Manila Standard - 2022 October 5 - Wednesday

Calida, Cruz-Angeles resign

Rodriguez dropped from Cabinet,

By Vito Barcelo and Vince Lopez

PRESS Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles and Commission on Audit Jose Calida have resigned from their posts—the latest movement among the key appointees of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Cruz-Angeles said she resigned “due to health reasons,” ending speculations that she will be leave the Palace after she was bypassed by the Commission on Appointments.

Calida resigned “for a number of rea sons,” according to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

House appropriations panel senior vice chairperson Rep. Stella Quimbo, the budget sponsor for COA’s pro posed P13.16 billion budget for 2023, said during budget deliberations last week that Calida has been on medical leave since Sept. 1.

Bersamin also ended the confusion on whether his predecessor, Vic Rodri guez, has been appointed as presidential chief of staff.

Repeated queries on Administrative Order No. 1, which Cruz-Angeles ear lier said revived the COS position, were unanswered, fanning rumors the Presi dent has let go fully of Rodriguez.

Bersamin said Rodriguez has not been reappointed to any position – de spite the latter declaring last month that he was stepping down to serve as Mr. Marcos’ chief of staff.

Bersamin also clarified that there is no AO No. 1. “We don’t even talk about it,” he said.

The announcements came on the same day the President renewed the ad interim appointments of 10 out of 12 members of his Cabinet who failed to secure the nod of the Commission on Appointments (CA).

SC tells Badoy: Justify post or face contempt

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday or dered the former spokesperson of a government anti-communist task force to explain why she should not be cited for contempt for red-tagging a Manila judge on social media.

Lorraine Marie Badoy, the former spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), was given 30 days to justify her social media attacks on Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Marlo Magodza-Malagar, who dismissed a government bid to declare the Communist Party of the Philip pines and the New People’s Army as terrorist organizations.

The Court issued the order during

Meralco, SMC asked to keep power supply

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Department of Energy (DOE) has asked Manila Electric Co. (Mer alco) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) to ensure uninterrupted power sup ply to consumers following the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) denial of their application for a temporary rate hike.

The ruling is expected to jack up the electricity rates of Meralco, which will have to tap the more expensive supply from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) or from other pow er generators to fill 1,000 megawatts

Radio broadcaster gunned down, Palace ‘concerned’

By Joel E. Zurbano

By Vito Barcelo and Willie Casas

THE Department of Budget and Man agement (DBM) has released P1.04 bil lion for the payment for the Special Risk

Allowance (SRA) of more than 55,000 eligible public and private health care workers who are directly catering to or are in contact with COVID-19 patients.

The DBM said the money will cov

er unpaid COVID-19 SRA claims of 55,211 health workers, who will receive a grant amounting to P5,000 for every month they serve during the state of na tional emergency.

“We understand and recognize the selflessness and immense sacrifice that our health workers continue to pour out throughout these turbulent times. This

By Maricel V. Cruz

bills on the SIM Registration Act and the Barangay and SK (Sangguniang Kabataan) Elections Postponement Act in simple rites at the

EIGHT alleged members of the “War la” kidnapping group – most of them transgender women -- that lured foreign ers with dates with women have been arrested, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said Tuesday.

CIDG chief Police Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee said the group had been victim izing foreign nationals, particularly Asian nationals, since 2018. Some of the victims were POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) employ ees, and some were businessmen.

“The kidnapping group composed of particularly transwomen and their part ners, or as we call them the Warla crimi nal group. They have gained notoriety for

bypassed

DEADLY

Media groups call for justice for broadcaster Percy Mabasa, more popularly known as Percy Lapid, in an indignation rally at the Boy Scouts Circle in Quezon City on October 4,

members grieve the loss of the journalist who was shot dead near his home in Las Piñas late Mon day evening. Jimmy Domingo,

Victor Rodriguez Trixie Cruz-Angeles

Jose Calida

WHO, Unicef warn of measles outbreak next year

By Maricel Cruz

TWO United Nations agencies have warned of a possible measles outbreak in the Philippines next year on the back of low routine immunization rates, Department of Health OIC Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

“In our latest meeting with interna tional partners such as the World Health Organization and Unicef, they were able to analyze our pool of susceptibili ty with almost one million children who

former President Rodrigo Duterte and the policies of the administration -within a week.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Re mulla said the National Bureau of In vestigation (NBI) was on the case.

Santos said the killing could have been work-related.

Mabasa has been critical of “redtagging” -- accusing someone of being a communist sympathizer -- as well as online gambling operations and mis information around martial law, said the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)

The press advocacy group de scribed the killing in the capital as “brazen” and said it showed “journal ism remains a dangerous profession in the country.”

Mabasa is the second journalist to be killed since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed power on June 30, the group added.

Acting Metro Manila police chief Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo said a spe cial task force had been created to in vestigate Mabasa’s death.

In an October 2021 report, the NewYork based Committee to Protect Journalists ranked the Philippines seventh on a global impunity index, with 13 murders still unsolved.

The nation has been a mainstay in the annual index since it started in 2008.

Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevarra told reporters that the Office of the President—particu larly Mr. Marcos -- was concerned by Mabasa’s killing.

Mabasa’s family said it was seek ing justice.

In a statement on Facebook, the family expressed their grief and anger over the killing of Mabasa, which they called “brutal and brazen.”

“We strongly condemn this deplor able crime; it was committed not only against Percy, his family, and his pro fession, but against our country, his beloved Philippines, and the truth,” they said.

The family described the victim as “beloved by many and highly respect ed by peers, fans and foes alike.”

“His bold and sharp commentaries cut through the barrage of fake news over the air waves and social media,” the statement added.

The NUJP condemned the killing and called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) to hold the perpetrators accountable for the incident.

The National Capital Region Police Office has formed a special team to investigate and go after the perpetra tors in the murder.

Mabasa, anchorman of the “Lapid Fire” program over DWBL 1242, was shot dead inside his black Toyota Innova at the gate of BF Resort Village in Ba rangay Talon Dos around 8:30 p.m.

have yet to receive even a single vaccine shot in the past two years under the pan demic,” she said.

“This is why WHO and Unicef are flagging us and warning that we need

to boost out routine immunization be cause there might be an impending out break of measles in the country by next year if we are not going to do anything,” Vergeire added.

A child must have received complet ed doses of BCG, OPV, DPT, Hepatitis B vaccines, and one dose of measles vaccines before reaching the age of one to be considered fully vaccinated.

Aside from vaccine hesitancy, Ver geire said the pandemic has played a major part in low vaccination rates.

“Because of these restrictions, and the lockdowns, many mothers were not able to bring their children to clinics to have them vaccinated,” she said.

Meanwhile, Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda on Tuesday underscored the need to ramp up vaccination efforts as the country moves to full face-to-face classes next month.

“The DOH said that only 63 per cent of children and infants are fully immunized from measles, out of a target 95 percent. That’s an epi

demic waiting to happen especially once you get these children together in closed spaces like schools,” said Salceda, chair of the House ways and means committee.

“School could spread measles faster. It’s a good time to explain to PTAs the risks and the protections that come with the measles vaccine. Informed consent is very important. It builds trust and in the long-run would be a better way to encourage more vaccinations,” he said.

Based on a Facebook post by the Of fice of the Press Secretary (OPS), Mr. Marcos administered the oath to Sec retaries Benjamin Diokno (Finance), Arsenio Baliscan (Socioeconomic Planning), Manuel Bonoan (Public Works), Alfredo Pascual (Trade), Er

win Tulfo (Social Welfare), Jaime Bautista (Transportation), Renato Solidum Jr. (Science and Technology), Raphael Lotilla (Energy), Susan Ople (Migrant Workers), and Jose Rizalino Acuzar (Human Settlements).

Bersamin was also sworn in along with the group.

Angeles and Information and Com munications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy were among the Cabinet mem

on the steps taken to ensure the safety and security of Malagar.

bers whose ad interim appointments were also bypassed.

Malacañang has yet to issue a state ment on Uy’s fate.

Uy is still in Romania leading the DICT contingent at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) con ference in Bucharest.

As for Rodriguez, Bersamin said: “You know, we have to respect the privacy of the former executive secretary. He’s enti

petition read.

its regular en banc session Tuesday, a week after it decided to tackle pos sible actions against Badoy, who had accused Malagar of “lawyering” for the communists.

The Court also ordered Badoy to respond under oath to the following questions: 1) Whether or not she post ed or caused the posting of the state ments attacking the Sept. 21, 2022 resolution rendered by the Regional Trial Court in any or all of her social media accounts; 2) Whether or not her social media post encouraged more violent language against the judge concerned in any or all of her social media platforms; 3) Whether or not her post, in the context of social media and in the experience of similar incen diary comments here or abroad, was a clear incitement to produce violent actions against a judge and is likely to produce such act; and 4) Whether or not her statements on her social me dia accounts, implying violence on a judge, is part of her protected consti tutional speech.

The Court also took note of the state ments issued by various lawyers and judges’ groups such as Hukom, the Philippine Judges Association, and the University of the Philippine College of Law Faculty, that denounced Badoy’s red-tagging of Malagar.

It also noted the report submitted by the Office of the Court Administrator

Last week, the tribunal issued a warning against those who continue to incite violence through social me dia and other means which endanger the lives of judges and their families, saying that such acts are considered a contempt of the Court and will be dealt with accordingly.

Meanwhile, law deans and lawyers on Tuesday filed a petition before the Court seeking to cite Badoy for indi rect contempt also in connection with her Facebook post. which the petition ers said was intended to “assault and humiliate” Malagar after she rendered the decision.

Among the petitioners are former Philippine Bar Association (PBA) president Rico Domingo, Ateneo Hu man Rights Center executive director Ray Paolo Santiago, former Ateneo law dean Antonio “Tony” La Viña and law school deans Soledad Deriquito-Mawis, Anna Maria Abad and Rodel Taton, lawyers Ayn Ruth Tolentino-Azarcon, Artemio Calumpong and Christianne Grace Salonga.

If found guilty, Gadon may be meted a penalty of six months imprisonment and a P30,000 fine.

“Such shameless and public behav ior towards an honorable public offi cial is not only a conduct that tends to impede, obstruct or degrade the administration of justice, but is ul timately a direct affront against the dignity, honor, prestige and independ ence of the entire justice system,” the

The petitioners said they have le gal standing to file the petition since it is their duty as lawyers to act as “guardians to the Rules of Law” and to fight any act that is opposed to such an objective.

“Indeed, the foregoing Facebook posts of respondent Badoy-partosa are nothing less than contumacious as they directly besmirch ad tear down the reputation and credibil ity of Judge Malagar and likewise impair the respect due, not only to Judge Malagar, but also to all mem bers of the Philippine Bench and Bar,” the petitioners said

“Respondent Badoy-Partosa’s mis conduct and misbehavior call on the public to lose trust and confidence in the authority of the judiciary and to dis regard the dignity and integrity of the courts of law. Her actions result [in] the inevitable discrediting of the authority of the court magistrates, as well as of the entire administration of justice,” they added.

The petitioners said the “vicious as sault” against Malagar has alarmed and shaken the judicial magistrates and lawyers so much so that several law groups such as the Philippine Bar Association, Philippine Judges Asso ciation, Integrated Bar of the Philip pines and Hukom Inc. described the online vilification and red-tagging as constituting “endangerment” of a member of the judiciary and an “at tack on the rule of law and the inde pendence of the judiciary.”

tled to it, and to be fair to him as well as to the President, let us not belabor that issue because the decision has been made.”

“I was appointed Executive Secretary. I was sworn into office and that should put that matter to rest,” Bersamin added.

Rodriguez was the chief of staff and campaign spokesman for Mr. Marcos before he was catapulted to the presi dency with his landslide victory in the May 9 elections.

(MW) in combined capacity under two service agreements provided by SMC.

“The Department is highly confi dent that as responsible corporate citi zens and business entities imbued with public interest, San Miguel Power and Meralco will be guided accordingly by the ERC Order and ensure uninterrupt ed power supply to our people and the country, notwithstanding the denial of their joint petition,” Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said.

SMC previously announced plans to terminate its 2019 fixed-price power supply agreement with Meralco by Oc tober 4 if it receives an unfavorable rul ing from the ERC.

Lotilla said DOE respects the inde pendence, responsibility, and authority of the ERC to hear and resolve cases brought before it consistent with its Charter, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).

posing as beautiful women before kidnap ping their targets as soon as they agree to meet them on a date,” Lee added in a press conference.

One of the group’s victims was iden tified as Taiwanese national Michael Lee, who was abducted in Parañaque on September 3 and was rescued by au thorities on September 7.

The CIDG said the suspects de manded a sum of money from Michael Lee’s friends in exchange for his free dom. The victim’s friends were able to send P308,000 to five different mobile

The department said it also recog nizes that the private sector parties in volved, Meralco and SMC, filed their petition for a rate increase before the ERC in recognition of the importance of rules-based processes and outcomes.

Meralco and SMC, through its sub sidiaries South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC) and San Miguel Energy Corp. (SMEC), filed a petition to recover P5 billion from consumers that will result to an increase of P1.57 per kilowatthour in the SMC selling rate to Meralco.

This is equivalent to an add-on of P0.30 per kilowatt-hour in the generation charge of Meralco, since the 1,000 MW under the SMC PSA is just a portion of the distribu tor’s total requirement.

ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalan ta said the parties can still file a motion and refile a new petition, if needed.

Dimalanta also said Meralco has 60 days or up to 6 months from the issuance of a notice to terminate under a separate provision of its contract with SMC.

She said Meralco also has the obliga tion to provide “least cost supply” under

wallet accounts.

The police tracked the payment trans actions and located the suspects, with three of them -- Dewie Shaine Collado Garcia, Charlemagne Olunan Vargas, and Christian Paredes -- surrendering to authorities.

Five other suspects -- Jun Fran cis Pavillar Villa, Lawrenz Descar tin Lingo, Jhonas Grimpula Belonio, Bernard Ty Torres, and Mark Joseph Dagame Pelonio -- were arrested in entrapment operations involving ille gal weapons.

The Warla kidnapping group – after the word in gay lingo meaning to fight or argue -- was formed in 2018. It was led by a certain Mikey Ebol or Mike

its franchise and under the EPIRA.

Jose Ronald V. Valles, Meralco first vice president and head of regulatory management, said they have read the decision denying SMC’s claim for a price adjustment.

“For Meralco, we shall comply with the decision, and we shall exert all available remedies to prevent termination of the PSAs with SPPC and SMEC,” Valles said.

If SPPC and SMEC will be unable to deliver power to Meralco for whatever reason, he said the company is con strained to source up to 1,000 MW from the WESM.

He said this is without prejudice to the resolution of whatever legal reme dies Meralco may pursue against SPPC and SMEC under the PSA.

“We already sought offers and en tered into emergency power supply agreements (EPSAs) with other genera tion companies to ensure continuity of stable, reliable and adequate supply to Meralco customers,” Valles said.

“We are hoping for the swift action of the DOE in exempting the EPSAs from

Collado Ebol, the police said, and oper ates in southern Metro Manila.

The group has already tallied 14 vic tims and was able to collect P4.2 million in ransom money, the CIDG said.

The arrested suspects told CIDG oper atives they would use the money for their sex reassignment surgery in Thailand.

Manhunts are still ongoing to capture Ebol and other Warla members identi fied as Lexi Villanueva, Jaine Mar tinez, Hector Magallanes or “Yanyan,” Erwin Flores or “Marga,” and Mathew San Diego, the CIDG said.

The arrested persons will face com plaints of kidnapping and violations of the Comprehensive Firearms and Am munition Regulation Law.

undergoing CSP (competitive selection process). Without these EPSAs, our cus tomers may become exposed to volatile prices,” the Meralco official said.

In 2019, San Miguel, through its elec tricity arm San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corporation (SMCGP) and subsidiaries, entered into a fixed price agreement to supply energy to Meralco consumers. Power was sourced from Sual coal-fired power plant and the Ili jan liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant.

At the time the deal was made, coal prices were around $65 per metric ton -- now it’s over $400 per MT.

SMC chief Ramon Ang said the Rus sia-Ukraine war “has taken prices far beyond” what his company and Meralco even imagined in 2019. He asked regu lators that “in this time of extraordinary circumstance and difficulty, please, let’s not cripple them [power plants].”

The thinning of Malampaya gas field’s supply, which in turn supplies gas for the Ilijan plant, also resulted in an output drop, prompting San Miguel to buy fuel abroad.

is a way of recognizing their sacrific es,” DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pan gandaman said.

Qualified health workers refer to medical, allied medical, and other personnel assigned in hospitals and health care facilities, and who are di rectly catering to or in contact with COVID-19 patients, persons under investigation (PUIs) or persons un der monitoring (PUMs).

Funding for the SRA is covered by the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act as well as an administrative order.

Pangandaman said her department would coordinate closely with the De partment of Health to make sure the health workers get the allowances and benefits they deserve.

To date, the total released allotment for SRA amounts to P11.857 billion.

DOH officer-in-charge and Un dersecretary Maria Rosario Ver geire said the department will need P140 billion to cover the mandatory COVID-19 benefits and allowances of health workers since the start of the pandemic.

This includes the arrears of P64 billion for the retroactive payment of Health Emergency Allowance in 2021 and 2022. Medical frontliners are entitled to HEA under Republic Act 11712.

Vergeire said the DOH will also need at least P76 billion to sustain the provision of COVID-19 benefits for the whole of 2023.

There are over 800,000 health work ers in the country, she said.

Dozens of health workers staged a protest in front of DOH’s main office in Manila on Tuesday against their de layed benefits.

for the President’s signature,” said Romualdez.

Romualdez is the principal author of the House version of the SIM Regis tration Act (House Bill No. 14) which was approved on final reading last September 19.

House Majority Leader and Zam boanga City Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe, Reps. Toby Tiangco, Marjorie Ann Teodoro, and Juliet Marie Ferrer, Sen ate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito, Sens. Imee Marcos and Grace Poe attended the event.

The twin measures were the first enrolled bills accomplished under the First Regular Session of the 19th Congress.

An enrolled bill is the printed final copy of the approved measure, certi fied correct by House Secretary Gen eral Reginald “Reggie” Velasco and Senate Secretary Renato N. Bantug Jr.

After the signing of the enrolled bills, they were turned over to Presi dential Legislative Liaison Office Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza, who would submit the documents to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his signature, the final act required to sign the twin measures into law.

The Senate passed its version of the measure (Senate Bill 1310) last Sep tember 27. Both Houses ratified the bicameral report on September 28.

House to probe controversial lotto draw

THEHouse of Representatives is poised to investigate the controversial 6/55 grand lotto draw last Oct. 1 even as the 433 winners began trooping to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) main headquarters on Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City to claim their cash prizes.

At least 180 of the 433 lucky bettors showed up at the PCSO yesterday to claim their cash prizes.

This developed as the House Committee on Games and Amusements moved to inquire into the controversial grand lotto draw that drew mounting criticisms on social media.

Meanwhile, the PCSO said the winners must personally claim their prizes as the agency has a policy that all winnings from P300,000 and above at the PCSO

IN BRIEF

AIRASIA Philippines has ramped up its domestic flight services as more local tourist destinations have opened and eased travel requirements.

The low-cost airline came up with more commercial flights to Caticlan (35 flights a week), Tagbilaran (21), Puerto Princesa (28), Cebu (42), Bacolod (21), Cagayan (22), Davao (24), Iloilo (28), Kalibo (21), Tacloban (35), Zamboanga (7), and Roxas (3).

Weekly flights from its Cebu hub will also be increased with Cagayan (four flights a week), Davao (4), and Caticlan (7).

AirAsia officials said travelers can continue to visit international destinations such as Seoul with seven commercial flights weekly from Manila and three from Cebu; Kota Kinabalu (7); Bangkok - via Don Mueang International Airport (7); Denpasar (7); Kuala Lumpur (7); Singapore (4); and Hong Kong (one) via Ninoy Aquino International Airport - Terminal 3.

AirAsia is also set to reopen its flight services in Taipei, Taiwan and Osaka, Japan next month.

Last month, the airline made an average of 85 percent passenger load for both domestic and international trips, and increased prospective bookings for the so-called “Ber” months.

Top domestic destinations booked by Filipino travelers for the last quarter of this year include Caticlan, Tagbilaran, Tacloban, Puerto Princesa and Cebu. Seoul, Osaka, Bangkok, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur are the most booked international destinations. Joel E. Zurbano

main office within one year, otherwise, the monies will go to its charity fund House minority leader and 4Ps partylist Rep. Marcelino Libanan on Tuesday filed Resolution No. 463, seeking the inquiry into the 6/55 lotto draw conducted by the state-run Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Oct. 1 won by an incredibly record number of 433 bettors who would share the P236million pot.

In his resolution, Libanan cited the

need for Congress “to protect and ensure the integrity” of the lotto draws that he said contribute in a big way to government coffers and help finance public health programs as well as medical assistance and services to indigents, among other charities.

“We also have to safeguard the hopes and dreams of millions of Filipinos that patronize the lotto draws every day,” Libanan said.

Libanan noted that the lotto draws over the years “have inspired many Filipinos to buy tickets in the hope of winning a life-changing amount of money.”

In Saturday’s 6/55 draw, a total of 433 individuals wagered on the same winning combination – 09-45-36-27-18-54 –numbers that are all divisible by 9.

The highly unusual result “has triggered widespread social and traditional media discussion on whether fraud had attended the draw,” Libanan pointed out.

The PCSO has reassured the public that the lotto draws are being conducted in accordance with the highest standards of transparency, honesty and fairness.

In his resolution, Libanan noted that the PCSO sold P25.92 billion worth of lotto tickets from January to June this year, up 32.15 percent compared to sales in the same six-month period in 2021.

Besides generating government revenues, Libanan said lotto operations also provide economic and employment opportunities to small lotto agents, tellers and terminal technicians, among others.

QC gives away 1k more laptops to public school teachers, day cares

By Rio N. Araja

THE Quezon City government is giving away additional 1,000 laptops to public school teachers and child development workers to help address their teaching needs.

“In Quezon City, we value education, the reason why we continue supporting schools, students and teachers. We are coordinating with the Superintendents Division Office, and Social Services and Development Department to ensure that we are giving enough support,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

The laptops are on top of the 5,593 devices already distributed to the teachers.

The city is also providing teachers with free internet connectivity, and monthly and quarterly allowances.

The schools have likewise received service vehicles which they can utilize for their activities and programs.

Belmonte sought to strengthen the capability of day-care centers by providing 96,440 storybooks to pupils, school supplies, hygiene kits, medical supplies, and food packs.

Since the resumption of classes last Aug. 22, the city government has been distributing school supplies to over 450,000 students, including special education students.

Grades 1 to 3 students will be receiving tablets this school year.

Belmonte earlier led the ceremonial turnover of the additional 1,000 laptops for public elementary and high school teachers, and 50 laptops for child development workers in public day-care centers.

DTI set to update SRPs of traditional holiday season products

By Othel V. Campos

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is set to publish the updated suggested retail price (SRP) for Noche Buena commodities soon after it has engaged manufacturers to either temper or, ultimately, forego price increases of traditional holiday products.

ham to be sensitive to the spending capacity of consumers.

“We are closely coordinating with the manufacturers. There were requests for price increases because of aggravating factors like global oil prices, high transportation costs and even the declining peso value,” she said.

ANGELES CITY—Products made by detainees or persons deprived of liberty (PDL) at the city hail here will be on sale at the One Town One Product (OTOP) Store.

The items on sale made by the prisoners included purses, wallets, sling bags, and bonsai wire trees.

“Matagal nang gumagawa ng mga beaded bags ang mga inmates at ngayong taon naisipan namin na gumawa din ng bonsai wire tree kung saan pwede idisplay ng mga bibili,” said city jail warden Cecilia Tamayo.

“Sa pamamag-itan ng pagbebenta namin, nagkakaroon ng income and mga inmates at nagagamit ang mga kinikita namin sa mga activities na ginagawa namin sa loob” she added.

In order to provide additional funding for the female dormitories at the Angeles City district jail, the city’s jail authorities partnered with OTOP.

Mayor Carmelo Lazatin, Jr. intends to boost the city’s promotion of its homemade goods.

One of Lazatin, Jr.’s top priorities is the OTOP shop, which is operated by the Angeles City Government through the supervision of Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel and is intended to assist MSMEs in overcoming the changes brought by the pandemic. Butch Gunio Jr.

DTI consumer protection group (CPG) Assistant Secretary Anne Cabochan said on Tuesday that the agency has been coordinating with manufacturers of seasonal products such as

“We have been collaborating with them (manufacturers) every year for the seasonal products like the Noche Buena products. Time and again, they have been very accommodating to our request for lower price hikes, and at

time they were generous enough in not increasing the prices,” she added.

About 10 manufacturers of Noche Buena products have standing petition for price hikes including some ham products, pasta, mayonnaise and other traditional holiday fares.

The DTI is carefully assessing the merits of their petition to sync with the updated Noche Buena SRP.

Cabochan assured consumers there is ample supply of Noche Buena products for the upcoming holiday season.

Meanwhile, the DTI stressed it will

penalize retailers who are found to have overpriced products included in the general SRP and Noche Buena SRP list.

The Department reminded retailers that profiteering, under the Consumer Act, is punishable by imprisonment and/or fine of not less than P1,000 to P10,000.

“Although we are nearing towards the end of 2022, we will not stop going after retailers who take advantage of the holidays.

DTI is committed to ensuring the protection of consumers especially at this time,” Cabochan said.

NHA extends application period for Kadamay group in Bulacan

THE National Housing Authority (NHA) on Tuesday announced the extension of the application period for all lots being occupied by the urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) in four resettlement projects in Pandi, Bulacan.

On Sept. 20, NHA general manager Joeben Tai signed Memorandum Circular No.2022-087 to amend MC No. 2021009 resetting the application period from December 2021 to September 2023.

The amended circular aims to provide clarity and additional time for the acceptance of application and legalization of occupancy of the remaining Kadamay members occupying the unawarded residential lots in Bulacan.

The housing projects covered by the circulars are Padre Pio resettlement, Pandi Residences 3, Pandi Village 2 and Villa Elise resettlement project.

On March 8, 2017, Kadamay mem-

bers illegally occupied 2,812 idle units in Pandi built by the NHA for resettlement communities and uniformed personnel of the government.

Congress passed Joint Resolution No. 2, authorizing the disposition of the unawarded and unoccupied housing units for the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines to other qualified beneficiaries, including other low-salaried government employees and those of the lowest 30 percent of urban income earners.

The NHA conducted a series of occupancy validation, pre-qualification, dialogues and revalidation of housing units occupied by the Kadamay members.

The NHA Region III office proposed the legalization of the occupancy of qualified families.

On February 19, 2021, MC No. 2021-009 prescribed the legalization of the occupancy of Kadamay members. Rio N. Araja

BI nabs 2 aliens wanted in Norway, China

By Vito Barcelo

IMMIGRATION agents have arrested two wanted foreigners; a Norwegian pedophile accused of sexually molesting minors in his country and a Chinese man wanted for running a pyramid investment scam in China.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said 50-year-old Karstein Kvernvik a.k.a. Krokaa Karstein Gunnar, was arrested at the suspect’s residence in Sameerah subdivision in Angeles City, Pampanga by operatives of the bureau’s fugitive

search unit (FSU), while the Chinese fugitive, identified as Fu Qihao, was nabbed in Malate, Manila.

An arrest warrant was issued for Fu’s arrest by the public security bureau in Shanghai, China for allegedly running an investment pyramid scam in the city.

Tansingco said both Kernvik and Fu will be deported for being undesirable and undocumented aliens as their passport were already revoked by their respective governments.

The BI chief described Kernvik as a high profile fugitive facing multiple

sex-related crimes in Norway.

Information obtained from the Interpol’s national central bureau (NCB) in Manila revealed that the suspect has outstanding warrants of arrest issued by the Salten and Lotofen District Court in Norway on 20 June 2022

Kernvik was reportedly indicted on charges of aggravated sexual assault and child abuse in violation of Norwegian laws.

Both Kernvik and Fu are presently detained at the BI warden facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig pending deportation.

City-run store to sell PDL-made products

AirAsia increases local flights with new normal

RESTLESS HEALTH WORKERS. Health workers from various private and public hospitals in Metro Manila stage a protest rally at the Department of Health compound in Sta. Cruz, Manila over alleged government neglect and disregard of their safety, protection, rights, and welfare, as well as their demand for higher wages and non-release of their long-delayed COVID-19 remunerations. Danny Pata

COMMUNITY OUTREACH. Manila Police District director Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon and LTJG. Keith Stephen Liwag, commander of the Navy’s Task Unit Manila, lead the distribution of food packs during their units’ joint community outreach program at the blighted Baseco Compound in Tondo, Manila. Norman Cruz

SENIORS HEALTH CHECKUP.

senior citizens undergo a free medical checkup during the “Filipino Elderly Week” observance conducted by the Department of Health-Metro Manila Center for Health Development at the Ayala Homes in Mandaluyong City. Manny Palmero

Senators approve budgets of gov’t intelligence agencies

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE Senate Finance committee on Tuesday approved the proposed budget allocations of the National Security Council (NSC) and the National Intel ligence Coordinating Agency (NICA).

Under the 2023 National Expendi ture Program or NEP, the budget of the NSC was pegged at P343.3 mil lion while NICA has an allocation of P1.058 billion.

The budget deliberations of the two agencies lasted for more than two hours in an executive session.

The senators opted for an executive

session due to the sensitive issues tack led concerning national security.

Senate Finance committee chairper son Sen. Sonny Angara noted that for the past four years, they have been giv ing an increase in the budget of these two agencies due to their role in keep ing the country protected.

During the hearing, Angara said the officials of the two agencies sought ad ditional allocations for maintenance, operations, and overhead expendi tures; capital outlay; and procurement of equipment and vehicles.

The additional funding, Angara said, will also be used to strengthen the two

BI official: No idea on where 40K POGO workers are

THE government has yet to determine the location of the more than 40,000 Philip pine Offshore Gaming Operations (PO GOs) workers who are facing deportation, a Bureau of Immigration (BI) official said

In a Senate inquiry on Monday, BI Deputy Commissioner Fortunato Mana han Jr., chief of the Intelligence Divi sion, answered in the affirmative when Senator Grace Poe asked if the bureau didn’t know where the potential depor tees were, GMA News reported.

Manahan disclosed that the 40,000 facing deportation was based “on the assumption that for every company, as suming there’s 200 personnel.” The of ficial further said the figure was also based on the canceled licenses of PAG COR which was posted on the PAGCOR website. “A total of 214 companies. We were able to list 48,762,” Manahan, quoted by GMA News, said.

On Sunday, the BI said it was set to revoke 48,782 alien visas of Chinese nationals employed by POGOs with

canceled licenses.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on Tuesday urged the govern ment to heed the call of his fellow leg islators for the immediate cessation of POGO operations, saying the moral damage it inflicts to the Filipino society far outweighs the purported benefits be ing derived from the online gambling firms.

Barbers, chair of the House Commit tee on Dangerous Drugs, said it is also of public knowledge that in China, the home of POGO workers, online gam ing or gambling in any form is banned or outlawed as their schemes also vic timize their fellow nationals.

Barbers said there are at least 300,000 Chinese tourists who entered the coun try since 2016, and almost all of them ended up as POGO workers, some of whom are allegedly being ordered to do dirty works like online scamming like phishing, e-mail spoofing, extortion, and other forms of cybercrime.

institutions.

According to Angara, almost all other agencies have been asking for an additional budget. He noted that the utilization rates of funds of the NICA and NSC were pegged at 60 percent to -70 percent.

Regarding Sen. Risa Hontiveros in quiry that t the confidential funds of the Department of Education (DepEd) is higher than NICA, Angara pointed out that the confidential funds of the latter is still higher

He also does not see anything wrong in the DepEd confidential funds espe cially if this is not wasted.

‘Pinoy consumers lost millions due to mobile scams’

Bersamin: President’s trip to Singapore ‘relevant’

By Vince Lopez

EXECUTIVE Secretary Lucas Ber samin said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s trip to Singapore to watch the open ing of the F1 Grand Prix was “relevant”.

The official said Mr. Marcos “met there with many people who were very relevant to our business activities or the running of our government here.”

“He was still performing his job as president when he was abroad. Al though that is not an official state visit,” Bersamin said.

The official also said it is “irrelevant” to ask who paid for the Chief Executive’s trip. “We don’t have direct knowledge

of how it was funded,” he said.

Bersamin also said, “the welfare of the first family is of concern to the state, so if the President is entitled to his private time, let’s assume that it was his private time, he chose to go there for a specific purpose to watch, that was his primary.”

“He could go there also for other pur poses. You may not call that a state visit nonetheless it is not any less covered by that law which accords great impor tance and value to the welfare of the first family,” the official added.

The official also that the unannounced trip to Singapore was due to “security reasons.” Bersamin dismissed critics, particularly those criticizing the timing

of the President’s trip right after Super typhoon Karding (Noru) devastated parts of the country.

“I am not going to be defensive about it. You are entitled to your private time, private moments, etc., If you love to do something, you should not be moved or impacted by others who may not agree with you,” Bersamin said.

He said he doesn’t think President Marcos has bothered anyone in Singa pore. “I don’t think he bothered anyone, but he might still be invited there be cause his presence might have added some suspense and some intrigue and some importance to that event,” Ber samin said.

FILIPINO

mobile phone users lost “millions of dollars” due to scam text messages that recently contained the names of recipients, a top official of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said.

CICC Deputy Executive Director Mary Rose Magsaysay said that foreign and local syndicates are behind the pro liferation of spam text messages, GMA News reported.

“It’s a collaborative effort between local and international syndicates,” Magsaysay, quoted in the report, said.

The CICC is an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). In a Senate inquiry last month, the CICC said that it was investigating six syndicates behind the text scams.

Magsaysay asked how much these syndicates stole from Filipino mobile users, bared that the amount is in the “millions of dollars.”

The CICC official also revealed that the agency is already building cases against the syndicates behind the text scams.

In a presentation, during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Palo Alto Networks and the United States Agency for International Development, Magsaysay meanwhile said 37 percent of online users in the Philippines reported some form of cy berattack in 2020.

“At least 73 percent of consumer in formation from MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) is lost to at tackers, higher than 56 percent across Asia-Pacific,” she said, quoted by GMA News report.

Earlier, Globe Telecom has tempo rarily blocked text messages that con tain website links to prevent the said scams.

On September 12, the National Tel ecommunications Commission ordered telcos to block URLs, links, and quick response codes on text messages amid the proliferation of spam text messages, some of which contain the recipient’s full name.

In her presentation, during the signing of a memorandum of under standing between Palo Alto Networks and the United States Agency for In ternational Development, Magsaysay said 37% of online users in the Philip pines reported some form of cyberat tack in 2020.

“At least 73% of consumer informa tion from MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) is lost to attack ers, higher than 56% across Asia-Pacif ic,” she said.

BRIEF

Solon seeks more budget for agri dep’t

Nograles: Support flexi working hours

THE chair of the House of Representatives Com mittee on Labor and Employment on Tuesday called on employers to fully support the flexible working arrangements provided for by Republic Act 11165 or the Telecommuting Act of 2018.

“With the release of the expanded rules for the telecommuting law, we hope that more employers will implement flexible working arrangement for their workers. Madalas ngang sabihin na ‘a happy worker is a productive worker.,” Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles, the panel’s chairperson, said.

“If we can provide our employees with the opportu nity to spend more time with their families without ham pering productivity, that’s a win for all sides,” he said The Department of Labor and Employment in September released the revised implementing rules and regulations of the telecommuting law through Department Order 237.

“The

During

programs of the

Maricel V.

The DOLE said the revised IRR was released in response to the evolving nature of work due to the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly with the broader adoption of work-from-home and other alternative workplace schemes.

Nograles said the release of the revised IRR is timely amid the steady rise in the cost of goods and problems in public transport.

“Hours lost to traffic is also money and productivity lost. If more employers implement alternative workplace schemes, they could increase productivity and even help their employees cope with the rising cost of goods,” the lawmaker said. Maricel V. Cruz

Robin slams depiction of Holy Ka’aba in pet fashion show in Quezon City

In a letter to the mall’s management, Padilla said the Holy Ka’aba is a blessed structure that bears great significance in the Islamic faith and is a sacred site dur ing religious pilgrimages.

“While the audio from the said video is proof that the contestant was acting in good faith and that there was no in tention of offending anyone, we cannot undermine the fact that the act of using the blessed structure as a pet stroller had hurt the Muslim community,” he said in his letter.

He also reminded the mall manage ment that the Ka’aba was built by Proph et Abraham and his son Prophet Ishmael as a house of worship for all mankind.

“May this experience, however unfor tunate, be an opportunity to widen per spective and promote understanding of various religious beliefs and practices, befitting the great intent for which this Holy structure is built,” he said.

Also, Padilla stressed it is incumbent on the event organizers and mall man agement “to observe social and cultural sensitivity and appropriateness in every public event.”Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Robinhood “Robin” C. Pa dilla protested the improper depiction of the Holy Ka’aba as a pet stroller or cart in a recent pet fashion show held at a mall in Quezon City recently.

Padilla, a Muslim, chairs the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs.

MANILA OCEAN PARK. Visitors look at various sea creatures at the Manila Ocean Park  Oceanarium in Manila City on Tuesday. (Inset) Francis Low, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Manila Ocean Park) and Dr. Stephen Roy C. Condino, founder and president of Wood, sign a partnership that aims to promote the reduction of plastic pollution. Wood Philippines makes handcrafted sunglasses made from bamboo and wood. Norman Cruz and Joey O. Razon

PETITION FOR CONTEMPT. A group of lawyers consisting of legal luminaries, law school deans, and private law practitioners will file with the Supreme Court, a ‘Petition for Indirect Contempt’ against Lorraine Marie T. Badoy-Partoza for her series of social media posts against Manila RTC Presiding Judge Hon. Marlo Apalisok Magdoza-Malagar. Danny Pata

PARTNERSHIP.

row from right to left: Rene L. Rosales, chairman, Newsnet; Francis Xavier L. Manglapus, vice chairman, NOW Corp.; Mel V. Velarde, chairman, NOW Group and AIJC; Raul L. Manglapus Jr., vice chairman, NOW Telecom Co. Inc.; Henry Andrews B. Abes, president, NOW Cable; Olivia Celeste Montecillo-Villafuerte, president, AIJC. Second row (back) from left: Kristian Pura, managing director, AIJC; Atty.

President’s Night

with the regular election of up to 500,000 villagelevel local officials, neutralized Muslim separatists and prevented the communists from taking over the country.

Above all, FM gave Filipinos a vision of life and that there is greatness in their past and in their future.

TONIGHT, Wednesday, Oct. 5, the Manila Over seas Press Club resumes its traditional MOPC President’s Night with President Ferdinand “Bong bong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. as guest of honor and speaker.

MOPC has gathered for the occasion more than 400 top media professionals and executives of the country’s leading corporations to listen to the Presi dent.

Founded in 1945 by foreign correspondents who came to Manila with General Douglas MacArthur, MOPC is Asia’s oldest press club and the most pres tigious press club in the Philippines. I am the current chairman and CEO of MOPC with Eric Canoy of RMN as president.

In his speech, lasting probably for about 30 min utes, or even longer, BBM is expected to tackle recent developments and issues, declare or reaffirm policies, indicate future thrusts, and rally his audi ence behind his presidency in his quest for a better life for most Filipinos and his ultimate bottomline— that not one more Filipino will be hungry by the end of his term in 2028.

The MOPC audience is the largest ever to be gathered locally to hear the chief executive of the land since his inaugural speech on June 30, 2022 and his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25, 2022.

Many of the tycoons in the MOPC’s elite crowd are partners or would-be partners in his moderniza tion program for the economy.

Infra is the cornerstone of that program. Over the next five years, BBM has allotted P10.78 trillion for Build, Build, Build—the largest ever infra spending in the history of this country.

The President might also want to discuss recent changes in his dynamic Cabinet, including two major departures – that of lawyer Vic Rodriguez as executive secretary, and lawyer Trixie Angeles as press secretary.

The two represent two crucial aspects of Palace operation – policy formulation and execution, in Rodriguez’s case, and communications, messaging and advocacy in the case of Trixie Angeles. In this connection, lawyer Jose Calida also resigned yester day as chair of the Commission on Audit.

The MOPC President’s Night is being staged amid the most challenging times ever for any sit ting chief executive. There is turmoil everywhere – inside decision-making board rooms, in currency markets, in stock markets, and on a number of stra tegic battlefronts.

To be sure, Bongbong came to the presidency with the longest front seat experience.

The young Marcos was barely nine when his father and namesake, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, began his 20-year presidency on Dec. 30, 1965. He met more Popes, more royalty, and more world leaders than any Filipino.

BBM’s major character flaw I think is that the guy is too nice, too decent, and too right-minded as to dominate the vicious rough and tumble of Philip pine politics.

Meanwhile, today, if historians and analysts review his performance without a jaundiced eye, Marcos Sr. will easily emerge as probably the great est Filipino president.

The elder Marcos declared the country’s first genuine program, broadened the democratic base

Of course, Marcos was debilitated by a seeming ly incurable disease, several oil crises and peso de valuations, the worst political assassination ever, the rise of the military (blamed for the murder of Ninoy Aquino), infighting within his once solid as a rock KBL monolith of a party, and by a succession of American governments that did not look kindly on his reducing the term on the use of the military bases from 99 to 25 years and collecting annual rentals.

Thus, the fulsome greatness that Marcos Sr as pired for was not to be fulfilled in his lifetime. Into that vacuum enters Marcos Jr.

Today, if historians and analysts review his performance without a jaundiced eye, Marcos Sr. will easily emerge as probably the greatest Filipino president

President BBM the country’s most popular pres ident. Probably, with his visionary hands-on leader ship, a Cabinet vast in expertise and experience, and the right execution, he will be a great president.

Marcos Jr., 65, will do wonders as a leader, de spite unprecedented challenges of worldwide food and energy shortages, global inflation spiral, war in Ukraine and fears of war in other places.

And despite walking under the enormous shad ow of his late father, Marcos Sr., who had a 20-year reign, from Dec. 30, 1965 to Feb. 25, 1986, the lon gest of any president.

BBM garnered 31.629 million votes in the May 2022 presidential elections, two to six times the votes of previous winners for president, and more than twice the votes of his nearest rival, the now lame duck Leni Robredo.

Marcos Jr. took 59 percent of the 53.8 million votes cast for president; only Marcos Sr. had a larger share, 61 percent when he won reelection in 1969.

BBM won in 64 of the country’s major 80 prov inces, in 15 of 17 regions, in mainland Luzon, the largest island; in nearly all the 100 largest cities, including the 15 cities and two towns of Metro Ma nila, the national capital.

BBM’s victory unified north and southern Phil ippines and consolidated his stranglehold on the central part of the archipelago. There is no precedent for such an awesome mandate in the last 124 years of the Republic.

Today, there are only three opposition members in the 311-member House of Representatives, and three in the 24-member Senate.

The judiciary, of course, is usually friendly to the incumbent president.

There is very little President Marcos Jr. cannot do.

“The son has also risen,” said BBM in his inau gural on June 30, 2022.

“You will not be disappointed,” he assured the nation of 114 million Filipinos. “So do not be afraid.”

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to complete rehabilitation and stabilization.

The school also conducted an International Coastal Cleanup in 2014 to clean the shores of Bonuan Beach.

GOOD news for the Philippine environment and eco-warriors everywhere!

A small public high school in Dagupan City was named the third top finalist in the new US$250,000 (yes, that’s in dollars) World’s Best School Prize for Environmental Action.

Bonuan Boquig National High School (BBNHS) helped restore lost mangrove forests in their area to reverse the environmental devastation economically affecting their students who “mostly live near fish ponds and coastal areas,” the event organizers said.

The school’s initiatives

Dagupan City has long been vulnerable to floods because its land is only about one meter above sea level.

After Typhoon Pepeng in 2009 left two-thirds of the city submerged in seawater, the city government began dredging rivers to reverse the flood’s impact, but this caused the death of the mangroves in the area.

The loss of the mangrove forests exposed rivers to the “direct heat of the sun,” damaging the eco system and resulting in the dying off of aquatic life, including fish, crabs, and shellfish.

This chain of events proved devastating for the area’s economy, which relies heavily on fishing. With the livelihoods of many families destroyed, some of the students of BBNHS had to stop study ing to work and help support their families.

Sometime after this, the school, with over 100 volunteers, planted thousands of mangrove propa gules for several years along the Longos riverbanks to provide new habitats for fish.

The mangrove forests they tend to are now close

The garbage collected was further sorted into biodegradable and non-biodegradable materials. Recyclable materials were turned into useful items such as garden pots and decorations. In another ini tiative, the school planted trees to rehabilitate a local dump site.

As an archipelago, the Philippines is extremely vulnerable to flood damage from typhoons and extreme weather events because of its location

What is the prize?

There are five World’s Best School Prizes – for Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, and Supporting Healthy Lives.

Founded by T4 Education, the prize is sponsored by large corporate donors from all over the world. It is meant to share the best practices of schools that conduct humanitarian and environmental initiatives that benefit their community, and celebrate their stu dents and teachers.

BBNHS is the only Philippine school among the 10 shortlisted finalists.

They and the other finalist schools will share their best practices at events during World Educa tion Week and through School Transformation Toolkits that provide their step-by-step instructions on their strategies and implementation methods.

EDITORIAL

What’s their beef?

SOMUCH space in various platforms has been devoted to criticizing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s weekend visit to Singapore, the nation state he visited last month, to watch the F1 Grand Prix.

This is the Formula One, the highest class of international racing for openwheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Paris-based Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.

Some have called the trip “unnecessary and irresponsible” as well as “insensi tive” – in the words of activists and radical groups, joined by a farmers’ group which noted that Mr. Marcos Jr. and his entourage were said to have stayed at the exclusive F1 Paddock Club, which costs $8,000 (P470,412) for a two-day access pass.

Singapore hosted last weekend its first F1 race since the pandemic in 2020, with tickets reported by critics as selling fast and party suites costing up to $70,000 (P4.1 million) a night. Race tickets cost from SG$98 (P4,024) to nearly SG$10,000 (P410,629).

Some criticisms have suggested that Mr. Marcos should have stayed home instead and supervised the relief and rescue op

erations, given Super Typhoon Karding’s swath of destruction in the country before last weekend.

They also found fault with Malacanang’s silence over the reports – but the other day it issued a brief statement on social media that the President’s trip to Singapore was “productive” and had bolstered negotia tions with possible investors from the city state.

Even Secretary Erwin Tulfo has acknowledged that the President has always been in touch with members of his official family wherever he is and lets go of instructions as needed

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, in a Facebook post, said the president took the opportunity to follow up matters taken up during a state visit to Singapore last month.

“President Marcos’ visit to Singapore was productive. He strengthened the ma jor items discussed during his state visit to this country, and continued to encourage investment to the Philippines,” she said.

Angeles’ statement, in critics’ eyes, was short on details on the “major items” dis cussed in the president’s recent visit nor

identity the people who Mr. Marcos had met in Singapore.

They also faulted Angeles why the trip was not announced before Mr. Marcos left the country last weekend.

We agree with some political observers that while Mr. Marcos is now the elected leader, that did not mean he has lost his zone as a private person, where he can have himself to his own person.

Even Secretary Erwin Tulfo has ac knowledged that the President has always been in touch with members of his official family wherever he is and lets go of in structions as needed.

We remember the case of Caroline, Prin cess of Hanover, daughter of Prince Rainer III of Monaco in the case Von Hannover v Germany, decided by the European Court of Human Rights in 2004.

In 1999 the German courts granted an injunction to prevent publication of pho tos involving her children, stating their need for protection was greater than that of adults, but the German Constitutional Court ruled there was no breach of privacy as Caroline, Princess of Hanover, “was public figure, specifically a ‘figure of con temporary society par excellence.’”

But on June 24, 2004, the Court ruled that there was breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and accepted that scenes from daily life or when on holiday “were of a purely private nature...”

We remember the case, given the criti cisms raised against the President.

Square pegs in a round hole

investigation.

IF YOU were in a position of power and authority in government and have vowed to “preserve and defend the Constitution” and to “do justice to every man,” then you would exert every effort to ensure that those who you appoint to various positions have the necessary qualifications, competence and experience for the job.

This holds true in just about any office in the bu reaucracy, but more so in sensitive positions.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is one such office. It was created by the 1987 Consti tution as an independent body precisely to prevent violations of human rights that took place under the martial law regime of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. from 1972 to 1986.

The human rights field includes not only civil and political rights but also social and cultural rights.

The United Nations also recognizes the right to development. Then there’s the right to self-deter mination of peoples.

With such a broad scope, the CHR must be led by people with proven integrity as well as wide ex pertise and experience in defense of human rights.

Unfortunately, we see the recent appointment to the CHR of two lawyers with no background at all or proven competence and expertise in human rights work as a setback for human rights protection in this country.

The CHR cannot be led by people without the firm commitment to defend human rights against all odds, since they are likely to cross swords with the state security apparatus consisting of the military and the police, as well as LGUs and local warlords.

The initial appointments to the CHR are two lawyers who have no experience at all in the human rights field. But the CHR is not a venue for on-thejob training or trial-and-error experiments, because in many cases, it’s a matter of life and death, as well as enjoyment of freedom or loss of it.

It is bad enough that as things now stand, the CHR can only recommend charges against those who abuse or violate human rights after a thorough

Worse is when human rights cases are decided in favor of the perpetrators rather than the victims even if the evidence shows a clear infringement of basic human rights.

The previous administration of Rodrigo Duterte conveniently ignored the Bill of Rights in the 1987 Constitution that guaranteed the right to life, the right to peaceably assemble for redress of griev ances and the enjoyment of freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

It is bad enough that as things now stand, the CHR can only recommend charges against those who abuse or violate human rights after a thorough investigation

Recall Duterte’s infamous statement: “Your con cern is human rights, my concern is human lives,” in answer to the strong stand of human rights ad vocates that his government had failed to protect human rights.

But this is a false dichotomy. Human rights and human lives are intertwined, not separate from one another. The semantic sleight-of-hand gave rise to a situation where human rights—and human lives— had to be sacrificed to protect the rest of the popula tion from the scourge of illegal drugs, to protect the rest of the population from drug traffickers and drug addicts who turn to crime, such as murder.

The second Marcos administration does not seem too eager to change its predecessor’s dim view of human rights, if its choices for the leadership of the constitutional body are any indication.

The newly appointed CHR chief, Richard Pal pal-Latoc, is a law

ages,” wrote the WB.

“Between 2005 to 2015, 56 percent of property damage in the Philippines was due to typhoons and storms, and another 29% due to floods.

partner and former deputy of recently resigned Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez, and has stoked skepticism among rights advocates.

The other appointed commissioner, lawyer Beda Angeles Epres, used to be a career official in the Of fice of the Ombudsman. They will serve a sevenyear term from 2022 to 2029.

Former CHR chairperson Etta Rosales slammed the appointment of Palpal-Latoc as new chairman of the agency: “I am gravely concerned that the newly appointed chairman is someone with no demonstrated track record or training in human rights issues.

“This is a setback not only for the agency it self, but the victims of human rights violations in the country…A responsibility of this magnitude does not only require knowledge and skill, but the strength of character to speak truth to power on be half of the oppressed.”

Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said Palpal-Latoc “seems to be a political appointee [considering] his background working for Marcos Jr. through Rodriguez; and both appear not to have any background or public positions on human rights issues.”

She noted that the appointment of Palpal-Latoc and Epres was “not transparent and without consul tation, especially with human rights groups.”

Nevertheless, Karapatan “will continue to en gage with the incoming new members of the com mission especially in pursuing justice and account ability of the previous Duterte administration and in the continuing defense of people’s rights, welfare and dignity.”

According to Human Rights Watch Asia Deputy Director Phil Robertson, the appointments are a “slap in the face of victims of human rights abuses” and described Palpal-Latoc as a “loyalist lawyer with no discernible experience in human rights work.”

He said Palpal-Latoc would “have a steep hill to climb to demonstrate that he deserves to sit in that chair, and that he knows up from down about the Philippines’ international commitments on human rights.”

A

ed research to improve the techniques and tech nology on mangrove propagation and preserva tion.”

Why are mangroves important?

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of the work BBNHS is doing.

According to the World Bank, “mangrove forests can provide real benefits in risk reduction to people and property” because they help prevent soil erosion, reduce the risk of flooding and erosion, and “support livelihoods and reduce social vulnerability by pro viding resources such as fish.”

As an archipelago, the Philippines is extremely vulnerable to flood damage from typhoons and ex treme weather events because of its location.

“Typhoon Haiyan [Ondoy] alone caused more than 6,000 deaths and over US $2 billion in dam

These impacts underlie why decision-makers are looking for effective and cost-effective approaches for flood risk reduction.”

However, mangrove forests are being depleted “at alarming rates,” with 19 percent of all the “world’s mangroves lost between 1980 [and] 2005. In the Philippines, mangrove loss has occurred primarily due to conversion of land to other uses, including aquaculture and development.”

Bonuan Boquig NHS, its students, faculty, par ents, and volunteers deserve kudos for the work they are doing to preserve our environment.

With the effects of climate change creating more damage as time goes on, the school is a good ex ample to others to “bloom where they are planted.”

They are an inspiration.

So let us look at what surrounds us wherever we happen to be, identify the problems affecting public safety and welfare, and come up with solutions that will provide tangible effects and benefits for our communities.

school helps

Indonesia probes elite officers as stadium disaster death toll rises

ELITE Indonesian police officers were under investigation Tuesday over a sta dium stampede that killed 131 people including dozens of children in one of the deadliest disasters in football his tory.

As public anger grew, police moved to punish those responsible for the crush in the city of Malang that wit nesses say started when officers fired tear gas into packed stands to quell a pitch invasion.

“As the regional police chief, I am concerned, saddened and at the same time I am sorry for the shortcomings in the security process,” East Java police chief Nico Afinta told a press confer ence Tuesday.

The terraces of the Kanjuruhan stadi um were packed Saturday evening with

White House consulting allies on ‘robust’ reply to Nokor launch

THE White House has announced that the US national security advi sor spoke separately with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts about North Korea’s missile launch over Japan on Tuesday.

“In both calls, the National Se curity Advisors consulted on ap propriate and robust joint and in ternational responses and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan re inforced the United States’ ironclad commitments to the defense of Ja pan and the ROK (South Korea),” national security spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a state ment issued on Monday evening, local time.

North Korea fired an intermedi ate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japan on Tuesday, prompting Tokyo to activate the country’s mis sile alert system and order people to take shelter.

In a separate statement, the US Indo-Pacific Command also con demned the missile launch.

“The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts,” it said in a state ment issued Monday, using the of ficial abbreviation for North Korea.

EU chief Charles Michel on Tuesday condemned North Korea’s firing of an intermediate-range bal listic missile over Japan and said the bloc “stands in solidarity” with Tokyo and Seoul.

“Strongly condemn North Ko rea’s deliberate attempt to jeopar dize security in the region by firing a ballistic missile over Japan. An unjustified aggression and blatant violation of international law,” Eu ropean Council head Charles Mi chel wrote on Twitter. AFP

42,000 “Aremania,” or Arema FC fans, for a match against fierce rivals Perse baya Surabaya.

But after a 3-2 defeat, the first at home for more than two decades to their adversaries, fans streamed down to the pitch to confront players and manage ment.

Police described the incident as a riot and said two officers were killed, but survivors accused them of overreacting.

Officers responded to the pitch inva sion with force, kicking and hitting fans with batons, according to witnesses and video footage, prompting more fans to enter the pitch.

“If there was a riot, it (the tear gas) should be fired to the pitch, not in the stand,” Danny Agung Prasetyo, coor dinator of supporter group Arema DC,

told AFP.

The death toll jumped again on Tues day with local health official Wiyanto Wijoyo telling AFP six more victims had succumbed to their injuries.

Indonesian officials said 4,000 more tickets had been allocated for the match than should have been, while some of the stadium’s doors appeared to have been shut, according to witnesses.

That left physically stronger support ers to scale large fences to escape the mayhem, while the most vulnerable were at the mercy of the crush as tear gas rained down.

“The doors were closed, that’s why people were pushing. Some lay down in the corner” by a closed gate to try to escape the crush, a 16-year-old survivor of the chaos told AFP. AFP

‘Reckless’ North Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan

Studies at Ewha University, told AFP.

North

Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years Tuesday, prompting Tokyo to activate its missile alert system and issue a rare warning for people to take shelter.

The latest launch—which the United States branded “reckless and dangerous” —comes in a record year of sanctionsbusting weapons tests by North Korea, which recently revised its laws to declare itself an “irreversible” nuclear power.

The last time North Korea fired a missile over Japan was in 2017, at the height of a period of “fire and fury”

when Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong Un traded insults with US president Donald Trump.

South Korea said the intermediaterange ballistic missile (IRBM) flew some 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) –possibly a new distance record for North Korean tests, which are usually conduct ed on a lofted trajectory to avoid flying over neighbouring countries.

South Korean President Yoon Sukyeol called the launch a “provocation” that violated UN regulations and vowed a “stern response” in a statement issued by his office.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described it as “an act of vio lence,” while European Union head Charles Michel called it “an unjustified aggression.”

The US State Department said the “reckless and dangerous launch” posed “an unacceptable threat to the Japanese public.”

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile could have been a Hwasong-12.

Pyongyang used Hwasong-12s the last two times it fired missiles over Ja pan—in August and September 2017 —tweeted Chad O’Carroll of specialist site NK News.

North Korea was not responding to routine daily contact on the inter-Kore an liaison line Tuesday, South Korea’s unification ministry said.

The Tuesday test is Pyongyang’s fifth missile launch in 10 days and sends a clear message to the United States, Park Won-gon, professor of North Korean

The missiles “put South Korea, Ja pan, and Guam within range,” and show that Pyongyang could hit US bases with nukes if war broke out on the Korean peninsula, he said.

“As these are missiles that can carry nuclear warheads, the launch also has a political goal of once again declaring North Korea a defacto nuclear power and showing its complete denuclearisa tion is impossible,” Park added.

Seoul, Tokyo and Washington have been ramping up joint military drills to counter Pyongyang’s growing threats, staging the first trilateral anti-submarine drills in five years Friday.

That came just days after the US and South Korean navies conducted largescale exercises. AFP

IN BRIEF

Australia lists small wallaby among new endangered species

AUSTRALIA listed a small wallaby and the grey snake among 15 new threatened species on Tuesday as it launched a zeroextinction plan for its unique wildlife.

Many of Australia’s species are cling ing to existence, their habitats shrinking from human activity and extreme events such as the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, wildlife groups say.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government announced a new 10-year scheme to try and halt the slide into ex tinction of 110 “priority species” and shield 20 “priority places” from further degradation.

It aims to prevent any new extinctions of plants and animals while conserving at least 30 percent of Australia’s land mass.

Wildlife groups blame Australia’s poor record in protecting its unique species largely on habitat destruction, accelerated by global warming and resulting extreme weather.

The Black Summer fires burned through 5.8 million hectares in eastern Australia and killed or displaced an esti mated 1-3 billion animals.

Trump sues CNN for defamation, may act against Jan. 6 panel

FORMER US president Donald Trump sued CNN on Monday, accusing the cable television news network of defamation and seeking $475 million in punitive dam ages.

Trump, in the lawsuit filed in a US Dis trict Court in Florida, accused CNN of waging a campaign of “libel and slander” against him because it “fears” he will run for president again in 2024.

“CNN has sought to use its massive in fluence—purportedly as a ‘trusted’ news source—to defame the plaintiff in the minds of its viewers and readers for the purpose of defeating him politically,” Trump’s lawyers

said in the 29-page complaint.

In a follow-up statement laced with outrage, Trump said Monday that “in the coming weeks and months we will also be filing lawsuits against a large number of other Fake News Media Companies for their lies, defamation, and wrongdoing,” notably regarding coverage of the 2020 election.

The 76-year-old Republican also said his team “may bring appropriate action against” the congressional committee cur rently investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his support ers, saying the panel refused to probe

“the massive Presidential Election Fraud” which he insists occurred.

Trump, who requested a jury trial, had a caustic relationship with CNN and other major news outlets like The New York Times during his term, branding them “fake news” and repeatedly raging against them on social media.

The former president, who has hinted repeatedly at another White House run, accused CNN in the lawsuit of involve ment in a “concerted effort to tilt the po litical balance to the Left.”

He said CNN has tried to “taint” him with a “series of ever-more scandalous,

false, and defamatory labels of ‘racist,’ ‘Russian lackey,’ ‘insurrectionist,’ and ul timately ‘Hitler.’”

In a July statement, Trump had threat ened to sue CNN if the network refused to retract allegedly defamatory statements made about him.

The lawsuit contained excerpts from CNN’s response to Trump in which it stood by its reporting and declined to make any retractions.

In Monday’s filing, Trump took particu lar issue with CNN describing his claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” by Democrat Joe Biden as the “Big Lie.” AFP

“The Black Summer bushfires in par ticular have seen devastating results for many species. We are determined to give wildlife a better chance,” said Environ ment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

“Listing species as threatened under national environment law is a critical step in protecting the species and habitats in need of urgent help.” AFP

12 missing after Rohingya refugee boat capsizes

AT LEAST a dozen people were missing off the Bangladesh coast on Tuesday after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees sank in rough weather, the South Asian country’s coast guard said.

The fishing trawler left at dawn and was bound for Malaysia before it ran into trouble in the Bay of Bengal, with two search boats scrambling to rescue survi vors.

“We have rescued 39 people including 35 Rohingya refugees and four Bangla deshis,” coast guard spokesman Lieuten ant Al Amin told AFP.

THE Swedish Academy will on Thursday announce the 2022 winner of the oftencriticized Nobel Literature Prize, with the award committee known for its penchant for spotlighting lesser-known writers over bestselling authors.

In the past two years, the 18-member Academy has bestowed the prestigious prize on US poet Louise Gluck and Tan zanian author Abdulrazak Gurnah, two writers whose work had not been widely translated and was not known to the broad public – or even some publishers.

“After last year, I think it’s maybe even a bit harder to guess” who could win this year, admitted Lina Kalmteg, literary crit ic for public broadcaster Swedish Radio,

recalling the “total surprise” in the studio when Gurnah’s name was read out last year.

“I think we can expect a more wellknown name this year, after last year’s surprise,” said Bjorn Wiman, culture edi tor at Sweden’s newspaper of reference Dagens Nyheter.

The Academy is slowly recovering from a devastating #MeToo scandal that led to the postponement of the 2018 prize, and its controversial decision a year later to honour Austrian author Peter Handke.

His pro-Serbian positions extended to backing Serbia’s former president Slobo dan Milosevic, who was on trial for geno cide when he died in 2006. AFP

Coast guard station commander Ashiq Ahmed said at least 50 people were on the boat, which had picked up passengers from several coastal towns before em barking.

“Around a dozen people are still miss ing. The rescue operation is still going,” he told AFP.

The vessel sank near southern Cox’s Ba zar district, the site of camps that are home to around a million Rohingya refugees.

Most arrived in Bangladesh five years ago after a military crackdown in neigh bouring Myanmar that is now the subject of a genocide investigation at the UN’s top court.

Dire conditions in the camps prompt hundreds each year to pay smugglers for passage along the dangerous sea route to Malaysia, which is home to a large Ro hingya diaspora. AFP

2022 Nobel Literature Prize a toss-up between bestseller and dark horse

APPEAL FOR JUSTICE. Football supporters hold a candlelight vigil for victims of a stampede in Bekasi on October 3, 2022. Anger against police mounted in Indonesia after at least 131 people were killed in one of the deadliest disasters in the history of football when officers fired tear gas in a packed stadium, triggering a stampede. AFP

TESTING BLITZ. People walk past a subway bulletin board notifying passengers of a disruption to the timetable following a missile launch by North Korea in Sapporo, Hokkaido prefecture on October 4, 2022. AFP

DANGEROUS

Stocks advance; Ayala, SM Prime up

STOCKS rallied Tuesday following overnight gains on Wall Street amid optimism that a series of big interest rate hikes were taking their toll, allowing the US Federal Reserve to ease its foot off the pedal.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, jumped 204.57 points, or 3.5 percent, to close at 5,987.72, as all six subsectors advanced.

The broader all-share index also

S. Korea’s Naver buying American e-commerce site Poshmark for $1.2b

SEOUL, South Korea—South Ko rean internet giant Naver is buying Poshmark, a US online marketplace for used clothing, for roughly $1.2 billion, the companies said Tuesday.

The deal—worth about $1.6 billion when Poshmark’s cash holdings are included, according to Naver—is ex pected to close by the first quarter of 2023, the firms said.

Naver operates a highly influential search engine and e-commerce plat form in South Korea, and is paying $17.90 a share in an all-cash deal.

“Poshmark is a natural fit for our business—our two companies share a common set of values and vision around content, community and em powerment,” Choi Soo-yeon, chief executive officer of Naver, said in a statement.

“Bringing Naver and Poshmark to gether will immediately put us at the forefront of creating a new, socially responsible, and sustainable shop ping experience designed around sellers of all sizes and interests.”

Poshmark CEO Manish Chandra called the South Korean firm “one of the world’s leading and most innova tive and successful internet compa nies”, and said the transaction deliv ers “significant and immediate value to our shareholders”.

“As part of Naver, we will benefit from their financial resources, sig nificant technology capabilities, and leading presence across Asia to ex pand our platform,” Chandra added.

The resale market particularly saw a pandemic-time boom as it prompt ed those under quarantine to clean out their closets and resell items they no longer wanted.

The deal will allow Naver to “capi talize on the increasing consumer shift in fashion to online re-com merce”, the firms said. AFP

gained 96 points, or 3.1 percent, to set tle at 3,210.48, on a value turnover of P4.6 billion. Gainers outnumbered los ers, 140 to 60, while 40 issues were un changed.

Eight of the 10 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Ayala Corp. which climbed 4.7 percent to P645.00 and SM Prime Holdings Inc. which went up 4.6 percent to P32.

Meanwhile, most Asian markets rose Tuesday. Oil also continued to rise on expectations OPEC and other major producers will slash output this week, having become spooked by a plunge in the commodity on recession fears.

All three main indexes in New York enjoyed a bumper start to the quarter after data showed US manufacturing growth slowed more than expected in September to its weakest in more than two years.

SPI Asset Management’s Stephen Innes said: “The positive aspect in the data is prices paid dropped to 51.7, the lowest print since June 2020, triggering a mini-risk revival in stocks and a selloff on the US dollar as US yields contin ued to slide.

“In this hawkishly priced risk envi ronment, bad data is considered good news, as it raises the possibility of a dovish pivot by the Federal Reserve.”

But he added that there was a lot more data to come this week, topped by Fri day’s US jobs figures, that could alter investors’ views, while several Fed offi cials remained wedded to their rate hike plan to tame inflation.

Nicole Webb, at Wealth Enhancement Group, told Bloomberg Television that while the Fed will at some point stop hiking, “how long they hold us or sus pend us there is still in question”.

Still, Asian markets built on the Wall Street surge.

Tokyo and Seoul were among the leaders, despite news that North Korea had fired a missile over Japan for the first time since 2017. With AFP

TOP

Beyond their intended use as a trans

token,

tickets with their trade mark magnetic strip have inspired art ists, filmmakers and singers, served as emergency notepads and, most of all, bookmarks.

“As the metro ticket disappears, so does a part of our lives,” said Gregoire Thonnat, a collector and author of a book on the history of the metro ticket. “The metro ticket is part of how we picture Paris.”

Ile-de-France Mobilites, which oper ates the metro’s ticketing system, had wanted the pack of 10 tickets known as “carnets” to be gone by the first quarter of this year.

But then the Covid-19 pandemic erupted, and Russia’s war in Ukraine, and with it a global shortage of micro chips needed to make the smartcards to replace the tickets―whose sales still total 550 million per year, more than 50 tons of paper.

“We were in a hurry, but the chip crisis slowed us down,” Laurent Probst, direc tor-general at Ile-de-France Mobilites told AFP.

The operator has started cutting the number of metro stations that still sell carnets to nudge clients towards plastic cards, and many turnstiles can no longer read cardboard tickets.

As a result, the share of card tickets used on urban trips has dropped from more than two-thirds a year ago to well under half now. “Our customers are be ginning to change their habits,” Probst said.

He said carnets would be gone com pletely sometime next year. AFP

Australia increases rates below forecast, boosting stocks

SYDNEY, Australia―Australia raised interest rates less than expected Tues day, boosting stocks and dragging the local dollar lower, as officials grow con cerned about a slowing global economy sparked by rising borrowing costs and surging prices.

While the Reserve Bank of Austra lia’s 0.25 percentage point hike took the cash rate to a nine-year high of 2.60 percent, the increase was half what had been forecast as it joins others around the world in trying to rein in runaway inflation.

In a statement, the RBA noted it had already increased rates “substantially in a short period of time”, though it held its inflation estimate for the year with a peak of 7.75 percent, before dropping to

just over four percent in 2023.

“As is the case in most countries, in flation in Australia is too high,” the bank said in a statement.

It added that the surge in prices had been driven by “global factors”, along with strong spending levels in Australia.

The move highlights the tightrope central banks have to walk in trying to bring down inflation while at the same time trying to cushion their economies from a recession, a battle many com mentators warn they are losing.

The Federal Reserve and European Central Bank have flagged further hikes at their next meetings, while the United Nations warned that the tightening programs could trigger prolonged stagnation.

Sydney’s ASX 200 soared 3.8 percent after the announcement, while the Aus tralian dollar dropped from US$0.6510 to as low as $0.6451 though it edged back slightly.

City Index Senior Market analyst Matt Simpson said the decision was “telling” after Australia had to “play catch-up with other central banks”.

“Already that trajectory is dying down. And as long as medium-term in flation expectations continue to behave, the case for a much higher cash is fad ing,” he said.

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the rise and international warnings of economic slowdowns would shape his upcoming budget announcement, which is due in three weeks. AFP

BEIJING, China—Wu has staked out his patch of the Chinese Dream. Mar ried with a second child on the way, he has a Beijing apartment and a car paid for by a tech job with a comfort able salary.

He has even jumped the fence of China’s restrictive residency rules to move from eastern Shandong province to the capital, near the middle-class neighborhood of Shangdi.

“Things are going pretty well,” the fresh-faced thirty-something says with a smile.

His ascent through the hurly-burly of China’s competitive capital has broadly tracked the leadership of Pres ident Xi Jinping.

It is 10 years since Xi unveiled the “Chinese Dream”, a grand vision to restore the country’s global influence through a collective struggle for pros perity, power and glory -- steered by the Communist Party.

Its achievements include pulling tens of millions from poverty into an economy fizzing on tech, manufactur ing supply chains and the breathless energy of 1.4 billion people.

That has brought new freedoms and opportunities, alongside unexpected challenges for a party primed for con trol and self-preservation.

“Everyone has their own ideals, aspi rations and dreams,” Xi said in a speech on November 29, 2012 shortly after he was made party general secretary.

“In my opinion, realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest Chinese Dream.”

But as Xi prepares for the party to anoint him for an unprecedented third term in office, some say that dream is losing definition.

Even in Shangdi, anxiety lurks be hind the baubles of affluence.

Workers struggle with burnout and

the soaring costs of housing and child care, as well as the social pressures of marriage—all in an economy weighed down by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Expectations for the future are chang ing, with potentially profound implica tions for China’s direction.

“People are chasing different things from what they used to,” says 29-yearold Anna Chen, who works for another tech firm in Shangdi.

Tech tales

Over the last decade, hulking office blocks have transformed Shangdi from an unremarkable suburb to a landmark on China’s tech map.

The area is near the ruins of the Old Summer Palace -- destroyed by Brit ish soldiers in 1860 -- a reminder of China’s “century of humiliation” at

the hands of Western nations that still rankles in Beijing.

Many of Shangdi’s new residents work for tech giants such as Baidu, Kuaishou and Didi Chuxing -- com panies that dominate daily life in the world’s most populous nation and now outsize many of their Western rivals.

With his wire-framed glasses, dark T-shirt and sweatpants, 31-year-old Sheldon Zhang wears the uniform of a generation of young tech profession als who have emerged as some of the best-educated and most cosmopolitan in China’s history.

A fast-talking college dropout who co-founded a startup in his early 20s, Zhang is now a user experience ar chitect at a major firm, tinkering with robotics and artificial intelligence in a

MOST ACTIVE

VALUE (PHP)

2,412,690 398,615,322

BDO 2,823,600 318,286,989

SM 395,120 309,740,630

11,838,900 282,702,330

2,681,680 259,185,108

7,178,400 228,128,270

347,270 222,575,700

460,000 188,748,732

698,150 166,980,954

1,447,740 166,096,482

mission he says is for the “future ben efit of humanity”.

Hubs such as Shangdi are drivers of AI, quantum computing, sensors and chips earmarked in the party’s last fiveyear plan as essential for the next phase of China’s development.

But industry insiders warn a “winter” has settled across the tech sector.

In a widespread crackdown, Beijing has been bringing to heel major firms over fears they have too great a hold over Chinese consumers.

Revenue growth is in decline at bighitters such as Alibaba and Tencent, and job layoffs in the sector are rising.

China’s economy grew just 0.4 per cent in the second quarter of this year —its worst performance since the start of the pandemic. AFP

Xi’s ‘Chinese Dream’ flickers in one Beijing neighborhood

PARIS,

MARKET REBOUND. Pedestrians walk past an electronic display showing the closing numbers on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on Oct. 4, 2022. Tokyo stocks surged on Oct. 4 after Wall Street shares rebounded, with soft US data fueling speculation that Fed officials may slow efforts to hike interest rates. AFP

This photo taken on July 30, 2022 shows yoga instructor Feng Jing stretching with students at a gym in Beijing’s middle-class neighborhood of Shangdi. It is 10 years since Xi unveiled the ‘Chinese Dream’, a grand vision to restore the country’s global influence through a collective struggle for prosperity, power and glory, steered by the Chinese Communist Party. AFP

AC Healthcare set to complete cancer hospital

By Jenniffer B. Austria

AC HEALTHCARE Holdings Inc. (AC Health), a wholly-owned subsid iary of Ayala Corp., is on track to com plete its P2-billion cancer hospital in Taguig City.

AC Health said in a statement Tues day it recently topped the 100-bed Healthway Cancer Care Hospital, which is scheduled for completion by the middle of next year.

AC Health president and chief exec utive Paolo Borromeo said the first ma jor cancer equipment will be delivered to the site by the end of the year.

The Healthway Cancer Care Hos pital is part of Ayala Group’s P10-bil lion healthcare investment. It will of fer a complete range of services from screening, diagnosis and treatment to post-cancer care. It will be equipped with chemotherapy chairs, operating theaters and state of the art diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, optimized for cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment.

AC Health in August signed a value partnership with Siemens Healthineers, the leading provider in healthcare systems.

The tie-up, which will provide the 100-bed cancer hospital with techni cal expertise and technologies in diag nostic and therapeutic imaging, further strengthens the hospital’s vision of pro viding quality, accessible and afford able cancer services to a broader base of Filipinos.

AC Health also has partnered with Varian-CTSI, which provides clini cal services and solutions to over 100 hospitals, clinics and physician groups worldwide, in ensuring delivery of af fordable yet high standards of cancer care in the country

“A year ago, we were gathered on this same site to break ground for our shared vision of providing quality on cology care to more Filipinos. Today, we mark another milestone with this topping off ceremony, as we near this goal,” said Borromeo.

“We are excited to see the plans for the hospital come to fruition and are incredibly thankful for the tremendous support we are receiving from more and more medical practitioners, pa tients, and communities,” he added.

Business

DMCI, Japanese partner bag two subway station contracts

By  Darwin G. Amojelar

MMSP-Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard Stations and Tunnels amounting to P20.46 billion.

Phoenix PBA bond under garnishment

A BATANGAS court issued several notices of garnishment on the assets of Phoenix Petroleum Philippines including its Philippine Basketball Association bond over alleged unsettled debt.

The notices of garnishment were served on Phoenix Petroleum Philippines’ accounts with different banks for alleged unpaid debt to Ab solut Distillers Inc., a company led by tycoon Lucio Tan amounting to P157 million.

These included a notice for garnishment on Phoe nix’s Super LPG Fuel Masters bond at the PBA.

Phoenix officials did not issue comment as of press time. The company said earlier it was in talks with creditors and lenders as it main tained “business-as-usual” operations.

The Batangas Regional Trial issued on Sept. 28 a writ of preliminary attachment against Phoenix, a company owned by business man Dennis Uy for its alleged failure to pay P157.255 million worth of bioethanol products supplied by Absolut Distillers.

Asian Alcohol Corp., the second largest dis tillery based in Negros Occidental and a sister company of Absolut Distillery also filed a case against Phoenix over the collection of P127 million, including P89-million principal debt and interest.

D.M.

CONSUNJI Inc. (DMCI) and joint venture partner Nishimatsu Construction Co. Ltd.(NCC) of Japan obtained a notice of award from the Department of Transportation to build the Quezon Avenue and East Avenue underground stations and tunnels for the Metro Manila Subway Project

“We are very excited to be part of this historic project. Once completed, the subway will help address urban mobil ity issues in our nation’ capital,” said DMCI president and chief executive Jorge Consunji.

To be funded through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agen cy (JICA), the P21.21-billion Contract Package 102 of MMSP includes design (to the extent required), supply, installa tion, construction, testing, commission ing and training.

The project will take around 67 months to complete.

“The contract is still subject to concur rence by JICA and compliance with the documentary requirements as provided

under the April 2012 guidelines for pro curement under Japanese official devel opment assistance loans,” DMCI said.

Nishimatsu Construction Co. Ltd. is the leading tunnel contractor in Japan, having worked on more than 1,000 tun nels. Its portfolio includes Singapore’s National Library Board Building, Lon don’s Channel Tunnel Rail Link and Hong Kong’s Lap Kok Airport.

DMCI as of June 30, 2022 had an or der book of P43.7 billion, mostly from other joint venture projects and build ing contracts.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Transportation Secretary Jaime Bau tista on Monday led the ground break ing for the Contract Package 104 of the

The MMSP’s Contract Package 104 (CP104) is part of the seven civil work contracts of the project, and covers the construction of the Ortigas and Shaw Blvd. stations and tunnels with a total route length of 3.397 kilometers.

With a total of 33-kilometer route length and 17 stations, the Metro Ma nila Subway will cut across eight local government units that will stretch from Valenzuela City to FTI-Bicutan in Para ñaque City with a spur line to NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City.

Funded by the Japanese government, the Metro Manila Subway will be the first underground mass transit system in the Philippines–a modern railway sys tem that will be at par with the rest of the world.

The rail line aims to cut travel time between Quezon City and Ninoy Aqui no International Airport (NAIA) from the present one hour and 10 minutes to just 35 minutes. Once operational, the underground railway system can serve up to 519,000 passengers daily.

BSP pushes changes to bank secrecy law

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Tuesday the reforms in the Bank Deposits Secrecy Law is one of its priority legislative agenda for the 19th Congress.

The BSP outlined its legislative agenda to promote the stability and ensure soundness of the banking and payment systems.

“The BSP will work with the 19th Congress on the passage of priority bills that are expect ed to boost public trust and confidence in the country’s financial and payment systems,” BSP Governor Felipe Medalla said in a statement.

The proposed amendments to the Bank Deposits Secrecy law aim to strengthen the banking system’s capacity to effectively combat tax evasion, money laundering, and other financial crimes.

The BSP in the 18th Congress supported the passage of House Bill No. 8991 which sought to allow for a thorough examination of bank accounts with suspicious transactions.

Julito G. Rada

Armscor taps ArmorLube to optimize production

ARMSCOR Global Defense Inc., a leading manufacturer of firearms, ammunition and de fense products, teamed up with coating tech nology company ArmorLube to optimize the former’s manufacturing capabilities.

Headquartered in Arizona, ArmorLube has pioneered a line of next-generation ultrahard coatings designed to increase the performance and extend the longevity of products across many industries.

The company has a proprietary “hollow cath ode” technology that provides an advanced, ultrahard dry coating which does away with the oils and greases utilized in traditional firearms coat ing processes that could attract dust or dirt, result ing in carbon fouling or jamming.

“One of the advantages of our particular coating when it comes to firearms or other hard coatings is its ability to survive humid and salty weather areas that make firearms much more susceptible to corrosion,” said Armor Lube chief executive Andrew Tudhope.

ArmorLube utilizes a vacuum process known as plasma enhanced chemical vapor de position that produces a diamond-like carbon firearm coating that provides a distinct advan tage as it increases the firearm’s performance, reliability and durability even in the most chal lenging conditions.

Headquartered in Parang, Marikina City, AGDI has over 1,200 employees and is one of the biggest exporters of firearms and ammuni tion in the world. Othel V. Campos

Converge ICT backs ‘joint use’ of underground pipes

SMC plans to put up energy storage manufacturing plant

By Alena Mae S. Flores

CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp.

plans to put up a battery energy storage manufacturing facility that can serve the domestic and export markets, its top executive said Monday.

“I also want to get into battery stor age manufacturing using nickel-iron, so I won’t have to buy. I will produce it and even export it,” SMC president Ramon Ang said.

Batteries using nickel deliver higher energy with a bigger storage capacity at a cheaper cost.

Ang said the company was putting up battery energy storage systems with a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts that could “capture the up and down swing of power plants.”

These will come from 31 facilities with investments of about $1 billion.

“We now have 500 MW, and I hope

Peso rebounds as BSP vows to take steps to manage market disruptions

By Julito G. Rada

THE peso rebounded Tuesday after hit ting a new low of 59 a dollar a day earlier, as most financial markets in the region rose on expectations the US Federal Re serve may ease its aggressive interest rate hikes.

The local currency gained P0.35 to close at P58.65 on trading volume of $779 million.

Monetary officials asked individuals “who have the means” to avoid taking advantage of the current trend in the for eign exchange market, saying this kind of activity would not benefit the weakening peso.

The BSP said in a statement it was tak ing steps to manage any disruption in the financial market.

“We look forward to servicing all legit

imate dollar transactions. The USD spot market remains open and active while for wards and repos are available facilities,” the BSP said.

It said these could move the economy forward by supporting the financial leg underpinning economic activity and al lowing for an orderly settlement of US dollar obligations.

The BSP said it was committed to enhancing the well-being of Filipinos through a financial system that addresses the funding needs of the public while managing risks.

“There are many reasons why financial markets worldwide have been experi encing notable changes thus far in 2022.

the pronounced developments is a strong

dollar, which is causing cur rencies

depre ciate,”

to reach 1,000 MW. We can sell that to factories, steel mills,” he said.

The SMC BESS projects are de signed to minimize wastage by storing and redistributing excess capacity to ensure even underserved regions can have the same sufficient, reliable elec tricity enjoyed by larger cities.

Ang said he planned to offer stored power capacity from BESS at P2 to P3 per kilowatt-hour.

“Batteries will stabilize the system. That will stabilize the grid’s voltage, frequency, peaking requirement,” he said.

He said SMC was still waiting for the rules on BESS from the Depart ment of Energy.

“With the integration of this tech nology into our electrical grid, we are confident we can improve power qual ity and address the intermittent nature of renewables. We believe this and

other bridge technologies will allow us to truly achieve a just and inclusive transition to a clean energy future that will not only sustain our economic re covery and growth but will also benefit both our environment and many Filipi nos,” Ang said earlier.

SMC’s BESS facilities are seen to be the largest initiative of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Ang said its BESS network would be vital to ensuring reliable power sup ply nationwide even in far-off areas.

“With this, provinces and regions will have equal access to power and, therefore, an equal chance to attract in vestors,” Ang said.

“Bringing electricity to power-chal lenged regions will help uplift the lives of more Filipinos, who will finally have access not just to basic electricity, but also opportunities and jobs brought about by electrification,” he said.

CONVERGE ICT Solutions Inc. sup ports a “joint use” mechanism for the installation of underground pipes for telecommunication cables, a top execu tive said Tuesday.

Converge ICT chief operations offi cer Jesus Romero said the cost of instal lation of the conduits could be shared by telecom companies or Internet ser vice providers.

He said this option would mean cost savings for the ICT providers and en sure there won’t be multiple trenchdiggings.

“This can be done in expressways link ing parts of the metro together. Subma rine cables are expensive. We could do with a lot more diversity and connectiv ity. This joint use of infrastructure will go a long way,” Romero said.

“As an ISP, we’re willing to pay for our share [of the cost],” he said.

A “dig once” policy in place will translate into lower capital costs for the internet service provider, which in turn will widen access to the broadband infrastructure, especially to rural com munities.

Converge ICT said that in pursuing this policy, cooperation among the national government agencies such as the Depart ment of Public Works and Highways, local government units and private sec tor operators is critical as the digital in frastructure deployment has to be aligned with public works plans.

“Our backbone nationwide, most of it is underground, but there are still places where we have aerial cables because of the old design of the houses. We should encourage regulators and lawmakers to come up with directions to push for underground cabling because we are a typhoon-ravaged country,” Converge ICT chief executive and co-founder Dennis Anthony Uy said.

“Another policy move that can be con sidered where underground cables are not feasible is infrastructure sharing. This entails the shared use of open, neutral, and affordable facilities among telecom companies, which includes utility poles. A common pole policy can further reduce the cost of network deployment,” he said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

AXA’S NEW BRANCH. AXA Philippines, an insurance company borne out of the joint venture partnership between the Metrobank Group, GT Capital and the Paris-based AXA Group, opens its latest branch in Davao City. Attending the branch opening at Bormaheco Building along JP Laurel Ave. are (from left) AXA branch director Francis Endaya, chief distribution officer Marie Raymundo, chief executive and chief financial officer Gael Lapie, chief agency officer Geoff Tan and branch head Edward Tombo.

FRANCHISE SHOW. The Bank of the Philippine Islands, signifies support for the Philippine Franchise Association as it co-presents Franchise Asia Philippines 2022―Asia’s biggest franchise show. Franchise Asia Philippines 2022 with the theme ‘Live.Love.

staged

Concepcion grabs early 2-stroke Riviera lead

SILANG, Cavite—Fidel Concepcion birdied the first two holes then endured a virtual survival test right in the first round to wrest early control in the ICTSI Riviera Championship with a 69 at the Langer course here Tuesday.

While the top guns pressed their bids in a windy start then faded in punishing conditions at the dreaded par-71 layout, Concepcion held on in a roller-coaster ride midway through and into the finish for a 34-35 round and a two-stroke lead over Anthony Fernando.

He eagled the par-5 10th but double-bogeyed the long par-3 12th then birdied No. 16 to negate an earlier mishap on the ninth and emerge the leader in the P2 million tournament marking the return of the Philippine Golf Tour after a three-month break.

Concepcion limped to 32nd in the last PGT stop at Eagle Ridge-Aoki won by absentee Mike Bibat last July but toughened up on the Asian Development Tour during the lull.

He didn’t have as much success on the Asian Tour farm league with a number of missed cuts and a best 32nd place finish in the Indo Masters Invitational last June. But he used the experience to get into a fine start on a course that saw the early rise and fall of the Tour’s revered players.

“I played very well and happy to be able to play Philippine golf again,” said Concepcion, still in pursuit of a maiden championship. “I had led many times but just couldn’t sustain my game.”

Fernando, the former national champion still in the hunt for the elusive pro crown,

Sports

Bombers solve Red Lions’ puzzle; Altas edge Generals

By Peter Atencio

THEJose Rizal University Heavy Bombers held their ground in the final period to prevail over the San Beda University Red Lions, 83-80, on Tuesday in the 98th National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil-EcoOil Arena in San Juan.

The Heavy Bombers weathered the Red Lions’ fightback from a 12-point deficit in the last period and relied on Joshua Guiab’s split free throw with seven seconds left and William Sy’s rebound at the four-second mark to seal the deal for the team.

Agem Miranda went on to finish with a game-high 21 points for the Heavy Bombers, who picked up their fourth win in six games.

Coach Louie Gonzales said the team’s effort on defense mattered in their first-ever

victory over the Red Lions in six years.

“We know for a fact that this team has a winning culture. A 20-point lead from us, in the middle of game, to a team like them, it will not matter until this game is finished,” said Gonzales as they dealt the Red Lions their second loss in five outings.

The last time the Red Lions tasted defeat at the hands of JRU was in Season 92 when they absorbed a 73-79 setback.

Gabriel Cometa knocked in 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, sinking

10 points in the last two minutes and allowing the Red Lions to come close from 62-74 down to within four in the final two minutes, 77-81.

After Miranda scored a lone charity in the final 1:38, a putback by Red Lion JB Bahio and a freebie from James Kwekuteye saw JRU’s edge dwindle to two in the final minute before Guiab settled the score with his free throw.

John Amores struck with 19 points for JRU, while Mac Dionisio unloaded 16.

Bahio made 19 points for San Beda, which will try to bounce back against the Arellano University Chiefs on Friday.

Meanwhile, the University of Perpetual Help Altas squandered a seven-point lead in the last five minutes but still escaped with a 55-54 triumph over the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals.

Singson snatches lead; Malixi stumbles

SILANG, Cavite—Mafy Singson came out better than the rest in a faltering finish at the tough Langer course, posting a one-over 72 for a one-stroke lead over Rianne Malixi in an early show of force by the amateurs in the ICTSI Riviera Championship here on Tuesday.

Malixi appeared headed for another fine start with a steady one-birdie, onebogey card after 16 holes but the runaway winner at Valley bogeyed the last two holes at dusk for a 73, enabling Singson, who blew an even par card with a bogey on the 17th two flights ahead, to move in front.

“Langer is a tough course so I just try to play steady, hit the fairways and greens,” said Singson, gunning for a second pro crown after winning the

Splendido Taal leg last May. “I had a few clumsy bogeys but then again you can’t really avoid them (bogeys) in this kind of course.”

Truly, even the men of the tour had a tough time dealing with the daunting layout in their side of the battle early on and like in the Philippine Golf Tour race. the chase for top honors in the 54-hole Ladies PGT also headed for a wild, wide open finish.

Apple Fudolin also headed for a big first round surprise by matching Malixi’s even par card after 15 holes on back-to-back birdie feats from No. 10 after an opening 37. But she dropped three strokes on the par-5 16th and slipped to a share of third with Chihiro Ikeda at 74.

Ikeda, seeking a third championship after topping the Mount Malarayat and Eagle Ridge-Aoki, battled back from a four-over 39 start and another bogey on No. 11 with two birdies in the last five holes to pull to within two shots of Singson.

Sarah Ababa reeled with a triple bogey seven on the challenging No. 11 and wound up with a birdie-less 75 for a share of fifth with last year’s Highlands winner Sunshine Baraquiel, who blew a one-under card after 10 holes with three bogeys and a double bogey in the last seven holes.

Harmie Constantino also groped for form and limped with a 76 to fall to joint seventh with amateurs Laurea Duque and Korean Kim Seoyun.

Gilas players show commitment to team

TALKING about commitment to the highest level, Chris Newsome of the Meralco Bolts continued to show up in Gilas Pilipinas’ weekly practice session amid nursing a calf contusion that forced him to miss Sunday’s game against Barangay Ginebra.

Newsome was one among the 16 players who came by Monday night as Gilas worked out for an hour at the Meralco gym. He sat on the sidelines along with naturalized candidate and Ginebra resident import Justin Brownlee while the other 14 healthy bodies give themselves another push, doing routines on shooting and running different sets.

Even more impressive were the Gin Kings stalwarts, reigning Most Valuable Player Scottie Thompson, Gilas mainstay Japeth Aguilar and the newest member of Ginebra’s family,

Jamie Malonzo.

The three players were coming off a hard game against bitter rival, Meralco, in a game won by the Gin Kings, 99-91. They joined their Ginebra coach, Tim Cone, who helped out Gilas head coach Chot Reyes and assistant coach, Josh Reyes, in the training.

“We told the players, some of them had games last night (Sunday). Everyone has also practiced today (Monday), so we’re not gonna overextend them,” said the elder Reyes. “We have specific things that we want to achieve. So today, we wanted to achieve a couple of things done and they went hard right away. These guys are in shape, but more importantly get the opportunity of playing together.”

“I like the energy of the young players, but

produced a rare birdie feat on the tough finishing par-4 hole to salvage a 71 and seize solo second as Kuresh Samanodi bogeyed the last two holes and dropped to joint fifth at 73.

When asked of Concepcion’s game plan in the next three rounds, he said: “I’ll just play to my strength and see what happens.”

Most, however, will need to make things happen today (Wednesday) as the race to the Top 40 plus ties heats up, including Juvic Pagunsan, Angelo Que, Jhonnel Ababa, Sean Ramos, Jobim Carlos, Ivan Monsalve and Jerson Balasabas, among others.

Pagunsan, back in the local hunt after a Japan Golf Tour stint with Que just last Sunday, rebounded from a bogey-bogey mishap from No. 2 with three birdies in the four-hole stretch from No. 4. But just when he thought he had the course, where he reigned in stormy conditions to cap a four-tournament run in 2019, all figured out again, he stumbled with a doublebogey on No. 10 then made a rare doublepar finish on the par-4 11th after twice dumping his wedge shot into the water. He birdied the 15th to salvage a 75 for joint 17th with four others, including former Philippine Open champion Clyde Mondilla, who hardly recovered from a frontside 40 with a lone backside birdie. Other four-over scorers were Jay Bayron, Arnold Villacencio and amateur Josh Jorge.

Like Pagunsan, Mondilla, runner-up in the first two legs of this year’s circuit put up by ICTSI and third placer in the third stop at Caliraya Springs, bogeyed Nos. 2 and 3, birdied the fifth but yielded two strokes on the next. He closed out the nine with back-to-back bogeys before birdying the 10th.

settles for

in World Athletics Cup

JANRY Ubas settled for the bronze medal in the men’s long jump event in the World Athletics Cup Challenge on Sunday in Niigata, Japan.

The 28-year-old Ubas placed third out of 20 competitors and was the lone entry from South East Asia.

Ubas, coached by Dario Darosas, cleared 7.76 meters on his final attempt, an improvement of his performance in the 2022 Hanoi Southeast Asian Games. This was much better than the 7.70 m that he did during the recent PATAFA Weekly Relays. He took the bronze medal back then at 7.33.

Yushi Hahioka of Japan cleared 8.05 meters on his fourth jump for the gold, while Asian Champion Daikii Oda took silver with 7.93 meters.

PATAFA secretary general Edward Kho said the points that he will earn will give him opportunities to compete in world championship events. Peter Atencio

even more impressive was the energy of the PBA players, especially the Ginebra team, which just played a hard game on Sunday.”

Key players from San Miguel Beer and TNT were also in full force, joining the third session of Gilas in line with their preparation for the fifth window to be held in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, respectively.

Both matches will be played away from home as the Philippines takes on FIBA Asia Cup semifinalist Jordan on November 7 then battles Saudi Arabia on November 10.

Six-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez, two of the Beermen’s starters, were in attendance, same with TNT stars Roger Pogoy, Poy Erram and the newest Ka Tropa, promising sophomore Calvin Oftana.

College stars Carl Tamayo of University of the Philippines, Kevin Quiambao of La Salle and Ateneo’s Angelo Kouame and LeBron Lopez also participated in the training session.

Fidel Concepcion: I played very well and happy to be able to play Philippine golf again. Manny Marcelo

Agem Miranda (right) leads the JRU Bombers with 21 points.

Mafy Singson

Marcelo)

Janry Ubas

Scottie Thompson of Barangay Ginebra brings the energy

Gilas practice

Nationals topbill SMART/MVP Taekwondo Championships

OLYMPIAN Kurt Barbosa leads starry cast in the SMART/MVP Sports Foundation National Carlos Palanca, Jr. Taekwondo Championships slated on October 8 and 9 at the Ayala Malls, Manila Bay, Pasay City.

The country’s lone bet in Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and two-time Southeast Asian Games champion is the favorite in the -54 kgs. class in the tournament organized by the Philippine Taekwondo Association as part of the organization’s qualifying selection for slots for the 2023 National Team.

Hence, the tournament also serves as tune-up to members of the Philippine Team set to compete in the World Taekwondo Championship in November in Guadalajara, Mexico, as well as the Asian Taekwondo Championships, Asian Junior/Cadet Taekwondo Championships and the Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games set next year.Also joining in the competition sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and MILO are Barbosa’s fellow National University standout and Manila 2019 SEAG gold medal winner Dave Cea, National mainstays Arven Alcantara, Alfritz Arevalo, Joseph Chua, and Laila Delo Baby Jessica.

Over 1,000 participants from PTA affiliated organizations, schools and clubs nationwide confirmed their participation in the Kyorugi (free sparring) and Poomsae (form) events.

The Kyorugi will feature Senior, Junior, Cade, Grade School and Toddler fighters for both male and female, while Poomsae will be divided into two events - Recognized (Individual, team & Mixed pair), and Freestyle (Individidual and Mixed pair).

Varsity players who competed in last week’s inter-collegiate championships als o sponsored by SMART/MVP Sports Foundation pitched in making the tournament the toughest and challenging for Philippine Team hopefuls.

The PTA is also encouraging parents to actively guide their children into sports likewise inviting sports enthusiasts to witness this event. Competition starts at 9:00 a.m. onwards.

PH futsal team sets sustainable program

THEPhilippine futsal team is putting its best foot forward as it embarks on a “strategic and sustainable program” that should serve the country well in future international meets.

“We’re trying to build a long-term program,” said Philippine Football Federation Futsal head Kevin Goco during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

A newly-formed women’s team, known as the Pinays, will get the ball rolling with a two-game friendly against Guam, dubbed as “Pinay5 Futsal Faceoff,” on Oct. 15 and 16 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The futsal program comes on the heels of the success being enjoyed by the Philippine women’s football team and its historic entry into next year’s FIFA WorldCup.

“This is the first step in a long journey,” added Goco, who was joined at the forum by Dutch coach Vic Herman, a seasoned futsal technician who has served as head coach to six national teams.

Herman first visited the country in 2015, but was tapped to officially share his expertise with the Philippine futsal team only last March. He’s here now on a full-time basis.

The 69-year-old Herman, who has

coached national teams from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Iran, Malta, Thailand and Indonesia, has high hopes for Philippine futsal.

“I can describe it very easily. The Philippines has the talent. But we must do something. The gap is not too big but if you don’t do anything the gap will get bigger and bigger,” he said.

“The goal is to bring them to the top,” he added during the weekly forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Amelie Hotel Manila, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

For now, the team is made up of localbred players because it’s more practical to develop them first and boost the program than spend a lot of money bringing in players from other countries.

“What is the cost of that? The cost is so

high to bring in players from Germany.

Or should we put the money for the development of players here – players who live here who grew up here?” he said.

“There’s so much more talent that we want to see here. But we already have the potential in this team. We play next week and then we will see,” added Herman, adding that the goal is to be competitive in FIFA and AFC events.

Unfortunately, futsal is not in the calendar of events for next year’s SEA Games in Cambodia.

“We want to put the Philippines in the best position possible,” added Goco, who is counting on the support of the PFF and the Philippine Sports Commission under chairman Noli Eala.

The current team was culled from a pool of 30 players, some of them products of the Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy, and from as far as Dipolog, Pagadian and Davao.

“We will work on the men’s team as well but we’re starting with the women’s team first,” he said, adding that futsal will provide Filipinas who are into football another avenue to show their skills.

Nadal 2nd behind Alcaraz in ATP rankings

PARIS—Spain reigns at the summit of men’s tennis with Carlos Alcaraz holding world number one spot in the ATP rankings released on Monday with compatriot Rafael Nadal moving back up to second.

Nadal, 36, benefited from Casper Ruud’s quarter-final exit in Seoul where he was top seed, to move ahead of the Norwegian.

Novak Djokovic, winner of his third tournament this season in Tel Aviv, stays seventh but scores 250 precious points in the race for the ATP Finals in Turin, his end-of-season goal.

The Serb was competing in his first singles tournament in Israel since claiming a seventh Wimbledon crown in July, and can still earn points this week in the Astana ATP tournament.

Croat Marin Cilic gained two places moving from 16th to 14th, thanks to his reaching the final in Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, tennis superstar Nick Kyrgios will seek to have an assault charge against him dismissed on mental health grounds, Australian media reported Tuesday.

Kyrgios’s lawyer ap-

peared for him at a hearing in the magistrates’ court of the Australian Capital Territory, where he faces a charge of common assault.

The 27-year-old Australian player, who was not required to appear for the largely administrative hearing, is in Tokyo to take part in the Japan Open.

His lawyer, Michael Kukulies-Smith, sought an adjournment to allow time for a mental health assessment to be carried out, according to media including public broadcaster ABC and the Sydney Morning Herald.

Kukulies-Smith said his client’s mental health issues were well known and he would seek to have the charge dismissed at a later date, they reported.

The Wimbledon finalist wrote about his previous mental health struggles in an Instagram post earlier this year, and has said that he battles depression.

“I felt as if I couldn’t talk or trust anyone,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself from 2019.

“I’ve been through those times when it seemed as if those positive energetic vibes were never ever going to be reality.”

‘Do my job’

The world number 20 is playing at his first tournament since losing in the quarter-finals of

the US Open last month.

He said earlier on Monday he had been dealing with the case “for months” and was taking it “day by day”.

“There’s only so much I can control and I’m taking all the steps and dealing with that off the court,” Kyrgios, one of the most polarising figures in tennis, told reporters in Tokyo.

“I can only do what I can and I’m here in Tokyo and just trying to play some good tennis, continue that momentum and just try to do my job -- and that’s play tennis, play it well. That’s it.”

He is a heavy favourite to win his first-round match against Taiwan’s Tseng Chun-hsin, who is ranked 87 in the world.

Kyrgios shot to fame at Wimbledon in 2014 at age 19, beating Rafael Nadal on his way to the tournament’s quarter-finals.

Although he struggled to fulfil his early promise in the following years, Kyrgios has had a run of strong finishes in recent tournaments.

He won the Australian Open men’s doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis in January 2022, before losing the Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic in July. AFP

Enriquez, Pague make Buglasan Open q’finals

FANCIED Norman Enriquez and doubles partner Jose Maria Pague dispatched their respective rivals in lopsided fashions as they moved into the quarterfinals of the Buglasan Festival National Open Tennis Championships at the Praxevilla hard courts in Dumaguete City last Sunday.

The top two seeds came out strong after drawing opening round byes with Enriquez trouncing Daniel Dagoman, 4-0, 4-0, and Pague dropping just one game on his way to a 4-1, 4-0 rout of Christian Antiquina in the lower half of the 32-player draw.

But No. 3 Mclean Barraquias and fourth-ranked John Tomacruz likewise pulled off a pair of straight-set wins to fan their respective title bids and foil the projected Enriquez-Pague duel in the week-long event held as part of what has long been known as the “festival of festivals” in Negros Oriental.

Barraquias crushed Kyle Ongue, 4-0, 4-0, while Tomacruz went through some anxious moments before holding off last week’s Puerto Princesa junior champion Mcleen Gomera, 4-2, 5-3, as they stayed in the hunt for the top P15,000 purse in the tournament presented by Dunlop.

Jess Tayros, meanwhile, subdued Inno Solon, 5-3, 4-2, to arrange a quarters showdown with Enriquez while Neekho Salas clipped Dale Estonilo, 4-1, 4-1, for a crack at the semis against Barraquias in the event also held as part of the Palawan Pawnshop circuit put up by president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Meanwhile, Enriquez and Pague, who reached the semis in the Puerto Princesa Open ruled by Johnny Arcilla, banner the men’s doubles cast that also includes the pairs of BarraquiasKenneth Banico, Estonilo-Jun Tabura and Stephen Guia-Roy Tan.

This week’s hostilities, backed by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating), also feature the Legends 45s men’s singles and the 40s and 50s men’s and women’s doubles while the junior action fires off Thursday. For details, contact Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.

Pasig trips Bacoor in OT; Bataan, Valenzuela win

PASIG opened overtime with an 8-point run and went to subdue Bacoor, 82-78, in the OKbet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season Presented by Xtreme on Monday at the Paco Arena.

As expected, Bataan trounced Marikina, 84-68, in the opener, while Valenzuela thwarted Quezon City, 90-74, in the nightcap.

Jason Melano and Carlo Lastimosa sparked that Pasig breakaway with backto-back triples and was capped by a Jason Ballesteros dunk that paved the way for the Realtors’ 14th win against 6 losses in the single round-robin elimination phase of the 22-team tournament.

Bacood countered with a 10-5 salvo highlighted by three straight triples by Eric Acuna and Paolo Castro, who knocked in the last two, to threaten at 76-79 with 44

seconds to go.

Ryan Paule Costelo, continuing his regulation play’s brilliance for Pasig, canned two charities to seal the outcome, 81-76, only 12.6 seconds left.

Costelo posted 19 points and 3 rebounds, Lastimosa 17 points and 5 rebounds, Melano 12 points, 17 rebounds plus 7 assists, and Ballesteros 11 points and 10 rebounds.

After missing the first, made his second free throw to force overtime at 66.

Bacoor fell to 8-12 despite the 24-point effort of Paolo Castro, the 11-point, 14-rebound output of Eric Acuna, the 11-point, 5-rebound contribution of Salvador Galit and the 10-point, 7-rebound line of Mark Montuano.

Bataan, powered by James Darwin Cas-

tro’s 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5-assists, climbed to 12-8. Marikina, which tumbled to 6-13, got 16 points and 6 rebounds from Dexter Mescallado.

Pat Cabahug and Ronjay Enrile spearheaded Valenzuela’s offense with 17 and 16 points, respectively, while high-flyer Jaymar Gimpayan tallied 13 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Quezon City dropped to 8-11 as only Marlon Monte, with 12 points, Adrian Celada, with 11, and Genmar Bragais, with 10, scored in twin digits.

The MPBL goes to the Muntinlupa Sports Complex with another triple-bill on Tuesday. Zamboanga tackles Mindoro at 5 p.m., followed by the GenSan-Laguna clash at 7 p.m. and the Muntinlupa-Caloocan collision at 9 p.m.

Vic Herman

Small guy Ryan Paule Coistelo plays big for Pasig.

Kurt Barbosa (right) is shown here during the 2018 edition of the taekwondo championship.

Carlos Alcaraz

‘Bros’ creator blames missing straight audiences for gay rom-com flop

BILLED as the first gay rom-com from a major Hollywood studio, Bros flopped at the box office because straight people “just didn’t show up,” its creator Billy Eichner said.

Heavily marketed by Universal Pictures and costing $22 million to produce, the movie mainly received glowing reviews but took less than $5 million at North American theaters on its opening weekend.

Despite opening in more than 3,000 theaters, it ranked only in fourth place at the domestic box office overall, behind Paramount’s mid-budget horror Smile , and two other films which debuted earlier last month.

“That’s just the world we live in, unfortunately.

Even with glowing reviews... straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros ,” Eichner, who co-

wrote and stars in the film, tweeted Sunday.

“And that’s disappointing but it is what it is.”

The movie follows Bobby, a successful New York-based podcaster who insists he is content being single even as his friends couple up, before his life is changed by an encounter with an equally commitment-phobic lawyer.

Made with an entire cast of openly LGBTQ actors, it features several sex scenes, including one with four men engaged in group sex, and is rated R for “restricted.”

At its world premiere at the Toronto film festival last month, Eichner told AFP it was “absurd and infuriating” that it had taken so long for a major Hollywood studio to release a film like Bros “There should be tons of these movies by now. But still, I’m very grateful that

Universal finally decided that it was time,” he said.

Director Nicholas Stoller said he hoped the film would prevail at the box office in order to show “the studios that there is a big audience for this kind of story, and not just an LGBTQ audience, but a straight audience.”

In a series of tweets, Eichner said he had attended a Bros screening in liberal Los Angeles where the audience response was “truly magical,” but said an unnamed theater chain had threatened to not show the film’s trailer “because of the gay content.”

“Everyone who isn’t a homophobic weirdo should go see Bros tonight! You will have a blast!” he added.

“And it is special and uniquely powerful to see this particular story on a big screen, esp for queer folks who don’t get this opportunity often.” AFP

Let the Sparkada add sparkle to your life

By Joba Botana

EVERY generation in the showbiz industry has these fresh faces that brighten up our days with their talents and unique personalities. They usually bear the “it” factor that carries a multitude of potential to make it big in the industry.

GMA-7 is always on the lookout for these talents who can be the lead stars in many shows to come. As such, meet the newest crew of the Sparkle GMA Artist Center, aptly dubbed Sparkada, fresh faces in the industry that will find their way into your hearts with their individual talents and skills.

Handpicked by Starmaker Johnny Manahan, each member comes with a unique story and background, and putting them all together, launching them all as a group, is what makes Sparkada a worthy set of stars to watch out for. Some members of the press were given a chance to be up close and a little bit personal with some of the cast

during a recent media conference. These talents talked about how they all started and what they have learned so far, being part of Sparkada.

“I’m truly honored to be part of Sparkada. To be launched as a group has been a part of my dream as well. It’s nice that we get to witness each other’s dreams come true, and be there for each other for support,” says Roxie Smith, who has a background in ballet.

“One thing I have discovered in myself as a part of this group is that I am willing or open pala to new challenges. Like when we performed a pop dance for the crowd, I wasn’t very much into it kasi I was a ballerina, but I got feedback that I performed well pala, so it really made me happy,” she adds.

Others echoed the same positive feelings she has as a part of Sparkada.

“For me, they are not just my barkada at work, they are also my family. It came to a point when I realized they are not just my friends at work, but also in real life, and that somehow it makes us all a family. Although we all came from different backgrounds, being handpicked by Mr. M, I know that he has seen potential in all of us, and this makes us work well together as a team,” says Kim Perez

“Being part of this group gives me the determination to be better in my crafts. They all inspire me to learn more, and not give up kapag may mga setbacks. Kahit nasa bahay na ako after rehearsals, I still practice because I’m really determined to learn and become better,” Raheel Bhyria quips.

To Caitlyn Save, it’s her light and energy that saves the day when the tough gets going. “Ako naman, I’d like to think that I bring extra energy to the group! The long hours can make us all very tired pero to me, it’s like I still have the energy to make everyone smile. The bond talaga of the group is something special to me, it’s one of a kind.”

Some of them have no prior acting experience, and others have been commercial models but all of them have the “it” factor and are celebrities in their own rights with significant social media followers.

Tanya Ramos, the most “caring” member of the cast mentioned how it makes her proud to see where each and everyone is at now, from where they all started. “It makes me proud seeing us all grow as a member of this group.”

Kirsten Gonzales seconded this, saying, “Yeah, all are new talaga and we all started from the bottom, and it makes

me happy that we all found a support system sa group na ito.”

“I’m actually the quiet type, but I think I get to share my love for makeup and dancing with the team and that has been a real bonding moment for me,” she carries on.

To Vincent Jedrick Maristela, he is happy that everyone helps each other out. Ako naman po wala akong pinipiling katrabaho, and I treat all people equally.”

“Me, too! As much as possible, I’d like to bring some light and humor to everyone. It’s a fun team, lahat nakikisama plus I get to learn more about myself as I hang out with them,” Sean Lucas jumps in.

They may all seem very different because they really are, but what gels them all together is the same passion and dedication they have for their crafts, as well as the same goal to make Sparkada a truly remarkable team.

Sparkada members also include industry newcomers Anjay Anson, Vanessa Pena, Dilek Montemayor, Cheska Fausto, Saviour Ramos, Larkin Castor, Lauren King, Michael Sager, and Jeff Moses

Catch Sparkada as they bring fun and excitement through their latest shows and projects at GMA-7.

ALMOST four years after breaking big into the Pinoy rap music scene with their gigantic viral hit “Dalaga,” rap music quartet ALLMO$T is as productive as ever.

Group rappers Crakky and Russell, hook singers Clien and Jom – have since followed up “Dalaga” (one of the most memed Pinoy rap tracks in recent memory) with a handful of hits that include “Miracle Nights” and “Bagay Tayo.” The latter has even surpassed “Dalaga” in streaming numbers (over at Spotify at least) which in the least, is saying that ALLMO$T is no flash in the pan.

Far from it, ALLMO$T has since established itself as one of the biggest rap groups in Pinoy pop today. With fan-fave hits such as “Sasamahan Kita (Araw-araw Ng Puso),” “Social

Media(Damn),” and “Buti Ka Pa Masaya Na.”

To date, ALLMO$T has close to 200 million streams on Spotify alone. Factoring in YouTube views, ALLMO$T is estimated to have almost half a billion listens and views. And the group is just getting warmed up. In fact, it has just recently released a brand new original titled “Larawan.” And the new single is the group’s most tuneful yet.

“The new song is an 80’s retro-vibed tune that catches the ear right away at the onset as it takes the listener along ALLMO$T’s own nostalgia about days gone past and a love that went away.”

Not only reminiscing about loves and feelings that have gone, but the new song also has a surprising bent for the rap group as it’s injected with themes of social relevance. With environmentalism to be exact. As the flashbacks of days gone past referred to in “Larawan” not only refers to someone but the beauty of a place that has since faded.

Directed by Aaron Maagma the new music video was shot in San Marcelino, Zambales, in the

parts affected by lahar some two decades ago. And while Crakky, Russell, Jom, and Clien looked utterly cool on the video, the setting did add to the postApocalyptic backdrop director Maagma was trying to put across to underline the message when “pictures are the only thing left and reminiscing joyful moments are solely what’s left in a deserted place.”

So, what better way to put out a very important message than coating it in the most attractive sounding music possible?

And ALLMO$T did exactly that.

From college buddies to a prolific rap group from the shores of OlongapoRussell Dela Fuente and Angelo Luigi “Crakky” Timog both shared a passion for the local hip-hop scene. Soon after, an addition to the group whom they invited and met virtually are Jomuel “Jom” Casem (who lives in Canada) and Clien Alcazar (in Italy) joined and later became the one and only ALLMO$T.

ABS-CBN News chief Regina “Ging” Reyes has been recognized for her outstanding work as a news leader by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) during the 2022 World News Media Congress in Zaragoza, Spain.

Ging was named the 2022 Southeast Asia Laureate for Women in News Editorial Leadership, which recognizes “the exemplary contribution of a leader to her newsroom, and under her leadership, her media organization’s contribution to society.”

In her acceptance speech, Ging paid tribute to her colleagues in ABS-CBN News and highlighted the importance of press freedom.

“I am deeply moved and humbled to receive this recognition on behalf of my entire news team, especially the women in our newsroom and in the field. They are at the forefront of our battle to defend media freedom in our country and preserve the values of our profession. And I am only here because of their collective hard work and sacrifice,” she said.

Ging is the longest-serving news chief of ABS-CBN News. Before holding the post, she served as the company’s North America Bureau chief from 2002 until 2010.

She started her career in ABSCBN as a production assistant and

climbed the ranks, eventually becoming the executive producer of The World Tonight, the country’s longest-running newscast.

Under Ging’s leadership, ABS-CBN News shifted to digital and it began its multiplatform reporting. She also mentored many news producers and journalists.

WAN-IFRA names one exceptional editorial leader from Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Arab Region annually. It aims to uphold the rights of journalists worldwide. WAN-IFRA members come from different news organizations in 120 countries.

Nickie Wang

‘Bros’ follows a successful New York-based podcaster who is content being single before encountering a lawyer with similar commitment issues

ABS-CBN

Filipino rap quartet ALLMO$T

Kirsten Gonzales

Tanya Ramos

Roxie Smith

Jeff Moses

Kim Perez

Michael Sager

The fresh faces of Sparkada, Sparkle GMA Artist Center’s newest crew

Cine Europa unreels 25th anniversary edition

PROLIFIC and multi-awarded missionary visual artist Kristine Lim admitted that she was not open to doing creative collaborations until he met composer, songwriter, and producer Jonathan Manalo

The “Artist on a Mission” interprets the songs of the award-winning OPM icon, as a series of artwork and art installations for the multi-venue and multi-country art exhibition and art book in celebration of Manalo’s 20th year in the industry.

The artworks serve as a way to honor the different personalities and established singers who sang the songs of Manalo.

Making waves

THE Delegation of the European Union (EU) to the Philippines and the EU Member States Embassies, together with Cultúr Éireann, Irish Film Institute, Goethe Institut Manila, the Philippine-Italian Association, and Instituto Cervantes de Manila, recently celebrated the opening of Cine Europa’s 25th Anniversary Edition at SM Seaside City Cebu’s Large Screen Cinema.

Cebu has been one of the pioneer host cities of the film festival since Cine Europa was first brought outside Manila in 2001.

For the past 25 years, Cine Europa has been the hallmark cultural event of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines. Beyond showing European films, the country’s longest-running festival has become a platform to strengthen EUPhilippine cultural relations and collaboration with Philippine cultural institutions and partners.

This year, thirty award-winning films from Europe have been specially lined up for the silver anniversary showcase and will follow a hybrid format. Film enthusiasts can register at www.cineeuropaph.com to enjoy the festival online, or on-site at partner venues until October 28.

“Film is deeply rooted in Europe’s culture which we are very proud about,” said Dr. Ana Isabel Sanchez Ruiz, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the Philippines, who graced the festival opening. “It mirrors our identity and speaks a lot about our heritage and what we are”, Dr. Sanchez Ruiz was joined by Nicole Weisman, wife of EU Ambassador Luc Veron, and festival partners including SM Prime Holdings vice president Marissa Fernan and Arts Council of Cebu Foundation president Dr. Vivina Chiu-Yrastorza. Members of Cebu’s diplomatic corps, arts and culture community, business, academe, and the media also attended the launch.

Guests were seen enjoying the festival’s opening film Páfsi (Pause), a drama from Cyprus and Greece focusing on a middle-aged woman and the fantasy world that she uses to escape her real-world misery — and what happens when the lines between fantasy and reality start to blur. The film is directed by Cypriot Tonia Mishiali, whose work focuses on women’s and social issues.

Cebuanos also had a rare opportunity to watch other Cine Europa offerings at SM Seaside City Cebu’s Large Screen Cinema. These included Sanremo, from Slovenia and Italy; Libertad (Freedom), from Spain; Mysi Patri Do Nebe (Even Mice Belong in Heaven), from the Czech Republic, France, Slovakia, and Poland; Kapsalon Romy (Romy’s Salon) from the Netherlands and Germany; and Bicycle Thieves: Pumped Up, from Ireland.

The line-up also included Nematoma (Invisible) from Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, and Spain; Lola Vers La Mer (Lola) from Belgium and France; Aatos Ja Amine (Gods of Molenbeek), from Finland, Belgium, and Germany; Las Niñas (Schoolgirls) from Spain; Marina, from Belgium; Un Triomphe (The Big Hit), from France; Seltsimees Laps (The Little Comrade), from Estonia; and Dating Amber, from Ireland.

Cine Europa 25 is one of the exciting cultural events at SM Seaside City Cebu and SM Cinema. Festival partners also include the Arts Council of Cebu, Film Development Council of the Philippines, National Parks and Development Committee, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

“More than 12 years ago, it was my dream to paint people who are part of our culture when it comes to music. I thought this dream would be forgotten until one night Jonathan told me that it’s been his dream for his music to be turned into something tangible, through visual art. It was the answer to my forgotten

dream, it was my go signal,” said Lim during the official launch of Kwento ng Alon music video and book cover.

“To be honest, I’m not open to creative collaboration. Of course, there were birth pains but everything was beautifully orchestrated,” she went on.

Lim and Manalo launched their unprecedented and historic collaboration project on September 27 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. This union of the dynamic duo who are both celebrated individuals from their respective industries gave honor to our country with their multivenue and multi-country art exhibition and art book tour.

According to the duo, waves are the central imagery of the book which ties the whole project together, as it is a wonderful coincidence that emotions and sound, expressed harmoniously in Manalo’s songs, travels by the waves.

The event was led by Congressman Anthony Golez MD, DOT Secretary Christina Garcia –Frasco, Intramuros OIC, and Honorable Jaime Jasper Lao Lim. They were accompanied by Susanne Tiausas (founder and owner of Art Lounge Manila), Cindel Tiausas (Managing Director of Art Lounge Manila), Ricky Francisco (curator), and Ian Belleza

Also during the grand launch, the duo announced that the exhibit and the art book will also be held at several venues in the Philippines, and then, in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Japan, London, France, USA, Canada, and Dubai from October 2022 to October 2023.

“We will not only be showcasing the Filipino talent and creativity but will also be giving hope and

inspiration to people across the globe during these trying times,” Lim shared.

Meanwhile, the Kuwento Ng Alon Art Book is comprised of the artworks of Lim as well as essays written by her and Manalo, Pastor Monique Lopez – Ong (Lead Pastor at Revelation City Church and host of ABS-CBN’s Real Talk), Cindel Tiausas (Artist, Curator, and Managing Director of Art Lounge Manila), Cid Reyes (Philippine’s Top Art Critic), and Ryan Cayabyab (National Artist for Music).

Both being faith centered with missionary backgrounds, Manalo and Lim made sure that this project will be a way to move as led by the Divine, and to extend help to others as part of the proceeds from the whole Kuwento Ng Alon project will be donated to four beneficiaries; ABS-CBN Foundation, Artists on a Mission Workshop, OM Philippines, Sustainable Ph.

Kuwento ng Alon (As Told By The Waves) is presented by Art Lounge Manila. For more information, visit www.kuwentongalon.com, or follow KuwentoNgAlon on Facebook and Instagram.

An overture to opera

WHILE theater productions have been aplenty in the country, opera has been far and few in between. In the six years, I’ve been with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), I can remember watching two operas so far.

In 2017, we had Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore (The Elixir of Love), a light-hearted opera about a worker who falls in love with a beautiful landowner and seeks the help of a wandering quack doctor who sells the eponymous bottle of a love potion.

History has it that Donizetti composed this opera in just six weeks, with the Italian libretto written by Felice Romani.

For its Philippine premiere, Italian opera director Vincenzo Grisostomi Traviglini, assisted by Prince Sisowath Ravivaddhana Monipong (Ambassador of the Royal Household of Cambodia), took the directorial job. The late Ruggero Barbieri, former music director and principal conductor of Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, was in charge of the music direction.

Then, we have another Donizetti masterpiece in 2020, before the series of lockdowns due to the global health crisis hit us. Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor was last staged in the Philippines in 1976. It’s a tragic opera about the starcrossed lovers Lucia and Edgardo.

Lamentable that we have limited exposure to opera, but it is also understandable. While we have numerous talents we can tap, the challenge always boils down to money.

With the limited budget and support that the arts and culture sector receive from the government (if only the arts and culture sector can also have confidential funds at its disposal *le sigh*), it is not

surprising that we can’t mount opera as frequently as we would like to.

Personally, I’d rather see my taxes go into staging world-class operas and other performance arts – or any kind of arts for that matter – than see it all go to wasteful projects.

But one might ask if mounting opera is so costly, why should we even produce it?

“Because they offer a sincere reflection of who we are, how we relate to others, and what it means, collectively and individually, to be human. Watching opera allows us to experience emotional and imaginative truths, and share profound and transformative cultural experiences,” said CCP president Margie Moran-Floirendo

At the CCP, we are always looking for ways to present an opera in whatever capacity or form.

For the past years, CCP has been partnering with the Met Opera of New York to screen selected operatic productions through high-definition digital video technology and Dolby sound, recreating the experience of watching an opera production at the Met “live.”

Reading about the creative process behind the “live” opera in HD is quite

interesting. Apparently, the Met has been broadcasting their live performance through radio. This was actually the predecessor of the Met Opera in HD program. Using modern technology, the Met hopes to expand its reach and introduce new audiences to opera.

This is also the goal of the CCP in launching this cinematic project, in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera of New York and the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc., in cooperation with the Ayala Malls Cinemas.

A low-cost way to introduce opera to reluctant audiences. There will definitely be something about opera that will catch your attention, whether it’s great storytelling, great singing, and extraordinary production values.

A continuation of its seventh season (which has been cut short by the pandemic), the CCP Met Opera in HD series features one opera every month until February 2023 at Greenbelt 3 in Makati. Featured operas include George Bizet’s Carmen Giuseppe Verdi’s

Francis Jean Marcel

Samson et Dalila

But if you are willing to wait, in two months’ time, you can have a live opera experience as the CCP, Rustan’s Group of Companies, and the Philippine-Italian Association (PIA) partner to bring Puccini’s Turandot at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo on December 9 to 11.

“Presenting Turandot by Puccini would be an appropriate way to further promote Italian arts and culture in the Philippines and in the process raise funds for PIA,” said Nedy Tantoco, one of the producers representing Rustan’s Group of Companies.

Traviata

’s Dialogues Des Carmélites

Gaetano Donizetti’s La Fille

and Camille Saint-Saëns’

Italian Ambassador Marco Clemente promises “substantial financial contribution,” saying that “Opera was created by a group of renaissance intellectuals in Florence more than four centuries ago. It is indisputable that the general public still tends to associate the very concept of opera with Italy and the Italian language. For that reason, it is important for an Italian Ambassador to strongly support live performances of Italian operas, especially after the long closure of theatres due to the pandemic.”

This is really something to watch out for.

From left: Embassy of Poland’s Counsellor-Minister Ana Krzak-Danel and Charge d’ affaires a.i. Jaroslaw Szczepankiewicz, with EU Delegation Information Officer Robert Leon and Ella May Arevalo

From left: Members of Cebu’s business community Kelie Ko, Steven Yu, and Enrison Benedicto attended the opening of the milestone edition of this year’s Cine Europa

Gaetano Donizetti's "La Fille du Régiment"

Camille Saint-Saëns's "Samson et Dalila"

Visual artist Kristine Lim and OPM icon

Jonathan Manalo embark on multi-country art exhibition with ‘Kwento ng Alon’

Visual artist Lim collaborated with composer, songwriter, and producer Manalo for the “Artist on a Mission.”

“Artist on a Mission” is as a series of artwork and art installations by the duo

Kristine Lim and Jonathan Manalo (3rd and 4th from left, respectively) with members of the press (from left) Alex Vergara, Tessa MauricoArriola, the author, and Mario Dumaual