Manila Standard - 2022 October 31 - Monday

Speaker backs calamity state

awaits President’s

By Ronald O. Reyes and Rio Araja

DISASTER officials on Sunday formally recommended that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. place the entire country under a state of calamity for a year, after Tropical Storm “Paeng” left 48 people dead and a wide swath of destruction across almost all regions.

Paeng is expected to leave the Phil ippine area of responsibility Monday morning or afternoon.

A state of calamity would enable the government to tap additional funds

for disaster relief and freeze prices of basic commodities.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Sunday said he supported the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Council (NDRRMC) recommendation.

“The NDRRMC respectfully recom mends the following: declare a national state of calamity due to the effects, damage, and projected impacts by se vere tropical storm Paeng for a period of one year, unless earlier lifted; and to accept offers of international assistance based on needs,” said NDRRMC Exec utive Director Raymundo Ferrer in his recommendation to Mr. Marcos.

As of press time, Malacanang still had no word on whether the President

Solons pledge P35m to relief kitty; Rescuers save scores from flooding

By Rio N. Araja and Willie Casas

EMERGENCY workers scrambled to rescue residents trapped by floods in and around Metro Manila as Tropical Storm “Paeng” swept out of the country

after killing at least 48 people.

Several neighborhoods in towns and cities just outside Metro Manila remained underwater after the storm raked across the main island of Luzon overnight, cutting power

THE House of Representatives may ad just the 2023 budget for rehabilitation of areas affected by severe tropical storm Paeng, Speaker of the House Martin Romualdez said Sunday.

He called for a comprehensive as sessment of the damage and destruction caused by Paeng in many parts of the country, saying Congress may adjust the proposed P5.268 trillion national budget for next year to ensure stormstricken areas get the help they need.

The House has already passed the

proposed budget for next year on the third and final reading, while the Sen ate is yet to tackle it shortly after Con gress resumes its session on Nov. 7.

The Department of Agriculture esti mated that the storm caused damage in Mimaropa, Bicol, and Western Visayas amounting to P49.54 million, affecting 762 farmers and a loss of 2,543 metric tons of production and 1,949 hectares of agricultural area.

Affected commodities include rice,

By Alena Mae S. Flores and Darwin Amojelar

THE Department of Energy (DOE) said three power generation plants were shut down on Saturday due to severe tropical storm “Paeng,” as the country’s biggest power distributor said more than half of its 7.5 million customers went dark as the cyclone rumbled through the country.

In a statement, the DOE said the plants included three units of Bacman geothermal power plant, Quezon Power Philippines Ltd.’s (QPPL) coal-fired power plant, and two units of TeaM Energy Therma Luzon’s Pagbilao coalfired power plant.

Bacman Units 1 and 2 are operational again while Unit 3 was put on house load, or when a small part of the rated

By Willie Casas

SEOUL—More

In

“Undas”

Not in Japan: Marcos home in Ilocos

MALACAÑANG yesterday belied speculations that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. spent the weekend in Japan after he presided virtually over a full council meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Saturday to dis cuss relief operations in the wake of severe tropical storm “Paeng.”

“He is not in Japan,” Office of the Press Secretary officer-in-charge Cheloy Garafil said on Sunday after the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo trended on Twitter.

Also on Sunday, Mr. Marcos was seen having lunch at the Dawang’s Eatery in Laoag City in his home prov ince of Ilocos Norte.

Wearing a baseball cap, a black T-shirt and shorts,

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ex pressed hope that in remembering the saints and departed loved ones, Filipi

HALLOWEEN DEATHS. A man sits amid the bodies of victims, believed to have suffered cardiac arrest, in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon in Seoul on October 30. Dozens of people suffered from cardiac arrest in the South Korean capital after thousands of people crowded into narrow streets in the city’s Itae won neighborhood to celebrate Halloween, local officials said. AFP

BUDGET ADJUSTMENT. Speaker Martin G. Romualdez on Sunday calls for a comprehensive assessment of the damage and destruc tion caused by Tropical Storm Paeng, as the House of Representatives may adjust the proposed P5.268-trillion national budget for the next year to fund the needs of storm-hit areas. Ver Noveno

PAENG’S DOING. An aerial shot shows residents wading through a flooded rice field at a village in Tuguegarao, Cagayan on October 30, a day after Tropi cal Storm Paeng hit. Authorities and emergency workers -- from the Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection (pictured), and other security agencies -- scrambled to rescue residents trapped by floods and collapsed buildings while distributing relief goods across the country. AFP, PCG, BFP photos

Canada, Germany offer ‘Paeng’ aid

By Rey E. Requejo

CANADA and Germany on Sunday joined other nations in pledging support and aid for the Philippines following the devastation brought by severe Tropical Storm “Paeng”.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel tweeted the commitment of their gov ernments to extend help to Filipinos re covers from the ravages of “Paeng”.

Trudeau said it was heartbreaking to see images of the Philippines a day af ter Paeng wrought havoc through most parts of Eastern Visayas, Bicol Region, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Cala

barzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Ri zal, Quezon), and Metro Manila.

“The images and reports coming from the Philippines following Tropi cal Storm Paeng break my heart,” wrote the Prime Minister, as retweeted by Canadian Ambassador to Manila Peter McArthur.

“To those who have lost loved ones, and to those who know someone who went missing or was injured: Canadi ans are keeping you in our thoughts.

We stand ready to provide assistance,” Trudeau said.

Reiffenstuel also sent her country’s “thoughts and prayers” to the victims.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and those badly affected by typhoon #Paeng. We will continue our efforts and projects to jointly address the impact of #climat echange in the Philippines (Philippine flag). #PaengPH #germanyinphl @ GIZ_Philippines,” the envoy said. Canadian and German leaders of fered their assistance a day after Am bassadors MaryKay Carlson of the United States, Laure Beaufils of the United Kingdom, and Huang Xilian of China said they are monitoring the situation and stand ready to assist the

operations in their respective districts.

country in responding to the devasta tion caused by Paeng.

The European Union also sent its condolences to the families of those who died because of the severe tropical storm.

“The #EUinthePhilippines condoles with the families of those who perished amidst typhoon Paeng. Our prayers and sympathy as we extend our solidarity with the Filipinos coping with the ef fects of the typhoon,” a tweet from the EU, as reposted by French Ambassador to Manila Michele Boccoz, said.

The National Disaster Risk Reduc tion and Management Council (NDR RMC) reported that Paeng left 48 dead in its wake, while 40 were injured, and 20 individuals were reported missing.

Lawyer Artes back at MMDA as acting GM

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed lawyer Romando Artes as acting head of the Metro politan Manila Development Au thority (MMDA).

According to Usec. Cheloy Gara fil, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Press Secretary, Artes was named acting general manager of the MMDA, an agency he used to head during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Malacañang, however, has yet to release a copy of Artes’ appoint ment papers.

high-value crops, and fisheries. The values were still subject to validation, the department said.

The Department of Public Works and Highways, meanwhile, said at least 45 national roads across the country were closed to traffic be cause of the widespread damage caused by Paeng.

In an interview with radio dzBB, DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said various roads were damaged because Paeng traveled from Mindanao to Luzon.

He added that clearing operations were ongoing, particularly on major roads so that goods and services as well as relief could pass.

Bonoan said the department needs to repair broken bridges and roads go ing to Antique from Iloilo.

The National Disaster Risk Reduc tion and Management Council (NDR RMC) said 147 roads and 53 bridges were not passable because of Paeng.

Bonoan said the Bantilan Bridge in Quezon Province was totally washed out due to debris from big logs.

The bridge, which is 30 meters long, is located between Barangay Tipas in San Juan, Batangas, and Barangay Bantilan in Sariaya, Quezon.

Also, Bonoan said parts of Daang Maharlika, a national road from Davao to Cagayan, were impassable due to fallen trees and soil erosion.

He said roads in Aklan experienced flooding but no major damage so far has been reported.

Calabarzon (Region 4-A) has re corded at least three fatalities and evacuated more than 80,000 residents.

Noveleta Mayor Dino Reyes Chua said of the two fatalities in the munici pality one died of a heart attack, and the other slipped and suffered a fatal head injury.

Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla said that a third fatality was due to electrocution.

At least 10,101 Cavite residents (2,959 families) were also evacuated in preparation for Paeng, which flood ed 33 areas in Noveleta, Imus, Kawit, Bacoor, and Rosario.

Floods in the province have started to subside, enabling relief distribution to begin within the day. Othel Campos and Rio N. Araja

would approve the disaster agency’s proposal. On Saturday, Mr. Marcos said he will wait for the NDRRMC resolu tion even as he acknowledged the num ber of regions affected already merits a state of calamity declaration.

“Considering that many regions are affected, that justifies the state of ca lamity,” the President said in a meeting with agency officials.

Meanwhile, Romualdez said: “Reports reaching my office indicate that almost all regions in the country were affected by the onslaught of severe tropical storm Paeng, which destroyed bridges, roads, and key infrastructure and wrought havoc on life and property.”

He said he has asked members of the House of Representatives to help execu tive department agencies assess the dam age caused by the storm and help in relief

The Speaker said the damage assess ment reports would be compiled so the House can consider possible adjust ments to the budget allocation for repair and rehabilitation in the 2023 General Appropriations Act.

“At the moment, our focus is on relief operations to alleviate the suffering of our fellowmen and to deliver aid as soon as possible to those in need. We have launched a relief drive and operations in the House of Representatives to help the national government secure the resources needed in affected communities,” he said.

The House will also use its power over the purse to see to it that rehabilita tion of affected communities will pro ceed unhampered as soon as the relief stage is completed, he added.

Southern Leyte 2nd District Rep. Christopherson Yap agreed on the need to declare a state of national calamity.

“Although our district was spared from major devastation comparable to

as people piled on top of one another.

what we experienced with Super Ty phoon Odette, there are parts of the country that need the national govern ment’s assistance in order to rise again from this natural calamity,” he said.

The NDRRMC said at least 48 per sons perished in the storm, which dis placed almost a million people.

Initial estimates also put losses due to agricultural damage at P54.96 million in Western Visayas and Soccsksargen. More than 700 houses in various re gions were damaged (see related stories on A1 – Editors).

The Police Regional Office-Eastern Visayas said 13,812 people or 4,066 fami lies have remained in 211 evacuation cent ers across the region. Some 2,041 passen gers, four ships, and 620 vehicles were also stranded in various seaports.

At least 25 areas remained flooded, with 20 other areas still without electricity.

The most heavily affected areas were in Bangsamoro, Soccsksargen, Eastern Visayas, Bicol, and Western Visayas.

crowd was expected for a protest,” he said.

It has also not disclosed the reason why the President replaced Carlo Di mayuga III, who was appointed acting MMDA head only in August.

A certified public accountant, Artes previously served as MMDA Assistant General Manager (AGM) for finance and administration in May 2017.

During his stint as the agency’s AGM, the Commission on Audit awarded an “unqualified opinion” to the MMDA in 2019 and 2021, which means financial statements are pre pared in all material respects and in accordance with the applicable fi nancial reporting framework.

Artes likewise led the MMDA COVID-19 committee that spearhead ed the vaccination of its employees and their immediate families.

Prior to his stint in the MMDA, he was an accountant and lawyer in the City of Biñan in Laguna.

He also served as a political and leg islative officer in the Senate and a con sultant in the House of Representatives.

Artes graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Commerce Major in Accountancy in 1993 and ob tained his Bachelor of Laws in 1998 from San Beda College.

-- mostly in their teens and 20s -- went to celebrate Halloween Saturday night, clogging the area’s narrow alleyways and winding streets.

President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning Sunday, telling the country in a televised ad dress that “a tragedy and disaster oc curred that should not have happened”.

He said the government “will thor oughly investigate the cause of the in cident and make fundamental improve ments to ensure the same accident does not occur again in the future”.

“My heart is heavy and it is difficult to contain my sorrow,” he added before he visited the scene of the disaster and spoke to emergency workers.

Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon, who rushed back to South Korea from a work trip in Europe, said his office would set up a memorial altar at Seoul Plaza so the public could pay their respects to the victims, starting Monday morning.

“Most of the casualties are young people like our sons and daughters, which makes it even more sad,” Oh said while visiting the site of the disaster.

Eyewitnesses described being trapped in a narrow, sloping alleyway, and scram bling to get out of the suffocating crowd

Seoul’s interior ministry told AFP that 153 people had died, including 20 for eigners, in the stampede, which occurred around 10:00 pm local time (1300 GMT).

Most of the victims were young wom en in their 20s, it said, adding that 133 people were injured.

An official from Seoul’s defense min istry said three military personnel were among the dead, including one soldier.

Seoul authorities said they had also re ceived 2,642 reports of missing people.

‘Unprecedentedly large’

Officials said Sunday they had no clear idea of what caused the crush, while eyewit nesses described scenes of chaos after a vast crowd panicked in a narrow alleyway.

Local shopkeepers told AFP that the number of people at the annual celebration was “unprecedentedly large” this year -- the first event to be held without Covid-19 re strictions since the pandemic began.

“There were so many people just be ing pushed around and I got caught in the crowd and I couldn’t get out at first too,” 30-year-old Jeon Ga-eul told AFP.

As questions began to emerge over the lack of security at the event, interior minister Lee Sang-min told a briefing that the police force had been occupied on the other side of town.

“A considerable number had been de ployed at Gwanghwamun where a large

Police had also not expected such a large crowd at the Halloween event, he said.

Paramedics at the scene, quickly over whelmed by the number of victims, were asking passers-by to administer first aid.

In an interview with local broadcaster YTN, Lee Beom-suk, a doctor who ad ministered first aid to the victims, de scribed scenes of tragedy and chaos.

“So many victims’ faces were pale. I could not catch their pulse or breath and many of them had a bloody nose. When I tried CPR, I also pumped blood out of their mouths.”

AFP photos showed scores of bodies on the pavement covered by bed sheets, and emergency workers dressed in or ange vests loading even more bodies on stretchers into ambulances.

‘Oh my god’ Twitter user @janelles_story shared a video that she said showed Itaewon short ly before the stampede, in which hun dreds of young people, many in elaborate Halloween costumes, are seen in a narrow street lined with bars and cafes.

The crowd appears in good spirits at first, but then a commotion begins and people start being pushed into one another. Screams and gasps are heard and a female voice cries out in English “Shit, shit!” followed by “Oh my god, oh my god!” AFP

PBBM...

From A1

to terms with mortality.”

“It taught us to number our days as we realize the uncertainty of our time on Earth. It made us contemplate what it truly means to live a meaningful life and to die free of regrets and at peace with oneself,” he said on Sunday.

The President enjoined Filipinos to find lessons that will result in healing.

“As we gain momentum toward complete recovery, I pray that our ef forts to remember the saints and our late loved ones will bring healing to our hearts. May it likewise reinforce the foundations of our faith and com pel us to live with genuine love and compassion in all our days,” he said.

The country annually observes All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day every November 1 and 2, respectively. Octo ber 31 and November 1 are non-work ing holidays this year.

Meanwhile, the city government of Manila said it expects the number of visitors to double on All Saints’ Day after it halted entry to the Ma nila North and South cemeteries on Saturday due to severe tropical storm “Paeng.”

capacity is generated to power only the auxiliary loads of the plant, the DOE said on Sunday.

QPPL’s power plant was likewise disconnected from the grid on Satur day afternoon due to the malfunction of its feedwater control valve during the onslaught of the storm.

The 382-megawatt (MW) Unit 1 of Pagbilao coal-fired power plant, on the other hand, was synchronized to the grid before Sunday noon.

The 420-MW Unit 2, on the other hand, is estimated to return to service on Monday.

The Department of Energy also re ported that 16 69 kilovolt (kV) lines were energized as of 9 a.m. Sunday.

“[A]s of 10 a.m. on 30 October 2022, out of 96 ECs (electric coopera tives), 38 ECs are in normal operation, 32 are in partial power interruption, 10 total power interruption, and 16 ECs without submission,” the DOE advi sory read.

About 68 percent or 804 out of 1,174 municipalities that were affected by Paeng have been fully energized.

The Manila Electric Co., for its part, said Sunday that around 4,041,097 customers, or more than half of its 7.5 million customers across its franchise area, were affected by Paeng.

the President was joined by his son, Vincent, and Ilocos Norte Gov. Mat thew Manotoc.

“Someone stopped by for a quick

supplies and inflicting damage.

Meanwhile, lawmakers generated P35 million worth of donations and pledges as of Sunday, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said.

In a statement, Romualdez said his office has met with concerned agencies and government officials over the week end to ensure a well-coordinated relief drive for the victims of Paeng.

The Speaker said he has already gained pledges of assistance from fel low lawmakers, led by Ako Bicol partylist Rep. Zaldy Co, and private individu als for a relief drive.

On top of the P35 million, the Speak er received a pledge of assistance from the private sector.

“During the darkest hours, the House of the People in coordination and part nership with the Marcos administra

lunch. Thank you, President Bongbong Marcos, Sir Vincent Marcos, and Gov ernor Matthew Marcos Manotoc for dropping by,” the restaurant said as it posted a photo of the Chief Executive having lunch on its Facebook page.

The NDRRMC has recommended the declaration of a state of calamity nation

tion is always here to assist and help Filipinos in their time of need. We will support all the national government ini tiatives in pursuing relief and recovery efforts in areas affected by typhoon Paeng,” he said.

The death toll from the storm rose to 48, the national disaster agency said on Sunday, most of them from a series of flash floods and landslides that de stroyed villages on the southern island of Mindanao on Friday.

In Paranaque, rescuers swam through three-meter floodwaters overnight to reach 60 people, including children ma rooned on an upper floor of a building, a local official said.

“They were shouting and crying in a panic because they really have no way out” after floodwaters rose as they attended a party, village chief Noel Japlos said.

“We did not expect the water to go this high. If we weren’t able to rescue them all, some of them could have

wide for a period of one year due to the devastation caused by “Paeng.”

Mr. Marcos, who joined via Zoom, gave a flurry of directives to various government agencies, including prior itizing delivering potable water to ty phoon victims and restoring power in hospitals and evacuation centers.

died,” he added.

Video footage taken by the rescue team showed emergency workers in life vests using a rope to lead them out of the building while children were put on improvised floats.

In nearby Kawit town, a corpse in a white coffin floated on a flooded street, an AFP photographer saw.

Residents said a flash flood overnight likely carried it off from a nearby cemetery.

Kawit residents emerging from re ceding floods were cleaning up and try ing to dry their wet belongings.

“It’s so difficult because we can’t move around due to the flood and we have a two-month-old baby who can’t sleep because there’s no electricity,”

Andinor Cairme, a street sweeper, said.

The storm slightly weakened as it roared out into the West Philippine Sea, the state forecaster said.

Port operations have also slowly re sumed as thousands of stranded pas sengers travel in time for the All Saints’

Roselle Castañeda, director of the Manila North Cemetery, said the in ability of people to visit the cemeteries this weekend could translate to a high er volume of people here on Tuesday, All Saints’ Day.

Manila North Cemetery is the larg est public cemetery in the Philippines.

Day holiday on Tuesday, when millions of Filipinos visit the graves of relatives.

The civil defense office said 22 people were missing and 40 were injured with bridges, roads, and crops also destroyed.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Sunday that Paeng has displaced 277,383 families or close to 1 million people in 2,455 barangays in 14 regions of the country.

These communities are in Regions 2 (Cagayan Valley), 3 (Central Luzon), 4-A (Calabarzon), 4-B (Mimaropa), 5 (Bicol), 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas), 9 (Zam boanga Peninsula), 11 (Davao), 12 (Soc csksargen), Caraga, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and the Cordil lera Administrative Region (CAR).

Some 44,847 families or 168,453 per sons were in 2,125 evacuation centers while the remainder were being helped by relatives or friends. With AFP

Ka Eduardo V. Manalo Maligayang Kaarawan

Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan ng Iglesia ni Cristo

We join the Iglesia Ni Cristo and the entire world in extending to you, Ka Eduardo Manalo, our sincerest and warmest greeting on the celebration of your 67th Birth Anniversary this year.

Kaisa po kami sa pagpapasalamat sa ating Panginoon sa mahaba at makabuluhang buhay na ipinagkaloob Niya sa inyo.

We pray that the Lord pour in His blessings of good health to you and your loved ones. May He keep you safe and strong at all times. May He also give you His guidance as you shepherd your flock to do our Lord’s will.

We wish to extend to you, Ka Eduardo, our deepest appreciation and gratitude for all the good work you have done for the good of the Filipino nation.

On this joyful occasion, we also wish the Iglesia ni Cristo all the best as you spread the faith in all corners of the earth. May the Lord continue to bless your efforts in spreading the good news of salvation.

Sa ngalan ng aking mga kasamahang mambabatas sa Kamara de Representantes, maraming salamat sa inyo Ka Eduardo at maligayang kaarawan sa inyo.

EDUARDO V. MANALO Executive Ministry of the Iglesia ni Cristo

FERDINAND MARTIN G. ROMUALDEZ

Speaker of the House of Representatives

DSWD calling for volunteers in ‘Paeng’ aid

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is looking for vol unteers who will help repack food items for victims of Tropical Storm Paeng.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) enjoined the public to volunteer at the DSWD-National Resource Operations Center on Chapel Road in Barangay 195, Pasay City.

“For those looking for a way to help the victims of Paeng, the Department of Social Welfare and Development has opened its office to volunteers who want to help repack family food packs),” the OPS said.

Interested volunteers must be willing to repack food items anytime until No vember 11. They may call the DSWD at 0915-2921875 and look for Nica.

Volunteers must show proof of com plete primary Covid-19 vaccination doses and own water bottle containers.

One food pack contains six kilos of rice, sachets of cereal and coffee, and canned goods like corned beef, tuna, and sardines. Once repacking is com pleted, the boxes will be immediately dispatched for distribution.

In a press briefing at Camp Agui naldo, Quezon City on Sunday, DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is in “constant communication” with the agency on up dates regarding the distribution of food packs and other relief items.

NPA rebel killed in Negros clash with gov’t troops

DUMAGUETE CITY – A Commu nist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) rebel was killed during clashes with the 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) of the Phil ippine Army at the height of disaster response operations following the onslaught of Tropical Storm Paeng in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental on Saturday.

Lt. Col. William Pesase, 62IB com manding officer, said on Sunday his troops were engaged in humanitarian efforts and assisting evacuees when a civilian informed them of armed men conducting extortion activities in Ba rangay Planas.

Acting on the information, Pesase said his troops proceeded to the area and were fired upon by more or less 20 members of the NPA’s Central Ne gros 1 of the Komiteng Rehiyon-Ne gros, Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor (KRNCBS) in Sitio Mambog.

The first armed encounter took place around 3:30 p.m. and lasted for about 30 minutes. The rebels fled with the soldiers pursuing them despite the bad weather, Pesase said.

At around 9 p.m.,62IB troops again clashed with the same group of rebels in Sitio Ilihan in the nearby village of Buenavista.

The firefight lasted for about five minutes before the rebels fled, with some believed to be wounded based on bloodstains found at the encounter site.

Lawmaker eyes bill on wages, benefits for rescue workers

By Rio N. Araja

MALASAKIT@Bayanihan

party-list Rep. Anthony Rolando

Golez Jr. said he will file a bill seeking to set a minimum wage and a standard set of benefits for rescue workers.

A Magna Carta for Rescue Workers bill will be filed in Congress when session re sumes on November 7, he added.

“We have the past disaster events in the country that took the lives of our rescuers,” he said, adding that “we need to recognize these efforts. We need to recognize their sacrifice.”

The wages and benefits of rescue work ers vary from one place to another, he said.

Golez also said he is now drafting the meas ure and has yet to recommend how much the minimum wage for rescuers should be.

“It must be reviewed first with other gov

ernment agencies for standardization of lev els,” he noted.

Clarice Palce, GABRIELA secretarygeneral meanwhile urged President Ferdi nand Marcos Jr. to act immediately instead of dilly-dally as he wonders and looks back on the number of casualties due to Typhoon Paeng.

“Instead of ‘looking back’ on the num ber of casualties, Marcos should look now and take action at once. His dilly-dallying means more death and destruction,” Palce said.

In an interview, Mr. Marcos contemplat

ed on the high death toll, stating “‘It will be important for us to look back on why we didn’t catch it. Why didn’t we evacu ate them? Why is the casualty like that, so high?”

“This is a Pontius Pilate ploy, palusot, shifting the blame to anyone but himself. Instead of giving statements and direc tions on the implementation and helping to speed up the rescue, Marcos Jr. blames the downstream people who are implement ing the disaster preparedness,” Palce said, commenting on the President’s comments.

“With the amount of suffering and damage emerging today as a result of the typhoon, it is not right for us to continue to live under the leadership of a govern ment that repeatedly remains unprepared in times of crisis, either acting ignorant or partying and neglecting the people as Marcos Jr. did in Typhoon Karding,” Palce said.

Solon seeks new measure against erring morgues

By Rio N. Araja

MAKATI City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. is batting for the passage of new legis lation that would criminalize the deten tion of dead bodies by morgues and fu neral parlors on grounds of nonpayment of mortuary services.

As proposed by Campos in House Bill No. 1292, any employee or officer of a morgue or funeral home that with holds the release of a cadaver as security for payment of mortuary services would face up to six months in prison plus a fine of up to P50,000.

“It is cruel and inhuman for morgues and funeral homes to hold hostage the remains of the deceased for financial gain. It is a shameful and anti-poor busi ness practice that should be condemned by Congress,” Campos said.

Under the bill, it would be unlawful for providers of embalming, burial, and cremation services to hold up the release of a cadaver directly or indirectly for the failure of family members to settle the cost of mortuary services.

The bill puts the Department of Health in charge of enforcing the prohibition.

The measure specifies that surviving family members unable to pay any mor tuary charges may claim a dead body, complete with all the necessary release papers, by simply executing a promis sory note with a co-maker.

Rep. Barbers files bill on programs for high schools

By Rio N. Araja

SURIGAO del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, committee on danger ous drugs chairperson, has filed a bill seeking to integrate programs or courses on environmental protec tion, entrepreneurship, reproductive health and population control, and drug prevention in the curriculum of elementary and high school to de velop a positive mindset among the youth.

House Bill No. 5202 or the “Re sponsible Youth Act” stated “it is often said that youth is the hope of our country. Their passions, dreams, motivation and determination can make a difference in building a na tion. However, youth of today faces many risks and challenges, includ ing drug addiction, teenage preg nancy and lack of awareness on the pressing issue on global warming, among others. Thus, they need prop er guidance and direction to ensure that they are still on the right path in becoming a responsible adult.”

“Discussion of these programs or courses paired with broader and more comprehensive instruction as early as childhood can help pre pare youth to reach intellectual and emotional maturity leading to a re sponsible and healthy life decisions. Early intervention has a life alter ing impact on changing a child’s life path away from problems and toward positive behaviors,” Barbers said.

BJMP inaugurates first PH jail-based drug rehab facility

BJMP chief jail director Allan Iral thanked the DDB under the leadership of Secretary Catalino Cuy for sup porting the BJMP’s anti-drug reform programs particularly the provision of funding for the reformation center.

“This will answer major concerns of the BJMP, especially in providing spe

Red

cialized care to the drug-affected sec tor of the PDL population,” Iral said in his message during the inauguration on Saturday.

Iral vowed to continue to work hard in preventing as well as purging illegal substances in the BJMP-run jails.

On Dec. 17, 2019, the BJMP and the

ONE of the jail facilities in Bukidnon has become a recipient of humanitarian aid that would help per sons deprived of liberty (PDLs) connect with their relatives and lawyers.

In a statement on Sunday, Amer Hassan Sang gacala, information officer of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) based in Ili gan City, said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Malaybalay City was given mobile devices in support of the government’s “EDalaw” project.

He said the project gained momentum during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when it was hard for PDLs to contact outside the jail facility, especially those with families who do not have ac cess to digital technology.

“To help restore contact between detainees and their families and facilitate virtual court hearings,

DDB entered into a memorandum of agreement for the establishment of drug rehabilitation facilities in BJMP jails and providing funds to make it happen. Almost 2 years later, the DDB is sued Regulation No. 8, authorizing the BJMP to operate jail-based drug refor mation centers.

the ICRC has been supporting the government’s ‘E-Dalaw’ and ‘E-hearing’ programs by providing tablets and internet loads to places of detention,” Sanggacala said.

He said giving support to PDLs is also part of ICRC’s humanitarian activities which aim to se cure humane treatment and conditions of detention for all PDLs.

Since 2020, more than 300 digital tablets have been distributed to BJMP’s 150 facilities nation wide, including the Malaybalay City Jail.

The ICRC’s goal is to provide over 500 tablets to nearly 200 detention facilities, in addition to phone and internet load to places of detention until 2023.

In 2022 alone, ICRC facilitated over 467,000 calls between PDLs and their families, 6,000 calls with lawyers, and at least 40,000 virtual court hearings.

THE Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) inaugurated the Ma laybalay City Jail Reformatory Center in Bukidnon, the first among the three jail-based drug reformation centers built under the “Kanlungan sa Piitan” project of the BJMP and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).

A hanging bridge in Ilang River in Brgy. Sta. Rosa II, Noveleta, Cavite collapsed and was destroyed by strong river currents during the onslaught of Typhoon Paeng.

Danny Pata and Philippine Coast Guard

DOLOMITE

the Manila Dolomite beach

Sunday

onslaught of the tropical storm. Norman Cruz

Undas: A day of prayer, not parties

But All Souls Day is also marked by the Fili pino Catholics and the Aglipayans.

By Honor Blanco Cabie

IN THE run up to what Tagalogs call “Undas” or “Piesta Dagiti Natay” among northerners, and “Kalag Kalag” among Cebuanos, Bishop Emeri tus Teodorico Bacani of Novaliches in Metro Ma nila crafted a convenient counsel.

The 82-year-old bishop advised the Catholic faithful not to forget the essence of All Saints and All Souls Days in the next two days, saying these are days for prayers and not for partying.

All Saints Day, a regular holiday in this pre dominantly Christian Southeast Asian country of 114 million people, is a day of remembrance and honor for saints – and the names of these saints in the Gregorian calendar crowd each of the 365, if common, or 366, if leap year, boxes for days.

In an interview over the Catholic-run Radyo Veritas, Bacani said people appear to have forgot ten that All Saints Day is a day to honor the mar tyrdom of Catholic saints who died spreading the teachings of the Lord.

He said the public could emulate the holiness of Filipino saints San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod.

The next day, on Wednesday, or All Souls Day, the faithful should remember their departed loved ones, including those who died during the pan demic, which started in mid March 2020, those who perished from tragedies, war and other ca lamities.

Somewhere in the Ilocos, surviving kin visit the graveyards on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, lighting up candles on the tombstones of their de parted loved ones.

Some ask the priest, who goes to the cemeteries and bless the resting places of the dead, to pray for the soul of a departed relative – with an undeter mined honorarium.

In one roadside cemetery, a legend is hung at the entrance with the bold letters: Vicissim hodie, cras tuus.

Good for those who do not understand what the Latin line means. But it is translated into the lan guage of the region in another graveyard: Dakami ita, dakayo no bigat.

That means, rather eerily: Our turn today, your turn tomorrow.

It acknowledges the mortality of man and sends a strong, but petrifying, message to the living who are left to pray for those whose names they remember and, like what one Catholic priest said, those who have been forgotten.

Another line makes a wit smile, as the drop cloth legend, at the bayside Santa town cemetery entrance in Ilocos Sur, suggests in bold letters, in English yet: This way to heaven.

The Catholic and Protestant churches, includ ing the Aglipayan sect – which has its roots in Ilocos Norte, where the first Aglipayan Mass was celebrated in the hill town of Pinili in the early part of the 20th century – celebrate All Saints Day to morrow, Nov. 1.

The Eastern Orthodox Church observes All Saints Day on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Both All Saints Day and All Hallows Eve, cel ebrated the day before, have roots in ancient Celtic beliefs and practices.

Tomorrow, Nov. 1, Filipinos, whatever their religious affiliations, do not just remember and honor the saints they have asked previously to in tercede for them in seeking God’s blessings.

Another line makes a wit smile, as the dropcloth legend, at the bayside Santa town cemetery entrance in Ilocos Sur, suggests in bold letters, in English yet: This way to heaven

They also go to the graveyards – the mani cured greens of private memorial parks in the metropolis or the now urbanized population centers or the often heavily crowded public town cemeteries often outside the populated municipal blocks.

Days before the celebration of All Saints Day, kin of the departed troop to the graveyards and clean up the tombs or uproot wayward grasses including the “cadena de amor,” the Antigonon leptopus Hook & Arn. coral vine abundant in Phil ippine cemeteries.

On the day itself, relatives – at least in some parts of northern Philippines – go to the grave yards to remember their departed kin 12 years and below, with those 13 years old and above to be re membered, with candles, food and Masses the day after, or the better known All Souls Day.

In the now highly congested metropolis, where Manila lies by the placid bay, the celebration – of ten complete with ferris wheels and bunches of imported and locally grown different petals – ap proximates the hilarity of town fiestas marked by marching bands.

But the executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Fr. Jerome Secillano, echoed Bacani’s point, explaining that Nov 1 and 2 are days to mark all the saints and the souls.

“We invoke the intercession of saints while we pray for the eternal repose of the deceased. In ef fect, those are days of prayer and not of Halloween parties,” Secillano said.

In the metropolis, while the Land Transporta tion Office said it is “all systems go” to ensure the safety of commuters, the Philippine National Police said they remain on the lookout for people planning to sow disorder during the holidays.

Anonymous graves mark end of line for migrants at US border

By Paula Ramon

SHERIFF Urbino Martinez has collected the re mains of so many dead migrants who have come across the US southern border that he is known as “The Undertaker.”

“It’s deadly out there,” says Martinez, who patrols the small Texan county of Brooks, a few dozen kilometers from Mexico.

“We started keeping track of the dead bodies from 2009,” he told AFP in his office,pointing to 20 thick volumes, where his department has infor mation on 913 cases.

But, he says, that’s only a fraction of the true human toll of the border crossings.

“I would multiply that times five, maybe even 10 for those bodies that will never be recovered.”

The United States logged a record 2.3 million migrant encounters at its southern border in the year to September — a key issue for some voters as they head to the polls for next month’s midterm elections.

Many were sent back south; an unknown number made it into the country without being detected.

At least 700 people are known to have died in the attempt.

To avoid the checkpoint in Falfurrias, the main town in Brooks County, migrants are directed by human traffickers into vast farmsteds where dense vegetation, treacherous sands and soaring tem peratures can prove fatal.

Sometimes, there isn’t much of a person left to find.

Martinez’s folders are labeled “human re mains” — a chillingly accurate description of the photographs that sometimes show partial torsos or just a few bones.

“If it’s real hot, your body will decompose completely within 72 hours, and then the animals are going to tear whatever’s left.

“The feral hogs, the rats, anything that’s out there that can tear the limb off, they’re going to do it. We found human bones inside a rat’s den before.”

Numbers are down in Brooks county this year — Martinez has logged 80 bodies so far in 2022, all of which were processed through his mobile mortuary.

“It is less than last year but it is 80 too many,” he says.

No identification

The death that Martinez finds in Brooks is not unique to his county.

The same pattern of tragedy is repeated all along the Texan border: desperate people dying as

they flee the crushing poverty, violence and terror of their dysfunctional homelands.

In the border town of Eagle Pass, the municipal cemetery is strewn with rudimentary crosses that mark the graves of dozens of unknown dead; the men and women whose American dreams ended in anonymous graves.

Around 40 plaques, labeled John or Jane Doe, sit next to a small US flag.

Across town, the migrants are still coming, gambling that the possibility of death en route is better than the alternative.

The morgue is impeccably clean, but the smell of bodily decay is pervasive, permeating the masks visitors are required to wear

“It was an ordeal,” said Alejandra, a 35-yearold Colombian who crossed the rushing Rio Grande to reach Texas, even though she cannot swim. “But it was scarier to go back.”

Cowering under a tree from the hot sun, Alejan dra said she needed asylum because of the danger she faced from organized crime in Colombia.

“If we go back, they’ll kill us,” she said, looking at her three teenage children.

Remains Corinne Stern, the chief coroner for southern Texas, says most of the migrants whose remains she examines died from heatstroke or dehydration.

“Up until about five years ago, (the border) took up about 30 percent of my time... Now it’s taking up about 75 percent,” says the doctor, who wears a necklace inscribed with the Hebrew word for “Life.”

In the reception area of the morgue, a painting reads: “Let the dead teach the living.”

Inside, a blackboard lists dozens of Jane and John Does.

The morgue is impeccably clean, but the smell of bodily decay is pervasive, permeating the masks visitors are required to wear.

The vast majority of border cases she receives have no identification, Stern says, as she examines the skeletal remains of a still-clothed female body.

Attached to the corpse is a small olive green

Comprehensive disaster response

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. virtually attended the meeting of the multi-sectoral National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) at the height of Typhoon ‘Paeng’ on Saturday.

This conveyed the message that he was genuinely concerned over the peo ple’s welfare amid reports of death and destruction across the country from the extreme weather disturbance.

The Chief Executive wondered why the number of deaths from the latest ty phoon kept rising, suggesting that more stringent forced evacuations by local au thorities could have led to fewer fatali ties.

This raises the question: Is the gov ernment doing enough in disaster re sponse?

We already know that the Philippines is among the most vulnerable to natural disasters.

A recent study even concluded that, in fact, we are the most disaster-prone country in the entire world. That’s be cause our geographical location at the western end of the Pacific Ocean leaves us regularly visited by typhoons of vary ing scale and intensity every year.

Besides typhoons, of course, we lie in the so-called Pacific ring of fire consist ing of active volcanoes that may lie dor mant for many years but may suddenly erupt and cause displacement of people, loss of lives and extensive damage to property.

The country is not spared either by earthquakes big and small that may not occur on a regular basis but likewise lead to death and destruction.

We’re not even talking of man-made disasters, such as displacement of peo ple from their homes due to armed con flict between the military and rebels.

President Marcos Jr. should seriously consider the NDRRMC proposal to declare a state of national emergency for a oneyear period to allow full economic recovery and the delivery of much-needed services to those most in need because of poverty

The latest typhoon to hit the country may not have been as destructive as those in recent memory, such as ‘On doy’ and ‘Yolanda’ that left thousands displaced by massive flooding and land slides from torrential rains.

What was not expected was that Paeng’s fury as a “severe tropical storm” as declared by the weather monitoring agency would affect almost the entire country, from Luzon to Mindanao, and cause flooding and landslides, damage

to crops and infrastructure, and mas sive displacement of people from their homes.

We have been warned time and again by experts that we can expect more se vere typhoons in the years ahead due to climate change and global warming.

This should tell us that our economic programs should take into account pos sible setbacks from natural disasters. Typhoon Paeng came at a time when we have not even fully recovered from the economic slump due to the COV ID-19 pandemic.

The government should therefore consider a holistic disaster response plan and organizational structure than what we have now.

Up for deliberation in the legislature is a bill proposing the creation of a sepa rate Department of Disaster Resilience that would unify government efforts to cope with natural disasters.

But there’s also the view that a sepa rate department is unnecessary as the NDRRMC is already sufficient to re spond to disasters.

Given the new administration’s push to accelerate economic recovery, a more comprehensive approach to disaster re sponse by a separate department may just be what the doctor ordered to keep disasters from inflicting more death and destruction as well as severe economic setbacks in the years ahead.

Meanwhile, President Marcos Jr. should seriously consider the NDRRMC proposal to declare a state of national emergency for a one-year peri od to allow full economic recovery and the delivery of much-needed services to those most in need because of poverty.

An all-of-society cyber defense force

“CYBERCRIME is exploding” and is threaten ing the digital economy – an ominous warning of Mr. Paolo Pascetta, program manager of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency during the latest hybrid forum last week organized by think tank Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute (ADRi).

This was in partnership with US Embassy in the Philippines wherein I had the great pleasure of being the moderator to interact in sage discussions with top cyber security and geopolitical thought leaders offering their insights on fighting the glob al rise in cyber attacks.

Mr. Pascetta said various projections have es timated that cybercrime is damaging the global economy at a cost of US$ 4 to 6 trillion!

On the other hand, he cited that digital transfor mation as part of another industrial revolution will create an estimated 100 trillion of additional value to the world economy by 2025.

He illustrated how critical infrastructure should be cyber resilient thru a systemic re-architecture approach to achieving integrated security.

Department of Information and Communica tions Undersecretary Paul Joseph V. Mercado in his opening remarks stated he believes that as decision-makers, enablers, and leaders in the ICT industry, the noble mission is to provide a safe and secure cyberspace for digital citizens so they can harness the full potential of ICT.

Undersecretary Mercado emphasized that as more and more people rely on ICT, raising aware ness on how to mitigate cybersecurity risks by educating citizens on the proper and safe use of online platforms and data privacy is a priority.

The former Director of the US National Secu rity Agency Threat Operations Center, Mr. Dan Ennis, sees the citizenry will begin to challenge both the public and private spheres to respond to cyber attacks.

Ennis said the biggest strategy that can be done from his perspective is to “defeat cybercrime by sector, by entity, by company, by government agency, and by wherever you sit.”

“Set a set of priorities that you will focus on and then communicate those priorities again and again and again,” Mr. Ennis said.

backpack.

When the doctor picks it up, two lollipops fall out, their colorful wrappings a contrast to the earthy ochre that swathes the clothes and the bones.

DNA samples are extracted in an attempt to identify her, but for now she will be labeled as yet another Jane Doe, one of 250 Stern has dealt with this year.

‘Where is my wife?’

For Eduardo Canales, the open-endedness of anonymous death is too much to bear.

In 2013, Canales founded the South Texas Hu man Rights Center, installing water stations around

Dr. Sherwin Ona, associate professor of Po litical Science, De La Salle University – Manila, emphasized the Philippines should take a more ag gressive position when it comes to cybersecurity which he termed as “cyber defense posture.”

Furthermore, Dr. Ona proposed that “the nontraditional security aspect of cyber space” should be considered in building our cyber defense pos ture and its connection to human security.

“It (cyberspace) is an empowering domain where people can connect and be more produc tive. It is also a venue where we can secure basic human rights like freedom of expressions, free dom from fear, freedom from hunger.”

Microsoft’s digital crimes unit and partners in law enforcement are working to disrupt cyber crime and support victim recovery

Dr. Francis Domingo, assistant professor of International Studies of the De La Salle Uni versity, pointed out the Asia Pacific and IndoPacific regions are the most active in terms of cyber operations in the world with “skirmishes” involving espionage, sabotage, subversionism and other operations based on existing political rivalries between North Korea, South Korea; the United States, China; Pakistan, and India, among others.

Reprising his argument during a US State Department forum, he said that “if we’re facing, let’s be blunt, Chinese cyber operations, the logi cal strategy is to leverage our alliance because we already have it.”

He posits that though treaties covering cyber is still in the gray, we can focus on capacity building, on exercises, and on diplomacy.

Army Col. Walter Icaro, MNSA, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Cyber Group, said that their immediate concern is strengthening the cyber organization to be more

ranches to prevent migrants from drinking the water in the cattle troughs, which can be toxic for humans.

Canales, 74, supplies blue plastic barrels that have location coordinates and a phone number to call for help.

But when he began receiving calls from family members looking for loved ones who had gone missing after crossing the border, he decided to expand his work.

“For me the most important thing is for families to be able to find closure,” he says.

“Families don’t stop looking, they never give

responsive in securing the nation’s cyber domain and protecting the critical information infrastruc tures.

He shared that the defense department has ap proved the acquisition and the development of the General Headquarters cyberspace operations system project under the AFP modernization pro gram and the activation of the AFP Cyber Group and cyber units in the major services.

Microsoft Philippines National Technology Of ficer, Mr. Dale Pascual, pointed out that it is criti cal that our government adopt globally consistent laws including substantive and procedural provi sions on offenses and investigation.

Microsoft’s digital crimes unit and partners in law enforcement are working to disrupt cyber crime and support victim recovery. They continu ously share expertise on cybercrime legislation and advocate for public-private partnerships that accelerate cross-border cooperation.

Former Commissioner and Chairman of the National Privacy Commission, Mr. Raymund Li boro, said that cyber weapons have redefined what is possible in war and warfare and should be ready to meet this challenge.

“If our cities lose electricity, energy, water and communications, especially the internet, it’s like being thrown back into the dark ages. Worse, citi zens would lose trust in their government. A crisis of trust would be the biggest threat to our national security,” Liboro said.

In closing, the institute’s president, Prof. Vic tor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, emphasized that in the age of multipolarity and increased uncertain ties, there is the need for collaboration to enhance defensive and offensive cyber capacities, increase state interoperability, and ensure collective secu rity”

“Only by creating a strong and credible cyber defense posture will the Philippines and the IndoPacific be able to achieve a secure and trustworthy digital community,” Prof. Manhit said.

Ensuring the safety of cyber space is a shared responsibility that I believe should have the same level of urgency as sustaining the environment. We now live in a highly digitized ecosystem where online connectivity is indispensable. Build ing an all of society cyber defense force is another dimension of the new normal that we must do together.

up. They keep asking where is my wife, my broth er, my daughter?”

Many were buried anonymously in the Falfur rias cemetery, but a partnership with Texas State University made it possible to exhume dozens of bodies and identify them by their fingerprints.

The effort has reduced the number of anony mous graves in Brooks: of the 119 people found in 2021, 107 were identified.

“But many more die and disappear without us ever finding them,” Canales says, pointing to vast dusty plains.

“Here the only constant is death.” AFP

Rolando G. Estabillo

Nutritional info on food service menus pushed

AGRI party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee is batting to pass a bill mandating the public disclosure of nutritional information on menus of food service establishments to help address the problems of obesity, unhealthy diet, and inadequate nutrition among Filipinos.

If passed, House Bill No. 2421 would mandate food service establish ments to put on their menus and menu boards—in a clear and conspicuous manner—nutritional information, he said.

While the existing system requires packaged foods to disclose nutritional facts, meals sold through food estab lishments contain no such disclosure, Lee said.

“The health-conscious must esti mate or guess the nutritional content of meals in restaurants. Those who are less aware of the need for proper diet ing are left oblivious to the nutritional values they intake, which would po tentially cause detrimental effects on their health in the long run,” he said.

The measure would enable con sumers to make more informed and healthier food choices, promote health awareness and proper dieting and as sist consumers who are monitoring their diets or dealing with chronic dis eases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, the lawmaker added.

In March the Department of Health, World Health Organization, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) raised alarm on the grow ing obesity in the Philippines, with 27 million Filipinos being overweight and obese.

Rio N. Araja

TO PLAN USE OF REMAINING P10-B FUND

SPOOKY STREET SIGHT. A woman and her granddaughter pause to admire the Halloween decorations of a house along Brgy. Olympia in Makati City during the day, which turns even more macabre at night (inset).

Agrarian Reform Council convenes

By Rio N. Araja

AGRARIAN

Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella

III has convened the 150th meeting of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) Executive Committee with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s goal to distribute lands for free and provide support services to agrarian reform beneficiaries.

“I was tasked by the President, be ing the vice chairman of the PARC, to convene this very important meeting, to use the remaining P10-billion of the

Ilocos Norte poultry raisers urged to remain vigilant against bird flu

LAOAG CITY—The Ilocos Norte government is urging all poultry raisers and other stakeholders in the province to stay vigilant against avian influenza Type A (H5N1), commonly known as bird flu.

Gervy James Gumarit, head of the Communication and Media Office of the Ilocos Norte government, said Sunday last Oct. 20, the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 1 distributed free-range chickens to 20 Balik Probinsya beneficiaries.

Several days later, the chickens tested positive for bird flu, hence, the local government units concerned were alerted while the Provincial Veterinary Office in coordination with the DA is conducting surveillance and disinfecting services.

To prevent the spread of bird flu, all mayors, quarantine guards, shippers, farm owners, backyard raisers,

Mayor

CALOOCAN City Mayor Dale Gon zalo “Along” Malapitan personally awarded 43 sari-sari store packages to city residents as part of the cel ebration of his 43rd birthday.

According to the local chief exec utive, he wished to help the winners start a micro-business to augment their daily needs.

“On my 43rd birthday, we bring to you 43 livelihood packages for our citizens. Some of the winners are senior citizens, PWDs (persons with disabilities), solo parents, and the sick. Some of them are battling amid the economic crisis as pedicab drivers, security guards, and ven dors who lost their capital owing to the pandemic,” the mayor said.

“We hope that these gifts help jumpstart your small businesses and augment your daily needs,” he added.

Moreover, Mayor Along called on the winners to help others in what ever small way they can.

“As we had said earlier, my only wish is for you to prosper these busi nesses so that eventually, you can pay it forward to your fellow Caloo can residents. Keep kindness going,” he said.

The promotion was done in coor dination with the Public Informa tion Office, General Services De partment, Public Safety and Traffic Management Department, City En gineering Department, and Office of the General Manager-North.

and other stakeholders were told to implement preventive and quarantine measures immediately.

“Please coordinate with your respective Agriculture Office for any poultry mortality and Health Offices for any influenza-like symptoms,” Gumarit said.

All stakeholders were also advised to implement strict biosecurity and prevent free-range chickens from being on the loose. If not confined, net enclosures should be in place.

Provincial veterinarian Dr. Loida Valenzuela said bird flu is considered an economic disease as well as a disease of public health importance.

The public is advised not to eat raw poultry products and only buy live or dressed poultry from sellers who can provide proof that their commodity is negative for the disease.

Agrarian Reform Fund (ARF) to real ize his dignified goals for our farmers,” Estrella said. The meeting expressed its deter

mination to adopt the President’s rec ommendation for the release and uti lization of P10 billion from the ARF balance, which will be used for:

• Landowners compensation, with an amount of P1.4-billion for document ed landholdings with pending claims which are due for payment;

• Support services budget, with P7.85-billion for the implementation of projects including agri-extension ser vices, distribution of farm input sup port and farm machinery to agrarian reform beneficiaries, infrastructure de velopment, and public works projects,

among others;

• Additional P500 million for adminis trative and operating expenses needed for the implementation of the above compo nents of the agrarian reform program; and

• Institutional human resources for capacity development programs, P250 million to empower and enhance the competencies of the Department for its effective implementation.

During the meeting, Estrella said members of Congress have committed to the President that they would pass the “New Emancipation Act” for the landless farmers this December.

Group to gov’t: Back tobacco alternatives

By Willie Casas

THE Coalition of Asia Pacific To bacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has urged the Philip pines and other Asian governments to support the use of alternative modalities and instruments to help reduce the global harms of combus tible and unsafe tobacco products.

The Philippine government started crafting the Implementing Rules and Regulation for the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regula tion Act, also known as the Vape Law.

Belmonte eyes programs in

QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte wants programs and projects to address mental health issues in communities.

“The right to health, which includes the right to mental health, is a fun damental right we all must strive to achieve,” she said.

Belmonte cited the importance of pri oritizing and addressing mental health problems and issues during the Nation al Mental Health Summit at SM Aura Premier.

Among the initiatives that the mayor mentioned is the enactment of the Qu ezon City Mental Health code which in corporates all the existing mental health programs of the city government.

Maynilad,

By Jun David

MAYNILAD Water Services Inc. has inched closer to its goal of planting its one-millionth tree this year after it teamed up with the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) for the first time to plant various seedlings at Ipo Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

Ninety-three officials and employees of Maynilad and OPS planted 400 narra, dungon, malaruhat, and palosapis seed lings in an approximate area of one hec tare within the watershed site on Friday, Oct. 28.

Dubbed “Plant for Life,” the tree-planting activity was led by Maynilad’s corporate communications department head Jennifer Rufo; quality, sustainability, and resiliency division head Atty. Roel S. Espiritu; and sustainability department head John

to fix mental health issues

It also localizes Republic Act 11036 or the Mental Health Act.

“It is important that we discuss men tal health since the more you talk about it, the less it becomes taboo, and the less it becomes a stigma and the more mainstream it becomes. That is what we want. We want to consider it as a regular illness that can be treated and cured,” she said.

Based on the Quezon City Police District’s data, there has been a steady increase in the incidence of suicide for the past five years with an average of 96 suicides in the city annually.

From 2018 to 2020, the police record ed a 52 percent increase in the figure.

The city mayor lamented that insuffi cient and unavailability of data is also a hindrance in addressing mental healthrelated issues.

Under the proposed QC Mental Health Code, the city shall intensify its initiatives through institutionalizing training and awareness-raising among local service providers including city hall employees, barangay officials, and school teaching and non-teaching personnel.

Mental wellness access hubs in the communities would also be expanded to further capacitate them in conduct ing assessments, diagnosis, crisis inter vention, and disbursement of free pre scription medication. Rio N. Araja

CAPHRA made its call and said that over-restrictive government pol icies on using vapes and other simi lar products, including e-cigarettes, contradict the Framework Conven tion on Tobacco Control Treaty’s in tent and objective.

“We, the consumers of safer nico tine products and those adults who currently smoke, ought to be the principal beneficiaries of enlight ened, science-based regulatory frameworks allowing us access to these life-saving technologies,” said CAPHRA said in the “The Manila Declaration-2022” manifesto.

“Instead, we continue to be mar ginalized, ignored, denigrated, and attacked, our choices restricted, and our rights denied, and our lives and health are negatively impacted by the continuing failure of WHO and its funders to follow its own man dates or to consider the science,” it added.

Emmanuel Martinez.

They were joined by OPS Undersec retary for Special Concerns Marlon B. Purificacion, Directors for Special Con cerns lawyer Ansherina Paula Francisco and Benjamin R. Rosario, and General Services Division Head lawyer Tara C. Rama.

Lawyer Claudine B. Orocio-Isorena, deputy administrator for administra tion and legal affairs of the Metropoli tan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office, was also present at the event.

“The partnership between Maynilad and the OPS is very significant because we are aiming to plant our one-millionth tree this year. We won’t be able to reach this milestone without the help of volun teers like you,” Maynilad’s Rufo said, addressing OPS officials and employees during the tree-planting activity.

mark

Diana Noche

PARADE OF SAINTS. Children of parishioners of the Santisima Trinidad Parish in Malate, Manila dress as their favorite saints to evangelize residents and to catechize on heaven and the communion of the saints ahead of the Parade of Saints on Sunday, two days before All Saints’ Day. Danny Pata

PLANT FOR LIFE. The teams from the Office of the Press Secretary, Maynilad, and MWSS pose ahead of the Plant For Life activity at Ipo Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

Pictured (from left) are MWSS Regulatory Office Deputy Administrator Atty. Claudine B. Orocio-Isorena; Maynilad Quality, Sustainability and Resiliency Division Head Atty. Roel S. Espiritu; OPS Undersecretary for Special Concerns Marlon B. Purificacion; and Maynilad Corporate Communications Department Head Jennifer Rufo.

Stock market expected to move sideways this week

LOCAL stocks are expected to move sideways in this shortened trading week as investors await the release of October inflation report and third-quarter corporate earnings.

Financial markets will be closed on Monday and Tuesday to mark the traditional All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Investors also await the results of the US Federal Open Market Committee policy meet ing on Nov. 1 and 2, when it is expected to announce another 75-basis-point interest rate hike..

Analysts said a higher-than-expected Oc tober inflation rate and US interest rate hikes could push the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to also adjust its borrowing rate during its Nov. 17 meeting.

Online brokerage firm UTrade Inc. research analyst Niel Andrew Maderaje said the thirdquarter financial performance would provide the market catalysts and help investors assess the industry outlook amid global economic challenges. “Along with corporate earnings re sults, various macroeconomics reports, which continue to steer the current market, are sched uled to be announced next week,” he said.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Gov’t to require all firms to issue sustainable reports

THE Department of Trade and Industry asked countries to harmonize sustainable reporting standards in seeking a balance between envi ronmental and social sustainability.

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said many local companies were using the Global Report ing Initiative for their sustainability reporting.

“But the problem is that there are so many standards. I think there is a need to harmo nize the standards. It will be led by the big ger economies, and we are prepared to con sider aligning ourselves with a harmonized standard,” Lopez said at a panel discussion during EU Sustainable Investment Summit Friday.

Pascual disclosed the government’s plan to require all companies to submit mandatory reporting of their sustainability plans and com pliance.

“Eventually, there will be mandatory re quirements for full disclosure, and eventually the disclosure requirement will be extended to all corporations registered with the SEC [Se curities and Exchange Commission],” he said.

Othel V. Campos

Meralco to procure 480-MW supply ahead of dry months

POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. an nounced over the weekend plans to procure an additional 480 megawatts in anticipation of the tight supply in the dry months next year.

“We are preparing for the summer months next year. We have identified so far 180 MW of baseload and 300 MW of peaking require ments that we will be submitting to the DOE [Department of Energy] for approval of the TOR [terms of reference],” Meralco first vice president and head of regulatory management office Jose Ronald Valles said.

The DOE forecasts a “difficult” power situ ation in May and June with the possibility of yellow and red alerts in the Luzon grid.

Meanwhile, Valles said Meralco put on hold its request for exemption from the competitive selection process for 1,070 MW of capacity. He said Meralco filed with the DOE a certifi cate of exemption for an equivalent capacity of 1,070 MW to cover expiring capacity contracts with San Miguel Corp. with Panay Energy De velopment Corp.

“But in light of the decision of the ERC with respect to the San Miguel contracts, we have decided to request the DOE to put on hold the evaluation of the request because San Miguel has written us a letter signifying its intent to continue supplying power to Meralco under protest without prejudice to the available rem edies it may undertake,” Valles said.

Peso appreciation to help ease inflationary pressures

By Julito G. Rada

THE peso’s recovery to around 58 against the US dollar last week will help ease inflationary pressures, an economist said over the weekend.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.

chief economist Michael Ricafort said in a report the local currency strength ened last week, following Fitch Ratings’ affirmation of the country’s investmentgrade score, continued reopening of the economy and the softening of global crude prices.

“The peso also continued to appreci ate after global crude oil prices still lin gered near 9-month lows [since Feb. 3, 2022 or before the Russia-Ukraine war

started on February 24, 2022], thereby could help narrow the country’s trade deficit/net imports from record levels in recent months and could also help ease inflationary pressures,” Ricafort said.

He said that while the peso had depre ciated 13.7 percent or P6.97 against the US dollar since the start of the year, its weakness was nearly similar to those of other currencies in the region.

“The peso’s depreciation since the start of 2022 has been recently similar/ not too far to the depreciation in other ASEAN/Asian currencies such as the Thai baht, Chinese yuan, Malaysian ringgit, among others,” Ricafort said.

Ricafort said the currency trend high lighted “the effects of external/exoge nous factors on the peso that are beyond the country’s reasonable control, in terms of higher US interest rates/bond yields that increased the allure/attrac

tiveness of the US currency.”

The peso closed at 57.97 a dollar on Friday, its strongest level since 57.48 on Sept. 20, 2022. It settled at a record low of 59 per dollar four times in October, an indication that the BSP intervened in the foreign exchange market to prevent the local currency from hitting the 60-adollar level.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno signaled possible intervention in the peso exchange rate market by using about $10 billion of the country’s gross international reserves.

Ricafort said the recent affirmation by Fitch Ratings of the country’s invest ment grade score of “BBB” with a nega tive outlook buoyed the peso against the greenback last week.

This is a vote of confidence on the country’s macroeconomic fundamen tals, he said.

Villar’s Prime Asset affirms support for rural electrification

By Alena Mae S. Flores

PRIME Asset Ventures Inc., the in vestment holding company of Manu el Paolo Villar, the eldest son of bil lionaire Manuel Villar, affirmed its support for the government’s rural electrification goals.

PAVI put up a combined 21.27 megawatts to serve the power re quirements of Siquijor and Camotes Islands.

PAVI, through S.I. Power Corp. and Camotes Island Power Genera tion Corp., supplies power to nearly 60,000 households in the islands, re solving the unreliable power connec tion issue in the past.

PAVI president for power group Jose Rommel Orillaza said the com pany aimed to address the growing power needs of these off-grid com munities.

“We’re detecting an increase in demand due to the holiday season. PAVI, through Sipcor and Campcor, has built the necessary infrastructure to serve these previously-underserved and unelectrified Filipino households. We aligned our business goals with the government’s direction in order to help prioritize rural electrification, as we believe this will also contribute to overall economic recovery,” said Orillaza.

AyalaLand Logistics registered P565-m net income in three quarters

By Jenniffer B. Austria

AYALALAND Logistics Holdings Corp., a leading industrial estate developer, said over the weekend net income grew by 41 percent in the first three quarters to P565 million from a year ago, as all business segments saw improved revenues.

ALLHC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange nine-month revenues rose 5 percent in the nine-month period to P2.8 billion from P2.6 billion in the same months last year.

Sales of industrial lots reached P1.2 billion on continued strong demand from domestic buyers, while revenues from warehouse leasing climbed 73 percent to P518 million on the back of continued ex pansion and improved occupancy.

The cold storage business delivered revenues of P89 million, an increase of 178 percent following the completion of its second facility. Commercial leasing revenues jumped 114 percent to P665 mil lion because of the increase in customer foot traffic.

“Year-on-year, we could see improve ments across our main business seg ments. Demand for industrial lots stayed solid, warehouse leasing remained re silient, while mall operations showed encouraging recovery,” ALLCH chief operating officer Patrick Avila said.

“We trust the business performance of our diversified portfolio to be sustained for the remainder of the year,” he said.

ALLHC signed an agreement with Flow Digital Infrastructure to start the

development of a data center in the country. Under the plan, the joint ven ture partners will develop a data center facility in a hyperscale campus designed to provide IT capacity of 36 megawatts. The initial rollout will be six megawatts, slated for completion by 2024.

“We see long-term strategic value in expanding ALLHC’s product offering and capabilities to meet the rapidlyexpanding needs of the digital econ omy. We view this joint venture as a cornerstone to ALLHC’s growth, and we believe this partnership with Flow will provide the distinct advantage for ALLHC to become the data center pro vider of choice for the global hyperscal ers and enterprises in the Philippines,” Avila said.

Rural electrification is a top gov ernment priority as it yields more op portunities for Filipinos and results in improved quality of life, greater ac cess to essential services and better infrastructure for rural development, according to the Department of En ergy.

The DOE reported last year that more than 1.6 million households had not access to electricity, including 500,000 in the Visayas.

“In this day and age, it’s hard to believe that there are still Filipino communities in off-grid areas with no stable source of electricity. Our presence in these underserved areas is helping the government and the DOE in reaching 100-percent elec trification in all households, thus im proving the well-being and quality of lives of thousands of households and not to mention providing support to hundreds of MSMEs through the pro vision of power,” said Orillaza.

By Darwin G. Amojelar

THE Department of Public Works and Highways said over the weekend it ex pects to complete the construction of the P46.8-billion Davao City Bypass by 2027.

The bypass road, with a total length of 45.5 kilometers, was divided into six packages to optimize the construc tion schedule.

DPWH senior undersecretary Emil Sadain said an expert tunneling team from Japan, together with Filipino en gineers and skilled workers, was expe diting civil works on the ongoing con tract package 1.

The project covers the construc

tion of a twin-tube 10-meter-diame ter mountain road tunnel, the longest in the Philippines, and an important component of the 45.5-kilometer Davao City Bypass Construction Project.

It is among the priority large-scale infrastructure project started during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte, which President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. agreed to con tinue as planned.

“I am thrilled to see this project come to fruition, and really amazed to the tunneling technologies and innova tions using state-of-the-art equipment now applied here in the Philippines,” Public Works Secretary Manuel Bono an said.

A UNITED Nations body that champions women’s rights recognized First Philip pine Holdings Corp. of the Lopez Group for upholding women’s equality and em powerment.

FPH earned the recognition from UN Women when the organization concluded late in October the national or Philippine phase of the 2022 Asia-Pacific Women Empowerment Principles Awards.

It is an annual event in Asia that UN Women holds as a way of recognizing leaders and business organizations that

promote gender inclusivity and women empowerment.

UN Women, the UN organization dedi cated to gender equality and the empow erment of women, adjudged FPH second runner-up under the Gender Responsive Marketplace category of the WEP Awards for the company’s ratification and imple mentation early this year of social safe guards policies.

The FPH social safeguard policies inte grate into the value chain the conglomer ate’s recognition of gender equality and

diversity, on top of human rights, rights of indigenous people, recognition of IP cultural heritage and FPH commitment to protect the environment and manage its assets in a responsible manner.

The integration of the safeguard poli cies encompasses FPH’s partners and host communities.

Aside from ratifying the social safe guard policies, FPH chairman and chief executive Federico Lopez joined a global movement of top corporate executives who signed the “CEO Statement of Sup

port for the Women’s Empowerment Principles.”

“Solving the pressing issues of planet and society requires the collaborative ef forts of all stakeholders. Guided by the [WEPs], we commit to provide a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment for our employees and co-creators [suppliers, contractors], respect the rights of our host communities, deliver the best products and services to our customers and satisfy the expectations of our investors,” Lopez said.

The project is also expected to pro vide Filipino engineers and skilled workers with new technical know-how in tunneling.

The contract package 1, costing P13.230 billion, awarded to ShimizuUlticon-Takenaka joint venture, in volves the construction of a four-lane road with a length of 7.9 kilometers; three bridges, including the 200 meters Davao River Bridge; two underpasses and two overpasses; 12 box culverts (waterways); and four at-grade inter sections other than the mountain road tunnel.

Alena Mae S. Flores

ceremony at the Philippine Stock Exchange on Oct. 28. Attending the ceremony are (by row, from left) Globe vice president for financial business advisory Walter Ricarte and PSE issuer regulation division head Marigel Garcia; Globe chief compliance officer and senior vice president for law and compliance Marisalve Co, Globe chief finance officer, treasurer and chief risk officer Rizza Maniego-Eala, PSE chief operating officer

Roel Refran and PSE general counsel Veronica Del Rosario; BPI Capital Corp. president Rhoda Huang, Globe vice president for treasury Bernice Olives, PSE finance division head Roberto Jose Jimenez and PSE technology division head Philip Driz.

Yulo starts bid for multiple titles at FIG world tourney

By Randy Caluag

PHILIPPINE gymnastics’ wonder Carlos Yulo hopes to stamp his class and redeem himself at the same time as he goes to work at the start of the 51st FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Liverpool, England on Monday.

Yulo is looking for a back-to-back gold medal finish in the vault, which he topped last year in the World Championship held in Kitakyushu, Japan.

He will also try to finally nail the big one in his pet event, the floor exercise where he finished fifth.

A video of his practice on Saturday (Manila

in WTA rankings

By Peter Atencio

ALEX Eala boosted her rankings at the end of her campaign on Saturday in the W80 Poitiers held at the Comite Departemen tal De Tennis De La Vi enne in France.

The 17-year old Eala, who was seeking her firstever finals appearance in an ITF W80 level event, moved up to 213 in the live Women’s Tennis Association standings after losing to 28-year-old Ysaline Bonaven ture of Belgium again.

In their second encounter in two weeks, Eala fell in a 1-6, 6-3, 3-6 loss to Bonaventure in the semifinals.

But Eala’s semis stint allowed her to gain more points and move up from world no. 245 two weeks ago, to 224 early this week, and leapfrog further to 213 at the end of her clash with Bonaventure.

Bonaventure and Eala took an hour and 47 minutes to finish their encounter.

Eala won the second with an ace and seven of 11 first serve points won.

But Bonaventure eventually took the ninth game of the third after the Filipina rallied from 30-40 down, and forced a deuce.

The Belgian won the next two game points, broke Eala’s serve to win the third set, and moved past the semis.

Petra Marchinko eventually emerged as Bonaventure’s finals opponent after turning back Stefanie Lucrezia of Italy, 6-3, 6-1.

Last week, Eala had a showdown with Bo naventure, in the second round of the W60 Hamburg in Germany, and won 6-4, 6-0, over the Filipina.

Bonaventure made it to the finals to finish runner-up to Rebeka Masarova of Spain.

time), showed him doing a perfect landing on the floor after a flawless execution of a difficult technique.

His last year’s silver-medal finish in the paral lel bar could also be translated to gold this time with ample preparation and early acclimatization in France, where the weather condition is the

same as in England.

Yulo will compete for final slots in all six appara tus and the individual all-around event. There are 24 berths allotted for individual all-around finals and eight spots in each apparatus.

Gold-medal round is set on Nov. 4 for the individual all-around, while the apparatus finals take place on Nov. 5 and 6.

A native of Manila, Yulo qualified to the worlds fol lowing a silver-medal finish in the men’s individual all-around at the ninth Senior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships last June in Doha, Qatar.

He won the world championships’ gold medals in floor exercise in Stuttgart 2019 and the vault in Kita kyushu 2022.

Skateboard

PH star Didal injured in Brazil meet

FILIPINA skateboard sensation Mar gielyn Didal sustained an injury, while competing in the prestigious Red Bull Skate at the Florianapolis, Brazil.

The 2018 Asian Games gold medal ist was on her third multi-country joust following trips to Barcelona, Spain and Los Angeles, California when she dislo cated and fractured her left ankle.

“I know it’s part of the game, but also you have to listen and feel your body and learn to have a break or rest,” Didal said in a social media post.

Three days after the incident, she un derwent surgery but she has to stay one more week in the hospital before she can be allowed to leave for the Philippines.

“I’ll be out for a bit, but I’ll be back soon,” added Didal, who is aiming to qualify for the skateboarding street cat egory event of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.

The skateboarding competition in Paris will take place over four days at the La Concorde, with the street events scheduled on July 27 and 28.

Didal, who won two gold medals in the 2019 SEA Games hosted by the Philippines, will try to seal an Olympic slot when she competes in various com petitions like the World Championship, Olympic Qualifying Series, Pro Tour and 5-Star and the 3-Star events classi fied by the International Olympic Com mittee.

The qualifying season will start in January, 2023.

EVERYTHING is all set for the staging of the grandest 18th Chairman’s Cup tournament as the Forest Hills Golf and Country Club, a top golf destination East of Manila, celebrates its anniversary of unparalleled service to its members and guests for the last 25 years.

Just imagine this -- walking away with ei ther a Chery Tigo car, golf set, GPS Tracker or P25,000 cold cash when one hits the desig nated ace holes in the four-day event support ed by Escala Tagaytay, Cherrylume/Mileage Asia, Megaforce Security, and EVA Airways.

These and some other cool prizes will be

Huge

A FASCINATING adventure in what has long been considered as the coun try’s best island and last frontier awaits a merry mix of endurance racers from all over at the IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Princesa firing off on Nov. 13.

This marks the first time that Pala wan’s capital city, with probably the most pristine national environment, is staging the premier tri-sport with the hosts pulling out all the stops to guarantee a smooth and successful conduct of the event capping the or ganizing IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc.’s series of IM and 5150 races in the season about to end.

The IM 70.3 Puerto Princesa also serves as part of IRONMAN’s expan sion in Asia with the city expressing its desire to extend its hosting of the blue-ribbon endurance racing to next year and beyond.

“We are excited to grow our portfo lio of races in Asia. We are always on the lookout to create new race experi ences that allow our athletes to com pete in unique destinations, while pursuing their best performance,” said Jeff Edwards, managing director

at stake in the grand raffle, says club chair man Atty. Ferdinand Santos, who with general manager Raymond Bunquin and his staff, are making sure that the Chairman’s Cup would be full of fun and camaraderie as it has been.

The tournament will run from November 10 to 13, with members (Stableford format) and guests and sponsors (System 36) playing the Nicklaus course. The first three days (Thurs day to Saturday) are sequential tee time while it will be double barrel on Sunday.

Gold sponsors are Golforce Inc. and Hon. Michael John Duavit while Silver sponsors are

ANC/Suzuki, Ladies Circle, Peerless Products and Metro Rail Transit Dev. Co.

Agrexplore, Aqua Haus, Bryan Isaiah Trad ing and Construction, Hydro Tech Irrigation, Interconnect Systems, Jasmig Construction, Kuysen, Line Craft Builders, Asian Eye In stitute, Ayala Land Premier, Beverly Place, CJH Golf Club, Eatwell Supermarket, Edge Pro Trading, Humans Fit, Luisita Golf, Manila Southwoods, Pascual Consumer Healthcare, Pradera Verde Golf, Sherwood Hills, Splen dido Taal, The Manor at CJH and Wordtext Systems are bronze backers.

of Asia for the IRON MAN Group.

Close to 1,300 entries have so far confirmed their par ticipation in the up coming event, including 891 who are all geared up for a fierce battle in the overall individual and in various agegroup divisions.

Also on tap is the relay event with 162 entries listed in the relay mixed and 135 and 93 in the relay women’s and men’s categories, respectively.

“With a most naturally beauti ful and bio-diverse city in a forest in the country, Puerto Princesa is the best place for you – IRONMAN triathletes – from all over the world to swim, bike and run,” said Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron.

“You can be in your best element here. You will be competing with yourself and others, testing stamina, in an environment that can invigorate the human spirit and inspire you to cross that finish line,” he added.

The event has so far drawn triath letes from 26 nations, including 15

from the US, 12 from Singapore, 11 from Guam and 10 from Ja pan with the local bid ders also coming into the grueling 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1k run in top form, including those who vied in the recent Subic 5150.

Listup is ongoing. For details, visit www.ironman.com/im703-puertoprincesa, puertoprincesa70.3@iron man.com, or www.ironman.com for brand and global event series.

Puerto Princesa’s hosting of the event, backed by Active, Athletic Brewing Co., Breitling, Fulgaz, Ga torade, Hoka Fly Human Fly, Hyper ice, Qatar Airways, ROKA, Santini, Vinfast, Wahoo, is also seen to boost domestic and international tourism with the city offering beach, nature, adventure, food and cultural history.

Puerto Princesa is offering the best of both city and nature. Home to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, one the “new” seven wonders of nature and a UNESCO World Heritage site that contains a

full “mountain-to-sea” ecosystem, the highly urbanized city also sits be side one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines, making it a premier tour ist and ecological destination – and a great place for triathlon racing.

The 1.9km (1.2-mile) swim course is set at the Puerto Princesa Bay Walk Park with the field next tackling a challenging 90km (56-mile) threeloop ride from the southern part of Puerto Princesa to the Iwahig Bridge. The closing 21.1km (13.1-mile) run will be held along the bay to the city center all the way to the finish line at the Ramon Mitra Jr. Sports Complex.

Other supporters are Always Ad vancing, Compressport, Ekoi, Outside, Sportograf.com, along with event part ners Alaska, Lightwater, Prudential Guarantee, Rudy Project, Santé, One Sport, Cignal and The Philippine Star, while the event’s official hotels are Al vea Puerto Princesa, Costa Palawan Resort, Fersal Hotel, Go Hotels, Ho tel Centro, HUE Hotel and Resorts, Jeamco Royal Hotel, Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa and Sunlight Hotel

Riera U. Mallari, Editor

Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor

The Philippines’ Carlos Yulo practices his moves at the pommel horse on the eve of the 51st FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Liverpool, England

Margielyn Didal’s fractured ankle (Didal FB)

Alex Eala

FEU Tams frustrate UE Warriors for 3rd win

FAR Eastern University shrugged off a slow start with a huge second half to beat Uni versity of the East, 75-68, in the UAAP Season 85 men’s basket ball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Sunday af ternoon.

The Red Warriors raced to a 12-0 start and led by as much as 15 in the first half, but the Tamaraws uncorked a 21-9 third frame to enter the fourth ahead, 55-51.

Then L-jay Gonzales, Bry an Sajonia, and Patrick Sleat opened the payoff period with 10 straight points to give FEU a commanding 65-51 lead with 6:58 to go.

But UE came back through the efforts of Gani Stevens and Nikko Paranada for a 12-2 blast to pull them within four, 63-67, with 2:18 left.

Patrick Tchuente answered for the Tamaraws though with backto-back baskets punctuated with a jam at the 1:27 mark to fend off the Red Warriors.

“My players stuck to the game plan. Nagka-problema lang in the start but our zone helped us, but it was our team defense that really gave us that win,” said FEU coach Olsen Racela.

The Tamaraws collected their third straight win after a horren dous 0-5 start to improve to 3-5, tying the skidding Red War riors, who absorbed their third straight loss, at sixth.

Xyrus Torres waxed hot from deep with six conversions to lead the Tamaraws with 22 points to go with five steals, while Gon zales had 14 points, eight as sists, and seven rebounds.

Tchuente registered his fin est game of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

“Of course, we’re trying to ride in that momentum that we had in the first round,” added Racela.

Paranada tallied 21 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while Stevens added 13 points on a perfect 6-of-6 clip from the field with nine rebounds.

Astros whack Phillies, level World Series, 1-1

Hornets sting Warriors in OT; Thunder top Mavericks

LOS ANGELE—P.J Washington scored 31 points, including six in over time, as the Charlotte Hornets beat reigning NBA champion Golden State 120-113 as Stephen Curry’s home town heroics didn’t pan out.

The Oklahoma City Thunder also won in overtime on Saturday, edg ing the Mavericks in Dallas 117-111.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 38 points, six re bounds and nine assists.

Dallas star Luka Doncic had a tri ple-double of 31 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, but the Mavs squan dered a 16-point lead in the final five minutes of regulation.

It was also close in Utah, where three-point shots by Kelly Olynyk and Malik Beasley put the Jazz up 124-120 with 23 seconds remaining.

Dillon Brooks nailed a threepointer for Memphis with 15.6 seconds left, but the Grizzlies — playing without star Ja Morant — wouldn’t get another shot and Utah won 124-123.

WHEN Jenaila Rose Prulla lost to Marian Jade Capadocia in the 2019 Philippine Columbian Association Open finals, she was just a wideeyed, reed-thin 14-year-old newbie aspiring to make it big someday.

That day came Sunday.

Taller, bigger and more experi enced now, Prulla came roaring back with a vengeance and unseated the seven-time champion, 6-3, 7-6 (3), to complete what she had dream for three years in the 39th PCA Open Tennis Championships at its Plaza Dilao indoor shell court.

The 17-year-old San Jose del Monte, Bulacan native displayed incredible grit she matched with a newly armed prowess borne out

WASHINGTON—Houston

starting pitcher Framber Valdez struck out nine over 6 1/3 innings on Saturday, sparking the Astros over Philadelphia, 5-2, to pull level in the World Series.

The 28-year-old Dominican lefthander, a 17-game winner in the regular season, allowed only one run on four hits with three walks to frustrate Phillies batters.

As a result, Houston equalized at 1-1 in Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven championship fi nal, which shifts to Philadelphia for games three through five from Monday through Wednesday.

The Astros, playing in their fourth World Series in six seasons, seek their first title since 2017 while the Phillies, in the playoffs after an 11year absence, seek their first crown since 2008.

The Phillies became the first team in 20 years to rally from five runs down to win a World Series game in capturing the opener 6-5, ending the Astros’ unbeaten run in this year’s playoffs.

Houston leadoff hitter Jose Al tuve, batting 4-for-37 in this year’s

playoffs, went 3-for-4 at the plate.

“My confidence and timing were there tonight and hopefully I’ll keep going,” Altuve said. “I got a couple good pitches I could put a hit on and made some good ones.”

Valdez struggled in last year’s World Series against Atlanta, losing game one and giving up a grandslam homer in the first inning of game five, which Houston rallied to win.

But he was more than equal to the task in a crucial game, mystifying Phillies batters with masterful com mand of his pitches.

“He was great,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said of Valdez. “His sinker was good. His breaking ball, once he got tired, was excellent. He was tough.”

The Phillies went only 2-for-17 with runners on base.

Houston’s first three batters — Altuve, Jeremy Pena and Yordan

Alvarez — all doubled on only four total pitches from Phillies starter Zack Wheeler to provide the Astros a quick 2-0 lead.

“I was just trying to get my pitch and be on time, basically get a good pitch to hit and hit it hard,” said Altuve. “It’s always good with one swing of the bat to get the boys go ing.”

Alvarez took third base on Kyle Tucker’s fly out to centerfield and raced home on an error by Phillies shortstop Edmundo Sosa to give Houston a 3-0 lead after one inning.

Alex Bregman blasted a two-run homer off Wheeler with two out in the fifth inning to boost Houston’s lead to 5-0, the same edge the As tros had squandered the night be fore.

Bregman’s six career World Series homers are the most by any third baseman in MLB history.

The Phillies, 0-for-7 with run ners on base through five innings, broke through in the sixth when Kyle Schwarber walked and Rhys Hoskins singled. But Valdez struck out J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper grounded into a double play to end the threat. AFP

At Charlotte, Gordon Hayward scored 23 points and Kelly Oubre added 18 for the Hornets, who once again spoiled Warriors star Curry’s trip to the city where he played high school basketball and his father, Dell Curry, starred for the Hornets.

The Warriors haven’t won in Charlotte since February of 2019, and the Hornets kept that streak alive despite the absence of injured LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier.

Curry led the Warriors with 31 points and 11 rebounds. He missed a contested three-pointer at the end of regulation that would have given Golden State the win.

The Warriors, trailing 62-50 at half time, battled back to seize a four-point lead on Andrew Wiggins’ dunk with 62 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but baskets from Washington and Dennis Smith tied it at 107-107 with 23.1 seconds remaining.

Curry had the ball as the clock ticked down, but could barely get the shot up in the face of swarming defense by Smith.

“I got wrapped in the trying to play hero ball in a hometown buzz er-beater type situation,” Curry ad mitted.

In overtime, Jalen McDaniels turned the tide for the Hornets with a three-pointer that put them up 114111 with 2:01 remaining. Smith fol lowed with a driving layup as the Hornets pulled away.

- Pacers stun Nets -

In Brooklyn, the Nets’ early-sea son struggles continued with a 125116 loss to the

her devotion to getting fitter and stronger.

Never mind that the top-seeded, 27-year-old Capadocia fell to cramps in the second set tiebreaker, stood up and tried one last time to turn the tide in her favor but to no avail.

“First and foremost, I improved my fitness so I could have more power and I also had more confi dence and courage now compared to the last time when we played,” said Prulla.

“I didn’t feel scared because a lot of people inspired me,” she added.

For her feat, Prulla will become part of the club’s folklore as one of its champions while pocketing the top purse worth P100,000 courtesy

of Smart/PLDT, official ball Dun lop, Manila councilor Jong Isip, San Jose Salt, W. L. Food Products, Pala wan Pawnshop and Pagcor.

For Capadocia, she consoled her self with a P50,000 runner-up purse with hope of regaining her old place at the pedestal and getting another crack at a record eight champion ship.

But for now, it will be Prulla who earned the right to bask in glory and build a dynasty of her own.

After dropping the first set and trailing, 4-3, in the second, Capa docia fought back and even came a point away from claiming the set and forcing deciding third set where anything can happen.

Prulla, however, didn’t allow it.

In the tiebreaker, Capadocia was up, 3-1, but again, Prulla struck back and knotted it at 3-3.

The beginning of the end came when Capadocia’s forehand return went awry and hit the net that gave Prulla a 4-3 lead.

Worse, the two-time Southeast Asian Games bronze winner fell as her right leg started stiffening, re sulting to her being slapped with a warning first and eventually a point penalty for delay of match.

Capadocia tried to fight through it, but didn’t pack her shots with the same power as before and was just helpless against Prulla’s booming forehands.

Stockton helps power Converge past Blackwater

By Peter Atencio

ALEC Stockton took charge in the last five minutes, leading the Converge FiberXers to a 7771 win over the Blackwater Elite Bossing on Sunday in the 2022-2023 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo

The 24-year-old Stockton came up with a new career high of 15 points to go with eight rebounds in helping lift the FiberXers to their fifth tri

umph in seven matches.

The 6’1” Stockton shot six points and hauled down six boards as he did a lot of the heavy lifting in the final stretches of the fourth peri od for the FiberXers, who stretched their win ning run to four and climbed to third place in the team standings.

The FiberXers gained control of the boards in the last period with 22 rebounds to the Bossings’ 13.

Stockton’s driving layup off Maverick Ah anmisi’s rebound allowed Converge to force the game’s final tie, 68-all, in the remaining 4:59, touching off a pivotal 9-0 blast.

RK Ilagan’s layup, followed by Stock ton’s layup off a turnover in the 3:47 mark sent Converge further ahead, 72-68, and

into their biggest edge, 77-68, with 58 ticks remaining.

Coach Aldin Ayo said the FiberXers took time to get their pace back because the squad has not yet recovered from their big win over the Talk N Text Tropang Giga, 130-117, last Friday.

“We were not able to quickly get our pace back. We relied on our halfcourt execution and defended pretty well on the last stretch,” said Ayo.

Quincy Miller banged in 22 points and had 19 rebounds for Converge, while Abu Tratter contributed 12.

Stockton outdid himself from his previous career-high of 13 points when Converge lost to Rain or Shine in its opening game, 77-79.

Ryan Pressly of the Houston Astros reacts after the final out as the Astros defeat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2, to win Game 2 of the 2022 World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. AFP

Kelly Oubre

More Pinoy titles become available to audiences in Africa and French territories

ABS-CBN, the Philippines’ leading content provider, continues to bring its prime drama series to the international market with its hit series La Vida Lena and The Blood Sisters airing in Africa and French territories, respectively.

The revenge-drama series La Vida Lena is the latest Englishdubbed offering from ABS-CBN – now airing in Africa’s SubSaharan countries, including South Africa, Kenya, and Zambia via the StarTimes channel.

The show follows the story of Magda/Lena, a scarred woman seeking vengeance against a prominent business clan after taking everything away from her, including her life’s work and her dearest family.

Meanwhile, also making its way to France’s overseas territories is ABS-CBN’s drama series The Blood Sisters, with its Frenchdubbed version now airing in New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Polynesia, and Reunion Island on France TV, the national channel in France.

The series revolves around the story of triplets, who uneventfully separated at birth due to a complicated affair – leaving the three to live drastically different lives and unaware of their true identities. Years later, the lost siblings cross paths in a series of mishaps and revelations as they are left to deal with their struggles, one sister at a time.

Apart from these recent feats, ABS-CBN continues making waves in global content distribution by bringing worldclass Filipino content of all genres to foreign audiences in over 50 territories worldwide – selling over 50,000 hours of content, with most recently, inking a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to air its lifestyle shows in different Asian countries.

Other ABS-CBN programs that have aired in different parts of the world include FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, Sandugo, and in Africa; the 2015 remake of Pangako Sa’Yo in Latin America; and Huwag Kang Mangamba in Myanmar.

Meanwhile, its series Hanggang Saan The Good Son had its own drama adaptations in Turkey.

Living up to this recognition, ABS-CBN International Distribution commits to adding to its line-up of high-caliber programs and movies with casts and storylines that appeal to various cultures.

BRITISH pop band The Vamps and its highly anticipated Greatest Hits Tour will be making their way to Asia in February 2023. The band is set to perform in six cities including Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul, and Manila.

The pop band is bringing its Greatest Hits Tour to the Mall of Asia Arena on February 17,

concert promoter Live Nation Philippines announced last week.

The Vamps, a.k.a. Brad Simpson, Connor Ball, Tristan Evans, and James McVey, had never really had the chance to be bored before 2020 struck. Since the band’s platinum-selling debut album, Meet The Vamps , crashed into the UK

charts at number 2 in 2014, the band has been holding onto a dream-like rush of albums (four in total, including 2017’s charttopping “Night & Day” (Night Edition), featuring the Matoma-assisted global smash “All Night,” singles (eight top 40 hits including five top 10s), and world tours (they’re the first band

to headline London’s O2 Arena five years in a row). With the tour for 2018’s guest-heavy, Top 3 hit “Night & Day” (Day Edition) all done, the band returned from a short break when the pandemic struck just as the band was crafting new album, Cherry Blossom, that title a reflection of the theme of rebirth that runs throughout.

Intense drama unravels in third installment of ‘Mano Po Legacy’ series

The latest installment follows the contentious story of the four Chua sisters as they wrestle with wealth, power, and opportunities that lie ahead of them. Each of the sisters grapples with their dilemmas and difficulties involving their personal lives.

Mano Po Legacy: The Flower Sisters boasts of an all-star and powerhouse cast, top-billed by Aiko Melendez as Lily, Thea Tolentino as Dahlia, Angel Guardian as Iris, and Beauty Gonzalez as Violet.

Aiko is grateful for the opportunity given to her by GMA and Regal, “Itong pagbabalik ko po sa show business ay blessing po, dahil bukod sa makakatrabaho ko si Beauty na dati’y magkatapat ang aming show, nagkaroon ako ng katapat bilang kaibigan. Worth it ang lahat after seing the trailer of Mano Po 3. I don’t have any regrets na tinanggap ko itong project.” She added, “Hindi lang namin ito

po nakita na ang bait ko rito, ‘di ako sanay. Nahirapan po ako sa light scenes kasi mas at home po ako ‘pag nagsusungit ako. Noong umpisa po, medyo kinakapa ko pa but with the help of the directors po at tuwing sinasabi nila sa akin na ‘Thea mukha kang mataray dito, let’s tame it down.’ Nagpapasalamat po talaga ako na gina-guide nila ako until naging komportable na ako sa character ko.”

Angel is equally proud to be part of this big project, “Una sa lahat, I feel so blessed and grateful dahil ito po ‘yung first serye ko and I’m one of the main cast members na po so sobrang swerte ko na nakatrabaho ko sila. Alam naman po natin na napakagaling po nilang mga aktres. Excited akong mas matuto pa kasi kahit na kabado ako sa binigay sa aking role, pinagkatiwalaan nila akong gawin ito. Kaya excited ako kasi I know na there’s room to grow.”

Joining them are Paul Salas as Young Leopoldo, the patriarch of the Chua family who established his business empire from humble beginnings, Mikee Quintos as Carmen Chua, Leopoldo’s first wife who helped him achieve success and prominence in society, Rafael Rosell as Julian, Violet’s abusive husband who’s driven by his father’s political ambition and greed, Marcus Madrigal as Redmond the submissive husband of Lily who tries to pacify his wife’s dominance over their family, Isabel Rivas as Aurora, the second wife of Leopoldo, Bodjie Pascua as Felino, the close friend of Leopoldo, Johnny Revilla as Miguel, father of Violet’s husband, Tanya Garcia as Marilou, the mother of Iris, Sue Prado as Belinda, the mother of Dahlia, Maila Gumila as Divina, the sister of Leopoldo, Lloyd Samartino as Senior Leopoldo, Will Ashley as Andrew, the obedient, youngest son of Lily who suffers in silence because of his mother’s high expectations of him, Miggs Cuaderno as Petersen, the rebellious, eldest son of Lily who she considers her problem as Kenneth, the suitor of Iris who is from the prominent Chan Carlo San Juan as Elvin, Dahlia’s loyal and supportive boyfriend, as Kayla, the stubborn daughter who has a rough relationship with her stepmother, Violet, Kimson as Steven, the boyfriend of Kayla, as Carlos, the only Yvette Sanchez

Althea Ablan as Sophia Senoron as Larkin Castor as Young as Young Divina, as Benjo, boyfriend of AZ Martinez as Jessica, Gertrud Hahn as Coreen, bestfriend of Dahlia.

Mano Po Legacy: The Flower is under the helm of directors Ian Loreños, Nick Olanka, and Noreen Capili as Creative Manager, together with Creative Head and Head Writer Jose Javier

Mano Po Legacy: The Flower Sisters airs tonight at 9:35 after Start-Up PH on GMA Telebabad.

IAN Veneracion describes his one good day as an idle one while sipping his coffee, with good music in the background. The temperature not too hot or humid, not that cold either – ust the right amount of coolness.

‘Preferably outdoors, looking at the horizon, being inspired by the creation in front of me, with my canvas, and interpreting or capturing it through my painting. That is not one good day for me, that is perfect,” he says.

“There was a time in my life wherein all I do was add and acquire. Seemingly in a hurry, trying to prove that I am good in my roles personally or in my career. When I was in my mid-thirties, that it the time when I started subtracting. I am grateful for my blessing specifically in terms of my career and the domestic part of my life. Career wise, kung kailan ako mas nag-mature saka ang gaganda ng projects. My marriage is 25 years old. All my kids are all grown up. The two eldest are about to finish their courses

and the youngest is in high school. And I am so gung ho about this action series of mine, One Good Day which will be shown in Amazon Prime Video,” he carries on.

One Good Day gives us the story of Dale Sta. Maria, a strong-willed mobster who left the organization he works for after discovering his medical affliction. However, with the death of his loved ones, he is drawn out of retirement and is forced to go on a final mission before calling it a day.

“This series will surprise our Filipino viewers in terms of quality,” Ian declares. “This is the kind of action series that I want this generation to see. With the advent and availability of current technologies; the level of image and sound quality, non-linear storytelling, creative and fast-paced

fight scenes, that of which, would certainly make us proud to showcase the Filipino talent.”

On being Dale, the name of his character in the series, Ian admits that giving life to such character always gets his attention, “He is not the usual man who is out there to seek blood or has a vendetta that he wants to execute. He is a conflicted man. As an actor, the role requires me to present his yin and yang. That struggle between order and chaos, serenity and smoldering emotions, that wanting of a simple life but for him to achieve it, he must be embrace a violent path.”

Adding a layer of gloss and sophistication to the heartpounding and high-octane

action series is their location, the province of Iloilo.

“Iloilo is beautiful cinematically speaking. There are farmlands, urban areas and ancestral

making our series more exciting,” the actor says.

The captain of the One Good Day ship is action director Lester Pimentel Ong who considers himself fortunate to be doing the project with Ian.

“He is not only a brilliant actor, but also a martial artist and an athlete. He is a true professional who has given me his trust and talent. You know, it gives me great pride to be creating this kind of action series. I feel this is the push needed to revive the action genre that is sorely missed by the viewing public and it is crucial to the growth of the industry,” the director says.

The star-studded cast of One includes Rabiya Mateo, Andrea Torres, Alex Sandoval, Aljur Abrenica, Kyzer Catillo, Justin Cuyugan, Nicole Cordoves, Pepe Herrera, Robert Seña, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, and Joel Torre. One Good Day streams on Amazon Prime

Nickie Wang, Editor

Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant

THE third installment of GMA Network and Regal Entertainment’s Mano Po Legacy hits primetime tonight with drama The Flower Sisters.

Ian Veneracion

Erich Gonzales in ‘La Vida Lena’

From left: Angel Guardian, Beauty Gonzalez, Aiko Melendez, and Thea Tolentino in the new ‘Mano Po Legacy: The Flower Sisters’

Exploring a more grounded side to Batangas

By Patricia Taculao

INTHE few instances that I visit or pass by Batangas, I often see various attractions that highlight the province’s charm. Most tourists often travel to Batangas to enjoy its resorts and beaches, taste the famous Batangas Lomi, or stroll around amusement parks, gardens, and more.

Yet there’s a side to Batangas that revolves around its landlocked areas. Among the adventure destinations fam ilies can visit in the province, Batangas Lakelands aspires to provide everything to appeal to the public’s active lifestyles.

Upon entering the area, guests can al ready see the sprawling 20 hectares of green landscape that awaits, filled with several activities that cater to Filipinos of all ages. The most prominent struc ture in the area is the BLAZE (Batangas Lakelands Awesome Zipline Experi ence), located in the middle of the life style park.

There are many ways to get around Batan gas Lakelands. The first way is by walking and relishing the fresh air and space. Anoth er is through the Batangas Lakelands Trans port Bus (BLTB). Our group tried both, and it was worth the while.

Aboard the BLTB, we went to a hill top overlooking Batangas Lakelands

and some parts of the area. The sight was breathtaking and Instagrammable. The lifestyle park is also abundant in plants, trees, and shrubbery to emphasize the beauty of nature. Meanwhile, we trekked through a short walking trail prolific with tree species, some of them endemic.

Our next goal was to experience Batangas Lakelands’ extreme activi ties at the prominent tower. Aside from ziplining, guests can also try rappel ling and wall climbing. Looking at the zipline from the ground, it seemed like it was an easy ride, but once you’re at the top, either adrenaline or fear will kick in. Nonetheless, the trained and certified guides ensure the guests are safe, and those who did try the BLAZE describe it as an exhilarating experience.

In the meantime, the rappelling and wall climbing activities were enjoyable

and worth repeating.

While there, we didn’t pass up on the chance to try the outdoor activities at Batangas Lakelands. We eagerly went to the airsoft tent, where a trained spe cialist taught us how to shoot a pistol and rifle. Beside it was an archery setup where guests could shoot a few arrows at the prepared target. At the time, we channeled our inner Cardo Dalisay from FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games fran chise.

Other guests also tried the leisure bik ing experience that offers different bike models to accommodate their prefer ences and skills.

Thanks to all those outdoor activities, we felt tired but fulfilled. Fortunately, Batangas Lakelands has a tent where guests can lounge or rest. Complet

ing the area are several shops that offer food, refreshments, and some souvenirs.

Just beside it is an area where kids can take a refreshing dip in inflatable pools and play games like futsal, ring toss, magnetic fishing, and more. The life style park plans to add more attractions, like kalesa rides and basket boating, to its list of attractions.

Batangas Lakelands offers something for everyone in the family while encour aging them to become active and enjoy nature and their company.

HIGHLIGHT BATANGAS

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Aside from the various activities in their area, Batangas Lakelands also aims to highlight the province’s beauty and culture through the Christmas Lights of Batangas, launched last 2021.

Batangas Lakelands will adorn some

of its sights with colorful lights to com memorate the holiday season. Other structures, like churches, will also par ticipate in the festival.

Following its success from the previ ous year, Batangas Lakelands takes the event further with a kick-off concert, Alab Ng Pasko, on November 19. The show will treat guests with performanc es from local talents who are well-versed in singing and dancing. Award-winning Filipino singer-songwriter Yeng Con stantino will headline the standing out door concert.

The Christmas Lights of Batangas is an annual festival organized by Batangas Lakelands and Limapark Hotel. It will run from November 19 to January 8.

Visit www.batangaslakelands.ph for more information.

A fulfilling Davao weekend

THE last time I visited Davao was when Marco Polo Davao had a grand celebration of its 20th anniversary in 2018. The country’s “who’s who” were there in full force and it was quite a memorable evening for me as I had the pleasure of hobnobbing with several government officials including then President Rodrigo Duterte. Sadly, the hotel had to close down mid-year of 2020, a victim of the nasty virus which wreaked havoc on our tourism industry.

This time, I was in the city as part of the delegation from the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) that conducted its annual consulta tive meeting with tourism stakehold ers in Mindanao. Most of us, Board of Trustees, joined the event to see how we could help our colleagues from that area get back on their feet again, after the devastation on our Industry caused by the pandemic.

We were all billeted at the conve niently located 202-room Park Inn by Radisson Davao which is attached by a bridgeway to the gigantic SM Mall, one reason why its occupancy is always high. We had a chance to have a leisurely chat with the hotel’s General Manager Sven Toune, a Belgian national who speaks fluent Tagalog and Bisaya, and being mar ried to a Cebuana. He shared with us the hotel’s development plans. In fact, a renovation on one part of the hotel was ongoing, to be able to of fer more products and services to its loyal clients.

We also met the hotel’s Director of Sales Liza Gamo, a bubbly livewire who also speaks Bisaya, who is a perfect fit for her job, as she is natu ral magnet for interesting chit-chats. I found out that local residents and foreign guests rave over the hotel’s signature dishes – the Muscovado Sriracha Wings, the Chef’s Mixed

Grill Platter, and the classic Blue Mar lin steak, grilled Filipino style. I prom ised Liza I, definitely, will find a way to return and sample all these delectable culinary masterpieces. Food is always a good reason to visit any place.

The Consultative Meeting, ably pre sided over by TCP President Jojo Cle mente, was attended by 65 tourism professionals from all over Mindanao. We were lucky to have been joined by Department of Tourism (DOT) Region XI Director Tanya Rabat-Tan. She helped us shed light on the participants on matters involving government’s as sistance to whatever challenges they may be facing as a result of the pan demic. Clemente made sure that all the issues, concerns, and recommendations, big and small, brought forward by the attendees were all handled, giving them the assurance that the TCP can always be depended upon to help its members and the tourism industry in general.

DOT Regional Directors Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez of Region IX and Nelia Arina of Region XIII sent in their videotaped messages and presentations for the attendees. It was also our honor

and pleasure to have been joined by a tour ism industry icon of Davao, Mary Ann “Baby” Montemayor, mother of newly appointed Tourism Promotions Board COO Marga Nograles She is now run ning and taking over from her daughter the projects and programs of Kaayo, a fashion and home accessories business that highlights the work of Indigenous Peoples (IPs). This definitely worthy en deavor promotes the products of the dif ferent tribes in Mindanao and makes sure that future generations will continue to ap preciate the tradition, heritage, and culture of The Promised Land that is Mindanao.

Another VIP who joined our Meeting was PAL Senior Assistant Vice-Presi dent Harry Inoferio, a true-blue Ce buano like me, who made a very special announcement, much to the delight of the audience. Starting December 9 this year, the airline will reintroduce direct flights between Cebu City and Bang kok, which means that passengers from Mindanao can now travel on PAL to and from Bangkok, with convenient connec tions in Cebu City.

PAL will operate the 199-seater Air bus A321ceo aircraft twice weekly (ev

The conveniently located Park Inn by Radisson Davao ery Monday and Friday) on this route, with well-timed morning departures from Cebu City and early afternoon departures from Bangkok. This is now the second Asian city served by the airline directly from Cebu City. PAL also flies to Tokyo’s Narita air port directly from Cebu.

With everything that took place during our Davao visit, I have to say it was worth the hassle of having to wake up at midnight just to catch our early morning flight and going through the arrival courtesies halfawake, half-asleep. True to form, we at TCP will always find the energy to do what needs to be done to keep our Tourism Industry strong and vibrant.

had a great time in Davao, a ful

weekend, indeed.

Leading blended Scotch whisky relaunches pop-up bar concept in BGC

AFTER a successful four-month run on Bonifacio High Street, Chivas Re gal announces that it is relaunching its pop-up bar concept in Manila. The brand will pop up once again at Up town Parade.

Chivas Brand Manager Mary Jane Wong said: “We want to continuously engage with our consumers while pro viding a unique and memorable brand experience every time, and we are just getting started! Watch out for more exciting news from Chivas Regal.”

Launched last week with a lineup of DJs, live shirt printing, cocktail making, and freshly kegged highballs on tap. The bar, located downstairs, offers a specially curated list of re freshing whisky cocktails whilst the upstairs area houses a selfie-ready lounge area complete with its very own throne.

Chivas Brand Ambassador Owen Roberts said: “After the success of our first pop-up we couldn’t be more excited to be back and in a great new location. We’re bringing the hype to Uptown and everyone’s invited! Get down and explore your new favorite spot in BGC.”

Visitors to the Chivas pop-up can register via an app to redeem a free whisky highball and complete various tasks with a chance to win exclusive Chivas merch. The Chivas pop-up bar will be available to serve patrons until January 2023.

A ‘family picture’ with some of those who attended this year’s TCP Regional Consultative Meeting in Davao

Agbang

Batangas

of specially curated whisky cocktails at Chivas Regal’s pop-