By Vince Lopez T HE Marcos administration has appealed for executive clemency for Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino worker who has been on death row for 12 years in Indonesia over drug-related charges, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a video message Tuesday from Singapore.
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CHARGES will be filed against per sonalities involved in approving the controversial Sugar Order No. 4 once the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee releases the findings of its investiga tion on Thursday, Sept. 8, Sen. Francis Tolentino said yesterday. This came as Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez attended the Senate panel’s hearing on Tuesday morn ing after the Blue Ribbon committee voted to subpoena him to shed light on the sugar importation fiasco. Rodriguez also refuted the claim of the resigned Sugar Regulatory Ad ministration officials that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had mentioned
THE House Committee on Appropria tions on Tuesday said it is looking at more sources to accommodate government agencies’ requests for budget increases next year, as Speaker Martin G. Romual dez has committed to meet lawmakers’ self-imposed October 1 deadline to pass the national budget for 2023. At a press briefing, panel vice chair and Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo said one of the possible sources to accommodate budget in creases is to identify departments with low absorptive capacities. Rep. Elizaldy Co of Ako-Bicol, who chairs the committee, said Quimbo has been especially methodical in review ing the three-volume, 3,334-page Na tional Expenditure Program for Fiscal
THE inter-agency task force responsi ble for setting policies on the country’s COVID-19 response could decide by the end of the week on proposals to relax the national mask mandate that Cebu City continued to defy. In an interview with CNN Philip pines, Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. stressed the need to weigh things carefully as the country continues to battle the coro navirusAbalos,pandemic.asheadof the Department of the Interior and Local Govern ment (DILG), is a member of the By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta
“Well, I think it’s worthwhile to ex plore, at the very least,” Mr. Marcos added on the third and last day of his state visit to Indonesia – also his first as Chief Executive – before flying to Sin gapore on the same day. “It is one instance that this kind of
By Maricel V. Cruz
A LAWMAKER on Tuesday took the government to task for allowing con tact tracing for COVID-19 to be done using multiple apps and databases, a practice that could be behind data breaches that flooded mobile phone users with spam text messages that in corporated their names. Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, chairman of the House committee on ways and means, expressed dismay over the “carelessness” of the InterAgency Task Force for the Manage ment of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to require contact tracing un der multiple apps and databases, in stead of using just one application with a single protecting data controller.
House looking for ways to address agencies’ request for budget hike
“Our Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo appealed for executive clemency for Ms. Mary Jane Veloso,” she said, fol lowing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s three-day state visit in Indonesia. This is the third time that the Philip pines has sought clemency for Veloso –first in 2010 and another in 2015. Manalo met with his counterpart, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, during the sidelines of Mr. Marcos’ state visit before he left for Singapore“Accordingyesterday.toMinister Marsudi, they will file and refer our appeal to their Ministry of Justice,” Cruz-Angeles said. Veloso’s parents had earlier written to President Marcos, asking him to seek executive clemency for their daughter. In the letter, Cesar and his wife Celia said they were grateful that the Indone sian government suspended her execu tion, but would be “more thankful” if
Gov’t seeks pardon for Veloso
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
By Vito Barcelo and Vince Lopez
Contact tracing apps, databases eyed as sources of recent spate of spam texts
SOAKED! A man cycles through a flooded street following heavy rain in Makati City, the country’s financial district, on Septem ber 6, 2022. AFP
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By Willie Casas, Maricel V. Cruz and Rio N. Araja
TRYING TO EXPLAIN. After missing two consecu tive hearings despite repeated invitations, Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez appears before Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Tuesday, September 6, 2022 to clarify what transpired before the issuance of the controversial Sugar Order No. 4.
Senate to push raps vs. people in sugar mess IATF decision on Cebu City’s mask policy up PBBM CONSIDERS PH-INDONESIA BORDER TACK ON WPS ISSUE WITH CHINA VOL. XXXVI • NO. 204 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
FROMSOFTENSINFLATIONTO6.3%JULY’S6.4% asks Jakarta for clemency for the OFW on death row for drug case
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to exploring the strategy used to settle a 2014 sea border issue with Indo nesia to settle its longstanding maritime dispute with China in the West Philip pine Sea (WPS). It was a “collaborative” strategy built on years of dialogue that led to a peace ful settlement between overlapping economic zone claims in the Mindanao and Celebes seas, the President noted.
“We should show it to the rest of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as an example that it can be done as long as we talk,” he told re porters in Jakarta on Tuesday.
HOPEFUL SPEECH. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assures members of the Filipino community in Singapore that the gov ernment is working hard to attain economic rebound amid the pandemic. Before arriving in Singapore, Mr. Marcos came from a three-day state visit to Indonesia where Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo appealed for executive clemency for Mary Jane Veloso (inset), a Filipino worker who has been on death row for 12 years now over drug-related charges. Next page Next page Next page Next page Next page Next page $8b investment pledges from Indonesia visit Palace PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has secured $8.484 billion worth of investment pledges from his state visit to Indonesia. Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said this covers $822 million in investments in textiles, gar ments, renewable energy, satellite gateway, wire global technology, and agrifood; $7 billion in infrastructure for unsolicited private-public partnerships such as a C-5 four-level elevated expressway; and $662 million for the supply of coal and fertilizer. She said the deals will generate at least 7,000 new jobs.
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their daughter is brought home “in the soonest possible time.” They maintained that their daughter was innocent, and her only intention was to go abroad to give her children a decentVelosolife.was found guilty of car rying 2.6 kilograms of heroin when she was arrested at the Yogyakarta airport in However,2010.Veloso denied she was a drug courier, saying she was tricked by her Filipino recruiter into bringing a drug-laden suitcase to Indonesia. The Indonesian government ordered a stay in her execution in 2015 and turned her into a witness. Then-President Be nigno Aquino III personally talked to Indonesian President Joko Widodo to plead on Veloso’s case and grant her clemency at the sidelines of a summit thatCruz-Angelesyear. added the Department of Foreign Affairs has been providing consular assistance to Veloso since the time of her arrest twelve years ago. “Our embassy continues to pro vide consular services to Ms. Velo so. According to them, she is in good condition at the Wonosari Women’s Penitentiary in Yogyakarta. She was also provided with a lawyer accord ing to Indonesian law,” the Palace officialMeanwhile,added.in Singapore, Mr. Mar cos met with members of the Filipino community at the auditorium of the Na tional University of Singapore. Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople conveyed the message of the Sin gaporean Ministry of Health that they are hiring more Filipino healthcare workers due to the dedication and pro fessionalism they bave shown during the“Itpandemic.wastheGovernment of Singapore who reached out to us – they were ask ing for additional Filipino health work ers because they are very amazed at our workers during the pandemic. That’s why tomorrow, one of the [agreements] to be signed will be a joint communi cation with the Ministry of Health [of Singapore],” Ople said. Mr. Marcos was visibly elated with the“That’snews. how high our friends the Sin gaporeans here in Singapore look to all of you... Singaporeans will look for, not only nurses, but also from the aviation service and engineers.” he said. “Until the day comes that jobs are completed in the Philippines, we’ll have a chance to showcase our talents, skills, hard work and kindness to our overseas workers,” he added.
“We already have made preparations. We’ve prepared updates already and that’s something that we do regularly because SOJ [the secretary of Justice] wants us to be on top of the drug war review,” said DOJ spokesman Mico Clavano.TheICC has launched an investiga tion into alleged human rights abuses in the bloody drug war launched by the
Year“We2023.are on track. Every member of Congress is working double time at tending and participating in the budget hearings. Our own committee vicechairperson Stella Quimbo, together with other members of the committee, is helping me move the hearings for ward and thoroughly go over the P5.268 trillion national budget for 2023,” Co toldThereporters.committee expects to finish the budget hearings by September 16 and start the plenary debates on Sep temberAmong21. the 14 agencies that have briefed the committee are the Devel opment Budget Coordination Com mittee, the Office of the President, and the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Interior and Local Govern ment, Environment and Natural Re sources, and Tourism. Quimbo said she did not want to give a premature statement “until such time as all (government) agencies have briefed the (appropriations) commit tee,” but shared the House leadership’s commitment to passing the money measure on time. “With two more weeks of budget briefings, the appropriations commit tee, led by Chairperson Elizaldy Co, gladly shares that we are still on track with our target date to pass the GAB by October 1, 2022. “Even before the budget hearings commenced, everyone took their tasks seriously by having clear communi cation lines with the agencies,” the Marikina solon said. “Healthy exchanges between depart ments and members of Congress tran spired during the said budget briefings. Among the agencies that briefed the Committee on Appropriations were the DBCC, DA, DOE, DILG, the DENR, DOT, and the Office of the President.
After the cross-examination of Rod riguez, Tolentino terminated the hear ings, which reached three sessions. Asked if former SRA Administrator Hermenegildo Serafica, Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian, and former Sugar Board members Aure lio Gerardo Valderrama Jr. and Roland Beltran would be charged for signing the controversial SO4, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said “violations” were committed. “I will wait for the results of the (Blue Ribbon) report, but they have violated rules and procedures,” Zubiri said. Serafica on Tuesday told the com mittee that the President mentioned in a supposed hybrid meeting of the sugar board last August 4 that 600,000 metric tons of sugar might need to be imported in the country -- a statement backed by Valderrama and refuted by the Execu tiveTheSecretary.former SRA chief told senators that he told Mr. Marcos the proposed order “might be too much” as the sugar milling season was about to open then.
“The President already turned down 300,000 metric tons, what of 600,000 more? I don’t believe the President had said that. Impossible. The President will not come up with a figure from the top of his mind,” Zubiri told Serafica, warning him he was “very close to be ing cited for contempt.” In response, the former SRA admin istrator insisted that was what he heard.
Mr. Marcos will have separate meet ings with Singaporean President Hali mah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong before he returns to Ma nila today (Wednesday).
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“To the extent of what the penalties are and what the exact terminologies will be… I will leave it to the good gentleman from the Blue Ribbon Com mittee to come up with the findings,” Zubiri“Butadded.asfar as I’m concerned, there were violations of procedures, particu larly on hastily signing SO Number 4,” the Senate President said. Zubiri also backed Rodriguez, say ing he does not believe that Mr. Mar cos would ask for importation of such a huge amount for the commodity.
We emphasized that we’re willing to cooperate with them,” Clavano said. He said the ICC may come in as observ ers and look at the country’s processes. “Because we’re no longer part of the ICC, we’re under no obligation to sub mit these things because they asked for them. For us, we have a working jus tice system here in the Philippines and that is clear after the visit of US Senator Markey to former Senator (Leila) De Lima,” Clavano said. The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, in March 2019.
The Palace had said the Sugar Board had convened and issued a resolution without the approval of the President, who’s also the concurrent Agriculture Secretary and chairman of the board. Sebastian, as Mr. Marcos’ chief of staff at the Department of Agriculture, was representing the President on the sugar board and eventually signed SO4. But he, Serafica, and Beltran quit their posts after the Palace declared the import move illegal. Sebastian’s resignation is still under the Palace’s consideration.
By Rey E. Requejo T HE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday revealed that it has already made preparations to submit information on the drug war to the International Criminal Court (ICC) but said this was not an act of compliance but “comity and international cooperation.”
He said DSWD’s Pantawid Pamily ang Pilipino Program (4Ps) addresses both the immediate need for social as sistance and the strategic goal to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty. The House appropriations panel head thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the 7.3-percent 4Ps’ budget in crease from P107.7 billion that will have served 4.37 million households this year to P115.6 billion to reach 4.4 million households next year.
Inter-Agency Task Force for the Man agement of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), which is discussing proposals to relax the mask mandate outdoors. He said some members said the Phil ippines and Myanmar were the only countries in the Association of South east Asian Nations to have a mask mandate, while others pointed to the relatively low rate of vaccination and booster uptake. “So we have to weigh everything,” Abalos said. He admitted talking again to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, who re cently defied the national mask man date by making mask wearing out doors voluntary. “I don’t understand his point. I do not want any miscommunication, so it’s better to just move on,” he said in Filipino, days after the Cebu Mayor pushed through with his city’s policy despite pleas from Abalos to wait for the IATF decision. Last week, Abalos reiterated that the country is still in a state of national health emergency and President Ferdi nand Marcos Jr. has repeatedly called for the public to be vigilant and proac tive in following health protocols to pre vent the spread of COVID-19. He also emphasized the importance of harmonizing existing laws and poli cies in cities and municipalities across theAbaloscountry.appealed to all local chief ex ecutives to put on hold their possible actions on the matter until he brings it over to the IATF, which he asked to convene to discuss the measure. Earlier, the Department of Health (DOH) said wearing face masks de creases the possibility of infection by 70 percent to 80 percent while reminding Filipinos that decreasing the number of COVID-19 cases does not mean the vi rus is no longer around. Meanwhile, Mandaue City said it is no longer interested in relaxing its face mask rule, Mayor Jonas Cortes confirmed, as it drew flak from national officials. discussion, we came to a conclusion, and we came to a resolution. So, we should try it,” the President added of the sea Meanwhile,agreement.the Philippine gov ernment is considering importing fertilizers from Indonesia to boost its agricultural products, according to Mr. Marcos, who met with Indo nesian President Joko Widodo dur ing his visit to the country’s south ernTheneighbor.President is also considering building a government-owned mall that would cater to micro and small busi nesses in the Philippines, after Widodo brought him to a state-run mall where micro-, small, and mid-sized enterpris es showcase their products. Following their meeting at the Bo gor Presidential Palace, Mr. Marcos said he also met with some of the big gest businessmen in Indonesia, who likewise expressed enthusiasm to do business in the Philippines. “I invited them to the Philippines and many of them committed. Many of them are actually involved in the Philippines and vowed to increase their businesses,” he added. After 20 years of talks, the South east Asian neighbors signed the Phil ippines-Indonesia maritime border agreement, a landmark deal hailed by the international community as a model for peaceful settling of interna tional disputes. In 2019, the agreement entered into the force of law during the sidelines of the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Thailand. The Philippines and Indonesia are also parties to the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) and are entitled to an ex clusive economic zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles from their baseline ter ritorial areas. But China continues to claim al most the entire South China Sea amid competing claims from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Tai wan, and Vietnam. In 2016, the Hague-based Perma nent Court of Arbitration favored the Philippines’ claim on the West Phil ippine Sea (WPS), voiding China’s claim, including its nine-dash line, recent land reclamation activities, and other activities in Philippine waters that were considered as unlawful. China reacted negatively to the ruling, maintaining it was “null and void.” Mr. Marcos, however, has vowed that under his administration, the Philippines will defend the coun try’s interest in the West Philippine Sea, which is a portion of the South China Sea being claimed by Beijing. “Hopefully it works. If it doesn’t work, we’ll try something else but at least we have a beginning point. That’s how I see it,” he added. On fertilizers, Mr. Marcos, who is the concurrent Agriculture Secretary, said he had a productive meeting with his Indonesian counterpart as they talked about the possibility of Jakarta supplying Manila with urea. Mr. Marcos likewise sought assis tance from Indonesia to develop the Philippines’ fisheries sector, saying he asked for help “because I am obsessed with the fact that the Philippines im ports galunggong (round scad).” “There are other things that need to be done as well, the fact that we are importing galunggong has been made very public, it’s very clear that it is quite a surprise for us to get into that situation. But again, it really comes from the neglect in the agriculture and fisheries sector,” he said.
Today, the hearing for the DSWD is un derway,” Quimbo said. She shared that thus far, the discus sions in the budget briefings have re volved around some of the key spend ing priorities of the 2023 budget. These include the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Program and the Total Electrification Program, among others.
When asked if the DOJ is expecting the ICC to pursue its investigation, Cla vano said there are no expectations. “As a matter of fact, the conversa tions between the Secretary of Justice and our foreign dignitaries are very good. And we obviously made it clear.
Quimbo said that various issues had been raised with the different agencies throughout the hearings. At Tuesday’s hearing of the Depart ment of Social Work and Development (DSWD) budget, Co said the increase in the budget of DSWD’s flagship as sistance program next year will help lift the country’s poorest of the poor out of poverty, malnutrition, and lack of opportunity and education.
administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who refused to cooperate with the investigation, and who pulled the Philippines out of the ICC as a result. The DOJ official said there will be updates on cases previously filed, in vestigations of the National Bureau of Investigation, and comments.
PH readies drug war update for ICC
in a meeting last month that the country would need to import 600,000 metric tons of sugar – double the amount pro posed under SO No. 4. At a press conference, Tolentino, who chairs the Blue Ribbon panel, said the 10-page committee report would rec ommend the filing of charges against certain individuals over the release of the sugar order that Malacañang had called“Definitely,illegal. charges will be filed. Just wait for it for just two more days,” To lentino said. He said the appearance of Rodri guez, who was grilled by senators on the aborted sugar importation, clarified the contradictory statements of some resource persons “and pressing issues which emanated from his testimony.”
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Salceda said contact tracing da tabases by different establishments may have been the source of personal information by text spam recently re ceived by mobile phone users. “The IATF did not push hard enough and enforce a single contact trac ing app with a single database. That means you had different data collec tors, some of whom may not have been able to protect the data. I don’t want to ascribe malice, but some of them may have even sold it,” Salceda said. “All of these potential data breaches could have been limited by having just one single controller and clearing house of data that is also protected and audited,” he added. Salceda asked that the National Tel ecommunications Commission work with the telecommunications compa nies to detect and prevent “a mass of successive text messages in suspicious volumes.” “That way, we can prevent mass or span messaging.” Salceda also asked the National Pri vacy Commission (NPC) to find the source of the data breach. Under the Data Privacy Act of 2012, Salceda said, the data controller “shall promptly notify the Commission and af fected data subjects when sensitive per sonal information or other information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reason ably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person, and the personal information controller or the Commission believes that such unauthorized acquisi tion is likely to give rise to a real risk of serious harm to any affected data subject.” “The data controllers seem to have been incapable of protecting all the data. And there were plenty of room for breaches be cause there were so many data controllers, by virtue of having multiple contact trac ing apps,” Salceda said. “IATF and DOH required contact tracing in March 2020, but privacy guidelines were only issued in June 2020. So you had three months where it was a “wild west” for data privacy. There was no sheriff in town for three months at least. That’s the only big data source I can identify,” he said. “Because of how banking is now so interconnected with mobile [phones], we should treat mobile numbers with the same care as we treat banking. There’s money for thieves to steal in data breaches,” Salceda said. Meanwhile, Rep. Wilbert Lee of the Agri party-list group sought a con gressional investigation into the ram pant text spam and phishing messages to protect consumers’ rights to pri vacy and security, and prevent these scammers from causing more harm.
“I said, ‘Mr. President, that may be too much because starting August 1, First Farmers (Holding Corporation) have already accepted canes delivery from farmers and any time this week they will start milling,’” he said. “Yes, this was discussed in our Zoom meeting together with the President and he mentioned the 600,000 but former administrator Serafica said that it might be too much because the milling season is about to open,” Valderrama added. Rodriguez denied this, saying there was no truth that Marcos pitched for such a volume of sugar. “Wala hong binabanggit na amount in terms of quantity si kagalang-galang na Pangulo Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Mar cos Jr. pagdating doon sa metric tons na kailangang i-angkat. Kaya po tayo naip it doon sa import plan pa lamang dahil hindi nga po kami kumbinsi sa 300,000 metric tons,” he said. [The honorable President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. had not men tioned an amount in terms of quantity on the metric tons (of sugar) that needed to be imported. That’s why we stalled on the import plan stage because we were not convinced of the need for 300,000 metric tons.]
“‘Yung 600,000 po, Mr. Chair, hindi po ‘yan galing sa’kin. ‘Yung binang git ni Presidente na 600,000, sabi ko po, Mr. President, that might be too much,” he said. [The 600,000 (figure), Mr. Chair, did not come from me. The 600,000 men tioned by the President, I said, Mr. Pres ident, that might be too much.” In an executive session, 11 senators vot ed for the issuance of a subpoena to the Executive Secretary, while three senators opposed and another three abstained.
AGRARIAN Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III on Tuesday ordered the speedy distribution of idle government-owned lands to landless war veterans and their surviving spouses or orphaned children, as well as retired military and police personnel, and even graduates of any fouryear agricultural courses. The order was pursuant to a directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to work double-time to identify government lands and distribute them to qualifiedEstrellabeneficiaries.instructed all field offices to conduct on-site validation activities, piece together pertinent documents, and determine the areas for distribution. Estrella said there were 24,459 hectares of government-owned lands for field validation, while 14,118 hectares of them are targeted for distribution this year under Executive Order No. 75 of 2019.
COPS ON BIKE. Manila Police District (MPD) director Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon and MPD Mobile Force Battalion commander Col. Julius Anonuevo roll out the cops on bike patrol to secure law and order in school zones around Manila. Norman Cruz
Navy gets 2 brand new patrol craft
THE Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has agreed to lift its “No Loading, Unloading” policy for UV Express Service vehicles in Makati City until November. Mayor Abigail Binay made this announcement Tuesday, saying UV Express vehicles will be allowed to drop off and pick up passengers at designated loading and unloading areas in the Makati Central Business District (CBD) during the three month-period.
enhance the Navy’s capability in addressing threats and protecting the maritime interest of the country. “As we are all aware, the Philippine geographic configuration is characterized by its proximity to regional major sea lanes and contested waters in its complex archipelagic and porous nature, this archipelagic nature of the country presents both opportunities and challenges to our maritime security,” Bordado said. Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, who was the keynote speaker at the event, said the new naval assets would boost efforts to secure the country’s maritime borders against foreign intrusions.
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Bordado said that the newly acquired boats were procured from Israel. “This is just the first tranche because we have seven more of these Shaldag Mk V high speed vessels coming (which) we have acquired through our Revised AFP Modernization Program,” BordadoAccordingsaid.to him, the new fast attack craft interdiction missile is designed to
By Joel E. Zurbano
They would also provide naval warfare support to ground troops during the conduct of joint operations, he added.
The PNP will properly coordinate with South Korean authorities to determine the proceedings in handling this case. The intensified anti-illegal drug campaign conducted by Police Regional Office (PRO) 10 (Northern Mindanao) resulted in a total of 211Duringoperations.these operations, 258 drug personalities were arrested while more than PHP12.6 million worth of illegal drugs were seized.
“The procurement of these naval warfare assets through the government to government or ‘G-to G’ mode between the Philippines and Israel demonstrates our robust diplomatic and defense relationship with other countries grounded with our shared goal of ensuring security, ensuring stability within our countries and common areas of interest,” Bacarro said.
POLICE and Immigration operatives have arrested in Muntinlupa City a South Korean fugitive who wantedisfor telecommunications fraud in his home country, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said Tuesday. Citing reports from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Azurin said the suspect, Choi Seung, 36, was arrested by members of the CIDG and the Fugitive Search Unit of the Bureau Immigrationofin Alabang on Monday. Seung has been the subject of a red notice from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) for transnational crime. Reports gathered by the PNP revealed that Choi was the head of a telecom scam syndicate that deprived some 800 victims of P215 million from 2015 to 2016. “The PNP is always ready to respond to complaints especially if it involves a large-scale fraud such as this. Kaligtasan niyo, sagot ko! But this is a team effort so we recognize the dedication shown by everyone in the organization to resolving cases involving foreign nationals,” Azurin said in a statement.
“The suspension of the policy will be until this November. It will give us ample time to study the situation on the ground and coordinate with LTFRB and other concerned parties regarding possible assistance and suggestions for implementing the memorandum,” Binay said. “Let me assure the public, especially workers who commute daily to and from the city, that we have your best interests at heart,” she added. The city chief executive earlier met with LTFRB officials after her office received numerous complaints from commuters affected by the agency’s Memorandum Circular No. 2019-025 which took effect last May 16, 2019. The directive prohibited UV Express service vehicles from loading and unloading in between their point of origin and destination, as they can only operate on a point-to-point basis at their designated terminals.
PATROL CRAFT FOR THE NAVY. The Philippine Navy commissions two brand new missile-capable high-speed patrol boats, the combat-proven Israeli-made Shaldag Mk V. Considered as the largest member of the Shaldag Class, the craft is all-aluminum, light, and fast vessel with maximum speed beyond 40 knots, and provides a “high level of maneuverability and seakeeping,” especially designed for naval security missions.
Fugitive Korean falls in Muntinlupa
Navy chief Vice Admiral Adeluis Bordado also disclosed plans to acquire more anti-submarine helicopters to complement their incoming major surface naval assets. The new vessels were christened as BRP Lolinato To-ong and BRP Nestor Acero, in ceremony held at the Naval Station Jose Andrada on Roxas Boulevard, Manila.
THE Makati City government on Tuesday announced it will participate in the 3rd Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill set today as part of the city’s disaster preparedness program. Makati is among the cities in the National Capital Region that will take part in the event spearheaded by the Ayala Group, starting at 8 a.m. at the MACEA Building on Legazpi Street, Legazpi Village. The drill, according to Makati city chief information officer Romulo Salgado Jr., will be held in collaboration with the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office and the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD). City officials and those from the national government, including Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Erwin Tulfo and Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum, are expected to join the exercise. The activity aims to educate citizens on what to do during and after an earthquake, and how to manage the effects the quake could cause. As tremor may have after-effects, simulations of other different scenarios like fire suppression, police response, evacuation, search and rescue, traffic management, extraction and medical response will be conducted as part of the drill. Makati Mayor Abigail Binay believes that frequent earthquake drills and exercises are an extremely important part of any preparedness plan, and also help in evaluating the effectiveness of its emergency plan. Since 2018, Mayor Binay has pursued the promotion of a “culture of preparedness” among city residents. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) had warned that the Valley Fault system might trigger a big quake. Should the ‘Big One’ occurs, which experts believe would happen anytime, massive destructions might take place in Metro Manila with expected 35,000 deaths in the first hour alone; over 100,000 injured, and at least 500 instantaneous structural fires.
PDEA hands out P9.6m in cold cash to 11 informants
The President, in his first State-of-theNation Address, promised to pursue the “distribution of unused government agricultural lands to landless war veterans, their surviving spouses or orphaned children, retired military and police personnel and agricultural courses graduates.”
In a two-page memorandum, DAR Undersecretary for field operations Kazel Celeste echoed Estrella’s order, directing regional and provincial land reform implementers to conduct field validation activities immediately and submit their reports at the soonest possible time. Rio N. Araja
Estrella orders speedy grant of state lands to war veterans
1 MARIA SUSANA VASQUEZ OPLE SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF MIGRANT WORKERS 2 JOSEPH GERARD BACANI ANGELES CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS I, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL with concurrent jurisdiction over the REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA the CO-OPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA the REPUBLIC OF SURINAME and the BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA 3 NATHANIEL GARCIA IMPERIAL CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS I, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC with concurrent jurisdiction over the REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA the REPUBLIC OF MALTA and the REPUBLIC OF SAN MARINO 4. GINA ALAGON JAMORALIN CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS I, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA 5. JAIME VICTOR BADILLO LEDDA CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS I, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM, with concurrent jurisdiction over the GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG 6 MEDARDO ANTONIO GONZALES MACARAIG CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS I, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE 7 EDUARDO RAMOS MEÑEZ CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS I, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC 8. HJAYCEELYN MANCENIDO QUINTANA CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS I, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES TO THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia 9. WILFREDO CUNANAN SANTOS CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS I, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN with concurrent jurisdiction over the STATE OF PALESTINE 10 ALFONSO FERDINAND AGBAYANI VER CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS I, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 11 BELINDA MARIANO ANTE CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS II, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF TIMOR LESTE 12 LEO TITO LUNAR AUSAN JR. CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS II, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH, with concurrent jurisdiction over the DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA and the REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES 13. KIRA CHRISTIANNE DANGANAN AZUCENA CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS II, as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE NEW ZEALAND with concurrent jurisdiction over the REPUBLIC OF FIJI the KINGDOM OF TONGA the INDEPENDENT STATE OF SAMOA and the COOK ISLANDS 14 CELESTE VINZON BALATBAT CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS II as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE with concurrent jurisdiction over the REPUBLIC OF ECUADOR and the REPUBLIC OF PERU 15 JOSE ALMODOVAR CABRERA III CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS II as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE STATE OF KUWAIT 16 MARIA AGNES MAGLASANG CERVANTES CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS II as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN with concurrent jurisdiction over the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN the KYRGYZ REPUBLIC, and the REPUBLIC OF TAJIKISTAN 17. GRACE T. CRUZ-FABELLA CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS II as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC with concurrent jurisdiction over the PLURINATIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA the REPUBLIC OF PARAGUAY and the ORIENTAL REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY 18 LILYBETH RODRIGUEZ DEAPERA CHIEF OF MISSION CLASS II as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES with concurrent jurisdiction over the REPUBLIC OF COSTA RICA the REPUBLIC OF CUBA the REPUBLIC OF EL SALVADOR the REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA, the REPUBLIC OF HONDURAS the REPUBLIC OF NICARAGUA the REPUBLIC OF PANAMA, the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC and BELIZE 19 ANNE JALANDO-ON LOUIS CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS II as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN 20 ROBERTO GUTIERREZ MANALO CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS II as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN with concurrent jurisdiction over the REPUBLIC OF TURKMENISTAN and the REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN 21. LILLIBETH VELASCO PONO CHIEF OF MISSION, CLASS II as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO THE STATE OF QATAR
LTFRB lifts ‘No loading/unloading’ rule for UV’s in Makati until November
THEY’RE NO BOUNTY HUNTERS, JUST GUTSY INFORMANTS. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Wilkins Villanueva hands out cash rewards totaling P9,684,257 to 11 anonymous civilians who provided vital information about drug tra cking in the country, leading to the seizure of sizable amounts of prohibited substances and the arrest of so-called “high-value targets. Manny Palmero Manila Standard TODAY REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS A N N O U N C E M E N T President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has submitted to the Commission on Appointments (CA), for confirmation, the ad interim appointment, and for its consent to the nominations of the following officials: The public may submit any information, written report, or sworn/notarized complaints or oppositions to the above nominations in seven (7) copies to the CA Secretariat, 6th Floor, PNB Financial Center, D. Macapagal Blvd., Pasay City, Metro Manila. For the schedule of the public hearings, the CA Secretariat can be reached through telephone numbers 8834-2713, 8831-1824, 8831-0527, 8832-9830, 8834-2706 and 8551-1989. 6 September 2022. MYRA MARIE D. VILLARICA Secretary (MS-SEPT. 7, 2022)
By Rio N. Araja THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Tuesday rewarded 11 civilian informants more than P9.6 million in cash for vital information leading to the seizure of considerable amounts of drugs and the arrests of “high-value targets” involved in the nefariousPDEAtrade.Director general Wilkins Villanueva commended the informants who were identified only through their codenames for their help in carrying out PDEA’s “Operation Private Eye.” Operation Private Eye is a citizenbased information collection program designed to encourage the active participation of private citizens to report illegal drug activities in their communities. One of the bounty recipients tagged as “DREAM” pocketed P2,000,000 for providing information to PDEA IIS that led to the seizure of 502,170.00 grams of shabu and the death of three drug personalities during a buy-bust operation at Noah’s Place, Barangay Libertador, Candelaria, Zambales on Sept. 7, 2021. “DATU” was awarded P124,339.94 for providing information to PDEA BARMM which resulted in the seizure of 2,026.50 grams of shabu and the arrest of three drug personalities during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Km2, Indanan, Sulu on Dec. 4, 2021. “JOJO” got P56,203.57 for providing information to PDEA SES which resulted in the seizure of 506.08 grams of shabu and arrest of a drug personality during a buy-bust operation at May Inn Hotel, Kalayaan Avenue, Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City on Jan. 30, 2022.
THE Philippine Navy (PN) on Tuesday commissioned two brand new missile capable Shaldag Mk V fast attack interdiction craft meant to boost the command’s maritime security patrol throughout the archipelago.
Makati City to participate in national earthquake drill
Danny Pata
DOE chief: Enough power for PH til end of the year
DOH officer-in-charge Undersecre tary Maria Rosario Vergeire said last week that they were still negotiating with the DBM for additional funds for healthcare workers’ One COVID Al lowance (OCA) so that they can pay for other healthcare workers who have not received theirs. The DBM said in a statement on Thursday that it sent DOH a response letter on June 8, asking them to address the deficiencies on the documentary re quirements they submitted pertaining to a P63-billion budget request. “DOH replied to us on July 15, but they were only able to address and sub stantiate documents that are related to unpaid COVID-19 sickness and death claims for FY 2020 and 2021 worth P570 million, which enabled us to re lease the same amount in August,” the DBM said. “As long as DOH can address the de ficiencies in the documentary require ments, DBM will immediately process the request to release funds, based on available budget,” it added.
Gil Calinga
‘New tropical storm may enter PH Thursday’
not be
Lawmakers support measure to safeguard the rights of freelance workers
“Differently stated, as the matter of whether to prosecute or not is purely dis cretionary on his part, courts cannot com pel a public prosecutor to file the corre sponding information, upon a complaint, where he finds the evidence before him insufficient to warrant the filing of an ac tion in court,” it said. The CA stressed that there was no grave abuse of discretion on the part of the prosecution in amending the in formation it filed and excluded Ragos as one of the respondents in one of the illegal drug cases against the former senator.
PAGASA reported that a tropical depression may enter the Philippine area of responsibil ity (PAR) on Thursday. However, the storm is unlikely to hit land, the weather bureau said, adding that once it enters the PAR, it will be named “Inday.” A PAGASA bulletin said the tropical depression is moving west-southwestward at 20 kilometers per hour, an was sighted 1,610 kilometers east-northeast of extreme northern Luzon. It packs maximum sustained winds of 45 kph near the center, with gusts of up to 55 kph, PAGASA said. The weather bureau meanwhile said the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat, as well as the Intertropical Convergence Zone, were expected to affect the western sections of the country.
By Maricel V. Cruz
CLEAN UP AT DOLOMITE BEACH. Members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) organize a cleanup at Manila Dolomite Beach on September 6. The PCG said it has collected more than 50 bags of garbage during the marine environmental protec tion initiative. CCGNO MWR Arcena & CCGNO JMB Marcos/CGPA
FOUR Quezon City-based specialty hospi tals are facing budget cuts next year, which are “all deep and none superficial,” Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto said. But Recto assured that “if the past will be the guide,” the recommended budget ary subsidies for the Lung Center of the Philippines, the Philippine Heart Center, the National Kidney and Transplant Insti tute, and the Philippine Children’s Medi cal Center in the proposed 2023 national budget will be restored by Congress. “The yearly ritual is that those tasked to prepare the national budget will pro pose an amount lower than the current year’s, and then both chambers restore the cuts or even increase the subsidy,” RectoBasedsaid.on their charters, the four are classified as government corporations, and as such, their appropriations in the national budget are officially called “budgetaryBudgetarysupport”.support forms part of a re cipient agency’s annual operating budg et, subject to restrictions, the foremost of which is that it cannot be used for sala ries, which must be funded out of operat ingRectoincome.said from P684 million in the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the proposed budgetary subsidy for the Lung Center of the Philippines will be trimmed by P53.7 million, to P630.2 mil lion.The amount for the Philippine Heart Center will be slashed by P121 million, from P1.88 billion in this year’s GAA to P1.76 billion in the 2023 National Ex penditure Program or NEP, which serves as the draft national budget. But it is the National Kidney and Transplant Institute which is threatened with the deepest cut of P362 million - its subsidy down to P1.15 billion in the 2023 NEP, from P1.5 billion in the 2022 GAA. Also facing substantial subsidy reduc tion is the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, from P1.5 billion to P1.15 billion, or a P344 billion cutback. Recto said those who recommended the cut in the subsidy for the four Quezon City neighboring hospitals “may have slept through PBBM’s SONA wherein he hailed the four as worthy of replication in regional centers.”
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CA sustains decision to exclude officials in De Lima case
By Alena Mae S. Flores and Macon Ramos-Araneta ENERGY Secretary Raphael Lotilla on Tuesday assured enough power supply until the end of the year but Luzon is facing thin reserves for the entire month of October. “The most expensive power is no power. I think you fully agree, Mr. Chairman, that we have to protect the availability of supply,” Lotilla said during yesterday’s Senate hear ing on energy chaired by Senator RaffyLotillaTulfo.said more than 54 percent of fuel in the power generation mix is imported, which is also reflected in coal supply, wherein 87.2 percent is import dependent.
“In other words, we are very ex posed to the volatilities in the inter national market,” he said. He said that other issues beset the power sector, unlike the oil sector, where consumers are already aware that the high prices in the world mar ket will have to be reflected in do mestic pump prices. “Right now, we have both supply and pricing issues. But as you have also pointed out, there are issues in volving generation, transmission, and distribution as well,” Lotilla said.
A GROUP of legislators called for the swift approval of a measure that aims to safeguard the rights of free lance workers, whose numbers are expected to grow exponentially as the country transitions to a digital economy.Rep.Paolo Duterte of Davao City led the filing of House Bill 3738 which proposes to make written contracts mandatory in obtaining the services of freelancers, along with providing them with night differential and hazard pay when“Freelancersapplicable.mostly belong to what we now call the ‘gig economy’ and have risen in numbers especially dur ing the pandemic. Despite contributing significantly to the country’s econom ic growth, they remain vulnerable to abuse and exploitation,” Duterte said. “With their numbers expected to grow even more as we shift to a digi tal economy, we need an enabling law to protect their rights and welfare,” he added.
FIRE AT ABS-CBN. Fire trucks line up outside the ABS-CBN building along Sgt. Esguerra Avenue, Quezon City on Tuesday morning. According to the Bu reau of Fire Protection, a fire broke out inside the ABS-CBN compound due to electrical issues. Manny Palmero
Gov’t yet to grant COVID cash for health workers, group claims
By Willie Casas ABOUT 50 percent of health workers still have not yet received their COVID-19 response benefits and allowances, a health workers group on Tuesday said.
“In August, we have already passed that; fortunately, there were no interruptions,” Lotilla said. Lotilla said the Visayas is not in danger of any supply shortage, but there is a stranded supply.
Jao Clumia, spokesperson of the Pri vate Health Workers Alliance of the Philippines, said they already talked with several officials from the Depart ment of Health (DOH) who told them that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has not yet re leased the budget for such.
“Almost 50 percent of healthcare workers still haven’t received it. Most of those who received their benefits only got one month worth of benefits out of the six months stated in the law. That’s the problem because they just kept on promising,” he said.
PAGASA said Zambales, Bataan, Mimaropa, the Western Visayas, and the Zamboanga Peninsula could thus expect cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.Flashfloods or landslides may result due to the moderate to heavy rain in these areas, the weather bureau said. The rest of the country could meanwhile expect partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to the Habagat and localized thunderstorms, PAGASA said.
By Rey E. Requejo THE Court of Appeals (CA) has sustained its October 2021 decision that denied the plea of detained former senator Leila de Lima to include former Bureau of Correc tions officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos and several high-profile inmates at the New Bilibid Prisons as accused in the illegal drug cases filed against him before the Muntinlupa courts. In a six-page resolution, the CA’s For mer Fifteenth Division through Associate Justice Victoria Isabel Paredes denied De Lima’s motion for reconsideration of its October 28, 2021 decision, saying that the petitioner failed to raise new arguments that would warrant the reversal of the said ruling.The appellate court also reiterated that it is within the discretion of the pros ecution who to charge and prosecute in a criminal“Again,case.the prosecution of crimes per tains to the Executive Branch of govern ment whose principal duty is to see to it that our laws are faithfully executed. Courts are not empowered to substitute their own judgment for that of the execu tive branch,” the CA stressed.
2ND BOOSTERSHOT.
DSWD: 30% of non-poor families will removed from 4Ps list
Recto: Lung Center, Heart Center, NKTI and PCMC face budget cuts
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said 30 percent of the 1.3 million households deemed nonpoor by the department will not be delisted from the government’s Pan tawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) just DSWDyet.Secretary Erwin Tulfo said such a figure is based on DSWD’s consultation with groups of 4Ps ben eficiaries, a consultation that resulted from the DSWD’s announcement that the DSWD will be delisting 1.3 mil lion beneficiaries from the 4Ps pro gram since these households already reached nonpoor status, GMA News reported.Thegovernment’s 4Ps is an antipoverty program providing health, education, and rice assistance in the form of cash to the poorest of the poor households monthly, depending on their compliance with conditions pro moting human development goals such as keeping children in schools and at tending family development sessions, among“Thereothers.were beneficiaries na nagreklamo kasi nagka-pandemic. Wala naman sigurong yumaman [sa pandemic], kakaunti lang. To make sure na walang made-delist na mahirap, nagpatawag po ng pulong with 4Ps groups and I met them three weeks ago. Around 30 percent to 40 percent of the 1.3 million households cannot be delisted from the 4Ps,” Tulfo, quoted by the GMA news report, said during DSWD’s budget presentation of its proposed P194billion budget for 2023 before the House appropriations panel.
Lotilla also cited in his presenta tion to the Senate that for the Lu zon Grid, “we are in danger of not meeting the required contingency reserves in the month of October.” Based on his presentation, the Lu zon grid was also supposed to have three weeks of yellow alerts in Au gust, which did not materialize.
Recto Galang, 74, from Barangay San Agustin 3, receives his second Covid-19 vaccine booster shot on the second floor of SM Dasmarinas City, Cavite on Tuesday. The intensifiedcampaignPinasLakasisthevaccinationdriveoftheMarcosadministration.
The President himself said the ASE AN run would be the first of a series of trips he would be making to the coun try’s friends, partners and allies round the world and put this Southeast Asian republic in a position where Manila has strong alliances and partnerships necessary for it to come out of the postpandemic economy.
Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 B1Opinion
ManilaStandard ONLINE Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor
As President Marcos earlier said, the Philippine side also sought the partner ship and the help of Indonesian friends, led by President Widodo for invest ment in areas where the Philippines believes they can be of assistance es pecially in critical areas like agriculture and
The PCGG was created under Executive Order 1 by then President Corazon Aquino after the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution to take over or se quester business enterprises and entities owned and controlled by the Marcoses or their nominees. Those in favor of abolition cite the PCGG’s spotty record in running after the alleged hidden wealth for the past 36 years. The agency has been heavily criticized for los ing a string of cases due to sloppy prosecution, including a P102-billion civil suit against former ambassador Roberto Benedicto and other dum mies. Another P267.371 million civil case was like wise dismissed for the same reason. In 2019, a P200-billion civil case against the Marcoses was also dismissed because the prose cution presented mere photocopies of documents. In 2017, the Sandiganbayan convicted Camilo Sabio of graft for leasing service vehicles without public bidding when he was still the PCGG chair man. The lawmakers’ call for the abolition of the PCGG, in fact, runs counter to what then presiden tial candidate Bongbong Marcos Jr. said during the campaign. He said the PCGG should even be strengthened to run after all cases of corruption. “Strengthen it…‘Yan ang trabaho nila, pati bayin mo. Give them a bigger budget. Give them more staff para habul-habulin talaga nila lahat. Then mag-file sila ng kaso sa Ombudsman,” he told CNN Philippines. Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla, meanwhile, said last month he would propose to the President that the PCGG be turned into a “central asset for feiture office” for crimes other than the Marcos ill-gotten wealth, among them “nonpayment of taxes, drug trafficking, or other crimes including graft and corruption.” Current PCGG Chair John Agbayani defended the agency before the lawmakers. He told the House justice committee that it was contributing around P600 million to the nation’s coffers every year. For 2022 alone, the PCGG remitted P850 mil lion to the treasury, he said. The PCGG reported recovering some P265 billion as of December 2021, and it is still running after at least P125 bil lion more. Martial law survivors and human rights advo cates are understandably upset over the House move to abolish the PCGG. An activist described the House hearings as the “latest scheme to whitewash the sins” of the Mar cos regime.
see to it that the PCGG is funded, the chair and commissioners are completely independent of the Marcos family and are competent in doing what the agency is supposed to do
The National Union of People’s Lawyers, for its part, said the renewed push to abolish the PCGG should be seen as “playing, apparently wit tingly, in (the Marcoses’) game plan of rehabilitat ing and repackaging themselves while insulating themselves from accountability.” Karapatan, a human rights watchdog, contends that shutting down the agency for good, with around P125 billion more to be recovered, would “send the wrong signal that anyone in government can take public funds for personal ends with im punity.” It would appear that the PCGG has only 131 personnel taking on the awesome responsibility of recovering hundreds of billions of stolen public funds. Hence, Agbayani said, the PCGG, instead of be ing abolished, should be strengthened so it would be able to “complement the Ombudsman or the DOJ in respect to graft and corruption cases,” and to avoid overwhelming other agencies with cases the PCGG was specially created to handle.
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To competitiveness,enhance Rep. Joey Salceda advocates fair taxation on digital service providers and a government procurement program of creative works by Filipinos
Moreover, lawmakers should see to it that the PCGG is funded, the chair and commissioners are completely independent of the Marcos family and are competent in doing what the agency is sup posed to do. But the PCGG now faces a serious obstacle, as Agbayani concedes that he does not foresee any new cases against the Marcoses anytime soon for lack of new evidence. He pointed out the difficulty in obtaining documents, particu larly from abroad, proving the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses and their associates at this point. Nevertheless, the PCGG chair maintains that the agency has not lost its relevance as it has been a consistent revenue contributor and has in fact managed to preserve P50 billion in recovered and sequestered assets. We concur with the view that the PCGG should continue its work. It should unravel the truth about ill-gotten wealth that still needs to be recovered to help in the fight against poverty, and to send a strong mes sage to all that the government is firm in its zerotolerance for corruption in this country. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)
We look forward to what the President called this ‘harvest of business deals’ as the country rolls out the red carpet welcome
Creating
Besides, he said, the PCGG has been granted authority by the Supreme Court “concurrently to investigate and prosecute graft and corruption cases.” Ruben Carranza, a PCGG commissioner from 2001 to 2004, believes the Marcoses had “never respected the PCGG” and only “tried to under mine the commission every step of the way, in cluding all the way to the Supreme Court.” He said if Congress really cared about solving the cases against the Marcos family, it should en sure the PCGG’s independence instead of abolish ing the agency.
RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. returns today from the inaugural of state visits – a four-day swing of Indonesia and Singapore, fellow members in the largely economic alliance Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
THE creative industry could be the next oil. Or at least the next gold. Filipinos are born natural singers, dancers, story tellers, and artists. Filipino illustrators antedated and were at par with the cartoonists of America. The original de riguer reading for first time Pinoy readers were comics (Komiks in Pilipino) magazines. These became popular from the 1920s to the late 1980s. Antonio “Tony” Velasquez (1910-1997) started the Philippine comics industry with his iconic comic character, Kenkoy which first ap peared in the Tagalog Liwayway magazine in 1929. Velasquez was able to produce “some of the best” and “most popular” Philippine comic books, such as Pilipino Komiks (1947), Tagalog Klasiks (1949), Hiwaga Komiks (1950), Espesyal Komiks (1952), Kenkoy Komiks (1959), and Educational Klasiks Komiks (1961). In painting, we had Juan Luna who produced the “Spolarium” in 1884, along with “The Blood Compact” and “The Death of Cleopatra” 1881. “Death of Cleopatra” won the silver medal in 1881 and “Spolarium” the gold in 1884 in the Exposi cion Nacional de Bellas Artes. In movies, the Philippine cinema industry was established in 1887 and reached its peak from the 1960s till the early 1980s. Until the government decided to heavily tax the industry. The industry died but not after producing a president, Joseph Estrada, and an almost president, Fernando Poe Jr. Sadly, South Korea has overtaken the Philip pine cinema industry. South Korea has created a new genre, Zombies, and has gone on to win four academy awards with Parasite (2019) and ex ported international cult classics including Oldboy (2003), Snowpiercer (2013), and Train to Busan (2016). Today, Busan hosts Asia’s largest film fes tival. South Korea also has Asia’s richest musicians. It has the world’s first K-Pop investment fund. KPop earnings have grown 10-fold (1,000 percent) in the past 10 years, according to investment ana lyst Eric Jurado.
EDITORIALthe PCGG stay or should it go? a biking culture for health and pocket
The K-Pop Index has 30 entertainment and in teractive media companies. The PE ratio of K-Pop companies, at 56x earnings, beats the entire Philip pine stock exchange. There is hope, however, for the Philippine cre ative industries. In his State of the Nation Address last July, President Marcos Jr gave impetus to the Philippine creative industry. “The creativity of the Filipino is truly world class,” said the President. “We excel in arts and culture, new media, live events – avenues which generate primary and downstream jobs for our creative and talented countrymen.” One big challenge is piracy. “The creative in dustry lends soul to our being Pilipino,” BBM said, “Let us protect them.” Chimes in Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, “the coun try’s intellectual property laws sorely needs an update, considering the onslaught of digital piracy hampering economic growth.” “You cannot protect what you don’t have,” he contends. Salceda’s House Bill No. 2672 gives the Intel lectual Property Office of the Philippines greater powers to take down infringing materials and rais ing civil and criminal penalties for offenders. He also has stressed the need to redefine what constitutes pirated goods to include digital content and site blocking. According to Salceda, the Philippines was among the top 10 of creative goods exporters with exports in 2015 of $1 billion. China did a whop ping $168.51 billion. The Albay solon estimates the value of domes tically produced and consumer counterfeit and pi rated goods could range from $524 billion to $959 billion $959 billion this year. Other estimates place losses of the creative in dustries at 50 percent of revenues. “The Philippines needs to be competitive in this sector if it wants to reap the benefits of economic growth,” says Salceda. To enhance competitiveness, he advocates fair taxation on digital service providers and a govern ment procurement program of creative works by Filipinos.Finally, Salceda thinks the government should improve the education of the Filipino. In recent international tests, Filipino kids were rated the lowest among participating countries in grades for reading, math and science. Nine out of 10 Filipinos still cannot read nor un derstand short texts by age 10. They are growing up not knowing anything. They are stupid. “Youth and innovation. Reasons why we should protect IP rights. The youth is an intrinsic source of creativity and dynamism,” says Salceda. Still, stupid jokes and stupid movies do make money. Just watch some of the successful Netflix and HBO movies. biznewsasia@gmail.com
‘A harvest of business deals’
Why can’t the government – and I am speaking of past administrations over decades in addition to the current one – get its act together on this fairly simple matter? If we need a benchmarking and best practices model, there’s always The Netherlands, which many consider to be the premier biking country of the Theyworld.have tons of information on the subject. For one, check out the website run by nonprofit IS IT true that the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), created by the Cory Aquino administration in 1986 with the mandate to run after alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family, has failed miserably in doing its job and deserves to be abolished forthwith as part of ‘right sizing’ the Pro-administrationbureaucracy?allies in the House of Rep resentatives think so, and have started hearings to settle the Leadingissue.the charge are Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., who believe that the PCGG has “outlived its usefulness” after 36 years, and that other agencies like the Office of the Ombudsman could already do the PCGG’s job.
Singapore has become the Philip pines’ top trading partner in ASEAN and the top source of approved invest ments in 2021. Official figures suggest economic cooperation with Singapore has grown exponentially for the past 57 years since Singapore became independent on August 9, 1965. President Marcos himself admitted “more opportunities are just waiting to be tapped by both sides.”The state visits had been aimed at seeking to harness the potentials of the Philippines’ sparkling trade and invest ment relations. As such, an economic briefing, busi ness fora and meetings were organized to proactively create and attract more investments and buyers for Philippine exports, to accelerate the post-pandem ic growth of the domestic economy. The President was upbeat when he said “I expect that we will be coming back with a harvest of business deals to be signed in my State Visits that will further strengthen our economic ties with both Indonesia and Singa pore.” Correctly, these initiatives the Philip pine delegation undertook have been in line with all of the priority areas the Marcos administration identified: the agricultural sector, the guarantee of food supply, the guarantee of prices –food prices affordable to ordinary Fili pinos, the long-term plans for energy, and the long-term plans the Philippines has for emergence into the new global economy. We look forward to what the Presi dent called this “harvest of business deals” as the country rolls out the red carpet welcome.
group Dutch Cycling Embassy that exists for the purpose of sharing information about the Dutch bike culture with the rest of the world. Dutch infrastructure supports biking to a great extent, with dedicated bike lanes that are so safe parents feel secure enough to take their babies and toddlers on ‘bakfeitsen,’ cargo bikes with a huge holdall in between the wheels. Bicycle Act of 2022 This year, Villar, now a senator, filed the Bicycle Act of 2022, that provides for the creation of a Lo cal Bikeway Office (LBO) to be supervised by city and municipal engineering offices. A similar bill – the Bicycle Act of 2020 – was filed around December of that year by Mark Vil lar’s sister Camille Villar-Genuino as Las Piñas representative. That law contains many of the same provisions in yet another previous iteration filed by their father Manny Villar in 2011 when he was a senator. The LBO will manage the “construction and maintenance of a bikeway network” that will in corporate safety features into its design to protect cyclists.Italso enumerates many rights, responsibilities, and obligations of cyclists, including adhering to the proper speed, wearing a helmet with chin strap at all times, no riding on crosswalks or sidewalks, and the like. This set of rules right off the bat riled some cy clists who commented: come up with the actual bikeways first before telling cyclists what to do and not to do! It’s interesting to see how this particularly po litical family has not given up on getting their Bike Act passed. In any case, if passed it would be a leap forward for the biking community as it gives com muters a healthier and cheaper option for going places.However, I suggest checking in with the cycling community again via a consultation or focus group discussion regarding the inclusion of some provi sions which some may find objectionable or un necessary.Letthe goal be the creation and implementation of a biking environment similar to that of The Neth erlands. “Going green” in terms of transportation will benefit commuters on many levels, including relieving the pressure of high fuel prices and easing the air pollution problem. What’s needed to get this done sooner rather than later is political will, not only at the lawmaker level but also at the local government level, as LGUs will be responsible for creating and main taining proper bikeways in their areas.
The foreign ministers of the two countries were also scheduled to sign the Philippines-Indonesia Plan of Ac tion for the next five years which com mits Manila and Jakarta to projects and activities that embrace wide range of bilateral cooperation.
Inenergy.Singapore, home to 200,000 Filipinos who have contributed to the economies of their homeland and their host state, on the invitation of President Halimah Yacob, the Filipino leader spent Tuesday overnight before return ing home today. He has scheduled separate meetings with President Yacob and Prime Minis ter Lee Hsien Loong to renew the Phil ippine commitment to deepen bilateral ties, explore options for advancing eco nomic ties, as well as discuss regional and global issues.
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WITH the traffic problem nowhere near solved, and a transportation crisis linked to the high cost of petroleum products exacerbated by the weakest peso to dollar rate in history (which hit one cen tavo shy of Php57 to $1 as of yesterday), what’s the government doing to get public transportation solutions on track? One idea that has been in the throes of develop ment -- or at the very least wishful thinking -- for years is the creation of a bike riding culture in the Philippines. Some strides have been made toward creating dedicated bike lanes in the PH, particularly under the last administration. Then Public Works Sec. Mark Villar issued a policy prescribing the stan dard design of bike lanes along national highways. To help protect cyclists, the Land Transporta tion Office issued Memorandum Circular 20212267 in May 2021, a list of guidelines for motor ists. The first guideline forbids motor vehicles from crossing or parking on bicycle and pedestrian lanes. However, many violations of this rule re lated to the encroachment of cars and motorcycles onto bike lanes make bike riders feel unsafe. One lady biker’s story There is also the problem of crimes against bik ers. Just last month, a friend who works in the CCP area, and bikes to and from her home in Cavite, had her mobile phone snatched when she stopped at a streetlight to use her phone. This frightened her so badly that she slept at her office that night. However, she is still biking and hasn’t given up on it despite the risk because the alternative -- pub lic transportation situation on jeepneys, buses, and the like -- is horrendous on a daily basis. She started commute biking in the first place when she found it difficult to get rides at PITX. Sometimes she would get home in the wee hours of the morning, sleep a few hours, and wake up early again for the slog to work. When she bikes, though, it takes her less than two hours to go the distance, and she looks very fit and healthy now.
...lawmakersproblemshould
Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Honor Blanco Cabie Opinion Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer Honor Blanco Cabie, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com
In Indonesia from September 4 to 6, where he addressed 8,000 animated members of the Filipino community, the 64-year-old President Marcos met up for the first time with President Joko Widodo, three years Marcos’ junior, and discussed the current state and fu ture of bilateral bonds as well as the changing global environment. They also witnessed the signing of several bilateral agreements that cov ered defense and security, creative economy and culture.
The next boom: PH creative industries
‘Going green’ in terms of transportation will benefit commuters on many levels, including relieving the pressure of high fuel prices and easing the air pollution
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Notice is hereby given that the legal heirs of the late AKIHIKO TERADA (the “Decedent”) who died intestate on September 28, 2019, in Japan, have executed an AGREEMENT ON DIVISION OF INHERITANCE. The parties, being all of legal age, hereby adjudicate unto themselves the properties left by the decedent. The Agreement was notarized as per Notarial Certificate Registration No. ’220142 by ASAKA Kikuo, a Notary under Kyobashi Notary Office and Apostilled in Tokyo, Japan by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Hamamoto Hiroki with Doc. No. 22-003114.
LOOKING FOR SURVIVORS. This photo taken on September 5, 2022 shows rescue workers evacuating residents after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake in Luding county, Ganzi, in China’s southwestern Sichuan province.
1 suspect dead after Canada stabbing rampage
The China Meteorological Adminis tration warned that quake-stricken areas will experience “significant rainfall” until Thursday and that landslides could hamper rescue work. Footage shared by the China Earth quake Networks Center (CENC) on Monday showed boulders thundering down mountainsides in Luding county, kicking up clouds of dust as the tremors swayed roadside telephone wires. At least one town suffered “severe damage” from landslides triggered by the quake, CCTV reported. “Before 5 o’clock, I heard a rumbling sound. The house shook so badly that I woke up immediately,” one woman surnamed Zheng from Sichuan’s Lu county told Beijing News. “My brother’s house collapsed. His house is an old one built more than 10 years ago. My house is newly built, so the situation is better.” The quake also rocked buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu— where millions are confined to their homes under a strict COVID-19 lock down—and in the nearby megacity of Chongqing, residents told AFP. At least 10 aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 and above had been detected as of 7 a.m. local time (2300 GMT), CCTV said.More than 200 people are reportedly cut off from rescuers in the Hailuogou Scenic Resort, with CCTV airing foot age of bulldozers clearing boulders and other debris blocking access to the area. And over 100 people have been told to evacuate due to fears of a flash flood after a landslide cut off a tributary to the Dadu river, the Luding government said on its official Weibo account.
Truss, 47, was announced winner of an internal vote of Conservative party members on Monday, after a gruelling contest that began in July. All eyes will be on her return to the British capital and first address as prime minister, which is expected to take place outside 10 Downing Street on Tuesday afternoon—weather per mitting. AFP JAPAN expects to spend around 1.7 bil lion yen ($12 million) on a state funeral for assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, the government said Tuesday, de spite controversy over the plan. Abe was shot dead on the campaign trail in July, and the government expects dozens of current and former heads of state to pay condolences at the September 27 service in Tokyo. But recent polls show about half of Jap anese voters oppose the publicly funded event.Security is expected to cost around 800 million yen, with another 600 million to be spent on hosting and 250 million for the ceremony, top government spokesman Hirozaku Matsuno said Tuesday. “Delegates from more than 190 foreign (countries and regions) will likely partici pate,” he told reporters at a regular brief ing.The funeral will be held at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan, a venue used for con certs and sports events that also hosted Ja pan’s last state funeral for a former prime minister in 1967. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said the domestic and international accom plishments of Abe, the country’s longestserving prime minister, make a state cer emony appropriate. But state funerals for former politicians are rare in Japan, and a weekend poll pub lished Monday by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper found that 56 percent of vot ers oppose the event, against 38 percent in favour.
AFP WorldWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022B2 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
LEGAL DIVISIONAGREEMENTNOTICEONOFINHERITANCE
NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE ESTATE OF THE LATE EMILIA. B. ALAYA-AY WAS SIQUIJORJR.PUBLICOF20;PERSETTLEDEXTRAJUDICIALLYBYHEIRSASDOC.NO.96;PAGEBOOKNO.39;SERIES2022BEFORENOTARYAtty.ORLANDOFUAOFTHEPROVINCEOF
AFP CHAINED TO PETROL. A man wears chains linked to a fuel container as he participates in a protest against recent gasoline price hikes outside of the parliament in Jakarta on September 7, 2022. AFP TYPHOON’S WAKE. A man walks along a damaged coastal road in Ulsan on September 6, 2022, as Typhoon Hinnamnor hit South Korea’s southern provinces.
AFP
AFP TAIWAN said a Chinese military recon naissance drone entered its air defense zone on Monday, the latest incursion as relations between the two neighbors re main tense. The drone, identified by Taipei’s defense ministry as a BZK-007 vehicle, crossed into the southwest corner of the island’s air de fense identification zone (ADIZ) along with eight Chinese warplanes.
The magnitude 6.6 quake hit about 43 kilometers (26 miles) southeast of the city of Kangding in Sichuan province at a depth of 10 kilometres on Monday, according to the US Geological Survey. At least 65 people were killed, state media reported Tuesday morning, with more than 200 still cut off from rescuers in a remote scenic area and scores miss ingVideoelsewhere.from state broadcaster CCTV showed firefighters pulling a bruised and bloodied woman from the rubble and carrying a survivor on a stretcher across a river on a makeshift bridge as well as damaged buildings and streets strewn with fallen masonry.
Rescuers scour for survivors as dozens killed in China quake RESCUERS scoured through the rubble of remote villages in mountainous southwestern China Tuesday in a race to find survivors of an earthquake that claimed at least 65 lives, with hundreds of people believed stranded or missing.
Taiwan’s 23 million people live under constant threat of invasion by China, which claims the self-ruled, democratic island as part of its territory to be taken one day – by force if necessary. Beijing’s sabre-rattling has grown more pronounced under President Xi Jinping, China’s most authoritarian and internationally assertive leader in a generation. AFP
AFP
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK (MS-SEPT. 7/14/21, 2022)
THE last working reactor at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was dis connected from the grid after shelling caused a fire, with the UN’s atomic watchdog due to brief the Security Council about the crisis on Tuesday. Soon after it invaded in February, Moscow largely took control of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of southern Ukraine and is now aiming to absorb them into Russia through ref erendums—as it did with Crimea in 2014.Russia also blamed Western sanc tions for its halting of gas supplies to Germany and on top of the crisis in Europe, there are fears of a nuclear di saster at Zaporizhzhia—Europe’s big gest atomic facility. “Today the last power transmission line connecting the plant to the energy system of Ukraine was damaged due to another Russian provocative shelling,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelen sky said in an address on Monday. “Due to Russian provocation, the Zaporizhzhia plant is one step away from a radiation disaster.” The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant (ZNPP) has been shelled in recent weeks, with Ukraine and Russia blam ing each other for the attacks as fears grow of a possible nuclear incident. Ukraine’s state-run power company Energoatom said Monday that the last working reactor – Power Unit No. 6 – was dis connected from the grid because shelling had started a fire. The IAEA said it was in formed by Ukraine that the line would be reconnected when the fire is siondayaduewatchdogextinguished.TheatomicwastoreleasereportTuesonitsmistotheplant last week, with its chief Rafael Grossi sched uled to also brief the UN Security Council on the situation.
Taiwan’s ADIZ is much larger than its airspace and overlaps with part of China’s ADIZ and even includes some of the Chinamainland.hasdramatically increased incursions into Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ over the last two years, but the use of military drones is rare.
ONE of two brothers who were the target of a massive manhunt in Canada after al legedly carrying out a stabbing spree that left 10 dead and 18 wounded has been found dead, police said Monday. The killings in the remote James Smith Cree Nation Indigenous com munity and the town of Weldon in Sas katchewan province in western Canada are among the deadliest incidents of mass violence to ever hit the nation. Police have been scouring Saskatch ewan and two neighboring provinces for the men, identified as Myles and Damien Sanderson, aged 30 and 31 re spectively, since early Sunday. On Monday afternoon, Damien Sand erson’s body was “located outdoors in a heavily grassed area in proximity to a house that was being examined” by au thorities in the James Smith Cree Na tion, federal police Assistant Commis sioner Rhonda Blackmore told a news conference. He had “visible injuries” that were not self-inflicted, she said. “We can’t say for sure how Damien came to be deceased,” Blackmore said, adding that he “could potentially” have been killed by his brother Myles who remains at large and is “strongly be lieved” to have also sustained injuries. The manhunt for Myles Sanderson continues, with border officials alerted to the possibility he may try to sneak into the United States. Evan Bray, police chief of provincial capital Regina, said authorities were still operating under the assumption that he was hiding out in the city – 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the site of the attack – after suspected sightings in theHearea.urged residents “to be very aware of your surroundings and report anything that’s unusual or any information that you might have” in a video posted to Twitter Monday evening, adding that the search would continue through the night. Earlier, federal police announced that murder, attempted murder and burglary charges were laid against the pair, add ing that further charges are anticipated as the investigation progresses. Myles Sanderson has also been want ed since May for breaching parole, af ter reportedly serving part of a five-year sentence for assault and robbery. In an address in Ottawa, after order ing the flag on parliament lowered in memory of the victims, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the attacks were shocking and heartbreaking.
Taiwan says Chinese militarydrone entered air defense zoneShelling forces Ukraine nuclear plant off grid
The last time Taiwan’s military re ported one was October 2020, one month after it started making data on the frequency of Chinese sorties public. Monday’s incursion came after Tai wanese soldiers on a tiny islet just off China’s mainland shot down an uniden tified commercial drone last week. That was the first time Taiwanese forces have downed a drone, following a sudden spate of incursions by small, commercially available drones in recent weeks. In contrast, the BZK-007 is a much larger, military drone built by the Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation that can carry out long-distance flights and boasts much more sophisticated re connaissance devices.
Japan to spend $12m on Abe’s state funeral despite controversy
BORIS Johnson on Tuesday prom ised unswerving support for his suc cessor Liz Truss as he left Downing Street for the final time as British prime minister to tender his resig nation.Johnson, whose tenure was dominated by Brexit and COVID and cut short by scandal, bid farewell to cheers and applause from supporters before heading for an audience with Queen Elizabeth II. In a typical rhetorical flourish, he lik ened himself to “one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function” and would splash down “in a remote and obscure corner of the Pacific.” But he promised: “I will be support ing Liz Truss and the new government every step of the way.” And he urged his ruling Conserva tive party to put aside their differences to tackle the energy crisis that looks set to dominate Truss’s immediate future. “If Dilyn (his dog) and Larry (the Downing Street cat) can put behind them their occasional difficulties then so can the Conservative party,” he added. Normally the handover of power in Britain is a swift affair, with the out
Outgoing UK PM Johnson promises full backing for Truss
going and incoming leaders making a short trip to Buckingham Palace in cen tral London in quick succession. But both Johnson and Truss face a 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) round trip to the head of state’s remote Bal moral retreat in the Scottish Highlands. The queen opted not to return from her annual summer break for the brief ceremonial audience, after persistent health issues that have affected her abil ity to walk and stand. Johnson is due to arrive at 11:20 am (1020 GMT) at Balmoral, with Truss expected at 12:10 pm, royal officials said. At the meeting, which should last about 30 minutes, she will ask Truss, as the leader of the largest party in parlia ment, to form a government.
AFP
Business WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 || B3 extrastory2000@gmail.com Stock market rises; AbaCore and Ayala Land lead gainers MOSTVOLUMEACTIVEVALUE (PHP) 1 ALI 14869800 442014465 2 SMC 3088960 302718660.5 3 ICT 1216820 221535318 4 SM 243320 213524755 5 GLO 87220 188702120 6 SMPH 5143200 186159445 7 EMI 8922000 186074655 8 MBT 3479720 185497129.5 9 BPI 1788250 174695021 10 ABA 62743000 159253900 TOP LASTGAINERS % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE 1 ACE 1.72 0.32 22.86% 2 I 0.82 0.1 13.89% 3 PXP 6.7 0.65 10.74% 4 C 1.45 0.13 9.85% 5 IPO 6.89 0.6 9.54% 6 ASLAG 2.25 0.16 7.66% 7 BCB 5.86 0.4 7.33% 8 FOOD 0.55 0.03 5.77% 9 TFHI 114 6 5.56% 10 MAC 5.42 0.27 5.24% TOPPRICELASTLOSERS%CHANGECHANGE 1 BMM 51 -17.8 -25.87% 2 KPH 6.7 -2.2 -24.72% 3 NRCP 0.62 -0.07 -10.14% 4 GERI 0.83 -0.08 -8.79% 5 EVER 0.28 -0.015 -5.08% 6 MWIDE 5.03 -0.26 -4.91% 7 T 0.63 -0.03 -4.55% 8 ARA 1.31 -0.06 -4.38% 9 FRUIT 1.12 -0.05 -4.27% 10 MG 0.116 -0.005 -4.13% PSEi September 6, 2022 STOCKS rebounded Tuesday on bargain hunting along with the rest of Asia as investors tried to recover from the previous day’s losses. The Philippine Stock Exchange In dex rose 33.56 points, or 0.5 percent, to 6,709.60 on a value turnover of P4.7 billion. Gainers edged losers, 95 to 89, with 50 issues unchanged. Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. of the Ayala Group advanced 3.1 percent to P29.90, while AbaCore Capi tal Holdings Inc., a company that holds an exclusive right to lease online lottery equipment for the lotto operations of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office in Visayas and Mindanao, climbed 3.6 percent to MetropolitanP2.58.Bank &Trust Co. of the Ty Group, the second-biggest lender in terms of assets, added 1.1 percent to P53.50, but conglomerate San Miguel Corp., the largest beer maker, fell 1.3 percent to Meanwhile,P98.Asian investors squeezed out gains Tuesday but they remain gripped by fears over Europe’s wors ening energy crisis, China’s economic slowdown and central bank efforts to contain surging inflation. The dollar lost some momentum, with the euro supported ahead of an expect ed European Central Bank interest rate hike and sterling lifted by reports that new UK Prime Minister Liz Truss will unveil plans to cut energy bills.
To those who would opt to participate by voting through the Chairman as proxy, the deadline for submission of proxies will be at 5:00 pm of 22 September 2022.
On the left are remnants of ancient storage jars unearthed in recent years at his vineyard in southern Ukraine, to the right, cluster bombs, dropped since the war broke out. Originally from Moldova, the 59-year-old former weightlifter set up the Olvio Nuvo vineyard in 2013 on the slopes of the estuary of Ukraine’s long Southern Bug river. It owes its name to the ancient Greek city of Olbia, founded in the seventh century whose archaeological ruins are just a few hundred me ters (feet) away. Since February 24, however, this out-of-the-way, wind-swept spot has lost its usual tranquillity. “I’m the winegrower closest to the frontline,” Magalias sighs, over seeing the harvest of his grapes as the heavy rumbling of Russian and Ukrainian artillery resonates behind him. At the start of the invasion, the Russian forces’ rapid advance into southern Ukraine allowed them to occupy the opposite bank, south of the city of Mykolaiv. From there, Moscow’s military bombed Ukrainian troops on the riv erbank still under Kyiv’s control. That’s how Olvio Nuvo “found itself by chance at the epicenter of the war,” Magalias says. During “these very tough months,” he counted no fewer than 26 cra ters pockmarking the 10 hectares (25 acres) of his vineyard and worked hard to dig up and put into a pile every missile remnant. With the arrival of Western weapons, the Ukrainian forces were able to push back the Russians who abandoned their positions. Now, the opposite bank is a contested grey zone where all day long smoke rises from artillery hits, followed seconds later by the sound of an explosion that reveals how far away it is—roughly nine kilometers (six miles). Missile-strewn vines But the powerful explosions barely provoke a raised eyebrow these days among Magalias’ workers, who are local residents paid 600 to 700 hryvnia (about 15 to 18 euros, $15 to $18) for half a day’s work. Earlier in the season, bombs would be exploding around them as they harvested the Fifteen-year-oldgrapes.Lisa Bachanova, who has come with a friend to pick and make a bit of pocket money, says she has become used to it since the first time her nearby village was hit. AFP This photograph taken on September 3, 2022, shows a the remains of a shell in the Olvio Nuvo vineyard near the village of Paroutyne, Mykolaiv Oblast, amid Russia’s military invasion launched on Ukraine.
The 2022 Regular Meeting of the Stockholders of Asia Pacific Medical CenterIloilo, Inc. (formerly known as Allied Care Experts (ACE) Medical Center – Iloilo, Inc.) will be held on 29 September 2022 at 9:00 am. The meeting will be conducted via remote communication thru a Zoom AgendaConference.ofthe Meeting is as follows: 1. Call to order 2. Certification of Notice and Quorum 3. Approval of the Regular Stockholders Meeting Held on 26 August 2021 4. Report of the Management on the status of the construction of the hospital as of 30 June 2022 5. Presentation of Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 and action thereon. 6. Open Forum 7. Ratification and Approval of all previous acts and resolution of the Board of Directors and Corporate Officers. 8. Appointment of External Auditor 9. Election of the 2022 Board of Directors 10. Other Matters 11. Adjournment Only stockholders of record as of 9 September 2022 are entitled to notice of and to vote at this meeting.
By Thibault Marchand PAROUTYNE, Ukraine—Pavlo Magalias has made two equal piles.
For the health and safety of the stockholders and all persons in light of the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company will not hold a physical meeting and will instead conduct the meeting via Zoom webinar. Stockholders can therefore only attend and participate in the meeting by remote communication. Stockholders also have the option to vote in absentia or appoint the Chairman as proxy. Stockholders who intend to attend by remote communication shall inform the Company by email to corpsec@ apmciloilo.com on or before 24 September 2022 subject to the procedure set in the Information Statement which will be posted in the Company’s website www.apmc-iloilo.com. In the same website, stockholders may access the following: (a) Minutes of the Meeting on 26 August 2021 and (b) Proxy Form for Attendance at Meeting and other meeting documents required under Section 49 of the Revised Corporation Code. The link for the Zoom webinar will be sent to the email address of the stockholders who registered to attend via remote communication.
For ASM-related queries, you may send an email to corpsec@apmciloilo.com or contact the Office of the Corporate Secretary at 3215748, 09292703169 and 09452331438. For concerns regarding shareholdings, please contact Toni Dinah Cheer D. Fernandez of the Investor Relations Office at 3215748, 09292703169 and 09452331438 or via email directly to corpsec@apmciloilo. com. B. VILLANUEVA, CCO, AICD Corporate Secretary (MS-SEPT. 7 & 8, 2022)
(SGD.) MAYLENE
Those who are unable to join the meeting via remote communication but wish to vote on items in the agenda may appoint the Chairman as proxy with specific voting instructions which will be duly counted. Proxies can be submitted to the Office of the Corporate Secretary or via email to the aforementioned address.
Russia’s decision not to resume gas supplies to Europe—in retaliation for sanctions over Ukraine—sent shock waves through trading floors Monday as it ramped up expectations of a painful recession in major economies. “This shouldn’t have been a surprise to most people, given that it was widely expected that Putin would play this card at some point,” said CMC Markets ana lyst Michael Hewson. “Now that he has, Russia doesn’t re ally have anywhere else to go, and while natural gas prices did shoot high er, they closed well off the highs of the day.” With Wall Street closed for a holiday, Asia had few new catalysts to drive buying. Markets fluctuated between gains and losses in the morning but managed to clamber up as the day progressed. Shanghai enjoyed a healthy bounce after China unveiled fresh economyboosting measures. But analysts warned that while a stimulus was welcomed as growth dwindles, traders were only looking for signs of an easing in the country’s zero-COVID strategy, which has left millions in lockdown and threatens economic activity. With AFP Manila Standard TODAY NOTICE OF REGULAR MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS September 29, 2022
For individual stockholders, the submission must be accompanied by a copy of a government issued ID as proof of identification. For corporations, the submission must be accompanied by a certification from its Corporate Secretary stating the corporate officer’s authority to represent and sign on behalf of the corporation. In case a quarantine is in effect which makes it difficult to obtain notarization at the time of submission, the Secretary’s Certificate, ballots and proxies need not be notarized. Kindly submit to the Office of the Corporate Secretary the original signed and notarized documents within a reasonable time after the resumption of regular business operations.
During the meeting, the Company shall entertain questions and comments from the stockholders after the presentation of the Annual Report. Questions which were not answered during the meeting shall be forwarded to the Office of the Corporate Secretary for the appropriate response via email.
Chief executive officer of Switzerland’s largest retailer Migros, Fabrice Zumbrunnen tests a cup of coffee during a press conference to announce the launching of a coffee pod only surrounded by a biodegradable membrane in Zurich on September 5, 2022, aiming to compete with Nestle’s Nespresso system without metal or plastic capsules. AFP
Ukraine’s winegrower ‘closest to the frontline’
BIODEGRADABLE.AFP
THE Securities and Exchange Commis sion said Tuesday it approved the P15billion bond shelf registration program of property developer Cebu Landmas ters Inc. It also cleared CLI’s initial P8-billion offering of Series A bonds due 2026, Series B bonds due 2028 and Series C bonds due 2029. CLI plans to use the proceeds from the maiden bond offering on project de velopment or capital expenditures for various real estate projects and for gen eral corporate purposes.
NEW CITYLAND TOWER. Executives of Cityland Development Corp., with a track record of completing projects ahead of schedule, hold a topping-off ceremony for Two Premier, a 32-story office, commercial and residential condominium on AlabangZapote Road, Las Piñas City. The tower’s prime location makes it conveniently accessible to schools, hospitals and commercial establishments like Hypermarket and Village Square, Wilcon Depot, San Beda College Alabang, Alabang Town Center, Southmall and other places of interest.
Peso plummets to a new all-time low of 57 a dollar
By Jenniffer B. Austria
INFLATION eased to 6.3 percent in August from 6.4 percent in July on slower increases in the prices of fuel, food and non-alcoholic beverages, the Philippine Statistics Authority saidNationalTuesday.statistician and civil reg istrar general Dennis Mapa said the August outturn was faster than 4.4 percent a year ago. The rate brought the average infla tion in the first eight months to 4.9 percent, above the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent for 2022. Mapa said in an online briefing the transport index had a slower inflation of 14.6 percent in August, compared to the 18.1 percent in July. “This is due to lower gasoline infla tion at 31.2 percent from 45.4 percent last July. Diesel inflation was also lower at 70.9 percent from 91.3 per cent in July,” Mapa said. Food and non-alcoholic beverages posted a slower inflation of 6.3 percent in August compared to 6.9 percent in July. The August inflation outturn was within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipi nas’ forecast range of 5.9 percent to 6.7 percent for the month and was consistent with assessment of elevat ed price pressures over the near term on broadening price pressures. The BSP said the uptick in inflation remained supply-driven, but signs of broadening price pressures were also being“Thenoted.BSP’s baseline projections continue to indicate above-target in flation in 2022, with inflation decel erating back to the target in 2023 and 2024 following the recent BSP policy rate hikes,” it said in a statement. “At the same time, upside risks continue to dominate the inflation outlook in the near term due to the potential impact of higher global non-oil prices, the continued short age in domestic fish supply, the sharp increase in the price of sugar as well as pending petitions for transport fare increases,” it said. The BSP said the impact of a weak er-than-expected global economic recovery and the resurgence of local COVID-19 infections were the main downside risks to the outlook. Julito G. Rada
The company said the main growth driver continues to be data, mostly from Home broadband on increased digital activities among Filipinos.
By Darwin G. Amojelar
The company will offer the bonds comprising the first tranche at face val ue from Sept. 26 to Sept. 30. CLI will list the bonds on the Philip pine Dealing & Exchange Corp. on Oct. 7, according to the latest timetable sub mitted to the SEC. The property firm tapped BPI Capital Corp. and China Bank Capital Corp. as joint issue managers, joint lead under writers and joint bookrunners for the offering. PNB Capital and Investment Corp., RCBC Capital Corp. and SB Capital Investment Corp. were hired as co-leadPhilippineunderwriters.RatingServices Corp. as signed an issue credit rating of PRS Aa plus, with a stable outlook, for CLI’s P8-billion bond offering. Obligations rated PRS Aa are of high quality and are subject to very low cred it risk. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong. CLI is a Cebu-based company engaged in the development, sale, leasing and management of real es tate. Its portfolio includes residen tial condominium units, subdivision houses and lots, townhouses, hotels, office projects, retail spaces and townships.
DECLINES
Madrid said the group explained the scheme to partners in government, in cluding leaders of key executive depart ments and some senators. The rising clamor and preference for
THE IT and Business Process Associa tion of the Philippines is pushing for the extension of the hybrid work policy until March next year despite the pro nouncement from the Fiscal Incentives Review Board that the plan lacks legal basis. IBPAP president Jack Madrid said in a statement the group stood by decision of the the Philippine Economic Zone Authority to enable hybrid work for registered business enterprises. “This long-standing policy is irre futable legal basis for the continuance of the 30-percent work-from-home ar rangement for IT-BPM companies and the provisions of the PEZA Law, which grants the agency authority to oversee the operations of its RBEs,” he said.
Converge rolls out fiber ports in Ilocos CONVERGE ICT Solutions Inc. said Tues day said it rolled out close to 400,000 fiber ports in Ilocos Region as part of its strategy to expand coverage nationwide. “In terms of fiber penetration of Ilocos Region, we have covered these areas down to the barangay level so we have very high service availability there. We are now iden tifying which areas have high demand for fiber for additional port rollouts,” said Con verge chief executive Dennis Anthony Uy. Converge is available in smaller mu nicipalities in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan, with presence par ticularly strong in Pangasinan, with fiber ports nearing 200,000 in the province. To better serve its customers in the re gion, Converge launched its flagship Vigan business center in Rizal Street, Barangay VII. The business center will serve not only Vigan but also nearby areas in Ilocos Sur. “The opening of the Vigan Business Cen ter validates our promise that as we continue to grow, we remain steadfast in our commit ment to our customers because their satis faction is at the heart of everything we do as an organization, so we must ensure that they get the best possible experience,” said Con verge chief operations officer Jesus Romero. Darwin G. Amojelar Meat processors want 5% tariff rate extended MEAT processors have asked for an exten sion of the most-favored nation (MFN) rate of 5 percent tariff on imported mechanical ly-deboned meat (MDM) to avert possible upward movements on prices of processed and canned meat products. According to a notice published by the Tariff Commission (TC), the agency is set to conduct an investigation to determine if there is basis for the continuation of the MFN rates on imported chicken and turkey mdm.The MFN rate is set to expire on De cember 31, 2022, following a previous ex tension from Malacañang through EO 123 signed by then President Rodrigo Duterte on January 15, 2021. EO 123 reimposed the previous MFN rate of 5 percent when EO 83 expired in De cember 31, 2020. If the TC finds no firm basis to allow a third extension of the MFN rate, the tariff on imported MDM will revert back to 40 percent.Philippine Association of Meat Proces sors Inc. spokesperson Rex Aggarado said the group is poised to discuss the merits of the petition during the general membership meeting on September 8, 2022. Othel V. Campos NPC owes Petron P2b for diesel purchases STATE-RUN National Power Corp. (NPC) owes Petron Corp., the country’s lone re finer, P1.2 billion for diesel supplied to the power plants of the Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) in the missionary areas. Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said during yesterday’s Senate hearing the amount represents “only a partial due for the bills” because of the sharp increase in fuel prices. “On the financial needs of Napocor for missionary electrification… Right now, we are just addressing the P1.2 billion that is owed by Napocor to Petron for the fuel,” Lotilla“Universalsaid. charge for missionary electri fication cannot sustain it even with a P0.20 increase. This is a difficult time for all of the parties but we will make sure that there is coordination among all agencies,” Lotilla said. Alena Mae S. Flores BRIEF
The group expressed hope that FIRB would resolve the issue internally and avoid giving the impression to investors of an unstable policy environment.
water
Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor extrastory2000@gmail.combusiness@manilastandard.net
By Julito G. Rada
B4 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 PSE INDEX CLOSING
GLOBE Telecom Inc. said Tuesday it secured an approval from the Philip pine Stock Exchange for its P17-billion stock rights offering, lower than its original offer size of P32 billion. The telecom unit of the Ayala Group said the offer period would be from Oct. 3 to Oct. 7, while the tentative listing date is on Oct. 28. Globe said the proceeds would be used to repay debt and finance capital expenditures. The company is spend ing P70 billion this year to build more 4G, 5G networks and fiber-to-the-home lines. Globe chief finance officer Rizza Maniego-Eala earlier said the stock rights offer would enable the company to expand its digital ecosystem and dif ferentiate itself in the market, as it capi talizes on opportunities in and beyond telecom.
August softenedinflationto6.3%fromJuly’s6.4%
Business
WFH or hybrid work by employees gained public support and should be a compelling reason for the government, heThesaid.IBPAP said the FIRB’s dismissal of the collective support of the par ties advocating continued WFH/hybrid work beyond BCP and the pandemic, “is short-sighted and inconsistent with the objective of attracting and retaining investors in the country’s biggest jobgenerating industry and contributor of foreign exchange revenue.” “The long-standing impasse with the FIRB and its very public exchanges with PEZA on the matter of WFH/hy brid work is not only detrimental to our narrative of industry agility, innovation and resilience, but also to our position ing of the Philippines as the IT-BPM investment destination of choice,” Ma dridThesaid.group said the tussle with the FIRB detracted IT-BPM from creating more employment and generating more foreign exchange revenue for the coun try.It said the recurring problem also negatively impacted the ease of doing business in the country and the confi dence level of IT-BPM principals and potential clients.
This is the first time Globe will do a rights offer in the capital market in over twoThedecades.company earlier reported a net income of P13.08 billion in the first half, up 13 percent from P11.49 billion in the same period last year. Core net income grew 19 percent to P13.2 billion from P11.1 billion a year earlier. Globe said consolidated service rev enues in the first six months reached P75.5 billion, up 4 percent from P72.4 billion a year ago, amid the economic challenges the country is facing.
Tuesday, September 6, 2022 33.566,709.60PTS. F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 Currency Unit US Dollar Peso United States Dollar 1.000000 56.9410 Japan Yen 0.007113 0.4050 UK Pound 1.152400 65.6188 Hong Kong Dollar 0.127403 7.2545 Switzerland Franc 1.020721 58.1209 Canada Dollar 0.760861 43.3242 Singapore Dollar 0.712504 40.5707 Australia Dollar 0.679300 38.6800 Bahrain Dinar 2.652942 151.0612 Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266064 15.1500 Brunei Dollar 0.709975 40.4267 Indonesia Rupiah 0.000067 0.0038 Thailand Baht 0.027349 1.5573 UAE Dirham 0.272279 15.5038 Euro Euro 0.993300 56.5595 Korea Won 0.000730 0.0416 China Yuan 0.144238 8.2131 India Rupee 0.012534 0.7137 Malaysia Ringgit 0.222668 12.6789 New Zealand Dollar 0.609000 34.6771 Taiwan Dollar 0.032585 1.8554 Source: BSP 60,369562,759,225 TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) 4,691,404,767.16 ADVANCES 95 89 UNCHANGED 50
The peso closed at 57 flat, slightly weaker than 56.99 on Monday. Total volume turnover reached $812.19 mil lion, down from $976.45 million a day earlier.Michael Ricafort, chief economist of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said the peso closed weaker for the fourth straight day. “The peso exchange rate [was] rela tively steady/little changed near the record 57.00 after slightly lower than expected inflation rate at 6.3 percent in August 2022 as well as the latest roll back in local fuel pump prices,” Rica fortGovernmentsaid. data on Tuesday showed that inflation in August eased to 6.3 percent from 6.4 percent in July, pulled down by slower increases in the prices of fuel and food and nonalcoholic bev erages. The rate brought the average inflation in the first eight months to 4.9 percent, above the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent. Ricafort said the peso depreciated against the greenback by a total of P6.001 or 11.8 percent from 50.999 at end-2021.Ricafort earlier cited the “hawkish signals from some Fed officials, espe cially since the Fed’s yearly Jackson Hole Symposium more than a week ago, that signaled higher Fed rates for longer in an effort to bring down ele vated US inflation from among 40-year highsRicafortrecently.said the greenback got an additional boost after the release of stronger-than-expected US non-farm jobs data that could support further Fed rateHehikes.also said the peso weakened after the release of latest data showing that the government’s outstanding debt hit a record P12.89 trillion as of end-July 2022.
CHAMPIONS.ENVIRONMENT City’s Palit Basura Project wins the top prize in Manila Water Co.’s Kampeon ng Kalikasan as the distributor marks the year of its Toka Toka advocacy. The winning program highlights the
Mandaluyong
10th
community’s targetsexceededareatheandenvironmentalthreeManilafromthatenvironmentalsustainableprogramprotectswaterwaysfurtherpollution.Waterhonoredoutstandingprograms84barangayswithinEastZoneconcessionthatreachedordesludgingfor2021.
By Othel V. Campos
THE peso tumbled to a new all-time low of 57 to a dollar Tuesday, as the greenback gained more strength from the possibility of more rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve.
BPO group defends PEZA’s proposal to extend hybrid work setup to March Globe gets PSE’s nod on P17-b stock rights offering in October SEC approves Cebu Landmasters’ P15-b bond shelf registration
IN
The IBPAP’s push to have WFH/hy brid work arrangements goes beyond business continuity plans related to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Madrid said the move was more of trying to adapt to global work trends for business flexibility that investors look for and strengthen the country’s com petitiveness in retaining existing and at tracting new IT-BPM investors.
Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Pacquiao,” Yoo said previously. Most of the money raised from the event will go towards rebuilding homes in conflict-ravaged Ukraine, organizers said. Pacquiao is set to join other retired boxing greats who have ventured onto the exhibition circuit. Floyd Mayweather, who has called himself the “pioneer of exhibitions”, dominated YouTuber Logan Paul in a fight last year and knocked out Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in two minutes in December 2018. Both fights were widely ridiculed.
NEW YORK—Frances Tiafoe believes a new generation of players are ready to take over from tennis’s “Big Three” after his stunning upset of Rafael Nadal at the US Open on Monday. Tiafoe produced the biggest shock of the tournament so far with a dazzling performance to send Nadal spinning to his earliest exit from the Open sinceNadal’s2016.6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 defeat, and Serena Williams’ exit from the women’s draw last week, are further evidence that a golden era is drawing to a close. This year’s US Open marks the first time since 2003 that at least one of Williams, Nadal, Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic have not featured in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam event. Tiafoe says the likes of himself and Nick Kyrgios, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are ready to seize their moment.“It’s cool to see a new era,” Tiafoe said. “I think Nick (Kyrgios) playing great tennis is great for tennis. You see him packing stadiums when he’s playing singles, doubles, whatever. Alcaraz is a great personality. Sinner. Myself. People get behind me. “You know the American guys, Tommy (Paul), (Taylor) Fritz. There’s a ton of guys playing great tennis. “I don’t think it will be a big three. It will be like a big 12. There’s a bunch of guys playing great tennis. “It’s good. For sure you’ll probably have someone who probably like will cement and be at the top. That’s still kind of happening. We’ll see who that person’s going to be.” On Monday however Tiafoe was more preoccupied with the here and now than the future, basking in the afterglow of a superb victory over 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal. A packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd roared in delight as the 24-year-old 22nd seed bombarded Nadal with 18 aces and 49 winners to seal victory in 3hr 34min. The win sends Tiafoe into a last eight showdown against Russian ninth seed Andrey Rublev on Wednesday. LeBron message The seismic impact of Tiafoe’s win was brought home to him by a congratulatory tweet from NBA superstar LeBron James. “Man, I was losing it in the locker room. Bro, I was going crazy,” Tiafoe said of James message. “I mean, that’s my guy. So to see him post that, I was like, ‘Do I retweet it as soon as he sent it?’ I was like, You know what, I’m going to be cool and act like I didn’t see it and then retweet it three hoursTiafoelater.”said his moment of victory “felt like the world stopped.” “I couldn’t hear anything for a minute...It was such a blur,” he said. Tiafoe began playing tennis as a fouryear-old. His parents are immigrants who moved to the United States after fleeing civil war in Sierra Leone. Tiafoe’s introduction to the sport came when his father worked as a live-in caretaker at a tennis facility in Maryland. AFP
”I was there to listen,” Eala told Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters AssociationEala’sForum.dinner meeting with the POC was attended by POC president Abraham Tolentino, first vice president Al Panlilio, second vice president Richard Gomez and treasurer Cynthia Carrion-Norton.
Move over Big 3, says Tiafoe after NadalPacquiaostunnereyes
UAAP’s 85th season opens on October 1
officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee on Monday and vowed to maintain the government sports body’s harmonious relationship with them.
Eala vows to keep, improve PSC’s relationship with POC
THE touring ladies step up their drive in the final stretch of this year’s Ladies Philippine Golf Tour beginning with the ICTSI Valley Golf Challenge today (Wednesday) in Antipolo with Chihiro Ikeda going all out not only for a third leg championship but also the Order of MeritWithlead.current OOM frontrunner Chanelle Avaricio opting to vie in the Thailand Ladies Masters, also slated this week, as part of her buildup for the LPGA Q-School Stage II next month, Ikeda looks to get past the three-leg winner in the rankings with another victory or at least a strong finish at the demanding Valley South course. “No expectations but I’ll do my best. I’ve trained hard for this and hope my short game and putting will hold in all three days,” said Ikeda, who had to sur-
vive a horrendous final round 77 to hold off Ababa by two at Eagle Ridge Aoki lastAvaricioJuly. leads the OOM race with earnings of P522,500 with Ikeda, the 2016 OOM champion, just behind with P485,250, and Harmie Constantino and Sarah Ababa within striking distance with P368,250 and P347,625 winnings, respectively.Thatmakes this week’s battle crucial with Ikeda, Constantino and Ababa also have to deal with a host of talented amateurs likewise out to fuel their own title aspirations in the 54-hole, P750,000 championship put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. But the Fil-Japanese, who snapped a long spell with a three-stroke win over Avaricio at Mount Malarayat last May, is in for an early test of skills and will as the Manila Southwoods-backed ace drew top amateur Mafy Singson in the 9:10 a.m. flight with Lesley Icoy. Singson and Rianne Malixi, along with four other amateurs, are also tipped to crowd the pros with both national team mainstays seeking a second LPGT crown this year. Singson, coming off a World Amateurs stint in France, topped the Splendido Taal leg last May, while Malixi bested multi-titled Princess Superal at Luisita last March. The 15-year-old Malixi, toughened up by a three-month stint in the US, also braces for a spirited battle with former two-leg winner Constantino and rising star Martina Miñoza, while last year’s Highlands leg champion Sunshine Baraquiel slugs it out with Ababa and Marvi Monsalve at 9 a.m.
Frances Tiafoe of the United States celebrates after defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain during their Men’s Singles Fourth Round match on Day 8 of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. AFP
C1
POC president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino (third from left) and his Executive Board welcome newly appointed Philippine Sports Commission chairman Jose Emmanuel “Noli” Eala (second from left) in a dinner Monday night at the East Ocean Garden Restaurant in Pasay City. With Tolentino and Eala are auditor Chito Loyzaga (left) and 1st VP Al Panlilio (right). Joining them during the meeting were (not in photo) 2nd VP Richard Gomez, treasurer Cynthia Carrion Norton, Chief Legal Counsel Atty. Wharton Chan, deputy secretary general Bones Floro and board members Pearl Managuelod, Dr. Raul Canlas and Dave Carter.
HOST Adamson University raises the curtains of the 85th Season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines on October 1. Together with official broadcast partner Cignal TV, the UAAP looks to inspire the country to “RISE AS ONE” as the league holds its second season for the calendar year. “After the last UAAP Season made us Fully Alive and created Champions for Life, UAAP Season 85 is hoping to call the entire community to Rise As One,” said UAAP Season 85 president Fr. Aldrin Suan, CM of Adamson University.
“It’s been two years since the COVID-19 pandemic happened and has yet to end. Together, we are looking to rise as a nation, helping build a better future for a brighter tomorrow.”Theevents calendar for the season will be announced later this month. “Our student-athletes have been waiting for their moment, some yet to return to the playing field since 2019,” Fr. Suan “Togethercontinued.with Cignal, we are hoping and praying that we are allowed to have the full calendar back this season.” As the country adapts to the ‘New Normal’, the UAAP is also set to bring back traditions that were stopped for last season due to restrictions. Moreover, there will be new innovations as well that Adamson hopes will be sustained for future seasons.
Sports
Chihiro Ikeda looks to get past the threeleg winner in the rankings with another victory or at least a strong nish at the demanding Valley South course.
boxing return with Saudi exhibition fight
Ugas in August 2021 and, as well as being a former senator, made a failed bid earlier this year to be president of his country. “I will prepare in the same way I train for a real fight,” Pacquiao said of his charity match against martial arts YouTuber DK Yoo on December 10 in Seoul. The fight over six rounds has no agreed weight limit, potentially putting Pacquiao at a physical disadvantage against the bigger Yoo. Yoo has more than 650,000 subscribers on YouTube, where he promotes his self-styled form of martial arts called “warfare combat system”. “I know I will not win against him but I will try my best to surprise Manny
Manny Pacquiaio
MANNY Pacquiao, who retired from boxing last year for a tilt at the Philippines presidency, told AFP on Tuesday that he is considering an exhibition fight in Saudi Arabia in January. The 43-year-old legendary former world champion is to hold talks over a fight against French former sparring partner Jaber Zayani in Riyadh. “We will just start discussions,” Pacquiao, who previously ruled out a return to professional boxing, said by telephone from his home city of General Santos where he is preparing for a charity bout against a South Korean YouTuber. Pacquiao ended his 26-year boxing career with a points defeat to Cuban Yordenis
Mayweather, Pacquiao’s rival from their boxing days, will fight Japanese mixed martial arts star Mikuru Asakura in Japan later this month. AFP “I think it was a good start. It shows a united front and it shows cooperation,” said Eala. “It was really a social call and it was very courteous. Majority of the POC board were there. We discussed some basic things that have transpired in the past.” Eala is fully aware that a harmonious relationship between the PSC and the POC, including the different national sports associations, is a key element that would ensure the success of Philippine Sports. The dinner meeting was also graced by POC auditor Chito Loyzaga, board members Dr. Raul Canlas, Pearl Managuelod and Dave Carter, legal counsel Atty. Wharton Chan and deputy secretary-general Bones Floro. Eala told the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Amelie Hotel Manila, Unilever, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation that he wants nothing but success for the Filipino athletes. Next on his agenda is to meet with the athletes themselves. “That is part of my priorities. I’m making the request and hopefully hold a general assembly so I can talk to them. We will take care of our athletes,” said Eala. The new PSC chief, who received his appointment papers from Malacanang last Aug. 30, has work cut out for him beginning with next year’s SEA Games in Cambodia and Asian Games in Hangzhou, and then the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The former commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association said he intends to keep and improve that relationship that has led to resounding victories, highlighted by Hidilyn Diaz’ gold-medal feat in the Tokyo Olympics.
NEWLY-APPOINTEDPhilippineSportsCommissionchairmanNoliEalasatdownwithtop
Ikeda seeks 3rd LPGT crown, Order of Merit lead
Olivarez, who also stunned No. 2 Vicente Anasta in the Final Four, 6-2, 1-6, 10-3, pocketed P20,000. Anasta, meanwhile, teamed up with John Mari Altiche as they held off Arcilla and Olivarez in a grueling duel, 7-5, 7-6 (3), to snare the crown and the top P30,000 purse in the men’s doubles of the Open championship put up by Gov. Jubahib.Anasta and Altiche earlier thwarted Kinaadman and Jelic Amazona, 7-6(5), 6-3, while Arcilla and Olivarez routed John Alejandre and NJ Enriquez, 6-2, 6-2, in the semis of the week-long tournament backed
Blu Boys fall to Japan, but clinch berth in World Cup
Z ANDVOORT, Netherlands—Red Bull team leadership on Monday continued to heap praise on driver Max Verstappen’s cool under pressure as he won the Dutch Grand Prix while Ferrari’s boss lamented his team’s meltdown.
Kinaadman trounces Olivarez, tops Gov. Jubahib Cup
Joshua Kinaadman (second from right) holds his trophy as he poses with (from left) Davao del Norte Sports and Youth Development head Giovanni Gulanes, runner-up Eric Jed Olivarez and Atty. Tommy Bernaldez of DAR-PARO.
Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko, a 79-year-old motor racing veteran, said it was extraordinary how Verstappen adapted to dramatic changes in circumstance and strategy, as he did when Mercedes were faster than Red Bull late in the race. “We saw a fantastic Max...the pressure didn’t affect him at all. He stayed so focussed on the race,” Marko told specialist site RacingNews365. “It’s unbelievable what this guy—or this boy!—is doing. He’s almost 25, so he’s a young man. Yet, in the car, he is on his own planet. No pressure affects him at Verstappenall.” had to ride his luck at Zandvoort and take advantage of a late safety car re-start to pass seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and win. After the race on Sunday, team chief Christian Horner praised Vertsappen’s approach.“Maxwas in the zone from the moment he arrived to the moment he saw the chequered flag,” said Horner. Verstappen’s fourth consecutive win gave him a 109-point lead in the drivers’ championship ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The victory put the Dutch driver within reach of a second straight world title. George Russell finished second for Mercedes, proving they are emerging as a threat for the final seven races this year, with Leclerc third and Hamilton fourth. Ferrari troubles Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari collected a five-second penalty for a pitlane unsafe release that dropped from fifth on the road to eighth in the result.
The Spaniard’s problems summed up Ferrari’s weekend and much of their season as they continued to deliver botched tactics and pit-stop errors that undermined the potential of their car and drivers. Team boss Mattia Binotto said a decision to pit Sainz had been made too late leading to his 12-seconds delay at his first“Thisstop.is one of the easiest things to solve,” he said. “However, these kinds of things should not happen, but I am convinced that we can be stronger in the future.”
LONDON—Tyson Fury has offered Anthony Joshua the chance to fight for his WBC crown before the end of the year in a blockbuster British heavyweight title fight. Fury suggested he was retiring from boxing after beating Dillian Whyte in April but is now searching for a high-profile opponent after rival champion Oleksandr Usyk said he does not intend to fight again until 2023. Joshua suffered a second consecutive defeat to the Ukrainian in Saudi Arabia last month and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, is considering options for a return to the ring for the 32-year-old.
“The fact is that we weren’t fast enough and if you look at the speed in qualifying, we would have hoped for a better result. But the speed and performance were not good. “It’s been like this for three races and there is clearly something wrong that we must fix.” He did not say ‘before Monza’, but given the expectation surrounding the team ahead of next Sunday’s contest in Italy, Binotto will be urging Ferrari to find a solution rapidly to prevent them being left behind by Red Bull at their home event. AFP
Verstappen’s ‘cool’ draws warm praise from Red Bull
The unbeaten Fury announced he was retiring on his 34th birthday last month, having previously performed a number of U-turns over his future in theInsport.avideo posted on social media on Monday he appeared to confirm he had reversed his decision“You’veagain.all heard that I’m going to be fighting within the next few months, and before I announce an opponent I need to do this just in case,” said Fury. “Anthony Joshua, I know you’ve just lost a fight to Usyk, and I know you’re belt-less at the moment, and I’d like to give you an opportunity to fight me for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world and the lineal championship in the next few months. “You’re coming off a 12-round fight so you’re match fit, you’re ready, I’m giving you a few months’ notice. “If you’re interested I’ll send you the date over and we can rumble—a battle of Britain for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. Let me know if you’re interested. If not, I will select anotherJoshuaopponent.”responded on Twitter by telling Fury to contact his management team. “I don’t do the online discussions just for clout,” wrote Joshua, before adding: “I’ll be ready in FormerDecember.”championJoshua fell to 24-3 with his latest defeat to Usyk but a clash with Fury would ignite huge interest in Britain. Usyk, who retained his WBO, IBF and WBA titles against Joshua, said on Friday he hoped to set up a unification bout against Fury next year. AFP
SportsWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022C2
GENERAL SANTOS—General Santos City repulsed Bacolod Bingo Plus’ final assault to prevail, 76-73, on Monday in the OKBet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season Presented by Xtreme at the Lagao GymAheadhere.by 10 points, 72-62, the GenSan Warriors saw the Bacolodnons, led by veteran Mark Yee, clustered seven points to threaten at 72-69 with 1:12 to go. A free throw by Nico Elorde and 2 more free throws by Christian Fajarito raised GenSan’s lead, but Aaron Jeruta drove in and canned 2 charities to push Bacolod to within 73-75.Anoff-form Mark Cruz of GenSan split his 2 charities for the final count as Yee missed a probable game-tying triple with 10 seconds to go. GenSan, being supported by OKbet, posted its sixth straight win and climbed to 10-5 in the single round-robin elimination phase of the 22-team tournament. Bacolod dropped to 9-7 despite Yee’s 20-point, 10-rebound effort, Joel Lee Yu’s 13 points and Jhan McHale Nermal’s 11 points and 10 rebounds.NikkoPanganiban paced GenSan with 16 points and 5 rebounds, followed by Dhon Reverente with 15 points and 8 rebounds, homegrown Cristopher Masaglang with 13 points and 5 rebounds and Marlon Gomez with 9 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Actor Gerald Anderson, the pride of GenSan, played for 7 minutes and 10 seconds and contributed a triple.Bacoor blitzed Quezon City MG Cars in the fourth quarter to win pulling away, 60-58, in the opener of the MPBL’s four-game Mindanao swing. The Bacoor Strikers improved to 6-9 while pulling down the QC Capitals to Tuesday’s7-7.games pit Bacolod against Quezon City at 7 p.m., followed by the Bacoor-GenSan tussle at 9 p.m. A celebrity game featuring MPBL CEO and founder Manny Pacquiao, movie stars and former pros will precede the games at 5 Thep.m.MPBL moves over to nearby Sarangani on Thursday.
Bacolod;thwartsGenSanBacoorturnsbackQC
JOSHUA Kinaadman enhanced a promising career by ruling the Gov. Edwin Jubahib Cup National Tennis Championships, capping his title romp with an imposing 6-1, 6-2 victory over Eric Jed Olivarez at the DavNor Tourism and Sports Complex in Davao del Norte last Monday.Bracing for a fierce, protracted duel with the Olivarez, the fourth-ranked Lapu-Lapu City ace, who stunned top seed Johnny Arcilla, 6-4, 6-4, in the semis, found the going a lot smoother instead behind a brilliant all-around game that his third-seeded rival practically had no answer for. After trading serves in the first three games, Kinaadman, 24, broke Olivarez in the fourth and used that momentum to sweep the next three, including a shut-out win in the seventh.
It was more of the same in the next frame as the Cebuano took control with a break in the fifth game then yielded just four points in winning the last three games for the straightset romp worth P40,000.
“I’m more concerned about the pace this weekend than about those mistakes.”
by Darbmuco, Dacup Surveying Office, WEARBEMPCO, Velocity One Realty Ventures, Inc., Haven United Dev’t Corp., Panabo Mayor Jose Relampagos, CFARBEMCO, Marsman Drysdale Agri Business Corp., PBA Party List and Joan Este. Sharing the podium were Arniel Bendulo-Armando Palac; Butch dela Cruz-Buboy Paradero; and Robert Oliveros-Joey Villanueva, who topped the Gov. Jubahib Legends men’s doubles category.Bendulo and Palac foiled Marvin Sing and Randy Pracullos, 8-4, to clinch the 40-and-above honors; dela Cruz and Paradero dominated Maui Manulat and Luciano Caiman Jr., 8-2, for the 50-and-above crown; while Oliveros and Villanueva took the 60-and-above diadem with a similar 8-2 romp over Bob Sabandon and Melchor Sabandon.
By Charles Dantes
Red Bull Racing’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen gestures from his car as he stopped on the track following a gearbox issue during the rst free practice session ahead of the Dutch Formula One Grand Prix at the Zandvoort circuit on September 2, 2022. AFP
Fury o ers Joshua chance to fight for his WBC crown
THE Philippine Blu Boys bowed to top-seed Japan, 2-9, in the finals of the 11th Men Softball Asian Cup in Kochi, Japan, but still qualified for the World Baseball Softball Confederation Men Softball World Cup. The Japanese, the world’s no. 1, unleashed five runs at the bottom of the first inning to set the tone of the match and the rout. The Blu Boys also lost to the Japanese, 0-7, in the super round earlier. Despite the setback, the Philippines still accomplished its mission as the top two teams in the tournament got the two slots reserved for Asia in the 17th Men’s Softball World Cup to be held from November 26 to December 4 in Auckland, NewTheZealand.BluBoys slammed India, 8-1, on Monday in the final day of the super round to set a title showdown with Japan. The Filipinos took second in Group B before gaining a spot in the championship game despite losses to Japan and Southeast Asian Games champion Singapore, 6-5, in the super round. The other teams that competed in the tournament were Hong KongChina, no.21; Thailand, no.27, and Chinese Taipei, no.28. The Blu Boys are ranked 17th. Prior to the team’s departure for Japan, head coach Apol Rosales was optimistic of the team’s campaign. “This is a better, 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,” Rosales said.
Tom Cruise in ‘Top Maverick’Gun: Redefining Filipino viewers’ television experience
As an actress, Gina always looks back on her performance for the day to determine if she did well or otherwise
This year, however, Gina won’t be returning as an antagonist. Instead, she’s taking on the role of Lola Ligaya “Joy” Sison, the grandmother of Bea Alonzo and Yasmien Kurdi’s characters in the much-awaited GMA series, Start-Up PH Lola Joy is the Filipino counterpart of Choi Won-deok. She owns a turon cart, Banana Sa-Wrap, where she sells different kinds of turon in a park. Start-Up PH is the Filipino adaptation of the hit 2020 South Korean series. It follows the original concept, which delves into the most advanced tech sectors, giving viewers a glimpse of the struggles and challenges when building a successful business from the ground up. With all her experience in the entertainment industry, one would think that taking on that role would be a breeze for Gina. Yet that’s not the case. According to the veteran actress, moving away from kontrabida roles proved challenging. “It’s a big step. Totally ibang-iba doon sa kontrabida roles na ginagampanan ko. I must admit nahirapan ako noong una because I saw the K-drama 2020 pa,” Gina said during a solo media conference. Although it’s been two years, Gina kept from watching the show, even if she remembers most of it. She hoped it wouldn’t change her perspective of her role and stop her from copying the character entirely. But during shooting, the veteran actress wanted to check her emotions and actions for her scenes. In the end, she rewatched the series. Gina felt nervous and requested to reshoot some of her scenes. She also asked Start-Up PH director Jerry Sineneng while showing him her script. Pinakita ko yung script ko kasi pinag-aaralan ko siya. May mga comment ako, ‘pwede na,’ ‘palpak,’ mga gan’on. But Direk Jerry assured me. Sabi niya, ‘Direk Gina, ‘wag ka mag-alala because kung hindi naman tama, ipapaulit ko sa’yo,’” Gina shared. The reassurance gave Gina confidence, but she realized that maybe she was trapping herself in the character of Mrs. Choi from the original series. Eventually, she encouraged herself to break free from the compelling performance and create her own. Alam ko na kailangan maramdaman ni Lola Joy sa eksena. Then, ‘yun ‘yung sundin ko because my intuition will not let me down,” sheHersaid.artistic side as an actress always led her down the right path.
MULTI-MEDIA star Toni Gonzaga and multi-awarded film director Paul Soriano have signed a contract with the Villar Group’s Advanced Media Broadcasting System Channel 2 (AMBS) on September 1. Prime Asset Ventures’ Manuel Paolo Villar warmly welcomed to the Villarowned TV network Gonzaga and Soriano as he reiterated the commitment to provide an elevated viewing experience for the Filipino audience. “AMBS aims to redefine the broadcast media industry with quality TV programs and exciting entertainment shows that will focus on giving our viewers new TV experiences,” Villar said. AMBS President Maribeth Tolentino signed the contract with the top showbiz personalities during a ceremony held at Mella Hotel in Las Piñas on Thursday evening. “We are happy about the partnership with Ms. Toni Gonzaga and Mr. Paul Soriano. Our team is raring to work with them to give our viewers awesome shows to always look forward to,” she said. Toni Gonzaga, for her part, said the viewers can expect a more in-depth, yet interesting talk show from her production.“Youwill be surprised with what we have in store for all of you,” Gonzaga said.PAVI is the parent company of AMBS, the premiere broadcast media station of the Villar Group that aims to provide the Filipino people with relevant TV programs and the best entertainment shows in the country. With the Villar Group’s entry into the broadcasting industry, AMBS brings its trademark of providing an elevated customer experience to the Filipino people, which the Villar-owned businesses are known for whether in housing, retail or public utilities, and now, in broadcasting. As part of its grand opening salvo, Willie Revillame, who earlier signed a contract with the new TV network, will return to national broadcast television with his popular variety game show, Wowowin
Gina even shared that before she sleeps at night, she would think if she did the right thing during the shoot. It became a habit for her to check a scene and its previous sequence to determine the emotion andWhetherheadspace.starring in a lead or supporting role, Gina will always give it her all, proving why she’s worthy of all the praise and accolades sheThereceived.series will premiere locally and internationally in September on GMA Network.
Gina her(center)Alajarwith‘Start-Up PH’ co-stars
By Patricia Taculao S
Veteran actress and director Gina Alajar is Lola Joy in ‘Start-Up PH’
(From left) AMBS President Maribeth Tolentino, Director Paul Soriano, Toni Gonzaga, and Manuel Paolo Villar
Gina Alajar takes a step back from ‘kontrabida’ roles
Entertainment WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 C3 E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com
IN A reflection of Hollywood’s deep late-summer slump, Top Gun: Maverick , first released 15 weeks ago, climbed back to the top of the North American box office this weekend despite a relatively slim four-day take of $7.9 million. The Paramount action thriller, starring a graying but still flight-ready Tom Cruise, has now soared to a domestic total of $701 million and $740 million internationally, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Monday. That gravity-defying success came amid a generally abysmal patch for Hollywood films, with few major new releases. A lone bright spot was the record 8.1 million US moviegoers who took advantage of $3 tickets on Saturday’s National Cinema Day. Second place on the long Labor Day weekend –celebrated in both the United States and Canada – went to last weekend’s No. 2: Sony’s action thriller Bullet Train , at $7.3 million. Brad Pitt stars. Seeking to fill the late-summer vacuum, Sony rereleased superhero film Spider-Man: No Way Home hoping that 11 minutes of added footage would draw viewers. Nine months after its original release, the Tom Holland vehicle placed a surprising third, earning $6.6 million.In fourth place, up two spots from last was Warner Bros.’ familyDC League of in fifth, slipping from last weekend’s No. 1 spot, was Sony’s horror flick The , at $6 million.
The K-pop star performwill in four NovemberAsiaacrosscitiesthis
EVENT promoter Live Nation Philippines is bringing one of the best-selling artists out of Korea, Eric Nam, with his There And Back Again World Tour to Asia this year. The K-Pop star is set to perform in four cities across Asia this November, including Manila, Singapore, Taipei, and Seoul. Eric Nam There And Back Again World Tour 2022 in Manila will take place at the Samsung Hall –SM Aura Premier on November 10. General public tickets are available starting September 8, from 10:00 a.m.Ericonwards.Nam is a multifaceted entertainer, singer, songwriter, and TV personality fluent in English, Korean, Spanish, and conversational Mandarin. Named GQ Korea’s Man of the Year and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Eric is a household name and one of the most extensively touring and best-selling artists out of Korea. He is currently headlining a world tour playing 59 headline shows across 54 cities, which sold out through North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Eric released his first album as an independent artist, titled There And Back Again, in January this year, which debuted at #3 and #7 on the US and UK Spotify Charts and peaked at the #22 spot for albums sold on Billboard. For more information, visit www. livenation.ph
Nickie Wang, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant
INCE her appearance in local films as a child actress in the early 1970s, Gina Alajar has raked in several awards that prove she can do just about anything. Gina is also known for kontrabida roles throughout her fruitful career.
By Patricia Taculao
Live Nation to bring Eric Nam’s world tour to Manila
asonwillartistMultitalentedEricNamvisitManilaNovember10partofhistour
‘Top Gun’ soars back to surprise lead in theaters
FANS of He’s Into Her Season 2 are familiar with the heartbreak anthem “Did I Let You Go,” that’s rife with the powerful lyricism that leaves listeners wondering about the “maybes” and “what if’s” in their lives. However, not many know about the singer and songwriter behind the song, the 22-year-old FilipinoBritish musician Jon Guelas According to Jon, he drew inspiration from his previous relationship to write the song. He shares that he felt he could’ve fought harder or done more for their relationship and kept questioning his decision afterward. “I write all of my songs, all of my music. I think it mostly comes from experiences, for example, heartbreak or something that hurt, so you can write about it and express yourself properly. And that’s how I express myself,” the up-and-coming artist said during an interview. Yet as an artist who sees himself as open to change, Jon is curious to draw inspiration from more positive experiences or emotions because he knows that not everything is always negative. The 22-year-old singer’s songs, which include “Out of Love,” “Wonderland,” and “Work This Time,” are all in English. But as he continues exploring his music and Filipino heritage, he also plans to write Filipino songs in the future. He’s slowly making progress as he’s taking tutoring to learn more about the language.Writing a hit single for a wellreceived series marks the beginning of Jon’s career as a musician in the Philippines. It’s been six months since Jon arrived in the Philippines, but he’s keen on staying and leaving his mark on the local music industry. Jon was born in Cambridge, England, to a British father and a Filipina mother. He has an older brother who inspired him to pursue his passion for music. “My older brother is [very] shy, but I was surprised when I saw him play the piano. It inspired me to learn myself,” Jon said. Eventually, he taught himself how to play musical instruments and compose songs. Despite his efforts, Jon didn’t have the confidence at the time and decided to pursue another hobby: playing football.Playing football brought Jon to the Philippines to play for local teams at 13. He recalls, however, that since he was just a kid, he was homesick and wanted to return to his family. After six months, he returned to the United Kingdom. Besides singing and songwriting, Jon also hopes to enter acting someday. He’s very open to taking acting classes to hone his skills and become efficient. As for his acting debut, Jon aspires to participate in a romantic drama project. Not only will it be challenging for the young artist, but it will also be an appropriate venue for him to show his expressive side. Jon recognizes that he still has much to experience before he can leave a significant impact on the local music industry. Until then, he’s taking all the necessary steps, slowly but surely, to become a household name when it comes to music.
From heartaches to hits: How Jon Guelas uses his life experiences in songwriting
British-Filipino singersongwriter Jon Guelas is the voice behind the breakup anthem for ‘He’s Into Her: Season 2’
The Book Nook is a free community library encouraging book lovers of all ages to celebrate the joy of reading and learning, and the spirit of sharing and community
The book, which marked the author’s debut in children’s literature in 2013, has received numerous prestigious Norwegian children’s literature awards and nominations, including the Norwegian Ministry of Culture’s Literature Prize (Best Children’s and Young Adults Book) in 2013, the Trollkrittet Prize (Norwegian children’s/ YA book writers’ debut prize) also in 2013, the Nordic Council Literature Prize for Children and Young Adults in 2014, the Dutch Zilveren Griffel (Silver Pencil) in 2015, The German Luchs des Jahres (Best Children and YA Book) in 2016, and the 2020 Batchelder Award through the American Library Association’s ALSC awards. The translation rights for the trilogy have been sold into 30 languages.Norwegian literature for children and young adults is rich and diverse, characterized by imagination, independence, and uniqueness. A number of Norway’s acclaimed novelists also write for children, leading to a high literary quality and ensuring young readers have access to many forms of expression. The storytelling sessions by Kristin Roskifte and Håkon Øvreås are some of the exciting literary events to look forward to at the Book Nook located at the fourth level of SM Aura Premier. SM’s Book Nook is a free library encouraging book lovers of all ages to celebrate the joy of reading and learning, and the spirit of sharing and community.
The pieces were soon incorporated in the ongoing exhibit. The added pieces showed the diverse influences that Farrales had – a Grecian-inspired chartreuse terno with soft drapes commencing at the bust and falling gently to the hem; an Indian-style terno with one-shouldered sarilike detail on the edges and the bodice with an embroidered gold trim; and a Japanese-inspired ensemble with skirt and dinner jacket in ecru and gold.
craftsmanship and range of artistry – showing why he was given the title “Dean of Philippine Fashion.” Farrales was considered an artist ahead of his time since traditionalgowns,inspiredMuslim-signatureintroducedofHisinindustryintosteppedhethethe50s.60yearssuccess ternos , sophisticatedand traje mestizasde as well as a series stylesrangedrapeddresses,cocktailloungewear,contemporaryofandfrocks.“Theof shows the creativity of Farrales as well as the high regard and affection he had for his muse, as they traversed their lives and careers through the years. The colors of the ternos nearly complete the rainbow spectrum, from the deep red of the Indian style piece to the cool blues and greens of the Grecian draped number,” shared Center for Campus art director Gerry Torres
ACCLAIMED Norwegian children’s book authors Kristin Roskifte and Håkon Øvreås will make a stop at SM Aura Premier’s Book Nook for a storytelling session on September 16. The storytelling session at the SM mall’s community library is one of the exciting activities organized by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila and NORLA (Norwegian Literature Abroad), who will also present the authors’ books at the 2022 Manila International Book fair at the SMX Convention Center Manila. During the event, mallgoers will get a rare opportunity to meet author and illustrator Kristin Roskifte as she reads her latest work, Everybody Counts, a seek-and-find, counting, and a picture book about humanity for kids and youth. The book presents a playful view of the many connections and coincidences in our lives, and how every single one of us has a unique story, but we are all part of the same group – the world. The book is critically acclaimed for its unique approach to visual communication and has been awarded some of the world’s highest honors for children’s literature. In 2019, it was awarded the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize. It also won Gold Awards in Norwegian Visuelt and The Year’s Most Beautiful Books, and was nominated for Brageprisen and the World Illustration Award.The book has been translated to more than 30 languages. Everybody Counts is one of the books in the United Nations SDG library in Norway selected to represent Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and amongChildrencountries.andadult readers, on the other hand, will be delighted to hear poet and writer Håkon Øvreås’ book reading of Brown ( My Alter Ego is a Superhero ), his first book in a trilogy for young readers. It is a story about the adventures of Rune (Rusty) and his marvelous ability to turn into the W HEN the movie Devil’s Wear Prada came out, there was a scene that resonated so well with me. In that scene, Andy Sachs (portrayed by Anne Hathaway ) smirked when the editorial team of the Runway fashion magazine became so serious in deciding between two belts with almost identical hues of blue to use in the fashion shoot. Noticing the little smirk, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep ) gave a clap back, pointing out that while the new intern thought fashion has nothing to do with her, the lumpy blue sweater she was wearing “represents millions of dollars and countless jobs.” It might be just a movie scene, but it reflects how some people dismiss fashion as something insignificant. They couldn’t grasp the complexity of the way fashion has been entwined in our lives. More than just the style and aesthetics, fashion encompasses history, economy, socio-political movements, social issues such as fair labor practices and environmental effects, not to mention the new technologies and new strategies in marketing. Take, for instance, women’s jeans and the historical and social context of how they became an everyday wardrobe staple. Before the war, wearing jeans or trousers was unheard of. Pants-like garments were used for work or sports, but always out of the public eye. While some wanted it for practical reasons, the concept of wearing pants has been tied to women’s rights movement during a period when society was so fixated on dresses with bulky and heavy long skirts. It represented freedom andOurrights.very own terno and its evolution reflect our history. The way it evolves coincides with the chronological events that happened from the Spanish occupation to American and Japanese colonization, World War II, and up to the present. From the Hispanized version of terno to modern-day Filipiniana, it showed the social realities of the time. The Maria Clara, with camisa and full-wide skirt with a long train, introduced panuelo and tapis because of modesty. During the American occupation, it became Traje de Mestiza with huge sleeves and a narrower skirt, reflecting the Edwardian fashion prominent in the West. Simpler clothes characterized World War II and Japanese occupations because of shortages in textiles and limited trading activities. In 1950s, Barong Tagalog came into the picture. Our terno has evolved into what we know today. If you want to see physical representations of the fashion changes through the years, you might want to visit the fashionfeaturessoon.sountilexhibitMalate,OcampolocatedandCollege’sMainexhibitFarrales@Benildeatthe12FGalleryoftheDesignArtsCampus,at950PabloStreet,Manila.TheisonviewSeptember10,youbettercatchitTheexhibitthelatedesigner
Life C4 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 Nickie Wang, Editor Joba Botana, Associate Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com
The exhibit was born when Cynthia Pendatun, a relative of the designer, donated 40 ternos and evening gowns, all designed by Farrales, to the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde for the safekeeping and preservation of these artifacts of fashion history. When Bambi Harper visited the exhibit and saw the displayed printed clippings with her donning a Farrales checkered kimona for the cover story of a magazine printed in 1959, she decided to donate select Farrales ternos and evening gowns and fabric drapes with unusual color combinations from her own personal wardrobe.
JCI and Palawan group members and officers at the launch of PalawanPay and Kasambahay Kasambuhay Pilipinas Awards 2022
The passion for fashion
fearless superhero, Brune (Brown), and is a charming and powerful tale about friendship, courage, and standing up for one’s self.
“When I walk through the Ben Faralles show, I get the same sense of creativity and deep thought in the process of putting together the gowns. In fact, the other thing that shines through in his creations is the love with which he created the gowns - meticulous and highly detailed. In this way, he spotlighted and highlighted our regional cultures and designs,” said Bro. Edmundo “Dodo” Fernandez The DLSCollege of St. Benilde is currently planning more permanent storage and exhibition area for the Farrales creations, and I’m hoping they will find the right space. For those who wish to share their Farrales gowns for exhibit and benilde.edu.phatcampus.art@andGerrypleasesafekeeping,contactTorrestheCCA
White and lilac terno embellisheddetachablewithsleeves,matchingtrain,andheaddresswithcapizshells(1990)
Recognizing outstanding household service workers
Norwegian author and poet, Håkon Øvreås Norwegian author and illustrator Kristin Roskifte
Ben Farrales ’s Filipiniana creations, traditional ternos , and Musliminspired pieces, all demonstrating his outstanding
Three-toned Gold Terno Indian style Red and Gold Terno
Bambi Harper in a draped gown by Mang Ben Gold and whitepiecethree-MariaClaragownwithveil(1999)
MANY of us Filipino families consider our household workers or “ kasambahays ” as family. And why shouldn’t we? From preparing our food to maintaining the cleanliness of the family abode, our household companions we fondly call them “ate,” “manang,” “manong,” and “kuya” are always there to help us in our everyday busy life. Our indispensable allies against dirty clothes, dusty furniture, babysitting, and hunger for delicious food have always been there for us. They are the foundation of a more comfortable and happy home. A modern-day hero of the Filipino family. With this, the Junior Chamber International Senate Philippines, Inc. (JCI) together with Palawan Group recognizes the valuable contributions of our beloved Kasambahays and honors their hard work, dedication, and integrity with the Kasambahay Kasambuhay Pilipinas Awards 2022. Now on its 7th year, the Kasambahay Kasambuhay Pilipinas Awards seeks to inspire and honor our Kasambahays who lovingly serve their employers with hard work, loyalty, and integrity “This program rightfully honors our kasambahays who not only serve their employers with loyalty and integrity but also support their families by sending most of their wages. Kasambahays are selfless not just because they help other people but because they also epitomize the admirable traits of dedication to service, loyalty, and trustworthiness,” said Bobby Castro , Palawan Pawnshop Group President and CEO. “Our kasambahays provide a range of services denominated as household chores and many of them have become family to us as we encounter them day in and day out in our everyday lives, Hence, it comes as no surprise that many of them have become family to us. “ said JCI National President Sen. Henry T. Juan Tong This year’s prizes are even bigger than ever. The Top 10 chosen Kasambahays (minimum of five years in service) will each get P100,000 as prizes and those who will be chosen for the 11th to 30th places (no minimum years of service) spots will each get a P10,000 prize. Also, ten of the most liked and shared Facebook posts will win P5,000 prize. Just like Palawan Pawnshop Group, Palawan Express Pera Padala, and PalawanPay, our Kasambahays are “matatag, maasahan at mapagkakatiwalaan” and we want to recognize their valuable contribution. Palawan, a brand trusted for 37 years that carries Palawan Pawnshop Group and Palawan Express Padala, now has over 3,300 branches all over Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. To adapt to the increasing digital transaction needs of its customers, PPG recently introduced PalawanPay, an e-wallet app that lets you send and receive remittances in an instant and also gives users access to other financial services such as bills payment, e-cellphone load, and scan to pay. Because of this app, Kasamabahays are able to send money to their loved ones in a convenient, fast, and secure manner. It also provides them with extra savings and time to rest since they no longer have to go out to line up and it gives them peace of mind knowing that their hard-earned money will be immediately received by their family members.Tobeeligible for the Kasambahay Kasambuhay Pilipinas Awards 2022, kasambahays can nominate themselves or their employers can do so. They must not be more than 75 years of age and have rendered services for at least 6 years in their present employer. For more details about the Kasambahay and Kasambuhay Pilipinas Awards 2022, please follow their FB Page at JCIkasambahay
Norwegian children’s writers headline literary event
