of a developing a robust creative sector will be thoroughly dis cussed by top-level Filipino and international industry leaders during the Asia Video Industry Association and the Coalition Against Piracy summit on Content Piracy – A Barrier to Eco nomic Growth and A Danger to Consumers to be held on September 2. House Bill 0799 has the strong support of creative industry stakeholders, the telcos and internet service providers and should be one of the top priorities of Congress because of the strategic value of developing our talent rich human resources into a global creative power house.
Lone gunman kills three persons in Taguig shooting
Bill to create 2nd Eastern Samar district HOUSE minority leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan has filed a bill seeking to create Eastern Samar’s second legislative district to provide the province adequate representation in Congress. “Eastern Samar already meets the requirements to have two congressional districts. The entire province deserves stronger representation,” Libanan said. “A second legislative district would also assure Eastern Samar greater access to much-needed social and infrastructure development funding,” Libanan pointed out. Libanan served as representative of Eastern Samar’s lone congressional district for three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2007. Eastern Samar’s population has nearly doubled since 1965, when it was carved out of the larger Samar province, according to Libanan. Libanan’s House Bill 3647 proposes to establish the first and second districts of Eastern Samar by reapportioning the province’s lone component city of Borongan and 22 municipalities. The first legislative district would be composed of Borongan and the 10 municipalities of Arteche, Can-avid, Dolores, Jipapad, Maslog, Oras, San Julian, San Policarpio, Sulat and Taft. The second legislative district would be constituted by the 12 municipalities of Balangiga, Balangkayan, Gen. MacArthur, Giporlos, Guiuan, Hernani, Lawaan, Llorente, Maydolong, Mercedes, Quinapondan and Salcedo.
finetunes
Basilan lawmaker files bill on Muslim cemeteries
Marcos first appointed Bongon as officer-in-charge of MRT-3 in July. The three new appointees took oath before Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, the DOTr said. “DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista presided over the swearing-in ceremony of Jorjette B. Aquino as the Assistant Secretary for Railways; Federico Canar Jr. as MRT-3 General Manager; and Engr. Oscar B. Bongon as MRT-3 Operations Director,” it said. The DOTr also shared photos of the oath-taking of the three newly appointed officials. Malacañang has yet to release the appointment papers of Aquino, Canar, and Bongon.
‘MRT taxes to QC gov’t still pending’
Azurin said PNP‘s role in similar election-related activities has been proven effective in past electoral exercises. “We just have to make sure that we are always on top of the situation so we can readily execute contingencies when original plan won’t work. I trust in the capabilities of our police officers whose pursuit is to provide a clean, honest, and safe plebiscite,” said Azurin. A gun ban is in effect during the election period from August 16 to September 24 under Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution No. 10797. The plebiscite should have been held in September last year, according to Republic Act No. 11550 which was signed by former president Rodrigo Duterte on May 27, 2021, but was reset to concentrate with preparations for the May 9 national and local elections. ‘Go out and vote’ Earlier, Comelec Chair George Garcia said he is expecting an 80-percent turnout of voters for the plebiscite. “To all Maguindanaons go out and vote, this is for your future. This is not for us, this is not for anybody but you and your future,” Garcia said.
PNP Public Information Office Chief Police Brigadier General Roderick Augustus Alba said the agency is now looking into the posts, GMA News reported. The official said those who made the posts, which have since been taken down, “will face appropriate disciplinary actions.”“ThePNP does not engage in name calling that can malign any person’s reputation. We value respect for human dignity,” he said in a Thisstatement.comes after several police stations—including the Batangas Maritime Police and the Quezon Maritime Police— earlier made posts on their social media accounts using the hashtags “NinoyNotAHero” and “NinoyNPA” over the weekend, GMA News reported. The social media posts have since been deleted. The PNP statement was released on Sunday, which was earlier announced as a special non-working day to commemorate Aquino’s assassination.ThePNPearlier faced issues of red-tagging activities such as linking community pantries to communist groups and allegedly profiling organizers, causing the Quezon City Police District to apologize, reports said, prompting former PNP chief General Guillermo Eleazar to order police officers to stop red-tagging activities. An ABS-CBN News report meanwhile said Filipinos on Sunday remembered Ninoy Aquino on his 39th death anniversary.TheNinoy & Cory Aquino Foundation published a short video tribute to the former lawmaker who was assassinated upon arrival in Manila from the United States where he was on exile for three years, on Aug. 21, 1983, ABS-CBN reported. “Today, we honor the memory, courage and indomitable spirit of Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr., and the millions of beating hearts that stood with his - when his life was offered in the name of freedom 39 years ago,” the foundation’s post said. “His faith made him a hero, and his faith in us made heroes of us all,” it added.
THREE persons were killed in a shooting incident at a transient house in Taguig City onBasedSunday.on the report sent to the Southern Police District (SPD), Taguig Police Station identified the victims as Marie Angelica Belina, 25, an overseas Filipino worker from Barangay Pachoca, Calapan City, Mindoro; Mark Ian Desquitado, 35, a food delivery rider and a resident of Barangay Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City; and Tashane Joshua Branzuela, 22, resident of the same village in Taguig City. They were killed by an unidentified gunman who fled after the shooting. The incident happened around 3:20 a.m. outside the transient house located in Zone 1, Barangay Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. Based on the account of a witness, they were inside the house when they heard a successive burst of gunfire emanating fromUponoutside.checking, they saw the victims slumped on the cemented ground inside the gate with gunshot wounds on their bodies.Belina and Desquitado died on the spot while Branzuela was brought to the Taguig Pateros District Hospital but was declared dead on arrival around 3:45 a.m. by Dr. Ma. Cecilia Roxas.
COUNTDOWN. Motorists wait for the tra c light with a countdown timer, to turn green, along Maria Orosa in Manila. After nine years of using countdown timers, the Metropolitan Manila cludedmetroall50tosystem.”sponsivecalledahasAuthorityDevelopment(MMDA)beguntheshifttonewertechnology“adaptivere-tracsignalAccordingtheMMDA,aboutto60percentoftraclightsinthearenowin-inthesystem. Norman Cruz
BASILAN Rep. Mujiv Hataman has filed in Congress a proposed measure mandating all cities and municipalities with considerable Muslim populations to establish their own Muslim public cemeteries.HouseBill No. 3755 titled Muslim Filipino Public Cemeteries Act seeks to require all local government units to allocate land depending on the size of their Filipino Muslim populations for the construction of public cemeteries for Muslims. “It is our faith that once a Muslim dies, he or she should be buried within 24 hours,” he said. “The difficulty to find an available cemetery adds to our burden of grief,” heThelamented.totalpopulation of Muslim Filipinos reached around 12.7 million, according to data from the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos with hundreds of thousands in all of the regions save for CAR, which has a Muslim population of 39,5, Hataman said. Under HB 3755, all cities and municipalities within BARMM are required to allocate a minimum of two hectares of suitable land as public cemeteries for Muslim Filipinos. For Metro Manila, the bill requires at least 3,000 square meters of suitable lands to be used as Muslim cemeteries for each local government, but may procure property outside of Metro Manila within reasonable traveling distance for the purpose. Metro Manila has over 500,000 Muslim brothers, he said, adding the Taguig City Muslim Cemetery and Cultural Hall in the City of Manila are already over-congested as well as the Norzagaray Muslim Cemetery in Bulacan and Montalban Islamic Cemetery in Rizal. Rio N. Araja
Groups warn against use of plastic erasers by students
government continues to tax billboards not only along EDSA but in the entire city. “Groups of billboard operators have been paying taxes to us,” he noted. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. earlier named new officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its attached agency, the MRT-3. In a Facebook post on August 10, the DOTr announced that Jorjette Aquino has been appointed as Transportation Assistant Secretary for Railways. Federico Canar Jr. and Oscar Bongon have also been tapped as general manager and operations director, respectively, of CanarMRT-3.was a former Light Rail Transit Authority official.
By Rio N. Araja AQUEZON City government official says the dispute in the payment of real property taxes with the Metro Rail Transit Authority is still pending before the Supreme Court.
IDIS and the EcoWaste Coalition recalled the results of phthalate analysis for eraser samples from the Philippines carried out by the Wonjin Institute for Occupational and Environmental Health (WIOEH) with support from the Korea Financial Industry Public Interest Foundation (FIPIF).
AS YOUNG learners troop back to schools, two non-government organizations drew attention to potential hazards of putting objects such as plastic erasers in theThemouth.Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) and the EcoWaste Coalition warned that erasers, especially those made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, may contain phthalates (pronouncedPhthalates,THAL-ates).whichare synthetic compounds used to soften PVC plastic, can affect hormones such as estrogen or testosterone and interfere with normal growth and brain development. Phthalates are known endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). “A child unknowingly ingests phthalates in a plastic eraser whenever she or he puts it in the mouth. Exposures to phthalates can adversely affect a child’s health, including contributing to neurodevelopmental and behavioral problems, obesity and increasing risk of allergic diseases such as asthma,” Lemuel Manalo, Program Coordinator at IDIS, said. “There are other potential sources of phthalate exposure in a child’s environment aside from erasers and school supplies made of PVC plastic, including PVC or vinyl toys, backpacks and raincoats, and even processed foods, cosmetics and flooring materials,” said Manny Calonzo, Adviser, EcoWaste Coalition. “It is therefore important to know and minimize, if not eliminate, such sources to protect our children from being exposed to phthalates.”
In an exclusive interview, city treasurer Edgar Villanueva said the city shall earn P2 billion should the High Court rule in favor of the city government.Underthe past administrations, the local government wanted the MRTA management to pay a huge amount of taxes for using the stretch of Epifanio delos Santos Avenue of MRT3. It was the train management that filed a petition with the SC, he cited. “The case has dragged on for so many years,” he told the Manila Standard. “One thing is very sure, that the case against the MRT3-EDSA is now in the hands of the SC for decision,” he said. “We are hoping that we would win the case,” he Meanwhile,added.Villanueva said the city PNP will probe police stations’ socmed posts vs. Ninoy Aquino
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) is fine-tuning security measures and has coordinated with the military and other law enforcement agencies for the Maguindanao plebiscite on September 17. Other needed assets will be on standby for rapid response, according to PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. Voters in 36 municipalities will vote for or against the division of Maguindanao into two provinces, to be known as Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte. The capital of Maguindanao del Norte will be Datu Odin Sinsuat town while Buluan, the current capital of the province, will be the government center of Maguindanao del Sur. “The PNP has committed to heighten security measures wherein more checkpoints will be placed in strategic areas to boost police visibility. We also have to make sure that minimum public health standard is observed as this will happen at the middle of the pandemic,” Azurin said in a statement on Sunday. “Our role is vital in providing security coverage in the transport or movement of plebiscite equipment, documents and supplies,” he added.
NewsA6 MONDAY, AUGUST 22, mst.daydesk@gmail.commst.daydesk@gmail.com2022
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) said it will investigate the social media posts of some police stations accusing slain former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. of being part of the New People’s Army (NPA).
NEW ROAD. Senators Cynthia Villar and Mark Villar, together with Deputy Speaker Camille Villar, led the Inauguration of the 676-meter Zapote River Drive along Pasong Baka that transverses Brgy. Talon 1 and Brgy, Talon 5 in Las Piñas City. The river drive will ease up tra c from Marcos Alvarez Ave. going to Brgy. Pilar, also in Las Piñas. A PRAYER FOR NINOY. Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Viel Aquino-Dee o er prayers at the tomb of the Aquinos in Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque on the 39th death anniversary of the late senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino. Aquino was assassinated when he returned to Manila on August 21, 1983, after three years in exile. Danny Pata
Police security plans for upcoming Mindanao plebiscite
MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2022 || A7 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
IN BRIEF World Morocco king seeks support in W. Sahara MOROCCO’S King Mohammed VI has called on his country’s partners to “clari fy” their position over the disputed West ern Sahara territory and offer “unequivo cal” support. “I would like to send a clear message to the world: the Sahara issue is the prism through which Morocco views its interna tional environment,” he said in a televised speech Saturday evening. He also described the issue as the “clear and simple measure for the sin cerity of friendships” between Morocco and its partners, in remarks marking the Revolution of the King and the People, a national holiday that celebrates the king dom’s anti-colonial struggle. Rabat controls most of Western Sahara, which it views as its own territory. Morocco fought a 15-year war with the Polisario Front independence movement after Spain withdrew from its former col ony in 1975. A United Nations-monitored cease fire deal provided for a referendum, but Morocco has since rejected any vote that includes independence as an option, of fering only limited autonomy. King Mohammed VI called on allies to “clarify their stance... in an unequivocal manner” on the matter. He did not specify which countries he was addressing, but saluted the United States’ “incontrovert ible”Theposition.USunder former president Don ald Trump recognized Morocco’s sover eignty over the disputed former Spanish colony, a policy that has continued under his successor Joe Biden. The king also lauded recent moves by Spain and Germany to reverse previous policies and recognize Rabat’s autonomy initiative for the territory. In a U-turn, Spain in March publicly backed Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed region after a months-long dip lomatic spat. AFP 1st monkeypox case in Cuba ‘critical’ CUBA reported its first case of monkey pox Saturday in an Italian tourist who is in “critical” condition, the health ministry said.The patient, who arrived in Cuba Monday and was hospitalized three days later, “is in critical condition with his life in danger,” the health ministry said in a note broadcasted by National Television News.After feeling unwell Wednesday, the patient’s health worsened and by Thurs day he was transferred to the hospital for “intensive treatment, arriving in cardiac arrest from which he recovered.” The tourist had stayed in a rental house and “visited several places in the coun try’s western provinces,” the ministry said.It did not provide the patient’s age or otherThedetails.ministry said it would carry out an approved protocol for dealing with mon keypox.
FIVE Hong Kongers have been ar rested for allegedly setting up job scams in which victims were lured to Southeast Asia and then held against their will, police announced Sunday.Inrecent months, victims have reported travelling to countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos on false promises of ro mance or high-paying jobs, and then being detained and forced to work. On Thursday, authorities set up a task force to help trafficked resi dents who had fallen prey to the scams.Almost all of the 36 requests for police help were related to job scams, according to Tony Ho, se nior superintendent of the organized crime and triad bureau. Police have arrested three men and two women suspected of trick ing Hong Kongers into accept ing “highly unrealistic” job offers abroad, Ho said Sunday. Twenty-two victims are still be lieved to be ensnared in Cambodia and Myanmar, and nine among them have not contacted their families or the Hong Kong police, Ho said. Ho said the victims were given flight tickets and most had their passports taken when they landed, before being sent to a scam center and forced to defraud others. Politicians from Hong Kong’s DAB party told reporters Sunday that a victim’s family sought help from them as the Hong Konger had been trapped for about a month in a human trafficking hotspot in Myan mar’s Kayin State. “His family suspect he was physi cally abused,” said Woo Cheuk-him, a politician who received the request for“Hehelp.said he has been forced to work more than 10 hours a day... if he didn’t perform well, he wouldn’t be given enough food.”
OPEN-AIR MUSEUM. A woman dressed in Ukrainian national costume poses for a photograph in front of a destroyed Russian military equipment at Khreshchatyk street in Kyiv that has been turned into an open-air military museum ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day on August 24. AFP heartedly supported Moscow’s opera tion in Ukraine. He was put on a Western sanctions list after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, a move he also backed. The head of one of Ukraine’s break away separatist regions blamed the blast on Kyiv authorities. “The Ukrainian regime terrorists tried to liquidate Alexander Dugin, but blew up his daughter,” DNR chief De nis Pushilin wrote on Telegram. AFP
AFP SOMALIS anxiously waited to know the fate of their missing relatives on Sunday as emergency workers attempt ed to clear debris after a deadly 30-hour siege by Al-Shabaab jihadists at a hotel in the capital Mogadishu. At least 13 civilians lost their lives and dozens were wounded in the gun and bomb attack by the Al-Qaedalinked group that began on Friday evening and lasted over a day, leaving many feared trapped inside the popular Hayat Hotel. On Sunday morning, the area sur rounding the hotel was quiet and the roads blocked by a heavy security presence as emergency workers and bomb disposal experts sought to clear the premises of any explosives and remove rubble. The hotel building sustained heavy damage during the gunfight between Somali forces and the militants, caus ing some parts of it to collapse and leaving many people frantic for their loved ones who were inside when the attack began. The attack was the biggest in Moga dishu since Somalia’s new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in June, and underscored the challenge of trying to crush the 15-year insurrection by the Islamist militant group. The hotel was a favored meeting spot for government officials and scores of people were inside when gunmen stormed the property. Officials said earlier that dozens of people had been rescued, including three young children who had hidden inside a toilet, but it is not known how many were still in the hotel when the siege ended around midnight. Dozens of people gathered near the road leading up to the hotel on Sunday morning, desperate for news of their family members as security forces guarded the area, not letting anyone through.Businessman Muktar Adan, whose brother was inside the hotel when the attack started, told AFP he was waiting for permission to enter the hotel and look for his sibling. “My brother was inside the hotel the last time we heard from him, but his phone is switched off now and we don’t know what to expect,” he said. Said Nurow, who heard the attack unfold as bullets and flames ripped through the hotel, said he was very worried about his friend who was a guest at the property. “I hope... (he) is alive, he stayed in the hotel according to the last information we got from his sister,” he told AFP, describ ing the mood as “tense.”
JAPAN is considering the deployment of more than 1,000 longrange cruise missiles to increase its ability to counter growing regional threats from China, local newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday.Thecountry plans to upgrade its existing surface-to-ship missiles to ex tend their range from 100 kilometers (62 miles) to about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), which would be enough to reach Chinese coastal areas as well as North Korea, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources. Upgrades would also need to be made to allow Japan’s existing ships and aircraft to be able to fire the new missiles, which could hit land-based targets, the newspaper reported. The missiles would be deployed in and around the southwestern Kyushu region and on the small islands that dot Japan’s southwestern waters near Tai wan, Yomiuri reported. Japanese officials could not immedi ately be reached for comment on the issue.The plan is part of Japan’s attempt to narrow the missile capacity gap with China, while also addressing threats from North Korea, the newspaper said. Japan’s military is not officially rec ognized under the country’s post-war constitution and defense spending is limited to funding nominally defensive capabilities.Recentgeopolitical tensions, includ ing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s increasingly aggressive stance over Taiwan, have prompted growing calls in Japan to review defense pro grams.Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has vowed to significantly boost defense spending, which has been kept close to around one percent of LocalGDP. media also reported that Ja pan’s defense ministry is likely to re quest 5.5 trillion yen ($40.2 billion) for the next fiscal year, up slightly from the 5.18 trillion requested for the cur rent fiscal year. But the ministry was also expected to ask approval for a list of unpriced items, including the development cost to upgrade the long-range cruise mis siles, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said.
AFP 5 arrested in Hong Kong over job scams in Southeast Asia Car bomb kills daughter of Kremlin hardline ideologue outside Moscow
Santos’ children and his widow, Ana Paula, were also present. Ana Paula appeared teary as she got into a ve hicle outside the airport. Some people clapped as the coffin wrapped in an Angolan flag was taken away followed by a convoy of black cars. More came out on the streets to watch the convoy pass by. Some cheered, others chant ed “Ze Du!”—Dos Santos’s nickname, foot age posted on social media showed. “We Angolans are proud to welcome the remains of president dos Santos, and that he can have a dignified funeral,” said another attendee, Telma Pilartes. Dos Santos, who ruled the oil-rich Af rican nation with an iron first from 1979 to 2017, died in Barcelona on July 8 at the age of 79 after suffering a cardiac arrest. Since then, the question of when and where he will be buried has pitted the An golan government and his widow against some of his adult children. A Barcelona court this week ordered his remains be delivered to Ana Paula and granted authorization for “the repatriation and international transfer of (his) remains to Angola.” AFP
Japan mulls missile upgrade due to China threat—report
DEFENSE UPGRADE. Japan plans to upgrade its existing surface-to-ship missiles to extend their range from 100 kilometers (62 miles) to about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). AFP DEVOTION.RELIGIOUS Sri decoratedevoteesBuddhistLanka’sa stupa with a saffron cloth at KataragamatempleKiriweheraKataragamathein on August 20, 2022. AFP
Somalis await fate of relatives as 30-hour hotel siege ends
THE daughter of Alexader Dugin, a hardline Russian ideologue close to President Vladimir Putin, has been killed in a car bombing on Moscow’s outskirts, authorities said on Sunday. According to family members quot ed by Russian media, Dugin -- a vo cal supporter of Kremlin’s offensive in Ukraine – was the likely target of the blast as his daughter borrowed his car at the last minute. Daria Dugina, born in 1992, was killed when a bomb placed in her Toy ota Land Cruiser went off as she drove on a highway near the village of Bol shie Vyzyomy, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) outside Moscow, Russia’s Inves tigative Committee said in a statement. Dugina died on the scene and a ho micide investigation has been opened, said the committee, which probes ma jor crime cases in Russia. Dugin, sometimes called “Putin’s Rasputin” or “Putin’s brain,” is an out spoken Russian ultranationalist intel lectual. He has long advocated the unifica tion of Russian-speaking territories in a vast new Russian empire and whole
Human rights lawyer Patricia Ho
Ex-president’s body finally lands in Angola THE body of Angola’s Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who died in Spain last month, arrived in Luanda on Saturday, ending a weeks-long feud over the repatriation of the ex-president’s corpse. A plane carrying the remains landed in the Angolan capital from Barcelona in the evening, AFP reporters at the scene said. Only a few dozen people had gathered at Luanda’s airport to welcome the for mer president’s casket. “I was told he was going to arrive, so I came to greet him. It was a nice wel come,” said Wilson Miguel, one of those in Severalattendance.ofDos
AFP
By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Department of Transportation said over the weekend it plans to privatize the operations of Metro Rail Transit Line-3 as the buildlease-transfer agreement with Metro Rail Transit Corp. is set to lapse by 2025.MRTC, owned by Metro Rail Tran sit Holdings II Inc. led by businessman Robert John Sobrepeña, is responsible for the design and construction of the EDSA rail transit system. Formed in 1995, MRTC started building MRT 3 in October 1996, completed it in Decem ber 1999 and started full operations in JulyThe2020.DOTr said that under the 25-year BLT arrangement, MRTC will transfer the 16.9-kilometer MRT Line 3 to the government by 2025. “The current agreement under the socalled ‘build, lease transfer, will lapse by 2025. So, we will study the possibil ity of offering it for a concession like what’s happening in LRT 1,” Transpor tation Secretary Jaime Bautista said. Light Rail Manila Corp., a consor tium of Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Sumitomo Corp. and Macquarie Infra structure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd., in 2015 won the bidding for the P64.9-billion LRT 1 Cavite Extension, one of the public-private partnership projects of the government. LRMC took over the operations of LRT Line 1 and built the extension proj ect to Cavite province. Bautista said the department was looking at the same arrangement for MRT 3. “We would offer it [MRT-3] for bidding,” he said. MRTC and the government through the Department of Transportation and Communications signed the BLT agree ment in 1997 to construct and maintain MRTThe3.partnership required the DOTr to hold the franchise and run the system particularly the operation and the col lection of fares. MRTC built the sys tem, maintained the same to guarantee the availability of the trains at specified headway at specified hours and pro cured the required spare parts, while the government paid MRTC monthly fees for a certain number of years.
By Alena Mae S. Flores SEMIRARA Mining and Power Corp. plans to diversify into renewable energy and nickel, copper or gold mining as part of long-term business strategy. “We have been instructed by the board to look for other opportunities, so we are looking at finding other assets—coal and non-coal,” SMPC chairman Isidro Con sunji said in a recent webinar. He said the company was looking at renewable energy, although it would be “way below the kind of margins we are usedConsunjito.” said SMPC studied commer cially-viable and environment-friendly RE projects. “We looked at run-of-river before, and the area we found geologi cally acceptable are mostly in problematic peace and order areas and not connected to the grid. No nearby area met the capex [capital expenditures] area requirement, the ratio of revenue,” he said. He said solar projects in off-grids areas should be profitable, “because they will displace diesel.” Consunji said it was difficult finding other businesses, especially those that could deliver high margins. “Maybe nickel, copper or gold... We are used to high-margin business,” Consunji said, referring to coal mining and coal-power projects.Hesaid SMPC was committed to build ing the 700-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Calaca, Batangas under St. Ra phael Power Generation Corp. once trans mission issues were resolved. He said SR PGC was not covered by the moratorium on new coal-fired power plants. “St. Rafael is not part of the ban...The issue of St. Raphael is not a contract with Meralco [Manila Electric Co.]. We are prepared to build it with or without an offtaker. The issue is it is not yet connected to the grid,” Consunji said. He said the transmission line that would serve the power plant was “maxed out”, and the additional lines were not yet built. “As soon as the grid connection is re solved, then we will build San Rafael, two by 350 because we already have indica tions from the banks to fund it,” Consunji said.SMPC and partner Meralco PowerGen Corp. announced in 2020 the termination of their joint agreement for the construc tion of the 700-MW coal plant. SMPC reacquired all the equity shareholdings of Meralco PowerGen in SRPGC. The Consunji Group owns SMPC, while Meralco PowerGen is the power generation arm of power retailer Manila Electric Co.
LUFHTANSA Teknik Philippines plans to expand its maintenance, re pair and overhaul operations in the Philippines with a new facility at Clark Freeport, following the success ful launch of its MRO site at Hangar 1A in Pasay City. LTP president and chief executive Ear Lutter said over the weekend the expansion outside Metro Manila would be the next big step for the company, as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport reached its geographical limit. “We will seek discussions with pos sible partners and explore possibilities in the Philippines and beyond with the end in mind to add affordable highquality MRO to our region and deliver safety and reliability to our customers,” Lutter said at the opening of Hangar 1 on Aug. 19 Lutter said the company’s struggle to break through the pandemic delayed construction activities at the Hangar 1A site for one and a half years. “This hangar is also testament of dif ficult trade-offs. The process to shape the corporate tax reform, known as the CREATE [Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises] law, has put our company into the limelight. And although times are uncertain, I am op timistic. We will overcome the chal lenges,” he said LTP vice president for sales and mar keting Rainier Janke said the expansion at Hangar1A was borne out of the need to improve capacity at the Manila Inter national Airport to support its biggest local client—Philippine Airlines. LTP said the year before the start of the pandemic was the strongest in the company’s history, with a very solid market position for the maintenance and overhaul of the superjumbo Airbus A380. The year 2019 yielded 1.5 million man-hours for the German company. The hangar is capable of accommo dating Airbus A380, other Airbus units and wide-body aircrafts of British Air ways, Korean Airlines, Asiana, Qantas and Lufthansa. By Darwin G. Amojelar DAVAO CITY—AirAsia Philippines ramped up its flights to Davao from Manila and Cebu to support the recov ery of local tourism. “AirAsia Philippines is now strate gically boosting its inter-island route network to support the resumption of economies in different megacities and provinces,” AirAsia Philippines spokesperson Steve Dailisan said. “More than giving tourists an alter native mode of transportation, AirAsia Philippines would also like to support trade organizations as they slowly re cover and restore their operations,” he said.AirAsia Philippines launched on Aug. 18 its four-times weekly flights to Davao from Cebu, with plans of in creasing to seven-times weekly by Sep tember. Manila-Davao flights will also be increased from 21 times to 28 times weekly next month, the airline said. Dailisan said that after two years of hiatus amid the global pandemic, AirA sia Philippines again joined the colorful and festive 37th Kadayawan sa Davao. “AirAsia pays tribute to this muchawaited festive celebration with our Dabawenyo friends. After two years spent in isolation, we are one with Davao in shouting through the skies: We are back. We are here. And we are stronger than ever as we win as one,” Dailisan said.
THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas teamed up with retailers for the deployment of coin de posit machines to promote efficient coin recir culation in the country.
Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor extrastory2000@gmail.combusiness@manilastandard.net
controllership and financial planning senior vice president Jonathan Ng, Filinvest Land Inc. deputy chief finance officer Janeth de los Reyes and Robinsons Supermarket man aging director Stanley Co recently signed a memorandum of agreement to install 25 coin deposit machines in select retail establishments in Greater Manila and nearby provinces. Automated coin deposit machines will al low customers to conveniently deposit coins and redeem their accumulated value from partner retail establishments through shop ping vouchers or rewards card points. Alter nately, customers may opt to directly credit the amount to their participating bank accounts or electronic wallets. Fit coins collected from the machines will be returned into circulation when partner re tailers use them as change for over-the-counter payments of good and services. Unfit coins will be removed from circulation and retired by the BSP. Julito G. Rada DMCI mergerreevaluatesoftwounits
Gov’t plans to privatize MRT-3, choose new operator by 2025
By Jenniffer B. Austria SHARE prices at the Philippine Stock Exchange are expected to continue moving sideways with an upward momentum this week on improved investorAnalystssentiments.saidthe30-company PSE index could test the 7,000 level over the near term given the renewed op timism. Bargain hunting, however, may also take place after the market’s recent“Thererun-up.isa clear attempt for the benchmark index to get past the hur dle that is the 7,000-mark, retracing new resistance closer to 7,200, where it was mostly in the first half of 2022,” online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia. com“Near-termsaid. fundamentals look sup portive of this direction,” it said. Analysts said investors were still concerned about rising oil prices, commodity shortages and increasing prices of basic commodities. These factors could push inflation rate high er in the coming months, they said. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas earlier revised its 2022 inflation out look to 5.4 percent from 4 percent. It also lowered the 2023 inflation rate projection to 4 percent from 4.2 per cent.Analysts advised investors to look at the medium to long term, take ad vantage of technical correction and focus on stocks that are likely to re port positive earnings amid the mar ketTheconditions.bellwether PSEi climbed 2.45 percent last week to close at 6,863.86 on Friday, while the broader all-shares index rose 2 percent to 3,635.57 on strong foreign buying. Foreign investors were net buyers by P3.2 billion as the average daily turnover reached P8.26 billion. Top price gainers last week were 2Go Group Inc. which jumped 19.8 percent to P7.55; Philex Mining Corp., 10.6 percent to P3.54; and BDO Unibank Inc., 9.2 percent to P129.30.Heavy losers included ABS-CBN Corp., which declined 10.8 percent to P11.88; Filinvest REIT Corp., 4.3 percent to P6.22; and PLDT Inc., 3.7 percent to P1,750.
LANDBANK FORUM. Land Bank of the Philippines kicks off a series of virtual forums to discuss with local agriculture players opportunities towards modernizing the industry, while also ensuring food security. Joining the first run of the LandBank AgriSenso Virtual Forums are (clockwise from upper left) Finance Secretary and LandBank chairman Benjamin Diokno, LandBank president and chief executive Cecilia Borromeo, Agriculture assistant secretary and Bureau of Animal Industry officer-in-charge director Reildrin Morales, United Broiler Raisers Association president Elias Jose Inciong, Ana’s Breeders Farms Inc. president and chief executive Jonathan Suy and LandBank assistant vice president Edgardo Luzano. REX SCHOLARS. Executives of Rex Education and the Private Education Assistance Committee send 14 scholars to centers of excellence by the Commission on Higher Education under the PEAC–REX Edukampyon Iskolar Para Sa Kinabukasan Scholarship Program, an initiative that hopes to strengthen the quality of teachers in the country by seeking out and encouraging students to take teacher education programs in Mathematics and Sciences. The scholars will pursue specialization in the Sciences and Mathematics at Ateneo De Naga and Mathematics at Capitol University. The PEAC–REX Edukampyon Iskolar Para Sa Kinabukasan is one of the many efforts and collaborations REX enters into to help address the challenges faced by Philippine education.
BSP, retailers team up to deploy coin machines
Lufhtansa Teknik eyes Clark facility after opening of Pasay MRO site By Othel V. Campos
BSP Governor Felipe Medalla, SM Re tail Inc.
Business
A8 MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2022 PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, August 19, 2022 39.236,863.86PTS. F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022 Currency Unit US Dollar Peso United States Dollar 1.000000 55.8560 Japan Yen 0.007360 0.4111 UK Pound 1.193200 66.6474 Hong Kong Dollar 0.127491 7.1211 Switzerland Franc 1.045588 58.4024 Canada Dollar 0.772678 43.1587 Singapore Dollar 0.721657 40.3089 Australia Dollar 0.691300 38.6133 Bahrain Dinar 2.653153 148.1945 Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266276 14.8731 Brunei Dollar 0.719062 40.1639 Indonesia Rupiah 0.000067 0.0037 Thailand Baht 0.028090 1.5690 UAE Dirham 0.272279 15.2084 Euro Euro 1.009000 56.3587 Korea Won 0.000754 0.0421 China Yuan 0.147341 8.2299 India Rupee 0.012539 0.7004 Malaysia Ringgit 0.223614 12.4902 New Zealand Dollar 0.625400 34.9323 Taiwan Dollar 0.033378 1.8644 Source: BSP 1,572,858,353 TOTAL TRADES 60,628 TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) 5,146,380,536.49 DECLINESADVANCES 80
Analysts see stock market testing 7,000 level again this week
DMCI Holdings Inc. said it plans to defer the proposed consolidation of Semirara Mining and Power Corp. and DMCI Mining over valu ationDMCIissue.president and chief executive Isidro Consunji said in a recent investor briefing sponsored by the Philippine Stock Exchange that at least 90 percent of mining assets of DMCI Mining were not issued necessary per mits.“We have an issue of valuation because a lot of assets of DMCI Mining are not totally permitted. Maybe 90 percent of DMCI mining assets are not permitted. So it is kind of difficult to put a valuation,” Consunji said. “If it is not permitted, then the buying share holders will be in for a loss, but if it is fully permitted and the assets were sold at a price below the assets for fully permitted, then the selling shareholders will be aggrieved. So we might want to defer until we have finality on permitting process,” he said. Consunji said in May the company was studying the possibly of transferring or consol idating DMCI Mining into Semirara to create shareholder value for both the stockholders of the two companies. Jenniffer B. Austria MPT South brings home 2 Quill awards METRO Pacific Tollways South, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., marked an other milestone by bagging its first Quill award for demonstrating excellent communication for two of its programs, “Biyaheng South” and “Drayberks”.TheInternational Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines, during the 19th Philippine Quill Awards virtual cer emony, gave an excellence award under the communication management division for mar keting, advertising and brand communication category to MPT South’s “Biyaheng South”, which has been active on social channels like Facebook and TikTok, for promoting its toll road network Manila-Cavite Expressway and Cavite-Laguna Expressway. Biyaheng South, which has over 20,000 combined followers for both digital platforms, generated more than 1 million views on TikTok and 75,000 on Facebook. The toll road company’s social advocacy “Drayberks” also took home a merit award under the communication management divi sion for the community relations category. Since 2020, Drayberks has continued to gather motorists, key stakeholders and residents of surrounding communities in Metro Manila, Cavite and Laguna for a road safety seminar that educates them about the safety features of the expressway and their role in keeping the road safe for everyone. Roy Tomandao IN BRIEF
AirAsia PH adds more flights to Davao to support recovery of domestic tourism
Semirara studies going into renewable energy and gold mining as part of long-term business strategy
Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor
Juan Gomez de Liano: Clutch
Cesista sweeps 8 events in FINIS Swim Finals Aguilar cleared to join Gilas
AUGUST 22, 2022
Game Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum) Game 2 of Best-of-3 Finals Skippers lead series, 1-0. 12 p.m. - EcoOil-La Salle vs Marinerong Pilipino Arriana June Cesista swims her way to an eighth gold. Director Vince Garcia. Cesista dominated the field on opening day Saturday, claiming the gold medals in the 100-m Individual Medley (1:44.60), 100-m butterfly (2:01.43); 50-m backstroke (49.72); 100-m breaststroke (2:00.11), and 50-m freestyle (44.60). Davao Del Norte’s Czarina Cavite added one gold and one silver in the girls’ 9-10 class after topping the 50-m butterfly with a time of 40.94 seconds before finishing second in the 50-m breast (45.84) won by Reese Tacuboy (43.63). The 10-year-old tanker representing DavNor Blue Marlins Swim Team, became the event’s first triple-gold medalist in the morning session on Saturday with victories in the 100-m IM (1:28.83), 100-m butterfly (1:32.29) and 50-m freestyle (35.41). Garcia was joined by Capas, Tarlac Mayor Roseller Rodriguez in awarding the medals and trophies to the top three overall team champions, where the former also announced the plan to hold much bigger tournaments next year, including the Long Course Championship using the same format. “’Yung commitment ng FINIS hindi natatapos sa swimming. This September we’re holding the Kids Thriathlon here in Clark, while ‘yung dalawang events namin sa Digos City was moved this October. We’re also collaborating with Congressman Eric Buhain to start the Open Swim event in Batangas,” said Garcia.
InternationalBlacklistremainsontopofheap
ng Pilipinas executive director and spokesperson Renauld ‘Sonny’ Barrios will be the one to announce the 12-man Gilas roster of coach Chot Reyes that will travel to Lebanon later in the day to take on the home team on the 25th. The Filipinos then return to the country shortly after and host Saudi Arabia on the 29th at the Mall of Asia Arena.The special PSA Forum session is set at 12 noon. The public sports program is presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission, Amelie Hotel Manila, Unilever, and the Philippine Amusement and GamingTheCorporation.weeklyForum is livestreamed via the PSA Facebook page itRadyoandPhilippineSportswritersAssociationfb.com/airedonadelayedbasisoverPilipinas2,whichalsosharesonitsofficialFacebookpage.
By Peter Atencio
AguilarJapeth
By Windie Khyla Pultam M3 world champion Blacklist International bagged its third win of the season Saturday at the ICITE Auditorium in Quezon BlacklistCity.International fought against the new generation of Bren Esports for the second week, Day 2 of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Philippines Season 10 and won with its second sweep of theKDAseason.Machine Salic “HADJI” A. Imam rightfully earned the MVP title in the first game as Xavier with a 4\1\9 kill-death-assist.Accordingtogame analyst Caisam “Wolf” Nopueto, Blacklist International achieved the win with the successful early game priorities such as trades, mid game objectives and map control, the poke damages, which won them their game and HADJI himself. In the second game, Kiel Calvin “OHEB” Soriano took the spotlight and the MVP title with his guns expert Beatrix and ended the 14:43 minute game with a 7/1/4 KDA. Bren Esports was pressured by Blacklist International during the draft pick along with the defeat in game 1. Wolf said it translated in the early pick of Vincent “Pandora” Unigo’s Phoveus, which Blacklist International cou ntered easily with “Edward” Jay Dapadap’s Uranus. Blacklist International dominated the game from the 3-minute mark in terms of gold and continued with their pokes to Bren Esports. The latter did not find many openings for Phoveus, while it was the opposite for Blacklist International making it possible for them to “destroy” Michael “KyleTzy” Sayson’s core Balmond. The popular VeeWise duo also had a change in dynamics, thanks to Danerie James “WISE” Del Rosario’s wise adjustment to use a tank build on his Benedetta to complement with Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna’s support Mathilda, who is more suitable for tank and fighter heroes. “Siguro ngayon walang specific na meta. Nag a-adjust kami sa kung ano ‘yung meta ng kalaban,” team captain OhMyV33nus told host Mara Aquino when asked about the unusual play style the team showed during the match. Blacklist International’s next match will be against ONIC Philippines on August 26 at 6 p.m. PH 5 members to be announced at special PSA online forum
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THE Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum holds a special online session on Monday to give way to the announcement of the Philippine men’s basketball team’s official lineup for the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Samahangqualifiers.Basketbol
ARRIANA June Cesista was adjudged Most Valuable Swimmer after her eight-gold medal haul at the close of the 2022 FINIS Short Course Swimming National Finals on Sunday at the New Clark Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac. The pride of Pangasinan, representing Thresher Shark Swim Team, swept all of her eight events in the girls; 7-8 class with victories in the 50-m butterfly (50.52) over Zavrinah Pailagao of Sweetdophins (51.39); 100-m backstroke (1:43.31) against Teof Velez of Northmin Stars (2:03.04) and 50-m breast (53.50) against Zavrinah Pailagan (59.87) and Violette Chavez (1:04.15) in the event organized by FINIS Philippines. “Natutuwa po ako kasi po sa ensayo namin, ‘yung focus namin manalo, natupad naman po. Thankful ako kay coach Rey, pati sa parents ko,” said the second Grader from Tambungan Preparatory School in Pangasinan. “‘Yung medalya po talagang iingatan no ang ganda po at nakakaproud,” she added, referring to FINIS medals personally designed by FINIS Managing TRIUMPHANT PH SKATERS. Joseph Silva, Assistant Vice President of the Sports and Leisure Centers of SM Lifestyle Inc. and Dyan Leah Dominique Cheng, Sports Development Manager of the Sports and Leisure Centers of SM Lifestyle Inc. and president of the Philippine Skating Union, welcome the winning skaters and coaches of Team Philippines from the recently concluded Skate Asia 2022 Competition held at the Sunway Ice Rink in Malaysia. The homecoming ceremony witnessed special performances by Dawn Jasmine Gothong (9 years old) and Erphy Claire Mackenzie (left, 7 years old), who are both part of the PH delegation to the Skate Asia and National Developmental Pool of the PSU. Mackenzie won 6 gold medals, while Gothong brought home 5 golds and a silver.
Sonny Barrios
JUAN Gomez de Liano showed why he’s the frontrunner for the Conference MVP award, rescuing Marinerong Pilipino in the clutch in a 72-67 victory over EcoOil-La Salle in Game One of the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup title series Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. Silenced all game long, the University of the Philippines guard uncorked six of the Skippers’ last 10 points, including the dagger with 13.9 seconds left that gave their side a 68-64Evanlead.Nelle kept the Green Archers in the game with a three-point shot in the ensuing possession, but Jollo Go and Arvin Gamboa put the game on lock at the free throw line. “We just followed our team mindset and we prepared so hard for this game,” said Gomez de Liano, who only had nine points, but did everything else with his 14 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Adrian Nocum stepped up with 22 points, five boards, and three assists, Go scored three triples for 15 points, eight rebounds, and three dimes, and Gamboa knocked down 14 points and six rebounds for Marinerong Pilipino, which moved a win away from the elusive PBA D-League crown after finishing bridesmaids in the 2019 Foundation Cup. The Skippers can seal the deal on Wednesday at the same venue. Schonny Winston paced EcoOil-La Salle with 21 points, but was limited to just two in the payoff period. Kevin Quiambao also struggled in the game with his 3-of-14 field goal shooting to finish with just nine points, six boards, and three assists. The MarinerongScores: Pilipino 72—Nocum 22, Go 15, Gamboa 14, Gomez de Liano 9, Bonifacio 5, Pido 4, Manlangit 3, Carino 0, Soberano 0, Hernandez 0, Garcia 0. EcoOil-La Salle 67—Winston 21, Austria 15, Quiambao 9, Nelle 8, M. Phillips 7, Estacio 4, B. Phillips 3, Manuel 0, Cortez 0, Escandor 0, Buensalida 0. Quarters: 21-12, 33-23, 51-52, 72-67.
GINEBRA big man Japeth Aguilar has been cleared to join Gilas Pilipinas just days away from its showdown with Lebanon in Beirut. The 6’9” Aguilar immediately plunged into the practices at Meralco Gym in Pasig City after he got cleared from COVID-19 on Sunday.Aguilar takes the place of San Miguel Beer big man June Mar Fajardo, after the 6’10” Beerman and teammate CJ Perez were not allowed to join the Gilas scrimmages.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas earlier said that players from SMB and TNT taking part in the best-of-seven finals series of the 2022 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup will not join Team Philippines in its games in the fourth window.Aguilar and his family, and other members of his household have gone through isolation over the past week after contracting COVID-19.Anegative PCR test allowed authorities to let Aguilar leave isolation. Utah Jazz cager Jordan Clarkson and Adelaide 36ers’ player Kai Sotto are already in scrimmages with Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena, Carl Tamayo, Arvin Tolentino, Scottie Thompson, Chris Newsome, Roosevelt Adams, Jamie Malonzo, Bobby Ray Parks Jr. and Dwight Ramos. The lineup against the Cedars will be announced on Monday, when Gilas leaves for Beirut.ThePhilippines has already earned its spot the 2023 World Cup as co-hosts of the event. Their games in Window 4 will be a way of learning how good Gilas Pilipinas is against its Asian rivals. The Philippines will get to test the mettle of Zouk Mikael in Lebanon, the Asia Cup 2022 finalists, on August 25. Then, they return home to clash with Saudi Arabia on August 29 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Gomez de Liano is hero for Marinero
Sports
Tsitsipas stuns Medvedev, books final duel with Coric
PBA guest team Bay Area fended off a gritty Ateneo de Manila University side after pulling away with a 102-93 victory in a closed-door tuneup game held at Moro Lorenzo Gym, Saturday. Strong was the start of the Dragons after Myles Powell and Andrew Nicholson connived on the offensive end. The scoring efforts of the former NBA players buried the Blue Eagles in a 17-point hole midway through the second quarter. Bay Area kept its foot on the pedal as the Dragons increased the lead to as much as 22 points in the second half. However, Ateneo eventually utilized a 12-2 run to get within striking distance in the final minute of the fourth quarter. A transition three from BJ Andrade enabled the Blue Eagles to get within seven, 93-100, with 41 seconds in the game.Still, the Dragons showed their composure down the stretch as they held onto their lead to run away with the win. “We knew it would be tough, a really good workout for us. Happy that the team competed until the very end,” said Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin. “We haven’t had many games, the competition in Japan was good but not at this level. We have a lot of holes, both offensively and defensively. We need to be tougher competitively.”Nicholson was at the forefront of Bay Area’s attack with 20 points, four rebounds, and a steal. Powell notched 16 points, six assists, and three rebounds while Glen Yang followed with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. “[It was] a really good game for us. We wanted to play a team that was physical, played real hard, and played together,” said Dragons head coach Brian Goorjian moments after their win. “I know Coach Baldwin and I know his reputation. I’ve competed against him for years and I knew that he’d have a team like that and in our development as a brand new team, we needed a game like this.” Dave Ildefonso led the Blue Eagles with 18 points and five rebounds while Angelo Kouame supplied 14 markers and 12 boards of his own. Forthsky Padrigao also added 12 points, five rebounds, five assists, and a steal in a losing effort.
Coric is the second-lowest-rated finalist since the rankings began in 1973, with number 191 Andrei Pavel setting that standard as he played for the Roland Garros title in Coric2003.gotpast a slow start marred by 14 unforced errors in the first six games, settling in to lift the level of his tennis. The Croat, who lost a Masters final at Shanghai in 2018 to Novak Djokovic, limited Norrie to nine winners while sending over 17 along with 24 unforced errors. “I played extremely well, but in the beginning I was not there,” Coric said. “I then found my rhythm and began serving better. That was the key to the match.” Kvitova to face Garcia In the women’s semi-finals, French qualifier Caroline Garcia survived two rain breaks and advanced to the final by defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. Garcia will play for the title on Sunday against Czech Petra Kvitova, who constructed a 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-3 comeback triumph over American Madison Keys. Garcia is the first qualifier to ever reach the championship match at a MastersKvitova,tournament.atwo-time Wimbledon winner who played the semi-finals in 2012 and 2018, will be aiming for her 30th career title in her first Cincinnati final.
SundaydecisionAnthonyJEDDAH—Ukraine’sOleksandrUsykwonhisrematchagainstJoshuabysplitinSaudiArabiaontosetupapotential
unification bout with Britain’s Tyson Fury. The former cruiserweight world champion, who dismantled the holder in London last year, faced an improved Joshua but outboxed him once again in just his fourth heavyweight bout. Usyk, now unbeaten at 20-0, immediately called out Fury, who announced his latest retirement earlier this month but has signalled his willingness to resume his Victorycareer.over the 6ft 9ins (2.06m) Fury would unite all four heavyweight belts and constitute a crowning glory for the sublime Ukrainian, a former outstanding amateur and Olympic heavyweight champion. “I’m sure that Tyson Fury is not retired yet,” Usyk told the crowd. “I’m convinced he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I’m not fighting Tyson Fury I’m not fighting at all.” The fight was watched on free-toair TV by millions of Ukrainians living under the Russian invasion. Usyk signed up to fight for his country before accepting the rematch. “I give this victory to my country, to my family, to my team and to all the military who are defending the country,” he told the 12,000-seat King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah. An angered Joshua hurled down Usyk’s belts and peppered his postfight speech with expletives despite the
AFP WASHINGTON—Defending champion Patrick Cantlay fired a six underpar 65 to open up a one-shot lead at the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship in Delaware on Saturday. Cantlay, bidding to become the first player in FedEx Cup post-season history to successfully defend a tournament title, conjured six birdies and an eagle at Wilmington Country Club for a 54-hole aggregate of 12-under 201. The 30-year-old world number four started the day two shots adrift of second-round leader Adam Scott but quickly halved that deficit on the opening hole, rolling in a monster 43foot birdie putt. Birdies on the third and the seventh —after another long birdie putt from 30 feet—took Cantlay to the turn at three-under for the day. A bogey on the par-four 11th briefly checked his progress but Cantlay responded with back-toback birdies on the 12th and 13th before a magnificent eagle three on the 14th, the American holing out with a sublime lob wedge from 104 yards. That took Cantlay a shot clear of the field at 12 under but a rare putting blunder on the 17th—missing a threefooter for bogey—dropped him back to Yet11-under.onceagain, Cantlay responded in style, blasting his second shot on the 18th to the back of the green with sharp backspin that left him with just a seven-footer for birdie. “I hit the ball really well today,” Cantlay said afterwards. “Left a few out there but I think today was really about my bounce backs—after the two bogeys I made which were mistakes, I made birdies on the next two holes and got back into the round and kept the momentum to take into tomorrow.” Cantlay said he was not thinking about possibly emulating his 2021 FedEx Cup victory, when he won both the BMW and the Tour Championship. Zalatoris injury “My head is not even there right now,” he said. “I think the best way to handle this playoff system is to just focus on doing your best in the tournament that you’re in and not worry too much about the points. So that’s what I’m going to do.” Cantlay’s 65 leaves him one clear of close friend Xander Schauffele, who posted a five-under 66 on Saturday to finish the day on 202 alongside fellow American Scott Stallings. Schauffele’s bogey-free round included an eagle, three birdies and 14 pars. Stallings advanced up the leaderboard with a 66 that featured six birdies. Australia’s second-round leader Scott, meanwhile, is a shot further back on 10 under after battling to a two-under-par 69 that included four birdies and two bogeys.
AFP
Visiting Bay Area turns back gritty Ateneo
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk (right) and Britain’s Anthony Joshua compete during the heavyweight boxing rematch for the WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF titles, at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah. AFP Center in San Fernando, Pampanga. Powered by Jayson Apolonio, Earnest Reyes and Archie Concepcion, the Giant Lanterns took the fight out of the Bandera, 74-54, en route to their fifth straight win and a 9-4 record in the single round-robin elimination phase of the 22-team tournament. With Apolonio dropping 10 of his 13 points, Pampanga padded the spread to 83-60 and handed Imus its 9th loss in 12 starts. Concepcion wound up with 17 points, but it was Apolonio who put up the better overall performance with 14 rebounds and 6 assists for the Giant Lanterns, owned by Cong. Dong Gonzales and mentored by Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda. Earnest Reyes and Dominick Reyes also contributed for Pampanga with 11 points each. Pampanga ruled the boards, 57-46, which it exploited to score 50 points inside the paint while holding Imus to just 18 points. Imus drew 18 points from Leo Najorda and 13 from Jeymark Mallari. Rizal Xentromall trounced Bacolod Bingo Plus, 67-57, in the opener while General Santos dumped Mindoro, 105-64 in the second game. The Rizal Golden Coolers, who got 16 points each from Laurenz Paul Victoria and Troy Mallillin and 12 from Keanu Caballero, climbed to 8-4. Bacolod tumbled t0 7-6 as only Alwyn Alday could tally twin digits with 12. The GenSan Warriors improved to 8-5 behind the 14-point effort of Jaypee Belencion, the 12-point output of Marlon Gomez, 11 each from Nikko Panganiban and Jan Mark Baltazar and 10 from Michole Sorela. Mindoro, which got 15 points from Aga Bernal, 13 from Marlon Espiritu and 11 from Khen Osicos, skidded to 1-13. The MPBL goes to the newly renovated San Andres Sports Complex this season with a triple-bill on Monday.
STREAKING Pampanga surged ahead early in the fourth quarter and proceeded to rout Imus, 83-62, on Saturday in the OKbet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season presented by Xtreme at the Bren Guiao Convention Stefanos Tsitsipas AFP Dave Ildefonso led the Blue Eagles with 18 points and ve rebounds
CINCINNATI—Top-ranked Daniil Medvedev committed 11 double-faults in falling to Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-3 in Sunday’s semi-finals of the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters. Medvedev helped seal his own fate in the sixth game of the final set as he doublefaulted four times to hand his Greek opponent to a 4-2 lead. Tsitsipas will play for the title on Sunday against Croatian Borna Coric, who returned to an ATP Masters final for the first time in four years by defeating Britain’s Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4. Tsitsipas won only his third match against Medvedev after losing seven and also defeated a reigning number one player for only the second time in 12 career attempts. The fourth seed put a winner into the corner on the first of three match points to earn the final. “I knew I would have a difficult task in the third set,” Tsitsipas said. “He made it a very physical match, very demanding. “But I took advantage of his missed first serves. They gave me time to think of my next move clearly. I was very calm and concentrated on every single task.” World number 152 Coric, who missed a year of play with shoulder problems and only returned to the tour in March, advanced in 91 minutes in a match delayed for hours by an afternoon of rain. “It was a long day. I didn’t expect to be playing in the evening,” Coric said. “It was a crazy day but it finished very well.”
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila Standard TODAY NOTICE OF LOSS NOTICE is hereby given that the whereabouts of the Stock Certificate in the Palms Country Club under the name of Oscar Llamas Arcinue with stock certificate no. 2883 representing one share cannot be determined and, thus, the said certificate is considered lost. This announcement will serve as notice to all parties concerned of the loss of the aforementioned stock certificate (MS-AUG. 15/22/29, 2022) (MS-AUG. 22/29, SEPT. 5, 2022)
Cantlay edges clear at ChampionshipBMW presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, de facto ruler of the deeply religious country. “I just spoke from my heart. It has been so tough,” Joshua said afterwards, adding: “It takes real strength and tonight there’s a little crack in the armour.”Thejudges scored it 113-115, 115113 and 116-112 for Usyk as Joshua narrowed the gap but was still found wanting.“Itwas an incredible performance— he’s just too good,” said Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn. “You saw the reaction from AJ, that was from a human who wanted to win so badly, with so much pressure on his shoulders. I think he just exploded because he lost and he was devastated.” Slick Usyk Joshua, the 6ft 6ins (1.98m) two-time world champion, is left staring at an impasse in his career after his third defeat in his 12th straight title fight left him with figures of 24-3-0.
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Joshua, accused of hesitancy in their first fight in London, was the early aggressor by round two as he repeatedly landed his big right hand. A heavy right hook stung Usyk in round three and Joshua was continuing to find the jab as the Ukrainian’s busy footwork opened up gaps. A low blow from Joshua left Usyk wincing in the fifth and another backed him onto the ropes in the sixth but the tricky southpaw came firing back with some lightning combinations. AFP
Usyk shatters Joshua by split verdict in heavyweight rematch
Pampanga extends win streak to 5; Rizal, GenSan rip foes
Annette Gozon-Valdes will now handle several departments and subsidiaries of the Kapuso Network
The race is on for the first Pinoy superstardrag
“BUT everyone is beautiful at the ballet. Every prince has got to have his swan. Yes everyone is beautiful at the ballet.”This iconic line from the musical extravaganza Chorus Line comes to life as dance students from the HaliliCruz School of Dance (HCSD), HaliliCruz School of Ballet (HCSB), and HC Conservatory showcase their talents in two different grand concerts. Entitled Summer Dance Divertissement and Diversifiera 2022, the concerts are held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively. Ballet has always been my fascination since puberty. It took some time for me to wear my dancing shoes and workout clothes. All that happened when I became an employee of the Manila Metropolitan Theater as part of its PR and Production Office. I took formal lessons in modern jazz and basic ballet, even had the chance to dance and perform in two recitals at the Tanghalang Conchita Sunico then. Sitting down inside the Newport Theater and watching the students perform their many numbers, what was most evident, the classical ballet foundation, discipline, and training. And to see them dance in different genres such as jazz and classical. It cannot be denied that Diversifiera was a concert born from the hard work and passion of the teachers and students of HCSD. It’s an outstanding showcase of talents, high level of energy, and production value with numbers that highlighted the choreography and the expression and emotions, the technique and synchronicity, the elegance, and the power of all the dancers on that massive stage. Adding more color, drama, and flair are the costumes worn. The ballet tutus are opulent. They were most appropriate and fitted the dancers well in their varied repertoire. The large screens at the back transported the audiences to the number’s original setting, giving us not just the visual feast, but all the feels. My top picks in the dance concert are the grand opening with 32 ballerinas on pointes wearing elegant tutus in Valse Fantastique, an excerpt from Marius Petipa’s Raymonda The Dream Girls portion was a slick and sophisticated modern jazz rendition of a medley of songs from the musical drama. The tap number from the Broadway musical comedy, Anything Goes, with 21 sterling toe tapping dancers was a powerful display of discipline and terpsichorean skills. Indeed a very exciting piece performed with strong technique. “She Used to Be Mine,” a sentimental ballad from Waitress, turns the musical into a more emotionally riveting experience and the finale. The entire cast did “I Got Rhythm” from the musical, Crazy for You — a fabulous mix of ballet, lyrical, hip hop, jazz, and tap dance that showcased the worldclass talents of these Filipino dancers. Superlatives will never be sufficient to capture the magic and power of these young dancers. The HCSD teachers and their students, the choreographers, and the backstage crew, clearly worked with their hearts and souls at 100 percent which is why it turned out thoroughly entertaining and enchanting. Congratulations to the HaliliCruz School of Dance under the direction of multi-awarded Artistic Director, Shirley Halili-Cruz and its equally outstanding Associate Directors, Grace Garalde-Perez and Anna Kathrina Halili-Cruz Bueno for continuing to inculcate the love of dance to everyone, young and old. Well, thanks to Diversifiera 2022, we all know now why everything is beautiful at the ballet.
MetaMoon Music Festival’s mission is to bridge the gap between Asia and the United States and show that music is a universal language. The Asian community has been historically underrepresented in American entertainment. Now more than ever, cultural exchanges and the power of pop culture can counteract the polarizing politics and geopolitical challenges in society. Graceful Media set out to create a platform in the United States for Asian and Asian American artists, who may not receive the visibility they deserve, to have a space where their fans can connect and celebrate while discovering new music and artists. New York City has the most prominent Asian-American population in the United States – almost 15 percent of the entire city’s population –making Barclays Center the perfect host venue for the festival. “Live Nation is committed to creating endless opportunities to connect artists of said Geoff Gordon, Regional President, Live Nation Northeast. “The inaugural MetaMoon Music Festival will inspire and create new and exciting opportunities for many of today’s Asian artists, from both here and abroad, to shine brightly, and engage their fans in this epic and unforgettable event,” Gordon added. “Since opening our doors in 2012, Barclays Center has hosted some of the biggest names in the music industry, bringing countless fans and artists together in the heart of Brooklyn,” said Laurie Jacoby, Executive Vice President and Chief Entertainment Officer at BSE Global, parent company of Barclays Center. “Our goal is for MetaMoon Music Festival to highlight the importance of the Asian community while simultaneously celebrating the diverse and exciting culture of our city.” For more information on the MetaMoon Music Festival, please visit www.
By Patricia Taculao AUGUSTWednesday,17,marked a momentous event for the Philippine drag scene as the first episode of the worldrenowned RuPaul’s Drag Race Philippines aired. The 12 contestants from across the country demonstrated their personality as drag queens and their potential as performers.
(From left) Kaladkaren, Paolo Ballesteros, and Jiggly Caliente provide feedback and commentary on the queens’ performances as judges Aside from hosting, Paolo also serves as the contestants’ drag mother on the show
Why everyone is beautiful at the ballet GMA Network, Inc.’s Executive Committee has elected Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes on August 17 as its new Senior Vice President effective September 1 this year. In this role, Gozon-Valdez will oversee the Talent Management and Development Dept., Program Management Dept., Human Resources Dept., Legal Dept., Worldwide Division, and some subsidiaries in the Kapuso Network. She has been a director of GMA since 2000 and was part of the team that led GMA’s phenomenal rise to the top. She serves in numerous leadership roles across the network. Among these was setting up GMA New Media, the network’s digital media and technology arm and future-proofing agent. As President of GMA Worldwide, she led the team that distributed GMA’s shows to territories in Asia, North America, Middle East, and Africa. Atty. Gozon-Valdes was also instrumental in pushing for new partnerships with new global platforms and in bringing some of the best foreign shows to the Filipinos such as Full House, Stairway to Heaven, and Jewel in the Palace Currently, she is the Programming Consultant to the Chairman/ CEO of GMA Network, where she works with the Drama group and drives synergy across departments. She was one of the brains behind the iconic series Encantadia and Mulawin. She was one of the first to push for local adaptations of iconic foreign materials such as Marimar, Stairway to Heaven, Endless Love, and other Korean dramas, as well as the upcoming live-action drama Voltes V Legacy She was recently appointed as consultant of Sparkle, GMA’s talent management arm, and serves as president of GMA Films, Inc. where she led the production of several blockbuster movies such as Let the Love Begin, Lovestruck, and Moments of Love Atty. Gozon-Valdes is also the corporate secretary of GMA Network, director of GMAVentures, Inc. and Philippine Entertainment Portal, Inc. (PEP), Treasurer of Citynet Network Marketing & Productions, Inc., and a Trustee of the GMA Kapuso Foundation. She also sits on the board of RGMA Network, Inc., GMA’s radio management and broadcasting affiliate, among others. She is a partner (on leave) in Belo Gozon Elma Parel Asuncion & Lucila and was an Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines, College of Law where she taught Taxation and Legal History. Atty. Gozon-Valdes was the valedictorian of her elementary and high school classes in Colegio de San Agustin in Makati City. She graduated cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Engineering from the Ateneo de Manila University. Thereafter, she obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines where she graduated valedictorian and cum laude. She later obtained her Master of Laws from Harvard University.
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Entertainment MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2022 B3 E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com Nickie Wang, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant
Annette Gozon-Valdez named GMA’s new Senior Vice President
EXO’s Lhay Zang headlines inaugural MetaMoon fest in NYC Lay FestivalMusicMetaMoonaudienceandforperformanceexcitingbringEXOsupergroupfromZhangK-popwillanhisfanstheof
In the first episode, Corazon, Marina Summers, Brigiding, Eva La Queen, Gigi Era, Lady Morgana, Minty Fresh, Precious Paula Nicole, Prince, Turing, Viñas DeLuxe, and Xilhoutte came out in their best drag outfits. Former RuPaul’s Drag Race Season Six contestant and RuPaul’s Drag Race Philippines judge Jiggly Caliente couldn’t help but feel emotional as the queens went center stage. “I am so proud of each and every one of these girls and the fact that this franchise is also the first of many. These girls are so talented, so amazing, and they’re also beautiful human beings. It could have happened to another franchise, and I’m so glad that World of Wonder decided to put their eyes on the Philippines and showcase the amazing Philippine drag,” Jiggly said during the exclusive watch party for Drag Race Philippines last Tuesday, August 16. She added that Drag Race Philippines is the first franchise to have two transwomen at the helm of the judges’ station, referring to herself and Kaladkaren, who sees the show as a platform that gives a voice to the potential of the LGBTQIA+ community. Other judges include BJ Pascual, Rajo Laurel, and Jon Santos. Concert Queen Pops Fernandez graced the show’s pilot as the guest judge. Other celebrities who will make an appearance in the following episodes are Nadine Lustre, Pia Wurtzbach, Patrick Starrr, Regine Velasquez, and Boy Abunda The winner of Drag Race Philippines will receive a P1,000,000 cash prize along with the most coveted title of Drag Superstar, further highlighting the colorful drag scene in the country. Adding to the show’s thrill is Filipino actor Paolo Ballesteros as the host, who not only serves jaw-dropping looks but also gives witty remarks to make the franchise just as hilarious and relatable as its original and foreign counterparts. Like Mama Ru, RuPaul Charles, Paolo encourages the 12 queens as they vie for the crown and title of the first Filipino Drag Superstar. He will also provide sound advice to the contestants about personal relationships, among others. In the pilot episode, the drama unfolds as Xilhoutte and Marina unveil a conflict, which Paolo hopes they can resolve since the show fosters a sense of family among the contestants. But with shady comments from the queens and tension from the competition, viewers can expect more excitement.AsJiggly said, “We Filipinos love drama.” And to add to that interest, the spin-off series Drag Race Philippines: Untucked!, which dropped its first episode on Friday, showed the queens behind the scenes where they showed their raw and unfiltered selves, adding to the drama. Drag Race Philippines is the first franchise to receive an Untucked segment, in which viewers from across the world tune in to receive the tea from their favorite queens and other contestants. Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race Philippines and Drag Race Philippines: Untucked! on Discovery+ and HBO Go.
The participants and members of andentertainingmakingperformance,theiralwaysSchoolHalili-CruzofDancegiveallforaitmoreenchantingHalili-CruzSchool of Ballet trains the spotlight on their talented dancers in two different grand concerts
MetaMoon Music Festival, a festival and cultural experience to celebrate the Asian American diaspora, is coming to Barclays Center Brooklyn, New York on November 26. Founded by Hong Kong-based Graceful Media and produced in partnership with Live Nation, the inaugural MetaMoon Music Festival will showcase the global reach and impact of Asian artists, music, and fans, while emphasizing the culturally rich and diverse communities and across New York City. One of the festival highlights for its first year includes Lay Zhang from K-pop supergroup EXO, who will be headlining the event. The awardwinning Chinese singer-songwriter/ actor is expected to bring an exciting performance to share with his fans around the world. MetaMoon Music Festival will also feature performers from Asia, including many who will be making their United States debut like 9m88, Karencici, ØZI, and SurySu, who will be making their arena debuts in the US. More artists and special guests are expected to be announced and American rapper-comedian MC Jin will host the evening. Tickets are available online at seatgeek.com and barclayscenter.com “There is a great need for stronger Asian representation in pop culture and the media, and the mission of MetaMoon Music Festival is to give artists the ability to shine from a prominent stage in the heart of Brooklyn,” said Grace Chen, Founder of Graceful Media. “Now more than ever, music is truly a global language, and talent, no matter where they come from, will resonate with fans across cultures if given the opportunity to share their passion and creativity.”
SAF is a “drop-in” replacement for fossil fuels, produced from renewable resources. The use of SAF results in an up to 85 per cent reduction in carbon emissions across the SAF lifecycle. The chemical and physi cal characteristics of SAF are almost iden tical to those of conventional jet fuel and these can be safely mixed with regular jet fuel to varying degrees. SAF does not re quire any adaptations to the aircraft or en gines and does not have any negative impact on performance or maintenance. As Cebu’s namesake, we have this great sense of responsibility as we realign, rein force, and rebuild tourism that we do this mindfully and sustainably as stewards of this planet we all share,” Iyog said. “ It has always been Cebu Pacific’s core purpose to give back to the community,” she added. T hroughout 2021, CEB flew over 648 tons of humanitarian items for free to sup port distribution of essential food and medi cal supplies to different destinations. To date, Cebu Pacific has distributed over 76 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to over 31 provinces in the country. I n partnership with both public and pri vate organizations, CEB was the first airline to respond to the victims of Typhoon Odette which battered a large part of VisayasMindanao area. CEB transported over 336 tons of humanitar ian and disaster relief across the Philippines. Iyog said that Cebu Pacific firmly be lieves that no one can achieve a sustainable business alone. We have to widen our net to involve our tourism ecosystem, while at the same time, building culture internally in the company so it becomes part of every Juan’s everyday life,” she said.
Thecomplex.PipeOrgan in the century-old St. Augustine of Hippo in Bacong is one of only two in the country.The Sulphur Mountain in Valencia lets off steam 24/7. The friendly dolphins entertaining us in the sea fronting Ginatilan in Cebu province.
Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific’s VP for Marketing and Customer Experience TungLok Signatures’ Signature Chili Crab. TungLok Signatures at City of Dreams Manila. Cebu Pacific’s new Airbus A33NEO.
F OR the past many decades, visitors enjoy Dumaguete, the capital of Negros Oriental, because, aside from its interesting attractions, its residents are so friendly and go about their daily lives in a quiet, calm, and genteel way. I noticed this myself when some friends and I flew to this city recently. The moment we got to the arrivals terminal, porters and airline staff were so respectful and refined in their demeanor, while gently offering their services to us. Of course, we visited Dumaguete to enjoy its tourist attrac tions but it certainly helped that it is The City of Gentle People. The residents made our “discovery tour” much more pleasant and enjoyable. From the airport, we wasted no time and immediately pro ceeded to the iconic Silliman University campus. Founded in 1901, it is the first American and Protestant university in the Philippines and is named after Dr. Horace Silliman, a busi nessman and philanthropist from New York who donated the initial US$10,000 needed to establish the school. Granted uni versity status in 1938, it is known for its outstanding graduates in the field of Accountancy, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Per forming Arts, and Marine Biology. The massive gardens on the campus, lined with age-old acacia trees, are such a sooth ing welcome to visitors. A skip and a hop away f rom the university is the Dum aguete Cathedral, the oldest stone church on Negros is land. Originally built in 1776 as a church complex with a convent, it was surrounded by walls with four watchtow ers at the corners. Wars and catastrophes left the com plex with only one watchtower, which has been t urned into the belfry of what is now formally known as the St. Catherine Alexandria Cathedral. On our second day, we drove for a little over an hour to Bais to catch a pump boat that would take us to the famous Manjuyod White Sandbar 30 minutes away. We made it there just in time for some frolic because, af ter a few minutes, the sandbar started to disappear with the high tide setting in. In fact, about half an hour later, those who stayed on were already in neck-deep water. From the sandbar, our pump boat motored around 15 minutes away to the sea fronting Ginatilan, Cebu, the area where dolphins are usually seen rollicking in the waters. We were not disappointed because they were there, cavorting all over the place, much to our delight. Known to be very intelligent, their sophisticated behav ior is the reason why many amusement parks use them for entertainment. They have a happy and friendly look, THE expansion of dining options at City of Dreams Manila knows no limits as the integrated resort welcomes Singapore’s famous restaurant brand TungLok Signa tures to Manila. The newly-opened outlet unveils its Canton ese culinary masterpieces, adding to the diverse culinary offerings available at the Shops at the Boulevard, the property’s retail strip. TungLok Signatures is part of the Tun gLok Group, Singapore’s leading restaurant chain, which was first established in 1984 that has since expanded into over 30 restaurants across Singapore, China, Japan, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It is brought to the Philippines by prominent businessman Eric Teng, Baby Spice Food Corp. CEO and President, who has un der his belt eight Mango Tree outlets in the coun try and other popu lar restaurants, among other ventures. He is cur rently also the president of RestoPH, a group of restaurant owners in the Philippines.TungLok Signa tures is renowned for its trendsetting modern Cantonese cuisine en hanced with the inno vative flair of the res taurant’s skillful chefs, while remaining true to the taste and soul of the well-loved cuisine. With welcoming interiors of elegant white tones depict ing scenic images contrasted with warm, wood accents and touches of gold, the res taurant can comfortably seat 206 guests in cluding those in four private rooms that can accommodate a party of 12 to 36 diners. A n aquarium features live seafood such as crabs, lobsters, prawns, and sea man tis prepared and cooked to the g uests’ pref erence. A crowd favorite on the ex tensive menu is TungLok’s Signature Chili Crab prepared with either of these seasonings: salted egg yolk and curry leaves; black pepper and fresh peppercorns; or white pepper, leeks, and fresh peppercorns. Other delightful choices are Crispy Roast Duck, Char Siu, Roast Suckling Pig, Steamed Lotus Chicken with red dates and black fungus covered and steamed in lotus leaves; Stir-fried Lobster with ginger and spring onion; Braised Sea Cucumber in thick sauce; and Abalone Fried Rice. TungLok Signatures is open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Sunday to Thursday, and until 12:00 midnight on Friday and Saturday.Thelatest of re cent restaurant open ings at The Shops at The Boulevard retail strip located at the re sort’s upper ground lev el, Tunglok Signatures is preceded by Rossi Pizza, and Mary Grace café, which opened in June; Mango Tree, J Park Garden, Hidema sa, Modern Table 082, Jing Ting, Red Ginger, Café Society, and Starbucks Café all com plementing the luxury integrated resort’s signature restaurants Nobu Manila, Crystal Dragon, and Haliya, and other F&B outlets comprising more than 20 at the resort. For inquiries and reservations, call 88008080 or e-mail guestservices@cod-manila. com. For more information, visit www. cityofdreamsmanila.com. Explore more of City of Dreams Manila’s promotional offers, and rewards, or instantly check Melco Club points with the new Melco Club App, available for free download on iOS and Android
CEBU Pacific (CEB), the Philippines’ lead ing airline, is committed to investing in more sustainability initiatives to boost the stability of its operations and care for the environment and planet simultaneously. C EB — which currently operates the greenest aircraft in the aviation industry, the A330NEO – is aligning its sustainabil ity goals with global aviation’s commit ment to achieving net zero carbon emis sions by 2050. After participating early this year in the Singapore Airshow as Asia’s greenest air line, CEB has established three major pil lars on its sustainable journey which are fleet modernization, which aims, among others, to have an all-Neo fleet; resource optimization, which includes pushing for fuel efficiency best practices; and utilizing SAF by launching green routes by 2025 and using SAF for its entire network by 2030. CEB was the first local airline to incorpo rate the use of SAF in its operations. “Cebu Pacific is committed to invest time and resources to be the greenest airline in Asia and one of the greenest in the world. We conduct our business in an ethical man ner, with the welfare of our employees, the community, and the environment in mind,” said Cebu Pacific Vice President for Mar keting and Customer Experience Candice Iyog when she discussed sustainability in business and tourism at the Cebu Business Month Tourism Summit.
easily endearing them to any audience. In the evening, we took a leisurely stroll along the city’s famous seafront Rizal Boulevard, with the refreshing sea breeze continuously blowing from all directions. It was aglow with brightly-lit art installations in various forms and sizes done by local artists. Since it was a Saturday night, the area was packed with fun-seekers and prom enaders like us. There was also a very exciting volleyball game going on, with fans screaming every time their team earned a point. Our third day in Dum aguete brought us to Pu langbato Falls in Valencia, a 30-minute drive from the city. The waterfalls’ setting made for a picture-perfect memento of our visit because the red rocks around it pose an attractive contrast to the verdant foliage bordering the cascading water. The huge rocks in the area are red-orange in color because of the sulfur deposits in the water. Nearby is the Sulfur Mountain which has continu ous steam emanating from its surface due to the ex tremely high temperature within the potentially active volcano, Mt. Talinis, located not far away. This geo thermal energy is the power source of Dumaguete. To allay our fears, our guide assured us that the volcano hasn’t had any eruptions in the past and, most likely, won’t have any in the coming years. But an interesting incident that our group witnessed is worth telling about. We visited another town, Bacong, to see the famous 171-year-old church of St. Augustine of Hippo, listed as a National Cultural Treasure. It has the country’s oldest pipe organ, approximately a cen tury old, was imported from Spain, and is one of only two in the country (the other one is inAsBohol).we walked back to our parked van, we saw that its right rear tire fell into a muddy hole. Our driver, even if he was helped by the church’s maintenance guy and two sacristans, was having a hard time pulling the van out of the hole. Af ter several minutes, another man who, obviously was on his way to Mass, helped them, too. Our driver and these four helpful strangers spent around 30 minutes trying
B4 MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2022 Nickie Wang Editor E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com Life
YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE Marriages are made in heaven. But, then again, so are thunder and lightning!
Singapore’s TungLok Signatures now in Manila
The city’s popular hashtag, carved in stone at the city’s plaza, provides the perfect setting for a photo op. The Campanario de Dumaguete or belfry is the remaining watchtower among the four originally built together with the massive walls to protect the church
Prioritizing sustainability in business and tourism different ways to get our van out of the hole. Finally, af ter tons of perspiration on their part and harnessing all the wooden planks and large stones they could find on the premises, they succeeded. W hen the rest of my group was already in the van, I walked back to the four kind strangers to give them some cash, in appreciation for their hard work. Much to my surprise, all of them refused to accept it and told me that they just wanted to help. I insisted and placed the cash in their hands but they returned it and walked away from me. Wow! Where else can you find such kindness and willingness to assist people in distress? All of us in the group were very impressed be yond words. Back at our hotel in the evening, we still could not forget the kindness of those helpful men. With that experience, it’s more appropriate to tag Dum aguete as “The City of Gentle and Compassionate Peo ple!” It prides itself with the hashtag “DumaGetMe” be cause, truly, Dumaguete gets you with its attractions, with the best Sans Rival and Silvanasyour palate will ever delight in and it gets into you with the kindness and compassion of its gentle people. Indeed, a great city to visit. For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com
Patricia Taculao Editorial Assistant Joba Botana, Associate Editor
The city of gentle people
