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Senate panel opens debate on Cha-cha
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"We requested P12 billion for [the] 2023 budget. However, it was not includ ed in the National Expenditure Program,” Pastor said during the hearing conducted by the House Committee on Transporta tionInThursday.aseparate statement, Budget Under secretary Goddes Libiran explained that the Service Contracting Program, more popularly known as Libreng Sakay, is a "non-recurring or one-time expen diture item."
THE Department of Transportation has asked lawmakers to fund its Libreng Sakay program for next year after its re quest for a P12 billion allocation was ex cluded in the proposed 2023 budget sub mitted to TransportationCongress. Undersecretary for Road Transportation Marke Steven Pas tor said the Libreng Sakay program is not included in the 2023 budget of the DOTr.
"It is not a regular pro gram. Hence, similar to previous years, no funds were allocated for it under the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP)," she said. Libiran said the ball is now effectively with Congress as it was also the one who introduced the item in the 2022 General Appropriations Act. "Hence, we will defer to the wisdom of our honorable lawmakers the decision on whether or not to allot appropriations for the said program. We shall likewise defer to the direction of the Department of Finance (DOF) as to policies concerning
AN infectious disease expert warned on Thursday that COVID-19 and monkeypox could hit a person at the sameDr.time.Rontgene Solante, head of the adult infectious diseases unit of San Lazaro Hospital, said it is not uncommon that a “dual infection” could happen.
SM Supermarket, Robinsons Supermarket, and Puregold all earlier committed to selling sugar at P70 per kilogram, amid the high prevailing prices at theThemarket.latest data from the Department of Agriculture (DA) show that prices of sugar in Metro Manila stand at P95
By Maricel V. Cruz and Darwin Amojelar
By Macon Ramos-Araneta T HE head of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Sen. Francis Tolentino, said the purchase of much expensive but outdated laptops worth P2.4 billion for the use of public school teachers in their online classes during the pan demic did not go through the proper channels.
DTI to release SRP of holiday items in October
SWEET AND SALTY. A worker arranges sugar packs priced at P70 per kilo -- a substantial markdown from a high of P110 per kilo -- at a supermarket along Judge Jimenez Street, Barangay Kamuning, Quezon City on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. In Cavite, a man rakes salt at a warehouse as the Trade Department approved a price hike for the seasoning. Robert Oswald Alfiler and AFP BACK RIMPAC.FROM BRP Antonio Luna docks at the Manila South Harbor Pier 15 during the arrival ceremony for the returning Naval Task Group (NTG) 80.0 on board the multi-mission capable frigate from their participation in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2022 in Hawaii. Norman Cruz
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
Higher-ups bypassed in pricey laptops deal
THE Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes on Thursday met for the first time to discuss possible amendments to the 1987 Constitution.Sen.Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla, who chairs the committee, kicked off the process by saying: "There is one truth that cannot be denied -- that we Filipinos must respond to the call to improve and enhance our Constitution if needed.”
At the start of the hearing yesterday, Tolentino observed irregularities in the approval as it did not go through “the higher-ups."Hesaidthe procurement was approved only by Education Undersecretary Alain
AS THE Christmas holidays are just around the corner, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Thursday it will release the suggested retail prices (SRP) of Noche Buena items by the end of October or early November. It also urged Filipinos to consider doing early Christmas shopping to avoid price hikes, as the season kicks off on September 1st or the start of the “Ber” months and lasts until January the following year. “We will soon release a Noche Buena By Vito Barcelo WITH the “Ber” months signaling the holidays approaching, prices of salt are going up while the prices of sugar are falling, the Department of Trade and Industry said Thursday DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said the agency approved an increase in the suggested retail prices of salt after prices of the commodity went unchanged for six years while denying there was a shortage of salt supplies in the country. In its bulletin, the Trade Department approved upward movements in prices of iodized rock salt to P21.75 for 500 grams and P23.00 for one kilogram. In terms of iodized salt, the suggested retail price for a 100-gram pack is set at P4.50; 250 grams ranging from P9.00 to P11.75; 500 grams ranging from P16.00 to P21.25; and one kilogram at P29.00. body worried over spate of violence vs. women, children
Blue
“They are most welcome to join us if they can sell white refined sugar at P70 per kilo, but the government does not provide benefits or assistance to the three retail chains mentioned,” she said.
Pascua and Director Abram Abanil, a member of the PS-DBM Special Bids and AwardsPascua,Committee.however, said he was not a signatory to the documents pertaining to the pricing of the laptops.
DOTr claims funds for extended free ride nixed
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“The fact that the person has COVID means his immune system is weakened in
By Rio N. Araja
FrancischairmanCommitteeRibbonSen.Tolentino PascuaUsec.DepEdAlain VOL. XXXVI • NO. 191 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
By Willie Casas
‘Ber months to usher in mixed retail prices for salt, sugar products
THE Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Thursday raised concern over an increase in abductions and incidents of gender-based violence perpetrated against women and children, even as the police said a recent spate of killings and kidnappings were mostly related to offshore gaming operators.
“The right to life is a natural right guaranteed to all individuals without distinction and goes beyond the rights to mere existence,” CHR executive director Jacqueline Ann de Guia said as she cited several cases of gender-based violence.These include: • Princess Dianne Dayor, an industrial engineer from Barangay Tikay, City of Malolos, who was found dead on July 5 after being reported missing on July 2.
‘Dual infection’ of COVIDmonkeypox,raised
“On the issue of supply, we have sufficient because we have a lot… We have three or four large companies that produce salt, and we also have imports,” Castelo told a public briefing. On sugar, Castelo said several small retailers have also expressed their intent to sell white refined sugar at P70 per kilogram, following commitments made by major supermarket chains.
A provision that could be changed is lessening the presidential term to four years with reelection, instead of the existing six years without reelection, Malaya“Somesaid.are saying elections are for accountability. If the president is not subject to an election, how can he be accountable to the people?” he said.
“The Comelec should not engage in that. They should just concentrate on the process and giving them a quasi-judicial function complicates the function of the Comelec,” Monsod said. He also proposed to Padilla to review a record of a September 2016 forum attended by 50 diplomats and experts.
‘Ber... From A1 per kilogram for refined sugar, P75 for washed sugar, and P70 for brown sugar as of August Castelo24.explained that the retail chains sell at lower prices as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, and the DTI only promotes them given the lower prices. “If they are okay with it, they can signify their intention so they can be included in the program, and we can also help promote them. The incentive is we promote their stores so the public can go and buy from them,” she said.
Senate... From A1 “As head of this committee, I accept the responsibilities given to me by my colleagues in the Senate and by the public. My mind will remain open to knowledge, opinions, and suggestions to improve our Constitution,” the former actor said. The discussion at the Senate centered on three points:
Former Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said there should be no debate as to whether there is a need to amend the 1987 Constitution. As head of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Constitutional Reforms, Malaya shared possible amendments to the Constitution in the same hearing, noting that he was also in favor of tandem voting.
"From January to July 2022, we have recorded 25 incidents of kidnapping incidents, mostly were POGO-related," PNP spokesperson Police Col. Jean Fajardo said in a public briefing. She said more than half of the kidnap cases have been resolved and cleared. Fajardo credited the citizens for raising their concerns and uploading the incidents on social media, saying that the posts helped the PNP to monitor the situation and take immediate action. Among the reports that raised concerns and fears among the public was that of the 25-year-old man who was abducted in Taal, Batangas, last week and found dead in Sariaya, Quezon, the following day, according to Police Regional Office 4A. CCTV footage showed that the victim got off a bus on Tuesday at 7:53 p.m. While standing on the side of the road, several armed suspects aboard a gray SUV and a gray sedan abducted him.There was also the case of a 34-yearold man who was abducted by armed men in Batangas and has remained missing for over two weeks now. The victim’s live-in girlfriend said they were on board a motorcycle to fetch someone in a nearby town when armed men suddenly blocked their way and abducted him.
From A1 the sustainability and continuation of programs related to financial assistance," she"Itsaid.is important to note that the SCP was originally implemented by the DOTr at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide assistance to the road transport sector badly hit by the pandemic. This year, it was intended to mitigate the im pact of the fuel surge. We expect oil prices to stabilize next year," she added. Pastor appealed to the members of the House committee to allocate funding for the“Weprogram.are appealing of course to our legislative branch of government, if you could please still set aside funds for ser vice contracting. so that the free rides could continue,” Pastor said. According to Pastor, the DOTr has al ready utilized the P7 billion allocated for the program under the 2022 GAA.
Risa Hontiveros described the PS-DBM a breeding ground of inefficiency, negligence, and corruption. She said the agency had a whopping P6.5 billion worth of irregularities in 2021 alone, and a history of dubious transactions. "What has been uncovered so far is just the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “The fact that this spans multiple agencies is a huge red flag. So many government programs are affected by this, and during a pandemic year at that,” the senator added. She called for the abolition of the PSDBM.“Abolishing it is urgent, but that is just a band-aid solution if we end the story there. More importantly, I want every peso explained and accounted for, and every official held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” she said. Former PS-DBM OIC Lloyd Christopher Lao, attended the hearing virtually.
“Customs personnel learned that the warehouse containing the contraband agricultural products is owned by Melissa Chua and Benito Chua. It was not immediately known how the two Chuas are related,” the Press Secretary said. The BOC padlocked the warehouse and gave its owner half a month to prove that the thousands of sacks of sugar were legal.
• For amendments and revisions to the Constitution, should the members of the Senate and House of Representatives vote jointly or Padillaseparately?saiditcannot be denied that the Constitution has a key role in democratic countries like the Philippines, noting that from 1898 to 1987, there had been changes to the basic law of the land.
Higher-ups... From A1 "I did not say I was the one who confirmed or concurred with the document. I did not say that... My name is not in those documents," he said. Senator Ronald dela Rosa pressed Pascua as to why did they agree to the P58,300 price tag for each laptop recommended by the Procurement Service-Department of Budget. The DepEd had suggested paying only P35,046.50 per laptop. "Why did you allow PS-DBM to increase the price? It's very clear in the records that you allowed this, from P35,000 to P58,000. May I know the reason why?" Dela Rosa asked. Pascua, however, said that it was the Information and Communications Technology Service, not the DepEd, who approved the price. Pascua explained the pricing issue was no longer elevated to the higher-ups since Abanil, the director of the ICTS, has already agreed with the pricing. Dela Rosa noted that the number of supposed beneficiaries was at the same time cut from 68,500 teachers to 39,583. On further questioning by Dela Rosa and the other senators, Pascua admitted agreeing to the "action slip" from the PS-DBM indicating that the quantity of the laptops would be lowered due to the higherSenatorcost.
Newsmst.daydesk@gmail.comFRIDAY,AUGUST 26, 2022A2
"It is not really a matter of if but it’s a matter of when these cases come into the country. We just need to be vigilant, especially in our communities, do our surveillance and immediately isolate people who have these symptoms," VergeireMonkeypoxsaid. is a less severe cousin of smallpox that can be transmitted between humans through close contact with an infected individual’s body fluids, 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.
• The body of missing person Jovelyn Galleno surfaced on Aug. 23, after she was declared missing on Aug. 5. “The CHR condemns the perpetrators behind these incidents,” De Guia said, saying it was increasingly important to investigate incidents such as these as more children return to school. Beyond these case,the CHR said the killing of a couple on their way to a court hearing in Quezon, a shooting incident in Taguig, the robbery and killing of a 16-year-old scholar in Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City and the still unclear manner of deaths of the Tiamzons in a military encounter were equally concerning. She lauded the announcement of the Department of Justice that it will look into these killings and the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s call for heightened police visibility as a deterrent to crime. The Philippine National Police (PNP) said Thursday that from January up to July this year abduction cases were mostly related to Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), but said most of these have since been resolved.
The party-list system must also be tackled, as political dynasties or certain groups are allegedly using it to advance theirAsinterests.for the judiciary, Malaya questioned the number of cases brought before the Supreme Court, leading some to complain that it “now has the power of judicial legislation.”
‘Dual... From A1 its response to infection,” Solante said in Filipino, in an interview with ABS-CBN News. “You add monkeypox and that can trigger a more serious infection.” "It can be a critical or more severe form of monkeypox or the other way around. COVID can also be more severe," he added.Solante’s comment came after Italy reported a person infected by COVID-19 and monkeypox, as well as HIV, the virus that causes AccordingAIDS.tothe Journal of Infection, the patient is 36 years old, experienced fever with sore throat, fatigue, headaches and other symptoms for nine days when he went to Spain, where he had sex without protection. The Department of Health (DOH) said it has not yet established the local transmission of monkeypox in the country, even as it traced 18 close contacts of the second monkeypox case – all but one of them health workers.
"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 establish and back-trace as to where he got the infection."Thecountry's first three monkeypox cases were all linked to travelers. The DOH on Monday said the 25-yearold 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 selfmonitoring.TheWorld Health Organization earlier this year declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. But the DOH believes there is no need to tighten border controls, saying surveillance and heightened awareness of the viral disease are considered more effective in controlling its spread.
Alan Peter Cayetano, who also confronted Pascua, said agreeing to lower number of laptops was tantamount to approving the higher price. Pascua said ICT director Abanil was the one who signed the concurrence on that action slip, in which there was an option to purchase fewer laptops.
Azurin added that index crimes (murder, homicide, physical injury, theft, robbery, rape, car theft) have also been on a downtrend since 2010. Azurin also cautioned the public against an apparent “sensational surge in social media reporting of some crime incidents,” saying many of these are previously reported cases that had been categorized as solved by PNP units. On Wednesday, the PNP chief said some kidnapping incidents wherein the victims would end up dead in other areas are criminal incidents that are highlighted in both traditional and social media and are now being attended to by the“Therepolice. is no breakdown of law and order. The peace and order situation in the entire country is still manageable. There are crimes that are highlighted in different platforms but definitely, the crime rate is still low and we continuously aspire to bring it down further,” he added. The issue of peace and order in the country has been highlighted in the past days over incidents of kidnappings and other high-profile crimes that include rape and murder. In Batangas, a man who was forcibly taken by armed men in Taal town ended up dead in Quezon on Aug. 17 while four people were found dead inside an abandoned car in Rodriguez town, Rizal province on Aug. 22. However, some incidents were immediately resolved by the police, including the killing of a 15-year-old girl in Bulacan and another recent rapeslay case in Malabon. Azurin, however, sees the positive side of the highlighted criminal incidents, saying these manifest the active participation of the public in reporting crime.
Rights... From A1 • Josie Bonifacio, 40, of Barangay Quirino, body was found on Aug. 9 several hours after she was declared missing by her husband.
The constitutionalist is also in favor of amendments to the composition and function of the Judicial Bar Council and the removal of the quasi-judicial function of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Meanwhile, the government gave owners of warehouses found storing sugar in bulk time to explain and show proof their stocks were legally imported before being allowed to release the sugar to the market, Malacanang said Thursday. In a statement, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said the findings of the investigation on warehouses found storing thousands of sacks of sugar will determine the government’s next move on thisSheissue.said the government will need to hear the side of warehouse owners and consignees of sugar found in a series of inspections first before deciding to release these sugar supplies to the market. Malacanang said the latest discovery of sugar stocked in warehouses was found on Deparo St., Caloocan City, and inside a warehouse in Quezon City. The Department of Agriculture had said it would focus on the country's salt supply, just as it is responding to current sugar supply issues. Salt production is "small" in some regions, Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban earlier noted. The DA earlier disclosed its plan to improve local production of salt to stop the country's dependence on imports. It noted that the Philippines imports about 550,000 metric tons of salt every year, or approximately 93 percent of the country's saltOnrequirement.sugar,the Office of the Press
"It is imperative for the DepEd and the DBM-PS to explain the basis for the change in the unit price (from P35,046.50 to P58,300.00) and the number of laptop units (from 68,500 to 39,583) to be procured by the DBM-PS," insisted Cayetano.Senator Aquilino Pimentel III who was among those who filed a resolution to investigate the alleged overpricing in the purchase of laptops, also echoed the same concerns raised by Cayetano. Pimentel said the COA Report concluded that the DepEd settled and agreed to the price and technical specifications of an entry-level type laptop provided by the DBM-PS. It found that the adjustments made on the procurement resulted in pricey computer laptops with a low-end processor. He also cited the decrease in the number of intended beneficiaries of the laptops.Pimentel demanded an explanation from the DepEd for its approval and acceptance of these laptops, which were not in accordance with its budget and its original technical specifications to the detriment of our public school teachers and their students.
"So many events have taken place, including revisions, to various versions of the Constitution for more than a century," said Padilla. "If we would tackle them one by one, it would take quite a long time."
“In (the United States of) America, their Supreme Court only hears 100 or so cases a year,” he said. Meanwhile, Malaya told Padilla that a constituent assembly for Cha-cha may cost less than P11 billion.
• What modality will be appropriate for amending or revising the Constitution?
“Every generation always studies the Constitution, and in our opinion, 36 years from the approval of this Constitution, it’s time to change it,” he said.
Secretary said the Bureau of Customs, armed with a letter of authority that allows it to conduct visitorial powers, “forcibly opened” the warehouse in Caloocan city after the owners and caretaker refused to cooperate.Discovered were “hundreds of bags of smuggled rice and sugar,” OPS said.
"We must remember that competitive public bidding aims to protect the public interest by giving the public the best possible advantages through open competition. It is a mechanism that enables the government agency to avoid or preclude anomalies in the execution of public contracts," he sald. The senator also grilled DepEd and DBM officials to determine if they followed procurement law and rules. But no senators contradicted the assertion of former DepEd secretary Leonor Briones that no violation was committed when they endorsed the P2.4 billion fund to buy laptops to the PS-DBM. The laptops were intended to be used by teachers in their online classes during theFacingpandemic.the first Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged overpriced and outdated laptops, Briones stressed they assigned the procurement of laptops to the PS-DBM as DepEd no longer had the time and the capacity to look into the details of the variousBrionesproducts.told the committee that the P2.4 billion, which they used for the purchase of laptops, actually came from the P4 billion afforded to DepEd by Congress under the Bayanihan 2. The P2.4 billion was actually intended for the senior high. But since it was a lockdown when the P4 billion Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) was released December 2020, and they only had until June 2021 to spend the money, Brilones said they opted to use it to buy laptops. Congress passed the Bayanihan 2 (Bayanihan to Recover as One Act so that, among others, the laptops could be given to the teachers within three months. During that time, Briones also said DepEd had yet to create a bidding committee.Still,Cayetano and the other senators raised suspicions on why DepEd officials agreed to a much higher cost for the Whilelaptops.itwas the DBM that conducted the bidding and the procurement, Cayetano said it was the DepEd that received the laptops without duly questioning the price and specifications of theSenatorunits.
DOTr...
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said the peace and order situation in the country is stable as he allayed public fear amid the reported abductions and killings in the past few weeks. Speaking at the Police Service anniversary celebration at the Police Regional Office 3 (Central Luzon) headquarters in Pampanga on Thursday, Azurin said the PNP’s crime data has shown a steady decline in crime trends over 12 years since 2010. He said the Peace and Order Indicator or the sum of both index and non-index crime cases has been decreasing since the start of the administration of the late president Benigno Aquino III.
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire also said it asked a regional office to investigate pictures of a monkeypox patient circulating on social media. Vergeire said the unauthorized disclosure of private and confidential information about a patient's medical condition violates the country's existing laws.The DOH is also talking to two monkeypox vaccine manufacturers for the country to receive its first doses. Vergeire said the government is working to get some monkeypox shots before yearend. One manufacturer committed 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 exposed and also our health care workers," she said. In an interview with CNN Philippines, Vergeire said the country's fourth monkeypox case has no history of travel to other countries with confirmed cases or contact with any patient.
• Is there a need to amend or revise the 1987 Constitution?
Meanwhile, lawyer Christian Monsod, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, shared some proposed amendments that he is in favor of – including being in favor of tandem voting for the presidential and vicepresidential candidates. Monsod also favors having “run-off elections” in cases where the votes for the top two positions are close. In a run-off, “when votes are too close, then the others are eliminated and the first two are subjected to another election,” he said, pointing out that other countries are doing this too.
President Marcos approved on July 1 the recommendation of Transporta tion Secretary Jaime Bautista to extend the free rides program for buses plying the EDSA Carousel Busway until endDecember along with the free rides in the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), Light Rail Transit 2 (LRT-2) and Phil ippine National Railways (PNR) for students, at least for the first quarter of schoolyear 2022-2023 from August 22 to November 4. The program was part of the third phase of the government’s service con tracting program that ended on June 30. The first phase of the program was launched in November 2020 as autho rized by the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or the Bayanihan 2 law, a stim ulus package designed partly to help the economy recover quickly from the pandemic.ACT-Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro echoed the appeal of Pastor.
“Their first recommendation is, when you have a functioning democracy, no matter how imperfect, you should amend or refine, but not revise, because there is no literature in the world that says one system is better than the other,” he said.
DTI... From A1 bulletin maybe by the last week of October or early November to guide our consumers on the right prices of items for Noche Buena,” DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo told a public“Therebriefing.are many Christmas products that don’t easily expire. So, if you can already stock up on some of these items, please do so while the prices are still not moving,” she added.The department also suggested shoppers check promo bundles of some products used for the traditional Christmas feast to save money. The SRP of most Noche Buena products last year remains unchanged and some even dropped, Castelo noted, such as ham, cheese, keso de bola, sandwich spread, mayonnaise, pasta noodles, spaghetti sauce, and tomato sauce. She noted that prices of Christmas products will start to increase as Christmas“Eventually,approaches.theprice will increase again or when it's close. Because when people are in a hurry, they don't notice that the price has increased or that the retailers or manufacturers have raised your price, so it's better for them to buy earlier,” she added. To score the best deals, Castelo suggested buying food products in bundles as they would be cheaper as compared to when they are bought as single“Youitems.can save as much as P20 up to P70 if you purchase bundled products,” she said.
Bulatlat
PUBLIC health stakeholders has urged the government to ensure that the Rare Disease Law is vigorously implemented and that funding for this purpose would be increased and consistent. The think tank Stratbase ADR In stitute made the call during a recent hybrid town hall discussion called “The State of the Rare Disease Law: Continuing Implementation and the Delivery of Responsive Health Ser vices to the Affected Population.”
“There is an evident disproportion in the availability of treatment and resources, and this inequality is be ing aggravated by the COVID-19 pan demic,” said Stratbase president Prof. Victor Andres Manhit. “Now that Congress has earmarked P104.9 million for this after six long years, it is time all stakeholders worked to address the deeply complex issue of inequality through good governance, political reforms, social investments and multi-sector efforts,” Manhit said. The law, passed in 2016, seeks to address the needs of persons with rare diseases and increase survival rate. Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, acknowledged the funding challenges given the pandemic. He also said the appropriation is hardly enough for providing treatment and funding re search into new rare diseases. Nonetheless, he reiterated the legisla ture’s commitment to support the cause. He said the private sector should be encouraged – incentivized – to partner with the government in making pro gress in the fight against rare diseases.
OTS cites worker for returning P54,000 to owner Florita exits PH; leaves three dead, four injured, 10k displaced ners,” Dela Cruz said. The UFCC charged that J&T under mines the DICT’s efforts in regulating postal delivery service, and threatens the growth and stability of the Philip pine digital economy which is a crucial sector for the country’s economic re covery
THE Mandaluyong City prosecutor has approved the filing of frustrated homicide of Jose Antonio Sanvicente, the driver of a sports utility vehicle who allegedly ran over a security guard last June 5. I n a four-page resolution, state pros ecutor Bernabe Augustus Solis af firmed the recommendation of senior assistant city prosecutor Romualdo Francisco to indict Sanvicente for frustrated homicide, not for frustrated murder as earlier filed by the Philip pine National Police (PNP) on behalf of the victim, 31-year-old security guard Christian Floralde.
By Joel E. Zurbano
THE Office for Transportation Se curity (OTS) has commended one of its screening officers in Clark Inter national Airport (CIA) in Pampanga for honesty by returning a wallet with a huge amount of money to a foreign traveler.
ALTERNATIVE news media Bulatlat on Thursday filed a petition with the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to cite for indirect contempt of court the National Telecommunications Commis sion (NTC) for alleged defiance of a writ of injunction directing the agency to lift its order to block petitioner’s website. Bulatlat operator Alipato Media Center Inc., through the National Union of Peo ples’ Lawyers, charged that the NTC ig nored the court’ temporary restraining order (TRO) issued last Aug. 11. T he TRO enjoined the NTC from enforcing its June 8 memorandum meant to block Bulatlat’s website. On Aug. 15, Bulatlat posted a P100,000 cash bond. “Despite due service of the writ, the respondent (NTC) defied, and contin ues to defy, the Writ of Preliminary Injunction, wherein it was enjoined to discontinue the implementation of its Memorandum dated June 8, 2022,” the petition stated.
A vendor waits for customers at her
T he city fiscal also dismissed the PNP’s charge for violation of Article 275 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) or abandonment of persons in danger and one’s own victim. W hile the intent to kill was estab lished, the resolution held that none of the qualifying circumstances for murder under Article 248 of the RPC existed in the case.
MMDA picks 36 semi-finalists in art competition
By Vito Barcelo
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022 A3News
A N ADVOCACY group has called on the government to revoke the franchise and business licenses of a popular logistics firm and its partners for alleged rampant violation of the National Postal Service Law.
Group wants J&T franchise revoked
SUV driver in criminalroadMandaluyongragefacescase
The United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC) on Thursday filed a case at the Department of Informa tion and Communications Technology (DICT) seeking the revocation of the operating licenses of J&T and its fran chise partners due to alleged unlawful business“Becausepractices.ofthe nature and the grav ity of the violations and they’re so wide spread, the punishment cannot be less than revocation. Dapat revocation na ng license to,” said former congressman and UFCC national advisor Jonathan DelaTheCruz.UFCC is an advocacy group that protects consumer rights and acts as an intermediary between the government and the public by pushing for policy and regulatory reforms. As part of this ad vocacy, they closely monitor the activi ties of the different logistics providers amid mounting complaints from con sumers and sellers.
RareFullyGovernmentcontemptfilespleaagainstNTCtold:implementDiseaseLaw
THREE people were reported killed while four others were injured due to tropical storm Florita, the National Dis aster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Thursday. Meanwhile, another weather dis turbance may develop and affect the country before the end of this month, a weather forecaster said. In another development, the Department of Labor and Employment has released the rules on work suspension and payment of wages during weather disturbances. In its 8 a.m. situational report on the storm’s effects, the NDRRMC said one fatality and one injured in the Bicol Re gion were still being verified. The two confirmed deaths, on the other hand, were in Cagayan Valley and the Cor dillera Administrative Region (CAR) each. Florita, which exited the Philippine area of responsibility on Wednesday morning, leaving 11,953 families or 47,169 persons in five regions economi callyThedislocated.cyclonealso left 10,355 persons displaced, most of them currently stay ing in 129 evacuation centers. A total of 1,013 persons from CAR were also preemptively evacuated. Ten of the 15 ports closed earlier due to Florita have already resumed opera tions, the NDRRMC said. “There is no low pressure area inside the Philippine area of responsibility but the eastern part of the country may experience rains due to cloud clusters, and we are not discounting the possibility of another tropi cal cyclone before the end of the month,” said Benison Estareja of the Philippine At mospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
PICKING UP THE PIECES. A victim picks up whatever remained of his possessions amongst the debris of his burned home in the aftermath of Thursday’s fire in Barangay 144, Pasay City. Nobody was reported injured in the blaze. Norman Cruz
“Consideringplans. how pervasive J&T’s services are nationwide, its numer ous violations against the Postal Ser vice Act and other laws are sufficient grounds to revoke its ‘Authority to Op erate Express and/or Messenger Deliv ery Service’ license,” Dela Cruz said. “We are not singling out J&T. Howev er, most of the complaints that our office has received are about them,” he added. In its letter sent to the DICT, the UFCC urged the agency to investigate the operations of J&T and its franchise partners that continue to conduct busi ness without franchise permits, specifi cally the ones located in Manila, Qu ezon City, and Caloocan. “Without the proper legal accredi tation, consumers are at the mercy of these businesses. They have no re course if their packages are mishandled and identifying the perpetrators will be difficult because of the lack of publicly accessible documents,” Dela Cruz said. Last year, President Duterte called for an investigation of the J&T by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG). The Bureau of In ternal Revenue (BIR) was also called to inspect the delivery firm’s finances.
“While we do note that the crime may have been perpetrated with the use of a motor vehicle, the same does not necessarily qualify the offense to murder,” the resolution stated.
THE Metropolitan Manila Develop ment Authority (MMDA) has selected the semi-finalists of its 1st National Art Competition, organized to pro vide an opportunity for young Filipi no artists to show their creativity and talent through drawing, painting, and other artistic forms. MMDA acting chair Carlo Dima yuga III said a total of 314 partici pants, aged 18-35, have submitted entries for the competition, using a wide variety of mediums and tech niques, such as oil on canvas, oil paint, acrylic on canvas, acrylic, mixed media, ink on canvas, pho tography, gouache, watercolor, and mixedDimayugamedium.said the project seeks to empower young artists through the competition, providing a venue for their artwork to be recognized.
By Rey E. Requejo
“We call on President Bongbong Marcos to look into these rampant ir regularities and anomalies purportedly being committed by J&T and their part
EVACUATION ZONE. Workers emblazon the name “Evacuation Zone” on the ground fronting the Aurora Quezon Elementary School in San Andres, Malate, in Manila to make sure that the young learners, their teachers, and other school personnel find their way to safety during emergency situations such as earthquakes and storms. Danny Pata
GALORE.VEGETABLES
Alfred Frias
OTS administrator Undersecretary Ma Aplasca identified the honest air port security screening officer (SSO) as Lalaine“AnciadoAnciado.promptly returned to the 53-year-old Korean passenger a wallet containing cash amounting to P54,000 which was inadvertently left on a tray on 19 August 2022, at the final security screening checkpoint at CIA in Pam panga,” the OTS said. Seong Bae Lee, a Korean national and passenger of JinAir flight LJ-024 bound for Incheon, South Korea, was determined as the legitimate owner of the lost item after the SSO team made the standard verification process.
By Rio N. Araja
Florita.bydamagedespitevegetablenotheregivenofTheMarketPacostallvegetableinsidethePublicinManila.DepartmentAgriculturehasassurancewillbeincreaseinpricestheoncropstropicalstorm
Nograles filed House Bill 2886, otherwise known as the “Stop Bul lying Act of 2022” to provide penal provisions on the anti-bullying law and expand its coverage beyond schools to include workplaces and even the Nogralesinternet.said her proposal also seeks to cover all types of bullying across all genders and age groups and not just Accordingchildren.toNograles, RA 10627 is already outdated and has become prac tically useless because it lacks penal elements that can actually discourage acts of “Havingbullying.established and equipped with national helpline through the passing of the Republic Act No. 10627 or the “Anti-Bullying Act of on Sep tember 12, 2013, the prevalence of bullying in the country has not got ten down drastically. In fact, at least 6 out of 10 students are being bul lied, which is nearly 3 times higher compared to developed countries,” Nograles said in her explanatory note.
By Maricel V. Cruz
A4 FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022 News
Health workers from PGH yet to get COVID pay
“This is a police function and you are the territorial guard of the coun try,” Remulla said. Remulla also stressed the need to “rethink the relation of the immigration to the other armed services of the country.”
Villanueva urges businesses to invest in tech-voc graduates
By Macon Ramos-Araneta S ENATOR Imee Marcos on Thursday said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) should find a way to cut the costs of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections if the Comelec will reschedule the said polls next year.
Citing the repeated postponement of the polls – twice during the 17th Congress, once during the 18th – Marcos said it was “time to think long-term” and floated the idea of holding barangay elections a year after the presidential elections.
SARA VISITS ILOILO CITY. Vice President Sara Duterte, along with Mayor Jerry Treñas and Pampanga 2nd district Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visit students during the storytelling session at the Iloilo City Public Library in celebration of Iloilo City’s 85th Charter Day. Arnold Almacen/Iloilo City Mayor’s Office
MORE than 4,000 health workers from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) have not received their One COVID Allowance (OCA) and other allowanc es, according to an employees’ organi zation of the hospital Thursday. According to Karen Faurillo, Presi dent of the All UP Workers Union-Ma nila/PGH, the hospital’s employees have not receive their OCA since April. “The PGH health workers are already feeling impatient and angry because until now our One COVID Allowance has not been given since April, May, and June,” Faurillo said, in an interview with TeleRadyo on Thursday. “And we are also waiting for the socalled Health Emergency Allowance, which supposedly started in July, to be given. But until now, the majority, more than 4,000 PGH health workers, have not been received),” she said. Faurillo has appealed to the national government to immediately give all the allowances and what is already due to the employees of the PGH. “I really hope that proper attention and funding will be given and that they must expedite this because here at the hospital we act quickly. Because that is what the job and the situation demand, and we just want to see the same response from our government),” she said.
HOUSE Assistant Majority Leader and Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta party-list Rep. Margarita Nograles on Thursday sought to give more teeth and expand the coverage of Republic Act 10627 or the Anti-Bul lying Law.
Manny Palmero
Atayde backs internet regulation measure
“So you cannot really divorce it that well. But administratively it can be its own department. I have no prob lem with that. All the legal repercus sions of all actions would just have to be considered, they should be in sync with our justice system,” he said.
Remulla said he believes that hav ing handcuffs would make immigra tion personnel more efficient in per forming their functions. According to the DOJ chief, BI per sonnel assigned at the airport should be allowed to carry handcuffs so that in case an arriving or departing passenger causes trouble while at the Immigration area, they could immediately take ac tion by restraining the person.
Meanwhile, Remulla expressed objection to the possibility that the BI would be separated from the DOJ to become another department of the government. “I don’t have problems with turf. If it is necessary, and it becomes a de partment so be it,” he said. However, Remulla said it might be difficult to separate the BI from the DOJ due to their “intimate relationship.” He explained that the BI and the DOJ share the same concerns and in terests such as citizenship, naturaliza tion, and cross-border crimes.
“But if you can put elevators, if we put other equipment to easily bring students up to the fifth and sixth floors, we can conserve land,” Gatchal ianWithsaid.higher buildings, especially in urban areas, Gatchal ian said the government can build more classrooms. While classrooms in the provinces and rural areas would have as few as 20 to 30 learners, Gatchalian cited the per ennial problem of overcrowded classrooms in urban areas. He said one classroom would have as many as 50 to 60Furthermore,learners. the senator stressed it is a challenge for the government to build classrooms in urban areas be cause of the price of land.
Gatchalian eyeing bill for higher school bldgs
‘Reduce costs of SK, brgy. polls’
By Willie Casas
theheavymoderatewhichconstructionthemotoristsMMDAmediaThroughoninCommonwealthStationManggahantobeamworkpersonnelConstructiononaattachedtheMRT7alongQuezonCityThursday.asocialpost,advisedaboutongoingcausedtotrafficinarea.
NOISE BARRAGE. Members of the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) from different governmentowned hospitals stage a barrage“noiseprotest” at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City to demand the immediate release of their long overdue COVID-19 allowances from the government. Manny Palmero
DOJ chief: BI agents should carry handcuffs MRT 7.
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
By Maricel V. Cruz QUEZON City Rep. Arjo Atayde is hopeful that Congress would soon enact a measure that will reg ulate internet transactions. This developed as the House Committee on Trade and Industry on Wednesday approved a consolidated version of bills, including Atayde’s House Bill 3084 or the Internet Transactions Act, that aims to regulate online commercial activities and ensure the protection of consumers who engage in online transactions. The bill is among President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s priority measures that he asked Congress to legislate during his first State of the Nation Address in July. The measure had passed 3rd and final read ing in the 18th Congress.
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
“This legislative remedy is possible since
SENATOR Win Gatchalian is planning to file a bill that will allow school buildings to have more than four floors to help address classroom shortages nationwide. Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Basic Education committee, said there is a regulation that classrooms are only allowed in buildings up to four stories high. He acknowledged it would be very difficult for stu dents to go up more than four floors for their classrooms.
Lawmaker says country’s anti-bullying law needs more teeth the Constitution is silent on the terms of barangay and SK officials. Congress could fix barangay elections every six years – the May following the presidential elections, thereby even providing a new administra tion with a fresh mandate from the grass roots,” the senator said. Marcos also called for a rethink of the 10-member, barangay-level Sanggu niang Kabataan that constantly lacked full“Electedmembership.teenagers tend to leave midterm to pursue their education or to work. Others could not even be traced,” Marcos“Let’ssaid.not force it at the barangay level. We can instead have one youth kagawad per barangay, one youth coun cilor at the municipal or city level, and a youth board member per province,” Marcos proposed. If lawmakers decide to postpone the BSKE to next year, Marcos hopes that the polls will be held in May. The House of Representatives meanwhile is set to deliberate on the proposed post ponement of the barangay and SK polls. This came after the House suffrage and electoral reforms committee, chaired by Province Rep. Maximo Dalog, approved its committee report that contains the sub stitute bill and sets the date of the next ba rangay and SK election to the first Monday of December 2023. With Maricel Cruz
“We are ready to postpone the baran gay and SK elections, but do we want to blow P18 billion on the postponement?” Marcos, chairperson of the Senate committee on electoral reforms, said. The Comelec has pegged the cost of post poning the said elections to May or Decem ber 2023 at P17 billion to P18 billion. Marcos emphasized this is more than double the P8.45 billion that will be spent if the polls were held this December.
By Rey E. Requejo DEPARTMENT of Justice (DOJ) Sec retary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thurs day said Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel assigned at airports, ports, and other entry points in the country should be allowed to carry handcuffs. Remulla stressed that handing out BI personal handcuffs symbolizes “sov ereignty authority” aside from being a tool for protecting the country’s borders.
SENATE Majority Leader Joel Villanue va urged employers and companies to invest in technical vocational graduates as he pitched for continuous training to match the skills demand of industries. “Our technical vocational education is among the best in the world. We have a pool of talent who can get every job done,” he said as the country cel ebrates National Tech-Voc Day. The August 25 event was institu tionalized with the enactment into law of Republic Act No. 10970 which Vil lanueva“Job-readyauthored.and adept in their field, tech-voc graduates hold a vast potential in contributing to our way out of the pandemic,” he added. Villanueva said that for every person hired, a family is given the opportunity to rise out of poverty and prosper. “Dreams put on hold when the pan demic struck will now become a pos sibility,” he said. The senator said the country is faced with the challenge of finding employ ment for its population as businesses are still finding their footing after the pandemic-induced economic slump. The Philippine Statistics Authority data showed the jobless rate in June 2022 reached 6 percent or 2.99 mil lionWhileFilipinos.millions are on the lookout for jobs, the Commission on Popu lation and Development said the country needs at least six million ef fective workers to address the popu lation of Villanuevaconsumers.saidthecountry has a good number of people in the workforce, in cluding senior citizens and retirees.
My gulay, when it comes to illegal drugs, syn dicates and cartels will take advantage and take for granted BBM considering the fact that big money is involved in the smuggling of illegal drugs. It’s basic and this I have learned through years of covering Customs that smugglers will never smuggle anything through Customs unless it’s through con nivance with Customs people.
The heatwaveseverehas already
EDITORIALLagman guilty of revisionismhistorical 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 S. Eñano Associate Editors Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Honor Blanco Cabie Opinion Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer
prompted rivereasesurgecutsresortedothersupply.toauthoritieslocalinChinarationpowerShanghaiandprovinceshavetopowertocopewithaindemandandthepressureondamsnarrativeLagman’s(on the Plaza selectiverevisionismexampleAquino’sbombingMirandaandNinoydeath)isanofhistoricalbyomission Artificial sugar shortage OPINIONMOREONLINE (www.manilastandard.net) Institutional extortion Expect electricityhigherrates
Honor Blanco Cabie, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022 B1Opinion Claims, defenses, and judgment on the pleadings
AN ACTION is commenced by filing a complaint in court and paying the filing fees assessed by the clerk of court. The complaint is the pleading that asserts the complainant or plaintiff’s claims or causes of action (Rule 6, Section 3, 2019 Rules of Civil Procedure). A cause of action is the act or omission by which a party violates or breaches the rights of another (Rule 2, Section 2). Hence, the complain ant comes to court to seek redress for a wrong or to recover certain damages he or she may have suffered by reason of the breach. The complaint usually contains allegations in support of the plaintiff’s claims and the reliefs sought by him or her from the court. The person sued (the defendant), after proper service of summons and the complaint, will have to file an Answer within 30 days from the receipt thereof (Rule 11, Section 11). The Answer is a pleading that sets forth the defendant’s defenses. The defenses may either be negative or affirmative. A negative defense is the specific denial of the material fact or facts alleged in the pleading of the claimant to defeat the lat ter’s cause or causes of action (Rule 6, Section 5). The negative defense must be categorical, sup ported by material facts and evidence.”[W]hen defendant’s answer denies the allegations of the complaint because the defendant ‘has no knowl edge or information sufficient to form a belief’ and ‘specifically denies’ other allegations, … said denials are in fact mere general denials amount ing to admissions of the material allegations of the complaint” (J. P. Juan and Sons v. Lianga Indus tries, G.R. No. L-25137, July 28, 1969). This is different from an affirmative defense, which contains an allegation of a new matter which, while hypothetically admitting the mate rial allegations in the pleading of the claimant, would nevertheless prevent or bar the plaintiff’s recovery. Affirmative defenses include fraud, statutes of limitations or prescription, payment, illegality, and estoppel, among others (Rule 6, Section 5). In simpler words, an affirmative defense ad mits the material facts that lays down the claim or cause of action but renders the plaintiff unable to recover, the reason being that there exists legal defenses or factual circumstances that preclude recovery on the part of the plaintiff, such as a lack of subject matter jurisdiction, improper venue, or fraud.Inone case, it was established that on October 15, 1962, the defendant purchased office equip ment from the plaintiff listed in Purchase Order 001/62, payable in 30 days. The equipment delivered to the defendant had a total selling price of P1,890.00, for which the latter paid only P990.00, leaving an unpaid bal ance of P900.00. Despite repeated demands, the defendant failed and refused to pay the outstand ing balance of P900.00 (G.R. No. L-25137, July 28, 1969). The Supreme Court, finding no error in the trial court’s decision granting a judgment on the pleadings, held that “[T]he facts alleged in the plaintiff’s complaint are of the kind that plainly and necessarily must be within the defendant’s knowledge, and of which the defendant cannot logically pretend ignorance, ...” and that “[T]he material allegations of the complaint must, there fore, be deemed as admitted by the defendant ...” (G.R. No. L-25137, July 28, 1969). Furthermore, the defendant has no cause to complain against the judgment appealed. His claim that it tendered an issue with his “af firmative defense” of “having no obligation to pay to the plaintiff the amount or sum of money claimed in the complaint” was correctly held by the Court to be a mere conclusion and not pre mised on an allegation of material facts (G.R. No. L-25137, July 28, 1969). In another case, Sannaedle sued Asian Con struction to recover the balance of US$615,620.33 from a principal amount of US$3,745,287.94, which represents the cost of supplying and erect ing insulated panel systems at the Philippine Cen tennial Exposition Theme Park. Sannaedle made several written demands for Asian Construction to pay; however these were not heeded by the latter (Asian Construction v. Sannaedle Co., G.R. No. 181676, June 11, 2014). After Asian Construction filed its Answer, San naedle moved for judgment on the pleadings on the grounds that the Answer admitted all material allegations of the Complaint and, therefore, failed to tender an issue. In effect, Sannaedle deemed that Asian Con struction’s Answer admitted the existence of the Memorandum of Agreement and its failure to pay the balance (G.R. No. 181676, June 11, 2014).
*** The rise of COVID-19 cases in other areas outside Metro Manila is clearly the result of many who at tend parties and go to the beaches without masks and are unmindful of health protocols. It is plain and simple stupidity.
Shanghai and other provinces have resorted to power cuts to cope with a surge in demand and ease the pressure on river China’sdams.weather woes will eventually curb local agricultural production and the overall economic output. This northern Asian nation will sooner or later buy commodities from abroad to make up for the shortfall in localLikeproduction.thesupply disruption caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s imports will exert pressures on global prices.Rice prices, for instance, may in crease in the global market. China’s im ports will easily jack up the cost of the imported commodity. They will crowd out the global rice market and make the price of the basic staple costlier for importing countries like the Philippines. The extreme weather conditions in other parts of the world directly affect agricultural production. Food security, thus, must be at the top of the economic agenda of developing countries to shield them from the ad verse impact of climate change.
If the filing of the judgment on the pleadings is proper, the court can proceed to render judgment without a trial after an Answer is filed by the defendant
In sustaining the trial court’s decision, granting the motion for judgment on the pleadings, and or dering the payment of the sum of US$615,620.33, the appellate courts stated “that the express terms of the Memorandum of Agreement, the genuine ness and due execution of which are not denied by the [Asian Construction]… [and Sannaedle] has sufficiently shown by the allegations of the Com plaint and the Answer that the [Asian Construction] is clearly liable for the payment thereof” (G.R. No. 181676, June 11, 2014). What is judgment on the pleadings? This oc curs when an answer fails to tender an issue, or otherwise admits the material allegations of the adverse party’s pleading (Rule 34, Section 1).An answer fails to tender an issue if it fails to specifically deny the material allegations consis tent with Section 10, Rule 8 of the 2019 Rules of Civil Procedure, resulting in the adverse party’s admission. If the filing of the judgment on the pleadings is proper, the court can proceed to render judgment without a trial after an Answer is filed by the de fendant.Under the 2019 Amendments of the Rules of Civil Procedure, the court may, in its own initia tive, render judgment on the pleadings without need of a motion filed by the claimant. The same Rule retained the claimant’s prerogative to file a motion.Theshift in the policy of the Supreme Court in dealing with judgment on the pleadings was made more evident in the 2019 Amendments of the Rules of Civil Procedure, when the trial courts were giv en the power, if the grounds are present, to include “in the pre-trial order that the case be submitted for summary judgment or judgment on the pleadings” (Rule 18, Section 10).
President Marcos must not forget that Customs also allowed the smuggling of vegetables into the country. ***
Laurel even resigned his post as assemblyman days after the death of Ninoy to protest the silence of his colleagues in the Batasang Pambansa (Ilarde included) on Ninoy’s killing. Moreover, Laurel led the comparatively mam moth crowd waiting for Ninoy’s arrival at the air port on that fateful day. I should know -- I was with Laurel at the airport. The same day a news executive from the govern ment-run Philippines News Agency was flying out to Jakarta via Singapore for a week-long ASEAN News Editors Meeting. Referring to both the Plaza Miranda incident and the slaying of Ninoy Aquino, the pretentious Lagman also said, “The real masterminds of both vile and abhorrent crimes have never been brought to justice.”Lagman, however, conveniently failed to men tion that former cadres of the communist New People’s Army revealed that Communist Party of the Philippines puppet master Jose Maria Sison was responsible for the carnage at Plaza Miranda. Sison knew that bombing the LP rally would instigate the electorate to blame the incident on President Marcos Sr. The bombing, Sison antici pated, would destabilize the government and pave the way for a communist takeover of the country. That account is confirmed in the book Red Rev olution: Inside the Philippine Guerilla Movement. Lagman also failed to mention that Salonga himself, upon learning about Sison’s role in Plaza Miranda, recanted his accusation that President Marcos Sr. was the mastermind of the bombing. If Lagman laments that the mastermind behind Ninoy’s death was never brought to justice, he should invite attention to Cory and Noynoy. When mother and son were in power, neither of the two bothered to order a more thorough investi gation of Ninoy’s killing. Their unusual disinterest and questionable in action on the matter even suggest that they knew something about the airport incident, which they preferred the public to be unaware of. Lagman’s narrative is an example of historical revisionism by selective omission.
More external economic woes
It’s time President Marcos must put his foot down on corruption if only to show to the people his determinationfirm to eradicate graft and corruption
The House of Representatives received this week the 2023 proposed general appropriations act or na tional budget for the year amounting to P5.268 tril lion but nearly ⅓ of which represents interest and principal which will be due next year amounting to P1.6Thistrillion.means that priority budgets which normally goes to education, health, social welfare, agriculture, public works and national defense will have to settle with much Education,less.for instance, will only get P853 billion; health P296 billion; social welfare P197 billion and agriculture P184 billion. Recall that the previous Duterte administration had to scramble for loans in response to the CO VID-19 pandemic which virtually had to adversely affect efforts to reduce poverty and hunger and at the expense of economic growth. Thus, President Marcos now must reinvigorate job creation and reduce poverty by steering the economy back to its high growth during his sixyearTheterm.House has until October 2022 to craft the general appropriations act before it goes into recess. Despite the debt payments under next year’s budget which will include a record P1.02 trillion in principal amortization from P 751 billion, the gov ernment’s debt payments will be due this year, on top of P582 billion in interest, up from this year’s P512.6 billion. In effect, with the reduction of the proposed na tional budget for next year that will go to payment of debt servicing, it will be a big challenge on the part of BBM to reduce poverty and create jobs, two goals he had promised us in his SONA or State of the Nation Address. *** According to Secretary Erwin Tulfo, beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) who had braved crowds to get their education assis tance from the Department of Social Welfare and De velopment would have to deduct it from Conditional Cash Transfers and will have to give back what they received from what they got as student aid. Santa Banana, That is a tall order! The objective of the program is to promote invest ments in the education and health of children to help break the intergenerational transmission of poverty, while providing immediate financial support to the household.According to Tulfo, if they had already used the amount, the agency understands it. “But since they have received the amount, what they received will have to be deducted in a staggered way so that we can just adjust,” Tulfo was quoted to have said. I must give Tulfo an A for his optimism. In the first place, whose fault was it that 4Ps grantees who already got their share of their edu cation assistance and also their Conditional Cash Transfers? My gulay, it is very clear that the 4Ps beneficiaries got their share when it was mistakenly advertised that 4Ps beneficiaries would get their allotments and that they were entitled to receive their education benefits. Under the DSWD policy, 4Ps beneficiaries are not entitled to education aid for indigent people, which amounts to P2000 each for elementary school stu dents, P2,000 to P3,000 for high school students and P4,000 each for college students. On the other hand, 4Ps beneficiaries receive a minimum of P1,650 and a maximum of P3450, de pending on the number of children they have. Parents may get P300 for every child in junior high and P700 per child in senior high. Santa Banana, just how the DSWD will adjust this confusion is something that Tulfo has to resolve. I say this confusion is the result of Tulfo’s eager ness to get credits for trying to help people. How Tulfo resolves this confusion will be an acid test to his capability to manage a department.
LAST week, allies of Presidents Cory Aquino and Noynoy Aquino recalled past events in Phil ippine history and twisted the facts to suit their political agenda. They are guilty of historical re visionism.Oneillustration is Representative Edcel Lagman of Albay, a hopelessly misinformed traditional pol itician from the now irrelevant and much despised Liberal Party. Lagman exploits every chance to disseminate his inaccurate, self-serving opinions. In an interview he gave last Sunday, Lagman recalled the bombing incident at the proclamation rally of the LP at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila on August 21, 1971. He also recounted the fatal shooting of ex-Sena tor Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983. Many writers erroneously refer to that procla mation rally as the miting de avance or culminat ing campaign rally of the LP in the 1971 midterm national elections. It was actually a proclamation rally of the eight senatorial candidates of the LP, and of the party’s candidates for the local posts in the City of Manila. Back in 1971, election day fell in November, and only eight seats in the Senate were up for grabs. In recalling the Plaza Miranda incident, Lagman praised the LP and called its leaders “patriotic and courageous leaders.” Lagman mentioned the LP politicians present at the rally, including ex-Senators Jovito Salonga, Eddie Ilarde and Genaro Magsaysay, as well as Ramon Bagatsing Sr. and Martin Isidro, who were running for Manila mayor and vice mayor, respec tively.One year after Plaza Miranda, Lagman said, then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. placed the en tire country under martial law. Lagman’s inflammatory narrative, however, conveniently omitted several important facts. After the proclamation of martial law, Salonga fled to the United States. Salonga returned on January 21, 1985, expect ing that he can obtain political power anew by using the Aquino assassination to destabilize the MarcosIlarde,administration.Bagatsingand Isidro won in the 1971 elections, but they became allies of President Mar cos after martial law was proclaimed. In 1978, Ilarde and Bagatsing joined the pro-Marcos Kilu sang Bagong Lipunan political party. After martial law was proclaimed, Magsaysay quietly left the political scene and was never heard of again.Bythe time Ninoy Aquino was fatally shot at the airport in August 1983, Ilarde and Bagatsing were supporters of the Marcos administration. Susmaryusep! Are these the “patriotic and cou rageous leaders” of the LP Lagman was referring to?Lagman claims that right after Ninoy Aquino was slain, Salonga “was the most vocal critic of the dictator and his martial law regime.” It looks like Lagman is becoming senile. Salonga was virtually unheard of in the after math of Ninoy’s death. He was enjoying his com fortable self-exile in the United States and, as stated earlier, returned to the Philippines only in 1985 when political opportunity seemed viable for him. The real political personalities who were vocal about their opposition to the Marcos administration were then Batasang Pambansa Assemblymen Sal vador “Doy” Laurel and Eva Estrada Kalaw. The Laurel-Kalaw tandem was at the forefront of pro-Ninoy rallies all over the country before and after Ninoy’s assassination.
THERE has been a lot of misunderstanding and con fusion in the aftermath of that botched importation by the Sugar Regulatory Administration of 300,000 metric tons of sugar which observers rightfully called a mess. The confusion arose from the debate on whether or not there is really a shortage of sugar. It’s now very clear that the alleged shortage of sugar was artificial because it was caused by a lot of hoarding and profiteering, as shown when Customs raided warehouses with a lot of hoarded sugar in Bu lacan and Pampanga. And the so-called hoarded sacks of sugar used re cycled import permits. Santa Banana, these hoarded sacks of sugar were in factAnd,smuggled.mygulay, smuggling through Customs hap pens every time at the end of a President’s six-year term. Smugglers and profiteers do it to take advan tage of the change of people at Customs. I used to cover Customs when I was Business Edi tor of the Philippines Herald in the 50s and 60s. I know for a fact that a lot of monkey business does happen at Customs. For circumventing the law, I must give it to the geniuses at Customs how to go about it. My gulay, there had been instances where ship loads of dutiful shiploads just disappeared without reaching their ports of destination. And I know that every time there’s a change of administration, smuggling occurs. The worst thing that happens every time a new administration takes over Customs is the smuggling of illegal drugs. Santa Banana, where do you think illegal drugs re ported by media seized almost everyday by the police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency come from? Smuggling through Customs, that’s where. Going back to the sugar importation mess which created a lot of misunderstanding and confusion, in an effort by President Marcos to help the public fol lowing high prices of sugar. I must commend him for trying presidential per suasion to stop sugar prices from escalating follow ing an artificial shortage. Insofar as those smugglers are concerned, it would do well for BBM to make heads roll, if only to emphasize his zero-tolerance against all kinds of cor ruption, especially when they do it to the prejudice of the people by creating artificial shortages. For those who connived with those smugglers at Customs, BBM also has to drop the ax because they created all this mess about a sugar problem. As for illegal drugs which are obviously smug gled through Customs, the President should likewise show zero-tolerance on Customs people who tolerate the continuous entry of illegal drugs. Whoever is responsible must face the full force of the law because the continuous entry of illegal drugs becomes a threat to national security. It’s time President Marcos must put his foot down on corruption if only to show to the people his firm determination to eradicate graft and corruption.
THE record heatwave and drought in China are stuff that will provoke the minds of scientists and environment activists.Callsfora reduction in global carbon emissions to cool down the earth will once again dominate discussions on cli mate change in hopes of reversing the weather pattern. For policymakers and economic man agers, however, these extreme weather conditions present another disruption in the global supply chain—and higher inflation. Southern China just posted its longest period of high temperatures. They have threatened farm harvests and livestock production. In response, China’s State Council announced a $1.45-billion subsidy for rice farmers reeling from drought con ditions. Authorities have warned that the arid conditions are posing a critical threat to this year’s autumn harvest. The Yangtze river basin from coastal Shanghai to Sichuan province in Chi na’s southwest is the worst-affected area. This is home to over 370 million people and hosts several manufactur ing hubs, including the megacity of Chongqing.Thesevere heatwave has already prompted local authorities in China to ration power supply.
For a week after Pelosi’s visit, China sent warships, missiles and fighter jets into the waters and skies around Taiwan, its largest and most aggressive exercises since the mid-1990s. Even before this month’s drills, Bei jing had increased military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, particularly with incursions into the island’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ). Last year, Taiwan recorded incursions by around 970 Chinese warplanes into its air defense zone, according to a database compiled by AFP, more than double the roughly 380 in 2020. AFP
TAIWAN announced plans for a record increase to its defence budget on Thursday after huge military drills by China earlier this month sent tensions between the two to their highest in decades.
The second woman suffered de fensive wounds to her right hand, but managed with help from oth ers to overpower her attacker and hold her until police arrived. “The suspect acted wilfully and with particular ruthlessness,” prosecutors said, maintaining that she had acted “with the aim of killing (her victims) and thereby spreading terror throughout the population on behalf of the ‘Is lamic State.’”
AFP
Ukraine plans international court to put Putin on trial Japan’s National Police chief resigns
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POPE Francis, who recently raised the possibility of retiring due to his declin ing health, will create 20 new cardinals on Saturday – many of whom could one day choose his successor.
IN A rare case of alleged Islamist “terrorism” in Switzerland, a woman will go on trial next week over a brutal knife attack on two shoppers at an upscale depart mentThestore.woman, who cannot be named, allegedly tried to slit the throats of two women shopping at the Manor store in Lugano, in Switzerland’s southern, Italianspeaking Ticino region on No vember 24, 2020. The defendant, 28 at the time, is suspected of committing a “ji hadist knife attack” and had “in tended to kill her victims and to commit a terrorist act on behalf of IS” (the Islamic State group), the attorney general’s office said earlier this year. When her trial opens at the Federal Criminal Court in Bell inzona, near Lugano, on Monday, she will face charges of attempted murder and violating laws against association with Al-Qaeda, IS and related groups. On the day of the attack, the woman is accused of having gone to Manor’s kitchen supply divi sion on the fifth floor, picked out a large bread knife, and approached a random woman standing near by.Grabbing her from behind, the assailant plunged the knife at least 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) into her throat, missing her main carotid artery “by a few millime ters,” the indictment said. As she screamed “Allahu ak bar” (God is greatest) and “I will avenge the Prophet Moham med,” she struck the victim to the ground, and then moved on to a second woman, stabbing the knife towards her face and shouting “I am here for IS.”
It is the eighth consistory since the 85-year-old was elected in 2013, but is being particularly closely watched for signs of the kind of Catholic Church he hopes to leave behind.
The gathering was called earlier this year to discuss the pope’s new constitu tion for the governance of the church –but has only fueled speculation he is on his way Francis,out.who has cancelled numer ous events in recent months and been forced to use a wheelchair due to knee pain, said last month “the door is open” to stepping down. If he did follow his predecessor Bene dict XVI and resign, a conclave involv ing all cardinals aged under 80 would be called to choose a successor. After this weekend, Francis will have chosen around 90 out of the 132 cardi nals eligible to elect a new pope, around two-thirds of the total – precisely the percentage needed for any proposed name to pass.
“We always have the impression there will be continuity, but in reality, history has shown the opposite,” said Lecomte, citing the “balancing” from one pope to the next throughout the 20th century. Francis’ papacy has been defined by efforts to make the Church more in clusive, transparent and focused on the most vulnerable members of society. This year the Argentine pontiff com pleted a major shake-up of the Vatican’s powerful governing body, the Roman Curia, which makes winning new con verts a priority.
AFP
Standard TODAY ESTATESETTLEMENTEXTRAJUDICIALOF–LATEYANGUANTY
SIX months into Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian officials are drawing up plans to make sure Russian President Vladimir Putin and his top military commanders will be tried for launching the war. The plan for a special international tribunal to investigate Russia’s alleged “crime of aggression” is being spear headed by Andrii Smirnov, deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential administration. The definition of the crime of ag gression was adopted in the 2010 Rome Statute, and the similar notion of “crime against peace” was used in trials in Nuremberg and Tokyo after the Sec ond World War. The International Criminal Court, which has been trying the grav est crimes for the past 20 years, is already investigating war crimes, crimes against humanity and geno cide in Ukraine. But it cannot look into accusa tions of aggression because neither Ukraine nor Russia have ratified the RomeThisStatute.court is “the only way to make sure that the criminals who started the Ukraine war are held ac countable quickly,” Smirnov told AFP.“The world has a short memory. That’s why I would like this tribunal to start working next year.” AFP Woman on trial over rare brutal ‘jihadist’ attack in Switzerland IN BRIEF
THE head of Japan’s National Police Agency announced his resignation on Thursday after an investigation into se curity for former prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated last month. “We have decided to shake up our person nel and start afresh with our security duties, and that’s why I tendered my resignation to the National Public Safety Commission today,” Itaru Nakamura told reporters. He made the announcement at a press conference detailing the findings of an in vestigation into flaws in how the former prime minister was protected. “As we scrutinized and reflected on the incident, we decided to start over and over haul our security system,” Nakamura added. Abe was shot and killed on the cam paign trail on July 8 in the Nara region. His suspected killer was detained at the scene and is believed to have targeted Abe because he thought he was linked to the Unification Church. Abe was Japan’s best-known politician and longest-serving prime minister, but secu rity was comparatively light as he delivered a stump speech on a street in the western region. Local police in the area have already acknowledged “undeniable” flaws in se curity for the former leader. AFP Officer fired over Texas school attack
Taipei has proposed a defence bud get of Tw$415.1 billion ($13.7 billion) for next year, up 13 percent year-onyear, pending parliamentary approval. An additional special budget will also be created specifically to acquire new fighter jets and other projects to boost naval and air capabilities, the top budgeting agency said in a statement. “To protect national security, the overall defence budget for next year will reach Tw$586.3 billion to a record high,” a cabinet spokesman quoted Pre mier Su Tseng-chang as saying. Taiwan lives under constant threat of invasion by China, which claims the democratic island as part of its territory to be seized one day – by force if necessary. Beijing’s sabre-rattling has grown more pronounced under President Xi Jin ping, China’s most assertive leader in a generation.Thebolstered military budget was un veiled after Beijing staged unprecedented exercises around Taiwan in retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei earlier this month. Beijing lashes out at any diplomatic action that might lend Taiwan legitimacy and has responded with growing anger to visits by Western officials and politicians.
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As rumors swirl over his declining health, Pope names new cardinals
Taiwan announces plans for record defense budget
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The naming of cardinals, normally an annual event, is always scrutinised as an indication of the future direction of the Catholic Church and its priorities for its 1.3 billion faithful. But Francis’s choices for cardinals do not automatically guarantee that the next pope would be someone reflecting his own priorities, Vatican specialist Ber nard Lecomte told AFP.
WORST DROUGHT ON RECORD. An aerial photo shows the dried-up riverbed of the Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze River in China’s southwestern city of Chongqing on August 25, 2022. AFP FrancisPope
WorldFRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022B2 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
THE widely criticized police officer in charge of the response to the Uvalde, Tex as school shooting that saw 19 children and two teachers killed was fired Wednes day, US media reported. The Uvalde school board voted unani mously to terminate the contract of dis trict police chief Pete Arredondo, the Texas Tribune reported. The state’s public safety chief previ ously said Arredondo had placed “the lives of officers before the lives of chil dren” and made “terrible decisions” while managing the crime scene. Nineteen young children and two teachers were killed when a teenage gunman went on a rampage at Robb Elementary School on May 24 in America’s worst school shooting in a decade. Police eventually shot and killed the gunman. Local police have been under intense scrutiny since it emerged that more than a dozen officers waited for over an hour out side a pair of adjoining classrooms where the shooting was taking place and did noth ing as children lay dead or dying inside. Arredondo, who was suspended in June pending an investigation, earlier on Wednesday asked for his suspension to be lifted through a statement from his lawyer, criticizing his treatment since the shooting. “Chief Arredondo will not participate in his own illegal and unconstitutional pub lic lynching and respectfully requests the Board immediately reinstate him, with all backpay and benefits and close the com plaint as unfounded,” lawyer George Hyde said in a statement released shortly before the school board’s vote. AFP
The new cardinals include men known for their progressive views and their pas toral work, and they hail from around the world: from Brazil to Nigeria, India, Sin gapore and East Timor. After Saturday’s swearing-in at St Pe ter’s Basilica, they will join a two-day meeting of all cardinals starting Monday.
PROTEST. Portraits of murdered journalists are seen pasted on the doors of the building of the Attorney General of the Republic during a demonstration held by Mexican journalists to protest against the murder of their colleague Fredid Roman in Mexico City, on August 24, 2022. AFP
Central bankers are meeting in Jack son Hole in the US state of Wyoming, and all eyes are on Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell’s Friday speech for clues about plans to tame inflation. Market sentiment was also boosted by the Chinese government’s Wednes day announcement of new policies to help sustain the recovery of the world’s second-largest economy. Asian traders on Thursday followed a positive lead from Wall Street, where the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 all closedAfterhigher.Typhoon Ma-On delayed the start of trading until 1:00 p.m. local time (0500 GMT), Hong Kong surged to close more than 3.6 percent higher. Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney rose. There were also gains in Singapore, Taipei and Seoul. There are concerns that the Fed’s fight against soaring inflation could lead to a recession in the United States, which could, in turn, hit a global economy still recovering from the COVID-19 pan demic.“Aslower global growth environment is not going away anytime soon and now we are clearly seeing broader signs of weakness for the US economy,” OAN DA’s Edward Moya said in a note. “Powell’s fight against inflation might send the US economy into a recession late next year, but for now he needs to stick to the hawkish script and leave all options of tightening on the table.” Central banks around the world are trying to find a delicate balance between curbing inflation and avoiding reces sions.The challenge has been compound ed this year by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has sent energy and food prices skyrocketing. With AFP
Prices of instant noodles are capped by Bangkok at six baht ($0.16) per packet but anxious major producers had urged the government to raise the limit to eight baht, citing spiraling costs. The internal trade department con firmed to AFP that it would approve an increase to seven baht per regularsized packet, effective from August 25. The news comes after five major Thai instant noodle producers—Wai Wai, Mama, Yam Yam, Sue Sat and Nissin— petitioned the department for a rise.
By Haitham El-Tabei AL-NAMAS, Saudi Arabia—As Sau di Arabia swelters in sizzling desert temperatures, some are escaping to the “City of Fog”—a mountainous oasis of cool where warm clothing is needed even in Sittingsummer.withfriends on a picnic blan ket, under light rain and a thick, swirl ing mist in Al-Namas, Abdullah AlEnizi wears a body-warmer over his traditional white robes to guard against theThechill.retreat, 2,800 meters (9,200 feet) above sea level in Saudi Arabia’s rugged south, is in stark contrast to other parts of the vast, largely desert country where summer heat of up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahr enheit) is an annual challenge. At Al-Namas, humid monsoon weather keeps temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahren heit), dropping as low as 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) at night, as fog blocks out the sun over verdant hills. “It’s 46 degrees in Riyadh and only 20 here, it’s 26 degrees lower,” says Al-Enizi at the holiday destination, about 850 kilometers (530 miles) south-west of the Saudi capital. “We’re escaping the heat. Here, it’s cool and the rain and fog are here near ly all the time,” added the semi-retired Saudi, 45, who drove about 12 hours fromAroundRiyadh.his group of friends, fami lies enjoy the breeze as their children run around in the fresh air, rather than being cooped up in their air-condi tioned houses as usual elsewhere in theClusterscountry.of holiday-makers in rain
“We are facing rising commodity prices, oil prices for export,” explained Veera Naphaprukchart from Thai Pre served Food, part of popular brand Wai Wai. The price of wheat flour rose roughly 20-30 percent and the price of palm oil had doubled, he said. Veera blamed rising costs on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was a major supplier of wheat to the kingdom prior to the conflict. Pipat Paniangvait, of Thai President Food, said the price of instant noodles was last increased in 2008.
AFP
Unite accused French company RATP, which owns London United, of offering the drivers a “real terms pay cut” in negotiations over pay. It said the firm was offering an in crease of 3.6 percent for 2022 and 4.2 percent in 2023, despite Britain’s inflation rate reaching double figures last month for the first time since 1982.“It(RATP) can fully afford to pay its workers a decent pay increase, but it is refusing to do so,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said. A spokesperson for RATP said it remained “committed to resolving the dispute as soon as possible and we urge Unite to reconsider our in vitation to return to the negotiating table.”The stoppage is the latest by pub lic and private sector workers in the UK, as the spiraling cost of living has led employees to seek salary hikes to keep up with their surging bills. London Underground and national railway staff have held a series of walkouts in recent months, while the unrest has hit numerous other indus tries and sectors. They range from dock workers at Felixstowe—the country’s biggest container port-- refuse collectors in Scotland, to criminal lawyers across England and Wales. AFP coats and woolly hats sip Arabic coffee and crowd under umbrellas, while kites flutter in the wind. “Before we came, we packed all our winter things!” says Nouf, who did not want to give her surname, while doing up her daughter’s coat. Tourist authorities have built a “fog road” for hikers and cyclists traversing a high summit that overlooks the mistshrouded mountains. Khalaf Al-Juheiri travelled to AlNamas with his wife and children from Tabuk, in Saudi Arabia’s north, to enjoy the “cool weather.”
“We really miss this weather when the temperature goes over 40 degrees in summer” in Tabuk, said the 33-year-old civil servant, covering his head against the rain. ‘Visit Saudi’ In 2020, a study published by the Sci ence Advances magazine showed that the Gulf region has the hottest and most humid climate on the planet. Because of global warming, some Gulf cities could become uninhabitable before the end of this century, experts say.Thanks to its altitude and strong winds, Al-Namas escapes the worst of the increasing heat, says Hassan Abdul lah, a Jordan-based official from the WASM weather technology company. It has become a prized destination at a time when Saudi authorities, search ing for new income streams apart from oil, are heavily promoting domestic and international tourism. The ‘Visit Saudi’ promotion is in full swing just three years after tourist visas were first made available for foreign visitors in 2019. As plane fares surge after the pan demic, Saudi families spent 80 billion riyals (about 21 billion euros) on do mestic travel last year, a 3percent in crease from 2019, ministry of tourism figures show. “Summer is the peak tourist season, going from May to October,” says Abdullah Al-Shahri, a hotelier at Al-Na mas where winter temperatures some times plunge to zero degrees. At the top of a hill that overlooks the green valley, Mushabab Al-Omari takes in the view, sitting next to his wife. AFP
AFP
London bus drivers latest UK workers to strike over pay
FRANKFURT, Germany— Germany’s economy grew slightly in the second quarter, an upgrade from a previous estimate of stagnation, revised official data showed Thursday, pushing back the specter of Outputrecession.expanded by 0.1 percent in the April to June period, accord ing to the federal statistics agency, which had previously projected zero growth.Theeconomy was propped up by both private and public domestic de mand, with spending by the state up by 2.3 Privatepercent.spending rose 0.8 percent from the previous quarter as the end of COVID-19 restrictions brought more tourism and restaurant dining.
LONDON, United Kingdom—Bus drivers in London are set to strike over pay for two days this weekend, their union announced on Wednes day, as decades-high inflation prompts walkouts across Britain’s ailingAroundeconomy.1,600 drivers from the London United bus company will stage the stoppage on Sunday and Monday over the traditional end-ofsummer long weekend, the union Unite said. The strike, which will affect only a portion of London’s famous red buses, could hinder people trying to reach the annual Notting Hill Car nival, which will take place on both days and typically draws up to two million people.
Producers’ issues have been com pounded by the high export costs— thanks to rising oil and wheat prices— meaning selling abroad is not viable either.“In the past, we were selling more outside Thailand to curb the situation here as we can not raise the price free ly,” he said. The trade department said it would continue to monitor the cost of produc tion and indicated it could adjust the price accordingly.
BANGKOK, Thailand—Thailand will raise the price of Thai instant noodles, the trade department said Wednesday, marking the first price increase on the must-have daily staple in 14 years. The kingdom’s economy has not bounced back after fully re-opening to tourists earlier this year, and has been battered by 14-year-high inflation and the economic knock-on effects of the Russian-Ukraine war.
Business FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022 || B3 extrastory2000@gmail.com Stock market advances; ICTSI, BDO lead gainers THE stock market climbed again Thursday on thin trading after China unveiled fresh measures to boost its economy. MOSTVOLUMEACTIVEVALUE (PHP) 1 ICT 2,502,170 470,835,736 2 ALI 8,835,700 252,953,315 3 TEL 138,385 236,138,615 4 SECB 2,124,780 195,732,854 5 SMPH 4,717,300 173,260,005 6 SM 192,370 167,233,430 7 BDO 1,257,440 161,340,656 8 JFC 486,530 114,253,196 9 SPNEC 63,952,000 105,575,100 10 CNVRG 5,306,700 99,677,786 TOP LASTGAINERS % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE 1 BALAI 0.99 0.13 15.12% 2 CHP 0.81 0.09 12.50% 3 OPM 0.011 0.001 10.00% 4 APL 0.042 0.003 7.69% 5 2GO 7.27 0.45 6.60% 6 VUL 0.98 0.06 6.52% 7 BSC 0.405 0.02 5.19% 8 BRN 0.83 0.04 5.06% 9 PRIM 2.45 0.09 3.81% 10 APC 0.21 0.007 3.45% TOPPRICELASTLOSERS%CHANGECHANGE 1 KPHB 6.12 -2.28 -27.14% 2 WIN 0.26 -0.025 -8.77% 3 ATNB 0.435 -0.04 -8.42% 4 OPMB 0.011 -0.001 -8.33% 5 COAL 0.21 -0.019 -8.30% 6 TCB2D 51.5 -4.15 -7.46% 7 FAF 0.63 -0.05 -7.35% 8 MEDIC 0.7 -0.04 -5.41% 9 SFI 0.092 -0.005 -5.15% 10 ACEX 16.06 -0.82 -4.86% PSEi August 25, 2022 betterGermany’seconomyinQ2thanfeared
Europe’s biggest economy has been slowing as inflation soars, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sending energy and food prices through the roof.Germany has been highly reliant on supplies of Russian gas to meet its energy demands, but Moscow has slowly dwindled supplies since the start of the war. The threat that Russia could cut deliveries completely has raised the possibility of shortages over the win ter and brought Germany closer to rationing supplies, with a punishing impact on business. Even if the latest data offered Ger many some reprieve from negative growth, economic indicators in the last days are painting a pessimistic picture. The Ifo monthly confidence ba rometer, based on a survey of 9,000 companies, slumped for a third month in a row in August to reach 88.5“Companiespoints. were somewhat less satisfied with their current business, and the strong pessimism of their out look for the coming months is virtually unchanged,” said the institute. “Uncertainty among the compa nies remains high, and the German economy as a whole is expected to shrink in the third quarter,” it added.
Mist covers the sky at an elevation 2800 meters above sea level, at the Jabal Marir (Mount Marir) park in al-Namas in Saudi Arabia’s Asir Province, on August 16, 2022. AFP
The Philippine Stock Exchange Index advanced 62.98 points, or 1 percent, to 6,706.43 on a value turnover of nearly P4 billion. Gainers beat losers, 100 to 86, with 34 issues unchanged. SM Investments Corp. of the Sy Group surged 3.4 percent to P880, while unit BDO Unibank Inc., the larg est lender in terns of assets, added 1.4 percent to InternationalP128.80.Container Terminal Services Inc. of business tycoon En rique Razon Jr., the biggest port opera tor, rose 1.6 percent to 188, while Jol libee Foods Corp., the largest fast-food chain, climbed 1.3 percent to 234. Hong Kong led gains in Asian mar kets Thursday while investors awaited a speech by the Fed chair that may hold clues about future rate hikes.
Thailand approves first instant noodle price increase in 14 years
Sweltering Saudis escape to mountainous ‘City of Fog’
NOODLES PRICE HIKE. A woman walks past stacks of instant noodles at the Good Noodle store selling a wide variety from across Asia, in Bangkok on August 25, 2022. Thailand will raise the price of Thai instant noodles, the trade department said August 24, marking the first price increase on the must-have daily staple in 14 years. Story below. AFP (Related story below)
within the year PH provides advantages to Japanese investors
He cited the recent economic policy re forms such as the amended Retail Trade Liberalization Act, Foreign Investment Act and Public Service Act.
THE board of Alsons Consolidated Resourc es Inc. approved the issuance of P3-billion worth of short-term commercial paper on Thursday in one or more tranches. The board also authorized the engage ment of MIB Capital Corp. as the financial advisor, SB Capital Investment Corp. as underwriter and issue manager, Acuña & Francisco Law as transaction counsel, AB Capital and Investment Corp.-Trust Invest ment Division as facility agent and the Phil ippine Depository & Trust Corp. as registrar and paying agent. Alsons is focused on building up its re newable energy capacity in the next few years, with around eight run-of-river hydro electric power facilities in the pipeline. The first of these hydro plants is the 14.5-mega watt Siguil hydropower project under con struction in Maasim, Sarangani, which is targeted to begin operations by the second quarter of 2023. The next hydro facilities slated for devel opment are the 21-MW hydro plant in Zam boanga del Norte and the Bago river hydro electric power plant in Negros Occidental. Alena Mae S. Flores Globe joins fight against cable theft
Diokno
“The PNOC Exploration Corp. is con sidering the matter of giving its consent to the sale of Shell’s interest, and as far as the Department of Energy is concerned, we would have to review the sale and the terms and conditions under which it is going to be made,” he said. “The schedules are quite tight and those schedules, even if stretched a bit, I don’t think that they would have to go beyond this year,” Lotilla said during a briefing. Prime Exploration Pte. Ltd., a sub sidiary of Prime Infra, signed a share purchase agreement in July to acquire MEXP Holding Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Udenna Corp. MEXP Holdings owns Malampaya Energy. Lotilla said the DOE would soon an nounce the technical and financial advi sors that would help the agency review the technical and financial aspects of the proposed sale. “But I can assure you that we will try to adhere to the timelines that are in the department circular that I issued in 2007 on the renewal and approval of transfers and interest in the service contract. I re alize that the deadlines there are tight, but as much as possible, we would like to address these issues within the frame work of that department circular,” he said.He said DOE would exercise the ut most care and diligence in reviewing the sale.“The main objective is to ensure that the Philippine government and the Filipino people will be able to take full advantage of this resource and that within the framework of Presidential Decree 87, we look for ward not only to the extraction of the existing resource but that we also look to the full development of the other oil and gas resources of the country,” he said.
BusinessRay
Tomohiro Ando, investment and EPA advisor of JETRO Manila, presented the comparative advantages of the Philip pines, ways of targeting Japanese manu facturing companies, designing effective statistical data presentations for Japanese investors and practical tips to make infor mation available for Japanese investors. Ando also presented the various con cerns of JETRO affiliates in countries in Asia and Oceania.
THE Philippines has numerous compara tive advantages that can attract more in vestments from Japan, according to the Japan External Trade Organization.
EMPLOYERS CONFERENCE.
Ando said that when it comes to the qual ity of employees, the situation in the Philip pines is better compared to other countries.
7.1633 Switzerland Franc
THE tollway unit of San Miguel Corp. raised its capital expenditure budget by 49.5 percent this year to partially fund the maintenance of South Luzon Ex pressway and its extension from Batan gas province to Quezon province. SMC SLEX Inc. said Thursday the 2022 capital expenditures would reach P14.19 billion, higher than its earlier an nounced capex of P9.49 billion. The company said the capex would fund SLEX Toll Road 4 and other en hancement and expansion projects in SLEX, which include preventive re placement of equipment to ensure that the toll collection system, traffic control and surveillance system and other criti cal systems of tollway operation are in good working condition. The company in March 2019 started the construction of the 66.74-kilometer TR4 that would connect Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City, Quezon. The toll road will shorten the travel time from Sto. Tomas to Barangay Mayao in Lucena City from the usual three hours to 45 minutes. The P26.1-billion project is expected to be completed by 2026. TR4 is a part of SLTC’s 30-year concession which will last until 2036. SMC SLEX posted a net income of P1.58 billion in the first six months, up 21 percent from P1.31 billion it earned in the same period last year. The company’s total revenue rose 17 percent in the first half to P3.11 billion from P2.66 billion in the same period last year and 1 percent below the prepandemic figure of P3.14 billion. SLEX posted an average daily traf fic of 368,683 from January to June, up by 14 percent from 324,824 last year and moving closer to the pre-pandemic figures of 370,612 with the continuing implementation of lowest mobility re strictions of Alert Level 1. “Volume increased across all classes with highest increase in class 1 and 2 by 15 percent and 9 percent, respectively,” the toll road operator said. ‘’Although SLEX traffic volume and toll revenue for the period ended June 30 are close to achieving the pre-pandemic levels, the extent to which the war and demand for oil supply impacts the company’s finan cials will depend on future develop ments,” SMC SLEX said.
IN
By Julito G. Rada
43.3415 Singapore Dollar
0.4099 UK Pound
38.8237 Bahrain Dinar 2.653224 149.1138 Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266134 14.9570 Brunei Dollar 0.715154 40.1924 Indonesia Rupiah 0.000067 0.0038 Thailand Baht 0.027732 1.5586 UAE Dirham 0.272279 15.3024 Euro Euro 0.997000 56.0324 Korea Won 0.000746 0.0419 China Yuan 0.145817 8.1951 India Rupee 0.012533 0.7044 Malaysia Ringgit 0.223015 12.5337 New Zealand Dollar 0.618900 34.7828 Taiwan Dollar 0.033090 1.8597 Source: BSP TOTAL VOLUME 1,278,991,300 TOTAL TRADES 58,209 TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) 3,991,029,383.93 ADVANCES 100
MCDONALD’S SUPPORT. Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte (second from right), along with employee-volunteers from McDonald’s Philippines, leads the Brigada Eskwela 2022 kick-off ceremony. McDonald’s Philippines through its charity of choice, Ronald McDonald House Charities, extended support to schools for the annual Brigada Eskwela, which gathers volunteers from both the private and public sector every year to help prepare public elementary and secondary schools for the upcoming school year. McDonald’s and RMHC since 2015 have been providing meals, cleaning materials and Ronald McDonald Read-to-Learn kits to partner schools.
settle
B4 FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022
Diokno: Gov’t debt burden just 11% of budget in 2023 hot money yielded $103m in net outflows BRIEF S. Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Editor extrastory2000@gmail.combusiness@manilastandard.net
PSE INDEX CLOSING Thursday, August 25, 2022 62.986,706.43PTS. F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 Currency Unit US Dollar Peso United States Dollar 1.000000 56.2010 Japan Yen
ENERGY Secretary Raphael Lotilla an nounced the creation of an advisory panel composed of two retired Supreme Court chief justices who will advise the Depart ment of Energy on energy law reforms and various energy-related legal matters. Lotilla named the senior legal advisors from the private sector as retired Chief Justices Ar temio Panganiban and Reynato Puno. The move will ensure that the policy recommendations from the DOE to the President and Congress are grounded on the Constitution, the laws of the land and sound legal“Retiredprinciples.Chief Justice Panganiban and Retired Chief Justice Puno have kindly agreed to be the co-chairs of the DOE’s Law and Energy Advisory Panel. They will serve as private citizens and will not assume any public office,”Lotilla said. He said legal responsibility and account ability would continue to reside in the DOE. “Along these lines as well, the legal cluster of the Cabinet has looked at the issues ema nating from the JAPEX [Japan Petroleum Exploration Company Ltd.] Supreme Court ruling way back in 2015 that the President must personally sign the service contracts in order to be valid,” Lotilla said. Alena Mae S. Flores 0.007294 1.179600 0.127458 1.034661 0.771188 0.717721 0.690800
66.2947 Hong Kong Dollar
58.1490 Canada Dollar
SMC tollway unit ups capex to fund extension of SLEX
By Darwin G. Amojelar
Diokno earlier assured senators that the national debt remained within man ageable levels. He said most of the na tional debt is long term, spread out and set at the lowest possible rate. Data showed that as of end-June, the national government debt reached P12.79 trillion, equivalent to 62.1 per cent of GDP. The government, under the MediumTerm Fiscal Framework, aims to bring down the debt-to-GDP ratio to less than 60 percent by 2025 and cut the deficitto-GDP ratio from 6.5 percent to 3.0 percent by 2028. Diokno said that the structural re forms and enhanced tax system institut ed by the Duterte administration would ensure that the government would meet itsTheobligations.MTFFalso proposes measures to further improve tax administration and enhance the fairness and efficiency of the tax system. Diokno expressed confidence govern ment revenues would continue to pick up and the deficit would decrease on the back of a strong economy, as dem onstrated by a broad-based 7.4 percent gross domestic product growth rate in the second quarter. The MTFF targets an economic ex pansion of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent in 2022. Economic analysts consider this goal to be the highest among the ASE AN+3 countries.
Eñano,
DOE chief vows to Malampaya deal
JETRO representatives made the ob servation during the information session organized by the Board of Investments for investment promotion agencies.
GLOBE Telecom Inc. joined local cable and telecommunications providers in the fight against cable theft that causes network dis ruptions and deprives customers of seamless connectivity.The“Oplan Kontra Putol” is an industrywide initiative that seeks to inform the pub lic about illegal cable-cutting and the disrup tion it brings to families and communities. It involves consumer education, deployment of efficient security and patrolling systems and close cooperation with local authorities and government units. “Together with our customers, we have been victimized by perpetrators who steal and sell the copper wires for profit, or recklessly cut and damage our cable wires without regard to the disruption it causes to our internet and cable service. This illegal act robs our customers of the steady inter net and cable TV service they need for en tertainment and access to information, and disrupts connectivity required for work,” the Oplan Kontra Putol Consortium said in a statement. Darwin G. Amojelar DOE taps 2 retired SC chief justices
40.3366 Australia Dollar
BOI director Maria Rosario Domin guez underscored the importance of the info session for IPAs, as it provides sig nificant insights about attracting Japanese companies to invest in the Philippines, as Japan is “one of the main target investors and key markets”.
Julito G. Rada Alsons to issue P3-b debt paper
FINANCE Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Thursday that allocations for debt burden will account for just a tenth of the proposed 2023 national budget, and not a third of the total. “Only 11.6 percent or P611.0 billion of the P5.268 trillion proposed 2023 national budget is allocated for debt burden. The amount includes P582.3 billion for interest payments and P28.7 billion for net lending,” Diokno said in a statement.“Thisismuch lower than the P1.6trillion debt service—equivalent to 29.8 percent of the proposed budget,” Dio kno said to correct reports that included the principal amortization of P1.020 trillion as part of expenditures. Diokno said the principal amortiza tion of debt is not included as an ex pense item under any accounting stan dard, whether in the private or public sector.He said the principal amortization would not contribute to additional debt, Debt obligation is only transferred from an old creditor to a new creditor in the process of refinancing, he said. Diokno said the proper measure of the debt burden component of the bud get includes interest payments and net lending as reflected in the Department of Budget and Management’s People’s Budget primer. He said that while the share of debt burden in the 2023 national budget would be 0.8 percentage points higher than this year’s 10.8 percent, it would still be lower than 2021’s 12.4 percent.
“The Philippines still has much to offer to Japanese companies,” said JETRO Manila executive-director Kazuo Nakamura in pre senting the organization’s perspective in at tracting Japanese foreign direct investments into the country beyond the pandemic.
FOREIGN portfolio investments or hot money yielded net outflows of $103 million in July, lower than the $342-million net outflows in June, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Thursday. The net outflows in July this year were also smaller than the $340-mil lion net outflows recorded in July 2021. The latest figure brought the hot money transactions in the first seven months to net inflows of $625 mil lion, a turnaround from the $446-mil lion net outflows a year earlier. Data from the BSP showed that gross outflows in July amounted to $784 million, outpacing the $681-million gross inflows. The $681 million registered invest ments in July reflected a decrease of 34.5 percent from $1.0-billion regis tered in AboutJune.64.8 percent of these in vestments were registered in Philip pine Stock Exchange-listed securi ties, mainly in holding firms; food, beverage and tobacco; property; banks; and transportation services. The balance went to investments in peso government securities (35.2 percent).Investments in July mostly came from the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, Hong Kong and Luxembourg with a combined share of 84.7 Portfoliopercent.investments are also called “hot money” because of the ease they are invested in and taken out of the domestic financial markets. Hot money in 2021 posted net out flows of $1.4 billion, a reversal of the $8.2-billion net inflows in 2020, as the pandemic continued to impact the global financial markets. The BSP ex pects hot money to yield net inflows of $4.5 billion this year.
“We must get as much information from our stakeholders to help us direct our efforts and judiciously tap resources in eyeing and getting quality investments in priority and focused sectors which will impact the investment landscape of the Philippines,” Dominguez said.
“Apart from the young and English-speak ing workforce which is one of the many rea sons why the Philippines remains to be an attractive investment destination for Japanese, the Philippines remains an attractive invest ment destination with its business-friendly environment and game-changing, liberalized laws and policies,” Nakamura said.
By Alena Mae S. Flores ENERGY Secretary Raphael Lotilla as sured that the government will resolve the Malampaya deal between Prime In frastructure Capital Inc. and Shell Phil ippines Exploration B.V. within the year. Lotilla said “PNOC [Exploration Corp.] is considering the matter of giv ing its consent to the sale of Shell’s inter est to Prime Infrastructure of business man Enrique Razon.” Lotilla said PNOC EC, which has a 10-percent stake in Service Contract 38 or the Malampaya project in northwest Palawan, “will give consent first.”
The two- day 43rd National Conference of Employers, organized by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines with the theme ‘Reimagining the Future of Employment: From Policies to Actions’ opens on Wednesday at the Marriott Hotel Manila. ECOP president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. (fourth from left) and National Economic and Development Authority director-general Arsenio Balisacan (fifth from left) lead the opening of the two- day event which runs from Aug. 24 to 25. With them are other ECOP officials and their spouses.
July
Assistant
Clarkson, Sotto impress Cone
Japanese spikers celebrate their 3-set victory over the Australians in the AVC Cup for Women preliminaries Thursday at the Philsports Arena. sive,” said Cone during Gilas team practice at the Meralco gym prior to their departure for Beirut.
World Cup countdown begins; FIBA ambassadors recall Gilas brotherhood
Providing solid support around the two are Japeth Aguilar, Chris Newsome, Scottie Thompson, Thirdy Ravena, Kiefer Ravena, Bobby Ray Parks, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, Jamie Malonzo and Calvin Oftana. Roosevelt Adams, who was in the initial 13-man lineup that left Manila and touched down in Lebanon on Tuesday, Aug. 23, did not make it to the official lineup but continues to train with the team.
The arrival of the 7’2” Sotto, who plays for the Adelaide 36ers in NBL Australia, should provide Gilas with the shot-blocking presence previously lacking, a factor assistant coach Cone is optimistic about. “Kai has been very, very impresTHEPilipinasBasketbolSamahangnghascome out with the Final 12 lineup for Gilas Pilipinas on the eve of its game against host Lebanon at 2 a.m. Aug. 26 (Manila time) in the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers at the Nouhad Naufal Sports Complex in Beirut, with NBA prospect Kai Sotto and Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson impressing coach Tim Cone during the team’s preparations.
By Peter Atencio THE brotherhood, which the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball squad developed when it made the finals of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championships, is something that team members have treasured most for many years. Squad members of this renowned batch of the national squad said this after LA Tenorio, Larry Fonacier, Jeff Chan and Gary David were named FIBA Local Ambassadors from the Philippines, with Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray. “Nu’ng nag-start kami, hindi lang puro basketball. May mga kuya kami, sina kuya Ranidel (de Ocampo), kuya Gary (David). Sila iyung mga nagpapagaan ng loob namin, at nagbibigay ng joke time (jokes) sa amin,” said Chan during the launch at the TV5 offices in Mandaluyong of the “One Year To Go” milestone leading to FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 The “One Year To Go” countdown commemorates the ongoing preparations leading to the staging of the 2023 cageBEA Quiambao sets out for another crack at a 5150 crown, confident of emerging queen of Olympic triathlon distance racing for the second straight time in Penong’s 5150 Davao reeling off on Sept. 4 in Tagum City, Davao del QuiambaoNorte.dominated the Sun Life 5150 Bohol last July, posting a 2:27:13 clocking to beat Moira Erediano and Karen Manayon for the 20-24 age category title on top of bagging the overall championship.Thatmakes the Next Step Tri spearhead the triathlete to beat in the upcoming event set over the Olympic distance of 1.5k swim, 40k bike and 10k run at The Wrec, Hijo Resort Davao. But Manayon is also all geared up for a shot at the title, also in the same agegroup class and in the overall race, making their upcoming showdown a duel to watch.
“Our GILAS PILIPINAS Men’s National Basketball Team is raring to go all out for flag and country,” said SBP Executive Director and spokesman Sonny Barrios.
DAPITAN City will host the Grand Finals of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines’ National Youth and Schools Chess Championships from September 16 to 23 at the Dapitan Sports and Cultural Complex, Dapitan, Zamboanga Del Norte. The Grand Finals is the culmination of the three qualifying tournaments nationwide where about 120 participants aged 9 to 17 years old will compete under several categories in the annual activity. Among the participants are Iana Angela Sotaridona in the girls’ under-13 and Thea Grace and Mica Claire Clar in the girls’ under-9 category. Their participation is fully supported by Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas. The Grand Finals is a collaboration between the NCFP and Dapitan City Mayor Mayor Seth Frederick “Bullet” Jalosjos.TheNCFP recently held its elections with Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino yielding the post of secretary general to give way to the young blood in running the federation. Rep. Prospero “Butch” Pichay was reelected president with Cavite Vice Governor Athena Tolentino getting elected as First Vice President, the only female officer of the federation. Also elected were Second Vice President Atty. Ruel Canobas, Third Vice President Senator Manny Pacquiao, Secretary General Rep. Carlo Sandro Gonzalez, Treasurer Mayor Atty. Christian Natividad, Auditor Judge Gonzalo Mapili, Finance Chairman Luisito Ramos, Youth Development Chairman Rep. Neri Javier Colmenares, Ratings and Titles Chairman National Master Atty. Cresencio Aspiras and Directors Jose Rafael Legaspi, Gen. Jonas Silvano, Rey Urbiztondo, Binky Gaticales and Seth Frederick Jaloslos.
JAPAN overwhelmed Australia, 25-4, 25-11, 25-15, to complete a three-match sweep of Pool B in the AVC Cup for Women preliminaries Thursday at the Philsports Arena. Yuki Nishikawa, who had three service aces and two blocks to finish with 18 points, was delighted to help the Japanese in sweeping all of their group matches. “We had little time to prepare for this competition with this team. But we did pretty great and I’m so happy for it,” said Nishikawa through an interpreter. Despite her 16-point outing, which included six service aces, Mizuki Tanaka downplayed her performance in the Pool B “Todayfinale. wasn’t my best, but we were able to win this game. That was really great,” said Tanaka, through an interpreter.
Kai Sotto City, while seeking to avenge a 95-80 loss to the Lebanese (5-1) in the FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta last July. Jordan Clarkson
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022 C1 Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor
Sports
Gilas
“Maybe in the NBA level, it’s a different thing. But at this level, he’s a real deal. Having Kai protecting the rim for us, it’s making a big, big difference,” Cone said. Clarkson’s familiarity with Gilas’ offensive system also gives Cone confidence.“JCknows the offense already. He runs dribble-drive in Utah, he’s done it before. He’s very comfortable with it so I don’t think that’s going to be an issue for us. He already understands the principles, so he’s stepping in really easy.”
“Each one, to the last man, is fully committed to give his very best, inspired by the support and prayers of his countrymen. Let us continue to wish them well and cheer them on as they play for all of us away from home. LABAN PILIPINAS! PUSO!”
Japan sweeps AVC Cup pool B
Japan, which has yet to drop a set in the competition, will face the No. 4 team in Pool A in the quarterfinals starting Saturday. Aside from Nishikawa and Tanaka, Miyu Nakagawa and Hawi Okumu, the daughter of former University of the Philippines coach Godfrey, also played a huge role in the Japanese’ dominant first-set showing. Khiani Garton-Dodd topscored for the Volleyroos with seven points, while Tessa Browne chipped in three points. Australia went winless in Pool B, which went down to four teams following Kazakhstan’s late withdrawal. The Volleyroos will play the top-ranked squad in Pool A in the quarters also on Saturday.
NCFP youth/schoolsholdschessfinalsinDapitanCity to nurture through the years.
“Siguro, iyung ang pinakamalaking challenge ng Gilas natin ngayon, iyung journey nila,” said Tenorio. Back then, Gilas just went through a weeklong tournament to make qualification.Thistime,teams from Asia needed to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 through six tournament windows for over 15 months. Most of the time, many key players were not available, compelling the coaching staff to make adjustments along the way and look for others who can make the time to play for Gilas on a particular window.
The qualifiers began November 2021 and will conclude in February 2023, this time with national teams playing homeand-away games in each of these event windows.Thecountry’s local ambassador vowed to be the embodiments of FIBA’s values and principles, upholding responsible, progressive, and team-work centered practices inside and outside the court.
From a current 2-2 record in the Asian Qualifiers, Gilas PH, coached by Chot Reyes, is looking to pick up steam heading to the game against Saudi Arabia (3-3) on Aug. 29 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay Quiambao eyes 5150 sweep in Penong’s Davao
QuiambaoBea fest, which will be jointly hosted by the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10 next year. Back in 2014, Gilas Pilipinas made it to the FIBA World Cup in Spain to finish 21st place. Team Philippines made it to the World Cup after placing fourth in the FIBA Asia qualifiers. Tenorio said their experience to make it to the final round was something that they hold dear because of the togetherness and the sense of family that the team continued
Proponents of the PH’s FIBA World Cup hosting, led by SBP president Al Panlilio, are shown here.
PH ready for Lebanon 5;
Others tipped to contend are Sophia Muñoz, Ana Rica Palconit, Danica Rose Peligrino, Manuella Pamintuan, Claire Paner, Doneelyn Pe, Alyssa Rapliza, Anne Relova, Mariel Sacala, Marianne Santiago, Krista Sto. Domingo, Gertrude Tabiar, Jennylen Tan, Jeanina Tee and Miki Tirol. At least 10 foreign entries, including two each from France and the United Kingdom, are also in the fold, all eager and ready to contend in various agegroup classes and the overall championship in Penong’s 5150 Davao, which finally gets into the organizing The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc.’s calendar of events after being postponed twice the past two years due to Bohol’spandemic.Jonathan Pagaura, on the other hand, looms as the top favorite in the men’s side of the short course race sponsored by Penong’s Barbecue Seafood and Grill, Powerball/Go for Gold, Davao del Norte, Hijo Resorts Davao and Tagum City. Registration is ongoing until race week. For details, log on to penong’s.5150philippines.com or follow us on social media accounts: Penongs5150Davao with Hashtags (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter): #Penongs5150 and #5150Davao. Other titles to be disputed in the event, backed by Lightwater, Finis, Rudy Project Sante (Barley), Manila Bulletin and Tempo as supporters, are the all-male and all-female relay and mixed relay and the Sunrise Sprint, featuring the 750m open-water swim, 20km bike and 5km run. Next up for the IRONMAN Group/ Sunrise Events, Inc. are the IronKids in Vermosa, Cavite and the Alveo 5150 Subic Bay, both in October, and the IRONMAN 70.3 in Puerto Princesa in November.
As early as now, Frayna is setting her sights on the Asian Continental Chess Championships from October 25 to November 4 in New Delhi, India this“‘Yunyear. talaga ang nilu-look forward ko, ‘yung tournament this October sa India, ‘yung Asian Continental. Kasi siya ‘yung qualifying tournament sa World Cup. ‘Yung top two sa Asian Continental ang makakapasok,” she said. Frayna said what she went through during the last two years in the pandemic only prepared her to become a better chess player. It also taught her to enjoy life more. Which is good news for chess. Speaking of good news, GM Jayson Gonzales will be transferred to a regular room after several days in the Coronary Care Unit or CCU in a hospital in Quezon City. The country’s 9th Grandmaster and one of the pillars of chess in the country suffered a heart attack almost a week ago and had to undergo angioplasty to save his life. Hopefully, his improving condition will continue toward his speedy and full recovery. Please include Sir Jayson, who is also a good friend the past few years and the man behind many chess tournaments and activities as executive director of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, in your prayers and well wishes. Gonzales also needs our financial help to defray the cost of his medical expenses and other procedures to ensure that his heart will be free of any concerns in the future. I was able to talk to Gonzales the night before his heart attack and I asked him if he has any plans to participate in tournaments soon. He said he will be prioritizing his coaching duties over his personal“Paracareer.saakin kasi, wala na ako kailangan patunayan para sa sarili ko. Mas gusto kong mag-coach para sa next generation at future chess players natin. Iba kasi ang passion at ng challenge sa pagtuturo. Mahirap kasing maituro ‘yung nalalaman ko bilang isang chess player sa mga bata bilang chess coach nila sa paraan na maiintindihan at mai-inspire sila na maglaro ng chess with patience, discipline at perseverance. Not all GMs or good chess players can be good coaches,” he explained. Gonzales is the mentor of the Philippine women’s team that almost posted a Top 10 finish in the recently concluded Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India. He is also the coach of Far Eastern University chess team. He can do more for chess in the country. He can continue to inspire hundreds, even thousands, of woodpushers all over the country. I’m also counting on Gonzales to make good of his promise to teach my son, Gambit, improve his chessLabangame.lang Sir Jayson and get well soon! For our regular programming, action in the Philippines Football League resumes with a double header at Rizal Football Stadium and another match up in Biñan, Laguna. Streaking Kaya FC Iloilo will battle Maharlika Manila FC at the curtain raiser at 3 p.m. to be followed by the exciting match up between powerhouse United City FC against the upstart Azkals Development Team at 5:30 p.m. at Rizal, while the Stallion Laguna FC hosts the Dynamic Herb Cebu FC, 4 p.m. at the Biñan Football Stadium. Kaya is looking to keep its unblemished record intact against Maharlika while United is hoping to get back at the win column following its 1-1 draw against the Cebuanos in its last game. The side, however, will be facing an inspired and Stephan Schrock led ADT which is coming from a 4-0 demolition win against Maharlika last Saturday. The Biñan tussle is also expected to come up with the fireworks as the Stallion play their first home game in the tournament. Cebu is riding high with its last minute equalizer against United. In a short tournament, every point counts and all the teams are expected to go all out for the win and some breathing space in the team standings. Just like in life, we need to celebrate even the smallest victory to help us through with the challenges we face day in, day out. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps! For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat
NEW YORK—Rafael Nadal targets a fifth US Open and 23rd Grand Slam title in New York from next week as Novak Djokovic clings desperately onto a forlorn hope of even being allowed to set foot in New York.
Blu Cup‘23shootBoysforWorldberth
PBA, TIKTOK TEAM UP. The Philippine Basketball Association has teamed up with entertainment platform TikTok to be its “O cial Fan Sharing App ‘’ for its 47th Season.
Aside from the Philippines, six other teams are competing in the qualifiers, led by top seed Japan, ranked first in the world, and is expected to take first place. The other teams are SEA Games’ champion Singapore, no.13 in the world rankings; India, ranked 16th; Hong Kong-China, no.21; Thailand, no.27, and Chinese Taipei, no.28. The Blu Boys are ranked 17th. The ASAPHIL chief maintained that it will do its best “to ensure our team remains a dominant name in Asia, even as we continue our drive to be competitive at the world level.”
The famously unvaccinated Djokovic, who won the last of his three US Open crowns in 2018, is barred from entering the United States for refusing to take the Covid vaccine. Djokovic ban ‘joke’ Tennis legend John McEnroe has blasted the Djokovic ban as a “joke” “At this point, in the pandemic, we’re two and a half years in, I think people in all parts of the world know more about it, and the idea that he can’t travel here to play, to me is a joke,” said McEnroe. Ironically, during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, Djokovic was allowed to compete at New York where he was champion in 2011, 2015 and 2018. The 35-year-old hasn’t played since securing a seventh Wimbledon title last month, a victory which extended his Slam record to 21. AFP Rafael Nadal targets a fth US Open and 23rd Grand Slam title in New York from next week. AFP that’s not a champion and not popular,” Singson said. “Bob [Sapp] is definitely the fight Manny needs or a super fight with famous MMA UFC fighter Connor McGregor.” Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao with Former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Crisologo “Chavit” Singson
THE Philippine Blu Boys will be in Shinanto, Japan in September to vie for one of the two slots at stake in the Asian men’s softball qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup Championship scheduled in NewAmateurZealand.Softball Association of the Philippines president and sportsmanbusinessman Jean Henri Lhuillier is optimistic of his team’s chances to achieve its objective and play in the world championship next year. “I believe the Blu Boys have what it takes to become a world-class team. We have always been one of the softball powerhouses in Asia and now they have the opportunity to show how far they can go in this qualifying event,” said Lhuillier after the team made a courtesy call in his office prior to its departure. Head coach Apol Rosales shared the same
Nadal eyes 23rd major; Djokovic clings to forlorn US Open hope
Pacquiao’s ex-confidante Jayke Joson shared the same sentiment, adding that it is only right for the future boxing Hall of Famer to resolve all his problems first before mulling any possible fights. “Manong Chavit knows the ins and outs of life. He’s been in many struggles and won all the fights he encountered. I agree with him that Manny should settle his issue with Paradigm first before entertaining any offers,” Joson said. Singson had earlier introduced a possible tough tune-up opponent for the welterweight warrior Pacquiao once his legal battles are settled. Retired 6’4” heavyweight and mixed martial artist Bob Sapp, 48, and Singson paid Pacquiao a visit recently, but no formal agreement was made. “This fight will earn him millions of money if it happens. But again, he needs to settle his court case first in the US,” SingsonSingsonsaid.also criticized Pacquiao’s upcoming bout against South Korean YouTuber DK Yoo set sometime in December in Seoul, South Korea. “That’s nothing, he will not earn big money there because GMLaban,Jayson!
Bullet,‘Mammoth’EstrosoKOskeepsURCCcrown
long rival Djokovic remains in Europe, steadfastly refusing to withdraw from the tournament in the hope of a last-minute change of policy by the US authorities.
“Thisoptimism.isabetter, stronger, faster and younger team, a good mix of veteran and collegiate players. We just completed a three-game series of exhibition games against strong teams from Batangas and Laguna, and won all our games without surrendering any run. We are ready to compete and our chances of winning one of the two seats here are more than 50-50.”
FORMER Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Crisologo “Chavit” Singson has advised former senator and retired boxer Manny Pacquiao to settle his lawsuit with the Paradigm Sports Management first before accepting any tune-up fight offer. Singson, 81, believes it is high time that the 43-year-old Pacquiao reached out to people affected by his decision not to fight under the PSM brand despite both camps’ signed agreement. “I think he really needs to fix his problem with Paradigm Sports Management first before accepting any tuneup fights,” Singson said. “I don’t have any knowledge about the lawsuit, but it’s better for Manny to settle it [pending court case] first than not.” Pacquiao was sued by PSM CEO Audie Attar before the Superior Court of California for alleged breach of contract last year. PSM is seeking to recover the $3.3 million it claims it paid Pacquiao in advance for a fight PSM eyed for the boxer. The court case is ongoing in California. “He really needs to settle all those problems — not only the court case but also his other concerns to other people — so that he can get a good tune-up fight,” Singson added. “If there’s no hindrance, that would be nice.”
Nineteen years after making his debut, the 36-year-old Nadal drags his injuryprone body into a tournament he won in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019, the year of his lastTheappearance.Spaniard has had to sit out the US Open four times in his career and there are once again fresh doubts over his physical ability to survive a gruelling two weeks at Flushing Meadows. Since an abdomen injury forced him to hand Nick Kyrgios a walkover into the Wimbledon final, Nadal has played just once—a first-up loss to Borna Coric in Cincinnati. “I need to move forward and just start to think about the energy that the crowd give me in New York,” said Nadal, who has already captured two of the season’s three Slams at the Australian and French Opens. “It’s a very special place for me, and I enjoy it. There have been unforgettable moments there, and I’m going to try my very best every single day to be ready for that.” Nadal has become accustomed to overcoming setbacks, winning a 14th French Open in June despite playing the whole tournament with pain-killing injections in his foot. An added incentive for Nadal is the opportunity to reclaim the world number one spot from defending champion Daniil Medvedev, the man he defeated in the 2019 final. While Nadal trains in New York, careerTHE mammoth has bitten the bullet. It took only 80 seconds for the champion Sugar Ray “The Mammoth” Estroso in dismantling his challenger, underdog Boss “Ang Bumangga Giba” Bullet to retain his heavyweight crown in the much-anticipated Universal Reality Combat Championship Global Fight Night at the Xylo, Uptown BGC in Taguig City last Tuesday. Estroso, a former professional boxer, proved too strong against his overhyped challenger Boss Bullet as he needed only one vicious punch in the early going to send a strong message that wanted to keep his championship belt via the short route and not through the scorecards.
JUST like any athlete going through the pandemic, Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Janelle Mae Frayna went through a difficult time when the country and the world literally stood still because of COVID-19.Frayna,the country’s first-ever WGM, confided to The Designated Kit Man that she almost lost her way and “resigned” from chess. With the world adjusting to the impact of the pandemic, Frayna said admitted she lost her passion when the things she wanted to happen and the goals she set for herself for a certain time frame took a backseat due to the challenges of dealing with the lockdowns, social distancing, and cancellation of physical tournaments, among other concerns she has to deal with for the past two years. Eventually all the pressures took a toll on her mental“Nu’nghealth.nag-pandemic kasi, curse and a blessing for me. Tumigil kasi ang mga regular kong ginagawa. Most of the time nasa bahay ka lang. At the same time, nag-open naman ‘yung mga online classes for chess,” Frayna recounted. “I have this goal or time frame na hinahabol. Na-inisip ko, na ‘pag hindi ko nakuha at a certain age, hindi ko na siya magagawa. ‘Yung pressure that time, instead na maging helpful siya, nakasira pa para sa akin.” Fortunately for Frayna, it was her “students” — kids whom she teaches how to play chess online through the Philippine Academy of Chess Excellence or PACE—who saved her from leaving the sport she “Nakitaloves.ko‘tong mga bata na ito kung gaano sila kapursigido matuto. At kapag nakakausap ko sila, sinasabi nila idol nila ako. Kaya na-influence din nila ako na huwag mag-quit, na if I give up that time, parang unfair sa kanila,” she recalled. Frayna said chess streaming in the country also helped her enjoy the game again. It gave her the outlet to release her energy and the opportunity to connect with her fans and other chess enthusiasts in the country. Moreover, it allowed her to relax – which was both an ironic and a welcome development during her struggles and self doubts. With the support, love and care she received from her family, coaches and fans, Frayna was able to put behind her all her concerns and renew her love for chess. “Kung kailan ako nag-relax, du’n gumanda ang laro ko. For the past year, hindi nabawasan kungdi paakyat nang paakyat ang ratings ko. It also showed in my recent competitions and performances. Even in the SEA Games, baka naka-gold kami sa Blitz – breaks lang talaga,” she said. She is also grateful for the presence and impact of her teammates in her game. “Kami kasi sa national team, mas naging close kami. Nandoon pa rin naman ang competition within pero iba kasi ngayon ang samahan namin ever since we had a one-month in-house training for the Southeast Asia Games. So nakapag-share kami ng mga personal goals namin, mga tournaments na we look forward to kaya nagkaroon kami ng bonding,” Frayna said. “Ang goal ko rin kasi, para sa manila, sabaysabay kaming aangat. Pangit din naman kasi na ako lang ang nasa taas. Nakakatamad din. Samantalang kung nandoon sila, ikaw din machachallenge, mape-pressure ka to do your best. Maguupdate kami sa isa’t isa. Maghihilahan kami pataas,” she explained. She added that knowing that the team will compete in forthcoming tournaments such as the SEA Games, Asian Games and the Asian Indoor Games was a big deal for the athletes.
Singson: Pacquiao must settle Paradigm lawsuit first before accepting any fights
Bullet, a medalist fighter and a vlogger in the Middle East, was dead serious in defeating the champion as he valiantly exchanged blows with his foe, minutes in the first round. That was until that bolo punch from the champ knocked him down, although he gallantly escaped from Estroso’s relentless attack at the canvas. A missed roundhouse kick and a raging bull attack by the underdog proved to be fatal mistakes as he was only shoved by the champ, who caught him with a barrage of stinging punches to finally knock him out as the third man of the cage had seen enough to end the fight, much to the delight of big crowd at the Xylo. “Plano talaga namin sa Team Estroso camp, kailangan pagsuntok ko, iindahin niya (Bullet), para ‘pag tumama ay may paglalagyan siya. I know I’m too strong for him,” said the reigning champion, who gave an unsolicited advise to his fallen challenger. “Dapat ipagpatuloy pa niya ang training sa URCC at hamunin niya iyong mga katapat lang niya. Mas malaki ako at mas malakas, gusto niya kasi champion agad ang kakalabanin niya, kaya hayun humalik siya sa lona.” URCC founding chief Alvin Aguilar praised the two protagonists for showing sportsmanship after the fight and congratulated Estroso for the victory.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial (third from left) and Kristo er “To ” Rada, TikTok Head of Public Policy, Philippines (second from right) o cially sealed the partnership in simple contract signing ceremony on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Also present at the ceremonial signing were Gabriel Ernesto Pangalagan TikTok Operations, Sport & Gaming, Philippines, (left), Jo Francisco, Marketing/PBAPI head (second from left) and Robi de Guzman, TikTok Marketing, Philippines, (right). TikTok will also serve as the fans’ online locker room portal where they’ll get to know more about the sport, the teams, and the players.
Gerald Anderson
“It’s been a few months since we wrapped our taping and I think I have already moved on from Joni since I did another project after that, a movie with Gerald Anderson. But I have to admit that I really felt sad during our last taping day. We’re like a family on set so I’m going to miss everyone,” she went on. Kylie underscores her role being a trailblazer—one who challenges the norms of society and shows the world that women can also excel in a man’s world.“Because of Bolera, I have become picky on the roles that I’m going to portray. Well, actually since I became a mother, I made sure that I’d do projects that are really impactful. I don’t want to waste any time away from my children. Ibang klase ang Bolera specifically the way our director worked on it. And that’s something that I appreciate about this series. I never thought that I could still elevate my craft. Bolera made me realize that,” KylieThestated.primetime drama ends tonight on a high note, leaving a mark on its audience with colorful characters played by some of the seasoned and reliable actors in the industry today including Jak Roberto, Rayver Cruz, Gardo Versoza, Joey Marquez, Al Tantay, and Jaclyn Jose The original series also stars Via Veloso, Sue Prado, David Remo, Ge Villamil, and Luri Nalus. Under the helm of esteemed directors Dominic Zapata and Jorron Lee Monroy, Bolera sings its swan song tonight on GMA Telebabad.
Alexa Ilacad Nearly every one of us dreamed of going to Disneyland. Bonus if we go with someone we cherish. Alexa proves she’s one of the lucky ones after posting an Instagram story that turned her followers green with envy. It shows her and KD Estrada enjoying each other’s company while watching the fireworks at Disneyland. The wholesome experience between the couple just brought new levels of kilig to netizens as they dream of getting their fairytale love story soon. …are talking about ...are not talking about
THE eagerly-anticipated transformation of Jane De Leon as the new Darna has finally happened last Friday, August 19, capping off the pilot week of the ABS-CBN series that also saw the death of Leonor (Iza Calzado), the first Darna. The #LipadDarna episode revealed how the white mythical stone found its way back to Narda—now an emergency medical technician—during a rescue mission caused by an earthquake in Nueva Esperanza. Despite having qualms about fully embracing her destiny as a superhero, Narda bravely swallowed the stone, triggering her Darna alter ego and saving those who were trapped in the quake’s rubble. The momentous scene shot up the hashtag #LipadDarna atop the local Twitter trend list and at the second spot in the worldwide list, with netizens primarily praising Jane’s performance, the costume, and visual effects. After the episode, JRB Creative Production also released the official poster of the series, which shows Jane in a fierce battle stance while fully clad in her red and gold Darna ensemble that also earned positive feedback online for its high quality. During Monday’s episode, viewers were introduced to the mysterious characters of Javier Toledo or Lindol Man (Dominic Ochoa) and Master Klaudio (Joko Diaz), who helped Ding from men trying to attack him. Will they be friends or foes to him and Narda? Meanwhile, Regina (Janella Salvador) and Brian’s (Joshua Garcia) alliance in trying to expose the corruption of Mayor Zaldy Vallesteros (Simon Ibarra) continues after they found out that Toledo was the
Kylie feels grateful for portraying a trailblazer who challenges society’s norms in ‘Bolera’ ‘Bolera’ cast (from left) Jak Roberto, Kylie Padilla, and Rayver Cruz
Jane de Leon’s ‘Darna’ transformation stuns the web
Rampa Pilipinas Magazine provides the latest news on travel, culture, arts, fashion, and health and wellness
VenturesofandPresidentHilton,MichaelwithGarciaJoshua(left)JohnCEOVisum
Hosted by Gelli Victor with guest performance by Barbie Almalbis who rendered her “An Aspin’s Song” she composed for her late aunt, Tata Hontiveros-Lichauco, president of PAWS, who lived her life for the love and cause of Aspins and Puspins. Celebrity judges were Janella Salvador newest Valentina of TV series Darna, and Zahra Saldua, Miss Earth Philippines Air 2018, together with Stephanie Estaño, Ayala Malls Manila Bay marketing associate, and Anna Cabrera, PAWS executive director.
The rumor mill is spurring about his breakup with celebrity girlfriend Julia Barretto. Similar to earlier reports about Gerald’s relationship, people suspected a third party as the cause of their rift. Gerald is facing allegations of infidelity with co-star Kylie Padilla who recently shut down the hearsays. No matter what he does, Gerald can’t seem to escape his past.
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The winners of Ginoo at Binibining Aspin 2022 chief engineer of the collapsed building during the quake. Mars Ravelo’s Darna airs weekdays, 8:00 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, CineMo, and TV5. It is also available to watch via Kapamilya Online Live, iWantTFC, and The Filipino Channel. Jane De Leon donning the iconic Darna costume
A ONCE ugly and disfigured stray dog, known as the ‘Zombie Dog,’ won Binibining Aspin 2022 during the Ginoo and Binibining Aspin 2022 pageant held at Ayala Malls Manila Bay on Sunday. The fur-pageant, presented by the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in celebration of National Aspin Day, aimed to take pride and showcase to the world the beauty of native dogs or Aspins (Asong Pinoy).
PEOPLE KOOMI welcomes actor Joshua Garcia, one of the biggest stars of his generation, as its new celebrity endorser in time for the opening of its 100th store located at SM Mall of AsiaVisumSquare.Ventures CEO Mike Hilton says that Joshua best personifies the Koomi brand. “He is a young, fun, chill guy who likes to stay fit and active but has the need to indulge during his downtime, and prefer healthy food choices.”
Sweet experience with Joshua Garcia ‘Zombie Dog’ named Binibining Aspin 2022
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Andrea Torres It’s been two years since her split with Derek Ramsay, who’s now blissfully married to sexy actress and model Ellen Adarna. But Andrea is only now shedding some light on their strained relationship. Moving on from someone you cherished deeply is always challenging, but the Kapuso actress took the breakup hard. It’s a good thing she learned to love herself first before anyone else. May it serve as a valuable lesson she’ll remember when she ventures into her next relationship.
‘Bolera’ performs its swan song
Wang, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant
Brownie, owned by Janelle Manalang, was named Ginoong Aspin 2022. Kelly earned the judges’ nod with her dazzling Banaue Rice Terraces-Igorot maiden costume, and also won the Dusit Thani Manila Most Adorable Choice award. Kelly, an Aspin rescue and adopted during the surge of the pandemic, was featured in a GMA-7’s 24 Oras TV segment entitled “Zombie Dog noon, Fashionista na ngayon,” which tells about her inspiring story of survival as a street dog and remarkable transformation as a rescue dog. Oreo, owned by Rona Tagadang, and Megan, owned by Abby del Monte were named Binibining Aspin 1st and 2nd runners-up, respectively. Rocky, a DWD (dog with disability), owned by Chaby Binco and Lucky, owned by Sarah Geronimo, were named Ginoong Aspin 1st and 2nd runners-up, respectively.In2021, PAWS declared August 18 as annual National Aspin Day to bring attention to the true worth and beauty of Aspins and to stop discrimination against them. The fur-pageant launched the “I LOVE MY ASPIN” campaign featuring PAWS’ newest spokesperson Alden Richards and his aspin Chichi, a rejoinder to Heart Evangelista’s ‘Have a Heart for Aspins.’
Ginang Angono 2022 candidates on new Rampa Pilipinas Magazine
THE eighteen candidates of Ginang Angono 2022 were featured in their glam shot photos in the glossy first edition of Rampa Pilipinas Magazine. The new slick magazine aims to provide the latest news on travel, culture, arts, fashion, and health and Entrepreneur-beautywellness. queen Michelle Lucas, Chairwoman of Ginang Angono 2022 pageant, serves as Editor-in-Chief of Rampa Pilipinas Magazine , with partner-publisher Aloha dela Cerna As a travel magazine for local and international distribution, Rampa focuses on interesting features discovering the Philippines from A to Z. On its initial issue, Rampa makes a short feature on the province of Angono, Rizal, the Art Capital of the ThePhilippines.grandcoronation night of Ginang Angono 2022 was set for August 25 at the Angono Gymnasium.
Ice Seguerra When Filipino fans learned that Ice is the director behind Drag Race Philippines: Untucked!, they couldn’t help but feel proud of the icon’s directorial debut. The first episode centered around the quirkiness of the queens and their ongoing conflicts. Ice ensured each had enough screen time while adding humor and drama to the scenes to stay on brand. The show gave talented members of the LGBTQIA+ a chance to show their potential, and viewers just can’t get enough.
Joshua, who co-stars in the new adaptation of the popular Darna television series, has captured the hearts of the public with his endearing roles onscreen. He rose to prominence for his critically-acclaimed performance in the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival top-grosser Vince and Kath and James and in the primetime series The Good Son. He has starred in various TV series such as Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita (2015), The Greatest Love (2016), Ngayon At Kailanman (2018), and The Killer Bride (2019).
The flagship brand of Visum Ventures Group, Koomi has taken the country by storm since opening its first store in 2019. The now widely-popular brand has branches all over the country, fast expanding in major cities and provinces nationwide. Its 100th store is located at the SM Mall of Asia Square. “This is just the beginning of exciting things to come for Koomi and the Visum Ventures Group. Plans are afoot for more Koomi stores, as well as new and exciting brands. We will continue to provide fresh concepts to show that healthy need not be bland. In fact, they can be very delicious and flavorful,“ Hilton says. The healthy Koomi lifestyle, with natural drinking yoghurt that’s deliciously guilt-free, was brought to the Philippines from Sydney, Australia by Visum Ventures Group. It has gained an ardent following of Koomikadas who are fun, creative, cheerful, engaging, and enjoy refreshing drinks, cakes, and frozen yogurt now available in 100 stores nationwide.
Entertainment FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022 C3 E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com
Nickie
FOR actors, it’s always hard to say goodbye to a show especially when they’re leaving on good terms, or in the case of Kylie Padilla, when the project has left so much impact on her as a person and as an“Fromartist.the time that the project was given to me, I already felt grateful. And the warm reception from the audience was just the reward. You see, I had uncertainties on my side at the beginning of the project because I was away for quite some time,” Kylie said of Bolera, her first project in three years. She could only gush over her much-awaited showbiz comeback via the series where she steps into the role of Joni, a billiard prodigy who is gifted with visual and spatial intelligence. The series, which trains the spotlight on women who can rise to the top and become champions with hard work, skill, and pure talent, premiered in May. “And now that it has come to an end, I feel emotional. It’s my first time feeling this way—it’s so hard to let go of this series. I never had this feeling before,” the 29-year-old television star admitted having difficulty detaching herself from the series and the people that she’s worked with.
Creating natural skincare solutions meanwhile, Apotheke Science was likewise developed from a simple intent to help others. It all started with the founder of the local sk incare brand formulating a salve that would help the skin of patients undergoing chemotherapy heal from the effects of radiation. The product proved to be effective for them, as well as for those who suffered from the effects of eczema, psoria sis, and dry skin. Initially distributed in a hospital, it also worked for doctors and nurses whose skin was damaged from stress and lack of sleep. The salve would eventually be known as the Apotheke Skin Doc tor balm, now sought-after for its anti-aging effects. Following its success, the founders decided to develop more products to serve the wider population in need of effective but affordable skincare solutions. “We now have a wide range of products that deal with acne, uneven skin tone, prema ture ageing from stress, lack of sleep and ex posure to the sun, dryness, oiliness, clogged pores, and all the fundamental issues that damage one of our body’s largest organs and its first defense against external threats to the body,” the Apotheke team said. Apotheke set up shop on Lazada, citing the platform’s wide network and logistics capa bilities as the main driver for their choice. “Lazada has helped us reach customers throughout the country that we most likely wouldn’t have been able to reach with our own resources,” the Apotheke team said. Check out Clocheflame, Apotheke Sci ence, and other brands by visiting Lazada ‘s website https://www.lazada.com.ph/ and social media pages.
of Mars Ravelo’s Darna, which highlights the plight of the iconic and courageous Fil ipina superhero and her battles to help those in Onneed.”her own, Anina also helps oth ers through teaching. Her art classes are available on the online learning platform Skillshare. She believes, “The moment you stop learning is the moment you stop creat ing. Fail but keep on trying.” Anina, indeed, is also a Darna. She soars high, transforms, and leaves no stone unturned. For your random thoughts, e-mail the au thor at randomrepublika@gmail.com
Getting to know the new scholars
“I think I’ve always had a knack for crea tivity when I was younger, but it was mostly science that got my attention,” Anina shared and let me into how she started her profes sional life as an engineer. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elec tronics and Communications Engineering from De La Salle University and eventually earned her license. “I remember disman tling old electric toy cars and assembling the motors into robots. I’m a science nerd, to be honest, but flowing through life led me to this creative path at 29 years old, and I didn’t turn back since then!” she added. It has almost been a decade since Anina took the leap. She has been a full-time art ist since taking an exit from the corporate scene in 2014. After working for a telecom munications company, Anina dabbled in farming and jumped into five other jobs within five years before finally landing in the creative industry. The initial desire to destress ushered her into a different calling and required a lot of learning. While it may seem all sunshine and rain bows now, the significant career shift was also faced with opposition. “Of course, at first, there were a lot of shaking heads from my family, especially when security and stability were at stake,” Anina“Thenexplained.again,I have always been dubbed as the hippie, so I guess, eventually, they understood my lifestyle and my choices. They have been very supportive,” the engi neer-turned-artist expressed gratitude and emphasized how being surrounded by fam ily and friends rooting for her made a huge difference.Withher conviction to follow her heart and pursue the arts, Anina, in turn, is also making a difference. She is currently a staunch advocate of environmental protec tion, promoting sustainability and conser vation with her works of art. When I referred to her as someone gifted, Anina was quick to dismiss the compli ment. She said with a laugh, “I wouldn’t say gifted because I think I clocked in a lot of hours learning and practicing to be able to paint something - and take note, I still am learning. I’m always curious and experi mental as to what I can do, trying this and that, but mostly focusing on paint ing and creating Cajas, which requires a lot of Cajassewing.”areAnina’s upcycled textile artworks promoting sustainable art through scraps that form textures and mimic landscapes. “My priority has now shifted to mu rals, designs, and illustrations, and creating my sustainable art pieces called Caja,” Anina shared as a life update to her former student. Sev en years ago, I last saw her at ofpremierethe Saka ling ingMakaratHindi , a film top-billed by DeAlessandraRossi . An ina’s watercolor paintings were showcased as a major part of the story.Following the film feature, Anina’s latest project for ABS-
Anina artworkupcycledholdingRubioacaja,textile
Nineteen-year-old Ashley Amansec of Manila graduated from the Caloocan City Science High School. He is the sec ond among three children of a construc tion worker and a sari-sari store owner. He is now enrolled at the National University and pursuing BS Mechanical Engineering. Ashley admitted he did not apply for any otherThescholarship.SMcollege scholarship has al ways been his choice after researching and reading about the program. He be lieves that the scholarship will not only help him finish his college education –but will also prepare him for the rigors of college life and the world of work in a professional environment.
“I learned that to better prepare them for a changing workplace environment, SM Scholars also receive training activi ties, which enables their scholars to learn how to develop and market ideas, work as a part of a team, and other personal develop ment training. I believe that this is a great component of their scholarship program –which will prepare us before joining the real world,” said Ashley.
Cultivating everyday Filipina beauty Twenty-five-year-old Arianne Amante established Clocheflame, a local beauty brand providing quality but affordable make-up products fit for the everyday Fil ipina. She always knew that she wanted to start a beauty brand, with her inspiration stemming from her college thesis highlight ing Filipino’s perception of self-beauty. She eventually made her dream a reality by opening her shop in 2020, leaving her corpo rate job to focus on her business full-time. Launching the business two years ago was definitely a challenge with the unex pected hurdles brought about by the pan demic, but she shared that onboarding her fledgling brand on Lazada was an easy de cision to “Puttingmake.up our business in Lazada was a no-brainer because we knew that it was a vital tool for us to grow our business, and this has been proven true,” says Amante.
Ashley Amansec is pursuing BS Mechanical Engineering at National University Niva Gracielle Samonte is taking up BS Electronics Engineering at Central Philippine University.
One SM scholar who hails from Isabela is Emerald Clare Cusamo. The 17-yearold high school graduate of Cabatuan National High School will be pursuing a degree in Accountancy at the Our Lady of Pillar College in Cauayan. Emerald has always been fascinated with financial management – an area that she believes that the Filipinos should be educated of. “Rich Dad and Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki made me realize how financial literacy can grant you financial freedom. After graduating, I will try my best to share my knowledge on financial literacy – which I believe will help my fellow kababayans on improving their financial management which will, in turn, help their economic sta tus,” Emerald stated. SMFI, through its Scholarship program, provides deserving and qualified students with access to college education and tech nical-vocational studies since 1993. To date, SMFI has produced more than 8,000 schol ar-graduates.
Engineer-turned-artist Anina working on the Darna mural at the ABS-CBN compound.
C4 FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022 Nickie Wang Editor E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com Life
CBN’s Darna TV series perfectly aligns ism in Enteringitself.” uncharted waters displays strength a la Darna for Anina. “The public artworks you will see me paint revolve around flora, fauna, and con servation. So, this project where I have to paint Filipinos as our modern-day super heroes was definitely outside my comfort zone,” she gushed. “Another challenge was the mirror installation, which I sug gested on a whim without thinking of how to mount it, was something I’ve never done before. The timelines were also very tight, but overall, I’m happy I stepped out of my comfort zone!” With the theme “Ikaw, ako, tayong lahat si Darna,” the mural speaks of empower ment, heroism, and hope inspired by and dedicated to today’s front liners and every dayAninaheroes.holds the project dear as the mes sage also hits close to home. She said, “I’ve never partnered with a TV show, let alone a superhero one, for a mural project, so for me, this was really special. Living during a pandemic made me long for better leaders who can ‘save’ us from this crisis - and I think that translating that and relating it to Darna, a Filipino superhero, was the perfect challenge I was looking for.” ABS-CBN commissioned the big pro ject, and the marketing team reached out to Anina to bid for it. “During the meeting, I had a lot of ideas on the spot that I guess translated into something that they wanted for the campaign, so I ended up getting the project!” she related. The eye-catching mu ral is in line with the modern-day retelling
W HEN a promotional video of the “Nasaan si Darna?” mural at the ABS-CBN compound along Eugenio Lopez Drive in Quezon City was released a couple of weeks ago, I instantly recognized the woman in action – Anina Rubio She is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose calligraphy and brush lettering workshops I was fortunate to have attended in 2015. Aside from impressive workmanship, Anina’s art journey strongly made a mark on me.
SM Foundation welcomes new batch of college scholars Two homegrown Filipino brands find success on eCommerce
Unleashing the heroine within
For Niva Gracielle Samonte , 18, a stu dent at the Central Philippine University pursuing BS Electronic Engineering, ap plying for the scholarship was one of the most challenging endeavors she took after high school graduation. The eldest among three children, her father is a tricycle driver. “Knowing that I am financially underprivileged, I promised myself that I must take every opportunity to acquire a college scholarship. I told myself, it’s ei ther I take a shot and do my best for the SM scholarship, or I become a working student,” Niva said. “I felt auspicious when I applied for the SM scholarship. It gave me hope that I can pass since the process for apply ing is very fair. Instead of just a gradebased assessment, they also have an examination. An interview and virtual home visit were also conducted to fur ther assess the applicant, which ensures that the candidate is much deserving of the scholarship grant,” Niva added.
Emerald Clare Cusamo will be taking up BS Accountancy at Our Lady of Pillar College in Cauayan, Isabela.
DESPITE the pandemic, SM Foundation (SMFI) did not waver in its commitment to help send deserving public high school gradu ates to college. It was a commitment started by its founder, the late Tatang Henry Sy, Sr. so that each SM scholar can help send another sibling to school and ultimately help in the im provement of their standard of living. SM scholars enjoy free tuition, receives monthly stipend, book allowance, and the opportunity to earn extra income by work ing in SM group during school breaks. Aside from these benefits, scholars are as sured of engagement activities that will spur their academic, personal and social growth. For the last two years, SM Foundation holds virtual gatherings for its scholars to ensure their safety, as well as the wellbeing of SMFI employees, due to the heightened restrictions brought about by the pandemic. For this year, the awarding of the SM col lege scholarship will be held online on Au gust 27 via SMFI official Facebook page: @ SMFoundationInc.Thisyear,SMwill welcome more than 300 new scholars, 60 percent of which are from the provinces while 40 percent are in the NCR en rolled in 140 partner schools nationwide. Applying for an SM scholarship means meeting the criteria set by SM Foundation, passing the qualifying examinations, and hurdling the interview - with virtual home visits conducted by the SMFI Team and em ployee volunteers from the SM group.
FILIPINO beauty brands have been making waves in the scene for a while now, domi nating consumers’ hearts through utiliz ing eCommerce and social media for their brands. As one of the biggest platforms and eCommerce pioneers in the country, Lazada has been empowering local beauty and skin care brands to flourish by providing an ave nue for Filipinos to easily find and buy the prod ucts they’re looking for. Two local brands that have established their presence on the platform are Clocheflame and Apotheke Science. Both companies were founded on the genuine desire to inspire people, and both were built from the ground up on Lazada.
Darna mural at thecompoundABS-CBN
Patricia Taculao Editorial Assistant Joba Botana, Associate Editor
Clocheflame’s line of Lip Muse Nourishing Sheer LipstickApotheke’ssetforacneproneskin
Anina (fourth from left) with Darna stars Joshua Garcia, Janella Salvador, and Jane De Leon Anina trying out the mirror element that was part of her pitch for the Darna mural project.
