President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads a Cabinet meeting at the Palace where a consensus was reached to lift the indoor mask mandate. Revoli Cortez
MANY doctors have been offered the position of Health Secretary by the Marcos administration but have declined due to several factors, former Department of Health chief Janette Garin said Tuesday.
"As far as I know, the position of Secretary of Health has been offered to many qualified individuals already, but they don't want to give up their practice,"
Garin, currently a House representative for Iloilo’s first district, told ANC's "Headstart."
Garin also defended the appointment of former Philippine National Police chief Camilo Cascolan as DOH undersecretary on Monday, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to appoint a full-time Health Secretary four months into his term.
The Iloilo congresswoman said critics of the administration did not understand the risks involved in being appointed to the Cabinet, especially a sensitive post like the DOH.
"Give DOH a chance," she said, noting that as someone familiar with the inner workings of the agency, it also needs
THE government's drive to totally eradicate the rampant illegal drug trade in the country has changed under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. following years of bloody campaigns under the previous administration.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said this Tuesday as he revealed the seizure of P6.7 billion worth of shabu in the first three months of the current administration without a single drop of bloodshed, proving that Mr. Marcos' bloodless war against drugs is effective. The P6.7 billion seized by authorities
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to offer scholarships to students
THE shear line and the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)
in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) track program.
The directive was made during the Cabinet meeting held at Malacañan Palace Tuesday morning, Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil, officer in charge of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), said in a press statement.
“President Ferdinand R. Marcos wants the government to offer a scholarship program for STEM courses to address the lack of talent for information and communication technology businesses," Garafil said.
"During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday,
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with former United Kingdom prime minister Tony Blair and World Health Organization (WHO) director general
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in separate courtesy calls at Malacañang on Tuesday.
Mr. Marcos said he and Blair discussed a wide range of topics on
bureaucracy and governance based on the best practices in developed countries.
Blair serves as the current executive chairman of the Tony Blair Institute For Global Change, a non-profit organization that seeks to support political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies in a globalized world.
Mr. Marcos first met Blair in the
By Vito Barcelo, Vince Lopez and Maricel V. CruzPRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will issue an executive order making the wearing of face masks indoors voluntary, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said Tuesday, saying this would put the Philippines "at par" with its Asean neighbors that have already eased their mask mandates against COVID-19.
The agreement was reached during a Cabinet meeting that she attended Tuesday, Frasco said.
"As a result of the Cabinet meet ing, it was agreed that the President
would be issuing an executive or der per the IATF recommendation to make indoor mask wearing also voluntary all over the Philippines
THE police are getting closer to identifying the mastermind behind the murder of broadcaster Percival Mabasa, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin said Tuesday.
"I think the evidence that we are getting are leading us closer to the mastermind of the case because we
already have in our custody (the confessed gunman) Joel Escorial and some information are coming in from the different sectors," Azurin said on ANC's show "Headstart."
He also said the sister of alleged middleman Cristito Villamor Palaña went to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) with crucial information regarding the case.
Palaña, previously identified as
THE Department of Education is probing allegations its agency-issued laptops —already being criticized as being overpriced—are being sold in a surplus shop in Mandaue City, Cebu.
DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said the regional education office is also conducting its own investigation after the department received flak for an audit that unveiled the overpriced devices.
“Specifically, they're checking inventories if there's anything missing,"
DepEd is also checking who will be held liable if the sale of agency-issued laptops is proven true, “depending on if the one liable is an employee of DepEd or the supplier itself," he said.
In the report by a Cebu-based daily, a laptop labeled under “Procurement of DCP Packages” was sold for P10,000 —72 percent lower than the DepEd’s
SPARKLING LIGHTS. Ilonggos enjoy the beautiful lights and calm ambiance at the newly renovated Molo Plaza, a historic landmark in Iloilo City. Arnold Almacen Poa said at the sidelines of the National Children's Month press conference.VICEPresident and Education Secretary Sara DuterteCarpio on Tuesday debunked claims the Department of Education (DepEd) was allegedly "rebranding" martial law and revising historical facts.
In a statement, Duterte insisted the DepEd is “not in the business of eras ing" historical facts, particularly those which happened during the martial law period in the 1970s.
"The DepEd, which is currently busy on programs aimed to raise the quality of basic education in the Philippines, has no time for historical revisionism being insisted by several anti-Marcos
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with few exceptions," Frasco said, refer ring to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The mandatory use of face masks will stay in public transportation, medical transportation, and medical facilities, she said.
She also said that persons unvacci nated against COVID-19, those with comorbidities and senior citizens are still "highly encouraged" to wear masks.
“Generally the direction of the Mar cos administration is to lift the remainder of travel restrictions of the Philippines, which includes easing mask mandates to allow our country to be at par with Asean neighbors who long liberalized their mask mandates,” she added.
The Department of Health (DOH), which has been cautious about easing mask mandates, reminded the public that the more layers of protection they have, the more they are protected against CO VID-19.
“While the DOH has illustrated all potential scenarios to the IATF during discussions concerning masking man
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Designating a military man into a health position is also not new and is common in other countries, added the former DOH secretary, who served in the Aquino III government.
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—including the recently confiscated 990 kilograms of suspected shabu following a series of anti-drug operations in Manila — is considered the biggest drug haul in the history of the country.
According to Abalos, the new approach to the drug war focuses on going after big illegal drug syndicates, not only the small ones.
Nabbed during the operations were a certain Ney Saligumba Atadero, 50, and Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo, owner of the lending firm Wealth and Personal Development Lending Inc. in Sta. Cruz, Maynila. Also seized was a sizable stash of drugs.
Likewise arrested were a certain Juden Francisco and seven others in Pasig City.
According to police records, Mayo is an intelligence officer of the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group.
Even during the first month of the
From A1 C risanto or Jun Villamor, died at the New Bilibid Prison on the same day that Escorial confessed to killing Mabasa.
Azurin said foul play might have been involved in Palaña's death, noting that officials at the state penitentiary failed to keep him safe.
For his part, suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general Gerald Bantag linked his suspension to his enemies, including drug lords.
"I have stepped on many toes. Drugs lord — let's mention of all them. They would surely celebrate," said Bantag, who was placed under preventive suspension and tagged as person of interest after Palaña's death at the Bilibid.
He was replaced by BuCor OIC Gregorio Catapang, a former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Mabasa, a commentator popularly known as Percy Lapid on dwIZ and
groups," she said.
"The DepEd spokesperson has ear lier denied the so-called rebranding of our history. And I'm reiterating what Atty. Michael Poa said: the rebranding is not true," Duterte-Carpio added.
The Vice President made the state ment after critics slammed the DepEd following the posting of a copy of a learner's module in Marinduque via so
dates, the IATF is a collegial body that takes into consideration the concerns of all sectors,” the department said in a statement.
“In view of this, the DOH reminds the public that the more layers of protection we employ, the more protected we are against COVID-19. These include vac cination, masking, distancing, ventila tion, and sanitation, as well as taking care of one's health."
“Moreover, the decision to ease masking empowers each and every one of us by giving us the choice to decide based on our personal context and risk appetite. With this freedom to choose, it is therefore important for us to assess our individual risk thorough ly before deciding if it is safe and wise to remove our masks, especially now that the Undas and Christmas sea sons are approaching and we expect increased COVID-19 transmission brought about by greater mobility.”
In September, Marcos signed EO 3, allowing the voluntary wearing of face masks in outdoor settings, particularly in open spaces and non-crowded areas with good ventilation.
Frasco did not mention when Marcos will sign the new EO allowing the vol untary use of face masks indoors.
“A lot are afraid (to take the job) because we could face many (court) cases. It would be a pity for our families. There are a lot of circumstances that have actually paved the way for many doctors to fear government service," Garin added.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire is the officer-in-charge of the DOH, but as a career official, Garin said the OIC has a lot to lose should she be
Marcos administration, the PNP recorded seizing P1.9 billion in illegal drugs. These include 202.38 kilos of shabu, 365.4 kilos of dried marijuana leaves, more than 2.6 million pieces of fully grown marijuana plants, and 37.57 grams of kush or highgrade marijuana.
A total of 12,309 sting and search warrant operations led to the arrest of 14,737 suspects, including the first 17 days of September when the PNP recorded zero deaths in conducting 1,790 anti-drug operations.
Based on the report, the government does not tolerate extrajudicial killings, particularly of drug offenders.
“Arrests were made, but nobody was hurt in this classic, by-the-book police operation,” said PNP Chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. of the operation.
Abalos promised to continue the drug war under the Marcos administration under its new method, “wherein no blood will be shed and instead will focus on arresting drug dealers considered as ‘big fish.’”
dwBL, was shot dead on Oct. 3 in Las Piñas City.
A vocal critic of the Duterte administration, Mabasa was the second journalist killed under the Marcos administration.
The Department of Justice on Tuesday said Escorial did not submit a counter-affidavit to contest the murder complaint filed against him by the PNP.
DOJ-National Prosecution Service head, Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento said that during the preliminary investigation of the PNP’s complaint on Monday, Oct. 24, Escorial submitted an affidavit containing his supplemental extrajudicial confession.
When presented for inquest last Oct. 18, the DOJ said that Escorial “acknowledged that on 03 October 2022, at around 8:30 p.m., in Aria Street, Sta. Cecilia Village, Barangay Talon Dos, Las Pinas City, he shot Percy Lapid three (3) times using a caliber .45 pistol, and that he was accompanied by Israel Adao Dimaculangan, Edmon Adao
cial media, showing the use of the term "New Society," which is being linked to the years of martial law.
"The terms New Society/Bagong Li punan and martial law are both histori cal facts. It is a historical fact that New Society refers to the program launched by former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. during his administration. And it is another historical fact that martial law refers to the 14-year rule of the former President," Duterte-Carpio said.
The Vice President said these terms were already used in DepEd textbooks as early as the 2000s.
The daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile, recalled
Meanwhile, Frasco said travelers will no longer need to undergo a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reac tion (RT-PCR) test as a pre-departure requirement.
Unvaccinated foreigners will be al lowed entry into the Philippines as long as they present negative results of an antigen test taken 24 hours before de parture. As an option, they can also take an antigen test upon arrival in the Phil ippines, Frasco said.
Marcos and the Cabinet also agreed to give travelers the option of getting their eArrival card upon arrival in the country.
Those without an eArrival card will be given special lanes when they arrive in the country, she said.
Lawmakers welcomed the easing of mask mandates.
Senator Grace Poe said the move would help invigorate the economy.
"Loosening the mask mandate and regulations on the entry of tourists will help generate economic activities, fore most among them is providing jobs to our people," she said in a statement, also on Tuesday.
However, Poe said the public should still adhere to the minimum health pro tocols, like frequent hand washing and
appointed as Health secretary.
"If she will be appointed as Secretary of Health, it goes with it (that) she's ready to let go of government service after six years, or she's ready to be removed anytime by the President, or she's ready not to be confirmed by the Commission of Appointments," the lawmaker said.
"These are situations that many people are not seeing. A lot are qualified
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Marcos said a scholarship program should be set up to encourage more students to pursue STEM courses."
She said Marcos has directed DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy to coordinate with industry players to determine their specific needs and address jobs mismatch.
This was after Uy noted a shortfall in students taking up STEM courses.
Uy also cited the ICT industry's observations that many IT graduates do not have the right tools and training required by the industry.
The President, Garafil said, emphasized the importance of making "necessary adjustments."
"Marcos has since expressed commitment to fixing the gap in research and development in STEM, saying the Philippines has a lot to catch up to in the STEM fields," she said.
Dimaculangan and a certain alias ‘Orly/Orlando.’”
The Dimaculangans and “Orly/ Orlando” were also named in the PNP’s murder complaint but they are still at large.
The next preliminary investigation has been set for Nov. 4.
The DOJ also said "Marisa," the sister of the dead middleman who allegedly contracted Escorial to kill Mabasa, has been admitted to the government’s Witness Protection Program.
“When we saw that there was risk to her life, we immediately placed her under the WPP (and sent her to a temporary shelter),” DOJ Assistant Secretary and spokesman Jose Dominic Clavano IV said.
The woman is the sister of Palaña, an inmate of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City who has been tagged as the “middleman” who hired the gunman in the murder of Mabasa.
Palaña died while confined at the NBP on the afternoon of Oct. 18 after Department of Interior and
how as a child she had contributed to the anti-martial law movement in her own small way.
"As a child, I can no longer count the yellow pages of phone directory cut to be confetti for the Yellow Friday Move ment demonstrations, led by my late grandmother Soledad Duterte in Davao City. It seems like we have more contri bution to the movement against martial law compared to those noisy anti-Mar cos groups nowadays," she said.
Duterte-Carpio assured the public that learners are provided with fac tual discussions on martial law and the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986.
maintaining good hygiene, even if the World Health Organization sees the pandemic ending soon.
Reps. Joel Chua of Manila and Ralph Tulfo of Quezon City also backed the Palace's move to ease mask rules.
"Tourism sites and schools have been reopening, so lifting the mask mandate and transitioning to voluntary maskwearing, I believe, is crucial to living in a new normal,” Chua said.
“Health authorities seem to be un necessarily overly cautious and have needlessly delayed further relaxing of Alert Level One public health safety protocols,” he added.
He said they should instead make more of the bivalent booster vaccines available and readily accessible now and more so in the coming weeks. The boosters are the better alternative to mask-wearing, he said.
Tulfo, member of the House commit tee on Metro Manila Development, also supported easing the mask mandate.
On Tuesday, the country logged 943 new COVID-19 cases -- the lowest num ber of daily tally in nearly four months.
The DOH also recorded 32 fatalities, raising the death toll to 63,846.
The number of active cases stood at 21,924.
but almost no one wants the job because of the vulnerability," she added.
Garin’s advice to Cascolan, meanwhile, was to get advisers from specialty medical societies.
"We have a lot of technical directors and technical scientists and experts inside the Department of Health whose voices are not heard. So many of them inside are talented but their voices can’t come out," she added.
"Experts said the Philippines needs to invest in addressing these issues to have a strong STEM community to make the country competitive. They say investing in STEM can boost the country economically, politically, and educationally."
On Monday, the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) urged interested Grade 12 students who wish to pursue careers in science and technology to apply for the 2023 Undergraduate Scholarship Program.
The application is open to STEM students, as well as to non-STEM students who belong to the top 5 percent of their graduating class.
In his first State of the Nation Address, Marcos said his administration would focus on developing and refining Filipino students’ STEM performance to enable the country to gain a competitive education standing worldwide.
Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos presented Escorial on the morning of the same day.
“When she came here, she met Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla and gave information about her dead brother,” Clavano said.
“From there we saw that the information was relevant in the case of her brother and, because of this, we called witness protection to interview the witness,” the Justice official added.
Clavano said the interview of the witness was meant to determine the extent of the threat against her.
The woman was able to talk to her brother through the Messenger application before he died, he said.
“There were names mentioned, but all these are allegations as of now. So, we have to verify, we have to vet,” Clavano added.
In Senator Raffy Tulfo’s program, “Wanted sa Radyo” on Monday, "Marisa" said she has the names of three persons who could be behind the suspicious and sudden death of
Philippine Area of Responsibility.
The LPA was located 820 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas on Tuesday morning, still too far to affect the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Tuesday.
PAGASA said the LPA may develop into a tropical depression that would be called “Paeng” within 72 hours -- the country’s 16th tropical cyclone for the year and the fourth for October.
The shear line is the point where warm air and cold air converge, while the ITCZ is a belt near the equator where the trade winds of the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere meet.
In an advisory at 11 am on Tuesday, PAGASA said moderate to heavy rain, with at times intense rain, was hitting Aurora, Quezon, and Eastern Visayas.
Light to moderate rain, with at times heavy rain fell over Cagayan, Isabela, Apayao, the rest of Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Central Visayas, Caraga, and Northern Mindanao.
PAGASA warned that floods and landslides are likely in these areas.
United States on the sidelines of his attendance at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York last month.
The two discussed then the “optimistic” peace process in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), food security, climate action, and trade.
Mr. Marcos also congratulated Tedros on his reelection as head of WHO and expressed deep gratitude for the assistance provided by WHO to many developing nations "during the most difficult phases of the pandemic."
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The unit had visible scraping marks where stickers would have been, and came with accessories that bore the DepEd’s “Sulong EduKalidad” sticker.
In its 2021 audit report on the DepEd, the Commission on Audit flagged the purchase of P2.4 billion worth of laptops, which were deemed overpriced and "too slow" because of "outdated" processors.
The DepEd initially gave an estimated cost of P35,046 per laptop, but later accepted the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM)'s pricing at P58,300, according to the COA report.
The higher price led to fewer beneficiary teachers for the laptops, from 68,500 down to 39,583.
State auditors in the National Capital Region and Cordillera Administrative Region also found through feedback that the laptops were "too slow because the processor is Intel Celeron, which is outdated."
The department purchased the laptops for public school teachers to help them carry out distance learning, as in-person classes were banned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
his brother.
The sister told Tulfo that Villamor messaged her through Facebook messenger at 11:59 am on October 18, just few hours before his death, to bare the names of three inmates who should be investigated should he be killed in prison.
In an interview with ABS-CBN, "Marisa" said three commanders from the Sputnik, Happy Go Lucky and BCJ gangs gave the order to kill Mabasa.
Also on Tuesday, Senator Risa Hontiveros urged the government to protect the Mabasa family, which has been the target of threats and harassment since his murder.
Hontiveros issued the call for the greater protection after she visited the family upon their request.
"The family of Percy has been alarmed. His children were being sent threats on their Facebook or their personal cell phone numbers," Hontiveros said.
She even said that one family member got a text message, saying he will be next.
THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will take steps to ensure law and order during the traditional observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
MMDA acting chairman Carlo Dimayuga III said he would send out 1,500 personnel from the agency’s Traffic Discipline Office, the Road Emergency Group, the Metro Parkways Clearing Group, and the Task Force Special Operations to strategic locations in Metro Manila in line with their “Oplan Undas 2022” from Oc-
THE Senate Committee on Higher Education has ratified a measure providing for a moratorium on payments of student loans in cases of accident or emergency situations.
This as Ryan Esteves, executive director of the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), an attached agency of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) told the senators it would strengthen the student loan program.
The UniFAST posted a 99.67 percent overall budget utilization rate of its 2020 allotment for the implementation of programs under RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
However, the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) inquired if this has jurisdiction over promissory notes which can be considered as loans, in which case the operation of private higher education institutions will be jeopardized in times of crisis.
The COCOPEA said they also need to pay the salaries of employees on top of operating expenses.
The UNIFAST responded saying it would conduct a thorough study on the issue because the intention of the student loan program is to pay it to the bank on installment basis.
But committee chair Sen. Francis Escudero pointed out that the law does not cover promissory notes, only the student loans.
THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Tuesday deployed 186 personnel to manage traffic and assist delegates to the 27th ASEAN Ministers Meeting and Related Meetings of 2022 being held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bonifacio Global City from Oct. 25 to 29.
In an advisory, the MMDA stated that traffic was expected to be heavy in the area during the event, but there would be no re-routing and road closures. It advised motorists to take alternate routes to avoid inconvenience.
The MMDA traffic enforcers would be assisting on traffic management, road clearing, emergency response “with ambulances and first responders prepositioned at strategic locations along the venue and route, and monitoring of road situations at (MMDA) Metrobase.”
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the country is hosting the event this year with labor ministers and senior labor officials from the 10-member states of ASEAN are expected to attend in attendance.
The delegates came from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
The labor officials will also hold meetings with ASEAN Plus Three dialogue partners China, Japan and South Korea.
Laguesma, who will chair the ALMM, said the biennial meetings serve as a major venue to identify and advance areas of regional cooperation on matters affecting labor and employment.
The event this year mark a return to the face-to-face format, and will focus on the theme of moving beyond the pandemic and further promoting digitalized, inclusive and sustainable recovery and growth for workers. Joel E. Zurbano
tober 28 until November 2.
Complementing the MMDA enforcers are over 1,000 policemen who will be deployed to Manila North Cemetery and other cemeteries in Manila, Manila Police District (MPD) director Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon said.
“The MMDA is all set to under-
take measures on traffic management, cleanup operations, road emergency and public assistance, and clearing of road obstructions in preparation for Undas,” Dimayuga said following his surprise inspection in bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City on Tuesday.
Dimayuga reiterated that provincial buses are only allowed to utilize the designated back door exits to avoid traffic gridlock on Epifanio de los Santos Ave.
Among the bus terminals Dimayuga inspected were Five Star and Baliwag Transit located along EDSA.
“The agency is providing traffic assistance to ensure faster turnaround of buses,” Dimayuga said.
Aside from bus terminals, traffic personnel will also be deployed to major roads leading to cemeteries and transportation hubs as thousands are expected to travel to the provinces to pay respect to their departed loved ones.
The MMDA men will also focus their operations on entry and exit points to and from Metro Manila.
“No day off, no absent policy will be enforced among traffic enforcers for Undas,” Dimayuga said.
The Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program or number coding scheme is suspended on October 31; and November 1 (All Saints’ Day), both special non-working holidays.
IT took a long time coming (about 30 years), but the law finally caught up with this erring (now retired) Navy officer and his civilian accomplice.
The Sandiganbayan convicted retired Navy Capt. Gilber Batestil and businesswoman Edna Gianan of graft and malversation of public funds over forged purchases and ghost deliveries of medicines and medical and dental supplies in 1990 and 1991.
The anti-graft court, in a 545-page decision, found Batestil guilty of 20 counts of malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents and 16 counts of graft.
He was sentenced to 12 to 18 years of jail time for the malversation and six to 10 years imprisonment for graft that involves at least P24 million of public funds. Batestil was perpetually disqualified from holding public office as a result of his conviction, the court said.
In its decision, the anti-graft court said Batestil had admitted to the purchase orders (PO) that were prepared during his incumbency as Naval procurement officer under his supervision and control; signing disbursement vouchers (DVs) and releasing payments to the purported suppliers would not have been possible had he not signed them
“It was duly established that accused Batestil allowed the taking of the subject public funds by signing the POs and DVs which resulted in the payment of the items allegedly purchased in the POs and DVs which were never delivered to the Navy,” the court said.
“Furthermore, the attached supporting documents of the purported deliveries of medicines and medical supplies were falsified to make it appear that there were deliveries of the said items when, in truth and fact, no such deliveries of the subject items were made,” the ruling stated.
A GROUP of Bicolano lawmakers on Tuesday proposed the creation of an inter-agency task force to handle rising cases of student suicide.
“Suicide is not a crime, as most media reports tend to portray it. It is a serious problem that must be addressed,” said Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte in filing House Bill (HB) 2895 or the “Suicide Prevention Act.”
Villafuerte, together with co-authors fellow Camarines Sur congressmen Miguel Luis Villafuerte, Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata, and Bicol Saro Nicolas Enciso VIII, want the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to put up an inter-agency Task Force on Student Suicides to craft and implement early intervention
and prevention programs to address this alarming mental health concern.
“The government, through the DepEd, CHED and TESDA, should take steps to raise awareness of student suicide as a serious public health program,” the measure stated.
Citing a report released on this year’s World Mental Health Day last Oct. 10, Villafuerte said the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) revealed that the results of its 2021 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study (YAFS5) pointed to a nearly two-fold increase from 2013 to 2021 in the number of teens and young adults from 15 to 25 years of age who had experienced “suicidal ideation.”
Suicidal ideation or thoughts is believed to be a symptom of major emotional depression or mental illness characterized by having suicidal tendencies.
THE Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) eyes the establishment of satellite offices within city and municipal halls “to bring the government closer to the people, and let the urban poor feel its presence and services.”
In an interview over Radyo Pilipinas, PCUP research, planning and monitoring division chief Elsie Aradanas said their chairperson and chief executive officer, Undersecretary Elpidio Jordan Jr., wants to build a stronger partnership with the local government units (LGUs) “to enable PCUP deliver its mandate and the best public service to the country’s marginalized sector.”
“We saw that the LGUs play an important role in how we work together, do things together to benefit the urban poor,” Aradanas said.
“Moreover, together with the LGUs,
under our new administration, we can let the people know PCUP’s banner programs,” she added.
According to Aradanas, Jordan initiated to organize and host its first LGUs Forum on Oct. 25 to present the agency’s projects for 2023 and programs for the upcoming Urban Poor Solidarity Week in December.
The new administration aims to reduce the country’s poverty rate to 9 percent by the end of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term in 2028.
“We believe we can do it but the government cannot just do that alone. We need the help of the other agencies and the urban poor itself as a holistic approach. That is the very essence of the LGUs Forum,” Aradanas said.
She disclosed that there would be goodwill ambassadors from the business sector and the academe to partner with the PCUP in “helping uplift the lives of the poor.”
LRay Villafuerte said there was a perception that mental health issues especially among the youth have apparently been aggravated by the stringent lockdowns or mobility restrictions resulting from the over two-year pandemic, which had forced students and teenagers to keep off their schools and isolate themselves in their homes instead of hanging out with their peers.
And with increasing digitalization, he said that many of the youths have also been victimized by cyberbullying, triggering emotional or psychological problems that might have prompted a number of them to think about or even try to commit suicide.
Villafuerte supported President Marcos who, in his World Mental Health Day message, said that mental health should be a global priority, along with climate change, peace and poverty. Maricel V. Cruz
THE Social Security System (SSS) and the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) have inked a memorandum of understanding that would enable cooperative officials and their members to become members of the state insurance fund.
Under the agreement, the SSS will conduct orientation and awareness campaigns regarding its membership and cooperative accreditation in various fora that the CDA may organize.
The setup would provide cooperatives and its members with information, education and communication materials about SSS programs, assistance in the registration of their members, remittance of their contributions, access to the SSS benefits and privileges through various e-services, as well as create, develop, improve, and implement programs
and policies for their welfare.
The CDA would assist the SSS in raising awareness about the value of SSS membership for cooperatives and their members by collaborating with the agency on different venues and opportunities to conduct coverage campaigns, including social security programs as one of the topics during CDA briefings, assemblies, and council meetings, and linking the SSS to various cooperatives nationwide.
It would also assist the SSS in the formulation of policies to improve access to social security protection for cooperatives and their members.
The partnership coincided with the celebration of the National Cooperative Month under Republic Act No. 11502. Rio N. Araja
PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has reappointed Atty. Jay Daniel Santiago as general manager of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
The reappointment was confirmed by Office of the Press Secretary offic er-in-charge Undersecretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil in a message to Ma nila Standard.
Garafil confirmed the reappoint ment, but a report on Super Radyo DZBB quoted Santiago saying that he received his appointment papers on Monday.
“I thank our President, PBBM, for his trust and confidence in entrust ing the management of the Philippine Ports Authority to us once again. I am deeply humbled. I know that this is not just about me, or just the PPA Management Team, but also about the hardworking employees of PPA whose dedication and commitment to service shine through,” Santiago said, in a statement Tuesday.
“I am deeply humbled. I know that this is not just about me, or just the PPA Management Team, but also about the hardworking employees of PPA whose dedication and commitment to service shine through.”
Santiago was the former general counsel of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) prior to his reappointment as head of the PPA.
He took his oath of office on Tuesday, replacing PPA officer-in-charge general manager Francisquiel Mancile.
Santiago earned a Bachelor of Arts
THE Department of National De fense (DND) on Tuesday said a body that will discuss further the formal termination of the contract for the 17 Russian-made Mi-17 heavy-lift helicopters is now in the process of reactivation and reconstitution.
“The Mutual Consultation Board, which will engage representatives of Sovtechnoexport in further dis cussions regarding the project’s termination, is in the process of re activation and reconstitution,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.
He added that they will provide the Russian Embassy with updates on the discussions.
Andolong also expressed hope that the parties will be able to settle their differences amicably and that it will not affect bilateral relations with Russia.
“This project is only a small part, and not the sum, of our bilateral re lations with Russia. It is our hope that this episode will be concluded in an amicable manner for both par ties,” he added.
Andolong said following the let ter of termination signed by for mer Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana, and serving of the formal notice from the Contract Termination and Review Commit tee, there had been an exchange of communications with Sovtechnoex port in accordance with the procedures under Republic Act 9184 or the Gov ernment Procurement Reform Act.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador Marat Pavlov said the production of Russian M-17 helicopters for the Philippines is ongoing using the P1.9 billion downpayment deposited in January 2022.
He also said the Philippines has yet to formally communicate its decision to terminate the PHP12.7 billion contract signed during the Duterte administration to purchase 16 Mi-17 helicopters, with an addi tional unit to be included at no extra cost.
In July of this year, Lorenzana
degree in Humanities from the Uni versity of the Philippines and obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the same institution.
Prior to his appointment as head of the PPA during the previous Duterte adminis tration, Santiago also served as the senior and managing partner of Feria Tantoco Robeniol Santiago, specializing in corpo rate and commercial law, particularly in the areas of banking and finance, securi ties regulation, telecommunications and new technologies, tax, immigration, and general business advisory.
CHINESE Ambassador to the Phil ippines Huang Xilian on Tuesday said China does not oppose Manila’s strengthened military cooperation with the United States amid disputes over the South China Sea.
Huang stressed that China “has no objection” with regard to the Philip pine relations with other countries, as long as the partnership is not “directed against China.”
The Chinese diplomat made the statement in a forum in Quezon City where he talked about the strengthened
military cooperation between the Phil ippines and the US through the En hanced Defense Cooperation Agree ment (EDCA) that allows US forces to conduct activities on agreed locations inside Philippine military bases.
When asked to comment on the South China Sea issue between China and the Philippines, Huang said he was “very impressed” by how President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. handled both countries’ differences.
The Chinese envoy admitted that Marcos Jr.’s view was “very similar to the Chinese view and Chinese position.”
“We should try to create a good en
vironment for us to handle the differ ences, and I believe that we should also seek to settle and manage our differ ences through direct friendly consulta tions and dialogue,” he said.
Meanwhile, Huang said the Philip pines, like China, should depend on modernization to achieve economic development and social progress.
With the Philippines and China both developing countries in Asia, Huang said the two countries must take advan tage of the current global development, which started to shift in the region.
According to Huang, the shift was due to the joint efforts of the Asian
countries to make the region “a high land of development and a hot spot for cooperation.”
“As many insightful people in the Philippines have realized, we are cur rently living in the ‘Asian Century,’ and the focus of global economic de velopment has shifted to Asia,” he said. He added that it only proved that the Philippine future “is deeply rooted in its own national construction and development, in the surrounding environment of good neighborliness and friendship, and in the Asian family of peace, stability, and common prosperity.”
AVIATION authorities have announced the partial opening of the MactanCebu International Airport (MCIA) following Sunday night’s incident involving an aircraft from Korean Air, which slid off the runway while landing at the airport.
On Tuesday, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) released an updated notice to airmen (Notam B3345/22) on the operating hours of MCIA Runway 04/22.
“The MCIA runway will be partially operational to all types of aircraft from 5:00 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. from 25 October to 8 November 2022,” the CAAP said in its advisory.
But as stated in the advisory, the said runway will be closed from 05:00 p.m. until 04:59 a.m. on the same dates.
CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said the notice to airmen and the airport’s operational hours will be modified depending on the develop ments in the extraction of the Korean Airlines A330 aircraft from the end of MCIA’s runway 22.
The aviation authority sent a team from its Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AAIIB) led by Col. Rommel Ronda and Harry Paradero to conduct a thorough investigation and supervise the extraction of the aircraft.
The probe will be conducted in coordination with Korean authorities.
Meanwhile, flag carrier Philippine Airlines is canceling more flights beginning Tuesday (Oct. 25) until Friday (Oct. 28) following the incident that resulted in the minor injuries of some passengers and temporary clo sure of MCIA, the second busiest airport in the country.
EIGHT Philippine senators led by Senate President Migz Zubiri left the country on Tuesday to meet their coun terparts in France in a bid to further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries.
Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda considers the meeting an op portune time for the senators to as sess our country’s strong ties with the French Republic. She said they will discuss how they can foster friendship
FUEL PRICE ROLLBACK. A motorcycle food delivery rider refuels at a gas station on Congressional Road, Barangay Burol 1, City of Dasmarinas, Cavite on Tuesday.
Following several weeks of significant price increases, oil companies reduced the price of gasoline by P0.35 per liter, kerosene by P0.45 per liter, and diesel by P1.10 per liter effective Tuesday. Gil Calinga
and cooperation, especially on areas that concern both the Philippines and France.
“Deliberating on the issues is timely and significant as these are connected to climate change, which remains a top global concern,” Legarda said, adding that “our visit to France is a chance for the Philippines to convey our vision, plans, and involvement in addressing global challenges.”
Legarda added that the Philippines “fully recognizes France’s steady alle giance to be a global leader in address
ing the issue, and we are fully commit ted to supporting the Paris Agreement.”
The Paris Agreement also referred to as the Paris Climate Accord, is an inter national climate change treaty adopted in 2015 by members of the United Na tions Framework Convention on Cli mate Change (UNFCCC).
In 2017, Legarda, who chaired the Subcommittee on the Paris Agree ment under the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, sponsored the Phil ippines’ concurrence in ratifying the agreement.
DAVAO City Rep. Paolo Duterte has sought the swift approval of a meas ure that would establish an E-Com merce Bureau in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) with ap propriate powers and functions to safeguard online transactions and help promote a robust internet-based economy in the country.
Duterte said this measure pro vided under his proposed Internet Transactions Act and other similar legislative proposals will comple ment the recently enacted law that mandates the registration of Sub scriber Identity Modules (SIMs).
While both the SIM Registra tion Law and the proposed Internet Transactions Act under House Bill (HB) 3050 aim to protect consumers from fraud, the latter provides for additional protection to e-commerce consumers and merchants alike, Du terte said.
TO provide better nutrition and address the problem of rice shortage, former Health Sec retary and House Deputy Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin called on the Department of Agriculture(DA), restaurant owners, and small businesses like carinderias to serve ka mote as an alternative to rice.
Garin made the statement as farmer groups have warned of a possible shortage
of rice supply in 2023 amid the decline in the palay output due to the high cost of ag ricultural inputs.
To avert the looming shortage, Garin insisted that it is high time that the DA extensively pro motes sweet potato as an alternative.
She said one way of doing this is to increase production and make the neces sary investment in root crops--in terms of
agricultural research, food technology, or marketing.
Garin also proposed incentives for food establishments serving kamote.
“Our love for rice has given birth to the famous ‘extra rice’ and ‘unli rice’ cultures. Unlike the popular expression ‘rice is life,’ we encourage restaurants to try using ka mote in place of rice and even as French
fries. What we need today are innovations in the kitchen,” Garin said, adding that the nutritious content of rice cannot compare to that of kamote since rice transforms into sugar in the body, making one susceptible to diabe tes, while kamote is high in fiber and is one of the best foods that one can eat to prevent cancer.
Duterte said HB 3050 also pro motes trust and accountability in the country’s e-commerce market with the goal of further accelerating the growth of this sector, and en couraging micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to take advan tage of digital innovations to expand their businesses.
“In order to protect the mer chant and the consumer, an effective regulation of commercial activities through the internet or electronic means must be established,” Duterte said in his bill’s explanatory note.
its expansion and transition to Battery Energy Storage and cleaner power technologies.
Ang concedes the adverse ERC decision will sig nificantly impact its two power facilities with fixedrate PSAs (power supply agreements). But the ruling would have no adverse implication on a consolidated basis for SMCGP, he assured.
IN NON-Olympic boxing, the rules and decisions are set by the referee inside the ring and, outside the ring, by a panel of three judges.
All four are supposed to be independent, fair-mind ed, and are not related, directly or indirectly, with any or both boxers in the ring. They must conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times.
Imagine if the Philippine Department of Energy were managed by a referee and three judges with the credentials and rules of fairness of boxing. You can say the DOE would be above reproach.
Now, imagine the present DOE—the regulator of the Philippine energy industry. Is it above reproach? Its top three heads ALL came from a single employer or company—the Aboitiz group, the Philippines’ largest energy producer and retailer.
The Energy Secretary, Popo Lotilla, was a director of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, the listed holding company of the Aboitiz group.
The chairman and CEO of the Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates pricing and supply of energy sources, is Monalisa C. Dimalanta. She was the chief legal and compliance officer of Aboitiz Power, a major subsidiary of AEV.
She is a journalism graduate of UP. In journalism, fairness and balance are sacrosanct rules. At the Uni versity of Michigan, she finished her master of laws. You cannot say she is ignorant of law and ethics.
The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Man agement Corporation (PSALM)—what a fanciful name—regulates the sale and disposition of power as sets and contracts.
Professionalism and integrity are among its core values. Its officers must demonstrate high personal and professional integrity and sound judgment.
PSALM’s president and CEO is Dennis dela Serna. In his previous immediate life, he was the first vice president for regulatory affairs of Aboitiz Power.
Imagine if Lotilla was a boxing referee, and that Dimalanta and De la Serna were the two of the three judges. Boxer A was their previous employer. Boxer B is the other protagonist.
What are the chances of Boxing B getting a fair de cision? In simple math—one referee plus two judges is three. One judge, the third, is independent. That’s a three to one advantage for Boxer A.
On Oct. 4, this year, the ERC denied the petition, filed in 2019, of SMC Global Power and Meralco for a rate increase. SMC Global’s main power source, coal, had gone up in price, 3.26 times, from a low of $140 per ton in November 2021 to a high of $457 per ton by September 2022.
Such a steep price increase deserves extraordinary consideration by the regulator. But no. ERC applied the books. No increase.
SMC Global is a subsidiary of San Miguel Corp., the country’s second largest power producer. SMC is Boxer B in our analogy above. .
Now, I ask you: Did SMC get a fair shake from ERC?
Meanwhile, SMC CEO Ramon S. Ang has ex pressed confidence that its power subsidiary, SMC Global Power Holdings Corp., (SMCGP) will weather its present challenges following the ERC denial of its petition for temporary relief from its fixed-rate power supply agreements with Meralco.
“While we find the recent decision by the ERC denying our petition for temporary relief from sky rocketing global fuel prices unfortunate, SMCGP remains in a stable position to navigate these cir cumstances. We have never been more confident of the fundamental strength of our businesses,” said a crestfallen Ang.
He said the company remains fundamentally strong, with a sound strategy to manage all of its fi nancial covenants and obligations, even as it pursues
“We will be able to manage the company’s matur ing obligations in 2023 and beyond. If necessary, there will be SMC parent support. For our bondholders, SMCGP will continue to be fully-compliant with its financial covenants at all times,” Ang added.
Since June, SMCGP no longer needed to pay P12 billion per annum in capital lease payments under its Independent Power Producer Administration (IPPA) contract for the Ilijan plant.
This will have a full-year positive impact for the company in 2023. This provides the company “a lot of financial flexibility” whether it opts for capital expen diture, refinancing, or paying down debt.
Ang stressed that by 2023, SMCGP would be realizing at least P8 billion to P10 billion in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) from the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project.
Next to seeking to reverse the unfavorable ERC ruling, SMC is looking at termination of its fixed rate contracts
Also by next year, the company’s new Mariveles power plant will be online, contributing an additional P5 billion to P6 billion in annual EBITDA.
SMCGP will also no longer make capital lease pay ments of about P14 billion per year under its Sual pow er plant IPPA, effective October 2024. By this time, its full 1,000- MW BESS project would be contributing P12 billion to P15 billion EBITDA per annum, Ang said.
Ang also emphasized that all of SMCGP’s capacity is fully contracted.
To address continuously rising coal prices to better manage costs, Ang said that SMCGP has used for its coal plants low-grade coal ---relatively cheaper than high-grade coal This lowers blended fuel cost.
Meanwhile, Don Ramon will seek legal remedies to address the unfair setup at the DOE and its agencies, ERC and PSALM.
Next to seeking to reverse the unfavorable ERC ruling, SMC is looking at termination of its fixed rate contracts.
With a termination of the PSAs, the power supply freed can be sold at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) or Meralco, for its emergency power requirements, or dis tribution utilities and electric cooperatives at prevailing market terms.
These would allow SMC to recover in full its power generation costs.
“The ERC ruling is a significant blow, not just to us, but more significantly, to the public, which will have to contend with higher electricity costs with the termina tion of the PSAs. That is why we are weighing all pos sible options,” Ang warns.
Ang clarified there are no penalties associated with a termination, as this would be in accordance with the provisions of the PSA
He explained: “As fiduciaries, we need to act in the best interest of all our different stakeholders.
“Our petition for temporary rate hike was necessary to allow us to be better placed to grow responsibly, pro vide reliable power supply for our consumers, generate and secure jobs, and push through with our sustainabil ity goals, as our country’s partner in economic recovery and growth.”
biznewsasia@gmail.comWITHIN sniffing distance, as the 69-yearold Xi Jinping secured a consequential third term as China’s leader on Sunday, diplomatic eyes and thoughts quickly turned to Perth, Australia.
There, by co-occurrence, Japan and Aus tralia agreed to share sensitive intelligence and deepen their defense cooperation by signing a landmark security agreement in what observers see as an unmistakable move to counter China’s military blastoff.
After talks in Perth, Japan’s 65-year-old Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Aus tralian counterpart 59-year-old Anthony Al banese signed a joint declaration in which Tokyo and Canberra agreed to deepen trilat eral security relations with the United States and to take action against countries violating international rules and norms.
“This landmark declaration sends a strong signal to the region of our strate gic alignment,” Albanese said, hailing the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation.
Kishida himself said the declaration will become a “compass” to guide security and defense cooperation between Japan and
Australia “over the next decade.”
Their accord came with rising con cern that China might accelerate military provocations against Taiwan, with Xi’s unmatched third term as leader at the rul ing Communist Party’s week-long, twicea-decade congress that ended Saturday.
Their accord came with rising concern that China might accelerate military provocations against Taiwan, with Xi’s unmatched third term as leader at the ruling Communist Party’s weeklong, twice-a-decade congress that ended Saturday
The Japan-Australia agreement sends a strong signal in East Asia and neighboring regions of the strategic alignment of the two allies which are aware of what they call “increasingly harsh strategic environ ment” without naming naming China or North Korea.
Neither Australia nor Japan has the needed ranks of overseas intelligence
agents and foreign informants to play in the major leagues of global espionage. Tokyo does not have a foreign spy agen cy equivalent to the US Central Intelli gence Agency, Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service known as the M16, and Russia’s Federal Security Service.
Canberra has the Australian Security Service Intelligence Organization but this is just a chunk of the size of the abovenamed security organizations.
In the latest declaration, Kishida, who be gan a three-day visit to Australia on Friday, and Albanese confirmed the significance of a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” a vision ad vocated by the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
In 2007, Abe and Australian Prime Min ister John Howard signed a document that recognized “common strategic interests and security benefits embodied in their respective alliance relationships with the United States.” This month Kishida and Albanese did not single out China in the declaration as they may be eager to monitor how Bei jing’s diplomatic policy may shift follow ing Xi’s re-election.
But in a separate statement, Kishida and Albanese reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, while expressing caution about China’s bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact.
We hope the ripples of development will not become ruthless tidal bores.
perceived by many of the residents of the province as having taken the side of those who want to perpetu ate the lucrative but excessive, destructive quarrying industry there.
SPECULATION is rife the raging political contro versy in Albay province will soon be bound for the Supreme Court.
That controversy was recently fueled by the resolu tion issued by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) First Division disqualifying newly-elected Albay Gov ernor Noel Rosal.
The resolution was based on allegations that Rosal may have violated certain provisions of the Omnibus Election Code which prohibits the disbursement of public funds 45 days before the polls.
The Comelec First Division acted quickly on the allegations.
Rosal’s legal team has filed a Motion for Reconsid eration with the poll body.
Observers, however, say it would be difficult to get the Comelec to reverse the earlier resolution, raising concern the issue that has gotten Albay into some kind of political turmoil will soon find itself in the hands of the justices of the Supreme Court.
The wisdom of the First Division is not in question here, nor are doubts being cast on the integrity of the commissioners.
The worry among parties-in-the-know is that the poll body may have unnecessarily gotten itself in the crossfire.
Some find it unfortunate that new Comelec Chair man George Garcia has found himself defending and explaining the disqualification resolution before media.
What the poll body may not have anticipated is the chaos that the resolution would trigger.
Albay and its capital, Legazpi City, are now being rocked with massive protest action. Influential Church and civic leaders are urging the Comelec to “respect the people’s will.”
To be fair to the Comelec, the First Division had used the Omnibus Election Code as the basis for the resolution against Rosal.
The poll body said the provision of the Code re ferred to in the resolution does exist and does provide for such a ban and the distribution of the funds done by Rosal to tricycle drivers and senior citizens was cov ered by them.
It is unfortunate the Comelec may now perhaps be perceived by many of the residents of the province as having taken the side of those who want to perpetuate the lucrative but excessive, destructive quarrying industry there
Rosal’s counsel had argued the alleged distribu tion of funds in March of 2022 was just a continuation of the activity which began in August 2021 and was therefore not a “new activity.”
Rosal may have been denied the opportunity to be heard. That view of theirs seems to infer some kind of denial of due process. What is further troubling to them is that the funds were meant to help the underprivileged residents to cope with the pandemic. They wonder if the ban was more important than their survival.
The Comelec should understand the reasons behind that kind of sentiment.
Rosal has emerged as some kind of the antithesis to the traditional politicians of that province.
Rosal is folksy, relatable and has a strong connec tion with the masses.
His landslide victory in the recent polls was, to many, unimaginable since he did not have the financial resources and did not have a full slate when he tossed his hat into the gubernatorial contest. Based on the odds, he should have lost the elections. However, he won it with votes nearly twice the num ber garnered by the closest contender.
Rosal is seen as some kind of “savior” – the only leader who can shield them from the wiles of the pow erful. This is why Albay is in turmoil right now in the aftermath of the First Division’s decision.
The people of the province, however, must under stand that the Comelec has a job to perform.
The poll body must be given the benefit of the doubt that its actions are based on what it believes to be the law. On that score, the Comelec must be given the re spect due it.
Albayanons are not without recourse.
The poll body is reviewing Rosal’s Motion for Re consideration. True, it may be next to impossible to get the First Division to reverse itself.
But then, there is the Supreme Court. That constitu tional body is the ultimate recourse.
There, Rosal can hope he will be given his day in court.
The firms can do this by shifting their registra tion from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to the Board of Investments (BOI).
This resolution was welcomed by the IT-BPM/ BPO firms, which had been telling the government, since it started compelling them to return to offices (that they had given up during the lockdowns), that workers would rather resign than return to work onsite.
Albay’s esteemed Bishop Joel Baylon himself has loudly asked whether or not the Comelec resolution against Rosal is nothing more than just a result of the new governor’s unrelenting and uncompromising stand against illegal and excessive quarrying activities in that province, especially in the areas near and around Mayon Volcano.
It is unfortunate the Comelec may now perhaps be
THE government is slowly getting things done about remote work, with at least three agencies releasing or ders or guidelines related to expanding the work-fromhome (WFH) scheme during this time of the ‘new normal.’
However, the widespread adoption of remote work, even in government itself, still needs to be promoted and championed.
Mid-last month, Labor Sec. Bienvenido Laguesma signed Department Order 237 on the revised imple menting rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11165 or the Telecommuting Law.
The new rules mainly involve putting WFH on par with working onsite regarding labor and employment standards.
Remote or ‘alternative workplaces’ have been iden tified as not just one’s home but other locations where one may work using telecom technology, such as coworking spaces.
In effect, one may work anywhere there is internet access, such as a café, park, or other space conducive to work.
Also, work performed at alternative workplaces shall be considered as work at the employer’s regular workplace.
Also last month, the Philippine Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) passed a resolution allowing information technology and business process manage ment or business process outsourcing (IT-BPM/BPO) firms in economic zones to adopt up to a 100 percent remote work setup and still enjoy tax incentives.
It is stupid and unkind to compel people who don’t have to work onsite — those who are not frontliners, lineworkers, or in clientfacing service jobs – to commute to work daily just to jumpstart the economy
This is a stand mirrored globally and called in the US “The Great Resignation.” Workers have gotten used to the benefits of WFH and are loath to give them up.
Meanwhile, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) issued last June their Memorandum Circular 2022-6 that allows government agencies to implement alterna tive work arrangements for some 1.7 million civil ser vants regardless of their appointment status, whether regular, contract-of-service, contractual, or other.
But public servants everywhere cannot all rejoice because it is still left to any particular government
agency to see what setup works best for it.
Thus, depending on where one works, one may still be compelled to report onsite even if there is no rational need.
This policy took the CSC an entire TWO years to finalize after the pandemic.
During that period, many government employees unnecessarily suffered the travails of commuting on ter rible public transportation amid horrible traffic.
I suppose we should still be grateful because the CSC didn’t take longer than that.
More responsive laws and rules like these are always welcome, particularly in this instance where remote work is the best option for people to maximize the use of their salaries that haven’t grown in proportion to in flation’s escalation.
A recent JobStreet survey showed that almost half – 49 percent -- of the 15,178 Filipino respondents sur veyed prefer to work completely remote five days a week, much higher than the global figure of 24 percent.
Meanwhile, nearly half – 48 percent -- of Filipinos are open to working on a hybrid arrangement of offsite/ onsite, a figure also much higher than the global aver age.
Even some students, particularly graduate students, do not wish to return to onsite classes anymore and pre fer online classes.
They are tired from working the entire workweek and weekends are their chance to rest. Being able to attend class while safe and comfortable at home will
Moreover, the funds distributed were a matter of emergency as they were part of the government’s ef forts to help people cope with the ill-effects of the pan demic.
What troubles not a few of Albay’s religious and civic leaders even more are observations the First Di vision did not allow Rosal the opportunity to “adduce evidence” and did not grant a motion to reset hearing.
This is disconcerting to them because, if true, then
make them more motivated to continue their graduate coursework.
They will also be able to save on transportation and food, savings they can use for tuition instead.
Undergraduates who prefer onsite classes for the “college experience” (as one student told me) will ben efit from having several days a week online to save on expenses.
Public and private employers must understand and adapt to the fact that more and more people prefer to work from home all or most days of the week.
Employers in any industry that insist on a return to physical offices may risk losing their best people, or not being able to hire the best people for the job.
It is stupid and unkind to compel people who don’t have to work onsite -- those who are not frontliners, line workers, or in client-facing service jobs – to commute to work daily just to jumpstart the economy.
Throughout history, various types of businesses have risen and fallen as technology drives change.
Are we insisting that we still keep carretela busi nesses around even if we have cars?
Right now, it’s landlords and real estate companies that are pushing the return to onsite. But this is not the shape of the economy anymore.
People are feeling the crunch in their budgets caused by high inflation and rising fuel and food prices.
Their health and patience are taxed by increasingly snarled traffic and poor (and costly) public transporta tion, while their salaries remain the same and are not
Meanwhile, we will just have to watch Albayanons vent out their ire against what they perceive to be disre spect for their will.
This is how democracy works. Each interested par ty can express its disgust until the Supreme Court – the court of last resort – rules on the matter with finality.
(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)getting any higher to cope with these changes. WFH for those who can and should is the only setup that makes sense.
(* * Dr. Ortuoste is a board member of PEN Philip pines, member of the Manila Critics Circle, and judge of the National Book Awards. She is an advocate for the widespread adoption and normalization of remote work. FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO)
AT LEAST 16 people died after a cy clone slammed into Bangladesh, forcing the evacuation of about a million people from their homes, officials said Tuesday.
Around 10 million people were with out power in 15 coastal districts, while schools were shut across southern and southwestern regions.
Cyclones—the equivalent of hurri canes in the Atlantic or typhoons in the Pacific—are a regular menace but scien tists say climate change is likely making them more intense and frequent.
Cyclone Sitrang made landfall in southern Bangladesh late Monday but authorities managed to get about a mil lion people to safety before the mon ster weather system hit.
Jebun Nahar, a government official, said 14 people died, mostly after they were hit by falling trees, and two died after a boat sank in squally weather in the Jamuna river in the north.
“We still have not got all the reports of damages,” she told AFP.
People evacuated from low-lying re
gions such as remote islands and river banks were moved to thousands of multi-storey cyclone shelters, Disaster Management Ministry secretary Kam rul Ahsan told AFP.
“They spent the night in cyclone shelters. And this morning many are heading back to their homes,” he said.
In some cases police had to cajole villagers who were reluctant to aban don their homes, officials said.
Trees were uprooted as far away as the capital Dhaka, hundreds of kilometers (miles) from the epicenter of the storm.
Heavy rains lashed much of the country, flooding cities such as Dhaka, Khulna and Barisal – which witnessed 324 millimeters (13 inches) of rainfall on Monday.
About 33,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, controversially relo cated from the mainland to a stormprone island in the Bay of Bengal, were ordered to stay indoors and there were no reports of any casualties or damage, officials said. AFP
Top US justice officials accused the Chinese government Monday of an unrelenting campaign by intelligence operatives to subvert the American justice system and steal commercial secrets.
Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray detailed three separate cases in which Beijing’s spies allegedly harassed dissidents inside the United States, tried to interfere in the prosecution of a Chi nese telecoms giant understood to be Huawei, and pres sured US academics to work for them.
to undermine our judicial system that protects those rights,” said Garland.
“The Justice Department will not tol erate attempts by any foreign power to undermine the rule of law upon which our democracy is based,” the top US law enforcement officer said.
Garland, Wray, and other top justice officials spoke about the cases in a press conference in Washington one day after Xi Jinping secured a historic third term as China’s leader.
Asked whether the announcements Monday were timed to Xi’s confirma tion as the Chinese Communist Party’s all-powerful general secretary on Sun day, Wray avoided any specific link.
“We bring cases when they’re ready. And that’s probably the simplest an swer and most straightforward answer to that, as far as what signal they send,” the FBI chief said.
PRODUCERS RURAL BANKING
Thirteen Chinese nationals who allegedly worked for Beijing’s spy agencies have been indicted in the cases and two of them have been arrested.
The cases showed that China “sought to interfere with the rights and freedoms of individuals in the United States and
THIRTY people have been killed and several more have been in jured in a wave of intercommunal violence on Papua New Guinea’s remote Trobriand Islands, police said Tuesday.
The long-simmering dis pute between two local foot ball teams on sparsely policed Kiriwina Island first flared ear lier this year in the wake of the country’s general election, Pro vincial Police Commander Peter Barkie told AFP.
US officials have tied Xi to what they see as a growing effort by Chinese in telligence agencies over the past decade to steal US intellectual property and to crack down on Chinese political dissi dents in the United States.
“If the Chinese government, the Chi nese Communist Party, continues to violate our laws, they are going to keep encountering the FBI,” he said.
In a case cited Monday but unveiled last week, seven Chinese nationals al legedly tried to force a US resident to go back to China. Two people were
SEVEN civilians have been killed and three injured in the Ukraine city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, the regional governor said Tuesday.
Three bodies of civilians killed ear lier were also discovered in two plac es in the region, which has been at the centre of intense fighting with the Russian army for months, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian army said Russian troops were on the offensive in the Donetsk region towards the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka.
On Monday, Ukrainian troops said they had pushed back Russian assaults around 10 settlements in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, including near the city of Bakhmut.
In September the Ukrainian army claimed thousands of square kilo metres in counter-offensives in the northeast and the south.
Battles now center on the east and in the south towards Kherson.
Donetsk is one of the four Ukrai nian regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin claims to have an nexed, and where martial law has been imposed.
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When residents of three villag es stormed a government office Monday, police and “even church elders could not contain the fight and we recorded 30 deaths and several many injured,” he said.
Barkie said things “got out of hand” after the recent “destruc tion of food gardens.”
Additional forces are now be ing sent from the mainland.
The Trobriand Islands are a group of low-lying atolls in the South Pacific, known for their ornate coral gardens that produce bananas, yams and taro.
In recent years, they have strug gled with a growing population and changing climate, which has made harvests more difficult. AFP
NEW Delhi woke to toxic smog on Tuesday after Diwali revelers defied a firecracker ban and risked jail to celebrate the annual Hindu festival.
According to international monitoring company IQAir, harmful PM 2.5 particles surged to 350 on the air quality index – more than three times the reading a day earlier.
The reading for the particulates – so tiny they can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream – is more than 23 times the recommended daily maximum set by the World Health Organization.
The PM 2.5 reading had eased to around 145 by mid-morning, still nearly 10 times the WHO limit.
A report by IQAir in 2020 found that 22 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities were in India.
New Delhi imposed a ban on the sale and use of firecrackers last month and an nounced that those flouting the ban could face up to six months in jail.
Many of the Indian capital’s roughly 20 million residents were still able to get hold of firecrackers, setting them alight into the early hours.
However, broadcaster NDTV reported that Delhi’s pollution levels after Monday’s Diwali celebrations year were the lowest in four years. The festival fell relatively early this year in mild weather. AFP
Meanwhile, five people were injured in a blast Tuesday in the Russian-held city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine, the pro-Moscow administration said.
“A car exploded near the ZaMedia media group building in Melitopol,” damaging it and nearby residential homes, the local pro-Moscow admin istration said on Telegram.
“Five people were slightly injured, including employees of the media group. One was hospitalized,” the ad ministration said.
Photos showed a grey building block with windows ripped off and burning debris on the ground.
There was no official confirmation or denial by Ukraine that its forces were responsible for the explosion.
RISHI Sunak on Tuesday became Britain’s third prime minister this year and the first person of color to lead the former imperial power, vowing to mend its stricken finances after Liz Truss lasted just 49 days.
Sunak was set to speak outside 10 Downing Street after his appoint ment by King Charles III, capping the latest extraordinary twist in UK politics following Boris Johnson’s demise in July.
Departing Downing Street a little before, Truss wished Sunak “ev ery success” and said she remained “more convinced than ever” that Britain needed to be “bold” in con fronting the challenges it faced.
Sunak became the ruling Conser vatives’ new leader on Monday af ter triumphing over rival contender
Penny Mordaunt, who failed to se cure enough nominations from Tory MPs.
It had become a two-way fight after Johnson dramatically aborted a comeback attempt late Sunday, having failed to persuade Sunak to share power. He has maintained a deafening silence since.
Sunak, a Hindu, is the first Brit ish-Indian prime minister and, at 42, the youngest leader in more than two centuries.
US President Joe Biden called the choice “groundbreaking,” and vowed to reach out to Sunak shortly.
Sunak took power in a morn ing audience with Charles – who anointed his first prime minister since ascending the throne follow ing the death of his mother Queen
Sunak appointed crisis-hit UK’s first prime minister of color
rose Tuesday amid optimism on upcoming corporate
and as the peso recovered after the Bangko Sentral
Pilipinas said it is ready to increase policy rate in response to the US Federal Reserve’s adjustments.
The PSE index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 44 points, or 0.7 percent, to close at 6,073.41 as four of the six subsectors advanced.
The broader all-share index also picked up 16 points, or 0.5 percent, to settle at 3,233.12 on a value turnover of P4.37 billion.
Losers outnumbered gainers, 95 to 74, while 48 issues were unchanged.
Five of the 10 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Bank of the Philippine Islands which went up 2 percent to P93.25 and SM Invest ments Corp. which rose 2 percent to P780.00.
The peso rose on BSP Governor Fe lipe Medalla’s statement that the Mone tary Board could increase the overnight borrowing rate by more than 100 basis points before the end of the year, if the Fed would make two successive adjust ments.
The local currency closed at 58.78 against the US dollar Tuesday, up from 58.87 Monday.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Shang hai stocks saw big swings Tuesday fol lowing the previous day’s rout after Xi Jinping tightened his grip on power in China, while other markets fought to maintain a rally fueled by hopes of a
less hawkish Federal Reserve.
Optimism about upcoming corporate earnings was providing some support, with Wall Street chalking up another strong day ahead of reports this week from big-name firms including Apple, Amazon and Microsoft.
Investors were keeping a wary eye on developments in China after Xi at the weekend was handed another five year term as leader and gave top jobs to a number of loyalists who back his strict zero-Covid strategy.
The policy of lockdowns and other strict measures has been a major cause of the country’s economic woes and the prospect of more upheaval has sent chills through trading floors.
The uncertainty resulted in a drop of more than six percent in Hong Kong on Monday, with tech firms -- which have been hardest hit by Xi’s crackdown on a range of private-sector companies -- tak ing the brunt of the pain. With AFP
BEIING, China—China’s yuan hit a 15-year low against the US dollar on Tuesday, with investors spooked after President Xi Jinping gained complete dominance over the Communist Party at a key meeting last week.
The onshore yuan fell as much as 0.6 percent to 7.3084 per dollar, its weakest level since December 2007 and close to the lower limit of the trad ing band set by the central bank on Tuesday.
The offshore yuan—which is cir culated outside mainland China and is more freely traded than currency in the domestic market—fell to 7.3735 against the dollar, the weakest since clearing banks in Hong Kong were given the go-ahead to open renminbi accounts freely in 2010.
China’s currency has taken a hit, along with other major currencies, as the Federal Reserve’s hawkish tone sends investors piling into the dollar.
The announcement over the week end that Xi had secured a third term as party leader, stacking leadership posi tions with proteges and allies, raised fears among investors that Chinese authorities would continue zero-Covid lockdowns and other policies that have hammered the economy.
The yuan, along with Hong Konglisted Chinese stocks plummeted on Monday, despite the announcement of better-than-expected growth in the third quarter the same day.
One of the most pressing concerns is Xi’s zero-Covid policy, which con tinues to put tens of millions of people under rolling lockdowns that also shut ter factories.
China is the last of the world’s major economies to hew to the strategy, with Xi insisting in his speech to mark the end of the Chinese Communist Party Congress on Saturday that the coun try’s Covid response has been a suc cess.
China is also battling an unprec edented crisis in its real estate sector —which makes up more than a quarter of the country’s GDP when combined with construction.
Following years of explosive growth fueled by easy access to loans, Xi oversaw a crackdown on excessive debt. AFP
SINGAPORE—Singapore an nounced Tuesday it aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, giving a firm date for the first time, and will look at using hydrogen as a major power source.
The city-state targets for carbon emissions to peak in 2030 at 60 mil lion tons, a reduction of five million tons from the previous goal, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said.
The Southeast Asian nation also has plans to look at developing low carbon hydrogen as a major power supply in the long term.
“If technology continues to ad vance, we foresee that hydrogen can supply up to half of our power needs by 2050, alongside domestic renew able energy sources and electricity imports,” Wong said at an industry conference.
He added that Singapore would experiment with key hydrogen tech nologies to see how it can be imple mented on a large scale.
“We do not have the land for large solar or wind farms, or fast flowing rivers for hydro-electric power,” said Wong, the country’s prime minister in waiting.
Green hydrogen is in sharp focus as governments seek to slash carbon emissions amid global warming and to safeguard energy supplies hit by the invasion of Ukraine by oil and gas producer Russia.
But the “hydrogen economy” has not fully kicked into gear awaiting significant uptake from high-pollut ing sectors like steel and aviation.
“Many hydrogen technologies are still under development, and a glob al supply chain has yet to be estab lished,” the Singapore government said in a statement.
“Nevertheless, there has been strong interest internationally from the public and private sectors to ac celerate the development,” it added.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said the low-lying island nation is especially vulnerable to rising sea levels and defending it from the threat is “existential.” AFP
HONG KONG, China—When Pinky Tam lost her job in Macau last year, she found herself among the many thousands cast adrift as the city’s casino indus try crumbled beneath the twin forces of politics and a pandemic.
The former Portuguese colony has been limping for nearly three years as coronavirus restrictions have kept away mainland Chinese tourists, depriving the gaming sector of its chief revenue source and tanking the wider economy.
“Back when things were good, it would be almost too crowded to walk,” Tam, who used to work at the gambling operator Suncity Group, recalled of the nar row streets leading from the Ruin of St Paul’s, Ma cau’s most famous landmark.
“Now you can find maybe one or two locals pass ing through. I think the people of Macau are frustrated about the economy and future prospects,” she told AFP.
The crisis comes at a sensitive time for Macau’s oli gopoly of casinos.
Officials are currently renegotiating the six conces sions, which will expire by the end of the year.
It is an industry reshuffle that will shape Macau’s next decade, raising questions over whether the city can return to being the world’s top casino hub, whether it must seek an alternative path, and whether its golden years are over.
Since its handover to Chinese rule in 1999, Macau has been the only place in the country where casinos are legal, growing to the point two decades later where
it was generating nearly six times the annual gaming revenue of Las Vegas.
It was a heady time of extraordinary growth and riches.
‘Junket King’ arrest
But even before the pandemic emerged, its wings were being clipped by President Xi Jinping’s anti-cor ruption drive.
Then last November, authorities ar rested Suncity boss Alvin Chau -- nick named the “Junket King” for his success in bringing in Chinese high-rollers -- and charged him with fraud, money launder ing and running a crime syndicate.
It was the clearest sign yet of Beijing’s crackdown on officials and wealthy ty coons who used Macau as a conduit to siphon cash out of China.
“Up until now, 90 percent of our visi tors and 90 percent of our revenue comes from China... We basically are a hub to attract mainland Chinese gamblers,” Ma cau-based gaming analyst Ben Lee told AFP.
“So the Macau government is obvi ously being pushed to try and redirect the industry away from China.”
Until recently, the renewal of conces sions seemed like a done deal for the six companies permitted to operate casinos, which include the subsidiaries of three
But at the last minute, a surprise contender, Malay sia’s Genting Group, threw its hat into the ring.
With the concession renewal taking place at a time of spiraling tensions between Washington and Beijing, Lee posits that one of the US companies may well lose out. AFP
THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Tues day expressed support to the initiatives of the government to boost the supply of key food commodities and address supply-side pressures exacerbating inflation.
It said in a statement the overall supply of agricultural commodities continued to be restricted by low farm productivity and high production costs, worsened by global supply disruptions, persistent animal dis eases, uncertainties due to the UkraineRussia conflict and tariff and non-tariff restrictions on agricultural trade.
“Addressing high inflation requires a whole-of-government approach to protect vulnerable sectors of the economy from the impact of high prices,” it said.
Targeted measures by the government to improve farm productivity and address bottlenecks for key food items are crucial in mitigating supply-side pressures on in flation, it said.
“The central bank’s monetary policy actions are also working in tandem with fiscal policy and programs to prevent in flation expectations from becoming more entrenched,” it said. Julito G. Rada
TWO subsidiaries of Global Business Power Corp. received recognition for ex emplary compliance with the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market rules.
The Philippine Electricity Market Corp., the governing body of the WESM, bestowed the awards to Cebu Energy De velopment Corp. and Panay Power Corp. on Oct. 14.
CEDC, which operates a 246-megawatt clean coal-fired power plant in Toledo City, Cebu, ranked first among all coalfired facilities in the country. PPC’s 7.5MW diesel-fired power plant in Nabas, Aklan placed third under the oil-based category.
Power generators should comply with the offer capacity compliance and dis patch conformance standards enforced in the spot market’s operations under WESM rules.
“These citations further cement our company’s commitment toward providing efficient and quality outputs and services for our stakeholders,” Meralco PowerGen Corp. president and chief executive Jaime Azurin said. Alena Mae S. Flores
SM INVESTMENTS Corp. marked im portant milestones in upholding inclusion and diversity in the organization.
SM Investments signed on as a support er of the United Nations Global Compact Women Empowerment Principles, joining over 3,000 other business leaders around the world.
Established by UN Global Compact and UN Women, the WEPs are a set of principles offering guidance to businesses on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community.
This followed SM Supermalls signing on as a supporter in March 2021, marking National Women’s Month.
SM Investments also announced the ap pointment Elizabeth Anne Uychaco as its first group diversity officer who will work with different companies of the SM Group in advancing gender equality and champi oning inclusion.
“We celebrate diversity and inclusion in SM Group as it reflects the broad indi vidualities in the communities we serve.
Moreover, diversity and inclusion ensure innovation in our businesses. When we recognize that people are unique individu als, we explore more options, generating a wider range of user-centric services and offers,” Uychaco said.
THE Chinese Embassy in Manila asked the government to ban Philippine offshore gaming operations over their alleged negative impact on the economy.
China Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said many countries had banned online offshore gaming after having “learned their lessons the hard way”.
“We have been working closely with Philippine government agencies to crack down on illegal POGO. We hope that the negative impacts of POGO will be fully realized by people and by au thorities in this country,” Xilian said Tuesday at the Pandesal Forum in Que zon City.
He said China banned offshore gam ing operators and urged the Philippines to do the same because of economic and social repercussions.
“POGO is illegal for any Chinese citizens not only at home, but also over seas,” Xilian said.
Business and public advocacy groups also expressed full support for the phase-out of POGOs.
The Foundation for Economic Free dom, the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philip
pines said in a joint statement the social and reputational costs of government sponsorship of offshore gaming opera tions far outweighed any economic ben efits.
The groups said conflicting mandates and the lure of corruption rendered gov ernment agencies incapable of effec tively regulating POGOs.
POGO operations in the Philippines were associated with crimes such as money laundering, kidnapping, bribery, prostitution, human and drug trafficking that impacted law and order and the Philippine reputation, they said.
“The taint of money laundering di minishes confidence in our banking sys tem and puts legitimate financial flows, including from OFWs, at risk from sanctions of international oversight bodies,” the groups said.
FINANCE Secretary Benjamin Dio kno said Tuesday real property taxes will help boost the revenue-generating capacity of local government units.
Diokno asked LGUs to strengthen their revenue mobilization capacities through RPT collections to support the country’s economic resurgence.
“Real property tax offers a progres sive source of revenue for LGUs. This is strengthened by a credible real property valuation system in improv ing the government’s revenue gen eration capacity,” he said during the Bureau of Local Government Finance anniversary seminar titled “Compara tive Analysis of Property Tax in Se lected Southeast Asian Countries”.
The DOF, through the BLGF, mon itors the timely updating of the RPT base and rates of LGUs.
Recommendations to maximize real property collections stem from its findings on the inaccurate repre sentation of economic gains from the property sector. The valuations indi cated in LGUs’ schedules of market values are at record lows despite the sector’s growth.
The DOF supports the passage of the Real Property Valuation and Assess ment Reform bill, which aims to pro mote the development of a just, equita ble and efficient real property valuation system that will positively impact the revenue generation and resource mobi lization performance of LGUs.
HOME improvement and construction supplies retailer Wilcon Depot Inc. reported Tuesday a 77.5-percent in crease in third-quarter net income on the back of a double-digit growth in revenues.
Wilcon said in a disclosure to the stock exchange third-quarter net income reached P1.1 billion, up from P482 mil lion recorded in the same period last year as the higher sales and improved gross profit margin offset the increase in operating expenses.
Third-quarter net sales jumped 32.6 percent year-on-year to P8.78 billion,
driven by the recovery of Metro Manila stores which were hit by mobility re strictions last year.
“Wilcon once again delivers a banner quarter going from strength to strength, coming off a stellar second quarter. This is the re-opening scenario that we hoped to happen last year but was stymied by the Delta variant surge,” said Wilcon president and chief executive Lorraine Belo-Cincochan.
Belo-Cincochan said despite the high er inflation, more private construction projects resumed this year, particularly those that were delayed because of mo bility restrictions and lack of manpower.
“With the resilience shown by our
mature stores, we will focus on further enhancing their performance for the rest of the year and especially for the succeeding years. We also still have one new store to be opened this fourth quarter and we expect to have opened eight stores by the end of this year,” she said.
The strong third-quarter performance pushed Wilcon’s nine-month net in come to P2.96 billion, up 58.3 percent from the same period in 2021.
Nine-month net sales rose 23.3 per cent to P24.7 billion from the same period last year as the group added six depots and one home essentials store this year.
The bill is the third package under the Duterte administration’s Compre hensive Tax Reform Program.
Diokno also called for digitaliza tion and commended LGUs that were able to digitalize treasury and assess ment operations through electronic payments and implement real estate and geographic systems to enhance RPT collections.
He encouraged local assessors to do the same for the smooth delivery of services.
“In the new normal, we need to make sure that our fiscal position is stable enough to enhance our healthcare sys tem, endure economic shocks, and continue to improve our public services through digitalization,” Diokno said.
By Darwin G. AmojelarCONVERGE ICT Solutions Inc. said Tuesday its fiber footprint reached nearly 600,000 kilometers as of endSeptember, strengthening its position as the country’s leading pure fiber network provider.
This consists of subsea, aerial and terrestrial fiber optic cable network that covers the northernmost tip in Luzon to islands in the Visayas and Mindanao, it said.
Converge chief executive and cofounder Dennis Anthony Uy said the company continued its aggressive in vestments to expand its fiber footprint in more areas to ensure internet access to more Filipinos and build redundancy into its network to deliver the best pos sible experience to customers.
“Fulfilling our commitment to reach the unserved and underserved, we are continuously expanding and strength ening our fiber network to serve the strong demand for reliable and acces sible internet,” Uy said.
“We are glad that we are on track to achieve our targets for 2022, and for the final quarter of the year, we are look ing forward to more promising devel opments in terms of our fiber rollout,” he said.
Converge said it installed over 1.7 million fiber ports across Luzon, Vi
sayas and Mindanao in the same period including augmentation in coverage areas and expansion to new cities and municipalities.
Converge was awarded in July the Top-rated Fixed Network in Ookla’s Speedtest Awards for first and second quarters. The award was based on user ratings, reflecting the majority of Fili pino customers’ preference and senti ment.
The ratings are based on the total digital experience of the customer, and not just raw speed. Ookla, the company behind Speedtest, is the global leader in mobile and broadband network intelli gence, testing applications and related technologies.
The company said it laid out more than 600,000 fiber ports in Visayas and Mindanao as of end-July, twice the 300,000 ports rolled out by the end of 2021.
Converge expanded its coverage to more than 13.5 million homes as of June 2022. Through its twin strategy of ‘Go Deep’ and ‘Go National’ , Con verge furthers its network expansion initiatives to reach millions of house holds and businesses in the country.
Under the Go Deep strategy, the com pany continues to build up its fiber last mile, strengthening its network in dif ferent regions to reach the unserved and underserved.
BDO NETWORK BRANCH. Residents and business owners in Camiguin Island no longer need to travel long hours to do their banking activities in Cagayan de Oro City as BDO Network Bank, the community bank of BDO Unibank Inc., opens a branch in the municipality of Mambajao to serve them the financial solutions appropriate to their needs. Attending the branch’s opening on Oct. 21 are (from left) BDONB branch head in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental Emerson Paras Jr., BDONB branch head for CamiguinMambajao Christopher Rentuma, Camiguin Govenor Xavier Jesus Romualdo, Mambajao Mayor Yñigo Jesus Romualdo, BDONB senior vice president Jaime Talingdan and BDONB Bukidnon area head Maricel Toledo.
MARINDUQUE Electric Cooperative Inc. expressed hope the government will increase the fuel budget of staterun National Power Corp. to avert pow er supply shortages.
“We hope the national government supports NPC’s call for an additional budget due to the fuel price spike,” said Marelco general manager Gaudencio Sol Jr. Marelco received an advisory from
NPC that there would be possible “load shedding” activities starting Oct. 19 to reduce fuel consumption and stretch available fuel inventory of the Torrijos diesel plant and Power Barge 120.
Marelco distributes power to the mu nicipalities of Boac, Buenavista, Gasan, Mogpog, Sta. Cruz and Torrijos.
“NPC informed us that no fuel deliv eries would be made to our two plants, and the board of directors and manage ment try to schedule a meeting with
NPC to management on how to resolve this matter,” Sol said.
He said the Torrijos plant ran out of fuel stock on Friday, leaving a shortage of 500 kilowatts to one megawatt.
NPC did not implement any power curtailment after it received assurance from Petron Corp. of diesel fuel deliv eries for the plants.
“We received a letter informing us of the commitment of Petron of delivery with NPC promissory to pay for their arrears,” Sol said.
LUBAO, Pampanga—Chanelle Avaricio didn’t miss a beat despite missing the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour action the past three months, using a strong start and a stronger finish to shoot a 67 and storm ahead by three over amateur Mafy Singson in the ICTSI Pradera Championship here yesterday.
Using the postponement of the LPGA Q-School Stage II to hone and sh arpen up her all-around skills, Avaricio flashed top form at the Pradera Verde layout where she reigned in run away fashion last June, birdying three of the first eight holes then rebounding from a bunker-bunker mishap on the par-5 No. 9 with three backside birdies.
That put the former Alabama State star at a very familiar spot in the circuit she has dominated with three victories before embarking on a tougher mission in the LPGA.
“I hit a number of good iron shots that set up short birdie putts,” said Avaricio, who gained strokes on Nos. 4, 5 and 8 then made up for his lone miscue with birdies on Nos. 10, 16 and 18.
“I’ll just try to put myself in position and not to be aggressive,” said Avaricio, who also ruled the Hallow Ridge and Caliraya Springs. “But it will depend on the pin placements tomorrow (today).
But while she outplayed Singson in one of the featured flights, the latter hoped to build on her 70 to gain on her fancied rival in the second round and make a stab at a second LPGT crown after humbling Avaricio and the other pros at Splendido Taal last May. After a bogey-birdie exchange from No. 4, she gunned down three birdies to negate a bogey in the last eight holes for solo second.
Sunshine Baraquiel, seeking a followup to her breakthrough win at Highlands in wild conditions last year, blew a two-under card after five holes but recovered from bogeys on Nos. 7 and 10 with birdies on Nos. 11, 12 and 16. The lady pilot, however, missed seizing solo second from Singson with a costly double bogey mishap on the par-4 17th and tumbled to joint third with flightmate Harmie Constantino at 71.
Constantino, who marked her LPGT debut with two victories last year, also squandered a two-under frontside card with a bogey on No. 10 while Order of Merit frontrunner and two-leg winner Chihiro Ikeda failed to measure up with Baraquiel and Constantino, finishing with a 73 for joint fifth with Florence Bisera, Marvi Monsalve, Gretchen Villacencio and brand new pro and Riviera leg runner up Korean Kim Seoyun.
IT’S another history in the making for Philippine football when the country was chosen as one of the stops of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour next year.
Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta said the Tour will definitely be a big boost to the already growing popularity of football in the country as it is considered one of the major events leading to the 2023 Women’s World Cup in July 20 to Aug. 20, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
“We are very excited about it and we really look forward to the exciting activities related to the Tour,” said Araneta, moments after his secretary-general Atty. Ed Gastanes relayed the development during the PSA online sports forum.
“We have received notice the Philippines is part of the Trophy Tour of the Women’s World Cup 2023,” said Gastanes. Dates and details about the event have yet to be discussed, according to Gastanes.
“But knowing FIFA, I’m sure celebrities are going to drumbeat World Cup and make the Tour really colorful.”
The global Trophy Tour usually lasts two months as it takes a tour of the all the participating countries across six continents to provide the fans and opportunity to see up close the coveted prize.
The original trophy is currently at
the World Football Museum in Zurich, Switzerland. It was designed by William Sawaya from Milan, Italy for the 1999 tournament. All the names of the countries which have previously won the World Cup are engraved underneath the base.
An exact replica of the trophy is given to the World Cup winners with the name of the winning team engraved underneath.
The Philippines’ women squad made history when it qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup under coach Alen Stajcic.
During the official draw held last week in Auckland, the Filipinas were drawn in Group A along with Norway, Switzerland, and host New Zealand.
The Philippines is one of five countries that will be seeing action in the World Cup for the first time, and the PFF vows to make the most of the opportunity no matter how tall the odds are.
THE Mapua University Cardinals banked on two defensive stops late in the fourth period to escape with a 73-65 beating of the University of Perpetual Help Altas, 73-65, on Tuesday in the 98th National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil-EcoOil Arena in San Juan.
Steals by Paolo Hernandez and Jopet Soriano heading into the last 30 seconds of action allowed the Cardinals to post their fourth triumph in 13 matches.
“Sumandal lang kami sa depensa namin. Grabe ang nilaro ng Perpetual at nu’ng (Carlo) Ferreras,” said Cardinals’ coach Randy Alcantara, after they pulled off their second consecutive triumph.
The Altas, led by Ferreras with 22 points, came back from 10 down, 59-69, in the last four minutes, and threatened at 65-69 in the final 54
THE Philippine Olympic Committee has gone steps ahead of preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics by shopping around for a pre-games training facility for Filipino athletes at the French capital over the weekend.
POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino led an early bird team that conducted an ocular of potential training venues for weightlifting and boxing—sports that delivered the country’s first gold medal, two silvers and one bronze in Tokyo last year—as well as gymnastics, another potential medal source in Paris.
“The goal is to have our qualified athletes to be in Paris at least one month before the Olympics,” said Tolentino, who was joined in the ocular by POC deputy secretary general Bones Floro, legal chief Atty. Wharton Chan and manager Carla Maramara.
“It’s not only us [Philippines] who’s making a reservation for a training facility, but several other countries as well,” Tolentino said. “It’s first come, first served so we’re making sure we get the best one for our athletes.”
Tolentino said he was impressed by state-ofthe-art training facilities in Paris but stressed that the venue’s proximity to the athletes’ accommodation would be a determining factor.
“I personally inspected the venues to make
sure they’re fitted to the needs of our athletes,” he said. “We wanted a 3-in-1 facility … at least 10 minutes to and from the athletes accommodation, which should also be equipped with a kitchen.”
Tolentino clarified that although weightlifting, boxing and gymnastics are being prioritized for their medal potential, athletes who qualify for Paris will be included in program.
The Philippine Sports Commission will shoulder expenses for the training facilities as part of the Paris Olympics budget, according to Tolentino who added that the POC will decide on which facility to rent in its upcoming executive board meeting.
“We will ask the PSC to cover the expenses as part of the Olympic journey,” Tolentino said.
The Philippines booked its best Olympic performance so far in Tokyo last year with Hidilyn Diaz winning gold in weightlifting and Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio bagging silvers and Eumir Felix Marcial clinching bronze in boxing.
Although Carlos Yulo missed the podium in Tokyo, his gymnastics world championships gold medals in floor exercise and vault make him a potential medalist Paris.
Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, ranked No. 3 in the world in men’s pole vault who’s also a Tokyo Olympian like Yulo, is based in Europe and
seconds off Christian Pagaran’s two charities.
Hernandez and Soriano then forced two turnovers with their steals and the Cardinals went on to score four of six charity attempts in the remaining time.
Adrian Nocum sank three of four freebies in the 11 seconds to put the Cards ahead by seven, 72-65.
Nocum went on to finish with nine points and 10 rebounds, behind teammates Warren Bonifacio, Jeric Pido, Hernandez and Toby Agustin, who unloaded 14, 13, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Pagaran banged 10 points for the Altas, who stayed in sixth with their 5-7 slate, for their second straight setback.
Ferreras tallied five points in the last period, with his driving shot in the last 3:01 keeping the Altas within range, 63-69.
The Cards hope to stay on the winning track when they clash with the San Sebastian Stags on Friday.
THE Philippine Football Federation is pulling out all the stops to guarantee a truly memorable campaign by the women’s national football team in its first ever trip to the FIFA World Cup.
A series of friendlies here and overseas have been lined up by the PFF for the Filipinas as part of their grand build up for the July 20 to August 20 tournament to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand next year.
The team of coach Alen Stajcic just concluded two friendlies with Costa Rica last week, and a lot more is in the pipeline for the Philippines as it warms up for a historic campaign that would have to be funded for a pricey budget of $2 to $3 million.
“Match fitness kasi ang hinahanap natin. So the more matches for them the better,” said PFF President Mariano ‘Nonong’ Araneta in the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday. “We never imagined to be in the World Cup. But here we are. So we just have to prepare the team well.”
This developed as PFF SecretaryGeneral Atty. Ed Gastanes also disclosed during the same session that the Philippines has been selected as among the stops of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour by next year.
“We have received notice the Philippines is part of the Trophy Tour of the Women’s World Cup 2023,” said Gastanes, who joined Araneta in the session presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Amelie Hotel Manila, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
The PFF is looking to play at least a minimum of 10 friendlies, according to Gastanes, adding the Filipinas will be playing a South American country for two matches by next month.
ORMOC City’s Kimi Brodeth came away with another twinkill while young David Sepulveda missed matching the feat but flourished with a win and a runner-up finish in the PPS-PEPP Baybay City National Juniors Tennis Championships at Baybay courts in Leyte over the weekend.
Coming off a two-title feat at home last week, Brodeth re-asserted her mastery over the girls’ 16- and 18-and-under field, trouncing Kate Imalay from Danao, Cebu, 6-1, 6-1, then dominating fellow Ormocanon Mia Gemida, 6-3, 6-0, respectively, for another double in the Group 2 tournament of the country’s longest-talent search.
Sepulveda, on the other hand, held off Urcisino Villa from Sogod, Leyte, in the first set before settling down in the next to fashion a 7-5, 6-2 victory in the boys’ 12-U finals but the rising Pardo, Cebu City star fell short of his title crack in 14-U play, bowing to Kenzo Brodeth via the same scoreline.
But his 1-2 finish proved enough to net him a share of MVP honors with Kimi Brodeth in the event, put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro, serving as a prelude to the Pintaflores Festival Juniors Championships in San Carlos, Negros Occidental beginning tomorrow (Thursday).
Other winners in the week-long event, presented by Dunlop and backed by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating), were Imalay, Ma. Caroliean Fiel, John David Velez and Gerald Gemida.
Imalay made up for her 16-U title setback by winning the 14-U trophy via 6-2, 6-0 rout of Samantha Ortega from Tuburan, Cebu; Fiel nailed another 12-U crown with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Chrystell Laguna; Velez, also from Ormoc, clinched another 18-U diadem with a 6-1, 6-1 demolition of El Zylter Tagalog; and Gemida stopped Christian Laguna, 6-2, 6-2, in the boys’ 16-U final.
It was another stunning three-set victory for the 16-year-old Digos City qualifier after he brought down Rodolfo Barquin, a two-time UAAP champion for University of the East, who hails from San Carlos, Negros Occidental, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in a match that lastes almost four hours Saturday.
The Corjeso College honor student emerged the last qualifier standing and he could extend his giant-slaying ways if he upsets Jose Antonio Tria, a 6-1, 7-5 winner over Rusell Arcilla.
“I just want to give it my best every match,” said Padao in this event sponsored by Smart/PLDT, official ball Dunlop, Manila councilor Jong Isip, San Jose Salt, W. L. Food Products, Palawan Pawnshop and Pagcor.
He joined a distinguished group that included PCA champions Johnny Arcilla, Jeson Patrombon and Joseph Victorino.
Arcilla, a nine-time singles’ winner here, blanked Nilo Ledama, 6-0, 6-0; Patrombon, who reigned supreme here four years ago, trounced Jude Cineza, 6-4, 6-3; and Victorino, the 2002 titlist, stunned No. 7 Leander Lazaro, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, to all march into the next round.
THE Philippines’ Local Organizing Committee for the co-hosting of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in August next year conducted on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 21 and 22 a “Detailed Planning Workshop” in the Quest Plus Conference Center at Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga as preparations for the quadrennial event 10 months away moved into overdrive.
Through the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, headed by chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan and president Al S. Panlilio, the country will spearhead unprecedented hosting honors with Japan and Indonesia for the 19th edition of the FBWC which will bring together from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10 world qualifiers numbering 32 from FIBA continental zones of Africa, America, Asia, Europe
ANGELES—The Boston Celtics crashed to their first loss of the season in a stormy 120-102 road defeat to the Chicago Bulls on Monday that saw head coach Joe Mazzulla and star power forward Grant Williams ejected.
After opening their campaign with three straight wins, the Celtics looked poised to deliver another statement victory as they sprinted into a 19-point lead midway through the first quarter at Chicago’s United Center.
But Chicago regrouped swiftly and stifled the Celtics’ offensive game to come roaring back in the second quarter, outscoring the visitors 35-15 to open up a 65-54 lead at half-time.
The Bulls added another 35 points in the third quarter to romp into a 21-point lead heading into the fourth.
By that stage Celtics interim head coach Mazzulla had already been tossed from the game, ordered back to the locker room after backing star Jayson Tatum’s questioning of a refereeing decision.
A grim night for Boston got worse
early in the fourth quarter when Williams was also tossed for bumping into referee Cheryl Flores as he got to his feet.
Williams remonstrated furiously before storming off down the tunnel to jeers from the Chicago crowd.
DeMar DeRozan led the scoring for Chicago with 25 points while Ayo Dosunmu added 22 points.
Zach LaVine (19 points), Nikola Vucevic (18) and Derrick Jones Jr. (10) also made double figures for the Bulls.
Tatum (26 points) and Jaylen Brown (21) led Boston’s scorers.
Mazzulla blamed his ejection on a loss of composure.
“It’s unfortunate,” he told reporters. “We have to be composed in all situations. “Regardless of what happens, we
have to be better, more composed, and it starts with me.”
Mazzulla was also dismayed by the defensive shortcomings that allowed Chicago to come back after the Celtics’ fast start.
“I think we just let go of the rope defensively,” Mazzulla said.
“When you get off to a great start like that you have to continue to play, especially on the road.”
In Memphis, Ja Morant and teammate Desmond Bane scored 38 points each as the Grizzlies overpowered the Brooklyn 134-124.
It was another barnstorming performance from Morant, who has averaged just over 34 points per game in four outings this season. AFP
and Oceania, led by defending champion Spain, while serving as qualifying tournament to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Attending the two-day session was David Crocker, executive director for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, with heads of the numerous committees involved in the hosting— from those in charge of the draw ceremony in April, venues, transportation, accreditation and games services to information technology and telecommunication, protocol and international relations, human resources, volunteer program, safety and security, finance, and medical and doping control— presenting updated reports on Day One.
Also present were SBP executive director Sonny Barrios, the LOC event director, and deputy event director Erika Dy, while moderating the workshop was LOC master planner Ramon “Tats” Suzara.
LUBAO, Pampanga—A couple of top guns out to snap a long spell took charge with identical 69s while a pair of amateurs, a legend and another duo of former amateur hotshots matched 70s in a crowded start to the ICTSI Pradera Championship at Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club here yesterday.
With the wind at manageable level, Angelo Que and Tony Lascuña produced three-under cards in varying fashions in separate flights in dark skies with the former banking on his length and putting to string a 34-35 and the latter forging ahead with his trusted 3-wood and irons for a 36-33.
“I had a good day, putted well, hit a few bad shots but was able to recover pretty good,” said the multi-titled Que, a three-time former Asian Tour winner, who last won a Philippine Golf Tour event in 2019.
The amiable former Philippine Open champion actually bucked a two-bogey-
one-bogey card at the backside of the long, well-maintained layout measuring 7,262 yards but hit back-to-back birdies from No. 16, added another on the first hole then bounced back from a mishap on No. 2 with another pair of birdies from No. 4.
He did miss some fairways and greens but found a way to finish with 25 putts and put himself in early contention in the P2 million season-ending PGT tournament put up by ICTSI.
“I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing –hit the fairways and greens and hopefully hole in more putts and avoid bogeys,” said Que, who is also using this tournament as part of his final buildup for the LIVbacked Asian Tour events in Morocco and Egypt starting next week.
To make up for his lack in length, Lascuña banked on his 3-wood and long irons and seized control with amateur Elee Bisera with a four-under card after 10 holes, also from the back. He fumbled with back-toback bogeys from No. 2 on a couple of
mishits but recovered a stroke on the par5 ninth to catch his fellow Manila Southwoods’ bet at the helm.
“The course is too long for me and the greens are also tough. But I was able to hit five birdies against two bogeys. So, I’m very happy,” said Lascuna, a fourtime Order of Merit winner, including three straight from 2012, who last won at Riviera two years ago.
Despite being winless the last couple of years, Lascuna is enjoying top form, coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes at Eagle Ridge-Aoki and Riviera, the last, losing to Juvic Pagunsan in sudden death three weeks ago.
But a curious mix of pursuers stood just a stroke behind as Frankie Miñoza flashed vintage form to fire a 70, which former amateur stalwart and flightmate Mars Pucay, former Philippine Open champion Gerald Rosales and Bisera and long-hitting fellow amateur Josh Jorge matched in separate flights.
In the men’s doubles, second seed Leander Lazaro and Fritz Verdad dumped Jose Bernardo and Mateo Rivas, 6-2, 6-0, to surge through the round-of-16 in this tilt backed by GAC Motors, GIMACA Convenience Store and Development Corp., Ourzen Chicken, HEAD, Ms. Rina Caniza, Mr. Benito Tan, Primo Dept Fuel Station, Kaizan Steel Trading, Cazneau, Inc. and Knaut Art Glass.
Day Two wrapped up the LOC’s third planning workshop after the initial two at the Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa, Batangas in March this year and the PLDT office in Makati last June. It covered updated reports from the Joint Management Committee and the chiefs of departments handling ways and means, broadcast and media, the World Congress, games services and sport/ competition.
Two more planning sessions are scheduled, according to Suzara, in March next year and in July after the Draw Ceremony for the groupings on April 22.
“I think now that the different departments realize that very detailed planning is important for this event, like transportation schedule, catering plan, ID plan and the venue drawings, spaces, among others, everything is falling into place,” said Suzara.
Maymay Entrata is back to conquer the dance floor once again with her Latin-inspired track “Puede Ba.”
The sassy and flirty single paints a story of two people exchanging passionate looks as they dance their hearts away.
It features OPM artist Viktoria who wrote, produced, and first recorded the song, which became a hit in 1999 and scored four Awit Awards, including Best Performance in a Video, Best Dance Recording, Music Video of the Year, and Best Producer. The 2000 MTV Awards Philippines also named the hit single Best Female Music Video.
Star Pop label head Rox Santos produced the reimagined version released in October 21.
Maymay’s latest single reached the second spot on iTunes Philippines a day after its release while its music video currently sits at 18th spot on YouTube’s trending videos with over 392,000 views in three days, proving her influence in the P-pop scene.
The song’s release came after the announcement that the “Amakabogera” singer has been nominated for Best Asia Act at the 2022 MTV European Music Awards (EMA) alongside NIKI (Indonesia), SILVY (Thailand), The Rampage from Exile Tribe (Japan), and Tomorrow x Together (South Korea) for Best Asia Act. Fans can vote for Maymay by visiting www.mtvema.com/enasia-pacific/vote.
ACTOR Akihiro Blanco is now an official talent of Viva Artists Agency as he recently inked a contract with the talent management arm of Viva Entertainment.
Akihiro was an original product of TV 5’s star reality search Artista Academy in 2012. Though he failed to win the grand prize in the contest, he forayed into showbiz nevertheless and has done numerous of projects that introduced him as a reliable actor.
“Since my Artista Academy days until now, I am proud of all the experiences I’ve gained in the industry,” he avers.
Considering the years he’s been active in the business, stopping at this point is not an option.
“I want to have more work. I want to try doing projects which I haven’t done yet. I want to explore and hone my craft further. That’s my goal now that I’m in my tenth year in this business.”
How does he feel now that he’s a contract artist of Viva?
“Honestly, I’m nervous but at the same time excited. It’s my first time with them.”
Interestingly, will he be open to doing sexy materials for Vivamax?
“Yes I am but I have to know the story and read the script first!”
Some quarters observe that his career has made slow progress over the years. Is he affected by this?
“Honestly, no! I don’t feel any frustration because I’m busy with a lot of things. Like, even if the pandemic struck, there were still TV projects that were offered to me like Tadhana on GMA and Maalaala Mo Kaya on ABS-CBN. During that period, I was still freelance. I also got busy putting up my coffee shop business and establishing partnerships with a bar. So you see, my time wasn’t idle.”
The cute lad believes that there will be big and positive changes in his career now that he is with Viva.
“Yes, I think so. Acting is really my passion and I love my craft so much. I really have high hopes now that I’m their talent,” ends Akihiro.
• • • PIOLO Pascual has only good words for his Flower of Evil co-stars Lovi Poe and Paulo Avelino for the dedication and professionalism they’ve exhibited when it comes to working.
“Actually, with Lovi, we didn’t find it hard to portray our roles in the show,” he states. “For one, she’s like a chameleon. Considering that it’s her maiden project for the Kapamilya, still, she was able to give her best. The scope of her character is huge.
“Perhaps, one thing that made it easy chemistry-wise, she was really there. The innate talent or skills we just draw from each other’s emotions. It was easy for us because we both want to make it work and make it more beautiful. We’re on the same page the whole time. She was supporting me, I was supporting her through and through until the end!
“Another good thing about Lovi is that she’s game to doing various scenes, especially those which required her to do action sequences. She doesn’t mind if she’ll get hurt. She was always willing to do anything just to make it work. Definitely, she’s a delight to watch!”
As for Paulo, the award- winning actor is all praises for his being focused in
“He is very committed. He watched the Korean version of our program because he wanted to do a different attack on his character. He comes to the set very prepared and no matter how long the scene is, you won’t hear any complaints from him. He’s very supportive. He will push you to give your best,” says Piolo.
IN THE late ‘90s to early 2000s, Jay Justiniani was a vocalist for the Filipino pop rock band Cueshé . The band was responsible for some OPM hits that shaped a generation of music lovers and remain well-known among the public today.
However, Jay disappeared from the limelight for years, taking a seven-year hiatus from singing. But the artist in him calls out to his passion, urging him to return to what he does best. And he did.
This year, he ended his hiatus and reappeared in the industry, but this time, he’s working with a new group: Fireflies. Last September, the band held its relaunch during a gig at Fiyo Bagi Restaurant and Bar in Quezon City.
Fireflies initially started in 2016 but decided on the re-launch to introduce Jay as their newest member, who took the vocalist position.
Other band members include JC Del Rosario IV on vocals and bass guitar,
Meanwhile, joining Fireflies was more than just turning a new leaf for Jay. It also allowed him to reconnect with his former bandmate, Jhunjie Dosdos
Despite years of not working together in the local music industry, Jay shared that he remains good friends with Jhunjie.
“This group is easy to work with. Jhunjie is a former band member
of Cueshé, so we do really know each other’s dynamics,” Jay said. “Our other band members are also good songwriters, so it was easy to work with even though we have different ideas. It was easier to make songs if you guys understand each other. Jhunjie and I are good friends, and good friends are hard to come by.”
Meanwhile, JC considers Jay’s addition to Fireflies as a positive sign for their band as they try to break into the local music scene. Jhunjie and JC were the first to work on songs for Fireflies, but now that Jay’s there, he also tries to pitch in with their creative process.
Still, since Jay and Jhunjie were former members of Cueshé, their songs sometimes reflect their old band’s music style. Nonetheless, they strive to create a distinct musical identity for Fireflies. The band has been working hard these past few months to write new songs, do covers of songs, and promote their band by performing in various locations across the Philippines.
The band also shared some trivia about their name. Initially, they planned on calling themselves alitaptap (the Filipino word for firefly), but other local bands already claimed it. Instead, they resorted to Fireflies.
Yet there’s more to the name than distinction. For the band members, their name signifies their desire to become that spark or flicker of light, especially in dark times.
As Jay relives his life as a performer after his hiatus, he and the other band members of Fireflies promise to satisfy eager fans and music lovers with new pieces worth a listen. Although climbing the top may take some time, the band is confident in each other to fulfill their roles as a group and achieve their goals together.
YU SANG-WON the producer of the original version of Start-Up is pleasantly surprised at how well the Philippine version of Start-Up was produced. He said that it was impressive how GMA Entertainment Group put in efforts to satisfy both the original fans and the local audience.
The South Korean producer also commended the K-drama vibe of Start-Up PH through its creative shots and iconic scenes, “The overall look, feel, and the cinematography of the local version were similar to that of the original version so that the Filipino fans will feel familiar.”
Moreover, he recognized the exceptional portrayals of Alden Richards as Tristan and Bea Alonzo as Dani.
“The local production team creatively devised/ adapted the story to meet the expectations of the
local audience. This goes the same with the cast. Alden Richards and Bea Alonzo added their own charm to the characters,” Yu Sang-won added.
Alden, in turn, expressed his gratitude to the Start-Up producer for appreciating the local remake, “Our sincerest gratitude to Mr. Yu Sangwon for the nice feedback for our show. It was really an honor for us to do the Filipino adaptation, Start-Up PH. We hope that we can also inspire a lot of local audiences here in the Philippines as much as the Korean version did all over the world.”
Meanwhile, Bea is happy because all their hard work has paid off, “This is kind of somehow a little validation, parang pat on the back for us na kahit paano they liked our project. We worked hard for this. And masaya rin ako hindi lang sa reaction nila, but also sa reaksyon ng mga tao sa social
media, especially the fans of Start-Up Korea kasi napapanood nila ‘yung Philippine adaptation.”
Positive feedback from the viewers and netizens also keeps pouring in for the remake, especially now that things are getting better and sweeter between Dani and her fake pen pal, Dave (Jeric Gonzales)
As proof that the “Dreamers” are hooked to the inspiring story of Start-Up PH, the series reaches 100 million views and counting on TikTok.
Aside from this, Lola Joy (Gina Alajar) is a crowd favorite because she can always pull off iconic episodes from the original version and make them even more touching.
Start-Up PH airs weeknights at 8:50 p.m. on GMA and at 11:30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday and at 11:00 p.m. every Friday on GTV.
THE recent 34th Kulay Sa Tubig Invitational Watercolor Competition Exhibit at the Mega Fashion Hall of SM Megamall celebrated the everyday life of Filipinoswomen serenely sewing, riders on their bikes, children at play, foodie fare. and still-life subjects.
A joint project of Gallery Genesis and SM Megamall, with support from the Filipino Heritage Foundation and French Baker, Kulay Sa Tubig, in its 34th year, has remained as the avenue for new as well-seasoned Filipino aquarelle artists to showcase their works. A total of 90 artists competed for the Top Five Watercolorists Awards and Five Runners-Up. Each winner received a trophy, a certificate, and cash prize.
Felipe de Leon Jr., Former Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) led the distinguished panel of judges which included Metropolitan Museum of Manila President Tina Colayco; Zonta Club President and ArteFino CoFounder Maritess Mendoza-Pineda; art historian, curatorial consultant, and professor Dr. Laya BoquirenGonzales; Former Arts and Books Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer Joselito Zulueta; and Ayala Museum’s Senior Curator and Head of Conservation Ken Esguerra
Kulay Sa Tubig’s Top Five Watercolorists in this year’s edition included Renato Canlas (Spring of Hope), Ralvin Dizon (Sa Pagitan ng Pahina at Paalam), Rolando Guina (Bike Check), Dan Macapugay (Ina), and Richard Romeo (A Golden Hour in Basilan).
Renato Canlas was elevated to Hall of Fame among artists who have won three times (he was also
awarded in 2019 and 2021.)
Special awards were also given to other Hall of Famers present during the awarding ceremony: Rogelio Cerda, Edgar Fernandez, Christian Mirang, Margarita Lim, Jose Ceriola, Noli Principe Manalang, and Clarence Aduarte were also acknowledged and given special awards.
Meanwhile, Aizza Joy Allid (Ang Pagtatahi), Gilbert Enriquez (The Happiness of Hope), Arnold Estrella (Danggit), Vic Nabor (Cleansing), and Jun Velasco (Igorota Hand Weaver) were named the Five Runners-Up.
Kulay Sa Tubig, identified as the country’s most prestigious watercolor competition, was established by well-respected art patron and currently Chairman Emeritus of Gallery Genesis Araceli “Chichi” Salas. Since its first edition in 1983, Kulay Sa Tubig has changed the lives of local artists for the better as winners have gone to make waves in both the local and international art scene.
Gallery Genesis President Patrice Salas stated that “This year’s edition is a lot more exciting and competitive
because we see a lot of newer and unknown artists showcase their talent. This widens our reach and gives watercolorists from untapped areas in the Philippines the opportunity and platform to show their artworks.”
The 34th Kulay sa Tubig Invitational Watercolor Competition is one of the many exciting art and culture events of SM Megamall.
something different.
ANNOUNCED by 88rising and Live MNL last August, the Head In The Clouds Music & Arts Festival is presented by Globe with GCash as major sponsor and will take place on December 9 and December 10 at SM Festival Grounds Parañaque City.
The festival will feature a stellar lineup of world-class headliners including Joji, Jackson Wang, NIKI, Rich Brian, eaJ, and YOASOBI. The festival will also include live performances from BIBI, MANILA GREY, Warren Hue, Ylona Garcia, GUAPDAD 4000, ATARASHII GAKKO!, MILLI, Zack Tabudlo, and many more. Special guest is Grammy-winning hitmaker and electronic producer ZEDD
For a two-day general admission pass of P12,888, fans will gain access to these artists (over 20 scheduled performers) who will take to the stage and play for 45 to 55 minutes each. That roughly translates to about 18 hours of premium experience over the course of two days.
Those who opt to buy the VIP pass at P15,888 will get plenty of value for money to watch and enjoy every performance: early entry via their dedicated VIP entry lanes to access the main stage and second stage, designated VIP restrooms, additional shade and seating areas, access to exclusive food & beverage vendors and select festival merchandise for purchase.
And because Head In The Clouds is much more than a music festival, fans will also be treated to specially-curated food as well as immersive and Instagram-worthy installations that should keep them engaged in between performances.
The Head In The Clouds experience, of course, is much more fun when enjoyed in the company of close friends, siblings, and relatives. As a year-ender barkada gettogether, it really doesn’t get any better than this.
Since its widely-acclaimed debut in the US back in 2018, 88rising’s Head In The Clouds festival has emerged as one of the most anticipated annual events for fans of both music and the arts. The festival is unique in the sense that it specifically specializes in Asian music and culture from all around the around. No surprise it was eventually hailed as the “Asian Coachella.”
Every staging of Head In The Clouds, has, in fact, received unanimous praise. In 2018, the very first HITC festival was hailed by The Bull’s Eye as “an unforgettable experience… one of the best musical events” of the year.
Reviewing in 2019, the Los Angeles Times High School Insider noted that “the festival, which isn’t just about music, more garnered 25,000 people – more than double the amount” of the previous year. In 2021, a year after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Uproxx hailed Head In The Clouds as “Los Angeles’ next great music festival while just recently, Concert Updater said the festival, “simply lived up to the hype.”
“Everything from the music, the food, the crowd, and the overall experience was absolute perfection,” the site further posted in its review of the festival that took place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California last August.
Filipino fans will now get the chance to experience what everyone else in the US was raving about. This year, Head In The Clouds is expanding its horizons and taking all its euphoria to Southeast Asia with two separate dates in Jakarta and Manila happening this December.
IGREWup listening to bedtime stories, usually Filipino folktales. At night, before going to bed, my mother would tell us about how pineapple came to be. Now, I could still remember listening to Pina, a lazy young girl who wants to play all day in their backyard and never help his poor mother.
Every time her mother asked for help or looked for anything, Pina would only reply that she can’t find the object. One day, the mother got sick and asked her daughter to cook some porridge. But Pina ignored her and didn’t cook the porridge because she couldn’t find the ladle. Her mother, out of frustration, cursed her, saying that she wishes that a thousand eyes would grow on Pina’s head. The following day, the mother couldn’t find her daughter anywhere. No one had seen her. Months passed by, and one day while sweeping their backyard, she found a strange yellow fruit with thousand eyes. She remembered the curse she told her daughter. They eventually named the fruit Pina, after the daughter, which eventually became pinya
There were many stories my mother had told us, from the stories of Pilandok and Maria Makiling, the race between the turtle and rabbit, the boy who cried wolves, and the origins of fruits such as lanzones, among others.
When I reminisce about those nights and stories, it warms my heart.
When I became a journalist, talking to people and listening to their stories were my favorite parts of the job. I would “borrow” their stories to make my travel articles more relatable.
Listening to people’s stories connects me to the place I’m visiting. It gives me a unique experience. That is why no matter how many times I have visited a place, there is always
Whenever I ride a cab and if I’m in the mood for conversation, I would almost always talk with the driver. Sometimes, they’d tell me where the best place to eat, or the hippest place to visit in town.
But sometimes, they would tell their life stories. Sometimes, I would hear weird stories such as how one family fights with each other using kulam, or how their town has changed through the years. There will always be stories about their woes and lament on the forever rising cost of petroleum, their “boundary,” and the fare hike, etc.
“Wherever we go, people leave a significant mark in our remembrance of destinations. Often it is the hospitality of locals and unique traditions that make us want to visit or return to places,” said NLEX Corporation president and general manager J. Luigi L. Bautista
In an era where tourism has afforded us a window to the world, humans and their vibrant stories bring more meaning to our experience. Through the human element of travel, destinations transform from being mere points on a map to one that reconnects us to our roots and our humanity.
To celebrate these narratives, NLEX Corporation launched the Humans of the North, a six-part mini-documentary series on the indomitable human spirit, traditions, and cultures of the North. Each part features a unique story of people from different provinces of Northern Luzon.
“Through Humans of the North, we hope not only to instill local pride, but also create conversations that will engage travelers to look beyond the appearance of a place and look inward to its people and to themselves,” said Bautista.
One of the mini-docu follows the story of Ditas Gonzalo, a 46-year-old female kutsera from Vigan who left her hometown in search of a better life in the city. But with the sudden death of her husband, Gonzalo was forced to return to the historic cobblestone streets of Ilocos Sur and single-handedly raise her children. She returned to her roots and became one of only six female kutseras in the city and is beloved by customers and fellow drivers for her fortitude.
Determined to pursue farming and community dialogue, he was able to employ innovative and sustainable
farming methods and novel agricultural practices, which he shares with other farmers through education and constant awareness-raising efforts. Through the Adopt a Family of Farmers program which he helped establish, he was able to uplift the plight of his fellowmen.
Another installment of the series narrates how Ezra Aranduque, a 60-year-old social entrepreneur, chose to return to his roots and preserve family and community traditions. His global journeys equipped him with weaving know-how from various countries and ignited in him the passion for preserving Sagada’s unique weave.
With the rising costs, fierce competition, and unpredictability of sales brought about by the pandemic, maintaining the family weaving business has proved to be the most challenging. Despite this, the businessman remains steadfast and committed to imparting his knowledge to more Sagadans, with the aim to uplift the lives of indigenous female weavers and keep the community
tradition alive. You can catch these wonderful human stories on the NLEX official Facebook page, https://www.facebook. com/NLEXHumansoftheNorth
Storytelling has always been part of our lives. When something good or bad happens to us, we always have the urge to share the story with our closest friends and family, or even strangers. Stories are not just for entertainment. Stories have the power to heal. They also have the power to shift mindsets and hearts.
So always make sure to tell and listen to a good story.
THE Shangri-La Plaza has organized a smart home exhibition by young artists who seamlessly married the natural and the industrial to champion the wholesome relationship between nature, man, technology, and the future.
Following the theme Urban Sanctuary, Create the World you Want, budding innovators from the Interior Design Program of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde transformed the 25-square-meter gallery into kitchen and dining areas that provided a glimpse of a more sustainable lifestyle using high-technology equipment.
To achieve this, the designers pondered on a simple yet substantial question: “What will the kitchen and dining experience be like in 10 years?”
Titled The Transcendent Living, their final design solution took careful consideration of functionality and maintenance without sacrificing timeless style. The concept seamlessly combined natural tones and textures with streamlined industrial surfaces and materials with sculptural accessories that broke the sharp lines all while expressing artistry.
The show highlighted appliances that used natural and renewable sources, as well as sustainable decors
and fixtures that incorporated convenience and smart technology to efficiently facilitate the user’s daily tasks.
For a cohesive look, the team mixed and matched pieces from Shangri-La Plaza’s partner brands, which included Restoration, Ashley Furniture, True Value, Furniture Republic, Hacker, Abenson, Cutting Edge, and Blims.
The Benildean team included Moira Kayla Ramiro, Joey Mae Perez, Kelly Andrei Abad, Winona Te, and Aevan De Jesus. The group was mentored by IDr. John Gabrielle Basbas
Completing the roster were Abigail Alzatin, Allyza Regmalos, Chloe Taal, Dana Patricia Arana, and Hateya Christiane. They were under the specialization elective of Interior Design Program OIC Chairperson IDr. Karol Ann Antonio
The University of Santo Tomas students worked on a living room rendition, while the SoFA Design Institute representatives created a master’s bedroom for growth and productivity.
The exhibition is on view at the East Atrium of Shangri-La Plaza in Shaw Boulevard, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.
