Manila Standard - 2022 August 24 - Wednesday

Razak VOL. XXXVI • NO. 190 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosa rio Vergeire also said it asked a regional office to investigate pictures of a monk eypox patient circulating on social me dia. Vergeire said the unauthorized dis closure of private and confidential in formation about a patient’s medical condition violates the country’s existing laws.The DOH is also talking to two mon keypox vaccine manufacturers for the country to receive its first doses.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATORS on Tuesday grilled re signed Agriculture undersecretary Le ocadio Sebastian about the unauthor ized order to import 300,000 metric tons of sugar, but Senator Risa Hon tiveros raised questions about the in volvement of the Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez.

By Vito Barcelo GOODBYE, BBB. Hello, BBM. The Marcos administration is ex panding the flagship infrastructure pro gram of its predecessor, but it will now be called BBM or Build, Better, More from its previous iteration of BBB or Build, Build, Build. “We shall confidently build on this firm foundation established by my pre decessor. As it is in building an edifice, we must keep the momentum and aspire to Build Better More,” the President said in a recent Cabinet meeting. Under the proposed 2023 budget, the government is seeking P1.196 trillion for the priority infrastructure programs of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who goes by the initials BBM. The amount is equivalent to 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the BBB flagship infrastructure program cov ered a total of 112 big-ticket projects. Some 94 projects worth P4.5 trillion,

By Vito Barcelo, Vince Lopez and Joel E. Zurbano

DOH: No clue yet on local transmission of monkeypox

At the Blue Ribbon committee hear ing on Sugar Order No. 4, Hontiveros said there seemed to be a disconnect between Malacanang’s claim that Rod riguez had no prior knowledge of the order, when a memo dated July 15 sug gested his office was in the loop.

Ninfa Leonardia, first provincial press club president, passes on DOJ to fight online sexual abuse of kids, go after parents involved

NINFA LEONARDIA, editor-in chief and presi dent of the Visayan Daily Star in Bacolod City, passed away yesterday. Leonardia, 89, succumbed to a heart attack at the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City, according to her brother Evelio Leonardia, for mer Bacolod mayor and League of Cities of the Philippines president. Ninfa co-founded the Visayan Daily Star in 1982 and was the longest serving editor-inchief of the Bacolod-based newspaper. She was president of the Negros Press Club from 1965 to-1966 and 1979 to 1980. Ninfa was named an Outstanding Ne grense by the Negros Occidental provin cial government and won the Outstand ing Journalists of the Philippines Award from the Rotary Club of Manila in 2003. “Our family grieves the loss of our pillar of strength and clan matriarch. But we are definitely sure that with her lifelong commitment and dedication to jour nalism, where she had displayed her unique

P RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday ordered the suspension of work in government offices and classes in public schools in the National Capital Region, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Zambales, and Bataan from Aug. 23 to Aug. 24, due to Severe Tropical Storm Florita.

By Joel E. Zurbano AIRPORT and Customs officials are enforcing tighter security at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in antic ipation of the influx of canned goods, and pork and chicken meat products as the holiday season draws near. These food items are the usual pasa lubong by returning Filipinos and oth er travelers going to Manila. Last week, Customs Port of NAIA agents intercepted a Vietnamese traveler carrying luggage with pro cessed chicken. The foreigner, who arrived at the airport on Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 752 from Vietnam, brought 16 kilos of chicken without sanitary and import permits. The Bureau of Customs turned over the processed meat to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) for proper dis position while the Veterinary Quaran tine Services office issued a Notice of Violation against the importer. Customs raises alert on influx of X’mas food items

PBBM’s order covers NCR, nearby areas as ‘Florita’ lashes N. Luzon

Leonardia

THE government will go all out to address the growing cases of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) following two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with expanding internet connectivity even in the lowincome bracket of society. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday several agencies will go after those who cooperate directly or indirectly in OSEC acts.

THE government has not yet established the local transmission of monkeypox in the country, even as the Department of Health has traced 18 close contacts of the second monkeypox case – all but one of them health workers.

The memo authorized Sebastian to sit as ex-officio member of all duly consti tuted committees and bodies where the Department of Agriculture secretary is a member.Atahearing at the House of Rep resentatives Monday, Sebastian said he signed SO 4 based on the authority given to him by Rodriguez through the July 15 Althoughmemo.Hontiveros noted Sebas tian’s statement that he may have mis read the intent of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who sits as DA secretary and chairman of the Sugar Regulatory Administration, she asked why SO4 was still approved and why did Rodri guez not immediately bring this to the attention of the President. Hontiveros then reiterated her call

RAINY DAY WOES. Commuters shield themselves from the rain while motorists are caught in a traffic jam along Commonwealth Ave. in Quezon City on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, amid heavy rains brought about by severe Tropical Storm Florita. Inset photos show students of Jose Abad Santos High School in Binondo, Manila braving the rain after the government announced the suspension of classes at all levels until today (Wednesday). In Isabela province, a resident removes his fishing gear from the overflowing Pinacanuan river due to Florita’s heavy down pour. Alfred Frias, Norman Cruz, Danny Pata and AFP

Move over BBB, it’s now BBM for ‘Build, Better, More’ infra tickets

Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez By Vince Lopez

Gov’t work, classes suspended 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

The Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) issued the announcement on the recommendation of the Office of Civil Defense. The same course of action for private schools and offices is left to the discretion of their respec tive heads, the announcement said. Malacanang said that heavy rains pose possible risks to the general public as it advised Filipinos to exercise caution amid Florita-related rains, floods, landslides and other risks. During a press briefing at the Palace, Inte rior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said the President wants evacuation

“We are declaring a war on this...The only sure deterrent would be certainty of punishment for those who will insist on exploiting children,” Justice Secre tary Jesus Crispin Remulla said dur ing an inter-agency press conference against OSEC at Malacañang. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Er win Tulfo said that in some cases, par ents are also involved in the commis sion of abuses.

Senate grills officials linked to sugar importation mess, ES explains side Ex-Malaysian PM Najib sent to jail Najib

WORLD / B2 Next page Next page Next pageNext page Next page Next pageNext page

Ninfa

Port of NAIA District Collector Car melita Talusan said all meat and meat products must have the necessary per mits and clearances from the BAI be fore their importation. She said her port will be more strin gent in protecting the nation’s borders with the issuance of Customs Memo randum Circular 110-2022 that lists the agricultural products banned by the Department of Agriculture. From January to July 2022, the port con fiscated 1,176.2 kilos of meat products from passengers coming from abroad. BAI inspectors and the BoC are on high alert on agricultural and livestock imports to keep the country free from avian flu virus. The move came as the DA imposed a temporary ban on poultry and related products because of bird flu concerns. Collector Talusan also reminded arriv ing travelers not to bring in canned goods or any meat products, especially those coming from countries affected by the highly contagious African Swine Fever. Vergeire said the government is working to get some monkeypox shots before yearend. One manufacturer com mitted to providing the Philippines with vaccines by early next year, she added. “Please remember that we do not do mass vaccination for monkeypox. We’re just going to vulnerable sectors, and we are prioritizing those who have been ex posed and also our health care workers,” sheInsaid.an interview with CNN Philip pines, Vergeire said the country’s fourth monkeypox case has no history of travel to other countries with confirmed cases or contact with any patient. “We cannot say for now that this is already a local transmission because we are still establishing the source of the infection,” she told CNN’s ‘New Day’ program. “We are still trying to estab lish and back-trace as to where he got theTheinfection.”country’s first three monkeypox cases were all linked to travelers. The DOH on Monday said the 25-year-old fourth patient was in an isolation facility. For this patient, the department identified 14 close contacts, including six in isolation, one taking care of the patient, and a health care worker on self-monitoring.

‘Severe, critical COVID cases rising’ however, were passed on to the Marcos administration.Mr.Marcosvowed to “not suspend” any ongoing projects that have already “been shown to be of benefit to the pub lic that they serve.”

The Metropolitan Manila Develop ment Authority has suspended the num ber coding scheme for two days, Aug. 23 and 24. * The Supreme Court on Tuesday or dered suspension of work in its various offices on Wednesday following the on slaught of Florita. The Philippines, ranked among the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change, is hit by an average of 20 storms every year. Florita was the first significant one since April when tropical storm Agaton unleashed landslides and flooding that killed more than 200 people mostly on the central island of Leyte. Florita struck a day after the Philip pines reopened classrooms for face-toface lessons, more than two years after the pandemic hit. With AFP

“There are a lot of programs that the United States has that we will provide information on and hopefully be able to educate the community, teachers, par ents, everyone that we can,” he said. Data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, maintained by the United States, iden tified the Philippines as the top pro ducer of child sexual abuse materials, which grew from 1.3 million in 2020 to 3.1 million in 2021. Tulfo said poverty and all the issues arising from it is one of the causes of suchSinceabuses.2018, the US has been in close coordination with the Philip pine National Police in combatting transnational crime, trends, sexual misconduct, and child exploitation, among others. The US is also working with coun terparts from the United Kingdom and Australia to conduct training and help the country prosecute offenders. Navalta said concerned agencies are now in the process of including the National Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Immigration, the DSWD, and other Philippine government of fices in the collaboration.

The DOH on Monday reported there were 811 severe and critical cases ad mitted to hospitals as of Sunday, Au gust 21, representing 9.7% of the total COVID-19 admissions. Of the 23,883 new COVID-19 cases from August 15 to August 21, 2022, 101 individuals were tagged as new severe or critical cases. “Yes, we confirm that the number or percentage of severe and critical infec tions had been noted to be increasing for these past weeks,” Vergeire said at a press conference.

One is tagged as “medium risk” as the health worker is looking after the patient, she added. They all underwent self-monitoring, were quarantined in their homes, and nobody exhibited any symptoms, the DOH OIC added.

In other developments:

But the Philippines on Tuesday logged 1,735 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily tally since 1,604 were re corded on July 13. Based on the latest data from the DOH, the active tally also went down to 31,542 from 33,774 on Monday. The new infections brought the nationwide caseload to Tuesday’s3,860,537.newcases were the lowest in 41 days and the first time in 35 days that new cases went below 2,000. Vergeire noted that despite the in crease, the number of COVID-19 severe and critical cases has not yet exceeded 1,000 cases or the 10% threshold. “It is still 800 plus—-we are just in that trend. Although, we do not want to underestimate that number because we do really see that there is an increase in severe and critical cases,” she added. Vergeire also pointed out that 60% of admitted severe and critical cases in hospitals are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated against COVID-19. She called on the public to get their pri mary vaccine series and booster shots to protect themselves from getting serious diseases due to the coronavirus. The one-week growth rate of COV ID-19 cases in the Philippines also de clined to minus-14% from the -2% the previous week, OCTA fellow Dr. Gui

For the third monkeypox case involv ing a 29-year-old Filipino, 17 close con tacts were earlier identified by health authorities. Of the number, 13 are con sidered medium risk, but the DOH did not provide other details. All of them have not exhibited symptoms of the dis ease and are quarantined. The World Health Organization earli er this year declared monkeypox a pub lic health emergency of international concern. But the DOH believes there is no need to tighten border controls, say ing surveillance and heightened aware ness of the viral disease are considered more effective in controlling its spread.

to immediately appoint a competent Agriculture secretary who would fo cus on preventing a looming sugar supplyRodriguezcrisis. attended and made an opening statement at the Blue Ribbon committee hearing but im mediately excused himself after wards. This prompted Hontiveros to file a motion to recall him in the next hearing as many questions re mainedRodriquezunanswered.confirmed to the com mittee that President Marcos did not give the authority to release the sugar order. The Palace official described as “unfair and dishonorable” the signing of SO No. 4 without the authority from President Marcos. He recalled they were in a meet ing in Malacañang on Aug. 10 when they learned that Sebastian passed a resolution approving SO4 without the knowledge of Mr. Marcos. He said the resolution was also ap proved without submitting to them the import plan and without even conven ing the board of the SRA. The President then instructed Rodriquez to make sure that the SO No. 4 would not come out and would have “no force and effect.” Rodriguez also remembered that on Aug. 5, they got a memo from Sebas tian containing the recommendation to import 300,000 MT of sugar. The resigned agriculture official sent two text messages on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8 to him, asking about sugar and fertilizer for farmers. Rodriguez said he “purposely” did not respond to the queries because there was no decision yet at that time. In defending his action, Sebastian said he thought everything was okay with President Marcos when he failed to receive any response to his briefing on the rise in the price of sugar and its diminishing supply. But Senator Ronald dela Rosa said this was an unacceptable reason. “Is there a bigger reason why you signed it?” he asked Sebastian. But Sebastian stood pat on his as sertion that he merely did his job as he braced for a sugar shortage. If he did not act, Sebastian said he might be reprimanded so he just took theAcknowledgingrisk. that Sebastian was well-known in the agriculture industry, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said he believed the resigned Agriculture official did not do this alone. The Senate leader also refuted the claim of the SRA about a loom ing sugar shortage, noting that several raids done on warehouses in Quezon City, Laguna, Bulacan and Pampanga yielded thousands of tons of sugar.

The country’s second monkeypox case is a 34-year-old Filipino who was confirmed positive on Aug. 18. The pa tient was ready to be discharged and is finishing the 21-day isolation at home, Vergeire said last week.

nila were left in knee-deep floodwater, as the storm intensified the southwest monsoon.Morethan 500 people in Northern Luzon were evacuated as severe tropi cal storm Florita barreled Northern Lu zon, the National Disaster Risk Reduc tion and Management Council said.

do David said on Tuesday. David told GMA News Online the -2% weekly growth rate was recorded from August 9 to August 15, while the -14% rate was from August 16 to August 22. OCTA Research had been moni toring a continued decrease in COV ID-19 cases in the country recently, David added. He also noted that the country’s re production number was now less than one at 0.97, as of August 19, a decrease from the 1.07 reproduction number logged on August 12. The reproduction rate refers to the number of people infected by one case. A reproduction number that is below 1 indicates that the transmission of the virus is slowing down.

The United States is fully behind the Philippine government in combat ting the rampant sexual exploitation of children in the country, the US Home land Security Investigations (HSI) said Tuesday. In the press briefing in Malacañang, HSI Attaché Ricardo Navalta said the US will continue to help the Philippines develop best practices and programs to stop pred ators from having access to Filipino children as well as to educate the population against the act.

In Metro Manila, the first alarm was raised at Marikina River as the water lev el reached 15.2 meters Tuesday afternoon due to heavy rains brought by Florita. Marikina’s Public Information Office (PIO) said all the eight floodgates are open. Under Marikina City’s system, the first alarm will be raised when the wa ter reaches 15 meters.

The President said he intends to implement several railway projects during his administration, including the North-South Commuter Railway System, the Metro Manila Subway Project, the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension, the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7, and the Common Station. He also intends to build railway sys tems beyond the National Capital Re gion, including the Mindanao Railway Project, the Panay Railway Project, and the Cebu Railway System. The Department of Public Works and Highways is poised to get P718.4 billion next year, the second biggest allocation in the budget. The Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at seguridad (TIKAS) pro gram, a partnership of the DPWH and the Department of National Defense (DND), will be allocated P6.2 billion to help improve facilities that will help enhance the capability and readiness of the military and police. Some P16.8 billion will go to the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program to improve roads and bridges leading to tourist destinations.

“This is a global problem and I think that all countries that can come in and participate in this (serve as) a very big opportunity for us to really make an impact,” he Philippinesaid.Special Envoy to the United Nations Children’s Fund Nikki Prieto-Teodoro said OSEC cases al most tripled since most children were locked at home during the pandemic. “The (COVID) lockdown played a big part, of parents, actually market ing their children online for profit. The fact that it’s easy to put up a site, you put one, you can have ten at the same time. So, it’s the technology that made it easier for these perpetrators to market their children,” she said in the same“Now,presser.wehave to play a bigger part in protecting our children by reporting it immediately,” Prieto-Teodoro said.

*

News

SEVERE and critical cases due to COVID-19 have been rising over the past few weeks, Department of Health (DOH) officerin-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said Tuesday.

“For everyone’s information, there is an online site which features photos of naked children. Pedophiles over seas make them dance naked. Unfor tunately, parents are the ones who take the videos and sell them,” Tulfo said.

Move... From A1 Senate... From A1 Customs... From A1 Gov’t... From A1 DOJ... From A1 Ninfa... From A1 DOH:... From A1 mst.daydesk@gmail.comWEDNESDAY,AUGUST 24, 2022A2

NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Tim bal said those preemptively evacuated were from the Cordillera Administra tive Region (CAR) and Cagayan Valley. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has P1.7 billion in standby funds to aid vic tims of DSWDcalamities.Secretary Erwin Tulfo said 100,000 food boxes were on standby in the Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley.

talents and established an unquestioned integrity during all these decades, she will also be missed and honored by the fourth estate,” her brother said. “Among the high points in her ca reer were having been elected the first woman provincial press club president in the country, and founder of the oldest daily newspaper in our island, The Visayan Daily Star. As we will dearly miss her, we salute her with our love, respect and deep est admiration. Our family thanks everyone who had been a part of her life and her work, and who had made her the woman of substance she has become,” he added.

As for the country’s second monkey pox case, the 17 health workers identi fied as close contacts are considered by physicians and the agency’s epidemiolo gy and surveillance team as “low risk”. “They had no direct physical contact. And they were wearing complete PPEs (personal protective equipment) during the time they checked the patient,” Ver geire said in a press briefing.

“It is not really a matter of if but it’s a matter of when if these cases come to the country. We just need to be vigilant, especially in our communities, do our surveillance and immediately isolate people who have these symptoms,” Ver geireMonkeypoxsaid. is a less severe cousin of smallpox that can be transmitted between humans through close contact with an infected individual’s body flu ids, sores, or contaminated items. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and rashes that can turn into lesions. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said lesions could resolve over a period of two to three weeks. centers for distressed individuals to be“Weidentified.came from a Cabinet meeting and this was among his directives. So, it’s ensured that our evacuation centers are identified and just like the DSWD, we are in constant touch with our lo cal government unit partners on the ground,” Abalos said. Abalos also guaranteed that food and water supplies were available for fami lies affected by Florita. Severe tropical storm Florita slightly weakened on Tuesday afternoon, state weather bureau PAGASA said as it re tained tropical cyclone warning signals in dozens of areas. Florita was in the vicinity of Kabu gao, Apayao, packing maximum sus tained winds of 100 kilometers near the center and up to 125 kph gusts, PA GASA said in its 5 p.m. bulletin. The weather bureau said heavy to intense with at times torrential rains would be experienced Tuesday over Ca gayan including Babuyan Islands, Cor dillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Zambales, and Bataan. Expect moderate to heavy rains over Metro Manila, Isabela, Tarlac, Pampan ga, Cavite, and the rest of Cagayan Val ley, and light to moderate with at times heavy rains over the rest of Central Lu zon and Calabarzon, PAGASA added. Floods and landslides are possible un der these conditions, it warned. PAGASA raised tropical cyclone warning signal no. 3 in Ilocos Norte, Apayao, the southern portion of Babuy an Islands (Camiguin Is., Fuga Is., Da lupiri Is.) and mainland Cagayan. Storm signal 2 was hoisted over Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga, Abra, Ilocos Sur and the rest of the Babuyan Islands. PAGASA said storm signal 1 is in effect in La Union, the eastern portion of Pangasinan (Umingan, San Fabian, Sison, Pozorrubio, San Jacinto, Laoac, Binalonan, San Manuel, Asingan, Ta yug, Santa Maria, San Quintin, Na tividad, San Nicolas), Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, the northern portion of Nueva Ecija (Carranglan, Lupao, San Jose City, Pantabangan), and the northern and central portions of Aurora (Maria Aurora, Dipaculao, Dinalungan, Casiguran, Dilasag) In the next 24 hours, PAGASA said the southwest monsoon or habagat would also bring rains over Western Visayas and Mimaropa. Severe tropical storm Florita struck the northeast coast of Luzon around mid-morning, raking the largely agri cultural region with gusts of up to 185 kilometers an hour, the state weather service said. Two people were injured by falling trees in the mountainous province of Cagayan where intense rain caused the main river and its tributaries to swell overnight, provincial disaster official Ruelie Rasping said. “We’re currently being hit by strong winds and heavy rain. The Cagayan river is rising,” Rasping said. At the Cagayan Valley Medical Cent er in Tuguegarao City, four people were treated after sustaining injuries due to the effects of Florita “There were 4 patients rushed to the hospital,” said Dr. Glenn Matthew Bag gao, the hospital’s medical director. Two of the patients were kids who suf fered injuries due to a falling tree branch. The provincial capital Tuguega rao was drenched with 98 millimeters (3.9 inches) of “torrential” rain over a three-hour period after the storm made landfall, an official at the state weather bureauFloritasaid.was expected to sweep in a northwest direction across the country and head out over the South China Sea late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Some low-lying areas of Metro Ma

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE United States government has do nated naval tactical gear and vessel main tenance equipment worth P11 million to improve maritime law enforcement by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The U.S. Embassy on Monday said the State Department’s Bureau of In ternational Narcotics and Law Enforce ment Affairs (INL) turned over the tools and maritime equipment for the PSG Fleet to the Office of the PSG deputy commandant.Inastatement, the embassy said U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Mary Kay Carlson and PCG deputy comman dant for operations Vice Admiral Eduar do Fabricante led the turnover ceremony at the PCG Headquarters in Manila on AugustValued22.at P11 million ($196,000), the U.S. donation consisted of visual detec tion and monitoring equipment, first aid kits to support fleet-provided trauma care, and an array of tools for conduct ing shore-based maintenance of PCG vessels, the Embassy statement said. The U.S. continues to support the PCG’s expansion and modernization ef forts, as with the latest donation package of detection, monitoring, and mainte nance equipment, officials of both coun triesThenoted.PSG fleet has a fleet of 62 patrol boats and four support ships used for maritime law enforcement “The PCG is on a promising trajec tory, and we are committed to support them in achieving their vital and ambi tious development goals and in respond ing to a wide-range of maritime chal lenges,” Ambassador Carlson said in her remarks during the turnover ceremony.

Kin of 2 writactivistsmissingsecureofamparo

BOOSTER JABS. Faculties, students and school personnel get their COVID-19 boosters shots during the “Pinaslakas” booster campaign of the Department of Health at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila in conjunction with the resumption of in-person classes on Monday.

IN BRIEF PAL warns vs. scammers using fake socmed accts

IT WILL cost the Commission on Elections (Comelec) P17 billion to P18 billion if the barangay and sangguniang ka bataan (SK) elections were postponed, as opposed to P8.4 billion if the polls were held as originally set on Dec. 5, 2022.

• PAL Facebook account ‘Philip pine Airlines’, • PAL Website www.philippineair lines.com“Hiring announcements in the form of press releases are also distributed directly to our media stakeholders. Please be guided accordingly.”

By Maricel V. Cruz A LEGISLATOR has called on the Phil ippine National Police (PNP) to “exert greater efforts to deter crime,” as he con demned the rece spate of violent incidents that hogged the headlines, the latest of which was about the killing of four peo ple in his district in Montalban, Rizal. “We are seeing cases of crime being conducted in broad daylight. The police must put a stop to such brazen disregard of the law by criminals,” Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles said. Two males and two females were found dead in a vehicle in Balagbag, Brgy. San Isidro in Montalban on Monday morning. Meanwhile on Sunday, an unidentified suspect shot three people dead in Brgy. Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City. A man was also reportedly abducted by armed men in a gasoline station in Taal, Batangas. The victim was later found dead in Quezon province. Nograles said he is looking forward to hearing the plans of the PNP to enforce its mandate of ensuring the people’ safety. He urged the police to“be mor visible,” and to constantly conduct patrols. He also said the PNP should constantly work to improve its emergency response time and making emergency hotlines more accessible.

THE Supreme Court has dismissed a petition alleging that certain govern ment regulations enable a so-called PDS Group to establish monopoly and impose unfair competition in the mar ket for fixed-income securities and the over-the-counter market for govern ment securities. In a decision written by Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, the SC dismissed the petition filed by Luis Villafuerte, Caridad Valdehuesa, and Norma Lasala seeking to nullify vari ous rules, orders, issuances, and acts of public respondents Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Secretary of Finance, and the National Treasurer which purportedly allowed the PDS Group to establish a monopoly and im pose unlawful restraint of trade in the securitiesNamedmarket.asprivate respondents were the Bankers Association of the Philip pines, Vicente Castillo, and the cor porations comprising the PDS Group: Philippine Dealing & Exchange Cor poration (PDEx), Philippine Depository & Trust Corporation (PDTC), Philip pine Securities Settlement Corporation (PSSC), and Philippine Dealing System Holdings Corp. (PDSHC). The petitioners sought to nullify the subject rules, orders, issuances, and acts, as well as to prohibit public re spondents from continuing with specif ic actions, in relation to the operations of the PDS Group. T he petitioners claimed that the creation of the monopoly began in the early 2000s when private respondent Castillo and his colleagues in BAP exploited the lack of market for pri vately issued security in the country. This led to the establishment of the Fixed-Income Exchange (FIE), a mar ketplace or facility for fixed-income securities.Records showed that to implement the FIE, the PDS Group was created with each member company tasked to provide a specific service: PDEx, to provide the trading platform for the FIE; PSSC, to operate as the central clearing and settlement institution for trading activities; PDTC, to act as the depository, registry and custodian of fixed-income securities; and PDSHC, to be the holding company for the three corporations. Rey E. Requejo SC junks plea claiming some rules unduly favor PDS Group

Comelec chair George Erwin Garcia made this assessment during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and Peoples Participation on the proposed deferment of the barangay and SK elections. “If these elections will be moved to May 2023, the Comelec will need P17 billion and if they will be held on De cember 2023, the needed funds will reach P18 billion,” Garcia told the com mittee chaired by Sen. Imee Marcos. “All in all for May of 2023, we’ll be needing at least P17 billion less the P8 billion,” Garcia added. Marcos agreed that more funds would be needed the two electoral exercises would be deferred to December 2023 than March 2023. “So P17 (billion) less the P8.5 (bil lion) and then P18 (billion) less the P8.5 (billion),” stressed Garcia.

‘Costlier to postpone barangay, SK polls’

Joel E. Zurbano

By Rey E. Requejo

Marcos noted that the funding if the elections would be held next year “would be doubled than what is needed if we will push through with the baran gay and SK elections next year.” According to Garcia, they will re quest Congress for the P8.5 billion which has no increase in honoraria for the electoral board members. Garcia explained that if the elections scheduled on December would be re set, they will open again the registra tionHeprocess.saiditis likely that there will be an additional three to five million ad ditional registrants. He said this would mean addition al poll workers, precincts, and election paraphernalia such as ballot boxes, ballots, indelible ink, and others.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com A3News

“The United States government has consistently shown its support for this organization throughout the years. They are one of the most vocal advocates for improving [PCG] capabilities, in ad dition to the funding for education and training of the men and women of the PCG,” Fabricante said. INL and its U.S. partners have devel oped a robust partnership with the PCG since 2015. A reas of cooperation have evolved beyond technical and operation al training for PCG crew members to in clude major infrastructure development, comprehensive vessel support programs, and operational support equipment to significantly enhance the Philippines’ maritime domain awareness and expand the operational coverage of its exclusive economic zone.

Cops acted fast on this rape, murder incident

THE Philippine Airlines on Tuesday warned the public against unscrupu lous individuals using fake PAL so cial media accounts. “We wish to alert the public on the existence of bogus Facebook accounts bearing the PAL name with hoax mes sages soliciting applications for nonexistent positions in our company,” the PAL management said in a statement. PAL officials said a fake FB ac count entitled “Phil Airlines” is send ing messages to individuals inviting them to apply for the job of ‘PAL Foundation ambassadress’ with a re quest for a face to face meeting. “We are warning the public that this is a modus operandi by unscru pulous“Pleasegroups.”notethat said Facebook ac count is not owned and managed by PAL. The PAL Foundation, which is our social support organization, is not in any way involved in a program that requires so-called “Ambassadresses”, theyTheadded.airline stated that all PAL an nouncements or statements are issued through our official platforms:

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a writ of amparo in favor of missing ac tivists Elizabeth “Loi” Magbanua and Alipio “Ador” Juat. In an en banc resolution, the SC re manded the petition filed by relatives of the missing activists to the Court of Appeals to summarily hear the petition on August 30, 2022 and to decide the case within 10 days after its submission forThedecision.highcourt also ordered respond ents Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vi cente Bacarro; acting Defense Secretary retired Gen. Jose Faustino Jr; National Intelligence Coordinating Agency di rector general retired General Ricardo F. de Leon ; Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner, Jr; acting Army chief of staff Maj. Gen. Roy Galido; In telligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines deputy chief of staff Maj. Gen. Romulo Manuel; and deputy chief of staff for Civil Military Opera tions Brig. Gen. Nolasco Mempin, to make a verified return of the writ of amparo and file a comment to the peti tion before the Court of Appeals within 72 hours after its service. The petition was filed by Loi’s part ner Ruth Manglalan and Loi’s niece Alyssa Marie C. Magbanua, together with Ador’s daughter Maureen Juat. The petitioners, on behalf of Loi and Ador, sought for the issuance of the writ of amparo for their protection, claiming that their rights to life, liberty and se curity have been violated on account of theirAsdisappearance.prayedforby the petitioners, the SC also granted a Temporary Protec tion Order and prohibited the respond ents from going within a radius of one (1) kilometer of the petitioners and their immediateMaglalanfamily.saidLoi was last seen by her fellow labor organizers on May 3, 2022 at their meeting at Barangay Pun turin, Valenzuela City together with Juat. US toolstacticaldonatesgear,toPCG

Solon to PNP: Be more vigilant vs. crime

By Nash B. Maulana

Danny Pata NCRPO CHIEF VISITS MPD. Members of the Manila Police District led by director Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon, welcome Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo, acting regional director of the National Capitol Region Police Office (NCRPO), during the MPD’s 121st police service anniversary celebration in Manila on Tuesday. Norman Cruz

Jun David Ban on barangay partisan politics quite vague—lawyer THE law prohibiting village execu tives from engaging in partisan politics is not absolute, according to a veteran election“Theylawyer.saidthat village officials should be neutral and should not engage in par tisan political activities. Well, generally true but not totally true,” election lawyer Manuelito Luna told members of the Ba rangay Councilors League of the Philip pines (BCLP). In his speech during the group’s re cent three-day “2022 Barangay Lead er’s Convention on Fiscal Management and Governance Impact of the Man danas-Garcia Ruling in Local Govern ment” held in Boracay Island, Aklan, Luna said that this came to fore at the start of the Marcos administration. He also cited the implementation this year of Executive Order (EO)138 in relation to the Supreme Court ruling on the “Mandanas-Garcia” case which sets into motion the full devolution of basic services and facilities from the national government to local govern ment units (LGUs), including the in creased share of LGUs in all national taxes and revenues.

A 29-YEAR-OLD woman believed to have been sexually abused, was found dead inside her house Monday evening in Malabon City. Immediate follow-up operations by the police resulting in the suspect’s arrest.Malabon police chief Col. Albert Barot said the half-naked and bloodsoaked body of Lovely Ann Villago mez was discovered by her boyfriend, Kevin Louie Lim, at around 6:30 p.m. inside the victim’s house at 12 A. Cruz St. Brgy. Baritan. Lim told police that he went to Vil lagomez’s home when she failed to answer his calls and text messages. He said he saw her slumped on the floor in a pool of blood when he peeped through the door.

Maricel V. Cruz Recto laments DSWD use of ‘casual’ workers DEPUTY Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph Recto expressed dis satisfaction over the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) flawed aid distribution to indigent students. Recto said the DSWD serves 61.6 million people, more than half of the population, with only 2,993 regular personnel, “the lowest regular staffto-clientele ratio in the entire bureau cracy.”“Never has so much been done for so many by so few,” Recto said in a statement.HesaidDSWD’s lean staff comple ment means that it spends “4.5 centa vos for every budget peso” for person nel compensation. Maricel V. Cruz

COURTESY CALL. Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. pays a courtesy call Monday night to Speaker Martin G. Romualdez at the Speaker’s office in the House of Representatives. Ver Noveno

By Othel V. Campos THE Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) asked President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to ask the Land Bank of the Philip pines’ to release about P1 billion intended to augment the incomes of rice farmers nationwide under the Rice Farmers Fi nancial Assistance (RFFA) program be ing administered by the Department of Agriculture (DA).

THE National Unity Party (NUP), the second biggest power bloc in the 19th Congress, has elected its new set of national officers in its general assembly held Monday night. Camarines Sur representative, former Deputy Speaker and ex-gov ernor Luis Raymund “LRay” Villa fuerte was elected president. During the party’s general assem bly at the Seda Vertis North Hotel in Quezon City, former Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo Puno, was reelected NUP chairman. Puno was a campaign manager and political strategist who had served twice as Interior and Lo cal Government Secretary and was also Presidential Adviser for political affairs.TheNUP also approved proposed revisions to the party’s Constitution and By-Laws during the meeting.

By Maricel V. Cruz

SEARCH and retrieval operations involving a boat which exploded in Samar and reportedly killed National Democratic Front (NDF) peace con sultants Benito Tiamzon and his wife Wilma Austria-Tiamzon have been called off. The Philippine Army said it stopped the search operations for passengers due to bad weather. Reports said the boat exploded in waters off Catbalogan City, Samar on Monday.TheArmy’s 8th Infantry Division said troops did not find the bodies of the Tiamzons, and there was no clear proof of the couple’s presence in the boat, CNN Philippines reported. “The troops have returned and they did not find anyone,” Maj. Gen. Edgardo De Leon, the division com mander, told reporters. He also said it was not clear if the Tiamzons were among the passen gers since their reported presence was only based on a tip and intelli gence units cannot even present pho tos, CNN Philippines reported.

country prefer to enroll because taxpay ers subsidize education in these schools. On the other hand, Rodriguez pointed out that PGH and other government hos pitals are where indigents patients go for their health care needs.

Cayetano is minority leader of Commission on Appointments

A4 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 News

“I know Mr. Chairman that the Su preme Court has ruled that the Senate, we may freely make its determination of who belongs to the minority, but making determinations to assuage less-than-insti tutional considerations strikes at the very heart of democracy,” stressed Hontiveros.

By Maricel V. Cruz CAGAYAN de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Tues day urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Depart ment of Budget and Management, and Congress to restore the P3.3-billion budget cuts of the UP System, includ ing the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). Based on the proposed P5.268-trillion 2023 national budget, Rodriguez said UP would suffer a funding reduction of P2.5 billion, while PGH would lose P893 mil lion.“We should be increasing the budget ary allocations of state universities and colleges (SUCs), which are the poor stu dent’s schools of choice, and government hospitals, which are the pauper’s go-to health facilities, instead of reducing their funds,” Rodriguez said. He said the administration of Presi dent Marcos would be sending the wrong message if it insists on cutting funding for UP and PGH. He added that UP and other SUCs are where indigent students from all over the PH Army calls off search operations in boat explosion

Rodriguez urges Marcos: Restore UP, PGH budget

“Unlike private health facilities, these hospitals are allocated medical assistance funds in the national budget, which they use to help poor patients,” he stressed. He said depriving PGH of P893 million would mean cutting medical assistance funds and hospital requirements for treat ing people infected with Covid-19. “PGH is at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic. At the height of the health crisis, it was full of Covid-19 pa tients,” he Rodriguezsaid.suggested that the DBM restore the UP and PGH reductions by sending a budget erratum or errata to the House of Representatives. “They did that in the past. It is they who could easily make the necessary adjust ments,” he said. House Appropriations panel sen ior vice chairperson Marikina Repre sentative Stella Quimbo meanwhile said Congress will address budget cuts and lack of funds for crucial govern ment programs under the proposed gov ernmentQuimbobudget.wasresponding to concerns raised by sectors, including her col leagues from the Makabayan bloc, over the P2.5 billion budget cut on state-run UP and decreasing the PGH’s budget amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

FFF chair Leonardo Q. Montemayor said that the backlog in loan releases for 2021 alone, affected 181,000 farm ers from Regions I, II, III, IV-B, VI, and VIII.“Land Bank’s inaction is deplorable because it has possessed the requisite funds of about P1 billion for about a year already, and farmers could have used the cash subsidy to help offset high fertilizer and fuel prices for rice production,” he said.The RFFA program extends a P5,000 cash subsidy to rice farmers tilling not more than two hectares to partly com pensate for depressed palay prices arising from liberalized importation under the Rice Tariffication Law in 2019. Montemayor cited the case of several hundred FFF members in Camiling, Tar lac who received subsidy claim stubs last December 17, 2021, through the Tarlac provincial agriculture office, and are still waiting for their Land Bank identifica tion cards.

THE House of Representatives will support the legislative agenda of wom en, Speaker Martin G. Romualdez vowed as he spoke before the 86-strong members of the Association of Women Legislators Foundation, Inc. (AWLFI) on“RestTuesday.assured that the leadership of the 19th Congress will support your endeavors to advance the legislative agenda of women. With my wife, Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, serving as chairperson,” Romualdez said during AWLFI’s organizational meeting in the House of “ThroughRepresentatives.aconsultative and collabo rative way - we can see eye to eye; make concessions if necessary; and collectively pass measures with our Senate counter part; that will be approved and signed by President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr.,” he Senioradded.Deputy Speaker Gloria Maca pagal-Arroyo, a former President, at tended the event with other women leg islators led by Bulacan Rep. Linabelle Ruth Villarica, AWLFI president; and San Jose del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes, senior vice president. In her speech, Rep. Yedda Romual dez vowed to work hard in champion ing the agenda of women. “We have a long way to go. But through all of our efforts, we can achieve so much as we continue in ac complishing our goal to advance wom en’s legislative agenda and completely eradicate gender inequalities,” Rep. Yedda Romualdez said. “The Association of Women Legisla tors Foundation, an organization com posed of all the lady lawmakers in the House of Representatives, is a permanent bloc in Congress that empowers and strengthens the position of women and children from all sectors in the society by unceasingly pushing for the passing of their legislative agenda. After more than a decade, we are proud to have accom plished a great many things. We have launched series of dialogues, projects, and passed legislations aimed towards the advancement and inclusion of Fili pino women, and the protection and pro motion of their rights,” she said Speaker promises support for bills by women solons

Maricel V. Cruz SURIGAO del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers has filed House Bill 1543 which seeks to restore capital punishment for illegal drug-related offenses and other heinous crimes. “Crimes disturb the order of soci ety. The death penalty is said to be the strongest deterrent society has against such crimes. It aims to re store order and adequately punishes criminals,” Barbers said in his ex planatory note on the measure. “The death penalty also serves as retribution for victims and their fami lies,” Barbers added.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday took his oath as Minority Floor Leader of the Commission on Appoint ments (CA) under the Independent Mi nority bloc today. During the commission’s first ple nary session in the 19th Congress, GP Partylist Rep. Jose Padiernos nominated Cayetano. Cayetano, who was a former House Speaker, opted to remain as an independent senator, along with his sister Sen. Pia Cayetano. During the proceeding, Cayetano clari fied that as an independent in the Senate, he is “part of the minority” in the upper chamber.Assuch, Cayetano stressed he is quali fied for the position of Minority Floor Leader in the CA. After her quick manifestation, Cay etano also thanked Senator Risa Hon tiveros, who is the Deputy Minority Leader in the Senate. He assured that he will continue working with her and other members closely in the committee. “There’s so much work to be done, and I hope to be working with everyone. Not only with the minority, but also with the majority,” he said. For his part, Hontiveros aired serious concern over the election of a CA minor ity leader who is not an original member of the minority in the Senate.

PBBM urged to order release of P1b for farmers

CRY OF PUGAD LAWIN. Workers arrange flowers offered at the Cry of Pugad Lawin Shrine in Quezon City on its 126th anniversary. The 1896 Cry of Pugad Lawin by the Katipunan was led by its Supremo Andrés Bonifacio which marked the beginning of the Philippine revolution against Spain. Manny Palmero

IN BRIEF NUP elects new set of national officers Bill seeks to bring back death penalty in PH

“It appears that the operating units assumed that those onboard the mo tor boat were the Tiamzons based on the tipster’s description that they were VIPs. The information did not specifically refer to the couple. They were not named. They were just re ferred to as ranking personalities — VIPs,” he further said. De Leon said it is puzzling why the motorized boat exploded as it was being pursued by government troops. The Army is looking at the possibil ity that the explosion could have have been an accident or was self-inflict ed.The Tiamzons, who were tagged by the government’s Anti-Terrorism Council as “terrorists,” are consid ered fugitives.

By Carlos D. Sorreta

THE six months of Russia’s “special military action” in Ukraine have produced many images of Russia’s military shortcomings. The image of a Ukrainian farmer and his tractor towing away a Russian armored vehicle quickly turned viral. It morphed into dozens of memes that include one where the farmer and his tractor were towing away for scrap the stricken Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Throughout the conflict, we have been inundated with images of military blunders with equipment losses and Russian soldiers dead or in captivity. Russian armored vehicles breaking down and falling by the wayside even before reaching the frontlines. Russian tanks destroyed by foot soldiers wielding man-portable weapons and drones. Russian aircraft being blown out of the sky by the same foot soldiers and their shoulder-fired missiles. Russian communications easily intercepted. Captured equipment once feared as highly technical and advanced, turning out to be packed with antiquated or even missing components. Russian soldiers stealing food, bulletproof vests, and even Russianboots.logistics struggling to keep their troops and supplies through mud and adverse conditions. Russian generals dying on the frontlines. Another prevalent image, particularly in the early part of the conflict, was comparisons between the militaries of Russia and Ukraine, showing an immense advantage on the part of Russia. These images were accompanied by commentaries that Russia, with its vast number of troops and equipment, should have easily overrun Ukraine. Often left out of these analyses is that in any armed conflict, it would be difficult for Russia to focus all its forces on one front. Though its military is massive, Russia is a huge country and must defend all its vast territory, which requires that the majority of its defensive forces must stay in place and cannot be brought to bear on a single front in any offensive capacity. There is an inescapable conclusion from these qualitative and quantitative aspects of Russia’s military power: it is hardly capable of attacking and defeating NATO. It does not have the true offensive capability to challenge and defeat NATO, or even some of its individualRussia’smembers.military capabilities, though formidable, are sufficient largely for its own defense to guard and secure its rather substantial territory. In 2021, Russia accounted for just 3.2 percent of world military spending. For the same year, the rest of NATO – excluding the US, the UK, France and Germany – already amounted to 8.3 percent of the world’s total. Combined with these four states, NATO collectively accounts for 57.1 percent of world defenseRussia’sspending.thinly stretched military could validate what it has been claiming all along: that its armed forces, huge and substantial though they may be, are for defensive purposes only. It has very little true offensive capability in terms of waging conventional war against NATO and having any hope of victory. What then is the reason for NATO’s very existence? If Russia is unable to defeat and conquer Ukraine, whose military power is below that of at least seven or eight individual NATO members, then how much of an existential threat is Russia to NATO and its members? The Russian military failure could provide a historic opportunity to reassess the security situation in Europe.Hopefully, a narrative emerges where NATO realizes—and acknowledges—the true limited military capabilities of Russia. Russia is not the Soviet Union with its Eastern Bloc. There is no longer a Warsaw Pact. Warsaw is now helping Ukraine wage war against Russia. Just as importantly, for this narrative to have any chance of success, Russia itself must take every effort to be less of a threat. However, the narrative is heading in the opposite direction.NATO seems to have decided to ignore Russia’s diminished military capabilities and instead place its faith in stronger defense—a decision which will inevitably lead to a new conventional arms race and increased tensions. The emerging narrative is that NATO must increase its defense spending to build and produce more and better arms—whatever the outcome of the current conflict. The question is, will Russia be able to keep up with NATO’s arms build-up? As mentioned above, NATO collectively has more resources available for defense than Russia does. Though the reporting period covered by the IISS Military Balance 2022 indicates that much of the spending goes towards recapitalization of air power, improving readiness, and increasing capabilities for the Indo-Pacific, the conflict in Ukraine has led to the reprioritization of resources to face the Russian threat, as evidenced by the German decision to commit 100 billion euros for its 2022 defense budget, almost double the 2021 budget. Russia would have to divert huge amounts of capital, source high technology, address the issue of corruption and redirect civilian industries in order to make up for its shortfalls in critical items like precision munitions and sustain the conflict. Though Russia reports that it has gained a budget surplus in January-July 2022, being able to spend that money may be a challenge due to the sanctions regime in place. Trying to keep up with the West and its military spending is one of the reasons the Soviet Union no longer exists. There is theseconclusioninescapableanfromqualitative and quantitative aspects of Russia’s military power: it is hardly capable of attacking and defeating NATO the nuclear consequences of the new arms race

The war in Ukraine and

Although Russia could just try to spend more on its military industries (it has already spent double its planned spending in the first four months of 2022) heedless of long-term costs, doubts remain about whether it can sustain its forces. In the long-term, it seems possible that the only choice for Russia is to rely more heavily on its nuclear force, including tactical nuclear weapons. That choice might appear to Russia as the most cost-efficient way to match any NATO arms build-up. This concern is reinforced by the fact that throughout the conflict, Russia has never hesitated to bring the specter of nuclear weapons into the political discourse. This stance is consistent with its 2014 Military Doctrine, which states that: “The Russian Federation shall reserve the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it and/or its allies, as well as in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation with the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is in jeopardy.”

Tessie Sy

Pañares News Editor Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor Rolando

TERESITA Sy Coson is one of the most powerful women in business. Nobody comes close. The Henry Sy Sr. family’s wealth is estimated at between $14 billion and $16 billion. Tessie’s job is to grow the wealth and serve customers. The family holding company, SM Investments Corp., has total assets of P1.399 trillion. The mar ket values the company at P1.02 trillion. It is the Philippines’ most valuable company. At 8, Tessie started in dad Henry Sy’s retail busi ness, selling shoes. Tatang Henry advised her, the eldest child, as she prepared to manage the business herself: “Be the best.” After managing the SM retail business for over 20 years, she took over as chairman in 2007 of the group financial powerhouse, BDO. After 22 mergers and acquisitions, BDO became No. 1. It remains focused on service and reliability. “We find ways,” says the bank. Tessie is also vice chairman of their listed fam ily holding company, SM Investments Corp. It is the largest company in the Philippines in terms of market capitalization. She is chairman of BDO, the group’s flagship financial arm. As the matriarch of the family conglomerate, Tessie has maneuvered to keep SMIC and its busi nesses buoyant, nimble, dynamic. Revenues are rising, profits are galloping, costs are controlled and debts are conservative, even while aggressively pursuing new businesses.

THE previous administration’s marching order to the 150,000-member Philippine National Po lice was to bear down hard – very hard – on the problem of illegal drugs in the country and solve it within three to six months from the start of its term of office on June 30, 2016. By the time the Duterte administration ended at noon of June 30 this year, some 6,700, mostly smalltime drug traffickers and users, had ended up dead, according to official police statistics, with only a few high-value targets neutralized (killed) or arrested. Human rights groups here and abroad, however, paint a very different picture of the number of those killed in Duterte’s war on drugs. They claim that between 20,000 and 30,000 have actually been slaughtered by vigilante groups believed to be operating under the direct supervi sion of the police or by off-duty cops themselves. Although the numbers cannot be independently verified – and authorities dismiss the claimed big number of fatalities as a total figment of the imagi nation by anti-government groups – the Interna tional Criminal Court has been sufficiently alarmed as to what has really taken place in the country amid fears that the Duterte administration may have committed crimes against humanity and now wants to conduct a thorough investigation.

This is a lesson that President Putin, who was there at its collapse and who had to pick up the pieces of a dismembered power, understood very well. There is a very real danger here. If Russia cannot keep up with the West’s conventional arms build-up, how can it feel truly secure? How can it match NATO’s military capabilities without defaulting on its debts?

SM Prime is the Philippines’ largest mall devel oper, both in terms of gross floor area (GFA) and geographical reach. In China, the company’s malls are in second-and third-tier cities, a strategy that the company will maintain as it grows further in numbers. A trailblazer in the Philippine residential busi ness, SM Prime has offerings mainly in key cities in Metro Manila and the provinces. SMIC has BDO Unibank, Inc. and China Bank ingInCorporation.oversixdecades, SMIC has become one of the largest market capitalized companies listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange. SMIC’s three largest companies – SMIC, SM Prime Holdings and BDO Unibank – comprise over 30 percent of the value of the Philippine Index. This is a testament to SMIC’s ability to deliver steady high earnings and asset growth, sound fi nancial management, long-term sustainability and a comprehensive development program for our host communities that creates value for all our stakeholders. China Bank is the sixth largest bank in terms of assets, loans and deposits and is uniquely posi tioned to service the needs of emerging companies and small-and medium-scale enterprises building on its long-term relationships that date back to the post-war era. Its acquisitions in recent years signal China Bank’s desire to grow further in scale, market reach and product base. BDO President Nestor Tan has won awards as the best bank CEO, here and abroad. He is presi dent and CEO of BDO. BDO unrivaled No. 1 in the Philippines: In re sources (P3.611 trillion, 18 percent market share); loans (P2.4 trillion, 23 percent market share); de posits (P2.819 trillion, 18 percent market share); Assets Under Management (P1.769 trillion, 39 per cent market share); and capital (P430 billion, P128 billion higher than the No. 2). In branches (1,573) and ATMs (4,511), BDO is also unmatched. The capital adequacy ratio is 14.64 percent; the minimum required is only 10 percent. BDO is also the market leader in most key busi ness segments such as investment banking, asset management, wealth management, remittances, credit cards, insurance and leasing. In 2019, Tan won the coveted Management Man of the Year plum, a feat scored earlier by BDO’s owner, the late Henry Sy Sr. (1999), and Nestor’s boss, BDO Chair Teresita Sy Coson (2016). Under Tessie and Nestor, BDO scaled remarkable heights, from just being a small nondescript savings bank, Acme, servicing SM, the retail giant. When Tan joined BDO in 1997, its rank was No. 20. In seeking to be No. 1, Tan says: “Our mis sion then reflected – and still reflects – our current thinking to be the preferred bank in every market we serve. We do not intend to be all things to all people. But where we are competing, we strive to excel.“Even now that we are a full-service bank, we try to remain focused, and strive to be good at what we do, and not simply bank on the strength of our size and scale.” In the first half of 2022, SMIC profits grew 27 percent to P25.5 billion (the conglomerate creates profits at the rate of P4.25 billion a month) on the bank of a 23 percent surge in revenues to P238.5 billion. Key takeaways, says SMIC: SM H1 performance a bright spot in the Philip pines and region Strong momentum in consumer spending – Fili pino shoppers are back Retail benefited from strong consumer senti ment across all categories and formats, especially in fashion-related items and in department stores Banks delivered strong core business growth, NPL coverage and balance sheets Property growth driven by increased foot traffic and discretionary spending in Malls PGPC transaction approved and is sizeable, ac cretive and a strong strategic fit Conservative gearing and strong balance sheet maintainedOptimistic about consumer outlook, despite global headwinds biznewsasia@gmail.com

Meanwhile, Special Committee on Nu clear Energy and Pangasinan Rep. Mark Co juangco agreed with Fernandez on the need to revisit the EPIRA and amend its provi sions, and proposed to look at the intrinsic capability of a technology that would pro vide cheap electricity. The EPIRA despite, Fernandez articulated consumers’ overtly disregarded complaints over “high cost of electricity” which is an unnecessary daily freight Filipinos have to bear, wondering aloud if the Energy Regu latory Commission had done its regulating function in the past 13 years, as its current method of computation was – read this well – still based on 2009 rates. He stressed the need to amend the EPIRA Law, especially provisions regarding the blending and mixture of power generation, and the computation of the rate of return. In an earlier resolution proposing a re view, Senator JV Ejercito said the EPIRA failed to protect consumers from the sudden increase of power generation charge and to lower electricity rates. Many consumers have been hit by the continuing high cost of power – with the ar gument that the increased rates are caused by external forces beyond domestic control like the war in Ukraine. Then, as now, there is a need to revisit the EPIRA, for legislators to look into and craft specific amendments, given the pug naciously noxious high power rates merci lessly strangling household purchasers or consumers. S. Pangco G. Estabillo

(Email:

Eñano Associate Editors Joyce

NATO’s leaders are certainly aware of this dire possibility.Alltheir actions in support of Ukraine have been carefully calibrated to prevent an escalation as there is an unspoken fear of triggering a wider, and even a nuclear, conflict. While their rhetoric has been forceful, NATO leaders have gone to great lengths to emphasize that they will not intervene directly in the conflict and will limit their help to sanctions, specific weapons, development assistance, and intelligence. However, there are always those who only need the slightest excuse to push for unrestrained defense spending, and Russia’s armed action in Ukraine is certainly far from being slight. This month, diplomats in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation gather at the United Nations in New York for the 10th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It is an important venue to influence the discourse on the possible nuclear consequences of NATO’s plans to dramatically increase defense spending. The continuous, unrestrained growth in defense spending promotes self-reinforcing “cycles of insecurity,” which will further negatively impact international security. The immediate priority for all parties involved in the conflict is to agree on terms for an effective ceasefire and find a workable diplomatic solution to the war. (Mr. Sorreta, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations of the Department of Foreign Affairs, was a former Philippine Ambassador to Russia and has previously served as DFA Assistant Secretary for American Affairs. This analysis was first published in the newsletter of the European Leadership Network.)

SMIC has just acquired 100 percent of Philip pine Geothermal Production Co. (PGPC), operator of the Tiwi and Makban steam fields with com bined capacity of 300 megawatts of electricity. It did so by paying P15.76 billion of 81 percent of Allfirst Equity Holdings, owner of PGPC. With 2021 revenues of $99.4 million and profits of $48.4 million, PGPC adds 1.2 percent to SMIC revenues and 5.5 percent of net income. It’s a strong strategic fit, says SMIC of its PGPC purchase. SMIC’s core businesses are retail, banking, property, and investments. SM Retail, Inc. is the largest and most diversi fied retail group in the Philippines, with its food (SM Markets, WalterMart, Alfamart), non-food (THE SM STORE) and specialty retail stores which are leading players that provide consumers with an aspirational lifestyle, reliable service, qual ity products and consistent convenience. SM Prime Holdings is one of the largest inte grated property developers in Southeast Asia with interests in malls, residences, office buildings, re sorts, hotels and convention centers and tourismrelated property developments.

Another innovation is that the PNP also plans to enlist the help of the Church and other spiritual leaders to serve as counselors and life coaches to reform the police. “We need to know which police officers are prone to misconduct. We should im mediately address even the smallest problems with our personnel by getting feedback from our com munities.” All this is welcome news from Camp Crame, which has borne the brunt of public criticism over per ceived police abuses and the culture of impunity that attended the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. In the last days of the previous dispensation, the PNP reported that total crime incidents in the coun try from 2016 to 2021 dropped 49.6 percent from the recorded statistics in the 2010-2015 period. It also said there was a marked 67.76 percent de cline in Index Crime cases recorded over the same 65-month period from July 2016 through Septem ber 2021. We do not know if the drop in crime incidence in the past six years can be attributed to the war on drugs and the arrest of a big number of drug suspects. But we will have to wait and see whether the new PNP leadership can walk the talk, so to speak, and deliver results in the war on crime and thus effectively uphold law and order throughout the country. ernhil@yahoo.com)

Protecting power purchasers

mst.daydesk@gmail.com Honor Blanco Cabie, Editor WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 B1Opinion

There are three power loads that utilities can “blend” depending on consumers’ elec tricity usage per hour, namely: 1) baseload, the cheapest type, 2) peaking, the most ex pensive yet responsive to changes in de mand, and 3) mid-merit, which could fill in the gap. But the 56-year-old optometrist said the ERC was not following the recommended mixture of 79 percent, 10 percent, and 11 percent, respectively, adding the ERC had not yet adjusted its weighted average cost of capital or WACC since 2009, contributing to high electricity rates. He urged his colleagues to help amend EPIRA and address these concerns – it looks like his call is not falling on deaf ears in the chamber. Earlier on, Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Northern Samar Rep. Paul Ruiz Daza said that in 2019, he was personally promised that the ERC would act on a petition that would reduce the brownouts in Region 8, but the agency did not do anything about it.

EDITORIALTo serve and protect EvEryman Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 8-5646225 and 8-5646229 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.manilastandard.net MEMBER Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine NewspapersPPI can be accessed at: manilastandard.net 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 Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board ManilaStandard ONLINE Chin Wong/Ray

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent re minder to the police that the use of force in their operations must be reasonable, justifiable and car ried out only when necessary is therefore timely and appropriate. Calling the men and women in uniform as “van guards of peace” during the 121st Police Service Anniversary celebration at Camp Crame, the Chief Executive stressed that PNP’s application of its mandate must be “firmly grounded on moral prin ciples, integrity, accountability and honesty” to en sure continued public support. The exercise of its authority must be fair and im partial, President Marcos said. “It must be devoid of favoritism and discrimina tion, regardless of race, gender, social economic sta tus, political affiliation, religious belief and the like. It is only then that you can effectively sustain with great respect and wide support the authority that you pos sess as uniformed servicemen of the Republic.” In response to this, new PNP Chief, Police Gen eral Rodolfo Azurin Jr., has set new policies for the institution that indicate a welcome change in its war on drugs and on crime as a whole. While the PNP would continue to clamp down on drugs, he said it would also study the root of the problem. “I think that is the very basic approach we could take…What is needed is [that] while we do our job, we also try to preserve human life because killing is not the solution.” Under the new administration, Azurin said he would make an accounting of the drug problem and involve the community in dealing with it. The police will ask barangay leaders on the ac tual drug situation in their areas so that “we will find out what intervention we have to do.”

The brutal war on drugs has put the PNP under a microscope, with the public, although still rely ing on the institution as the main agency of govern ment responsible for maintaining law and order, in creasingly wary of its capability to do so precisely because of the involvement of some of its officers and rank-and-file in unlawful activities. We are convinced that the majority of the men and women in the PNP are honest and doing their job. But even if only one percent of the 150,000 or so members of the police force are involved in wrong doing (such as violation of internal rules, abuse of authority) and outright criminal activities (extor tion, kidnapping, murder, etc.), that is still one too many in an institution where iron discipline and total adherence to the rule of law must be observed. To serve and protect the citizenry from criminals and lawlessness is what the PNP is supposed to do.

WE RAISE hopes the House Representativesof will listen to Rep. Dan Fernandez of the lone district of Santa Rosa City to exercise its oversight powers to look into the mandate of the Energy Regulatory Commission. For quick appreciation, under Section 43 of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA, signed in June 2001, the ERC is tasked to promote competition, encour age market development, ensure customer choice and penalize abuse of market power in the electricity industry. With Filipinos still suffering from high electricity rates, Rep. Fernandez, during Monday’s privilege hour, called for the chamber to exercise its oversight powers and look into the Energy Regulatory Com mission mandate. He referred to Section 23 of Republic Act 9136 or the EPIRA of 2001, which created the ERC and directs distribution utilities to supply electricity “in the least cost manner.”

Publisher Honor Blanco Cabie Opinion Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

But Rep. Fernandez said the ERC...had not yet adjusted its weighted average cost of capital or WACC since electricitycontributing2009,tohighrates see whether the new PNP leadership can walk the talk and deliver results in the war on crime and thus effectively uphold law and order throughout the country

As the matriarch of the conglomerate,family Tessie has maneuvered to keep SMIC and its businesses buoyant, nimble, dynamic

We will have to wait and

NOLI A. ERMITANIO Court Legal Researcher II Officer-in-Charge Copy furnished: Office of the Solicitor General Counsel for the Republic of the Philippines 134 Amorsolo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City ACP Vanessa Juvy O. Balita Public Prosecutor DOJ Building, Quezon City Hall Compound Brgy. Central, Diliman 1100, Quezon City Atty. Marlon R. Dulnuan Counsel for Petitioner 11 Don Juan Street, Don Antonio Heights, Quezon City Joane O. Paguio Petitioner No. 695 Tandang Sora Avenue, Old Balara, Quezon City(MStandard - August 3 & 10, 2022)

MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

DRIED UP LAKE. A general view shows the usually half-submerged in water Luoxing Dun, a small island with ancient temples on it, in China’s largest freshwater Poyang Lake in Juijiang, China’s central Jiangxi province on August 23, 2022. AFP TEARS OF JOY. A team of Japanese researchers have published a study showing that dogs release more tears when they are reunited with their owners versus other people. AFP Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey

Opponents of the 68-year-old – who seized control in a coup – are agitating for his removal under rules limiting a prime minister to a maximum of eight years in office, a threshold they say he will reach Wednesday. While the outcome is uncertain, many observers think the court will rule in Prayut’s favour. Prayut’s adversaries say his term started when he took power in the coup in May 2014, the latest of the more than a dozen military putsches to upend Thai politics since the birth of democracy in 1932.But supporters say he has been the premier from 2017 – when the current army-drafted constitution was imple mented – or in 2019, when he contro versially won much-delayed national polls. Opposition parties have asked the constitutional court to rule on when Prayut’s term ends, and on Wednesday, the judges are expected to say whether they will consider the case. If it accepts the case, the court could suspend Prayut from office.

The scientists then sought to test whether the tears might have an emotional impact on the owners. To do so, they asked the owners to rank various photos of their dogs with and without artificial tears by how much they want ed to care for them. “The dog photos with artificial tears were ranked significantly higher than the normal tearless dog photos,” the Japanese research team wrote.

Notice is hereby given that the legal heir of the late SEVERINO MAGNO GARCIA (the “Decedent”), who died intestate on April 7, 2022at Metro Manila, has executed an AFFIDAVIT OF SELF-ADJUDICATION. The sole heir, being of legal age, hereby adjudicate unto herself the properties left by the decedent. As per Doc No. 468; Page No. 94; Book No. IV; Series of 2022 as notarized by Atty. Ernesto O. Pua. (MS-AUG. 10, 17 24, 2022) All matters and disputes will be subject to the final decision of DITO Telecommunity. All made by DITO Telecommunity pertaining to the promo will be deemed final and irrevocable, with the prior concurrence of DTI. the PAGUIO,CourtJudicialPhilippinesRegionBranch13MetroManila Petitioner, Case R-QZN-21-10067-CVNo. Declaration of Nullity of under Art. 36 of the Code ANGELO R. PAGUIO x------------------------------------------------xRespondent. SUMMONSpublication)AngeloR.Paguio Proper Ext., Road, Baguio City petition for declaration marriage under Article 36 of has been commenced Joane O. Paguio against Dennis Jose Angelo R. 16 December 2021, the petition and its compliant with A.M. No. Rule on Declaration of Marriages and Voidable Marriages, and issuance of summons upon Dennis Jose Angelo R. given address is at No. Ext, Queen of Peace June 2022, petitioner Declaration of Absolute Marriages and Annulment of Marriages, which prayed that served upon respondent after his authorized had been authorized purposes, failed to serve copy of the petition to last known address at Proper Ext., Queen of Baguio City as respondent Petitiontherein.states, to wit: O. PAGUIO (“JOANE” female, Filipino, forty-three married to respondent. the Business Process industry, and has No. 695 Tandang Sora Quezon City for three DENNIS JOSE ANGELO (“DENNIS” for short) is male, (48) years old and He is a Auto-repairbusinessmanShopand with office address proper Ext., Queen of BaguioDENNISCity. got married on at the Hall of Justice They have a daughter, HOPE followingcohabitation,OCCIDENTALJOANEtraitonthe selfish-indulgence/ grandiosity and superiority need for admiration lack of empathy and interpersonal abusiveness, and the needs of spouse xxxconsulted a lawyer marriage. The lawyer then clinical psychologist, battery of tests and JOANE.assiduous analysis of clinical NARCISSISTICDENNISpsychologistsufferedPERSONALITYWITHANTI-SOCIALFEATURES.psychologistfoundthatcontractedbytheJOANEnon-existentbecausetimeofthecelebrationwaspsychologically-complywithhisessential

A LEGAL showdown that could oust embattled Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha reaches the country’s con stitutional court this week, threatening fresh political turmoil for the kingdom just months before national elections.

The former general – who has held on to power with a tenacity few an ticipated – appears unruffled by the latest“Letdrama.thecourt decide,” he told op ponents before he appeared outside parliament, brandishing a “rock on” hand sign at bemused reporters. The court has played a key role at important moments in the upheav als that have convulsed Thai politics over the last 20 years, cancelling general election results in 2006 and 2014.

WITNESS THE HON. LILY ANN M. PADAEN Presiding Judge of this Court, this 27th day of June 2022. (Sgd.)

LEGAL AFFIDAVITNOTICEOFSELF-ADJUDICATION

AFP

AFP Court ex-PMupholdsNajib’sjailsentence

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK TODAY MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK 17, 2022)

NOLI A. ERMITANIO Court Legal Researcher II Officer-in-Charge Copy furnished: Office of the Solicitor General NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE ESTATE OF THE LATE BENJAMIN C. RESURRECCION MANILA.PANERPUBLICBEFORE4;PAGEASSETTLEDEXTRAJUDICIALLYWASBYHEIRSPERDOC.NO.361;74;BOOKNO.SERIESOF2022NOTARYATTY.JOELE.OFCITYOF(MS-AUG.10,1724,2022)

Notice is hereby given that the legal heir of the late SEVERINO MAGNO GARCIA (the “Decedent”), who died intestate on April 7, 2022at Metro Manila, has executed an AFFIDAVIT OF SELF-ADJUDICATION. The sole heir, being of legal age, hereby adjudicate unto herself the properties left by the decedent. As per Doc No. 468; Page No. 94; Book No. IV; Series of 2022 as notarized by Atty. Ernesto O. Pua. (MS-AUG. 10, 17 24, 2022)

MALAYSIA’S highest court Tues day upheld former prime minister Najib Razak’s 12-year jail sentence for corruption in the 1MDB finan cial scandal, a decision analysts said could slam the door to a political comeback.ChiefJustice Maimun Tuan Mat also issued a warrant of committal, which a lawyer said means Najib is going immediately to jail. The 69-year-old former prime minister looked somber and deject ed, surrounded by his wife Rosmah and two children as the verdict was read. “We find the appeal devoid of any merits. We find the conviction and sentence to be safe,” Maimun said on behalf of a five-judge panel of the Federal Court. “It is our unanimous view that the evidence led during the trial points overwhelmingly to guilt on all sev en charges.” Maimun said “it would have been a travesty of justice of the highest order if any reasonable tribunal, faced with such evidence staring it in the face, were to find that the appellant is not guilty of the seven charges preferred against him.”

Sankara Nair, a lawyer who is not involved in the case, told AFP that “with the court issuing a warrant of committal, Najib will be sent to prison immediately.”

LEGAL AFFIDAVITNOTICEOFSELF-ADJUDICATION

Manila Standard TODAY (MS-AUGUST 24, 2022) DITO 5G HOME WIFI PROMO WITH AUTO PAY Promo Title of the Promo The mechanics are as follows: 1. Promo period starts on June 6, 2022 – September 6, 2022. 2. Only DITO 5G Home WiFi subscribers may subscribe to DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay promos. 3. The following offers with DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay are exclusively available via the DITO APP: • All data promos support data rollover • All promos are valid for 30 days • All promos are data-only 4. Once subscribed to a DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay Promo, the promo will auto renew under either of these two conditions: • Once remaining data reaches the 1GB data threshold • 24 hours prior to the promo’s expiration date 5. Subscribers can revise their DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay promo subscription no later than 48 hours before their current promo renews. 6. Subscription payments are automatically deducted from the there is sufficient load balance in the subscriber’s account. unsuccessful auto-renewal. The Auto Pay service will resume once renewal will fail to process, and the subscriber will be notified of the process will fail If the subscriber has insufficient load balance, the subscriber’s load balance. For insufficient load balance, the renewal 7. DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay will be temporarily suspended if previous subscription. Subscriber has 30 days to top-up a sufficient subscriber has insufficient load balance upon the expiration of the amount to continue using the DITO 5G Home WiFi via Auto Pay service. 8. Enrollment to DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay service will be balance for more than 30 days after the expiration of their previous automatically cancelled if the subscriber maintains insufficient load subscription. 9. DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay promos have no lock-in period. Subscribers may unsubscribe to DITO 5G Home WiFi via Auto Pay to the DITO APP no later than 48 hours before their current promo renews. 10. Subscribers may be subscribed to only one (1) DITO 5G Home WiFi Auto Pay promo at any one time. 11. Subscribers who are subscribed to a DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay promo may subscribe to a DITO 5G Home WiFi regular promo, and vice Remainingversa.consumable data shall stack with the inclusions of the new subscription and the auto-renewal date will be adjusted based on the subscription with the longest validity. 12. Data consumption for multiple promo subscriptions in separate data wallets will be based on the shortest validity. 13. Data usage may be monitored via the DITO App and myDITO. 14. For any concerns and/or inquiries regarding the promo, information may be sent to customerservice@dito.ph.

the CourtJudicialPhilippinesRegionBranch13MetroManila Petitioner, Case R-QZN-21-10067-CVNo. Declaration of Nullity of under Art. 36 of the Code ANGELO R. PAGUIO x------------------------------------------------xRespondent. SUMMONSpublication)AngeloR.Paguio Proper Ext., Road, Baguio City petition for declaration marriage under Article 36 of has been commenced Joane O. Paguio against Jose Angelo R. 16 December 2021, the petition and its compliant with A.M. No. Rule on Declaration of Marriages and Voidable Marriages, and issuance of summons upon Jose Angelo R. given address is at No. Ext, Queen of Peace June 2022, petitioner Declaration of Absolute Marriages and Annulment of Marriages, which prayed that served upon respondent after his authorized had been authorized purposes, failed to serve copy of the petition to last known address at Proper Ext., Queen of Baguio City as respondent Petitiontherein.states, to wit: O. PAGUIO (“JOANE” female, Filipino, forty-three married to respondent. the Business Process industry, and has No. 695 Tandang Sora Quezon City for three DENNIS JOSE ANGELO (“DENNIS” for short) is male, (48) years old and He is a Auto-repairbusinessmanShopand with office address proper Ext., Queen of BaguioDENNISCity. got married on at the Hall of Justice They have a daughter, HOPE followingcohabitation,OCCIDENTALJOANEtraitonthe selfish-indulgence/ grandiosity and superiority need for admiration lack of empathy and interpersonal abusiveness, and the needs of spouse xxxconsulted a lawyer marriage. The lawyer then clinical psychologist, battery of tests and JOANE.assiduous analysis of clinical NARCISSISTICDENNISpsychologistsufferedPERSONALITYWITHANTI-SOCIALFEATURES.psychologistfoundthatcontractedbytheJOANEnon-existentbecausetimeofthecelebrationwaspsychologically-complywithhisessential 17. The foregoing events, among others, have compelled JOANE to file the instant Petition. Indubitably, there is a clear failure on the part of DENNIS to comply with the essential obligations of loving, respecting, caring, and providing support to JOANE and HOPE, among others. xxxx 22. In view of the psychological disorder of DENNIS to comply with the essential obligations of marriage, of which psychological incapacity has been clinically found to be incurable and existing prior to or before the celebration of marriage, there is a compelling necessity to declare the marriage a complete nullity under Article 36 of the New Family code.

decisions

WorldWEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022B2 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

decisions

AJOURNALIST was shot dead Monday afternoon in southern Mexico, authorities said, shortly after posting online about the disappearance eight years ago of 43 students from a nearby area.Fredid Roman, who published his work on various social media pages and contributed to a local newspaper, was found dead in his car in the city of Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero state, the local prosecutor’s office said Monday evening.

17. The foregoing events, among others, have compelled JOANE to file the instant Petition. Indubitably, there is a clear failure on the part of DENNIS to comply with the essential obligations of loving, respecting, caring, and providing support to JOANE and HOPE, among others. xxxx 22. In view of the psychological disorder of DENNIS to comply with the essential obligations of marriage, of which psychological incapacity has been clinically found to be incurable and existing prior to or before the celebration of marriage, there is a compelling necessity to declare the marriage a complete nullity under Article 36 of the New Family code. 23. JOANE and DENNIS do not have properties which may be subject to a property settlement. Neither do they have a pre-nuptial agreement. The property of the parties were governed by absolute community of property. WHEREAS, in the petition, the relief/s prayed for is hereby quoted as follows: “WHEREFORE, premises considered, petitioner JOANE O. PAGUIO most respectfully prays of this Honorable Court that after due notice and hearing, judgment be rendered declaring the marriage between petitioner JOANE O. PAGUIO and respondent DENNIS JOSE ANGELO R. PAGUIO a complete nullity ab initio under Article 36 of the Family Code of the Philippines and that Petitioner be given custody of her child, GABRIELLE HOPE OCCIDENTAL PAGUIO. NOW THEREFORE, YOU, respondent DENNIS JOSE ANGELO R. PAGUIO, ARE HEREBY SUMMONED AND REQUIRED within THIRTY (30) CALENDAR DAYS from the last issue of publication to ANSWER the petition and to copy furnish the petitioner with a copy of your Answer at No. 695 Tandang Sora Avenue, Old Balara, Quezon City, or her counsel Atty. Marlon R. Dulnuan at 11 Don Juan Street, Don Antonio Heights, Quezon City. You are reminded of IBPOCA Memorandum on Policy Guidelines dated March 12, 2002 to observe restraint in filing a motion to dismiss and instead allege the grounds thereof as defenses in the Answer. If you fail to Answer within the time fixed, the Court shall order the Public Prosecutor to investigate whether collusion exists, in accordance with Section 8(3) of the Rule on Declaration of Absolute Nullity of Void Marriages and Annulment of Voidable Marriages. The Respondent in an action for Declaration of Nullity of Marriage must strictly observe the above-prescribed period to file Answer.

TODAY

NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE ESTATE OF THE LATE BENJAMIN C. RESURRECCION MANILA.PANERPUBLICBEFORE4;PAGEASSETTLEDEXTRAJUDICIALLYWASBYHEIRSPERDOC.NO.361;74;BOOKNO.SERIESOF2022NOTARYATTY.JOELE.OFCITYOF(MS-AUG.10,1724,2022)

AFP

The former general has clung on to office through major anti-government protests in 2020, a bruising pandemic, a faltering economy and scores of po litical near-misses – but now the very constitution whose design he oversaw is being used against him.

AFP

ELON Musk has served former Twitter boss Jack Dorsey with a subpoena in a hunt for mate rial to help him get out of buying the giant social media platform for $44 billion as agreed. Records made public on Monday show Dors ey was served with a legal order to give Musk any communications or documents related to the takeover deal inked in April, as well as informa tion touching on false or spam accounts or how Twitter calculates the number of its active users. The subpoena asks for anything Dorsey has on the topics dating back to January of 2019. Tesla boss Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, has accused Twitter of fraud, alleging the company misled him about key aspects of its business, particularly the number of accounts that are actually spam or automated “bots” instead of people. Twitter has stuck by its estimates that bots make up fewer than five percent of users. Twitter also disputed Musk’s assertion he has the right to walk away if its bot count is found to be wrong, since he didn’t seek information on that topic when he made the buyout offer. sent to customerservice@dito.ph. All matters and disputes will be subject to the final decision of DITO Telecommunity. All made by DITO Telecommunity pertaining to the promo will be deemed final and irrevocable, with the prior concurrence of DTI. TO

THE PUBLIC CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

The case of the 43 students from Guerrero, who went missing in 2014 after comman deering a bus to head to a protest, is consid ered one of the worst human rights disasters in Mexican history. The case was forced back into the spotlight last week when a truth commission branded the atrocity a “state crime” that involved agents of various institutions. A few hours before his death, Roman pub lished a long Facebook post titled “State Crime Without Charging the Boss,” in which he mentioned an alleged meeting between four officials at the time of the students’ dis appearance, including former attorney gen eral Jesus Murillo Karam. Murillo Karam was arrested after the pub lication of the truth commission report last week, while dozens of warrants were issued for suspects including military personnel, police officers and cartel members. It was not immediately clear if Roman’s recent post on the missing students or his other journalistic work played a role in his death. Twelve journalists have been killed in Mexico so far this year, according to the gov ernment, while the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) lists nine. Some media outlets have put the figure at 15 or 16. With about 150 journalists murdered since 2000, according to RSF, Mexico is consid ered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for the press. Most of those murders remain unpunished.

Term-limit legal row leaves Thai PM facing calls to quit

Study: Dogs cry when reunited with owners Elon Musk subpoenas former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey DOG owners know the pure joy of returning home from a long trip to be greeted by their tail-wagging, uncontrollably jumping, facelicking companion. But those ecstatic canines might be shedding more than just fur on your clothes – they might also be tearing-up, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Current Biol ogy. “We had never heard of the discovery that animals shed tears in joyful situations, such as reuniting with their owners,” said Takefumi Kikusui, one of authors of the study, which he called a possible “world first.”

AFP HOURS AFTER POSTING ABOUT DISAPPEARED STUDENTS Manila Standard TODAY (MS-AUGUST 24, 2022) DITO 5G HOME WIFI PROMO WITH AUTO PAY Promo Title of the Promo The mechanics are as follows: 1. Promo period starts on June 6, 2022 – September 6, 2022. 2. Only DITO 5G Home WiFi subscribers may subscribe to DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay promos. 3. The following offers with DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay are exclusively available via the DITO APP: • All data promos support data rollover • All promos are valid for 30 days • All promos are data-only 4. Once subscribed to a DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay Promo, the promo will auto renew under either of these two conditions: • Once remaining data reaches the 1GB data threshold • 24 hours prior to the promo’s expiration date 5. Subscribers can revise their DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay promo subscription no later than 48 hours before their current promo renews. 6. Subscription payments are automatically deducted from the there is sufficient load balance in the subscriber’s account. unsuccessful auto-renewal. The Auto Pay service will resume once renewal will fail to process, and the subscriber will be notified of the process will fail If the subscriber has insufficient load balance, the subscriber’s load balance. For insufficient load balance, the renewal 7. DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay will be temporarily suspended if previous subscription. Subscriber has 30 days to top-up a sufficient subscriber has insufficient load balance upon the expiration of the amount to continue using the DITO 5G Home WiFi via Auto Pay service. 8. Enrollment to DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay service will be balance for more than 30 days after the expiration of their previous automatically cancelled if the subscriber maintains insufficient load subscription. 9. DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay promos have no lock-in period. Subscribers may unsubscribe to DITO 5G Home WiFi via Auto Pay to the DITO APP no later than 48 hours before their current promo renews. 10. Subscribers may be subscribed to only one (1) DITO 5G Home WiFi Auto Pay promo at any one time. 11. Subscribers who are subscribed to a DITO 5G Home WiFi with Auto Pay promo may subscribe to a DITO 5G Home WiFi regular promo, and vice Remainingversa.consumable data shall stack with the inclusions of the new subscription and the auto-renewal date will be adjusted based on the subscription with the longest validity. 12. Data consumption for multiple promo subscriptions in separate data wallets will be based on the shortest validity. 13. Data usage may be monitored via the DITO App and myDITO. 14. For any concerns and/or inquiries regarding the promo, information may be

NOTICE

“WHEREFORE, premises considered, petitioner JOANE O. PAGUIO most respectfully prays of this Honorable Court that after due notice and hearing, judgment be rendered declaring the marriage between petitioner JOANE O. PAGUIO and respondent DENNIS JOSE ANGELO R. PAGUIO a complete nullity ab initio under Article 36 of the Family Code of the Philippines and that Petitioner be given custody of her child, GABRIELLE HOPE OCCIDENTAL PAGUIO. NOW THEREFORE, YOU, respondent DENNIS JOSE ANGELO R. PAGUIO, ARE HEREBY SUMMONED AND REQUIRED within THIRTY (30) CALENDAR DAYS from the last issue of publication to ANSWER the petition and to copy furnish the petitioner with a copy of your Answer at No. 695 Tandang Sora Avenue, Old Balara, Quezon City, or her counsel Atty. Marlon R. Dulnuan at 11 Don Juan Street, Don Antonio Heights, Quezon City. You are reminded of IBPOCA Memorandum on Policy Guidelines dated March 12, 2002 to observe restraint in filing a motion to dismiss and instead allege the grounds thereof as defenses in the Answer. If you fail to Answer within the time fixed, the Court shall order the Public Prosecutor to investigate whether collusion exists, in accordance with Section 8(3) of the Rule on Declaration of Absolute Nullity of Void Marriages and Annulment of Voidable Marriages. The Respondent in an action for Declaration of Nullity of Marriage must strictly observe the above-prescribed period to file Answer. WHEREFORE let this summons be published once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation to be selected by raffle pursuant to P.D. 1079 at the expense of the petitioner. Likewise, let a copy of the summons be sent by registered mail to the respondent at his known address. also at the expense of petitioner and to submit to this Court proof of compliance therewith.

The scientists measured the amount of tears in the dogs’ eyes with the widely-used Schirm er test, which consists of placing a specialized strip under the eyelids. For a baseline reading, they performed the test on dogs during a nor mal interaction with their owner. When dogs were reunited with their own ers after five to seven hours of separation, they “significantly” increased tear production in the ensuing five minutes, the researchers found. They also discovered that the dogs’ volume of tears were higher when they reunited with their owner versus other people the dog is fa miliarAccordingwith. to the researchers, this reaction to tear up is likely linked to the release of oxyto cin, nicknamed the “love hormone,” due to its connection with bond-building.

WHEREFORE let this summons be published once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation to be selected by raffle pursuant to P.D. 1079 at the expense of the petitioner. Likewise, let a copy of the summons be sent by registered mail to the respondent at his known address. also at the expense of petitioner and to submit to this Court proof of compliance therewith.

WITNESS THE HON. LILY ANN M. PADAEN Presiding Judge of this Court, this 27th day of June 2022. (Sgd.)

Mexican journalist killed

By Elias Huuhtanen HELSINKI, Finland―Porsches, Bentleys and other luxury cars with Russian license plates are filling up the parking garage at Helsinki’s air port as Finland becomes an important transit country for Russian tourists flying to Europe. The European Union shut its air space to Russian planes after Mos cow invaded Ukraine, forcing any one who wants to travel to Europe to drive across the border or take a circuitous route using non-Western airlines.Since Russia’s COVID-19 restric tions expired in July, there has been a boom in Russian travelers and a ris ing backlash in Europe against al lowing in Russian tourists while the war continues. A quick stroll through the carpark at the Helsinki airport revealed doz ens if not hundreds of high-end cars with Russian license plates, including a new Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan and Porsche 911 Turbo S. “It boggles me,” Finnish travel ler Jussi Hirvonen said after leav ing the garage. “I wish they weren’t here before Ukraine’s situation is solved.”

Business WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 || B3 extrastory2000@gmail.com Stock market tumbles again; Ayala Land, Emperador drop MOSTVOLUMEACTIVEVALUE (PHP) 1 SMPH 17,447,800 633,554,335 2 ALI 20,957,200 587,591,630 3 ICT 2,567,640 472,665,176 4 SECB 2,526,720 221,785,551 5 EMI 8,745,200 181,940,440 6 PGOLD 5,192,400 181,198,805 7 TEL 102,105 176,777,860 8 CNVRG 9,028,100 169,973,094 9 BDO 1,314,150 164,343,774 10 AC 182,970 131,381,690 TOP LASTGAINERS % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE 1 WIN 0.285 0.055 23.91% 2 PBB 8.5 1.1 14.86% 3 ABSP 12.36 0.76 6.55% 4 ROCK 1.43 0.08 5.93% 5 SFI 0.097 0.005 5.43% 6 BALAI 0.88 0.04 4.76% 7 VUL 0.9 0.04 4.65% 8 IMP 1.24 0.05 4.20% 9 PRIM 2.29 0.09 4.09% 10 FOOD 0.55 0.02 3.77% TOPPRICELASTLOSERS%CHANGECHANGE 1 MJC 1.29 -0.2 -13.42% 2 MAH 0.83 -0.1 -10.75% 3 VVT 16.02 -1.84 -10.30% 4 OPM 0.01 -0.001 -9.09% 5 I 0.74 -0.06 -7.50% 6 MED 0.26 -0.02 -7.14% 7 PX 3.26 -0.24 -6.86% 8 FCG 0.6 -0.04 -6.25% 9 2GO 7 -0.45 -6.04% 10 APC 0.203 -0.013 -6.02% PSEi August 23, 2022 Russian tourists’ luxury cars filling up Helsinki’s airport garage OPEC+ has ‘means’ to deal with oil volatility—Saudi Arabia

OPEC raised production by 162,000 barrels in July to a total of 28.8 mil lion bpd, with most of the output com ing from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, according to its monthly report. “In OPEC+ we have experienced a much more challenging environment in the past and we have emerged stronger and more co hesive than ever,” said Prince Abdulaziz. “Soon we will start working on a new agreement beyond 2022,” he added.

VI. Election

AFP

Finland wants EU decision Finland said last week it would limit Rus sian tourist visas to 10 percent of current volumes as of September 1 due to rising dis content over Russian tourism amid the war in Ukraine. But Russians continue to enter Finland with visas issued by other EU countries in the Schengen borderless travel area for their journeys. “They come here on Schengen visas issued by various different countries and then con tinue further via Helsinki airport,” Haavisto said.According to a survey conducted by the Finnish border guard in August, around twothirds of Russians crossing Finland’s eastern border do so with a Schengen visa issued by a country other than Finland. “Hungary, Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece and Spain normally issue visas to Russians, and are generally among the top issuing countries each year,” border guard official Mert Sasio glu told AFP. Schengen rules do not allow Finland to close the border to specific nationalities, Haavisto said. Such sanctions can only be de cided jointly by the EU. “As Finland and the Baltic countries are planning to restrict these visas, it would be good if all EU countries took similar deci sions,” Haavisto said. This sentiment was shared by many Finns at the airport. “There should be an EU decision to close the border,” said Finnish traveller Jussi Hirvonen. Finland intends to raise the issue at the next meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in the Czech Republic on August 30. ‘Everybody should travel’AFP hereby given that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Asia Pacific Medical Center (APMC)-Aklan Inc. (the “Company”) will be held on 15 September, Thursday, 9AM. The meeting will be conducted virtually and can be accessed at the link provided in the Company’s website at http://www.asiapacificmedicalcenter-aklan.com/. The Agenda* of the meeting is as follows: Call to Order Proof of Notice of Meeting and Declaration of Quorum Reading and Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Stockholders’ Meeting Presentation of the President’s Report Presentation and Approval of the 2021 Annual Report Financial Statements of the Members of the Board of Directors conduct of the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting will be Zoom Teleconference on 15 Sept 2022 attend by registering on or before 10 Sept 2022 Participants remarks Voting by remote communication or in absentia may be done using the online voting portal. Online voting is available to stockholders who register through the portal starting on 5 Sept 2022, 0800H until 9 Sept 2022, 1700H. The procedures for attendance and voting during the 2022 ASM will be send to your email after successful registration and posted in Company’s website. Stockholders may send their duly accomplished proxies on or before 1700H of 8 Sept 2022 to the Corporate Secretary through email at asiapacificmedicalcenter.aklan@yahoo.com proxies will be on 9 Sept 2022 at the Office of the Company Marsha Lourdes P. Conanan-Morato, MD rationale for each Agenda item is explained in the attached Annex “A” Standard TODAY 24 August 2022 To the ChemicalStockholdersIndustries of the Philippines, Inc. Subject: Annual Stockholders’ Meeting and Gentlemen: is hereby given that the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of Chemical Industries of the Philippines (CIP) will be held on 15 September 2022 at 9:00 a.m. to be conducted virtually, to consider the following Calling the Roll Presentation of Secretary’s Due Notice of the Meeting Reading and Disposal of Any Unapproved Minutes 6:00 p.m. September 2022, SEC Memorandum No. 06-2020, stockholders may attend and participate in the Annual Stockholders Meeting and other or wish to attend to 15 September 2022. Immediately after the Stockholders’ Meeting, the (sgd.) ATTY. ZHANIKA MARIE O. CARBONELL Corporate Secretary P.S. The Definitive Information Statement (“IS”), Management Report, SEC Form 17A, and pertinent documents may be accessed through any of the following: 1. Go to the CIP website via this link: https://www.chemphil.com.ph/main_cip.htm; and; 2. Go to the PSE EDGE portal via https://edge.pse.com.ph/ (MS-AUG. 24 & 25, 2022)

Manila Standard TODAY NOTICE AND AGENDA OF THE 2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS NOTICE is

2.

THE stock market slumped for the second straight day as traders grow increasingly worried that the Federal Reserve will continue to ramp up interest rates to fight inflation. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index sank 86.03 points, or 1.3 percent, to 6,618.38 on a value turnover of P5.7 billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 151 to 37, with 40 issues unchanged. Emperador Inc. of business tycoon Andrew Tan, the biggest liquor producer, dropped 3.7 percent to P20.70, while major property developer Ayala Land Inc. of the Ayala Group declined 3.6 percent to P27.85. Puregold Price Club Inc. of retail tycoon Lucio Co fell 2.4 percent to P34.90, while fiber broadband pro vider Converge ICT Solutions slipped 2.1 percent to P18.80.Asian markets fell again Tuesday and the dollar held gains.Wall Street fell deep into the red with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both off more than two percent. And Asia followed suit. Tokyo slid 1.2 percent and Hong Kong closed down 0.8 percent. Shanghai ended marginally lower as in vestors brushed off a loan rate cut by the People’s Bank of China, which also called for banks to lend more to help the battered property market. Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Wellington were also down. With the Jackson Hole symposium of central bankers and finance chiefs taking place this week, the focus is on what Fed chief Jerome Powell says about its plans to tackle prices, with many fearing officials could send the economy into recession. The equities losses appear to mark the end of a near-two-month rally from June lows, which was powered by signs of economic weakness that observers hoped would allow the bank to be less hawkish.“Investors are becoming increasingly concerned that Jerome Powell will de liver a hawkish speech at Jackson Hole, whilst warning that the coming months will be hard to navigate (and fan fears of a recession),” said Matthew Simpson at Sonex Financial. With AFP

remote

IV.

matters: 1.

through teleconferencing, videoconferencing

electronic means of communication. If you

CURTAINFALL. Pedestrians walk past the entrance of a Cineworld cinema in London, on August 22, 2022. British cinema chain Cineworld has confirmed on August 22, 2022 that it is considering a bankruptcy filing among several possible ‘strategic options’ to ‘find new cash and potentially restructure its balance sheet’ in the face of a cinema crisis. AFP

3.

Organizational Meeting of the Board of Directors will follow. . . Thank you. Very truly yours,

4. Presentation of the 2021 Annual Reports 5. Election of Directors 6. Ratification of the Board Resolution Amending the Amended Articles of Incorporation to Change the Primary Purpose 7. Appointment of External Auditor 9. New Business8. Unfinished Business 10. Adjournment If you are unable to attend the meeting, please accomplish the proxy form . . ., and present the same to the Corporate Secretary/Assistant Corporate Secretary or their representatives not later than

thru

through videoconferencing, kindly inform the Corporate Secretary at least five (5) business days prior to 15 September 2022 so that the proper link may be sent to you. transfer five (5) business days prior to the meeting, or from 26 August 2022 The Stock and Transfers Books of the corporation shall be closed for

III.

NOTICE

and

II.

V.

*The

on 9

and stockholders may

Cars and travelers are seen at the entrance of Terminal 2 of the Helsinki airport is pictured on August 19, 2022, in Vantaa, Finland. Luxury sports cars are filling up the parking garage at Helsinki’s airport, as Finland becomes an transitimportantcountry for Russian tourists flying into Europe. AFP

I.

and Floor Aklan Polyclinic & Drugstore, Goding Ramos Street, Kalibo, Aklan. hard copies at the Asia Pacific Medical Center - Aklan at the Office of the Company located in 2nd Validation of

for validation purposes. The validation of proxies shall be conducted on 9 September 2022 at at the 7th Floor Boardroom, Chemphil Building, 851 A. Arnaiz Avenue, Legaspi Village, Makati City. Please take note that the proxy executed by a corporation should be in the the said corporate officer(s) to execute the said proxy.a Corporate Secretary’s certificate quoting the board resolution authorizing proxy form executed by a duly authorized corporate officer accompanied by form of a Board resolution duly certified by the Corporate Secretary or in a Per

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told AFP that the Nordic nation has become a “transit country” for Russian tourists. “Helsinki airport is seeing a lot of Russian tourism at the moment.”

Ladies

may send in questions or

VII. Ratification of the Acts, Resolutions and Proceedings of the Board of Directors, CorporateOfficers and Management from 2021 up to September 15, 2022. VIII. Appointment of External Auditor IX. Construction and Interior Design Update X. Other Matters XI. Adjournment Only stockholders on record as of August 26, 2022 will be entitled to notice of and to vote at this Inmeeting.lightof the continuing COVID-19 global pandemic and government policies on quarantine and health protocols, the Company will once again conduct a virtual annual stockholders’ meeting. The

.

. (MS-AUG. 24 & 25, 2022) Manila

via Company’s email asiapacificmedicalcenter.aklan@yahoo. com If you wish to cast your votes as a stockholder, you may vote remotely or in absentia, or through proxy.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—OPEC leader Sau di Arabia’s energy minister said Monday that the oil cartel and its allies have the means to deal with market challenges—including by “cutting“OPEC+production.”hasthecommitment, the flexibil ity, and the means within the existing mecha nisms... to deal with such challenges includ ing cutting production at any time,” Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said in an interview with Bloomberg, according to Saudi state news agency SPA. The Saudi-led Organization of the Petro leum Exporting Countries (OPEC) consists of 13 OPECmembers.and10 allies led by Russia—a group known as OPEC+—agreed last month to raise production by 100,000 bpd in Sep tember following Western calls for more output after Russia’s war in Ukraine and a post-pandemic surge in demand sent crude prices soaring. They had agreed to increases of almost 650,000 bpd in July and August, but the car tel has struggled to meet its quotas. Oil prices have dropped from a peak in June due to growing supplies as well as con cerns over the deteriorating economic out look.“Volatility and thin liquidity send errone ous signals to markets at times when clarity is most needed,” said Prince Abdulaziz. He warned that a “vicious circle” was be ing “amplified by the flow of unsubstantiated stories about demand destruction, recurring news about the return of large volumes of supply, and ambiguity and uncertainty about the potential impacts of price caps, embar goes, and sanctions.”

SMCGP said electricity prices in Metro Manila and nearby provinces would go up by as much as 30 percent starting October if the ERC failed to act on its joint petition with Meralco.

Moneybees, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinascertified virtual asset service provider, teams up with inPadalaPawnshopTambunting(TiwalaSaCo.Inc)asapartnerover-the-counteroutletsofferingcryptobuy-and-sellservices.Moneybeesactivatedcryptoexchangeservicesat10selectedTambuntingbranchesacrossMetroManilaofthemorethan1,200Tambuntingbranchesnationwide.SigningthepartnershipagreementareTambuntingdirectorandcorporatesecretaryRamonTambunting(left)andMoneybeeschairmanJayRickyVillarante.

By Julito G. Rada

LAND Bank of the Philippines is offering the 28th tranche of the retail treasury bonds, or RTB-28, of the Bureau of the Treasury from Aug. 23 to Sept. 2 to raise funds for the government and promote financial inclusion and literacy. This is the government’s first offering under the administration of President Ferdi nand Marcos Jr. Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Na tional Treasurer Rosalia de Leon and Land Bank president and chief executive Cecilia Borromeo led the virtual launch of the latest retail bond offer at the Ayuntamiento Build ing in Manila on Tuesday. “This issuance serves as an important component of the national government’s fundraising efforts to finance our develop ment programs aimed at building a sustain able, inclusive, and broad-based economy,” Diokno“[T]hesesaid.relatively higher yielding gov ernment securities strengthen financial in clusion and encourage broader participation in the capital market,” Diokno said.

LandBank launches retail treasury bonds

Benguet Corp.’s net income grew 83% to P553m in 2nd  quarter

BPI CENTER.BAYANIHAN Bank of the Philippine Islands and responsibilitysocialarm BPI Foundation Inc. turn over the first BPI Bayanihan Center to Batangas province in Barangay Malainin in the municipality of Ibaan. In partnership with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation’s Project Safe Shelters, the 528-square-meter, two-story center is a disaster-resilient structure for the residents of Batangas. Attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony are (from left) PDRF executive director Veronica Gabaldon, BPI Foundation executive director Owen Cammayo, BPI president and chief executive Jose Teodoro Limcaoco, Batangas Governor presidentMandanasHermilandoandPDRFReneMeily, along with other representatives of different organizations.

By Darwin G. Amojelar A PROPERTY developer controlled by con struction firm F.F. Cruz & Company Inc. asked the Makati City regional trial court to reverse its ruling that allowed the Gatchalian family’s Waterfront Manila Premier Devel opment Corp., the Philippine Reclamation Authority and the City of Manila to reclaim 318 hectares on Manila Bay.

BENGUET Corp. said Tuesday consoli dated net income jumped 83 percent in the second quarter to P553 million from P303 million a year ago on higher nickel ore exports. The mining company said the profit brought total net income in the first half to P974 million, up from P821 million it booked in the same period last year. “The increase is mainly attributable to boost in consolidated revenues posted at P1.5 billion for the second quarter and P2.70 billion for the first semester of 2022, which are substantially higher this year compared to last year’s figures of P1 billion and P2.3 billion for the same peri ods respectively,” it said. “These numbers were achieved from higher nickel ore exports coupled with rise in metal prices and favorable foreign exchange,” the company said. Benguet Corp. said all operating units reported profits this year. Its gold proj ect posted 10-percent growth in revenue, nickel project generated 20 percent, while the Irisan lime project provided a 29-per cent revenue growth. Nickel subsidiary Benguetcorp Resources Management Corp., formerly Benguetcorp Nickel Mines Inc., received several awards and recognitions from the Mines and Geo sciences Bureau Region 3 in April.

BDO Unibank Inc., the country’s largest lender led by the Sy Group, said Tuesday it provided financial support to critical water infrastructure projects of San Miguel Corp.’s Lu zon Clean Water Development Corp. in Bulacan and the Razon Group’s Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project in Metro Manila. Luzon Clean Water Development Corp., a concessionaire of Metropoli tan Waterworks and Sewerage System, was tasked to provide water services to the province of Bulacan through the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply Project, a public-private partnership project of the nationalLCWDCgovernment.helpsaddress the issues encountered by the water districts of Bulacan such as inadequate source of water supply, low water pressure due to limited distribution systems and saline water intrusion into the groundwater. It helps improve the quality of life of Bulacan residents by supplying steady and clean water and continuously expanding its service areaBBWSPcoverage.isa water treatment plant and pipeline conveyance facility with three stages aimed to address the growing demand for environmentally sustainable and equitably priced po table water in Bulacan.

By Alena Mae S. Flores

SMC issues notices to end 2019 Meralco supply deals

Julito G. Rada Meralco adopts supplier scorecard MANILA Electric Company took its com mitment to embed sustainability in its op erations to a higher level with the adoption of a sustainability scorecard covering the company’s entire value chain. The Meralco Supplier Sustainability Scorecard was established as a tool to as sess suppliers and contractors on key envi ronmental, social and governance criteria, while using the United Nations’ Sustain able Development Goals and the Global Reporting Initiative standards as guiding principles.MS3provides Meralco a comprehensive view of its business partners’ ESG perfor mance and is now incorporated in the com pany’s vendor accreditation process. Through this program, Meralco is better positioned to heighten and operationalize its sustainability agenda―called Powering the Good Life―by ensuring a sustainable sup plyMeralco,chain. through its Supply Chain Man agement office, maintains a network of ac tive suppliers and contractors integral to the company’s ability to deliver high quality and reliable electric service to its customers. SCM has so far implemented MS3 to its top suppliers, which account for 95 percent of the company’s spend.

URC joins alcoholic beverage industry FOOD manufacturer Universal Robina Corp. ventured into the P252-billion alco holic beverage market in the country with the launch of new spiked spirit products. URC said in a statement Tuesday the company would expand into the spiked spir it category with a new product called “Chill Spiked Spirit” that is set to disrupt the local alcoholic beverage market. The alcoholic beverage contains 5-per cent double distilled alcohol, real fruit ex tract and soda water.

Property developer appeals Makati court decision approving 318-hectare Manila Bay reclamation project

BDO also provided the required financing to the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project of Wawa JVCo, a subsidiary of Prime Infra, the Razon Group’s infrastructure arm. Wawa Bulk Water Supply Proj ect is one of the important measures of the government to help solve the water crisis in Metro Manila and the province of Rizal. It is also designed to address flooding problems in downstream communities caused by typhoons and protect the eastern part of Metro Manila and lower areas in Rizal, Marikina and Pasig.

TAMBUNTING-MONEYBEESTIEUP.

BDO funded the bulk of BBWSP and helped extend the long-term loan facility that was used to finance the construction of the first and second stage of the project, which covered the treatment and delivery of bulk water to 13 local government units in Bulacan.

“When we conducted the first local clinical study on vapor products, HA RAP already found that they produce less heavy metals like lead and cadmium than cigarettes. HARAP has also partici pated in various international fora, where the consensus is that these smoke-free alternatives are better than combusted cigarettes,” said Dr. Ronald P. Cabral, coconvenor of HARAP. HARAP, which has medical profes sionals and researchers as members, is among the first groups in the Philippines to conduct a scientific study on vapor ized nicotine products and their impact on health of consumers. The scientific group described the recently-enacted Vape Law as a major anti-smoking regulation that will provide Filipino smokers access to regulated less harmful alternatives.

“Chill Spiked Spirit will offer a refresh ing, laid back drinking experience, with just the right kick, minus the heavy feeling,” said URC chief marketing officer Mian David. Chill Spiked Spirit will be available in 330ml cans at a suggested retail price of P51 each. It will come in red apple, lemon lime and lychee. URC said spiked spirits, hard seltzers and other similar beverages were disrupting the global beer category and now account for six-percent share of the alcoholic beverages market in the United States.

SMCGP president Ramon Ang said SPPC and SMEC already issued the notices to terminate the power supply agreements to Meralco, citing unex pected and unprecedented “change in circumstance,” including sky-rocketing global fuel prices brought by multiple factors such as the Iukraine war. “With much regret, we have to admit to the public that the current situation is seriously jeopardizing our other criti cal operations, projects and financial obligations. We are only seeking partial adjustment in price so we can continue supplying to Meralco and minimize the impact of termination on industries and consumers, particularly those from the lower-income households who will get hit harder,” said Ang. Ang said the the door is open for further discussions with relevant gov ernment agencies and will work with Meralco to ensure supply through Oc tober when the termination takes effect.

San Miguel said the termination would be effective on Oct. 4 unless the Energy Regulatory Commission grant ed the appeal of South Premiere Power Corp. and San Miguel Energy Corp. for a temporary relief. SPPC and San Miguel Energy are the administrators of the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan natural gas and 1,200-MW Sual coal-fired power plants.

dela Cruz, Assistant Editor extrastory2000@gmail.combusiness@manilastandard.net B4 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 PSE INDEX CLOSING Tuesday, August 23, 2022 -86.036,618.38PTS. F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2022 Currency Unit US Dollar Peso United States Dollar 1.000000 56.1070 Japan Yen 0.007274 0.4081 UK Pound 1.176900 66.0323 Hong Kong Dollar 0.127449 7.1508 Switzerland Franc 1.037560 58.2144 Canada Dollar 0.766225 42.9906 Singapore Dollar 0.715666 40.1539 Australia Dollar 0.687600 38.5792 Bahrain Dinar 2.653153 148.8605 Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266297 14.9411 Brunei Dollar 0.713114 40.0107 Indonesia Rupiah 0.000067 0.0038 Thailand Baht 0.027697 1.5540 UAE Dirham 0.272279 15.2768 Euro Euro 0.994700 55.8096 Korea Won 0.000745 0.0418 China Yuan 0.146034 8.1935 India Rupee 0.012523 0.7026 Malaysia Ringgit 0.223065 12.5155 New Zealand Dollar 0.616900 34.6124 Taiwan Dollar 0.033185 1.8619 Source: BSP 71,916972,675,952 TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) 5,665,180,827.35 ADVANCES 37 DECLINES 151 UNCHANGED 40

A LOCAL clinical study conducted by a scientific research group showing that vapes are less harmful than combusted cigarettes solidified its support to Repub lic Act No. 11900. or the Vaporized Nico tine and Non-Nicotine Products Regula tionTheAct.Harm Reduction Alliance of the Philippines said it conducted the study to compare smoke-free products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products with conventional cigarettes that involve combustion.

IN BRIEF

BDO supportprovidesto2bigwaterprojects

First local clinical study encourages advocacy group to support vape law

The SMCGP subsidiaries filed their respective petitions for a temporary rate hike on the two power supply agree ments with Meralco, which would translate into an increase of P0.30 per kilowatt-hour over six months.

Asian Seas Resources and Construction Development Corp., in a 24-page motion for reconsideration filed on Aug. 22 before the Makati RTC Branch 139, asked the court to reconsider its Aug. 4 order setting aside its April 25, 2022 ruling that voided the P34.3billion joint venture of Waterfront Manila, PRA and City of Manila. Makati RTC Judge Rommel Baybay said in an Aug. 4 order the petitioner failed to “im plead” the Office of the President, which it said was an indispensable party, when it sued the joint venture parties and stakeholders PRA, the City of Manila and Waterfront Manila. “In the absence of the indispensable par ty in the instant case, the assailed decision should be vacated,” Baybay said in his rul ing. This was a reversal of the court’s April 25Thedecision.Makati court, in its April 25 decision, declared null and void the contract to re claim 318 hectares in Manila Bay for alleg edly not undergoing a competitive bidding process and NEDA Board evaluation and approval for encroaching in areas covered by another reclamation contract. ASSERCO filed a civil case against PRA, City of Manila and Waterfront because the awarded project to Waterfront overlapped the former’s project award issued in 1991 by“ThePRA.Honorable Court erred when it va cated and set aside the decision dated 25 April 2022 on the ground that the Office of the President is an indispensable party when the same has been resolved by the Honor able Court in its order dated 17 February 2022, which became final and binding to the parties,” ASSERCO said. “The issue whether the Office of the Pres ident is an indispensable party was already resolved by the Honorable Court in its order dated 17 February 2022,” ASSERCO, repre sented by the Bernas Law Offices, said in its 24-page motion for reconsideration.

Eñano, Editor Roderick

Ray S. T.

“The Harm Reduction Alliance of the Philippines applauds the passage of the new ‘anti-smoking’ Vape Law. This development affirms the sound and real science behind tobacco harm reduction (THR) which countries like the UK, Japan and New Zealand have accepted and implemented,” said Prof. Ron Christian Sison, lead convenor of HARAP.

SAN Miguel Corp. said Tuesday two subsidiaries of SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. issued notices of termination to Manila Electric Co. over their 2019 power supply agreements.

These include the highest average tene ment, safety and health, environment and social development score for the metal lic category in Region 3; best recorded improvement on its mine operations and rehabilitation; and safety award for attain ing 2 million man hours worked without any lost time accident until the end of CY 2021. ILP was awarded runner-up under the safest mineral processing-calcining plant category by the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association and DENRMGB during the 67th Annual National Mine Safety and Environmental Confer ence in 2021.

Business

Jenniffer B. Austria

Wael Arakji Scouts don’t have an idea on the strength of Team Philippines, which is sending practically a new team of pros from the PBA and Asian leagues. The Cedars, who have 3-1 win-loss record in Group E, will be taking on a team assembled by Chot Reyes barely days before the tournament. Gilas, also bannered by Japan B.League veterans Bobby Ray Parks, the Ravena brothers Kiefer and Thirdy and NBA prospect, 7’2” Kai Sotto, have a 2-2 slate in third place.

Taiwanese players celebrate their win against Australia in the AVC Cup for Women Tuesday at the Arena.Philsports

vs Marinerong

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022

Clarkson-Arakji battle high point of PH-Lebanon clash

IT’S not just JuneMar Fajardo that the TNT Tropang Giga need to stop in Game 2 of the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup best-ofseven finals series. The Tropang Giga will need to look out also forFajardo’s other teammates, who are expected to step up in Game 2 following an SMB loss in the firstCoachgame.Chot Reyes said this before he headed for Lebanon as the Tropang Giga gun for a 2-0 lead and get ready to again meet the Beermen, who will be seeking to equalize the series at 5:45 p.m. today at the Araneta Coliseum. “I think we did a good job in limiting the other (team). We knew JuneMar was going to get limited with the attention we put on him in defense. Hopefully, we can shut down the others as well,” said Reyes, who has left the coaching chores in Game 2 to assistant coaches Sandy Arespacochaga and YuriReyesEscueta.is also coaching the Gilas Pilipinas national team in a FIBA tournament against Lebanon and Saudi Arabia for the week. The Tropang Giga have the momentum after winning Game 1 on a buzzerbeater by Jayson Castro, 86-84.InGame 2, the Beermen’s other shooters in CJ Perez, Jericho Cruz, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Ross, Mo Tautuaa and Vic Manuel are expected to pick up the slack anytime the 6’10” Fajardo struggles underneath. Perez is the Beermen’s next go-to guy with his averages of 17.45 points and 7.64 Tropangrebounds.Giga’s offense will fall mainly in the hands of Mikey Williams, who norms 21.67 points and 5.17 boards per game. Peter Atencio

o

MARINERONG Pilipino tries to do something it has never done before—close out a championshipOnseries.thecusp of the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup crown, the Skippers put all of their chips on the table when they go for the jugular against EcoOil-La Salle in Game 2 of the best-of-three Finals on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. Falling short in the past, Marinerong Pilipino believes that this is certainly its time with MVP frontrunner Juan Gomez de Liano, veteran Jollo Go, and a scrappy Mapua core backing it up in its 12 noon game. “Ito naman talaga ‘yung goal namin. Umabot na kami sa part na ito in the past and ‘yung mga players, gutom lahat ‘yan na kunin na itong laro para makuha na namin ‘yung unang championship para sa Marinero,” said coach Yong Garcia, drawing inspiration from the Skippers’ bridesmaid finish in the 2019 Foundation Cup, where it bowed in five hard-fought games against BRT Sumisip-St. Clare. It also helps that Gomez de Liano is also hungry for glory as he eyes his first ring after falling short in his time with University of the Philippines. “Ever since Marinero joined, they’ve never won the championship. I believe this is our perfect chance to finally give them one and we’ll start from there and build history together,” he said after emerging as the hero of the Skippers’ 72-67 Game 1 victory. But the Green Archers are intent on spoiling that impending coronation with coach Derick Pumaren expecting a big bounce back from his wards. “We understand the importance of this game and the challenge is already there for the players. We can’t let ourselves fall behind early and just play catch-up. We have to be at our A-game from the very start,” said the veteran mentor, himself driven to claim glory in the developmental league after previously coaching Centro Escolar University to a runner-up finish in the 2019 Aspirants’ Cup. For that to happen, though, main cogs in Michael Phillips, Kevin Quiambao, and Schonny Winston must find their groove early or face the prospects of getting swept.

TOP contender Tang Kai believes that he can hoist the ONE Feaatherweight World Title from reigning divisional king Thanh Le, and he plans to do so in impressive fashion. The Chinese heavy hitter goes head-to-head with the Vietnamese-American knockout artist in the comain event of ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II on Friday, August 26, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in a match that many expect not to last long. Tang believes that between the two of them, it’s Le who hasn’t been tested. That’s something he plans to change when they square off in the middle of the Circle.

The final list of players who will make the composition of the two teams will be revealed on Wednesday. It was Arakji’s leadership which pushed the two-time defending champion Lebanon to the 2022 finals of the Asia Cup against against eventual champion Australia. In that game, the 6’4” Arakji led with 28Inpoints.theongoing Asian Qualifiers, Arakji has normed an average of 15.5 points. CHINESE TAIPEI rallied from a 1-2 set deficit to beat Australia, 2325, 25-22, 27-25, 25-21, 15-6, in the AVC Cup for Women Tuesday at the Philsports Arena. Kan Ko-Hui showed the way with 16 points, while Chang Li-Wen added 15 points for the Taiwanese, who rose to 1-1 in Pool B. Despite recording six aces, Chang admitted that they were struggling in the service area, allowing the Australians to capture the first and third set. “I think in the first set, our service was not very strong, they had good reception,” said Chang after the twohour, 47-minute contest. “After we got our target, our service became stronger. Maybe, in the fourth set and in the fifth set, it was better.” Chinese Taipei will wrap up its preliminary round stint against Thailand at 4 p.m. Wednesday, with the No. 2 ranking in Pool B at stake. The Thais also sport a 1-1 record. Chang knows that like Japan, which is leading Pool B with a 2-0 slate, Thailand also has fast plays. “I think Thailand and Japan, they have similar team styles,” said Chang, emphasizing the need for her squad to have good timing to counter their opponent’sCaitlinplay.Tipping came through with 27 points, including a combined 16 in the Volleyroos’ first and third set wins, while Rebecca Redgen and Stefanie Weiler chipped in 11 and 10 points,Australiarespectively.had18 blocks, with Tipping and Weiler each accounting for five.“They are too tall, we want good defense but it was not easy and the tempo was not very fast,” said Chang. The Volleyroos, who will take on the Japanese at 1 p.m. on Thursday, fell to 0-2.

By Peter Atencio F ANS are anticipating a battle royale between Jordan Clarkson of Gilas Pilipinas and the Lebanon Cedars’ Wael Arakji when the two teams clash in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers’ fourth window on Thursday at the Stade Nouhad Naufal at Zouk Mikael in the Keserwan District in Lebanon.

When the Cedars took the runnerup honors in the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup, Arakji emerged as the tournament’s MVP and top scorer with his average of 26.0 points per game. Clarkson, who plays professionally for the Utah Jazz in the NBA, and Arakji are among the top players expected to shine in the fourth window, along with Japan’s Yudai Baba, Australia’s Luke Travers and New Zealand’s Isaac Fotu. The Philippines has already qualified for the World Cup as co-hosts, but they are still trying to make an impression of how good the team can be, not only in their clash with the Cedars, but in their home game with Saudi Arabia onClarkson’sMonday. name was included in a pool of 13 players forwarded by the Philippine side to FIBA, the world’ governing body for basketball, before the team left for Beirut on Monday. Once named Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA, the 6’4” Clarkson will be on his second tour of duty for the Philippine national team, having played already for Gilas in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.

Tang Kai goes on Thanh Le:

It will have to be another team e ort for TNT Tropang Giga to contain SMB’s JuneMar Fajardo when the two squads clash in Game 2 of the Philippine Cup nals.

forAustraliasurprisesTaiwan1stwin

Marinerong Pilipino shoots for 1st crown

TNT guns for 2-0 lead; SMB seeks equalizer Salle Pilipino

Game 2 Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 12 noon - EcoOil-La

“I think Thanh Le’s weakness is that he doesn’t fight. He was not hit in ONE Championship before, but when I meet him, I just have to punch him, and he will be defeated,” Tang told ONEFC.com. “My reading [of the fight] and skills are better than his. I am better at seizing opportunities. I don’t think this game will go to a decision. I think I’ll KO him. Thanh Le, you’re old. It’s time to retire. I’ll be the new king of the featherweight division.”Asidefrom that, the 26-year-old Sunkin International Fight Club representative believes he has one main advantage over the dominant champion – youth.While he’s ten years younger than Le, Tang has actually fought more than the reigning World Champion. So, experience won’t be an issue for him. He believes that while Le is still physically capable, there are other factors that may play into the“Hefight.is now approaching the end of his career. I think he’s 36 or 37 years old now, and he has a family and kids. I don’t think he will focus on the game and training. But I am still very young. I am 100 percent committed,” he continued.

You’re old! C1

Jordan Clarkson

AFP

Brady returns to training after 11-day break

Pasig turns back Manila; Zambo, San Juan win Carlo Lastimosa delivers for the Pasig Realtors.

PASIG bested Manila, 75-70, on Monday to wheel back in the race for quarterfinal slots in the OKbet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season at the renovated San Andres Sports Complex. Keeping their poise in the wake of the Manila Stars’ final rally, the Pasig Realtors scored the game’s final four points to tally their seventh victory against five losses in the single roundrobin elimination phase of the 22-team tournament.JasonMelano shone for Pasig with 21 points and 10 rebounds and so did Robbie Manalang and Carlo Lastimosa with 14 and 5 and 14 and 4, respectively. Rey Anthony Peralta chipped in 11 points while Jason Ballesteros collared 10 rebounds for theManilaRealtors.clustered seven points, four by Ronnie Matias, to threaten at 70-71, with 3 minutes and 3 seconds left, but failed to score the rest of the game and suffered their ninth defeat in 15 starts.

Y

Marvin Lee scored 15 points for Manila, followed by Joaquin Mariano with 12, Dan Sara with 11 and Matias with 9 plus 13 rebounds and 7 assists. Earlier games saw Zamboanga and San Juan dump their rivals.

Southern California Academy welcomes Filipino into cage program Olivia “Bong” Coo EAR 2023 is a busy year for the sports community as the world catches up after the lockdowns. Philippine Sports Commission backs our national team in nine major competitions across the globe next year.

THIS August, the Southern California Academy welcomes Nathan Tan, their first Filipino athlete, into their elite basketball program. SCA is a prestigious sports preparatory academy located in Southern California in the United States offering both academics and elite sports programs. SCA’s basketball program has been ranked no.1 numerous times in the whole state of California and in the top 5 in the whole of the United States. Southern California Academy is led by no less than the best coaches in the US with head coach Chris Chaney, who has produced 19 NBA players and over 70 international pros, with 150+ NCAA Division1 players, 850+ career wins, multiple National Championships and National Coach of the year awards to his name. Last year, Tan played his senior year in high school for Scotland Campus in Pennsylvania, a prestigious sports school in the East-Coast of the US. Scotland Campus PA is nationally ranked in the top-10 best sports preparatory schools in the whole of the US. NBA prospects Dior Johnson, a four-star recruit and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, a five-star recruit are products of SCA and Scotland CampusAndrespectively.forahome-grown Filipino athlete like Tan, being part of the same elite sports program under the best coaches in the US who has produced superstars is nothing short of an honor. Tan tells us how proud he is to showcase Filipino talent in the most competitive sports communities with the best athletes in the US, “I wanna show them the level of game Filipinos have in basketball and how competitive we are in this Whilesport.”Tan is now counted among prospect rising stars in US collegiate sports, Tan still recalls falling in love with basketball at an early age of 4. He started like any regular kid, attending basketball clinics at a young age and playing street basketball at local pick-up games. This is where a coach took notice of his talent and invited him to try out for the San Beda Taytay Grade School team. Tan led the San Beda Red Cubs to multiple championships and was captain ball at Palarong Pambansa representing the CALABRAZON region, then got recruited to play for La Salle Greenhills. Going through high school in the Philippines, Tan had always been an underrated athlete. In spite of this he persevered; until one day an international scout took notice of Nathan’s talent and had recommended him for a US school where Nathan was accepted and offered a scholarship to play basketball. And the rest was history. In this very competitive sport of basketball, the journey is never an easy one, Tan gets his encouragement from people who have been with him from the beginning. Coach Chris Gavina, Head coach of PBA franchise Rain or Shine, has been Tan’s personal trainer and is instrumental in Nathan’s growth in the sport, “I believe I trained Nate for the first time when he was 12 years old. On our first session I immediately recognized his willingness to allow me to take him outside of his comfort zone” Coach Chris shares. “Nathan has an insatiable desire to prove his doubters wrong!” Gavina adds. Now his career milestones, playing in the US, are just the beginning of his journey. “It doesn’t matter if no one else believes in your dream, it’s enough that you believe in yourself and work hard. My goal is to be in the NBA, and I’m sure soon I will get there.”

The PSC proposed the highest budget portion of P250 million for the country’s participation in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from May 2 to 16, 2023. The sports agency hopes that our national athletes will surpass the previous fourth-place finish in the biggest biennial multisport event in the “Weregion.arehoping that the proposed budget will be approved by our country’s leaders. As a former athlete, the unwavering support of the government along with the full backing of the Filipino people are vital for our success,” said PSC Commissioner and Officer-inCharge Bong Coo. Budget for participation in the ASEAN Para Games and Asian Para Games and two world-level competitions of FIBA and FIFA are still being finalized as of this writing. The 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China slated September 23 to October 8, gets a P100 million budget. During the 18th edition in JakartaPalembang, Indonesia in 2018, Team Philippines won 4 gold, 2 silver, and 15 bronze medals. The country is also eyeing to send the national athletes to the 4th World Combat Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from October 5 to 14, 2023, with P72-million proposed budget, followed by the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Bangkok-Chonburi, Thailand slated November 17 to 26 with P67 million and in the 2nd World Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia from August 5 to 17, with a proposed fund of P56 million. The PSC also believes that our para-athletes will continue their success and even up their game as they see action at the 12th ASEAN Para Games from June 3 to 9 in Cambodia and Hangzhou Asian Para Games from October 22 to 28, next year. Coo, the PSC’s present Officer in charge said that they are “happy and proud that our Filipino athletes have reached this level and are up against the best teams in the world and we support them in any way we can.”

“Just getting used to the heat and getting used to the guys, but he ran the offense well. Anytime you have all your guys back you feel good, you know, especially after the injury bug has hit lately. We’re happy to have him back.” Brady is returning for his 23rd NFL season after deciding to extend his career several weeks after announcing his retirement from the sport in March. The Bucs open their NFL regular season against the Dallas Cowboys on September 11. Brady’s team-mates said they no doubt the veteran would make a smooth return to training after his absence.“Whatever time they said that he was going to be out I knew whenever it was his time to come back he was going to come back,” linebacker Lavonte David said. “Tom is a competitor, he’s a team guy, and there was no doubt in our minds at all that he was going to be back on time.”

The PSC proposed a total budget of over P546 million to the Department of Budget and Management for 5 of these 9 sporting events to provide for the needs of the national athletes and send them to the upcoming international multisport tournaments next year.

MIAMI—Tom Brady returned to training with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday after a mysterious 11-day absence from the team’s pre-season preparations. The NFL superstar had not practiced with the Bucs since August 11, taking a break from camp that had been agreed with the team management in Buccaneersadvance.coach Todd Bowles said Monday the 45-year-old seventime Super Bowl champion had little difficulty slotting back into the team’s training regime. “He’s very familiar with the offense, so him coming back in and us getting back to work is kind of normal,” Bowles told the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ website.

Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines demolished Laguna Krah Asia, 81-46, while San Juan subdued Marikina,Powered81-67.byJaycee Marcelino’s 12 points, Manuel Mosqueda’s 12 points and Ralph Tansingco’s 10, Zamboanga climbed to 10-3 and pulled down Marikina to 3-10. San Juan Go For Gold banked on the 22-point explosion of Judel Fuentes and the 14-point contribution of Orlan Wamar to claim its 8th win in 14 starts and relegate Marikina to MPBL3-10.CEO and founder Manny Pacquiao watched the games, shot some triples and threw away Molten balls to the crowd. The league returns to the Batangas City Coliseum on Tuesday with another triple-bill featuring the Batangas City Embassy Chill-Sarangani Marlins encounter at 9 p.m. Other games pit Rizal against Makati at 5 p.m. and Nueva Ecija against Muntinlupa at 7 p.m.

SportsWEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022C2 courtKyrgios’casesetforOctober

PSC proposes P546m budget for ‘23 for 9 major int’l events

CANBERRA—Australian tennis ace Nick Kyrgios will face court on alleged assault charges in October, after a Canberra magistrate rejected his appeal for a monthslong delay Kyrgios,Tuesday.27,didnot appear for the initial hearing, and details of the charge have not yet been disclosed.During brief proceedings, his lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith indicated he would seek to have the case heard on November 25. Mr Kukulies-Smith did not outline details of the application, citing the presence in court of a “large contingent of media.” He said the world number 26 Kyrgios, who reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last month and is due to play at the US Open in New York starting on Monday, spent little time in the Australian capital but there was a window at that time in MagistrateNovember. Louise Taylor said she was being asked to grant an extended adjournment of the case for unknown reasons. She instead remanded the case to October 4. AFP

Shown here are (from left) Chris Gavina, Nathan Tan and Rob Wainwright Nick Kyrgios

WHAT’S small, yellow, loves bananas, and promotes the rule of law? A Minion, at least according to an edited version of the latest animated film featuring supervillain Gru and his army of tiny sidekicks being screened in China. The fifth installment of the lucrative Despicable Me franchise, Minions: The Rise of Gru, premiered in China this month, several weeks after the film opened in United States cinemas.Butwhile the international version of the kung fu-filled family-friendly romp set in 1970s San Francisco tells the story of how the dastardly Gru cut his teeth as a tween criminal, filmgoers in China are treated to an alternative ending in which the good guys win. A series of subtitled still images inserted into the credits sequence on mainland Chinese screens reassures audiences that police catch Gru’s law-breaking mentor Wild Knuckles and lock him up for 20 years after a failed heist. International viewers simply see Knuckles give police the slip by faking his death earlier in the film’s concluding scenes, but in the Chinese version, he puts his con artist skills to positive use in prison, where he follows his “love of acting” and sets up a theatrical troupe. As for Gru, he “eventually became one of the good guys,” devoted to raising his family, the Chinese ending says.

‘Start-Up PH’ is Alden’s first time working on a Philippine adaptation of a foreign television series

Editorial Assistant

Nickie Taculao,

GET your regal groove on as Newport World Resorts hosts the royal affair Four Kings and a Queen concert, a worldclass musical extravaganza with the OPM royalties Hajji Alejandro Marco Sison Rey Valera, and Nonoy Zuñiga together with Pops Fernandez Fresh from performing their sold-out shows in the United States, they are set to conquer the award-winning stage of Newport Performing Theater Arts this August 26 and 27, 8:00 p.m. As homage to their glory days, they will relive one hit after another through a variety of thrilling solos, duo, and group performances. Among the veteran OPM hitmakers well-loved tracks are Alejandro’s “Nakakapagtataka” and “Tag-Araw”, Sison’s “Make Believe” and “I’ll Face Tomorrow”, Valera’s “Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo” and “Maging Sino Ka Man”, and Zuñiga’s “Never Ever Say Goodbye” and Kumusta Ka?” The gentlemen icons will give the audience a taste of their chemistry and talent. This time, in collaboration with fellow OPM superstar and special guest Fernandez who is famous for her songs “Dito,” and “Don’t Say Goodbye.” Fans here at home can expect thrilling live entertainment full of nostalgic music and laughter as these five legendary musicians sing their hearts onstage and take a trip down memory lane. “Given a time window, we manage to squeeze in everything. So, we choose the best songs for our repertoire. The ones that we did in the US, we will stage that at Newport,” said Pops alluding to the repertoire of their sold-out concert tour held in the US. Tickets are now available at all TicketWorld and SM Tickets outlets: P7,000 (PLATINUM) P6,000 (SVIP), P5,000 (VIP), P4,000 (GOLD), P2,500 (SILVER), and P1,000 (BRONZE). For inquiries, contact the Newport World Resorts National Sales Team via Archli Enriquez at 0917 823 9602, Kenneth Navoa at 0917 807 9387, and Jefferson Federizo 0917 658 9378, or call Ticketworld (02) 8891-9999, or SM Tickets (02) 8470-2222. Escape the ordinary at Newport World Resorts, you know you want to. For more information on the latest entertainment thrills NWR has to offer, visit www.newportworldresorts.com and follow @newportworldresorts on Facebook and Instagram, and @ nwresorts on Twitter.

It is not the first time a popular foreign film has been altered for cinemas in China, where the entertainment industry faces some of the world’s strictest censorship rules and is tasked with promoting “healthy” values.

Bad guys turn good in China ‘Minions’ movie ending

Watch your favorite shows and win cash prizes Four Kings and a Queen conquer Newport World Resorts The OPM royalties

the Four Kings and a Queen concert‘ReturnParadise’tois one of the AfternoonwatchviewersshowscanonGMAPrime Alden RichARds shares excitement for ‘Start-Up’ adaptation

(akaartistAldenRichardsasTristanGoodBoy)in‘Start-UpPH’

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 C3 E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com

David Fincher’s 1999 cult classic Fight Club starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton was given similar treatment when Chinese streaming platform Tencent Video in January uploaded a version where police shut down the protagonist’s plan to bring down modern civilization. And the highly anticipated return of US sitcom Friends to Chinese streaming platforms in February prompted fury among fans after viewers noticed an LGBTQ plotline was cut.

AFP

The series follows a group of young entrepreneurs trying to build their successful careers while balancing work life and romantic relationship. It will see Alden starring alongside Bea Alonzo Start-Up PH is Bea’s first project as a Kapuso artist. It’s also the first time she and Alden have collaborated on television a project. His first role in an adaptation In an online press conference, Alden shared how he immediately agreed to do Start-Up PH, his first time working on a Philippine adaptation of a foreign television series. Talagang tinanggap ko po siya kasi Start-Up was a very successful series sa Korea and now na nabigyan tayo ng opportunity to do an adaptation sa series na ‘to is a great opportunity. And of course, parang we also want to show everyone kung ano naman yung take ng mga Pinoy sa series na galing sa Korea,” Alden said. Alden also said that the role of Tristan, based on Kim Seon-ho’s character in the South Korean original, Han Ji-pyeong, was something new to him as he usually plays characters that are oppressed but diligent in achieving their goals.

Yung mga roles ko before, even yung last ko with The World Between Us nagsimula kasi ako as yung kawawang-kawawa, yung laging nagpupursige, tapos yung laging inaapi sa simula. As opposed to ngayon, simula palang, masungit na,” Alden stated.

Wang, Editor Patricia

A behind-the-scenes look at the set of ‘Start-Up PH’ with (from left) Bea Alonzo, Alden Richards, and director Jerry Lopez Sineneng ‘Start-Up PH’ is also Bea’s (right) first project as a Kapuso

A scene from ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’

Working with two directors Alden has also shared his experience working with the series’ two directors, Jerry Sineneng and Dominic Zapata. He said he didn’t take the challenge of having two directors on set as hard but rather as “two great minds bringing input into the series.” “Ang galing kasi parang alignment naman po yung dalawang directors natin and, of course, they both have one goal in mind to really make that show work and beautiful. So, first time ko rin po to have worked with two directors in one project, and nakakatuwa nga po kasi very collaborative po pareho. Actually, lahat po kami na nasa Start-Up series, Start-Up Philippines rather, so talagang ang daming bago dito sa series na ‘to na ginagawa ko, sobrang happy ako sa experiences kasi as I go along, with different shows that I make, different projects that I make po meron talagang takeaway, may lessons learned. Good or bad man yan, lessons pa rin yan so mas nagiging buo po ako he said. Start-Up PH Alden and Bea work with well-known and up-andcoming actors such as Jeric Gonzales Kurdi, Royce QuizonCabrera his experience working with actors instead of celebrities, Alden shared that he enjoys working with people with the same passion for acting as he does.“What I really appreciate with the whole cast, even all the staff and crew, even the directors and the writers, is yung vision. The alignments and inputs namin kung paano pa namin sya mapapaganda kasi we’re not really limited to the script,” he “Everyonesaid. is so into smallcharacters,theirnoroles, talagang input kung input kasi all know UpStart-ponamanna veryis technical when it comes to terminologies and jargons. Pero, alam na alam mo when pag nasa set kami, alam mong aral lahat. Alam mong inaral nilang lahat ang dapat nilang gawin, so ang sarap lang sa pakiramdam na I get to work with these people who has the same passion as me, with my job, with my work, and sa pagiging aktor Align kaming lahat kaya ang sarap pumunta sa set,” Alden carried on. On Wednesday, August 17, GMA gave fans a glimpse of the remake ahead of its release. The 30-second clip introduces Bea’s character Dani and Alden’s character Tristan, and it also includes a scene in which Dani breaks her heel and falls, but Tristan catches her just in time. Filming for Start-Up PH started on April 22 and will premiere on GMA Network this September. who make up

It is unclear if the ‘Minions’ ending was altered due to censors’ demands or if producers considered it a more palatable conclusion for the Chinese market. Universal did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

By Marron Joshua F. Mendoza and Louise Gallardo A LDEN Richards , the star of the upcoming GMA drama series Start-Up PH , has been vocal about taking the role of Tristan Hernandez in the Philippine adaptation of the hit 2020 South Korean drama series Start-Up

WATCHING Kapuso dramas in the afternoon has become even more exciting as viewers can now win cash prizes via “GMA Afternoon Prime Papremyo” On August 15, viewers started to get a chance to win P5,000 up to P50,000, while enjoying the latest episodes of GMA Afternoon Prime series Apoy sa Langit Return to Paradise, and The Fake Life, which air from Monday to Friday, 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., respectively. To participate, viewers must simply tune in to the GMAAfternoon Prime block. Wait for the signal and the photo of the day’s featured character from one of the Afternoon Prime shows that After identifying the character, participants must register their complete name, address, email, and mobile number; and submit the answer in the entry on the GMA Network website ( AfternoonPrimePapremyowww.GMAnetwork.com/ ). Each participant can submit as many entries as they Submissionwant. of entries for the day will be automatically closed when the GMA Afternoon Prime block ends at 5:00 p.m. All entries are qualified for the electronic raffle held every Saturday. There will be weekly raffle draws on August 27, September 3, and 10. Each week, five lucky viewers will win P5,000, while one lucky Kapuso will receive P50,000 in the grand draw on After each draw, verified winners will be announced on the GMA Afternoon Prime block, GMA website www.gmanetwork.com), and on GMA Network and GMA Drama’s official www.facebook.com/www.facebook.com/ ). The announcement of winners is posted every Monday. GMA Afternoon Prime Papremyo runs until September 9. For the full com/afternoonprimepapremyowww.gmanetwork.

The legacy of Salvacion Lim ‘Slim’ Higgins

Pearl grey silk satin terno with mauve silk roses that features one single seam at the center back. Created for Edith Nakpil Rabat in 1956. Now in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London National Artist for Design Salvacion Lim drapingphotographedHigginsin1983,fabriconadress form in front of a mirror. It is said she often worked this way. Embroidered jusi terno created for first daughter Linda Garcia Campos in 1957. Photo by Neal Oshima Martin Bautista, and Michael Cinco SM and the Slim’s Fashion & Arts School have had many exciting collaborations over the years, notably in exhibitions of the works of graduating students which were held in premier SM Malls.

Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com

“Botong” Francisco never finished her studies due to the outbreak of WWII. In 1947 she opened the Slim’s atelier, and in 1960 founded Slim’s Fashion & Arts School with her sister Purificacion Lim today headed by Mark Higgins as Director. As the oldest fashion institution in the country, it has mentored tens of thousands of designers all over the Philippines. Alumni include fashion luminaries Oskar Peralta, Joe Salazar, Cesar Gaupo, Oliver Tolentino, Albert Andrada, Joey Samson, FROM the ashes, a new phoenix rises. That was how Ballet Manila Chief Executive Officer and creative director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde described the rise of the new Aliw Theater, the home of Ballet Manila for approximately 20Atyears.midnight on October 2, 2019, the Star City compound caught fire. Along with the amusement park and the Manila Broadcasting Company, Aliw Theater was also damaged in the blaze. On my way to work the following morning, I couldn’t help but think about what would happen to the ballet company after the unfortunate event. A month prior to the incident, I watched Snow White, the first production of the ballet company for its 24th season, and was looking forward to its next production, the classic Giselle As they say, you would know who your true friends are in a time of trouble. Friends of Ballet Manila rallied together to bring Giselle to life. The Cultural Center of the Philippines, a stone’s throw away, provided the venue, while the Manila Symphony Orchestra provided their service at a discounted rate and Ballet Philippines lent their backdrops. That was how Ballet Manila was able to stage their second ballet production for their On Pointe season. However, while the ballet company was in its process of rebirth, the pandemic happened, hindering any opportunity to perform live once more. The past two years have been a learning experience for the ballet company. While it went on a hiatus, the ballet company transferred its classes online and went on to develop an entirely new way of running its ballet school.They also developed its syllabus and created new classes to keep up with the changes of the time. They offered Dance With Me toddlers classes and Ballet For the New Young Senior Citizen classes, among many others. This year, Ballet Manila returns to its home and comes back with Rise!. Led by conductor and musical director Gerard Salonga, the opening show will have baritone Andrew Fernando as vocal coach. It will also feature a full orchestra, opera, and pop singers. The ballet company continues its holiday tradition with Holiday Cheer Series, featuring Christmas-themed ballets and the re-staging of Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s Cinderella For its 28th anniversary, the 25th performance season commences. Dubbed Of Hope and Homecoming it will open with Martin Lawrance’s Romeo and Juliet on February 18 to 19, 2023, followed by Don Quixote with guest artists from San Francisco Ballet on May 27 to 28, 2023, and culminating with Gerardo Francisco’s Ibong Adarna on August 19 to 20, 2023. Of course, all of these performances will happen at the completely upgraded facilities at Aliw Theater. “I feel very encouraged and happy that our home has been restored and that the theater complex is an even harder working venue that is capable of so much more,” shared Macuja-Elizalde. As the flagship facility within the Elizalde Complex, the newly-renovated Aliw Theater has three major venues - the main theater, the Elizalde Hall, and the Custom Space. With 1,275 seating capacity, the main theater has been modified to enhance the viewing experience with new top-of-theline lights and audio equipment, brand-new seats and carpets, including a huge LED screen. “The LED screen will be a huge help in putting up our old repertoire with less cost for production without compromising on the quality,” shared Macuja-Elizalde.Thetheateralso has a new smoke suction and fresh air system. “We were rebuilding during the lockdowns and this allowed us to put in features that will make the theater safer given the pandemic conditions.”

“In creating a garment, she would apply two elements to her process: Architecture and Sculpture. The architecture would surface in the building of the form - the scaffolding, construction, and engineering that would support this masterpiece. Always thinking in three dimensions, her final touch would be molding and manipulating the fabric onto the human formtransforming the wearer into an

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The new main theater of Aliw Theater

C4 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022

IN BISAYA, “Inday” is a term of endearment used to address young women. It also refers to young women, who people look at with fondness or find remarkable.Butyears of prejudice changed Filipino’s perception of the word and erased its lovely meaning. When nonBisayas hear or say Inday, they refer to the female househelp. Still, there’s no issue with calling them Inday. After all, helping around the house is a dignified occupation, and many people still depend on Reclaimingit. Inday for the better sounds like a monumental task, but the late contemporary artist Elsie ReyesCadapan set her sights on empowering every Inday in the Philippines. Her artworks almost always highlight women and their strengths and complexities. She uses the canvas to show their emotions, experiences, and achievements through colorful imagery and carefree brushstrokes, showing her creativity and passion as a woman and anAccordingartist. to her daughter, Magel Cadapan, the social realist signed her artworks as Inday in honor of Visayan women and as a redemption of the term. It’s been 18 years since Inday took to painting and sculpting to express her emotions and record her insights, yet her art continues to wasn’tsuccess.jealousboardwasfamily.fromexperiencedVisayanalsomotherly,putthemes.contrastsartthatinmarginalizedemphasizeFilipinasvarioussettings.ThevibrantcolorsfrequentInday’ssometimestheircentralAsMagelit,IndaywasbutshehadangstasawomanwhoprejudiceherpeersandMagel’sfatheranengineeringpasserwhofeltofInday’sButhespiteful.He was fiercely loyal to Inday, but toxic masculinity was dominant then as it is today, thus causing strain within the family.Her frustrations also translated directly to her art. Magel shared that her mother seldom painted men, but during some rare instances, Inday couldn’t paint one that met society’s beauty standards. Instead, she drew them according to her perception of them, allowing the brush to dictate her ideas of female oppression and women empowerment. Despite the emotion behind her pieces, Inday finds solace in art. Magel fondly recalls how her mother lived 13 years more from life expectancy after battling various ailments because she took up the brush.She added that having an artist for a mother also helped her become more analytic and appreciative of art. Magel recognizes her mother’s perspective through art pieces she just finished. For instance, she sees her expression in Inday’s art whenever they have a mother-daughter disagreement. Aside from painting, Inday also dabbled in sculpting. Since she couldn’t handle the equipment to shape the wood, she employed the services of a local woodworker to cut along the mahogany piece. She also valued the imperfections of the wood as it adds more character to the finished product. Inday doesn’t live on through her art alone. The stories her daughter tells to visitors of Cafe Inday and the influence she had on her keep her memory and message alive. Her timeless art also inspires Indays to fight oppression and celebrate their

The late artist signs her work as ‘Inday’ to reclaim the term as a way to empower marginalized Filipino women

The return of Ballet Manila Fred and Lisa Macuja-Elizalde at the re-opening of Aliw Theater

Nickie Taculao

MALLGOERS will have the rare opportunity to view the visionary work of National Artist Salvacion Lim “Slim” Higgins at the Upper Ground Level Atrium of SM Aura Premier from September 5 to 14. The exhibition, Salvacion Lim Higgins: National Artist for Design, celebrates the preeminent designer’s creative genius that has revolutionized – and continues to influence –Philippine“Observingfashion.herat work while I was growing up is what made me realize that Fashion is actually both an art and a craft. The art lies in the vision and the craft is in the application. The art, is in the dream - the craft, is in making it real,” says her son and artist Mark Lewis Higgins, who curates the show. “She would create these masterful confections of her imagination that would either defy gravity or succumb to Init.”June 2022, Slim was honored as a National Artist in the Design category. The Order of National Artists Award is the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts and letters. She is the only Filipino designer with gowns in the archives of both the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. and in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.Exhibition visitors can look forward to a stunning selection of dresses and photos from a career spanning more than four decades. These are exquisite gowns and ternos worn by the fashion icons of their time: Edith Nakpil Rabat, Chona Recto Kasten, Lily de las Alas Padilla, and Diana Jean Lopez in breathtaking black and white photographs. Higgins describes these as “dresses in marvelous states of suspended animation, or others where she manifested her organic, fluid draping of fabric cascading sinuously over the body.”

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Life

Ballet Manila presents Cinderella For its 25th season, Ballet Manila features classic and modern ballet

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By Patricia Taculao

Wang, Editor Joba Botana Associate Editor Patricia

The 370-square-meter Elizalde Hall has two meeting rooms that can be customized for business meetings, small conferences, and training events. Meanwhile, the 500-square meter Custom Space can support any artistic endeavors, from intimate performances and recitals to exhibits and social events. With the totally upgraded Aliw Theater and the reignited fervor of her dancers, Macuja-Elizalde affirms audiences can look forward to more enjoyable and memorable performances “We will continue to innovate in the area of non-traditional distribution of content and services. We have survived, and we continue to grow. I think that we are now stronger, wiser, and better. It can only look brighter from now on. The best is always yet to come.”

Salvacion Lim Higgins: National Artist for Design is one of the exciting fashion events at SM Aura Premier.

The exhibition, which also includes her timeless gowns and dresses, showcases Slim’s enduring signature style: intriguing silhouettes, groundbreaking design, and exquisite technique.