Manila Standard - 2022 September 30 - Friday

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Heads to roll over laptop mess

Sen. Tolentino says 'revealing and explosive' evidence unearthed

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

HEADS will roll over the controversial P2.4-billion purchase of overpriced laptops for the Department of Education, Sen. Francis Tolentino said Thursday, guaranteeing that “many” will face charges following what he described as “revealing and explosive evidence” unearthed in yesterday's Blue Ribbon Committee hearing.

Tolentino declined to say what charg es awaited former and current officials of the Education department, the De partment of Budget and Management’s

Karding aftermath: Veggie, fish, rice prices to go up 20%

of Agriculture (DA) warned Thursday.

By Othel V. Campos and Rio N. Araja

PRICES for vegetables, fish and even rice could shoot up by as much as 20 percent as a result of the damage wrought by super typhoon Karding, the Department

PBBM vows efficient use of ADB aid

By Vito Barcelo and Vince Lopez

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday vowed to effectively use assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to benefit all Filipinos.

At the 55th ADB Meeting of the Board of Governors, the President said the ADB, which is based in Manila, has been a dependable institution in providing loans, technical assistance, and equity investments to its members to promote social and economic development.

“As President, it is certainly my duty to ensure that the government remains committed to the efficient and effective

By Willie Casas

THE

The

hire medical professionals abroad.

“We have a shortage or a gap of around 106,000 to fill up positions in our health facilities all over the country,

abroad

both for public and private (hospitals)," DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing.

The Philippines also lacks doctors, pharmacists, medical technologists,

A HOUSE UNITED. Members of the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, celebrate after approving on third and final reading the P5.268 trillion proposed national budget for 2023 Wednesday evening. Ver Noveno

No break for House panels while Congress in recess

Procurement Service (DBM-PS), and even private contractors, particularly those who cornered multiple contracts from the DepEd through the DBM-PS.

The senator told reporters to wait for the final committee report after the conduct of one more hearing.

During Thursday’s hearing, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada pressed Abram Abanil, Board Member of the DBM-PS Special Bids and Awards Committee, if the firm LDLA had been previously awarded a contract to supply laptops to the DepEd by the budget bureau.

Abanil replied that LDLA bagged the contract only for the laptops, although it had previously bidded on other projects.

Palace sees Marcos' US trip to generate $4b investments

By Vince Lopez and Vito Barcelo

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s re cent trip to the United States could gener ate close to $4 billion (about P236 billion) in investments from multiple sectors, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

According to investment data released by the Palace, business agreements and commitments secured during the Presi dent's visit have an estimated investment value of $3.9 billion, with a potential em

ployment generation of 112,285 jobs. These investments will come from the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM), data center, and manufacturing sectors.

However, Malacañang said, the esti mated value does not reflect the full po tential of future investments from several companies that Mr. Marcos and the Trade Department had talks with while in New York.

According to the Palace, some compa nies had expressed interest in considering

Badoy denies threatening trial judge, lawyer says she may face contempt

By Rey E. Requejo

Next page For his part, Sen. Win Gatchalian said senators flagged the inconsistent

KARDING'S WAKE. Photo shows an aerial view of a flooded area in the country's rice granary, Central Luzon, in the aftermath of Typhoon Karding. AFP

Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said in an interview that the country’s rice granary, Central Luzon, sustained severe damage during the typhoon, resulting in the loss of 20 percent of the standing crop.

By Maricel V. Cruz

House of

Speaker Martin G. Romualdez on

stand ing and special committees to hold

hearings during the congressional break starting Thursday.

FORMER anti-communist body spokesperson Lorraine Badoy may be charged for indirect contempt and in citing insurrection following the com ments she made against Manila Judge

Marlo Magdoza-Malagar, Rico Do mingo, a former president of the Phil ippine Bar Association, said Thursday. But Badoy, former undersecretary for the National Task Force to End Lo cal Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-

or

Hotline at 0917-8848655 or

STRONGER RELATIONSHIP. President Ferdinand Marcos poses for a photo with members of the Asian Development Bank on Sept. 29, 2022. He is flanked by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe (left) and ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa. Screengrab from RTVM

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statements of DBM officials on their legal basis for the procurement of the laptops.

PS-DBM Officer Ulysses Mora told the hearing it was former PS-DBM OIC Jasonemer Uayan who gave the go signal for the posting of the invitation to bid for the project.

Tolentino also noted that DepEd officials who had earlier denied their “marginal notes” on documents related to the procurement now admitted the notes were theirs.

"There was also a diary," he added in a briefing after the five-hour hearing.

The official diary, Tolentino said, contained the DepEd’s everyday transactions in connection with the

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“The typhoon has affected, more or less, 91,944 farmers and fisherfolk. Lost production was estimated at 117,663 metric tons (MT) of combined crops,” he said.

Gale-force winds damaged crops in six farming towns in Nueva Ecija and in the provinces of Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan and Quezon. Lost palay accounted for at least 20 percent of the total area planted to rice.

Regional field reports said Karding affected 150,693 hectares of farm lands in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol Region and Western Visayas.

The typhoon damaged P1.66 billion worth of palay or paddy rice, P36.9 million worth of corn, P271 million in high-value crops, P7.1 million in livestock and poultry, and P43 million in fisheries.

To help affected farmers and fishers, the DA has distributed P170.34 million worth of rice seeds, P23.16 million

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ELCAC), denied the accusations that she threatened Magdoza-Malagar, whom she accused of lawyering for the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army.

In a Facebook post, Badoy said she takes "full cognizance of the stern warn ing given to me by the Supreme Court, and I would like to assure them that I hear their guidance."

This was after the High Court said it will "consider attempts on social media and elsewhere to incite violence against judges a contempt of the court."

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo on Thursday reassured all judges and other judiciary members nationwide that the SC will always have their back and will offer protection from any form of threat and harassment.

“You can count on us,” Gesmundo told the judges during the second day of the annual convention of the Metropoli tan and City Trial Judges Association of the Philippines (METCJAP) in Boracay, Aklan.

The METCJAP’s convention is themed “Justice Revitalized: Dynamic Court Reforms in a Technology-Driven Judiciary.”

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, Domingo, chairman of the Move ment Against Disinformation, cited sub paragraph D, Section 3 of Rule 71 under the Rules of Court.

Badoy may have potentially violated this rule, he said, after she criticized Magdoza-Malagar for junking the gov ernment’s case to declare the CPP-NPA as terrorist groups.

"According to the law and I want to be talking right now as a lawyer, there is what we call 'indirect contempt.' It is a contemptuous act that is 'improper con duct tending, directly or indirectly, to impede, obstruct, or degrade the admin istration of justice,' that would be indirect contempt," Domingo said.

"She can be exposed to the charges of that particular provision of the Rules of Court," he added.

Citing the sentiments of some lawyers, Domingo also said Badoy's statements "are equivalent to inciting insurrection," based on Section 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Part of that section states that a per son commits terrorism when he engages in acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person or endangers a person's life (subparagraph A); or releases dangerous substances with the purpose of intimidating the public, creating an atmo sphere to spread a message of fear, pro voking or influence by intimidation the government or any international organi zation (subparagraph E).

Violators may face the penalty of life imprisonment without parole.

Article 134 of the Revised Penal Code also qualifies that a crime of rebellion or insurrection is committed by "rising pub licly and taking arms against the govern ment for the purpose of removing from the allegiance to said government or its laws..."

The former Bar chief added that Ar ticle 138 states that a person incites oth ers to commit such act through speeches,

purchase of the laptops intended to be used by teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, when in-person classes were banned, and online education was established.

"The contents of the official diary were very detailed, so they cannot be fabricated," emphasized Tolentino, also a lawyer.

Estrada, meanwhile, asked Abanil how many times the firm Advance Solutions, Inc. (ASI) was awarded supply contracts by the DBM-PS or DepEd.

Abanil said when he was director, ASI was awarded once, but prior to his assuming office, the company was awarded contracts “multiple times” during the previous administration, without specifying how many.

But Estrada said based on his own research, ASI has been awarded

worth of corn seeds and P13.55 million worth of assorted vegetable seeds; P2.45 million worth of animal heads, drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry; fingerlings and fishing paraphernalia.

It has also provided loans of up to P25,000 payable in three years at zero interest under the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council.

Panganiban assured consumers there is enough rice in the market following the 60-day buffer stocking mandate of the National Food Authority.

While importation is an option, he said the DA is trying to maintain the 60-day buffer stock.

“For now we have enough. We’re hoping that the current cropping harvest will be good enough until 2023,” he said.

Panganiban also assured consumers there is also enough pork and chicken for the upcoming holiday season.

“In fact, we’re seeing better production of pork and a surplus in chicken output for the third and fourth quarter,” he said.

The DA expects the arrival of sugar by November will soften the retail price of the sweetener by at much as P30 a kilo.

proclamations, writings, emblems, or other representations.

"Inciting insurrection is actually cov ered by the Revised Penal Code.

But it was somehow covered and am plified by the Anti-Terrorism Act that was recently implemented by the council," Domingo explained.

"Insurrection is to... overthrow the government, in simple language."

Calling Magdoza-Malagar’s resolu tion a "judgment straight from the bowels of communist hell,” Badoy posed a hypo thetical scenario on Facebook:

“So, if I kill this judge and I do so out of my political belief that all allies of the CPP NPA NDF must be killed because there is no difference in my mind between a member of the CPP NPA NDF and their friends, then please be lenient with me.”

Badoy criticized the judge for sup posedly asking that “acts of terrorism” of the CPP-NPA-NDF should be deemed “political crimes” which are “treated with leniency.”

She called the judge “unprincipled” and a “friend of CPP NPA NDF.”

In a subsequent post, Badoy also ap peared to red-tag the judge’s husband, lawyer Leo Malagar, chancellor for the University of the Philippines-Cebu.

In another post, she said she wants to build an organization which will “start bombing the offices of these corrupt judges who are friend of terrorists—even if they kneel before us and beg for their lives…”

In her latest Facebook post, Badoy de fended her earlier post and said she had just practiced her "Constitutional right to an opinion by questioning what has en raged the Filipino people."

"A threat is a statement of an inten tion to inflict pain or damage. An 'If -then' statement, on the other hand, is merely a hypothetical syllogism that are workhors es of deductive logic that I needed to use to make my point," she noted.

"So, I hope I am clear here. It is not I who has the track record for murders, massacres, tortures, rape, and inhumanity but the terrorist CPP NPA NDF.

“I am unfazed and I remain focused on doing my part in ending this communist terrorist curse so that we can all finally know what it is like to live in genuine peace and progress and meet our prom ise as a people," the former NTF-ELCAC spokesperson added.

Badoy reiterated her earlier claim that the judge based her ruling on the NPA constitution despite the ruling making mention of existing jurisprudence by the Supreme Court.

She also noted that the Supreme Court had ruled that "red-tagging does not ex ist” when it ruled “in Zarate vs Aquino that there is no danger to life, liberty and security when someone is identified as a member of the CPP NPA NDF. "

"They also ruled as CONSTITU TIONAL the Anti-Terrorism Law– this beautiful law that will end the free fall of our children into violent extremism and into their early, tragic deaths, the grief of our mothers who have lost their chil dren, the blood bath in our ancestral do mains where the most heinous of crimes were committed among the most helpless among us–our indigenous brothers and sisters." (See full story online at manil astandard.net)

similar contracts for the supply and delivery of DepEd’s IT or computer requirements since 2015, to which Abanil agreed.

The senator also revealed that ASI seemed to be a “favored” supplier of DepEd as it has cornered close to P6 billion in contracts for the agency’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) requirements.

He pointed out that awarding contracts to ASI, along with a few other “favored” suppliers, should have raised red flags within the DepEd and investigated by the Commission on Audit (COA), but no probe has been conducted so far on such practices.

“The consistency of ASI being awarded the contracts does not raise suspicion? With the contracts awarded to ASI, doesn’t it seem like there’s

Starting October 2022, the government expects sugar prices to drop to P70 to P80 per kilo for refined sugar coming from a high of P100 to P110 a kilo.

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said P29.6 million worth of assistance has already been distributed so far to the victims of Typhoon Karding.

DSWD spokesperson Rommel Lopez said in a radio interview the regions most affected by the typhoon are Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, and Cordillera.

Lopez said the number of houses that were damaged is estimated at 12,000, most of them from Calabarzon, Cagayan and Central Luzon.

He said the DSWD was having a hard time transporting relief to Polilo Island and General Nakar in Quezon.

Also on Thursday, the Social Security System announced it will open two programs to extend financial assistance to members and pensioners in areas affected by super typhoon Karding.

SSS President And Chief Executive Officer Michael Regino said the programs are the calamity loan assistance program (CLAP) for

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utilization of this institution’s assistance for the full benefit of all Filipinos,” he said.

He also pledged that the government’s relationship with the ADB under his administration will grow stronger.

Through the ADB, Mr. Marcos said the government was able to move forward with projects in areas such as infrastructure, social reform and community development, and governance and institution development.

“As such, our shared goals will only bring us closer together to nurture our bonds and foster hope in the communities that we serve,” he said.

Mr. Marcos said he recognized the ADB for allowing the Philippines to

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In her formal motion in the plenary, House Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin moved to allow all panels to continue with their mandate of producing vital pieces of legislation dur ing the first recess of the 19th Congress.

“I move that we authorize all com mittees to conduct meetings and/or public hearings, if deemed necessary, during the House recess from Septem ber 29, 2022 to November 6, 2022,” Garin said.

“Is there any objection? The chair hears none, motion is approved,” House Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales re sponded in granting Garin’s motion.

In an interview, Garin said Speaker Romualdez and House Majority Lead er and Zamboanga City Rep. Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe instructed House leaders to hold committee meetings during the break to ensure the expeditious passage of noteworthy and meaningful legislative measures, particularly those aimed at reviving the economy.

“The continuous hearings and de liberations of various measures even when Congress is on recess will help accelerate the passage of priority leg islations,” she said.

Garin assured that the House lead ership will continue to work hard and focus on shepherding the priority leg islations of President Ferdinand Mar cos Jr. “to address and serve the needs of the people during these challenging and difficult times.”

“The Speaker wants to ensure a very productive House of Representatives during our break to address the coun try’s pressing concerns. This will help us craft and put into fruition the approv al of priority bills of President Marcos to help us defeat various problems, in cluding COVID-19,” Garin said.

Romualdez on Wednesday night took pride in the record accomplish ments of the House in the first 23 ses sion days of the 19th Congress, which convened last July 25.

The Speaker told his colleagues that since the start of their session, “we rolled up our sleeves and worked hand in hand to ensure collective and responsive action upon all pending

favoritism?” Estrada told DepEd officials.

PS-DBM’s Mora, meanwhile, said they already obtained the Agency Procurement Request, other required communications between the two agencies, and a draft MOA for the laptop procurement.

But since the bureau only had 51 calendar days to conduct the procurement, it pushed Mora to get clearance from Uayan.

According to Mora, when he was instructed by Uayan to post the invitation to bid, there was no final MOA yet.

Gatchalian then asked Uayan the basis of his instruction to post the invitation to bid.

Uayan said the 2017 MOA between the PS-DBM and the DepEd and the 2021 can be used for the laptop procurement.

members, and the three-month advance pension for SSS and Employees’ Compensation pensioners.

Under the CLAP, members may avail of a loan equivalent to the average of their last 12 monthly salary credit or the amount they applied for, whichever is lower.

For the three-month advance pension, the proceeds will be based on the amount of the pensioner’s monthly pension.

The state weather bureau said six to nine more tropical cyclones are expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility this year.

PAGASA Administrator Vicente Malano said the number of super typhoons entering the country has increased compared to past years becausePAGASA as well as its counterparts in other countries changed their definition of super typhoon.

Previously, a tropical cyclone with winds of at least 220 kilometer per hour was considered a super typhoon. Now, a tropical cyclone with at least 185 kph is already categorized as a super typhoon, he said.

So far, three super typhoons named Henry, Josie, and Karding entered the country but only Karding made landfall, Malano said.

access its quick disbursing budget support facility to aid countries in mitigating the severe economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President also encouraged international counterparts and partners to work together for a better post-pandemic world.

“It is time for us to work together to bring about an even better normal. I believe that at the heart of this goal is the way that we must develop an economy that is green, that is sustainable, truly climate resilient and responsive to people’s immediate needs,” he added.

Before the ADB meeting, the President met Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Palace. Wickremesinghe arrived in Manila on Wednesday evening to chair the 55th meeting of the ADB board of governors.

bills and resolutions, including prior ity bills in the legislative agenda of our President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.”

“Our mission from Day One is clear: Help resuscitate the pandemicbattered economy and make economic transformation the main engine to up lift the lives of the Filipino people,” he said in remarks before the House adjourned for the first recess of Con gress.

Before adjournment, the House ap proved on second and third and final reading the proposed P5.268-trillion “Agenda for Prosperity” 2023 national budget, the most important legislative proposal Congress tackles every year.

The House also ratified two bicam eral conference committee (bicam) reports -- those on the proposed Sub scriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act and the postpone ment of the December 2022 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) to last Monday of October 2023 – that will soon be transmitted to Malacañang for President Marcos’ signature.

Comparative data from the House committee on rules showed that the House passed on third reading 37 na tional bills, a 106-percent increase over the 18 measures approved on final reading by the 18th Congress, and 517 percent higher compared to six measures approved on third read ing during the 17th Congress over the same period.

The House processed a total of 427 measures, 96 percent more than the 218 tackled by the 18th Congress and 104% higher than the 209 measures discussed during the 17th Congress.

The number of bills the larger cham ber handled per session day averaged 19, versus 11 in the previous Congress, or an improvement of 70 percent and 246 percent better than five recorded during the 17th Congress.

Romualdez recalled that shortly after the 19th Congress convened in July, the House adopted Concurrent Resolution No. 2, which supported the 2022-2028 Medium Term Fiscal Framework of the national government.

“Yet, in that period, a greater num ber of measures—totaling 5,696— were filed by our members, showing clear passion and dedication to their constituents and their advocacies,” Romualdez said.

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midwives, physical therapists and dentists, she added.

At present, the DOH has over 2,000 unfilled positions. The figure includes 624 positions for nurses, 1,332 for mid wives, and 63 for dentists.

Given the shortage, the DOH wants to maintain the deployment cap—a limit that President Marcos has said he would raise.

The DOH is scheduled to meet with the newly created Department of Mi grant Workers and the Department of Labor and Employment about offering incentives to health workers to stay in the country.

Vergeire said the DOH also plans to talk to countries where health workers are deployed on possibly providing perks to the Philippines, such as scholarships or exchange programs.

A group of nurses earlier said that low pay and lack of improvement in working conditions lead health work ers to leave the country to find jobs overseas.

Meanwhile, six Metro Manila areas are being monitored due to increasing COVID-19 admissions, Vergeire said.

In a radio interview, Vergeire said that while the hospital utilization rate in the country is below 50 percent, 13 areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) are now at moderate risk for COVID-19.

This means that hospital admissions in these areas are rising due to COV ID-19, Vergeire said.

Among the closely monitored cities are Pasig, Muntinlupa, Malabon, Makati, Navotas and Caloocan.

Vergeire said closely monitored are the cities of Pasig, Muntinlupa, Mala bon, Makati, Navotas, and Caloocan. While cases are low in Malabon, Navo tas, and Caloocan, the DOH has started monitoring their health care utilization because these areas have few hospital beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients.

In its Monday report, the DOH said 790 severe and critical cases were admit ted in hospitals due to COVID-19 as of Sept. 25. This was 11 percent of the total COVID-19 admissions.

Of the 17,891 new cases recorded from Sept, 19 to 25, two were tagged as new severe or critical cases.

The DOH said this was only 0.01 percent of the new cases reported for the week.

In other developments:

• The Private Hospitals Associa tion of the Philippines (PHAPI) said the number of people positive for CO VID-19 may be twice more than what is reported. The group’s president, Dr. Jose de Grano, said in a TV interview that those who test positive using selfadministered antigen test kits are not included in the official reports released by the DOH.

• The DOH reminded the public to follow health protocols in order to avoid spreading COVID-19 infections during Christmas gatherings and cele brations. Vergeire reminded the public that face masks should be worn at all times especially in crowded areas and if there is a risk of close interaction.

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At the grand opening of the New Terminal Building of the Clark Inter national Airport in Clark Freeport in Pampanga, the President reiterated that the country is open for business, and the government is ready to go the “ex tra mile” to nurture strong partnerships with potential investors.

"And this facility is essentially a very strong signal that yes, indeed, we are open for business," he said during the event.

The Philippines, Mr. Marcos said, is a “good investment destination” being probably the most “vibrant economy” in Southeast Asia.

The President said his administra tion understands the potential investors' requirements and needs, and it will do everything to build strong partnerships.

Mr. Marcos said he carried this mes sage when he traveled to New York last week to attend the 77th United Nations General Assembly and meet American business leaders and heads of corpora tions.

Wednesday's opening of the new Clark airport terminal is also a perfect example of a positive outcome of public and private sector collaboration, as both sectors leverage their assets through strong partnership, the President said.

The new facility is also important as the country strives to become Asia's logistics center, Mr. Marcos added.

In his arrival speech on September 25, the President said his delegation had hosted four roundtable discussions that dealt with key economic sectors like IT-BPM, digital infrastructure, global brands, industry, and infrastructure.

He also met with the Asia Society where he had discussions with several leaders of the US business community regarding the state of the global and re gional economy today.

SC resets hearing on NCAP petitions

By Rey E. Requejo

THESupreme Court (SC) has reset to an earlier date the oral arguments on petitions assailing the legality of the nocontact apprehension policy (NCAP) being enforced by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and certain local government units in the metropolis.

In an en banc resolution, the SC moved to Dec. 6, 2022 the oral argu ments on the petitions initially sched uled on Jan. 24, 2023.

The decision was reached during last Tuesday’s regular en banc session of the justices.

The high court also set the prelimi nary conference of the case on No

NCRPO rolls out police outposts with wheels

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has launched a new project dubbed “Mobile Police Out post” meant to provide prompt and swift police response and assistance in Metro Manila.

NCRPO director Brig. Gen. Jon nel Estomo said the project involves a rolling station for police patrollers as their standby point most accessible to people, bringing police assistance 24/7 to the communities.

He said the outposts would be visi ble mostly in commercial areas, trans portation hubs, and other crowded ar eas and places of convergence to deter crimes, and maintain peace and order.

Estomo said he devised the mobile po lice outpost to be deployed in the region in line with the NCRPO’s project called SAFE (Seen, Appreciated and Felt).

NCRPO spokesman Lt. Col. Dexter Versola and chief information officer Maj. Anthony Alising led the demonstration for the media people of a prototype mobile outpost in front of the Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in Barangay Tambo, Parañaque City, the largest exchange ter minal in the country.

vember 4.

The en banc ordered that the MMDA be furnished copy of the petition and to answer it within 10 days from receipt.

Last August, the SC issued a tempo rary restraining order (TRO) against the implementation of the NCAP by the local government of Manila, Muntinlupa, Qu ezon City, Paranaque, and Valenzuela.

The SC later clarified that the injunc tion also covered the MMDA.

The TRO was based on the petitions filed by four transport groups—the Ki lusan sa Pagbabago ng Industriya ng Transportasyon Inc., the Pasang Masda, the Alliance of Concerned Transport Op erators and the Altodap—asking the SC to declare the NCAP as unconstitutional.

The Land Transportation Office was also cited as a respondent in the petitions.

In seeking the High Court’s inter vention, the transport groups argued that the NCAP was “unconstitution al” as it did not give due process to the motorists who allegedly commit ted traffic violations.

A similar petition was also filed be

fore the SC by lawyer Juman Paa who said he was fined P20, 000 for alleged traffic violations based on Manila’s NCAP provided for under Ordinance No.8676 passed in 2020 by the Manila City Council.

The NCAP utilized CCTV and digi tal cameras to identify and apprehend traffic violators through videos and im ages of their purported violations.

Under the setup, the concerned local government unit issues traffic citation tickets and mail them directly to the ve hicles’ registered owners.

Non-payment of the fines within sev en days would mean that their vehicles would not be accommodated for renew al of registration.

IN BRIEF

BI set to deport Briton for child sex trafficking

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) is set to deport a 64-year old Briton who was arrested for allegedly running a child sex website in the Philippines.

The foreigner, identified as John Crotty who was arrested in his rent ed home in Tangub City, was previ ously convicted by a British court for being a sex offender.

According to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, Crotty was also investigated for alleged film piracy after arresting officers found obscene photos of underage Filipino girls on his website and social media accounts.

Crotty was reportedly jailed for nine years in the United Kingdom, and moved to the Philippines shortly after his release from prison.

The operation on Crotty was con ducted by joint enforcers from the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit and Intelligence Division and the Tangub City police.

“The arrest followed official com munication from British authorities informing us that Crotty became the subject of an Interpol green notice that was issued last Feb. 21,” BI Intelligence chief Fortunato Manahan, Jr. said.

SPD stamps ‘solved’ on Makati double murder case, files raps vs. suspect

THE Southern Police District (SPD) has stamped “solved” on a double mur der case in Makati City and filed crim inal complaints against the suspect in the killing of two security guards of a posh subdivision in Makati City.

SPD Director Col. Kirby John Kraft said the suspect, identified as Julius Cortez, 43, is facing two counts of murder and theft filed before the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office.

Acting on a tip from a security guard, police arrested Cortez on Tuesday in Dasmariñas Village, also in Makati City.

Recovered from Cortez were a .40 caliber pistol and two ammunition magazines.

Initial investigation showed that one of the helpers informed the own ers of the house at South Forbes Park Village about the shooting incident that led to the death of Jay Ar Tome nio and Eugene Sitjar,

A witness, known as alias Ben, said the suspect was drunk then later on, he heard successive gunshots.

OTS poised to upgrade security screening process at NAIA

THE Office of Transportation Security (OTS) has announced it will come up with a new security screening manage ment plan to improve its services and for the convenience of passengers at the Ni noy Aquino International Airport.

OTS administrator Ma. O Aplasca said there will soon be major changes in security screening layout to achieve an “even more efficient and effective secu rity of passengers and their baggage at the airport.”

Aplasca said security screening pro cess must be rigid and, at the same time, convenient.

He made the disclosure during his re cent visit at the NAIA Terminal 1 where he witnessed the replacement of non-op erational x-ray machines at the security screening checkpoints.

“Many of our kababayans have seen security as an arduous process to comply, and in some instances, we receive com plaints on queuing. That is why my guid ance is: to make it rigid, while at the same time convenient for them. And to do that, we must ensure that our tools and equip

ment in conducting screening are effi ciently working according to its purpose, complemented by highly trained security screening officers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the OTS chief reiterated his reminder to air travelers that bringing any kind of ammunition or firearms into the airport terminals is prohibited.

This after two passengers were sepa rately intercepted in the NAIA Terminal 4 for carrying a box containing 50 pieces of live 38mm bullets and an undocument ed .22 caliber firearm

A 36-year-old woman bound for Ba colod was arrested after her baggage yielded a box containing 50 pieces of live ammunition of caliber .38 mm.

The baggage was inspected in the pres ence of the passenger who was called upon together with law enforcement of ficers to witness the inspection, follow ing the standard operating procedures.

The police on duty asked for corre sponding documents, which the passen ger failed to provide. Failing to do so, she was then arrested for violating Republic Act No. 10592. Joel E. Zurbano

LANDBANK empowers woman-entrepreneur to grow Cagayan store

TUAO, Cagayan—Ginalyn Joaquin always dreamt of running her own retail store, similar to the ‘sari-sari store’ her mother used to own when she was a child. But having enough resources to pursue this dream proved to be difficult as her monthly salary was barely enough to make ends meet for the needs of her family.

Working as a full-time employee at a sugar milling company, Ginalyn’s salary was just enough to cover their family’s daily living expenses. And when her daughter contracted a serious illness and needed medical care, Ginalyn was forced to look for additional sources of income to afford the health care costs.

While keeping her day job, Ginalyn started buying sugar from her employer, which she repacked in smaller amounts and sold to her neighbors. This retail initiative soon evolved into a ‘rolling store’ aboard a tricycle, wherein she sold other essential grocery items across town, including the neighboring municipality of Piat.

Through hard work, Ginalyn was able to pay for her daughter’s health care and eventually, was financially stable to resign from her day job and focus on her store.

Ginalyn’s business—JP’s Enterprises—continued to grow and was tapped by a noodle brand as an official distributor in the province. However, this required additional working capital, which she did not have at that time.

Ginalyn then turned to the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) for credit assistance amounting to P30 million under the Emerging FemaleInitiated Livelihood and Investment Projects via INclusive Financing to Accelerate Entrepreneurial Growth (FILIPINA) Lending Program, to finance the working capital for JP’s Enterprises.

The LANDBANK loan helped Ginalyn expand her business into a full grocery store and become a leading supplier of grocery items in Cagayan, catering to the towns of Tuao, Piat, Sanchez-Mira and Santo Niño, as well as the municipalities of Kabugao and Conner in the province of Apayao. It was also able to generate employment for around 102 locals, a significant increase

from the initial 2 workers Ginalyn hired for her previous rolling store.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the grocery store remained open to service customers, and was even tapped by local government units in the province as a supplier of relief goods.

“Nagpapasalamat ako sa LANDBANK sa pagkakaroon ng tiwala sa akin at sa business ko Malaking tulong ang pagkakaroon nila ng programa na sumusuporta sa mga babaeng negosyante tulad ko,” said Ginalyn.

Through the Emerging FILIPINA Lending Program, LANDBANK aims to support and empower female entrepreneurs to pursue business ventures such as traditional trade, e-commerce business and food services activities, among others.

The Program can finance the working capital, construction or renovation of buildings and facilities related to business operations, and financing of purchase orders from the borrower’s clients. For cooperatives and partner financial institutions, rediscounting and onlending activities may also be financed.

Eligible borrowers include registered micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) majority-owned by women or with majority of its top management, including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), composed of women. They may borrow up to 80% of the actual project cost and 85% for rediscounting and on-lending activities.

Short-term loans and term loans for permanent working capital are payable up to one (1) year and five (5) years, respectively, while term loans for fixed assets and construction of facilities are payable up to ten (10) years. An interest rate of 5% per year shall apply, fixed for the first three (3) years and subject to repricing thereafter.

Through the years, LANDBANK has grown into one of the leading universal banks in the country, while remaining faithful to its social mandate to promote inclusive and sustainable development.

LANDBANK assisted entrepreneur Ginalyn Joaquin to expand her tricycle ‘rolling store’ (inset) into a full grocery store in Tuao, Cagayan.

OPLAN KATOK. Quezon City policemen take stock of unlicensed or unregistered firearms they confiscated under “Oplan Katok,” a door-to-door operation meant to ferret out unauthorized gun owners in a bid to boost the city’s law and order condition. Manny Palmero

CLIMATE ACTION. Climate activists stage a demonstration in front of the Asian Development Bank headquarters in Mandaluyong City where the 55th annual meeting of the bank is taking place on September 29, 2022. Protesters called on the ADB to stop funding fossil fuel projects that endanger the environment and put developing countries deep in financial debt. Jimmy Domingo

Senate approves P2.3-b budget for Sara

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

IN A little over 30 minutes, the proposed P2.3-billion budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2023, which included P500 million as a “confidential fund,” hurdled the Senate finance committee on Thursday.

The committee, chaired by Sen. Sonny Angara, immediately approved the budget presented by Vice President Sara Duterte. Most senators also aired their full support for the budget of the

OVP.

It was only Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III who questioned the Vice President about the necessity of her office to ask about the

P500 million in confidential funds “in one year.”

But before Duterte could answer, Angara said, “Just to state for the re cord, just to place things in perspective it has received confidential or intelli gence funds for 13 years from the year 2000 to 2012.”

Duterte related there were once in telligence and confidential funds that were granted to the OVP.

In his manifestation, Senate Presi dent Juan Miguel Zubiri appealed to his colleagues to give the OVP “due courtesy” and approve its 2023 budget at the soonest time possible. “So I’m here also appealing to my col leagues that we give the same courtesy we have given to the previous Vice Presidents when it comes to their budg et,” Zubiri added.

Senator Bong Go and other senators also aired their sup port for the OVP’s budget. Go noted that the Vice Presi dent will work closely with the President and, on top of that, she will also spearhead

Rody: PDP-Laban will serve as ‘fiscalizer’

Republic of the Philippines NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION Regional Trial Court Branch 78 rtc1qzn078@judiciary.gov.ph / 0916531-1933

REY T. DELA CRUZ, Petitioner, -versus- Civil Case No. R-QZN-19-07469-CV

SCHEDULE

September

October 1-14,

October

For: Declaration of Nullity of Marriage BEVERLY F. PARAS-DELA CRUZ, Respondent.

x--------------------------------------------x

ORDER

2022 (9:00

3, 2022 (9:00 am)

November 4, 2022

Acting on the MOTION TO PUBLISH THE DISPOSITIVE PORTION OF THE DECISION dated August 31, 2022 but filed with the Court on September 7, 2022 by the petitioner through counsel and finding said motion to be well taken, the same is hereby Granted.

Let proper NOTICE OF DECISION addressed to respondent re Decision of the Court in the instant case dated April 25, 2022 issued immediately for publication in a newspaper of general circulation pursuant to the provision of the rules.

SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Metro Manila, 8th day of September, 2022.

(Sgd.) FERNANDO T. SAGUN, JR. Presiding Judge

Republic of the Philippines NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION Regional Trial Court Branch 78 Quezon City

REY T. DELA CRUZ, Petitioner, -versus- Civil Case No. R-QZN-19-07469-CV

For: Declaration of Nullity of Marriage

BEVERLY F. PARAS-DELA CRUZ, Respondent.

x----------------------------------------------x

NOTICE OF DECISION

TO : MS. BEVERLY F. PARAS-DELA CRUZ No. 221 Melendez Apartment, Tapuc District Dagupan City, Pangasinan or at No. 16 Kisad 7b West Burnham Place Baguio City

GREETINGS:

PLEASE BE NOTIFIED/INFORMED through publication in a Newspaper of general circulation that a DECISION has been rendered in the instant case on APRIL 25, 2022 whereby you were the Respondent, the dispositive portion of which is hereunder quoted as follows:

“WHEREFORE, premises considered, the petition is hereby GRANTED.

Accordingly, the marriage between petitioner REY T. DELA CRUZ and respondent BEVERLY F. PARAS-DELA CRUZ contracted on 23 SEPTEMBER 1988 at the MUNICIPAL TRIAL COURT OF ROSARIO, CAVITE before the HONORABLE AMABLE A. IBANEZ is hereby declared null and void under Art. 36 of the Family Code, as amended , as well as, for lack of marriage license.

Parties are restored to their single or unmarried status.

The Decision becomes final upon expiration of fifteen (15) days from notice to the parties. Entry of Judgment/Certificate of Finality shall be made if no Motion for Reconsideration/New Trial or Appeal is filed by any of the parties, the public prosecutor, or the Office of the Solicitor General.

The Decision and the Entry of Judgment/Certificate of Finality shall be registered in the Local Civil Registry of Quezon City where this Family Court is located and in the Local Civil Registry of Rosario, Cavite where the marriage was celebrated and registered, for its appropriate action.

After registration, the Court shall issue the corresponding decree subject to petitioner’s compliance of the provisions of Sections 22 and 23 of A.M. No. 02-11-10-SC.

Let a copy of this Decision be furnished the petitioner, the respondent, counsels, the Office of the Solicitor General, the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City, the Office of the Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City and Rosario, Cavite as well as the Office of the Civil Registrar General.

SO ORDERED.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 25, 2022.

[original signed]

FERNANDO T. SAGUN, JR.

Presiding Judge ACCORDINGLY, be further informed that in the event we would not be receiving any Motion for Reconsideration/New Trial/Appeal from your good self or counsel within thirty (30) days from the date of Publication of this Notice, the court is going to issue the CERTIFICATE OF FINALITY or ENTRY OF JUDGMENT of the Decision rendered. Be guided accordingly.

WITNESS MY HAND AND SEAL OF THIS COURT this 08th day of September, 2022 at Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

(Sgd.) FERNANDO T. SAGUN, JR Presiding Judge (MStandard - Sept. 30, 2022)

THE Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), if needed, will serve as a fiscalizer and voice concerns for the Marcos ad ministration, PDP-Laban chairman and former Presi dent Rodrigo Duterte said.

“Mayroon tayong nakikita ngayon. Pero it is not of a… para sa akin, not really one of interest of the public that would demand at this time to create a friction.

But the President can be very sure that in the coming days we will fiscalize. ‘Pag may nakita tayong masama, we will raise our voice, because that is the es sence of our presence here,” Du terte, quoted by a GMA News report, said.

Duterte further said the par ty “is not putting up a strong party against the party of the President. We are not going to quarrel. Far from it, we will be giving our full support for him politically,” Duterte said.

The PDP-Laban recently a national assembly in Pasay

City on Thursday.

Duterte, asked about his as sessment of Marcos Jr.’s first months in office, refused to give a statement until the President completes his first 100 days.

He also did not give com ments on the recent spate of kidnappings, but suggested that if the police force needs help, the Marcos administra tion can tap the military.

The PDP-Laban approved resolutions on Thursday calling on the President land law en forcement agencies to intensify the campaign against criminal ity and continue the war on ille gal drugs, GMA News reported.

The party also urged the chief executive to “fully ac tivate” the NTF-ELCAC and prioritize local peace talks. Duterte further said there is no need to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army as terror organizations, before the government can go after the said groups.

IN BRIEF

Villar seeks death benefits for rescuers

SENATE Deputy Majority Leader Mark A. Villar wants to institutionalize death benefits for personnel of disaster agen cies who will die while in the performance of their duty.

Senate Bill No. 1354 or the “Disaster Personnel Death Ben efit Act,” filed by Villar last Wednesday intends to properly compensate the families of rescuers who died during their deployment in responding to disasters.

“In every disaster, the lives of our rescuers and volunteers will always be at risk,” Villar said.

“No amount of compensation will be ever sufficient for the families left behind in case of loss of life during the per formance of their duties. The bravery and heroism of these selfless individuals should be duly recognized,” he added.

Villar said his proposed measure seeks to institutional ize the death benefits of rescuers to the surviving family re gardless of their status of government employment, whether regular, casual, contractual, job order, or on voluntary work.

“I was surprised knowing that these rescuers were cas ual workers even though serving in the government. We have to do something about this current iisituation of our rescuers. Macon Ramos-Araneta

NHA gives cash aid to Caloocan fire victims

THE National Housing Authority (NHA) has distributed P1.1 million in financial assistance to 39 families whose houses were damaged and destroyed by a recent fire in Caloocan City.

The National Capital Region-North Sector-Caloocan Dis trict Office led the distribution of the cash grants under the Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP) to the firevictim families from Barangays 22 and 49.

Each family received P10,000 to P30,000, depending on the damage incurred by their households.

One of the beneficiaries, Ricky Parcia Lodor, of Barangay 49, expressed his gratitude toward NHA general manager Joeben Tai, for the timely financial aid.

EHAP is one of NHA’s programs that provide quick response cash assistance to qualified low and marginal-income families affected by natural or man-made calamities to augment their funds for repairing their house structures. Rio N. Araja

BARMM unveils new post-harvest facility

COTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro Region has turned over a P8-million post-harvest facility to farmers in Barangay Da malusay, Maguindanao del Sur, officials said on Wednesday.

Members of Datu Paglas Farmers Irrigators Multi-Purpose Cooperative will utilize a warehouse facility of 750 square meters in floor area and a storage capacity of 25,000 to 30,000 bags of rice.

Officials of the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Agrarian Reform of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MAFAR-BARMM) said the building has been funded under the Bangsamoro Appropriation Act (BAA) of 2020. Nash Maulana

FOR SOLO PARENTS. Social welfare Sec. Erwin Tulfo, Gabriela Rep Arlene Brosas, and Rep. Anthony Golez Jr. show the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act 11861 or the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act during a ceremonial signing on Thursday at the Diamond Hotel in Roxas Boulevard. The law will provide benefits and privileges to solo parents and their children. Danny Pata

CHARLES ROY

OLINARES

‘Rampant’ corruption

offices charged with improper handling of taxpay ers’ money, with even former presidents charged with plunder during their terms of office.

IF THERE’S someone who knows the law inside out, having been part of both the enforcement as pect for many years and even the criminal aspect of it—he was kept behind bars for a time for alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam in 2014—it’s none other than Juan Ponce Enrile, who, at 98, now sits as the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel of Pres ident Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The longtime Defense Secretary and later, sena tor and Senate President, hit the headlines once again when he declared that corruption is more ram pant now than before.

Enrile aired this observation as a resource person during a recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes that’s deliberating on Charter change proposals.

“I’m not saying there was no corruption before, but it’s not like now,” Enrile said. “I’m sorry to say that during our time, corruption is rampant. All lump sum money being budgeted by Congress is subject to corruption.”

He cited as an example reports of corruption in the implementation of the Tulong Panghanapbu hay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers or TUPAD program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

TUPAD is a cash-for-work program that pro vides emergency employment for displaced, sea sonal, and underemployed workers for 10 to 30 days during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Not everyone is doing it but many are pocketing the cash and using it for election to buy the votes of our poor countrymen,” he said.

We have yet to read news that Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma has indicated any intention to look into this.

Enrile wants to go back to the old system where all presidential appointees, including the justices of the Supreme Court, were subject to confirmation by the Commission on Appointments (CA).

What does he suggest to rectify the current situ ation?

“Having been a part of the government under the 1935, 1973, and 1987 Constitutions up to now, I’d rather that we go back to the system under the 1935 Constitution,” he said.

He may have a point there, but we disagree.

Isn’t it that the Commission on Appointments consisting of members from the House of Repre sentatives and the Senate can hardly be called nonpartisan and truly independent from the executive branch?

With Philippine politics dominated by old and new family dynasties intent on staying in power for as long as they can, we cannot imagine the Commis sion on Appointments leading the way in putting an end to corruption in this country.

We believe, on the contrary, that the CA may be part and parcel of the entire political system of horse-trading, backroom deals, favoritism and nep otism that have institutionalized graft and corruption in this country for as long as we can remember.

Enrile is correct in pointing out that corruption runs rampant to this day and has become even worse now.

The fact is that corruption permeates all branches and levels of the Philippine government.

The executive department leads the long list of

It’s common knowledge that much of the mon key business takes place in the two main tax col lection agencies of the national government, namely the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, through undervaluation of imports and technical smuggling in the case of the former, and through under-the-table deals in the settlement of tax liabilities by high-worth individuals and corpo rations in the case of the latter.

It’s no secret either that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Po lice are also steeped in corruption, including the overpricing and ghost deliveries of supplies and equipment.

With the national budget getting bigger year after year, that means there’s more taxpayers’ money going down the drain and into the pockets of the corrupt in the coming years

And let’s not forget how many local govern ment units have landed in the papers for violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, or Re public Act 3019, enacted in 1960 and subsequently amended over the years to impose stiffer penalties on public officials.

The legislature has not been exempt from corrup tion allegations as well.

Some lawmakers have been charged with diver sion of their pork barrel allocations to their own pockets through the use of non-existent non-gov ernment organizations.

Other lawmakers have also been named as ben eficiaries of the scam, but no cases have prospered in court.

How about the judiciary? Not a few members of the bench have likewise been accused of issu ing dubious temporary restraining orders (TROs) to favor certain clients, for monetary consider ations.

Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranks the country in the 117th place out of 180 countries. A high ranking corresponds to a perception of high corruption in the country’s public sector.

Recall that the World Bank has estimated that roughly one-fourth of our annual national budget is lost to corruption.

If the proposed budget for 2023 of more than P5 trillion is passed by Congress and signed by the President, that means more than P1 trillion is likely to be stolen by the greedy and unscrupulous in gov ernment in 2023.

Think about that for a moment, and with the national budget getting bigger year after year, that means there’s more taxpayers’ money going down the drain and into the pockets of the corrupt in the coming years.

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

Circumstances leading to a conviction

Nevertheless, the prosecution has established multiple circumstances, which, after being consid ered in their entirety, support the conclusion that pe titioner is guilty beyond reasonable doubt of simple arson (G.R. No. 204544, July 03, 2017).

First, the evidence was credible and sufficient to prove that the petitioner stoned the private com plainant’s house and threatened to burn him.

TO UNDERSTAND circumstantial evidence there is a need to define the word circumstance.

Circumstances are facts or conditions connected with or are relevant to an event or action (Oxford Dictionary). Circumstantial evidence therefore re lates to a series of facts, other than the fact in con troversy or in dispute, from which inferences may be derived.

On the other hand, direct evidence is evidence which, if believed, proves the existence of the fact in issue, without any inference or presumption (Evi dence, Francisco citing 31 Corpus Juris Secundum 505).

Examples include the eyewitness account of someone who witnessed the stabbing of a victim, or the injured party who was frontally shot by the accused.

In criminal cases, circumstantial evidence, if suf ficiently proven, can produce the conviction of the accused.

Only the presence of multiple circumstances will warrant a conviction assuming that each of the facts (or circumstances) from which the inferences are drawn is proven (see Section 4, Rule 133, 2019 Amended Rules on Evidence).

“No general rule can be laid down as to the quantity of circumstantial evidence which in any case will suffice. All the circumstances proved must be consistent with each other, consistent with the hypothesis that the accused is guilty, and… in consistent with the hypothesis that he is innocent… ”(Evidence, Francisco citing People v. Ludday, 61 Phil. 216).

The commission of a crime, the identity of the perpetrator, and the finding of guilt may all be es tablished by circumstantial evidence.

The circumstances must be considered as a whole and should create an unbroken chain lead ing to the conclusion that the accused authored the crime (Bacerra v. People, G.R. No. 204544, July 03, 2017).

While there is no conviction in civil cases, liabil ity may be determined by considering “all the facts and circumstances of the case, the witnesses’ man ner of testifying, their intelligence, their means… of knowing the facts…,” among others; and all of these contribute to a preponderance of evidence (Section 4, Rule 133, 2019 Amended Rules on Evi dence).

In the case of Bacerra v. People, no one saw pe titioner [Bacerra] actually set the nipa hut on fire.

Second, the evidence was credible and sufficient to prove that petitioner returned a few hours later and made his way to the private complainant’s nipa hut (Bacerra v. People, G.R. No. 204544, July 03, 2017).

Third, the evidence was also credible and suffi cient to prove that the petitioner was in close prox imity to the nipa hut before it caught fire.

In criminal cases, circumstantial evidence, if sufficiently proven, can produce the conviction of the accused

The private complainant testified that he saw the petitioner (Bacerra) walk to and fro in front of the nipa hut and shake its posts just before it caught fire (G.R. No. 204544, July 03, 2017).

Circumstantial evidence is like a “tapestry made up of strands which create a pattern when interwo ven.”

Each strand cannot be plucked out and scruti nized individually because it only forms part of the entire picture (G.R. No. 204544, July 03, 2017).

In another case, the Supreme Court affirmed the findings of the trial court that “circumstantial evi dence proven by the prosecution sufficiently estab lished that appellant committed the offense (robbery with homicide) charged.”

There should be a combination of evidence which, in the ordinary and natural course of things, leaves no room for reasonable doubt as to his guilt (People v. Lignes, G.R. No. 229087, June 17, 2020).

Based on the records, Lignes asked Jayson of the location of Laurora’s house.

Lignes then went to the latter’s house, where witnesses heard the shouting and moaning from Laurora’s house and where a witness noticed some body waving a flashlight inside Laurora’s house, as if looking for something.

They also noticed that the water coming out of the drainage was brownish, as if mixed with blood (People v. Lignes, G.R. No. 229087, June 17, 2020).

EDITORIAL

Global recession

TOP world economists are seeing the handwriting on the wall—the global economy will shortly experience a recession.

A confluence of events is leading the world economy to contract, just as it begins to recover from COV ID-19.

World Trade Organization direc tor-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala blames multiple colliding crises for the impending recession. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent global oil prices soaring and created commod ity supply shocks, while COVID-19 stunted world travel and shut down major factories in China, the world’s second-biggest economy.

The resulting inflation surge has forced the US Federal Reserve Board to raise its interest rate sev eral times and other central banks followed suit.

These central bank moves are dampening consumption as the higher cost of money, or increased credit card interest rates, induces consumers to spend less in a high inflationary regime.

Higher US interest rates, as Okon

jo-Iweala notes, worsen the debt ser vice burdens of developing nations like the Philippines and weaken their currencies because of capital flight.

Higher US interest rates, as Okonjo-Iweala notes, worsen the debt service burdens of developing nations like the Philippines and weaken their currencies because of capital flight

The European Central Bank, meanwhile, is set to increase interest rates further to tame rising inflation despite the specter of a regional re cession.

It sees economic activities slow

ing down significantly in the com ing quarters amid rising inflation and slowing consumer demand in the face of higher interest rates worldwide.

ECB president Christine Lagarde warns of more interest rate hikes in the bank’s succeeding meetings “to dampen demand and guard against the risk of a persistent upward shift in inflation expectations.”

European consumers are now grappling with high electricity rates, exacerbated by the disruption of natural gas supply from Russia.

They also have to contend with rising food prices and weaker pur chasing power amid the mighty US dollar.

A recession in Europe and the US will eventually be felt in Asia. West ern consumers will buy less exports from developing nations such as the Philippines.

The reduced purchases, in turn, will cut back production in Third World countries.

And as factories receive less or ders from abroad and decrease their output, the number of unemployed people will rise.

Russia and China challenge US-led global order

the sanctions and buy petroleum from Russia.

Moscow will use the revenues to continue its il legal war against Ukraine.

Russia is very happy that Saudi Arabia recently agreed to purchase crude oil from Moscow.

aggression against Ukraine, Saudi Arabia prefers profit over the liberation of Ukraine.

For decades, Russia supported Red China as its outpost in Asia, until the communist Chinese got ambitious and became global troublemakers on their own.

DURING the Cold War, the Soviet Union made Eastern European countries its vassal states; at tempted but failed to starve West Berlin into sub mission to communism; and fueled the war in IndoChina.

Moscow imprisoned Cuba under communism; triggered the birth of Arab terrorists in the aftermath of its barbarous invasion of Afghanistan; and cre ated North Korea, the evil state that today constantly threatens the world with nuclear annihilation.

The Soviet government even imprisoned its own people in its notorious gulag prisons in Siberia on slightest suspicion of dissent.

In February 2022, Russia – which now leads the Russian Federation after the collapse of the Soviet Union – invaded Ukraine, on the pretext that Ukrai nians needed to be liberated from Nazi ideology.

In truth, its introverted and disruptive leader, Vladimir Putin, was displeased that Ukraine was planning to join the pro-Western military alli ance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Seven months have passed since the invasion but Ukraine is still up and fighting, and it has recovered much of its territory from Russian occupation.

Ukraine is able to fight the Russians because of military and financial assistance from the United States and its allies.

In addition, the Americans and their allies im posed stiff continuing economic sanctions on Rus sia, including a boycott of Russian oil and natural gas exports and restrictions on Russian commercial activities abroad.

The Russian economy has been sluggish since the economic sanctions were imposed.

As winter approaches, Moscow believes that Western Europe, which has been heavily dependent on Russian exports of natural gas for heating and domestic use for decades, will be compelled to ease

It was also proven that Lignes, wearing a black t-shirt and carrying a backpack full of Laurora’s personal belongings rushed out of Laurora’s house.

Lignes was also frisked and a screwdriver was found in his possession; it was later proven that Lau rora’s death was due to multiple stab wounds.

A witness also identified the green shirt worn by the child offender (co-conspirator of Lignes) as Laurora’s (People v. Lignes, G.R. No. 229087, June 17, 2020).

However, in the case of People v. Cadenas and Martije, the Supreme Court reversed the convic tion of Cadenas and Martije for rape with homicide which was based on circumstantial evidence.

The trial court and Court of Appeals “rushed to the conclusion that the presence of the appellants at the crime scene…as sufficient to incriminate them to the commission of the crime charged” (G.R. No. 233199, November 05, 2018).

The circumstance of being at the scene of the crime and leaving hastily may raise speculations, as it had, in fact, inevitably made Cadenas and Mar tije the prime suspects, but it is far too inadequate to support a conviction.

The Court has consistently stressed that mere suspicions and speculations can never be the bases of conviction in a criminal case (G.R. No. 233199, November 05, 2018).

The testimony of witness Escribano was highly suspicious, and it was contrived to pin criminal cul pability upon Cadenas and Martije.

No shred of evidence is on record that could show the existence of a source of light then which may have provided Escribano with enough illumi nation that enabled him to recognize who the two persons were (G.R. No. 233199, November 05, 2018).

It is strange that Escribano should return to Cas

Saudi Arabia will use the cheap Russian import for its domestic consumption, and sell its own crude oil in the world market at astronomical prices made possible by the increased demand for Saudi Arabian oil as a result of the Western boycott of Russian pe troleum.

Saudi Arabia has made the cost of living world wide more expensive than ever by its shrewd ma nipulation of the world’s oil supply.

Russia, Red China and Saudi Arabia are challenging the standing hegemony of the US in the political, economic and military spheres

It is also the original home of extremists and ter rorists who create havoc and destruction in North America, Asia and Europe.

Although Saudi Arabia is wealthy, the Saudis remain virtually uncivilized as seen in the way they abuse and maltreat Asian domestic helpers working there. Saudi Arabia is the last country in the world to outlaw slavery. That was in 1965.

In 2018, the Saudis executed Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist known for his critical remarks against the Saudi government. Khashoggi was mercilessly dismembered right inside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey.

Undoubtedly, Saudi Arabia’s oil deal with Russia allows Moscow to continue its illegal war against Ukraine.

Instead of helping the world by using its eco nomic might to compel the Russians to end its

tillo (live-in partner of the victim) when natural in stinct and reason would dictate that he should have entered the house to see if anything bad happened to his friend’s live-in partner or should have at least called for the victim’s name from outside the house to check on her condition.

His reaction was unnatural and contrary to ordi nary human experience (G.R. No. 233199, Novem ber 05, 2018).

The Supreme Court finds it disturbing how Ba rangay Captain Gerald Arquiza (Arquiza) was able to identify Cadenas and Martije as the sexual ravish ers and killers of AAA (the victim).

Nowhere in the prosecution’s evidence does it show that Castillo and/or Escribano reported the incident and that they had identified the perpetra tors to Arquiza at any time after the discovery of the body of the victim (G.R. No. 233199, November 05, 2018).

Finally, there is a paucity of evidence to show that the appellants (Cadenas and Martije) have a motive to rape or kill the victim.

There was also no evidence that Cadenas and Martije carried a grudge or had an axe to grind against the victim or her live-in partner, Castillo. In fact, Cadenas declared that he did not find AAA attractive (G.R. No. 233199, November 05, 2018).

The Supreme Court underscored that a convic tion must be based on the strength of the prosecu tion’s evidence and not on the weakness of the evi dence of the defense.

It is paramount that the prosecution proves the guilt of the accused and not the accused to prove his innocence.

The prosecution’s circumstantial evidence fails to prove indubitably the appellants’ commission of the crime of rape with homicide (G.R. No. 233199, November 05, 2018).

Red China, with Russia’s consent, provided mil itary assistance to communist North Korea during the Korean War (1950-1953), but the communist invasion of South Korea ended in a stalemate.

Today, Beijing remains a staunch supporter of the hardline, intolerant communist government in Pyongyang.

After the Korean conflict, Red China invaded Tibet, thus forcing the Dalai Lama to go on exile. It also waged regional wars to claim territories be longing to India and Vietnam. Beijing is also ha rassing Japan for possession of islets currently held by the Japanese.

Red China stole the Paracel Islands from Viet nam, and has not hidden its consuming desire to conquer Taiwan, even through the use of military force.

If the Chinese communists were to have their way, they want Taiwan cut off from the rest of the world and make it ripe for a communist takeover.

Beijing supported the murderous regime of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. That regime, headed by the blood-thirsty Pol Pot, killed one-third of the Cambodian population from 1975 until it was over thrown in 1979.

Today, Cambodia remains an ally of Red China and serves as Beijing’s agent in neutralizing any overture from the Association of South East Asian Nations against communist Chinese expansionist activities in Southeast Asia.

When the British returned Hong Kong to Red China in 1997, Beijing promised to retain freedom and democracy there.

Today, Hong Kong is a glorified prison camp which does not tolerate free speech, press freedom and freedom of assembly.

Lest we forget, Red China has stolen islets and shoals in the West Philippine Sea which belong to the Philippines.

Beijing also refuses to condemn Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.

Russia, Red China and Saudi Arabia are chal lenging the standing hegemony of the US in the political, economic and military spheres.

(www.manilastandard.net)

Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Baldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad

Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

Rolando

Why POGOS must be outlawed

A reboot

Stocks bounce back;

rises

markets up. Analysts said the decision provided some hope that central banks were ready to step in with support if things got too bad.

Vietnam’s economy surged by 13% in Q3

HANOI, Vietnam—Vietnam’s econ omy grew more than 13 percent in the third quarter, compared to a year earlier, as manufacturing and exports surged following the end of strict COVID-19 controls, authorities said Thursday.

LOSERS

The Philippine Stock Exchange In dex rose 54.57 points, or 0.9 percent to 5,934.25 on a value turnover of P5.2 billion. Gainers beat losers, 121 to 76, with 42 issues unchanged.

SM Investments Corp. of the Sy Group advanced 3.7 percent to P760, while unit BDO Unibank Inc., the big gest lender in terms of assets, gained 2.6 percent at P114.10.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. of the Salim Group of Indonesia climbed 3 percent to P3.45, while Jollibee Foods Corp., the largest fast-food chain, in creased 2.4 percent to P234.

Meanwhile, investors growing increas ingly worried about the UK economy as Prime Minister Liz Truss backed the con troversial mini-budget that sparked tur moil across global markets.

The central bank sparked a surge across risk assets Wednesday follow ing the announcement of a two-week program to spend £65 billion ($71 bil lion) buying long-dated UK bonds “to restore orderly market conditions.”

The move came after new finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled a tax-cutting mini-budget Friday that many experts, including the Interna tional Monetary Fund, warned would fan borrowing and deal a further blow to the already fragile economy.

Kwarteng’s plan sent yields on UK government bonds, as well as those of other countries, soaring and raised the prospect of even bigger interest rate hikes.

The BoE move provided a massive shot in the arm for investors, pushing yields down, and sterling and stock

However, the impact was short lived as traders continue to worry about the long-term effect on the UK economy from the budget.

“The Bank moved to stop contagion, but stress remains and it remains the case that it must tighten policy faster to offset the effects of the budget,” said Markets. com analyst Neil Wilson.

The new round of easing also knocked the BoE’s plan to fight inflation off course as it had to suspend a program to sell “gilts,” which had helped lift borrowing costs.

The pound fell back below $1.0800 Thursday, having spiked at $1.0900 ear lier, while the FTSE 100 plunged more than two percent. Paris and Frankfurt were not far behind as data showed German in flation had hit 8.8 percent. Still, in some bright news, Spain said price rises slowed to below 10 percent this month. With AFP

During the same period last year, commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City was under strict lockdown and pro duction at many factories in impor tant southern industrial zones was severely affected.

Growth in the communist nation and manufacturing powerhouse stut tered at around three percent for two consecutive years due to the pan demic.

Before that, Vietnam was a success story among Asian economies, post ing growth of seven percent in 2019.

In a return to health, the economy grew by 8.83 percent in the first nine months of 2022, the fastest expan sion since 2011.

“Business and production activi ties have step-by-step gained back momentum for growth,” Vietnam’s general statistics office (GSO) said.

Indonesia hikes rates for 2nd  straight month

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Indonesia’s central bank hiked its key interest rate for the second month in a row Thursday to combat rising inflation stoked by fuel prices and the war in Ukraine.

Bank Indonesia pushed the policy rate to 4.25 from 3.75 percent, and the jump was higher than expected by analysts.

Its two other main rates were also raised by 50 basis points.

The central bank hiked interest rates in August for the first time since 2018 to defend against accelerating inflation, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine driving up global energy and food prices and pushing millions into poverty.

But a fuel price rise this month has put more pressure on the central bank to act.

The government raised heavily subsidized fuel prices by about 30 percent, a policy expected to further stoke inflation already at 4.69 per cent. AFP

Porsche ignites blockbuster IPO, defying market turmoil

By Sam Reeves

FRANKFURT, Germany—Luxury sports carmaker Porsche raced onto the Frankfurt stock exchange Thursday with one of Europe’s biggest listings in years, leveraging its brand power to defy glob al market turmoil.

Its shares rose to 84 euros ($81) at the start of trading, bettering the 82.50 euros price set by its parent company Volkswagen, and outperforming a weak Frankfurt market.

Even as markets worldwide suffer from surging inflation and mounting recession fears, the maker of the 911 sports car has pushed ahead with the bold flotation that gives Porsche a valu ation of more than 76 billion euros.

“This is a historic moment for Porsche,” said the carmaker’s chief Oliver Blume, who is also CEO of the wider German auto group Volkswagen.

“Fulfilling the dreams of our custom

ers is what drives us... With the comple tion of the listing, we are opening a new chapter in the history of our company.”

Volkswagen is set to raise 9.4 billion euros ($9.2 billion) from the listing, with some of the cash to be plowed into the group’s high-speed drive towards electric vehicles.

In terms of value of shares issued, Porsche’s is the biggest stock market debut in Germany since Deutsche Tele kom’s in 1996, and the largest in Europe since the 2011 flotation of Switzerlandbased commodities giant Glencore.

‘Crazy, cool’

Analysts have looked to the car maker’s market entry for some cheer against a morose economic backdrop, with investment bank Berenberg saying it could “offer a catalyst in an industry sorely lacking positive surprises.”

It has generated buzz in Porsche’s home market of Germany, where top tabloid Bild described it as “crazy, cool, fast-paced”.

“Sports car icon Porsche goes full throttle and races onto the stock mar ket,” read a column in the paper.

It has also drawn interest from major investors, including Qatar and Abu Dha bi’s public investment funds, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund and US asset management firm T. Rowe Price.

The IPO has seen 113.9 million shares of “Porsche AG” issued.

While the carmaker’s valuation is below some earlier estimates, it still catapults it above rivals such as BMW, with a valuation of 47 billion euros, and Mercedes-Benz, with a 56-billion-euro capitalization.

Electric drive

Porsche has joined the elec tric drive of the Volkswagen group, whose brands also in clude Audi and Skoda, in ear nest.

The electric “Taycan” has been the brand’s best-selling

model since January, an electric version of the “Macan” is due in 2024, as well as the launch of a new SUV in the middle of the decade.

The electric strategy includes building battery factories across Europe and the US. Volkswagen announced this week it will work with Belgian group Umicore to produce battery materials.

The IPO sees preferential shares sold to investors, which have no voting rights, while Volkswagen is also selling 25 per cent of the carmaker to Porsche SE.

The eponymous company is a listed holding controlled by the Porsche-Piech family, who in turn are the main share

holders in Volkswagen. This means that Porsche SE will have a blocking minority that will al low it to steer the future of the com pany.

Volkswagen hopes that listing a minority stake in Porsche will push up its own stock market value, which is 85 billion euros— just a fraction of US rival Tesla’s, at just over $900 billion.

AFP

ERRATUM

There was an error in the NOTICE OF THE SPECIAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING of CONCEPCION INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION which was published today September 29, 2022. In the first paragraph it should be Special Stockholders’ Meeting and not as published. For this we apologize, thus this erratum.

CONCEPCION INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION (formerly Concepcion Airconditioning Corporation)

NOTICE OF THE SPECIAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING

Tower, 8767 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City and/or by email to cic.secretary@romulo.com not later than October 15, 2022 . The proxies and ballots submitted shall be validated on October 19, 202 2 at 2:00 p.m. We are not soliciting proxies.

The Information Statement which contains a brief explanation of each item on the agenda and procedures for attending the meeting via remote communication and for casting votes in absentia, and Quarterly Report for period ended June 30, 2022 in SEC Form 17-Q are posted on the Corporation’s website at https://cic.ph/investor-relations/#special-stockholders and PSE EDGE. The meeting shall be recorded in audio and video format and copies thereof shall be retained by the Corporation.

Porsche CFO Lutz Meschke (from left), CEO of German car producer Porsche AG Oliver Blume and the CEO of stock operator Deutsche Boerse AG Theodor Weimer stand in line during the launching of the company’s initial public offering at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Frankfurt, western Germany, on September 29, 2022. AFP

AFP

MONACO YACHT SHOW. This photograph taken on September 28, 2022 shows moored yachts at the Hercules Port in

Monaco during the 31st edition of the International Monaco Yacht Show. The Monaco Yacht Show is considered the most prestigious pleasure boat show in the world with the exhibition of 500 major companies in luxury yachting and featuring over a hundred super and mega-yachts. AFP

Uratex, Maxiflex investing P560m in mattress plant

By Othel V. Campos

URATEX Philippines teamed up with gloves manufacturer Maxiflex Philip pine Corp. in investing P560.4 mil lion in a new mattress manufacturing facility in Plaridel, Bulacan.

The Board of Investments said Thursday it approved the application for tax incentives filed by Maxiflex for the project under the 2022 Stra tegic Investment Priority Plan of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incen tives for Enterprises Act.

“This will provide a boost to the international footprint of our locallyproduced mattresses since a great majority of Uratex’s production will cater to foreign markets, leveling up our exports of high-value and highquality products,” said Trade under secretary and BOI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo.

“Uratex has long been known in the Philippines as it is the leading manufacturer of mattresses. The ex ports of its Maxiflex product around the globe will provide greater traction and awareness for Uratex as a worldclass brand,” said Rodolfo.

The BOI said the facility would start operations in October this year, with an annual capacity of 680,000 pieces of all-foam and spring mattresses. Export sales are expected to reach over P2.1 billion annually.

The BOI said Uratex aimed to ex port around 79 percent of its produc tion to the United States, New Zea land, Papua New Guinea and other ASEAN countries.

The new facility will combine dif ferent foam and spring materials to create innovative products for the comfort of consumers. It is equipped with bedding and mattress testing machineries capable of performing durability tests to ensure that the product is compliant with global in dustry standards.

Uratex will employ the so-called volume reduction packing method— a process that will compress and roll pack foam and spring mattresses to optimize space.

ACEN acquiring 60-MW Sinocalan solar farm project

ACEN Corp. said Thursday its board approved the acquisition of Sinocalan Solar Power Corp. which will add 60 megawatts of capacity to its renewable energy portfolio.

ACEN said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its board cleared the investment in the 60-MW solar plant in Pangasinan through the acquisition of Sinocalan Solar, the project’s spe cial purpose vehicle.

The board also approved ACEN’s investment in and construction of the 300-MW solar project, including the transmission line of Giga Ace 8 Inc., in Palauig, Zambales.

It endorsed the execution of a techni cal services agreement with Sungrow Power Renewables Corp., a leader in the research and development of solar inverters and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions, energy storage systems and floating PV plant solutions.

ACEN is aggressively expanding its RE projects to reach its goal of becom ing the largest listed renewable plat form in Southeast Asia, with 20,000 MW in capacity by 2030.

The board approved the commit ment of up to Au$800 million (in any combination of equity, credit support, and guarantees and similar arrange ments) for the construction of 520MW projects in Australia.

It also granted authority to ACEN Aus tralia and subsidiaries to enter into a PV module supply agreement for the project.

The board also approved funding for the 208-MW NAREDCO Solar Power Plant Project in La-lo, Cagayan.

Other board approvals included new omnibus credit lines with Maybank, AUB and CTBC, increased credit lines with BDO, and authority to share such credit facilities with subsidiaries under a co-use arrangement and provide guar antees to subsidiaries in proportion to its percentage of interest for the use of such facilities.

Alena Mae S. Flores

SEC issues arbitration rules on intra-corporate squabbles

By Alena Mae S. Flores

mum provisions of the arbitration agree ment that a corporation may execute, the place of arbitration if not specified, the procedure for appointing arbitrators, the composition and powers of the arbitral tribunal and disclosure requirements, among others.

Arbitration is defined as a voluntary dispute resolution process in which one or more arbitrators, appointed by the parties’ designated independent third party or in accordance with the rules, resolve a dispute by rendering an award.

comply with such requirements shall be unenforceable, although arbitration shall still proceed under Republic Act No. 9285, or the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act of 2004,” the SEC said.

It said disputes between the corpora tion, stockholders or members, which arise from the implementation of the articles of incorporation and bylaws or intra-corporate relations, should be re ferred to arbitration.

The SEC said disputes involving criminal offenses and third parties’ in terests would be excluded from arbitra tion.

The commission released SEC Mem orandum Circular No. 8, Series of 2022, which provides for the guidelines on ar bitration of intra-corporate disputes for corporations.

It said the guidelines operationalize Section 181 of Republic Act No. 11232, or the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines, which states that an arbitra tion agreement may be provided in the articles of incorporation or bylaws of a corporation.

The guidelines provide for the mini

The SEC said a domestic corporation may provide an arbitration agreement in its articles of incorporation or bylaws and in the form of a separate agreement.

It said an arbitration agreement should state the number of arbitrators; the designated independent third par ty who will appoint the arbitrator/s; the procedure for the appointment of the arbitrator/s; and the period within which the designated indepen dent third party should nominate the arbitrator/s.

“Arbitration agreements that do not

The agency said that when an intracorporate dispute was filed with a re gional trial court despite adopting an arbitration agreement, the court should act under the rules of procedure that the Supreme Court may promulgate to im plement Section 181 of the RCC.

Unless the arbitration agreement states otherwise, the seat or place of arbitration should be presumed to be in the country or under the relevant law if the seat or place of arbitration is outside the Philippines.

43.3591

41.1453

38.4556

2.651816 156.4306

15.6680

LandBank releases IRR on loan payment moratorium for ARBs

LAND Bank of the Philippines and the Department of Agrarian Reform signed Wednesday a joint administra tive order providing the implementing rules and regulations on Executive Or der No. 4 Series of 2022, or the mora torium on the payment of land amorti zation and interests for agrarian reform beneficiaries.

The EO, signed by President Ferdi nand Marcos Jr. on Sept. 13, calls for a one-year moratorium on loan pay ments by ARBs.

“It is our duty in the government to prioritize the farmers, not only be cause they are the ones who keep us alive, but because they will make our economy rise again,” said LandBank president and chief executive Cecilia Borromeo.

The IRR specified that the one-year moratorium covers the payment of the principal value and the annual interest due and payable by the ARBs.

“The one-year moratorium period will provide the needed time for Con gress to pass the law condoning the existing agrarian reform loans for the current ARBs and free land distribu tion for future beneficiaries,” said DAR secretary Conrado Estrella III.

The moratorium covers the financial obligation to pay the total cost of the land under Presidential Decree No. 27, including interest at the rate of 6 percent per annum as provided under Section 6 of E.O. No. 228.

It also covers the financial obligation to pay the principal value including the 6 percent annual interest of the 30-year

Megawide opens second precast factory in Rizal

MEGAWIDE Construction Corp. said Thursday it opened a second precast plant in Taytay, Rizal that will increase overall production capacity as it vies for more in frastructure projects.

The plant can produce over 35,000 cu bic meters of precast annually, adding to Megawide’s current production capacity of 96,000 cubic meters and making it the leading precast manufacturer in the coun try.

“This new precast facility is designed to produce half-slab products allowing our main plant to focus more on custom ized and new products. These two plants will complement each other to ensure effi ciency in our operations,” said Megawide executive vice-president for business units Markus Hennig in a statement.

The facility will produce half-slabs, a basic precast component used for floor ing and horizontal infrastructures such as roads and railways.

Megawide is applying a methodology that enables faster curing time for precast

elements and manufactures higher pro duction loads within a shorter period.

The company said producing precast components in a factory setting ensures higher standardization and lessens the need for manpower by removing conven tional works.

It is also more environment-friendly than traditional methods, as it reduces the use of lumber for on-site casting and helps guarantee a higher quality, cleaner finish that is free from wood or joint marks.

Megawide said precast orders were overbooked pre-pandemic in 2019, and with the country’s ongoing recovery, this new precast plant can provide and meet the demand for existing and upcoming projects.

It will ensure the availability of pre cast for infrastructure projects such as the ongoing Malolos-Clark Railway Proj ect Package 1 and CP-104 of the Metro Manila Subway project, which will begin construction this year.

Alena Mae S. Flores

land amortization of the ARBs under Section 26 of RA No. 6657, as amended.

“LandBank supports this historic initiative which is now taking off. We will provide immediate financial relief to ARBs nationwide and yield positive results towards ensuring food security in the country,” Borromeo said.

LandBank serves as the collection agent of the national government for land amortizations from ARBs, pur suant to its mandate as the financial intermediary of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. All collec tions are remitted to the Bureau of the Treasury.

The JAO will assist in the identifica tion of beneficiaries qualified to avail of the one-year payment suspension.

Othel V. Campos

Hot money  records

$86-m net outflows

FOREIGN portfolio investments, or hot money, posted net outflows of $86 million in August, a reversal from the $12-million net inflow a year ago, as global uncertainties continued to impact financial markets, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Thursday.

The August net outflows were lower than the $103-million net outflows registered in July. This resulted from the $878-million gross outflows and $792 million gross in flows for the month.

The $792-million registered investments in August were 16.3 percent or $111 mil lion higher than the $681 million in July. Majority of investments or 76.0 percent of the total were registered in Philippine Stock Exchange-listed securities, mainly in banks; holding firms; property; food, beverage and tobacco; and electricity, energy, power and water.

The balance went to investments in peso government securities (24.0 percent) and other instruments (less than 1 percent). In vestments in August came largely from the United Kingdom, the United States, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Luxembourg with a combined share of 82.6 percent.

Julito G. Rada

PEZA, Upgrade sign solar power accord

THE Philippine Economic Zone Author ity signed a memorandum of understanding with Upgrade Energy Philippines Inc. for the development of solar energy projects in economic zones.

PEZA officer-in-charge and deputy direc tor-general for policy and planning Tereso Panga said the partnership would promote the goal of environment-friendly industrial ization.

“Promoting the use of renewable energy is extremely paramount in our country so we can save billions of pesos in energy and electricity consumptions, generate more jobs and at the same time, reduce our coun try’s share of carbon emissions, therefore, fighting the adverse effects of the global cli mate change,” he said.

Under the MOU, UGEP will conduct feasibility studies in Cavite Economic Zone and Baguio City Economic Zone to deter mine the viability of the first phase projects prior to implementation. The first phase in volves the development and implementation of two 10-megawatt solar projects at the two economic zones. Othel V. Campos

EZ Shop taps Globe business solutions

EZ SHOP, the popular online and home TV shopping network in the Philippines, teamed up with Globe Business to support its expan sion as Filipinos continue to “add to cart”.

“Our partnership with Globe Business helped us realize that digital transforma tion is critical to MSMEs like us. With the right knowledge, technology, digital tools and partner, we can improve our influence and engagements with our customers,” said EZ Shop general manager Princess Silva.

EZ Shop subscribed to ChatGenie to con nect and sell to their customers through plat forms that they are already using.

ChatGenie is a multi-channel commerce platform that helps businesses sell inside the world’s biggest apps. By providing a seamless ordering experience to customers on Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Viber, GLife and other social media apps, ChatG enie helps increase conversion rates to up to 27 percent by selling six times more com pared to other e-commerce channels.

EZ Shop was able to streamline the pro cess of selling through their online stores on Facebook and Instagram, among its other social media pages. Darwin G. Amojelar

THE Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday it issued the guidelines allowing corporations to resolve intra-corporate disputes promptly and without going to court through arbitration.

SUSTAINABLE FLIGHT. Cebu Pacific operates a Singapore-to-Manila passenger flight powered by sustainable aviation fuel, becoming the first Philippine carrier to incorporate SAF in its commercial operations. The maiden SAF flight was operated with an Airbus A321NEO, using 35-percent blended SAF produced by Neste and supplied by Shell Eastern Petroleum. Welcoming the flight are (from left) Cebu Air Inc. vice president for marketing and customer experience Candice Iyog, Manila International Airport Authority senior assistant general manager Bryan Co, MIAA general manager Cesar Chiong, Civil Aeronautics Board acting board secretary Clarabel Anne Lacsina, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines acting chief of flight operations department Capt. Florendo Jose Aquino III and CEB chief commercial officer Xander Lao.

SM PRIME’S AWARD. SM Prime Holdings Inc. is named the Most Outstanding Real Estate Company in the Philippines by international financial publication Asiamoney. SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim (second from left) receives the company’s latest recognition during the Asiamoney Awards’ gala night at Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Sept. 21, 2022. With Lim are (from left) Asiamoney editor Rashmi Kumar, SM Prime vice president for investor relations Alexander Pomento and Asiamoney deputy editor Manju Dalal.

Sports

Floyd denies return bout with Pacquiao

By Peter Atencio

THERE won’t be another fi ght in the ring between undefeated fi ve-division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and eight-division world titleholder Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather, who blew in town on Wednesday, said so, snuffing out talks that he will go for an-

other shot at Pacquiao.

“Absolutely not.” said the 45-year-old Mayweather, who returned to the Philippines for another business deal with beauty and health brand Frontrow.

Mayweather last went to the Philippines back in May 2019, promoting a Thermage procedure, and became an endorser of the Belo Medical Group.

The famed boxer discussed his recent encounter with Pacquiao when he led the inauguration of the brand’s newest building in Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.

It will be recalled that Mayweather defeated Pacquiao via unanimous decision in their 2015 Battle for Greatness blockbuster bout at the historic MGM Grand

Sealions whip Gri ins, near bronze finish

PGJC-Navy made quick work of VNS-One Alicia, 25-20, 25-19, 2521, to move on the verge of a bronze finish in the 2022 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference, Thursday at the Paco Arena.

With the victory, the Sealions arrested their two-game skid and have a chance to clinch third place on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

“Masaya na at least nakapagpahinga rin ‘yung players namin coming from the loss, at least ngayon bumawi sila, bumalik sa winning and hopefully makuha na namin sa Saturday,” said PGJC-Navy head coach Cecille Cruzada.

Jao Umandal, Ronniel Rosales, and Joeven Dela Vega unleashed an off-theblock kill and back-to-back rejections, respectively, to give the Sealions the first frame, 25-20.

The Griffins tried to mount a comeback from a 15-23 deficit in the second

set but Omar Lioc shut the door with a through-the-block spike, 25-19.

VNS-One Alicia played catchup anew in the third period, closing the gap from six to two, but Jemmy Entig and Greg Dolor connected on a 3-1 closing run for the win, 25-21.

“Move on na lang kami sa talo namin noong nakaraan. Goal namin ngayon is makuha ‘yung bronze and sa Saturday sana mas [itodo] pa namin ‘yung game para makuha na namin,” said team captain Dolor.

Dela Vega, still playing hurt, unloaded 14 points on 10 attacks, three blocks, and a service ace laced with seven digs as well for the Sealions.

Also coming through for PGJCNavy were Dolor who finished with eight points while Umandal got seven points in just two sets as he was rested in the third.

None reached double figures for the Griffins, who were paced by Ben

Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I’ve already had my hard fights from 1987 to 2017.

“So, now everything is just entertaining and just having fun,” said Mayweather.

Before going to Manila, Mayweather had knocked out MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura in a fight witnessed by Pacquiao at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

“Just the other day, I was in Tokyo competing in another boxing exhibition. It was great to see the eightdivision world champion, Manny Pacquiao. He’s such a great guy, such a great champion. He represents the Filipinos, the Filipino culture like no other. So I have to take my hand out to Manny Pacquiao, great guy, unbelievable athlete.”

FEU ready to fill void Abarrientos, 2 others left

THE Far Eastern University Tamaraws are slowly coping with the absence of key player Rhon Jay Abarrientos and two other players as they see action on Sunday in the 85th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.

Three senior players, Xyrus Torres, LJay Gonzales and Brian Sajonia are expected to fill in the shoes of the 22year old Abarrientos, who skipped his final year with FEU to sign up for the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis.

Torres, Gonzales and Sajonia will step up for Abarrientos, who will now devote his time with Ulsan, a finalist in 2020-2021 season of the Korean Basketball League.

In the past, Abarrientos carried much of the scoring load of the Tams, and Ojuola always protected the shaded lanes for them.

“We lost one-third of our scoring. That’s what I told my guys, there’s not one or two players who can replace Abarrientos and Ojuola. This is going to be a collective effort,” said Tams coach Olsen Racela.

The strength of the Tams will be known when they meet the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Sunday.

The 5’11 Abarrientos’, was the main point guard for the Tams with averages of 8.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists,

Without him, sniper Xyrus Torres will have a major role in scoring.

Torres finished Season 84, being second in both total three-pointers made and three-point percentage, with his minimum of 15 three-point attempts per game.

Sajonia can also back him with his accuracy from the outside.

The Tamaraws also have Cebuano cage, Kevin Guibao from University of San Jose-Recoletos

Guibao is known as a natural wingman and with his athleticism.

He left Cebu last year after becoming the MVP in the 2019 CESAFI Partner’s Cup and after playing for the University of San Jose Recoletos Jaguars. Peter Atencio

EA, FIFA bid farewell to video gamers

ONE of the biggest franchises in video game history is coming to an end on Friday with the release of FIFA 23, the final installment of a football game that has entranced millions of fans for the past three decades.

San Andres’ nine points to go with 11 excellent receptions.

Yoyong Mendoza chipped in eight

points, while Alfredo Pagulong came off the bench and contributed seven points of his own.

Nueva Ecija surges to 20th win, nears elims sweep

Sardines dump Quezon City MG Cars, 96-71, and the Muntinlupa Cagers trounce Quezon City MG Cars, 82-67.

The Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards posted their 20th straight win and need only to beat the Batangas City Embassy Chill Athletics on Oct. 7 to complete a dominant run in the single round-robin elimination phase of the 22-team tournament.

Powered by Michael Mabulac and Michael Juico, Nueva Ecija pulled away at 59-46 and warded off Pasig’s rallies to pull down the Realtors to 13-6. Mabulac wound up with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists while Juico contributed 15 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds for Coach Jerson Cabiltes’ charges.

Nueva Ecija started cold, allowing Pasig to take control at 25-17 before shifting to high gear with its running game that netted the Rice Vanguards 19 points against just three for the Realtors, who git 15 points from Ryan Paule Costelo, 12 from Robbie Manalang and 10 from Carlo Lastimosa.

Other games saw Zamboanga Family’s Brand

Zamboanga clustered 20 points, nine by Jayvee Marcelino, bridging the third and fourth quarters to take the fight out of Quezon City, 85-58, and tally its 15th win against 3 losses.

Jaycee ended up with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists to complement the 18-point, 3-assist, 3-steal effort of twin brother Jayvee Marcelino.

Other major contributors for Zamboanga were Reden Celda with 12 points and 3 rebounds, Chris Dumapig with 11 points and 8 rebounds, and Chito Jaime with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

Jerick Nacpil posted 22 points and 10 rebounds for Quezon City, which slipped to 8-10.

Muntinlupa banked on John Cantimbuhan Jr.’s 22 points and Domark Matillano’s 13 to climb to 4-14, just behind Imus, which holds the eighth spot with a 5-13 card in the South division. Laguna tumbled to 3-15.

Imus holds the eighth spot with a 5-13 card.

The MPBL goes to the Batangas City Coliseum on Thursday. Games on tap are San Juan-Rizal at 5 p.m., Bacolod-Makati at 7 p.m. and Caloocan against Batangas at 9 p.m.

US game maker Electronic Arts (EA) and global football body FIFA spent months negotiating over the licensing agreement that has underpinned the game since its first edition in 1993.

But they confirmed the split in May when FIFA said it would be seeking other partners and EA said it would rebrand its game as “EA Sports FC” from next year.

For the final version, EA has included women’s club teams for the first time—though only from England and France—several years after it introduced women players.

Australian superstar Sam Kerr, who plays in the English league, is on the game’s cover along with French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe.

“It is—and remains—one of the most popular franchises in all of gaming,” said Tom Wijman of Newzoo, a firm that analyses data on the industry.

The decoupling is risky for both EA and FIFA, with neither guaranteed success from their new ventures.

But analysts say EA is in a stronger position after spending 30 years developing and marketing the game.

The firm said last year that FIFA had sold more than 325 million copies over its three decades—reportedly generating more than $20 billion in sales.

AFP

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor

POWERHOUSE Nueva Ecija moved on the verge of a historic sweep with a 77-66 beating of Pasig on Wednesday in the OKbet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season Presented by Xtreme at the Laguna Sports Complex in Sta. Cruz.

ERSTWHILE RIVALS: Undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao get together in a recent boxing exhibition in Japan.

The Navy Sealions get the chance to ght for the bronze medal.

Michael Mabulac provides repower for Nueva Ecija.

Madison Square Garden venue of PFL World bouts Nov. 25

PROFESSIONAL Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league announced the 2022 PFL World Championship will take place on Nov. 25 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The biggest night in MMA will feature finalists facing off for six world titles and six $1 million champion’s purses. Tickets for the 2022 PFL World Championship are available now.

The evening’s main event will see MMA superstar Kayla Harrison face off against knockout artist Larissa Pacheco for the PFL Women’s Lightweight World Championship.

With a win, Harrison will become the first person to win three PFL titles and further bolster her claim as the best female fighter in the world. It won’t come easy as Pacheco enters the matchup on the best run of her career, with her last five wins coming by way of first round knockout. These two last met in the 2019 PFL Finals, with Harrison earning her first World Championship via unanimous decision after five rounds.

British Featherweight Brendan Loughnane put on the performance of a lifetime in a one-sided drubbing of top-seeded Chris Wade in the semifinals, clinching his first appearance in the PFL World Championship. He’ll face another wrestling standout in American Bubba Jenkins, a former Division 1 NCAA champion, with a life-changing opportunity on the line.

One of the most significant signings in PFL history, Shane Burgos will make his highly anticipated debut in his hometown when he steps into the SmartCage on November 25. A rising star in the featherweight division, Burgos will face Marlon Moraes as he looks to build momentum heading into his first Regular Season in 2023.

Cebu-Chooks bid to join Paris Olympics qualifiers

By Peter Atencio

Curry: Teams ‘reloading’ in bid to unseat GS Warriors

STEPHEN Curry said Thursday that NBA teams are “reloading” to dethrone the Golden State Warriors as champions, as they begin their pre-season preparations this weekend in Japan.…

Sharp-shooter Curry is aiming for his fifth championship when the season gets underway next month, and he urged his Warriors teammates to “embrace” the target on their backs.

“It’s very easy to stay motivated because you want to maintain this feeling for as long as you can,” Curry said in Tokyo, where the Warriors will play the Washington Wizards in two pre-season games.

“We also know that defending a championship is the hardest thing to do in our sport. Not many teams are able to do it and every team is reloading to beat you, so we have to embrace that and try to keep getting better.”

The Warriors beat the Boston Celtics in last season’s NBA Finals to win the title for a seventh time.

CEBU

City—Before a hometown crowd, Mark Jayven “Mac” Tallo relishes his chance to play for Team Cebu, and earn a shot to join the Paris Olympic qualifiers when he sees action in the Chooksto-Go Pilipinas FIBA 3×3 World Tour Cebu Masters on Saturday at the SM Seaside City in Cebu.

The world no. 82 Tallo and his teammates could push the Philippines into the Olympic Qualifiers for the coming Olympiad if they earn enough points to make it.

“Sobrang excited na ako. This is my first time to play in Cebu City for this tournament,” said the 28-year-old Tallo during a presentation with scribes at the Radison Blu Hotel in Cebu City.

Cebu-Chooks, which has risen to no. 26 in the team rankings, will have Tallo backed up by Zach Huang, Mike Harry Nzeusseu, Brandon Ramirez, and playing coach Chico Lanete.

The Philippines, being the no. 22nd country in the FIBA 3×3 world ranking, is in the main draw, and will have to hurdle third-ranked Antwerp of Belgium in their first game at 3 p.m. in Pool A before clashing with world no. 18 Omaha 3Ball USA in their second match at 7 p.m.

Chief organizer Ronald Mascariñas, President and General Manager of Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. (BAVI) said the country made it to the Olympic qualifiers back in 2019 for the Tokyo Games.

And they will have a chance to send a team to the qualifiers again.

“This is one step to earn valuable

USA lady cagers storm into WC semifinals with win over Canada

CONNECTICUT Sun forward

Alyssa Thomas nailed 13 points and 14 rebounds as the all-conquering United States close in on an 11th title after setting up a women’s basketball World Cup semi-final against Canada Thursday.

Guard Kelsey Plum added a gamehigh 17 points in a 88-55 pummelling of Serbia, with the three-time defending champions strong on both offence and defence.

They will meet Canada in Sydney on Friday after the world number four swept past Puerto Rico 79-60.

The US victory made it a 10th con-

secutive World Cup that the Americans have gone undefeated before the last four, with coach Cheryl Reeve content despite a slow start, when they trailed for the first time all tournament, falling behind 11-7.

“I thought Serbia executed their game plan and took us out of one of our largest identities in pool play, and that was scoring in the paint,” she said.

“But overall, I thought our response was really good. Once we got out of the first quarter, we adjusted a little bit and we found success ... I thought our defence was really hard to play against.”

Local football by the numbers

IT is interesting to note that fixtures in the Philippine Football League (PFF) are the second most watched events by football fans in the country in the first two quarters of the year.

Despite the fact that the domestic league just started a few weeks ago, PFF matches got a 25.7% share in the data shared to The Designated Kit Man by Miko David, president of David & Golyat Management Inc. or simply D&G, one of the country’s leading digital, strategy and consulting companies.

David said the run-up to the FIFA World Cup remains the number one football event followed by Filipinos with 49.3% of the respondents saying so.

“At least 26.7 million Filipinos watched the FIFA World Cup while 14 million local fans follow the Philippines Football League. Some 12.8 million are also fans of the UEFA Champions League, the biggest club football tournament in Europe,” David said.

David mentioned that more Pinoy fans

Little separated the two sides in the first frame, with the US taking a narrow 25-23 lead, shooting 57 percent to Serbia’s 48 percent.

The US has been brutal in punishing errors, and they stepped up a gear to dominate around the board, building a 50-33 half-time lead on the back of a 12-0 run.

Serbia, ranked 10, was shooting just 30 percent from the field and were held to only seven points in the third quarter, going more than eight minutes without scoring, before the Americans put another 22 points past them in the fourth to romp home. AFP

watched the English Premier League among the big competitions in Europe. The Spanish La Liga is second and Italy’s Serie A is third.

Other major football events popular with local fans include the FIFA Women’s World Cup, AFC Asian Cup, Major League Soccer in the United States, AFC Champions League, Germany’s Bundesliga, and France’s Ligue 1. David said online searches for soccer picked up dramatically since the pandemic. Spikes normally occur during championships.

“It is also interesting to note that there is an average of 530,260 online searches related to football or soccer in the country a month. David said. Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon account for 59.6% of online searches for footballrelated content. David said more fans used their mobile phones (67.9%) as compared to those who used their desktops (27.6%) and tablets (4.6%).

Perhaps the Philippine Football Federation can learn a thing or two from the data shared by D&G to strengthen further its campaign and strategy to further promote football in the country. Heck, even the Philippine Azkals can learn, too, to bring more fans to the games and muster support for their future campaigns.

*

Speaking of interest, while his company is more popularly known in the basketball scene, LGR Athletic Wears Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer Rhayan Cruz revealed to The Designated Kit Man that they are putting up a volleyball

tournament next month for high school students.

LGR is the official outfitter of the Philippine Basketball Association and the company behind LGR Hoops, a league for semi-professional, corporate and amateur cagers, and the brand that supports several more teams in various competitions such as defending champions Letran Knights and the College of St. Benilde Blazers in the NCAA; and the DLSU Green Archers and the National University Bulldogs in the UAAP.

Rhayan, the R in LGR, (L is for Lucky and the G is Gary—his brothers) said that at least 10 teams in the girls and boys division have expressed their interests in participating in the Under-19 tournament dubbed as LGR Power Volleyball, which is set to unfold by the third week of next month.

“The reason behind the tournament is to provide a platform or an outlet for young but promising volleyball players who come from small schools or colleges to show their skills.

There are so many good players out there but they remain undiscovered because their schools are not members of any collegiate leagues or associations.

Hopefully, the LGR Power Volleyball will give them opportunities to further improve their game, their confidence, and their chances of playing in professional volleyball leagues in the country,” Cruz said.

As of now, the tournament will feature teams in the National Capital Region.

points and improve our chance to join the qualifiers. Lahat ng ginawa natin in the past has been geared towards the qualification,” said Mascarinas.

Early this month, Cebu missed a chance to reach the semifinals of the 2022 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 International Quest at the Ayala Malls Solenad in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Cebu, unable to protect the lead it built early on, fell to Zaisan MMC Energy through a 21-17 (9:50.9) in the final game of the preliminary round.

This time, the Philippines and Mongolia will again renew their rivalry, as the Filipinos will once again have two teams, with Manila Chooks joining the qualifiers.

Mongolia, which is no. 4 in the world and the highest ranked Asian country, will be fielding two teams.

Sansar is seeded in the main draw, and Ulaanbaatar will be in the qualifying draw.

The Mongolians ousted the Philippines last April 30 in the group stage of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas Asia Pacific Super Quest held in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Curry was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after a series of dazzling performances to capture one of the few accolades previously missing from his resume.

The 34-year-old said he had managed to get some rest after a “crazy busy summer” and is itching for the new season to get started.

“I’m looking to get into the routine of the season because that’s kind of my happy place, to try to be the best basketball player I can be and get ready for this year,” said Curry, a two-time regularseason MVP.

Friday’s game at Saitama Super Arena, north of Tokyo, will mark the first time that NBA teams have played pre-season games overseas since the pandemic began.

The Wizards, who did not reach the playoffs last season, have Japanese star Rui Hachimura in their squad.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr warned that “nobody will play a tonne of minutes”, but Curry promised to “put on a great show” for the Japanese fans. AFP

Cruz said many have expressed their interest to participate including squads from Quezon City, Taguig and Manila. Inquiries are also coming in from areas south of Metro Manila.

“We are also hoping to help in the grassroots development of the sport. We all know that there are so many young girls and boys who idolize the country’s leading volleyball players but their opportunities are limited and few. Sana makatulong na matupad ang mga pangarap nila ang aming liga,” Cruz added.

Games will be played at Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong.

* * *

Speaking of another Ryan, noted boxing promoter Ryan Gabriel is doing something new and different this time around.

Gabriel revealed he is now managing the career of Aljay Villena, who is not a boxer but one of the country’s emerging table tennis prospects.

Gabriel shared the 17-year-old ping pong player is set to compete in the 2022 US Open Table Tennis Championships this December and more importantly, he has booked his place in the Table Tennis World Championship in London next year.

Gabriel said despite the pandemic and its economic impact, his ward has not stopped training and preparing for the tournament in California. He also noted Villena will literally face the Goliaths of table tennis not only in the United States but also from all over the World when he gets to London in January next year.

“Magaling ang bata. May puso saka buo ang pananampalataya na kahit sobrang hirap ngayong pandemic, hindi nawawalan ng loob. Todo practice pa rin,” Gabriel said.

Villena has been playing ping pong since he was eight years old and has beaten almost all of the country’s big names in the sport. Gabriel is hoping that Filipino fans will support him on his quest to bring honor and fame to the country.

“Maliit kung ikukumpara si Aljay sa mga player ng ibang bansa pero hindi matatawaran ang fighting spirit ng bata natin. Kailangan lang talaga niya ng suporta at dasal,” Gabriel added.

Gabriel said that he will share more updates on Villena in the coming days. As always, we should never doubt the never say die attitude of the Pinoy athlete.

On a personal note, please watch our show 3PTS-Ang Pambansang Tambayan ng Sports on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, 2-3 p.m. at DZME 1530 kHz and be updated on the latest in sports events and issues in the country today. Joining me in the show are Dennis Principe and Rommel Miranda. Catch the show, too, on the FB account of DZME and share your thoughts on the issues you think are relevant to sports in the country.

Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_ cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat

France’s Lisa Berkani (R) ghts for the ball with China’s Han Xu (C) during the 2022 Women’s Basketball World Cup quarter- nal match between China and France at Sydneydome in Sydney on Thursday (Sept.29) China won, 85-71. AFP

Mac Tallo takes the lead as Cebu Chooks plunges into action at the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas FIBA

World Tour Cebu Masters

PERFORMING has been throbbing in his veins since childhood, but being the good, “bunso” son, Jericho Violago made good his promise to his parents to finish school first, all the way to university, finishing with Latin honors at that.

Armed with a BS Business Management degree from Ateneo de Manila University (cum laude), this 22-yearold is bravely embarking on a singing-performing career anchored on his strong vocals and wide range of talent.

Introducing Jericho Violago

This early, a veteran record producer has been compiling songs for his first recording.

Jericho’s versatility as a singer is backed by a string of awards earned during his years at the Ateneo, where his high school group emerged as champion at Musikapella competition in 2014. Jericho was also named champion at the Ateneo Grade School Singing Competition in 2011. He was also vicepresident of Ateneo Senior High School Glee Club.

The young man, youngest of five children to couple Joselito and Chiqui Violago, had offers along the way to enter

Ruru Madrid starrer series renewed for season 2

By Patricia Taculao

SINCE it first aired, GMA’s actionfantasy series Lolong amassed a significant following among Filipino viewers. It took three years to make the hit series. Lolong now continues to post double-digit ratings every night since its pilot airing, recording more than 13 million television viewers per episode.

The show also won awards, such as “Best Primetime Serye” at the Gawad Pilipino Icon of the Year 2022.

Yet, as the series draws to a close, viewers can’t help but feel disheartened at the thought of their favorite show leaving the primetime spot. It sparked negative comments from audiences who wanted to see more of the show.

Despite the ongoing clamor and the season’s fateful end, Lolong star Ruru Madrid focuses on the bright side.

“Hindi ako masyadong nagpapaapekto sa ganiyang komento. I’d rather focus mga positive feedbacks natatanggap namin dahil kahit anong gawin natin, kahit pa anong kagandahang loob gawin natin, o kahit gaano pa kaganda yung show na ibibigay mo, laging may masasabi at masasabi talaga ang mga tao,” he said during an online media conference for the show’s finale.

Ruru plays the titular role of Lolong. He shared that their goal for the show is to entertain, inspire, and educate their viewers through the action-fantasy series. Ruru

…are talking about

added that he and the cast of remain grateful to the public for supporting their show.

Completing the star-studded cast of Lolong are San Agustin, Christopher de Leon Jean Garcia, Malou de Guzman, Rochelle Pangilinan Paul Salas, Ian de Leon, Maui Taylor Marco Alcaraz Mikoy Morales , and Alma Concepcion Directors Rommel Penesa lend their creativity to make the series compelling and action-packed to keep viewers at the edge of their seats.

remain abuzz with speculations of a second season for Lolong. Lucky for them, the allegations are true, as Ruru confirmed himself. Further details have yet to be shared by the team.

Ang masasabi lang namin ay naghahanda na ang Team Lolong para diyan kaya abangan niyo,” the Kapuso actor said.

In the meantime, Lolong fans are looking forward to the season finale on September 30. The series promises to end with a bang as Lolong faces his most challenging battle yet.

Hindi po namin in-expect na ganito ninyo mamahalin ang aming programa. Gusto namin suklian iyon. Sa aming season finale week, nawa’y patuloy ninyong suportahan ang Lolong Abangan ninyo ang mga kapanapanabik na mga tagpo,” Ruru said.

For the season finale, Armando (Christopher) will acquire the strength and power he desires. But it will turn him into a half-human half-crocodile creature.

Motivated by his desire to do what is good and inspired by his loved ones and friends who have been with him since the beginning, Lolong will finally discover what a hero is. With the help of other crocodiles and his power as an Atubaw, he will face Armando with the support of the people and the other Atubaws.

Witness the face-off between good and evil in Lolong’s season finale tonight at 8:00 on GMA and 9:40 on GTV.

(From left) Arra San Agustin, Ruru Madrid, Shaira Diaz, and Paul Salas

...are not talking about

Nadine Lustre

Following the success of her last movie, Greed, Nadine is turning heads again with a new film, Deleter. She may have started in romcoms early in her career, but her performances in thrillers show how much she matured as an actress. Something is frightening about seeing her reactions to horror because it seems genuine.

Fans are excited to watch the movie and are already at the edge of their seats after seeing the teaser trailer.

Lea Salonga

As the voice of many people’s childhood, Lea left a positive mark on her audience. Who can forget her performance as the singing voice behind Disney Princesses Mulan and Jasmine? After all these years, where she dedicated her platform to raising awareness about current issues, TIME Magazine recognized her with TIME100 Impact Awards, given to personalities who have “gone above and beyond” to move their respective industries forward. Lea’s contribution to society makes the recognition well-deserved.

this and that contest, topped by enticing management contracts, but he was focused on earning his degree, making his parents proud.

Upon graduation in 2022, Jerry was offered by his father a key position at the family-owned rice mill business in San Jose, Nueva Ecija. He turned down the invite, then asked the permission of his parents to allow him to finally pursue his dream as a singer-performer.

Jerry covers a wide range as a singer, shifting with equal ease from pop, jazz and swing to R&B and soul. He loves OPM and is looking forward to collaborating with today’s hit makers. His entertainment

credits include performances at the Music Museum, GSIS Museum, Valle Verde Country Club.

In these outings, he performed songs from Broadway musicals as King and I, Annie, South Pacific, as well as OPM hits and jazzy standards such as those by Michael Buble. As a teen, Jericho trained at The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab.

Jericho is jointly managed by Emy Domingo (+63917-858-6817). Like or follow him on his social media accounts as follows: Jericho Violago on Facebook, @ jerichoviolago on Tiktok; Jericho Violago on You Tube; and tomandjerryyyyyyy on Instagram.

A right mix of drama, comedy, and sexiness

Mendez), Riley Red (Angela Morena), and Lana Rose (Jela Cuenca).

But despite his seemingly perfect life, fate does a playful trick on him after his life is cut short due to an illness, he keeps to himself. His sudden demise brings shock and heartbreak, not just to his girlfriends but also to his nun sister, Sister Teresa (Giselle Sanchez).

Due to his untimely passing, Dick’s coffee business is left unmanaged. It becomes a problem for Sister Teresa for she has no idea who among the five girlfriends Dick is most in love with and deserves to be the new CEO of 5-in-1 coffee.

She comes up with the idea of letting the women give a eulogy for his brother, and with their stories, she’ll be able to determine who among them is “The One” and the new rightful owner of 5-in-1 coffee. As these women celebrate Dick’s life and remember their time with him, they will share whimsical and colorful narratives and even their sexual experiences with Dick.

Who among these five women deserves to be the one?

A lighthearted story about finding the true meaning of love and wealth, 5-in-1 follows the story of a young man who has not one, two, or three, but five women in his life.

A handsome gentleman, a certified chick magnet, and a successful businessman and CEO of a famous coffee brand, 5-in-1 coffee, John “Dick” Jordi (Wilbert Ross) has it all and can have everything he wants.

Including having five girlfriends - Mia (Debbie Garcia), Lexie (Rose van Ginkel), Maria (Ava

Is it really one of them? Or maybe even all of them?

Produced by Viva Films, 5-in-1 is a film by Star Awards for Movies and Gawad Urian nominee, multigenre director - GB Sampedro. Sampedro also directed several Vivamax Originals, including his recent movie Purificacion and TV mini-series, High On Sex

Hometown bet De Sequera vies for Manhunt International Male Supermodel title

THE 21st Manhunt International Male Supermodel 2022 World Finals is set in Okada Manila on Saturday, October 1 with 34 candidates from all over the world competing for the prestigious title including Philippine bet Joshua De Sequera Candidates were presented to the press at Okada Coral Pool on Monday, graced by Rosko Dickinson, president of Manhunt International and reigning Manhunt International 2020 Paul Luzineau

De Sequera, a 25-year-old executive property specialist and son of former supermodel Marina Benipayo, aims to duplicate June Macasaet’s win in 2012.

Preliminaries are on-going with the candidates competing in the digital Physique Challenge, a test of the models’ sexy body shapes, creativity, and modeling skills; and Casting Challenge, to test the models’ skills on how they work with the camera and captivate with their facial features from different angles.

• • •

Fifth Solomon

Things are heating up in Drag Race Philippines, but not for the contestants. DRPH director Fifth was caught body shaming a netizen on Twitter. His excuse? Stress. Unlike Rajo Laurel’s harsh comments to the queens, Fifth’s one-liner doesn’t come from a place of love. Body shaming remains a struggle and issue for many people, and blatantly exhibiting fatphobia and blaming it on stress doesn’t help promote body positivity. Maybe Fifth is contending for a title himself—as a controversial director.

Dindo Arroyo

As an actor, Dindo is known for his performances in movies and series, like Ang TV Movie: The Adarna Adventure (1996), Kristo (1996), and Ang Probinsyano (2015). However, being a veteran actor didn’t excuse Dindo from facing arrest for cybercrime. The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) of Biñan City currently has the actor in custody. The judge who issued the warrant of arrest has yet to share the information on who filed the case.

PH’s representatives in inaugural Mrs. Universe Official pageant named THE Mrs. Universe Official named Ellen Poyaoan Santos and Ann Marie Morales as Mrs. Universe Philippines 2022 Official and Mrs. Universe Asia Pacific 2022 Official, respectively, during a Sashing and Crowning Ceremony held at Hotel Celeste Makati on Saturday.

Santos and Morales will compete against more than 50 delegates at the inaugural Mrs. Universe (Official) 2022 pageant to be held in New South Wales, Australia on December 4.

Santos, aka Doc Ellen, Mrs. North Pacific Asia 2021, is a 45-year-old mother of three, a multi-degree holder, and an academician. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Professional Aestheticians Association of the Philippines and CEO of DermèSkin Aesthetics Philippines. She advocates the “Sapat na Edukasyon para sa mga Bata” through a scholarship program under her own Butterfly Kingdom e-Learning School (BKeLS)

Morales, a 62-year-old widow with three children, is a civil engineer by profession. Consistently one of Manila’s Best Dressed Women, she is the CEO of Sereshark Land Development, Inc. and supports the abused children and orphans of the Children of Joy Foundation.

Nickie Wang, Editor

Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant

ACTOR Wilbert Ross is joined by Debbie Garcia, Rose Van Ginkel, Ava Mendez, Angela Morena, Jela Cuenca, Giselle Sanchez, Marissa Sanchez, Lassy Marquez, MC Muah, and Chad Kinis in GB Sampedro’s 5-in-1, now streaming exclusively on Vivamax.

Jericho Violago is now embarking on a singingperforming career armed with his powerful vocals and versatility

Philippine bet Joshua De Sequera is an executive property specialist and son of former supermodel Marina Benipayo

Wilbert Ross plays a successful businessman and CEO of a famous coffee brand

‘5-in-1’ is a lighthearted story about finding the true meaning of love and wealth

Christopher de Leon as Armando Banson

Ruru’s portrayal of Lolong earns him praise and support from the show’s viewers

Dressing for respect in local ‘Sandbox’

By Marron Joshua F. Mendoza

NEWEST primetime drama Start-Up PH not only portrays the hurdles of becoming an entrepreneur, but it also demonstrates how power dressing can help establish power and confidence in people.

Power dressing enables people, especially women, to feel confident about themselves and display authority in environments where internal problems can mix with work and prejudice towards modern norms, such as women in the workplace, dominates.

By choosing and wearing the right clothes for the right venue and occasion, people can look sharp, sophisticated, and confident to others even if they’re not fully feeling it inside, and that is what stars Alden Richards, Bea Alonzo, Jeric Gonzales, and Yasmien Kurdi did with their characters in this remake of the hit 2020 South Korean drama series, Start-Up.

Alden’s role in the series, Tristan Hernandez, also known as Good Boy, is the equivalent of Kim Seon-ho’s character in the South Korean original, Han Ji-pyeong. Both Ji-pyeong and Tristan are team leaders with astounding investment skills and sharp tongues.

In the Philippine remake, Tristan is always seen wearing suits, establishing his position in the company as a leader, his intellect, and his power over his subordinates, even though he has a soft side to others.

Bea’s character, Dani Sison, is an ambitious young woman passionate about her dream of becoming a successful business woman despite her lack of a sophisticated background in order to initiate a company of her own. Dani is the equivalent of Seo Dal-mi, played by Bae Suzy in the K-drama original.

During her days at work, she often wears suits paired with blouses and tailored pants. By wearing these types of clothes at work, she is showing her co-workers that she is a confident person who can accomplish anything.

Complementing Nam Joo-hyuk’s character in the original as Nam Do-san, Davidson Navarro, portrayed by Jeric, is a skilled programmer whose identity was used by Tristan to write letters to Dani at her grandmother’s request.

Unlike Tristan, Davidson’s looks are often simple and casual due to his shyness, humbleness, and doubts about his career. Wearing clothes that are comfortable to a person sometimes helps in establishing some form of confidence in someone.

Living the dream in style

An equivalent to Kang Han-na’s character as Won In-jae or Seo In-jae, Katrina Sison or Ina Diaz, played by Yasmien, is Dani’s older sister whose background as a successful business woman made her realize her weakness and does everything she can so that people will acknowledge her skills and build an empire on her own.

Like Tristan, she would also often wear outfits such as suits and tailored pants that would make her look stern and established thanks to her experienced background, even though it may not look like it on the inside.

With the looks of the actors as their characters, Start-Up PH just shows how clothes, no matter how casual or formal they may be, can help people show others that they can be more than what they believe they are, despite their inner problems.

Start-Up PH airs weeknights at 8:50 p.m. on GMA. It also airs on GTV every Monday to Thursday at 11:30 p.m. and Fridays at 11:00pm.

Mattresses that matter

FROM admiring covers and collecting copies growing up, Edrianne Tui has long fallen in love with the creative process of fashion magazines. Her love for fashion has led Yannie, her nickname, to a thriving career in the fashion scene.

For eight years now, she has been living the dream as a fashion stylist. In her 20s, the passionate artist worked her way to styling celebrities, with host Paolo Ballesteros of the trending Drag Race Philippines franchise joining her roster of clients.

“I have always been fascinated with the process of creating beautiful photos and mounting shoots. It was my routine to pass by the magazine stands at any bookstore and marvel at the covers of magazines I love every month,” Yannie enthused.

She has always had an inkling of what she wanted to do. “I didn’t know that ‘fashion stylists’ existed until my early years in high school and when I found out that there is an exact job that dresses up people, I knew I wanted to be one.”

Yannie’s passion for fashion was so strong that right after completing her bachelor’s degree in nursing, she made a detour and took a quick fashion styling course at the School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA).

While studying, she worked as an intern and styling assistant for one of the industry’s known stylists. Her experience empowered Yannie to eventually take the plunge and be on her own.

“I always take time to study what is up and coming while staying true to my core,” Yannie shared.

Similar to her approach to personal fashion, Yannie does her research on the latest trends and adds her flavor to them. She added, “I also find inspiration from what people

wear in events, public places, and social gatherings.”

Marrying the past, present, and predicted trends has been key to making her styling stand out and get noticed.

“It was offered to me by the production house that produces the show around early June last year,”

Yannie revealed when asked how she bagged the styling job for Drag Race Philippines host Paolo Ballesteros and judge Jervi Li, more popularly known as “KaladKaren” as journalist Karen Davila’s impersonator.

Drag Race Philippines is my first reality series ever.

The experience was truly amazing and unforgettable!” shared Yannie, who does not usually do styling for

“It was a challenge for the whole production to mount a show in the middle of the pandemic, all the more challenging for me as a stylist to ask designers to create looks for the host,”

Yannie shared.

She was then placed under strict confidentiality guidelines and was not allowed to reveal the show until the initial fitting. Yannie had to make sure that nondisclosure agreements were signed.

“Initial sketches were drawn with the designers completely clueless of who will wear their creations,” she looked back with relief that everything fell into place.

“It’s been so fun because Mama Pao is as hands-on with her looks as I am,” Yannie raved about Paolo and shared how they worked closely and collaboratively. “I love how she also has input with everything and how we mixed our ideas with the designer to create the looks you see on the show.”

With KaladKaren, Yannie is thrilled to share how it feels like she is playing dress-up with a real-life doll. “She’s always game to wear anything I ask her to wear! Her beauty can pull off

any look!” the happy stylist said.

Yannie’s meticulousness pays off as Paolo and KaladKaren appear with exciting looks weekly. She takes her styling job seriously and lets us into what it is all about.

“As a stylist, we are responsible for the overall look of the client from head to toe,” Yannie began. She continued to explain how a stylist envisions a look and executes it by finding the right pieces and working with other personalities like hair and makeup artists. Resourcefulness and creativity are crucial elements of the job she proudly developed through years of experience.

Yannie also explained the different kinds of stylists. “There are personal shoppers or ones who pull (styling term for borrowing) pieces from designers or have them make custom ones,” she elaborated.

With her growing love for the craft, Yannie considers every styling job a love letter to her younger self who had a taste of rejection before redemption. “I received a lot of NOs in the past before getting a series of YESes that includes Drag Race PH!” she exclaimed. The go-getter is undoubtedly on a roll and continues to work on getting more wins in the process. On her bucket list is styling the American drag queen and producer behind the phenomenal Drag Race franchise. “Of course, it would be a dream to style the mother of us all, RuPaul Charles herself!” she said.

In the end, Yannie explained, passion powered by commitment and hard work gets one through. She said, “Styling is tiring and exhausting but as with any other career, if you love it, you’ll still be excited to wake up the next day to do it all over again.”

AFTER a hard day at work, getting a good night’s sleep is everyone’s dream. That’s why “Mattress Matters in Our Home.”

As we continuously provide bedroom style inspirations comes another goal of giving quality sleep above all. It’s time to make a serious investment in our sleep, from the way we relax to the quality of our mattress and give ourselves the luxury we deserve.

Choose the right mattress that suits you, whether you have posture or movement disturbance concerns or you’re a back or a slide sleeper or simply want to have a relaxed luxurious sleep. Our Home has it all from all the trusted brands in the Philippines showcased during the recent Mattress Matters Exhibit at the Main Atrium of the SM Mall of Asia:

Uratex has been the country’s pioneering brand in innovative sleeping solutions and products for more than half a century;

Salem prides itself with more than 50 years of experience in manufacturing the best spring mattresses in the country. With this, it promises to help you get better sleep and relaxation through its products;

Slumberland was founded in England in 1919 by John Seccombe, and has since evolved as the leader in sleeping comfort. Renowned for its quality range of products, it is distributed by Home Gallery in the Philippines;

Dunlopillo is more than just about sleeping products, with more than 90 years of latex innovation, it delivers ultimate comfort, great quality, and unbeatable customer service; Ambassador Bed’s orthopedic mattresses are chosen and trusted by most five star hotels and Filipino households since 1927; and King Koil, which was founded in 1898, got its start selling traditional innerspring mattresses. Today their mattress line-up includes foam, latex, hybrid, and even smart mattresses.

Many of these premium mattresses are treated with Sanitized, keeping these clean and hypoallergenic, and effectively protecting against growth of bacteria, odor, mildew, and dust mites.

Visit Our Home stores nationwide at select SM Supermalls for more designs.

Customers who prefer to shop online can expect the same great shopping experience through www.ourhome.ph. Shop for styles the way you want right in the comfort of your home with Call & Deliver 09178315260.

Nickie

Joba

Alden Richards as Tristan Hernandez

Bea Alonzo as Dani Sison

Jeric Gonzales as Davidson Navarro

Yasmien Kurdi as Katrina Sison/Ina Diaz

Uratex Premium Touch Viscoluxe Memory Mattress gives comfort with an exquisite note of softness and deluxe.

Salem Manhattan Mattress, a pocketed spring mattress designed to promote a comfortable night’s rest

Bandila dress by Paolo Ballesteros appeared in Episode 1 of Drag Race Philippines

Paolo Ballesteros wearing the Kalasag Armor dress by Roman Sebastian as seen in Episode 8 of Drag Race Philippines

Photo courtesy of Instagram @kaladkaren

Fashion stylist