Manila Standard - 2022 November 10 - Thursday

Bantag not eligible for WPP

Remulla cites 2 grounds: being law enforcer and tagged as mastermind

By Joyce Pañares, Rey E. Requejo, Willie Casas, and Macon Ramos-Araneta

“Law

Senators seek hike in public health budget

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATORS sought to raise allocations for public health emergencies and the al lowances of health and non-health work ers on Wednesday during the chamber’s deliberation for the P5.268-trillion na tional budget next year.

Senate Minority Leader Koko Pi mentel sought to increase to P52 billion the allowances for the two sectors from P18.9 billion in the proposed budget.

But Pimentel questioned why these items were in the “unprogrammed funds” portion of the national budget, “considering this is an important allo cation. For the past years, these funds have been unused.”

He sounded the alarm that if these P34 billion in funds will not be used, they could potentially become “park ing funds.”

Senate Finance Committee Chair man Sonny Angara explained they were in the “unprogrammed funds” since these allocations are dependent

THE Philippine Statistics Authority said Wednesday it revised the second quarter gross domestic product growth rate upward to 7.5 percent from the pre liminary estimate of 7.4 percent.

It said the major contributors to the revision were construction, whose growth was adjusted from 19.0 percent to 19.5 percent; real estate and owner ship of dwellings, from 3.9 percent to 4.4 percent; and manufacturing, from 2.1 percent to 2.2 percent.

The PSA maintained the secondquarter gross national income growth rate at 9.3 percent.

The agency released the revised fig ures ahead of the announcement of the third-quarter GDP figures on Thursday.

The PSA also reported that the ag riculture sector grew 1.8-percent yearon-year in the third quarter to end two quarters of contraction, on higher crops, livestock, and poultry production.

Remulla earlier said the department saw no evidence that anyone higher than Bantag was responsible for the Oct. 3 murder of radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa.

“I was hoping I could point to other groups -- the drug lords and not Bantag -- but these facts came out,” he said. Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Mar cos Jr. said authorities have “practically”

176 unclaimed bodies of Bilibid inmates up for autopsy at PGH

THE Department of Justice on Wednes day revealed that 120 out of the 176 un claimed cadavers of persons deprived of liberty or prisoners will be trans ferred to the Philippine General Hospi tal (PGH) for autopsy, amid the deaths related to the killing of broadcast jour nalist Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa.

This will determine whether they died of natural causes or were sum marily executed while serving their prison terms inside the New Bili bid Prisons, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.

A supposed middleman in the Octo ber 3 murder of Mabasa, Cristito “Jun Villamor” Palaña, was suffocated with a plastic bag by fellow prisoners in Bilibid,

hours after self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial surrendered and identified him.

Interviewed during the 86th founding anniversary celebration of the National Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday, Remulla said PGH management and the DOJ will sign an agreement for the turnover of the 120 bodies for patholog ical examinations.

According to Remulla, well-known forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun will lead the autopsy.

The Justice Secretary explained that not all of the 176 unclaimed bodies would be turned over to PGH since the latter can only accommodate a maxi mum of 120 cadavers.

PBBM to push 5 key issues at 41st ASEAN Summits

“I think the Code of Conduct is medyo natutulog eh (a bit asleep). It is not re

ally moving forward. Maybe we can do it using that, the Code of Conduct that is being proposed.”

“We already have actually, the previ ous declaration which we can base it on.

President sees economy moving in right direction

By Vito Barcelo and Vince Lopez

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the economy is “moving in the right direction” as he welcomed the recent drop in the country’s unemployment rate -- the lowest since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a good sign. The economy is trying very hard to grow. We just have to be able to tolerate the shocks that are coming from abroad. But otherwise, the economy is mov ing in the right direction,” Mr. Marcos said.

The President also vowed to improve the quality of jobs to address underemployment while bolstering job oppor tunities in the country.

“Ever since we started with the economic team, even be fore I took office, we really concentrated on the creation of jobs,” he said.

“And that’s why it is having the effect now of bringing down our employment rate,” the President added.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the number of jobless Filipinos was at 2.5 million in Septem ber 2022, a 1.78 million decrease from the same period in the previous year.

According to PSA, the average unemployment rate in

of

Twenty-two

Powerball winner is $2 billion richer Facebook parent lays off 11k staff

He

JUSTICE Secretary Crispin Remulla on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of placing suspended prisons chief Gerald Bantag under the government’s witness protection program.

enforcement personnel are not qualified,” Remulla told Manila Stand ard in a text message.

The Justice chief added that anyone tagged as the alleged mastermind of a case cannot be considered a state witness.

Spouses important, says House Speaker

Speaker and Rep. Romualdez

Del Rosario Dominguez Tugade

Q2 growth rate revised upward to 7.5% from 7.4%

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will push for regional cooperation on five key issues, including maritime and food security, during the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits and Related Sum

mits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Before arriving in Phnom Penh, Mr. Marcos told the media aboard the Phil ippine Airlines flight that he is hoping to have “productive sessions” with other ASEAN leaders, as well the other dia

logue partners of the regional bloc. When asked how he intends to tackle the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea issue during the meetings, he said:

A WINNING Powerball lottery jackpot ticket was sold in the US state of Cali fornia that awarded its winner a record US$2.04 billion (about P118.35 billion) -the largest in the lottery’s history.

After the drawing was delayed for 10 hours starting Monday because

technical problems, the winning numbers were revealed: 10, 33, 41, 47, 56, with the Powerball number, 10, in Tuesday morning’s drawing.

tickets were sold in 16 states worth USD1 million each,

FACEBOOK owner Meta will lay off more than 11,000 of its staff in “the most difficult changes we’ve made in Meta’s history”, boss Mark Zucker berg said on Wednesday.

said the cuts represented 13 per cent of the social media titan’s work force and would affect its research lab focusing on the metaverse as well as

TOUCHDOWN CAMBODIA. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos are warmly wel comed by Cambodian officials upon their arrival at Phnom Penh Airport to attend the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related summits. En route to the meeting, the President answered questions from the media on board the flight (inset). Neth Pheaktra via Twitter and Ver Noveno

EXAM BEFORE THE EXAM. Police check the belongings of persons arriving near De La Salle University campus on Taft Avenue in Manila early Wednesday on the first day of the 2023 Bar Examinations. The southbound lane of the road from Quirino Avenue to Estrada Street was closed to traffic. Norman Cruz

House lauds ‘Paeng’ aid helpers

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House of Representatives on Wednesday expressed gratitude to its members, volunteers, and private entities that helped in its fund drive and relief operations for victims of

Severe Tropical Storm Paeng.

The expression was made in House Resolution (HR) 531 that the chamber adopted unanimously.

The measure was authored by Speak er Martin G. Romualdez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, Senior Ma jority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos lll, and

Marcos OKs DOE plan for offshore wind power tack

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ap proved on Wednesday the plan of the Department of Energy (DOE) to explore and develop the country’s offshore wind potential as a source of sustainable energy.

Before leaving for Cambodia to attend the ASEAN Summit, Mr. Marcos met with and tasked Energy Secretary Raph ael Lotilla and other energy officials to push through with the agency’s offshore wind energy production initiatives.

The President said the DOE should handle the regulatory functions to streamline coordination and simplify the approval process, as the agency pro posed the creation of an Offshore Wind Development and Investment Council.

“It should be the Department of En ergy who should be talking with the OSW developers, in consultation with the council, of course. It has to be led by the DOE,” Mr. Marcos said in a press release.

The council will be composed of vari ous government agencies and will serve as a one-stop shop for OSW developers.

The DOE reported to the President that there are 42 approved offshore wind contracts with an indicated ca pacity of 31,000 megawatts (MW).

Lotilla said there is a strong inter est from the private sector, especially from countries considered leaders in offshore wind technology such as Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom, in this project.

He also said the Philippines has the capacity to deploy 40 gigawatts of OSW electricity by 2050. He said the power that could be generated through OSW projects could be used to produce alter native fuels, such as green hydrogen.

“This is more than enough to cover the 500,000 MW projected peak de mand the country will require by 2040 based on DOE’s medium- to long-term power outlook,” he said.

Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre, and David Suarez of Quezon.

“In addition to the harsh impact of the severe tropical storm, victims are also dealing with contaminated potable wa ter sources, electricity supply cut, wa terborne and food-borne diseases, and basic supply shortage, all while griev ing for the loss of their homes, liveli

Bantag...

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solved the killing of Mabasa in 17 days, but added the investigation into the crime should continue.

Arriving in Cambodia for the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits, Mr. Marcos said the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation had done a good job on the case.

“By the way, I’d like to remind every body this case... was practically solved in 17 days. Okay? So, I think we can say that the investigating bodies have done a good job,” the President said.

“They’ll keep doing a good job until we come to the actual final, conclusion of this investigation,” he added.

Mabasa’s brother Roy, a journalist, urged Bantag to answer the allegations against him and to provide more infor mation on the case.

Roy said Bantag could even qualify for the government’s Witness Protec tion Program should he divulge more names related to the case.

The police and the NBI have filed mur der charges against Bantag and BuCor Deputy Security Officer Ricardo Zulueta before the Department of Justice.

They are also accused of killing an inmate, Cristito “Jun Villamor” Palaña, who allegedly acted as a middleman and recruited the gunman, Joel Esco rial, to kill Mabasa.

On Wednesday, Remulla said Bantag was furious about the video expose Ma basa posted, tagging the prisons chief as the “Cinderella Man” who owed nu merous vehicles and who was building a

hood, and loved ones,” the resolution said.

It noted that the House, through the initiative of the Speaker, immediately recognized the urgency for aid to be delivered to those affected by the storm and launched a fund drive and relief operations.

“The call for aid and assistance was promptly answered by members of the House of Representatives, officials, employees and staff from other nation al government agencies, volunteers, and private entities, triggering roundthe-clock relief operations at the Bata sang Pambansa complex,” the resolu tion said.

mansion in Laguna.

Remulla said Bantag was livid when he learned that Mabasa went to his property in Laguna to take photos of his alleged wealth.

He was so upset, in fact, that he skipped the Sept. 9 University of Per petual Help graduation ceremonies for inmates at the New Bilibid Prison and did not report for work that day.

Remulla said the expose was posted on Sept. 15, then “on Sept. 17, the plot start ed, and everything went into motion.”

A few weeks later, Mabasa was shot and killed in Las Piñas City on Oct. 3 by Esco rial, who later tagged a certain “Bantag” as being involved in the murder for hire.

“You can see that really, there’s a string that ties everything together,” Remulla said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Remulla said he believed Bantag and Zulueta are still in the country.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also said they received information that the two have not left the country.

The department is seeking a hold depar ture order against the two BuCor officials.

Mabasa claimed in one of his com mentaries on his program “Lapid Fire” aired over DWBL’s 1242 that Bantag owned numerous vehicles and was building a mansion in an exclusive sub division in Laguna, an allegation that the suspended BuCor chief has denied.

Remulla urged Bantag and Zulueta to answer the complaint at the DOJ pre liminary investigation.

“They should file counter affidavits. That is due process under our law, and they should respect the law. They are law enforcers and yet they are like that. No drama here. Face it like a man. If

tiveros underscored the need to have a supplemental budget for these purposes for 2023.

The House thus was able to raise P49.2 million in cash contributions and pledges and in-kind donations such as blankets, food items, and toiletries from private entities. The cash and do nated items have already been distrib uted to storm victims.

The House thanked all those who helped in the fund drive and relief op erations for their time, effort, and re sources.

The National Disaster Risk Reduc tion and Management Council (NDR RMC) on Wednesday said the agricul ture sector suffered damage worth P4.2 billion as a result of Paeng.

The damage was recorded in Cagay

you’re not man enough to face it, then what are you? Too much drama,” Re mulla said.

Earlier, NBI supervising agent Eu gene Javier said they were not discount ing the possibility that there may be a more powerful mastermind behind Bantag, although he said they had no evidence of this.

Remulla, on the other hand, said he believed there was nobody else above Batang — and that speculation that for mer President Rodrigo Duterte was a person of interest was “far-fetched.”

The Philippine National Police, too, said Duterte was not a person of inter est, even though Mabasa was a critic of the former president.

Javier also played down differences between the NBI autopsy of Palaña and a second autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun (see related story on A1 – Editors).

The NBI autopsy said the inmate’s body showed “no apparent sign of external physi cal injury” while Fortun said he died of “as phyxia by plastic bag suffocation.”

“As to the two autopsy reports, we don’t really see any inconsistencies. It’s just that the NBI autopsy report showed that the cause of death is undetermined. Just because it’s reflected in the autopsy report that the cause of death is unde termined, that does not rule out any foul play,” he said.

“So, we’re relying on that, on that fact, that we can still use the autopsy report even if there are minor differences such as maybe Dr. Fortun has found metham phetamine in the body of Jun Villamor. It does not negate the findings that we ar rived at in our investigation,” he said.

P13.5 trillion—more than the proposed P5.268 trillion budget for 2023.

Dems hold back ‘red wave’ in US midterm polls

WASHINGTON—Republican hopes of a “red wave” carrying them to pow er in the US Congress faded Wednes day as Joe Biden’s Democrats put up a stronger-than-expected defense in a midterm contest headed for a cliffhanger finish.

With most of Tuesday’s races called, Republicans seemed on track to re claim the House of Representatives for the first time since 2018, but the Senate was still in play, with forecasts tentatively leaning Democratic.

And the midterms delivered a de cidedly mixed bag for Donald Trump, who though not on the ballot loomed large over the contest, teasing a 2024 run and airing unsubstantiated allega tions of Election Day fraud.

While the night saw wins by more than 100 Republicans embracing Trump’s “Big Lie” that Biden stole the 2020 election, several high-profile, election-denying acolytes of the for mer president came up short.

Aiming to deliver a rebuke of Biden’s presidency, against a back drop of sky-high inflation and bitter culture wars, Republicans needed one extra seat to wrest control of the even ly divided Senate.

But by early Wednesday the only seat to change party hands went to the Dem ocrats, with John Fetterman, a burly champion of progressive economic poli cies, triumphing in Pennsylvania.

In the House, early results suggested Republicans were on track for a major ity -- but only by a handful of seats, a far cry from their predictions. AFP

The cadavers are currently stored at the Bureau of Corrections-accredited Eastern Funeral Homes in Muntinlupa City.

“We will determine the cause of death based on the carpeta (prison re cords) and based on the death certifi cate and the actual autopsy to be con ducted by Dr. Fortun,” Remulla said. The DOJ chief said that in case the autopsy results would indicate possi ble foul play, the NBI and the Philip pine National Police would be tapped to conduct further investigations and case build-up.

However, he admitted the NBI would have the first crack on the in vestigation.

on a public health emergency.

Angara said there is no guarantee that in 2023, there will still be this health declaration like there is today with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Without a state of public health emer gency next year, Angara said the funds will be wasted because it is stated in a special provision of Republic Act 11712 or the Public Health Emergency, Ben efits and Allowance for Health Care Workers Act that this can still be used it pay arrears or debts on the benefits of health workers since 2020.

Hontiveros cited the earlier statement of Socioeconomic Planning chief Arsenio Balisacan that it is crucial to support the needs of the poorest sectors and families.

Hontiveros asked Angara if there is a budget version to give better support to the poor aside from those already allo cated for them.

Meanwhile, Pimentel questioned the country’s huge annual borrowings, which he said were more than the na tional budget.

Angara, however, said the low-in terest borrowings would form a buffer fund for the government.

In 2023, Angara said, the country will pay off P1.5 trillion in debt, which includes the principal and interest.

He said out of the P5.268 trillion budget, P3.6 trillion can be earned and P 1.6 trillion will be borrowed.

Angara said the country’s debt will likely balloon to P13.5 trillion by 2024.

Pimentel quipped: “It means we keep on paying our debt but the debt of our country is not reduced.”

“The NBI will be given the first crack at this because it’s a DOJ under taking. The PNP will also be given a similar copy of all the results because we are conducting a joint operation on this matter. This is also a police mat ter,” the Justice Secretary said.

which matched all five numbers ex cept the Powerball number, according to the lottery’s official website.

The lump sum for the jackpot is US$997.6 million -- if the winner choos es to receive the cash prize instead of an annuity spread over three decades.

The prize surpassed the previous record in the October 2018 Mega Mil lions drawing that stood at US$1.5 bil lion, with the winner in South Caroli na opting for a cash prize of more than US$877 million.

The next Powerball jackpot will be Wednesday, for a paltry US$20 mil lion, according to the website.

Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hon

its apps, which include Facebook, Insta gram and Whatsapp.

The tech industry is in a serious slump and several major firms have announced mass layoffs -- Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk fired half its staff last week.

“I want to take accountability for

cuss the matter with China’s leader Xi Jinping.

The country’s debt is pegged at

these decisions and for how we got here,” Zuckerberg said in a note to staff.

“I know this is tough for everyone, and I’m especially sorry to those impacted.”

Ad-supported platforms such as Fa cebook and Google are suffering with advertisers looking to cut costs as they struggle with inflation and rising inter est rates.

Zuckerberg told staff he had expected the boost in e-commerce and online

Angara said the country’s debt will remain more or less at P13.5 trillion in the foreseeable future, but said he hoped it would go down after the Marcos ad ministration, in line with the MediumTerm Fiscal Framework.

activity during the Covid pandemic to continue, but added: “I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”

Metaverse woes

The downturn has affected compa nies across the sector, with Apple and Amazon also recently announcing re sults that disappointed investors.

But Meta also faces some unique problems of its own. AFP

“They’ll have the first crack be cause this involves a scientific pro cess. We want to have a hand in it. But we will also refer to the police because remember all these people went to jail, and died in jail. Many of them were dead because of the NBI or the police, so we have to give due courtesy to both agencies,” he added.

When asked what will happen to the remaining 26 cadavers, Remulla said: “We will see. The DOJ and its at tached agencies’ priority right now is to locate the families of these people. Remember these are people, cadavers of people who had families. We will try to give them a decent burial.”

Remulla earlier said there were in dications that a criminal organization is operating within BuCor based on the discovery of unclaimed cadavers of PDLs and contraband seized fol lowing the suspension of BuCor direc tor-general Gerard Bantag last month.

Rey E. Requejo

That is one of the many suggestions that I am hoping to bring,” Mr. Marcos said.

The 10-member ASEAN and China have been negotiating for a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea the past few years to manage tensions amid competing claims there.

The President said the group needs to find a way to resolve the sea issue.

“But to do that, we have to first sta tus quo everything. And that is what the Code of Conduct will do -- to leave things as status quo. The first declaration that we had also said that, that no changes (should be made),” Mr. Marcos said.

The President said he hopes to dis

In his departure statement at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2, Mr. Marcos said: “My participation will promote and pro tect Philippine interests in ASEAN. We will emphasize regional cooperation on maritime security, climate change, food security, health cooperation, and eco nomic recovery, among others.”

“We will also address regional issues such as the pandemic, the situation in Myanmar, developments in the South China Sea, and the ongoing conflict be tween Russia and Ukraine, among other important matters,” he added.

The President said it would be his first time to attend the ASEAN Summit, which will be held from November 10 to 13, as the country’s leader. Vince Lopez

Data from the statistics body showed this followed the sector’s 0.6-percent decline in the second quarter and 0.3-percent contraction in the first quarter. This brought the agriculture sector’s

average growth in the first three quar ters to 0.3 percent, an improvement from the 2.5-percent drop in the same period last year.

“The value of production in agri culture and fisheries at constant 2018 prices increased 1.8 percent in the third quarter of 2022. In particular, the value of crops, livestock and poul try production posted increments.

ing, education, public administration and defense, transportation, and real estate.

Meanwhile, the value of fisheries pro duction dropped during the period,” the PSA said in a statement.

Crops, which accounted for 53.9 per cent of the total value of production in agriculture and fisheries, went up by 1.8 percent in the third quarter.

The PSA said rice and corn pro duction rose 1.0 percent and 2.5 per cent, respectively.

5% in September, which is lower than the 5.3% unemployment rate in the pre vious month.

2022 was already close to the pre-pan demic level, which was at 5.1 percent in 2019.

The sectors which posted largest the increase in employment are manufactur

While acknowledging that inflation remains to be a “worry,” the President expressed optimism the country could sustain the positive momentum with the unemployment rate.

The drop in the number of jobless Filipinos put the unemployment rate at

However, despite the decline in job lessness, the number of employed Fili pinos also dropped to 47.58 million in September from 47.87 million in Au gust, translating to an employment rate of 95% from 94.7% in the prior month.

Congressional spouses play important roles, says Romualdez

By Maricel V. Cruz

HOUSE Speaker Martin G. Romualdez on Wednesday afternoon said congressional spouses play an important role in nation-building.

“As our spouses are our partners in life, they have a huge influence in what we do, what we believe in, what we fight for, and what we will accomplish for our community and our country,” he told members of the Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc. (CSFI) chaired by his wife, Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, chairperson of the House Committee on Accounts.

“And in the case of the Congressional Spouses Foundation Inc., their influence is directly translated into action. They have their own initiatives that are parallel to our own, and they implement socio-civic projects that meet the short and long-term needs of our constituents,” the Speaker said.

Romualdez administered the Oath of Office to the regional heads of CSFI, namely Arlyn Grace V. Guico (Region 1), Maria Sol A. Fernandez (II), Victor Anthony S. Silverio (III), Maria Cristina R. Puno (IVA), Eva Christie Fatima H. Villegas (IV-B), Anjeanette T. Fuentebella (5), Angelica G. Alvarez (VI), Nixon T. Dizon (VII), Roger T. Mercado (VIII), Keenah V. Dalipe (IX), Yevonna Yacine B. Emano (X), Bernadette S. Barbers (XIII), Giselle Mary L. Maceda (NCR), Soledad J. Go (CAR), Indira Maila P. Adiong (BARMM), and Edna M. Marcoleta (Party-list).

The Speaker also administered the Oath of Office of CSFI’s Board members, namely Rosario V. Maceda (Corporate Secretary and Legal Counsel), Evelina G. Escudero (Treasurer), Michelle Tiangco (Assistant Treasurer), Elisa Olga T. Kho (Auditor), and Amy R. Alvarez (Assistant Auditor).

In her speech, Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez underscored the important roles spouses play in the effectiveness of lawmakers in doing their jobs at the House of Representatives, largely contributing to even the success of representatives in the area of legislation.

Japan fetes Del Rosario, other Pinoys for strengthening ties

FORMER

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Del Rosario received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun from His Majesty Emperor Naruhito of Japan in a formal ceremony in Tokyo.

Del Rosario was conferred the highest honor, along with former Secretary of Finance Carlos G. Dominguez III, for being instrumental in building the JapanPhilippines bilateral relationship towards becoming a “strategic partnership.”

Del Rosario was also cited for his “significant contributions in ensuring the safety of ships in the waters around the Philippines and strengthening maritime security relations between both nations.”

The Japanese government had also announced last week that former Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade is given the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star; David Carter, the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays; lawyer

Josue Sim Zuniega, Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays; and, Sakai Michiko, the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays.

An official press release from Del Rosario’s office said Emperor Naruhito conferred the honor, which is the highest of six classes in the Order.

Del Rosario served during the administration of the late President Benigno Aquino III.

Del Rosario was “instrumental in building the Japan-Philippines bilateral relationship towards becoming a ‘strategic partnership,’” the Japanese government said.

It can be recalled that the country’s former top diplomat pushed for arbitration over the Philippines’ maritime dispute with China in the South China

Sea, resulting in a landmark ruling in 2016 declaring Beijing’s claims as having no legal basis.

Del Rosario thanked the honor given to him and said he is proud to share the award with all his colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Japanese government, mea while, said that Dominguez “exercised outstanding leadership in promoting cooperation” between Japan and the Philippines.

He contributed “in many ways to Japan-Philippines bilateral policies and strengthened economic relations over the recent years”, it added.

Tugade, who is given the second honor in the Order, “promoted bilateral cooperation between Japan and the Philippines in the field of transportation, including rai= ways, aviation, and maritime security”, Japan said.

He made “substantial contributions” to enhancing Japan-Philippines maritime security cooperation.

In a statement Tuesday, Tugade said

that with the award, “the relationship and cooperation of the Philippines and Japan strengthen and will continue to flourish and be strong in the years to come.”

Meanwhile, Carter, a key figure in the promotion and development of judo in the Philippines and was awarded with the fifth honor in the Order.

Zuniega is given the sixth class in the Order for his tireless contribution “to improving the status of Nikkei-jin in the Philippines and enhancing mutual understanding between Japan and the Philippines through his activities at the Philippine Nikkei-jin Legal Support Center.”

Sakai is given the same award for supporting children of Japanese descendants in Cotabato.

The Order of the Rising Sun has been conferred on several Filipinos in the past, including former President Jose Laurel and several Philippine ambassadors to Japan, according to the Official Gazette.

IN BRIEF

NBI not supporting new police clearance system

THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) does not support Senate Bill 725, which seeks to create a National Police Clearance System, stressing that this might confuse the public.

“We also cited in our position paper the disadvantages in having two national clearance systems with [the] PNP and NBI because of the possibility of confusion later on that it could bring to the public,” Victor Lorenzo, officer-incharge of NBI’s Office of the Assistant Director for Information and Communications Technology Service, told GMA News in an interview.

“What will happen if the records of the other system will indicate no criminal records while in our database with criminal [record]? Which will prevail? That’s one of the issues that we have raised,” Lorenzo said.

BOC urges OFWs to be cautious in sending balikbayan boxes

By Vito Barcelo

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) advised Filipino workers abroad to be cautious in choosing freight forwarders in sending balikbayan boxes to their relatives in the Philippines after a number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were victimized by fake freight forwarders.

In a statement, recipients of balikbayan boxes can check the websites of BOC and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to see the list of accredited sea freight and balikbayan box forwarders.

Customs spokesperson Arnaldo Dela Torre Jr. said the BOC is also coordinating

with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to create a joint legal team for the filing of cases against the three consolidators after hundreds of balikbayan boxes did not reach its recipients or destinations in the Philippines.

He said the BOC will push for policies to thwart balikbayan boxes schemes of unscrupulous consolidators abroad.

These measures include, among others, the creation of a Balikbayan Box One-StopShop and the drafting of an inter-agency agreement between the DTI, DMW, and BOC to stop such illicit activities.

Meanwhile, the agency assured Filipino workers abroad that balikbayan boxes sent

DENR sets ‘Minahang Bayan’ strategy

By Rio N. Araja and Maricel V. Cruz

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is aiming to boost the potential of the mining sector to support the country’s economic growth under the Marcos Jr.’s administration through the agency’s ‘Minahang Bayan’ plan.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte on Thursday backed the DENR’s plan to declare more “Minahang Bayan” areas as a more effective means of monitoring smallscale mining operations and better protecting the environment.

Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas Leones said the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau has initially identified approximately nine million hectares as potential mineral areas.

Out of the 9 million hectares of potential mineral areas, only less than 3 percent are awarded as mining contracts, he said.

“Since we are among the most highly mineralized country in the world, our priority is to build both a strategic and responsible industry,” he said.

The DENR would review mining laws, including small-scale mining, to ensure that standards are updated and that the provision of the implementing rules and regulations takes full advantage of remote sensing and innovation in artificial intelligence.

Under the Mineral Investment Promotion Program, Leones said the DENR would address illegal mining, particularly small scale-mining operations through the assessment and declaration of the “Minahang Bayan” areas where small-scale mining would be confined and regulated.

to their relatives in the Philippines will be delivered to their respective addresses.

Dela Torre said the BOC has implemented several initiatives to deliver all abandoned balikbayan boxes to their rightful claimants.

The BOC said that all abandoned packages shipped by Island Kabayan Express Cargo, CMG International Movers and All Win Balikbayan Cargo would be delivered within one to four weeks, depending on the location of the recipient.

The BOC also said it is optimistic that the balikbayan boxes abandoned by courier services will be delivered to their rightful recipients by the Christmas season.

Dela Torre, in a public hearing said “our prayer is to have these distributed before Christmas.”

The official was referring to thousands of balikbayan boxes—mainly from the Middle East—which were abandoned by courier services at the BOC.

Dela Torre also said out of the 1,480 boxes covered by CMG International, 1,450 have already been delivered by local services, GMA News reported.

There have been 1,154 boxes linked to Kabayan Island, of which 329 have been picked up, 210 delivered, 210 for dispatch, 405 out for delivery, and 88 pending due to incomplete details, the report said.

Although they appreciate the intent of the bill, Lorenzo said it is the legal mandate of the NBI to “maintain and be the central repository of all criminal and non-criminal records.”

“Adjunct to that function, is being the national clearing house for criminal records of the country,” he said. Willie Casas

DILG: 600 rebels benefit from gov’t integration

MORE than 600 former rebels have benefited from the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) which covers livelihood, education, housing, medical and other social services crucial to their reintegration into society.

Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said the returnees and their families received a total of P45.79-million in financial and livelihood assistance since July 2022 under the program.

“Wars are won by the hearts of the people. We need to reframe our focus on viewing insurgency as purely security and military concern into a much broader social, economic concern and injustice,” said Abalos in a speech during the recent Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) Summit at Widus Hotel in Clark.

Abalos urged local government units to work closely with the national government in nipping insurgency from the roots by prioritizing programs, projects and activities that are responsive, socially inclusive, and involve the active participation of different sectors to pursue the country’s peace agenda. Joel E. Zurbano

Cascolan asks critics to give him a chance

National Police

SMC lauded on ‘million trees’ project support

MILLION Trees Foundation, Inc. (MTFI) commended San Miguel Corporation (SMC) for its continuing support to protect the environment through its various green projects.

In a statement, MTFI president and executive director Melandrew T. Velasco said that through the years SMC has always championed environmental protection even as it pursued its business interests.

“We have witnessed how SMC has grown to become one of the biggest businesses in the country. When we take a closer look, we cannot deny that along its growth is the company’s advocacy to promote sustainable development,” Velasco said.

“Aside from its various environment protection programs, SMC is also MTFI’s leading major annual donor,” he added.

SMC has extended financial support to MTFI for

the construction of the Million Trees Nursery and Eco-learning Center located at the La Mesa Watershed compound in Quezon City.

According to MTFI Chairman Emeritus Gen. Reynaldo V. Velasco (ret), SMC is MTFI’s major annual donor, providing Php 5 million to bankroll the construction and operations of the foundation. He recalled that during his stint as MWSS Administrator, SMC has supported the Annual Million Trees Challenge (AMTC) that he initiated. “The Million

Foundation was established to ensure the success of AMTC and the foundation is grateful to have SMC as a partner in our efforts to rehabilitate critical watersheds,” Velasco said.

Recently, SMC handed over to MTFI another P5 million, making it the biggest donor in the roster of the foundation’s supporters.

FORMER

Cascolan took his oath before officer-incharge Maria Rosario Vergeire on Tuesday, despite criticism that he should not be appointed health undersecretary due to lack of a medical degree.

“I hope they will give me a chance to help the Department of Health,” Cascolan told TeleRadyo.

“I am praying that my knowledge will be a big help as I carry out my administrative and managerial responsibilities in the DOH, as what President Bongbong Marcos has indicated,” he said.

“I will work hard to help our country. We all have one goal: to improve the lives of our countrymen.),” Cascolan said.

Cascolan served as top honcho of the police force from September to November 2020 under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Cascolan was among those who crafted “Oplan Double Barrel,” which became the PNP’s flagship program in the war against illegal drugs. Willie Casas

Trees

VP’S VISITORS. Vice President Inday Sara Duterte meets with Steve Killelea, the founder and executive chairperson of the Institute for Economics and Peace. Duterte and Killelea talked about programs related to security and peace-building. Duterte also met with Bro. Eddie Villanueva of the Jesus Is Lord church. Inday Sara thanked members of the church for o ering prayers.

BANK EXCLUSION BILL. Rep. Arjo Atayde participates in a relief effort. The lawmaker recently filed a bill seeking to exclude government officials and employees from from the country’s Bank Secrecy law to curb corruption.

KUSH HAUL. The Port of Clark in Pampanga, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), seized 2,922 grams of high-grade marijuana, or kush, with an estimated value of P4.383 million. BOC photo.

Philippine

(PNP) chief Camilo Cascolan on Wednesday told his critics to give him a chance as the newly-appointed undersecretary of the Department of Health (DOH).

Makati City cops top award in NDRRMC ranking fest

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Makati City government on Wednesday announced it has received the highest compliance rating from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Mayor Abigail Binay said Makati was ranked “Beyond Compliant” at the 22nd Gawad KALASAG (Kal amidad at Sakuna Labanan, Sariling Galing ang Kaligtasan) Seal and Spe cial Awards for Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Humanitarian As sistance for the year 2021.

“I am delighted with the results of the 22nd Gawad KALASAG. We are grateful for this recognition as it af firms our commitment to a disasterready and resilient Makati. Thank you to the NDRRMC for recognizing our efforts,” Binay said.

The mayor also commended the members of the Makati Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) for successfully imple menting programs and projects for the safety of residents and workers.

“Congratulations to the Makati DR

RMC for doing an excellent job in making our city safe for residents and other stakeholders,” she said.

According to NDRRMC Circular 02 of 2022, the local DRRM Councils and Offices will receive a GK Seal of Excellence via a virtual awarding this year.

The city was ranked based on the following criteria: Structure (8 indi cators), Competency (14 indicators), Management Systems (3 indica tors), Enabling Policies (1 indicator), Knowledge Management and Advoca cy (2 indicators), and Partnership and Participation (2 indicators).

The Gawad KALASAG is a manda tory assessment for all Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Of fices as they implement the provisions of Sections 11 and 12 of the Republic Act No. 10121.

It is one of the many awards the city has received for disaster resil ience. Last September, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Re duction named Makati the first-ever Resilience Hub in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

Tacloban mayor: NHA houses for Yolanda victims ‘substandard’

Meralco set to ‘slightly’ raise rates this month

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) on Wednesday said it would slightly raise its power rates this month by P0.0844 per kilowatt-hour due to higher charges from its power supply agreements (PSAs).

This would increase the average house hold’s overall rate to P9.9472 per kWh from P9.8628 per kWh in October.

Meralco said residential customers consuming 200 kWh would see an equivalent increase of around P17 in their total electricity bill.

“The modest increase in the overall rate was mainly due to the generation charge, which went up by P0.0725 to P6.9917 from P6.9192 per kWh,” Meralco said in a statement.

Charges from Meralco’s PSAs increased by P0.2711 per kWh primarily due to First Natgas’ San Gabriel plant’s scheduled maintenance outage from Oct. 1-14.

Meralco said lower charges from its independent power producers (IPPs) and the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), the trading floor of electricity, mitigated the higher PSA charges.

IPP charges went down by P0.1520 per kW primarily due to a stronger peso, which affected 99 percent of IPP costs.

It said First Gas-Sta. Rita’s reduced uti lization of the more expensive alternative fuel also brought down IPP charges.

Meralco said the Malampaya natural gas prices remained stable following its quarterly repricing, reflecting the recent movement of international crude oil pric es.

Meanwhile, WESM charges went down by P0.7959 per kWh with fewer secondary price cap imposition instances.

The secondary price cap was triggered 51.64 percent of the time in October, down from 55.16 percent the preceding month.

Meralco sourced the bulk of its power requirements from its PSAs in October at 49 percent, followed by IPPs at 45 percent and the WESM at six percent.

Transmission, taxes, and other charges for residential customers also registered a net upward adjustment of P0.0119 per kWh.

Meralco said generation and transmis sion charges are paid to the power sup pliers and the grid operator, respectively.

Taxes, universal charges, and the feedin tariff allowance are all remitted to the government.

Meralco’s distribution charge, on the other hand, has not moved since the P0.0360 per kWh reduction for a typical residential customer beginning in Au gust.

It said four ongoing distribution-relat ed refunds, totaling P1.8009 per kWh for residential customers, continue to temper customers’ monthly bills.

to

Romualdez said about 70 percent of the 10,000 houses erected by the NHA were “substandard,” adding they were “too cramped” and lacked basic utili ties.

In an interview with the ANC, Romualdez said his administration cannot give occupancy permit “be cause we can’t install utilities.”

“The problem here, in terms of con struction, NHA may say that it’s fully constructed, but we can’t give an occu pancy permit because we can’t install utilities,” he said.

The city government commemorated on Tuesday the ninth anniversary of Yolanda.

The mayor noted that despite the slow pace of reconstruction, the people were able to “move on very quickly.

“The problem there, overall, nakikita ko, the structures and infrastructures that were built, ito ‘yung malungkot, maganda ‘yung mga kalye, mga tulay, pati embankment bilyon ang ginastos, bakit sa pabahay hindi?”

Romualdez batted for the city gov ernment to take over the implementa tion of the housing project for better results.

“Para kami na ang magtatapos at kami na ang gagawa ng paraan para maayos na ito at makalipat na ang mga tao,” he said.

It may be recalled that Yolanda left some 6,300 dead, more than 1,000 missing, and over 28,000 injured.

According to the National Disas ter Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Nov. 8, 2013 super ty phoon affected over 16 million people, displacing an estimated 5.1 million.

Yolanda destroyed 1.1 million homes, with the cost of overall damage to infrastructure placed at P95 billion.

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on announced the launch on December 17 of its “Register Anywhere Project” (RAP) in five selected malls in Metro Manila.

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House of Representatives on Wednesday adopted a resolution ex pressing condolences to the family of the late Daniel Javier, composer-singer of the renowned APO Hiking Society, who passed away last October 31 at 75.

House Resolution No. 530 was intro duced by Speaker Martin Romualdez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Ferdi nand Alexander Marcos, and TINGOG party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romual dez and Jude Acidre.

“Tributes poured in for this legendary music icon who never stopped fighting for what he loved, what he believed in, and what he was passionate about,” the resolution read.

“

… For his distinguished contribu tion to Philippine pop music, and for all his songs and compositions, Danny Javier will always be remembered with utmost respect and admiration, and his kind of music will leave a smile on the faces of many Filipinos,” it stated.

Danny Javier, as he was popularly known, was born on August 6, 1947 in Abuyog, Leyte.

He went to the San Beda College and the Ateneo de Manila University for his education, and he was part of the leg endary musical trio, APO Hiking Soci ety, together with Boboy Garovillo and Jim Paredes.

Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiang co said henceforth, RAP then be conducted every Saturday and Sunday until January 29, 2023.

Laudiangco said however that no regis tration will be held on December 24, 25, 31, and January 1, 2023.

He said the poll body has yet to determine the five selected malls in Metro Manila.

He said any qualified applicant residing in the Philippines can register at the RAP booths in designated NCR malls during the said period.

Applicants must submit their application form, documentary requirements, and have their biometrics taken on-site, Laudiangco said.

The submitted documents and captured biometrics data will be endorsed and trans mitted by the recipient RAP teams to the Office of election officer of the district, city, or municipality having jurisdiction over the residence of the applicant for the requisite verification, publication, posting, and Elec tion Registration Board (ERB) hearing.

“To emphasize, a public demonstration will be conducted before the actual roll out, with the date/s therefore to be announced later on. At the moment, every step of the processes are currently being studied and improved, most particularly on the informa

tion technology infrastructure part,” Laudi angco said in a statement.

“As we know, aside from the operational processes, the RAP is largely dependent on current IT infrastructure and resources. We are looking likewise on improving the onsite set-up vis-a-vis the select mall sites and spaces allocated for the purpose, including crowd queuing and people-traffic manage ment,” he added.

Laudiangco said the project’s operational plan was approved by the en banc last Oc tober 26.

The Comelec also conducted an initial internal end-to-end demonstration of the RAP in Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila on November 4.

By Rio N. Araja

The distribution of idle governmentowned lands, like in Marawi, is a top priority in accordance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive un der Executive Order No. 75 of 2019, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said.

The executive order seeks to dis tribute all idle government lands to qualified beneficiaries to make them productive and boost the government’s food self-sufficiency program.

Estrella said land surveys were still ongoing with over 200 hectares of the identified coverable area already set for distribution anytime this year.

“It is only proper to indemnify the rightful claimants by distributing this military reservation area to correct the historical injustices committed against them in the past,” he said.

To ensure the smooth and orderly distribution of the vast military camp, he tapped Amihilda Sangcopan as Un dersecretary for Mindanao Affairs and Rural Development, to head the newly created Task Force Camp Keithley Military Reservation Executive Com mittee and to oversee the perimeter surveying, procurement activities, validation, documentation, and ap proval of subdivision plans.

Camp Keithley was formerly a military base of the United States of America.

HEALTH TECHNOLOGY BREAKTHROUGH.

Department

AN AUSTRALIAN man has been sen tenced to 129 years in a Philippine jail as part of a child sexual abuse case in volving victims as young as 18 months, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

It was the second conviction for Peter Gerard Scully, who is already serving a life sentence for an initial batch of charges involving the rape and traffick ing of girls.

The Philippines has become a glob al hotspot for child sex exploitation, helped by poverty, English fluency and high internet connectivity in the coun try, experts warn.

“I hope this sends a very strong mes sage to all abusers, all human traffick ers, that crime really does not pay,” Merlynn Barola-Uy, a regional prosecu tor in the southern city of Cagayan de

Oro, told AFP.

A Cagayan de Oro court handed down the sentence on November 3 after Scully and his three co-accused entered into a plea bargaining agreement.

They had been charged with 60 of fences, including trafficking, child por nography, child abuse and rape.

Scully’s girlfriend, Lovely Margallo, was sentenced to 126 years in jail. Two others were given sentences of more than nine years.

Victims and their families have ac cepted the terms of the agreement and consider it a “sweet victory”, according to a statement posted on the regional prosecution office’s Facebook page.

“They all want to put closure to this dark phase of their lives and move on,” the statement reads. AFP

DAR

deal out 4k ha. of ex-US camp in Marawi

metes Australian 129 years imprisonment for sexual child abuse

MOSTof the houses built by the government for families left homeless by super typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City nine years ago were substandard and unfit for human occupancy.

AGRARIAN Reform Secretary Con rado Estrella III has directed the im mediate distribution of 4,000 hectares out of the 6,667-hectare Camp Keithley Military Reservation in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur “to give justice to the legitimate birthright of the Bangsam oro people over their ancestral lands.”

Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romual dez made this disparaging assessment of the housing project implemented by the National Housing Authority (NHA) for the Yolanda victims.

PHILIPPINE SENATE TURNS 106 YEARS OLD. Past and present senators gather at the National Museum in Manila, Tuesday (Nov. 8 to celebrate the Philippine Senate’s 106th anniversary. Among them are former Senate presidents Franklin Drilon, Manuel ‘Manny’ Villar, Aquilino Pimentel III, Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III, and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri cites the legacy of his predecessors, who used to craft laws at the Old Senate Session Hall of the Legislative Building.

HONORARY PMA MEMBER. Speaker Martin Romualdez receiveS An oversize replica of the PMA Sambisig Class 1991  logo from Philippine National Po lice Region 8 Director Brig. Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil during his visit at Camp Ruperto Kangleon, in Campetic Palo, Leyte. Romualdez is a honorary member of PMA Sambisig Class. Ver Noveno

of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr shows Lamp Detection kit, a device that rapidly detects leptospira, dengue, salmonella and schistosoma japonicum in clinical serum or plasma samples, during the DOST’s exposition dubbed Handa Pilipinas at the World Trade Center in Pasay City . Danny Pata

Awareness, preparedness keys to saving lives

President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos, Jr. led the commemoration rites to honor the dead, including those reported missing or unaccount ed for, as the death toll could reach 10,000.

MY COMPADRE mentioned about his OJT daughter’s company in Taguig City conducting a fire and earthquake drill on Tuesday.

It’s a truly touching scene when a dad gets to chat with his fully-grown little girl coming home from job training, telling him what fun it was to “drop, cover and hold’’ during the simu lated earthquake.

They both laughed when she said her group ended up eating snacks at a fast-food nearby with their supervisor after their evacuation.

But come to think of it, the specter of “the Big One” should be a serious concern follow ing the magnitude 6.7 tremor in Abra Province which was felt all the way down to Central Lu zon.

Billions of pesos were lost in property dam age, aggravating the devastation left by the previous earthquake and typhoons in the North.

I’ve heard about several other private firms holding the fire and earthquake drills.

Disaster risk-reduction awareness should be encouraged and promoted with or without the government requiring such exercises.

We need to know what to do during any in stance of emergency such as earthquake, fire, super typhoon, landslide and massive flood.

Each and everyone should know by heart what to do to save oneself and then help the others at home or at the workplace safe when any such dire situation occurs.

What if the Big One, such as an intensity 7 earthquake, hits Metro Manila?

Unfortunately, such a horrifying and grim scenario is a possibility, according to interna tional experts who urged better urban planning and preparedness.

Metro Manila was damaged tremendously when a 7.7 magnitude tremor rumbled under neath Northern and Central Luzon on July 16, 1990 and killed 1,621 people – its epicenter near the town of Rizal in Nueva Ecija – and left buildings in Baguio City, Agoo in La Union and Dagupan in Pangasinan, in ruins.

This week we also marked the ninth anni versary of super typhoon Yolanda tragedy that shattered Tacloban City, and devastated Leyte and Samar provinces.

“If you remember during the count of the casualties, the count was stopped, and we knew that there were still thousands out there. And for those thousands, those countless thousands, we come here, we commemorate,” PBBM said.

After Yolanda wreaked havoc, the govern ment then reported 6,300 people dead and leaving over 4.4 million homeless. It turned out thousands more were missing, swept away by the gigantic tidal waves.

Awareness and preparedness, as well as sound urban planning and reforestation, are keys to saving people’s lives from the horrors of major natural disasters

The President lauded the survivors and in ternational donors for rebuilding Tacloban City, inspiring hope among all Filiinos.

“It is a wondrous sight to see. It always gives us hope that even if there are tragedies and di sasters in other places, we know that the Fili pino spirit will never be quelled. The Filipino spirit will always burn bright and bring back normal life to their communities. That is what we commemorate,” PBBM said.

During the event, cash aid was granted to recipients of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), the De partment of Agriculture’s Rice Farmer Finan cial Assistance Program, and the Department of Labor and Employment’s TUPAD Emergency Employment Program.

Although natural disasters such as earth quakes, super typhoons and volcanic eruptions cannot possibly be controlled or stopped, we can prepare adequately to mitigate the impact of such conflagrations.

Awareness and preparedness, as well as sound urban planning and reforestation, are keys to saving people’s lives from the horrors of major natural disasters.

India at 75: Upending narratives and rewriting history

By Bhuvan Bagga

THE palatial family home of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the freedom strug gle stalwart and close confidant of Mahatma Gandhi, is now a museum where loyalists come to pay tribute.

But 75 years after independence, that history is being rewritten across the country as the rul ing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeks to pro mote its own Hindu nationalist agenda.

Critics accuse the BJP of upending settled narratives to fit its outlook, promoting the roles of its ideological forebears, and downgrading the contributions of Muslims to Indian history and society.

The BJP ousted Nehru’s Congress party at elections in 2014, after the dynasty he founded had dominated Indian politics for decades.

His daughter Indira Gandhi, who grew up in the house, and grandson Rajiv both went on to become prime ministers.

Today, whether the emperor Akbar — of the Muslim Mughal dynasty that ruled India for 300 years — won or lost a key battle against a revered Hindu king depends on which textbook is being used.

At the launch of a book on Hindu kings’ re sistance to the Mughals, home minister Amit Shah — a key ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — declared: “No one can stop us from writing the truth. We are now independent. We can write our own history.”

And the city where Nehru’s house stands has been renamed Prayagraj, after being known for 450 years as Allahabad, a moniker bestowed by Akbar.

According to Vinod Mishra, who has worked there for 15 years, the building’s visitors illus trate the changing approaches to history.

“Earlier everyone came here in awe and ad miration but now many look at the home, his belongings, and quip that he too made a lot of money like other [corrupt] politicians,” Mishra told AFP.

Older visitors “still enter each room and rev erentially touch the feet of Nehru’s portraits”, he said, but younger generations are more ir reverent.

“It’s fascinating to see that he had things like a tennis racket, tea kettle, a shaver and even went to London, which most people still can’t

afford,” said engineering student Amar Yadav, 18.

‘Imaginary barbaric past’

Often accused of anti-Muslim rhetoric, BJP leaders have described the Mughals as Islamic invaders, increasing the anxieties of the coun try’s 210-million-odd Muslims.

But they say the authors who dominated his toriography after independence from Britain in 1947 glorified conquerors over local kings and achievements.

And they say they over-emphasized Con gress’s role in the independence struggle, deny ing the more revolutionary or nationalist figures the BJP reveres their due.

Modi often criticizes Nehru — blaming him for the festering dispute over Kashmir, or losing a 1962 war to China — to target Congress, still the main opposition party and controlled by the Nehru-Gandhi family.

The states of Haryana and Gujarat have announced the addition of a Hindu holy book to the school curriculum, despite the education system being secular

The BJP’s efforts to rewrite the past “aren’t just about history but securing its own place in the present for the next few decades,” S. Irfan Habib, a New Delhi-based historian told AFP.

“It’s dangerous as these books mould young minds who’ll grow with a very different under standing of India,” Habib said.

“The government in power has full major ity and there’s nothing much one can do,” he added.

Contemporary history is also being re worked, say Indian media: a top official body slashed school textbook content this year.

Among the deletions were the Gujarat riots that killed at least 1,000 people, mostly Mus lims, in 2002 — when Modi was the state’s premier.

It was one of India’s worst outbreaks of reli

EDITORIAL

POGO shutdown

AFEWmonths after assuming the post, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said he was in favor of shutting down the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs following reports not only of kidnappings of workers, but also nonpayment of taxes and other irregularities.

The Finance department, appar ently after weighing the pros and cons of the issue, has changed its tune and now wants to keep the POGOs.

During a recent hearing of the House of Representatives committee on labor and employment, the DOF maintained that while total collections from POGOs have declined over the past years, it now prefers to keep them as the country stands to lose about P65 billion in taxes and other licenses if they pack up and leave.

That estimate of losses from the proposed shutdown of POGOs is about 0.3 percent of our GDP. The

country’s nominal GDP last year stood at P19.187 trillion.

The bulk of almost 40 percent of the P64.61 billion in losses will come from housing space rentals income at P25.17 billion.

The government is also expected to lose P3.43 billion from the value-added taxes of housing space rentals and P3.09 billion from transportation

Another P16.63 billion from office space rentals will be lost. Some P6.56 billion will be dropped from personal consumption of POGO employees and another P3.5 billion from rev enues of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR).

The government is also expected to lose P3.43 billion from the valueadded taxes of housing space rentals and P3.09 billion from transportation. There’s more. Other losses will re sult from personal income taxes of POGO employees (P2.74 billion),

VAT from office space rentals (P2.27 billion), other taxes (P830 million), corporate income tax (P340 million) and insurance (P50 million).

And that’s not all. Concerns over POGO-related crimes can also have detrimental effects on the country’s foreign direct investments, since one crime incidence in every 100,000 population can result in a GDP de cline of one percent.

The estimated potential losses with respect to FDIs for the Philippines will range from P16.7 billion to P26.2 billion.

The DOF also cited the additional cost that the government will incur for law enforcers to provide security and deter crimes in areas where POGOs operate.

Given all this, it’s not surprising at all that POGOs may yet stay around for years to come, particularly since the government has incurred a huge foreign debt as part of its COVID-19 response from 2020 to the present.

The country needs the revenues that come from POGO operations for in frastructure development and delivery of social services.

What’s important is that government should strictly regulate them and keep them from straying from the law.

It’s time to replace the NDRRMC

It is simply because the NDRRMC is not organized, trained and equipped to respond the way it should.

There is also apparently lack of equipment to use in the recovery operations. The rescue in this instance should have come from the outside together with the relief.

AT THE rate the country is being battered by natural calamities, perhaps it is time we revis ited the idea of converting the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council into a line department to better respond to natural disasters.

This year alone, we had volcano eruptions, flooding and mudslides due to typhoons, and a couple of strong earthquakes causing so much misery in lives lost as well as property damage.

When PBBM assumed office, there was a proposal to make the NDRRMC into a line agency.

Presidential sister Senator Imee Marcos, however, commented the current agencies dealing with disaster response already have the authority and sufficient capabilities to deal with the situation.

According to her, what was needed was to institute reforms or something to that effect.

Predictably, that proposal was shelved. With due respect to the good Senator, there is wis dom in trying new ideas to replace and archaic and unresponsive system.

As we have been witnessing over the years and in the most recent typhoon, our responses have not been up to par.

There is a saying in the military that for a unit to perform well when employed, that unit must be organized, trained and equipped to accom plish its given mission.

Responding to emergency situations by its very nature requires quick responses with prep ositioned equipment and supply materials ready for distribution as the situation demands.

It also presupposes that the agencies in volved are always continuously planning and doing exercises so that they will be ready when the disaster strikes.

From the way the NDRRMC or Civil De fense have been responding in the last several natural calamities, there is much to be desired, and it is not entirely their fault.

gious violence in recent times, and one removed passage reportedly warned that such events “alert us to the dangers involved in using reli gious sentiments for political purposes.”

‘Insult to India’

The states of Haryana and Gujarat have an nounced the addition of a Hindu holy book to the school curriculum, despite the education sys tem being secular.

A Karnataka textbook incorporated a speech by the founder of the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, the BJP’s ideological fountainhead.

Rahul Gandhi, Nehru’s great-grandson and a Congress party leader, slammed it as an “at tempt to teach children saffronised lessons... an insult to India, which is the cradle of diversity.”

Saffron, the sacred color of Hindu monks’ robes, is a part of the BJP flag.

Another book in the same state claimed that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a right-wing revo

We have a system which is a drawback to martial law when the military played a lot of roles in civil government.

It is time for new ideas in the manner of re sponding to natural calamities which have been getting more frequent and destructive.

The way the NDRRMC is currently man aged is not ideal.

What is clear in the years gone by is that we need a new and more effective system of responding to emergencies and the earlier we get to it the better for the country

It is being administered by the Office of Civil Defense which is under the Department of De fense.

Every time there is a natural calamity like a typhoon, earthquake or volcanic eruption, how ever, it is the local government units and other line agencies that become the front liners.

This is because the NDRRMC or the OCD do not have the personnel to do the rescue work themselves.

This was clearly demonstrated in the way the emergency response was implemented when typhoon Paeng devastated large parts of Magu indanao and other areas in the country.

The recovery of the remains of those buried by mudslides in the town of Datu Sinsuat has now been abandoned although all the remains have not yet been recovered.

Part of the reason why it has been difficult was that almost those in the locality were af fected and the natural human tendency is to take care of one’s family first.

lutionary jailed by the British, made regular ex cursions from his jail cell on the wings of small birds.

Savarkar’s biographer Vikram Sampath con demned the “stupid insertion.”

He is one of the young historians who support “decolonization” of Indian history, but want to see quality maintained during revisions.

India was “slowly maturing as a democracy”, he said, hoping for a time when “historical char acters won’t get caught in the slug fest of con temporary electoral politics.”

‘Greatest con job’

For some, the history textbook changes fit into the ruling party’s agenda of appealing to the country’s Hindu majority.

The BJP has backed several big-ticket proj ects including a grand temple corridor in Va ranasi, a mega statue to a Hindu warrior king who successfully challenged the Mughals, and a grand temple at the Ayodhya site where zealots

There are many ways to reform disaster management in this country.

One is perhaps to organize, train and equip five company-size units of about 250 person nel each and preposition them in Mindanao, Visayas, Southern Luzon, the National Capi tal Region and all the provinces north or the NCR.

They should be trained in all aspects of res cue and relief work and must have the infra structure to perform their mission.

This means the proper facilities to store sup plies, maintain the prepositioned equipment and last but not the least construction of training facilities.

In a way, this would be very similar to the way the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agree ment was conceptualized.

plies, maintain the prepositioned equipment last there

The agreement was meant to construct facili ties where supplies and equipment can be prep ositions so that when there is a natural calamity, all the necessary equipment are all ready to use.

The difference in the new disaster response concept is that the personnel are already in the facility ready for deployment at a moment’s notice.

The formation of a 1,250 plus strong highly trained search, rescue and relief unit should not be such a big burden to the national government considering what is at stake.

Typhoon Paeng alone killed at least 151 peo ple, not to mention the property damage – and that is not the end of it.

We will be having stronger and more de structive natural calamities in the future that we should be preparing now.

Whatever new organization that will be formed should include as part of its duties to train and exercise with local government units to achieve cohesion of efforts.

What is clear in the years gone by is that we need a new and more effective system of re sponding to emergencies and the earlier we get to it the better for the country.

destroyed a Mughal-era mosque three decades ago.

Now emboldened right-wing groups have laid fresh claims to several Muslim sites they say were built atop temples destroyed during Islamic rule, raising fears of violence.

Some of them question the contributions of non-Hindu rulers, and the merits of secularism in an overwhelmingly Hindu country of about 1.4 billion people.

“What did the Islamic invasions do for this country in 1,400 years of onslaught?” said Omendra Ratnu, who wrote the book launched by home minister Shah.

“They built three buildings — Taj Mahal, Red Fort and the Qutub Minar — and all three are disputed, have Hindu claims,” he told AFP.

Mainstream Indian history was a “con job ... by some very crafty and wicked people”, he said, adding textbook revisions were “baby steps – but steps in the right direction.” AFP

Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors

Rolando

AS COP27 CLOSES IN EGYPT

US says polls won’t disrupt climate plan

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt—The United States sought to reassure the UN climate summit in Egypt on Tuesday that it will stick to its energy transition even if Republicans triumph in midterm elections.

My mother's name is DEEPA VIJAY PHABIANI and she was born on JANUARY 27, 1974 in INDIA. She is a citizen or subject of INDIA.

5. My trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is MEDICAL STUDENT and from which I derive an average annual income of N/A , inclusive of bonuses, commissions and allowances. My wife's/husband's trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is N/A and from which she derives an average annual income of P N/A (Where the above does not apply): I am exempt from the requirement of

The COP27 talks have been domi nated by calls for all nations to step up their commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and for rich ones to fulfil pledges to financially help the develop ing world to green their economies and build resilience.

Poor and climate-vulnerable economies devastated by natural disasters have de manded compensation for damages already incurred, with calls for a windfall tax on the profits of oil companies to help pay.

But stiff international criticism of Egypt’s treatment of hunger-striking activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and the US midterm election also loomed large over the summit.

US President Joe Biden’s Democrats

face a tough battle to hang on to their ma jority in Congress against Republicans, who are less favorable to international cli mate action.

A Republican victory could be a boon to the ambitions of former president Donald Trump, who is expected to make another bid for the White House.

Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. Biden returned the United States—the sec ond-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China —to the pact on his first day in office in 2020.

Biden won a major victory earlier this year when Congress passed the Inflation Reduc tion Act, which will channel hundreds of bil

lions towards green energy initiatives. ‘More determined than ever’

The “climate crisis doesn’t just threaten our infrastructure, economy and security -- it threatens every single aspect of our lives on a daily basis,” US climate envoy John Kerry said on the sidelines of the summit, in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

He said that even if Democrats lose the election, “President Biden is more deter mined than ever to continue what we are do ing.”

“And most of what we are doing cannot be changed by anybody else who comes along,” Kerry said. “The marketplace has made its decision to do what we need to do to respond to the climate crisis.” AFP

ROCKET

REMAINS. This undated handout

violence, personal assault or assassination for the success and predominance of one's ideas. I am not a polygamist nor a believer in the practice of polygamy. I have not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude. I am not suffering from mental alienation or from any incurable contagious disease. The country of which I am a citizen or subject is not at war with the Philippines and grants to Filipinos the right to be naturalized citizens or subjects thereof.

13. It is my true and honest intention to become a citizen of the Philippines and to renounce absolutely and forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, and, particularly, to INDIA of which at this time I am a citizen or subject. I will reside continuously in the Philippines from the date of the filing of this petition up to the time of my admission to Philippine citizenship.

14. My character witnesses are MR. VINOD VASUDEV MOORJANI and JOSE MICO MENDIOLA both Filipino citizens, of legal age, and residing at 9 LIMASAWA, MAGALLANES VILLAGE, MAKATI CITY and 2415 LEIVA ST. STA. ANA, MANILA respectively, who have executed sworn statements attached hereto in support of my instant petition, together with: (a) brief biographical data about themselves; (b) detailed statements on the dates they first came to know me, the circumstances of our initial acquaintance and the reasons and extent of our continuing familiarity; and (c) the number of times they have acted as character witnesses in other petitions for naturalization.

15. Attached hereto as annexes and made part of this petition are the duplicate originals or certified photocopies of the following documents (please check the appropriate box):

[ / ] a. Petitioner's birth certificate [ / ] b. Petitioner's alien certificate of registration (ACR) [ ] c. Petitioner's native-born certificate of residence (NBCR) [ ] d. Petitioner's marriage certificate, if married [ ] e. Death certificate of his/her spouse, if widowed [ ] f. Court decree annulling his/her marriage or granting legal separation, if such was the fact [ ] g. Birth certificates of petitioner's minor children [ ] h. ACRs of petitioner's minor children [ ] i. NBCRs of petitioner's minor children [ / ] j. Affidavits of financial capacity by the petitioner, duly supported by bank certifications, passbooks, stock certificates, or proof of ownership of other properties [ / ] k. Affidavits of at least two (2) credible witnesses who must be Filipino citizens of good reputation in petitioner's place of residence [ / ] l. Medical certificate from a government hospital stating that petitioner is not suffering from mental alienation or a user of prohibited drugs or otherwise a drug dependent and that he/she is not afflicted with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), or any incurable contagious disease. [ / ] m. School diploma and transcript of records of the petitioner from the school/s he or she attended in the Philippines [ ] n. Certifications stating that petitioner's minor children are enrolled in public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the DECS, where Philippine history, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality [ / ] o. Petitioner's income tax returns for the past three years [ / ] p. Petitioner's receipts of payment of income tax for the past three years

manner during the entire period of my residence in the Philippines in my relations with the constituted government as well as with the community in which I am living. I mingled socially with Filipinos and have evinced a sincere desire to learn and embrace the customs, traditions and ideals of the Filipino people. I have all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications under Republic Act No. 9139. I am not opposed to organized government or affiliated with any association or group of persons who uphold and teach doctrines opposing all organized governments. I am not defending or teaching the necessity or propriety of

released on November 9 by South Korean Defense Ministry in Seoul shows retrieved debris of a three-meter-long and two-meter-wide piece, which it identified as a North Korean SA-5 missile according to South Korea’s military. It had retrieved the missile fired across the de facto maritime border by the North during a recent blitz of launches and analyzed the debris. AFP

Nokor fires ballistic missile, Seoul’s military says

SEOUL—North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile Wednes day, Seoul’s military said, the latest launch from Pyongyang following a record-breaking testing blitz earlier this month.

The launch comes as the United States counted votes in the midterm elections for the House and Senate, which Seoul’s spy agency had pre viously warned would be a possible moment for Kim Jong Un to con duct a long-expected nuclear test.

“North Korea fires an unspecified ballistic missile towards East Sea,” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. The military did not give any fur ther details.

Japan also confirmed the launch, with the government tweeting that Pyongyang “has launched a sus pected ballistic missile”.

Earlier this month, North Korea conducted a flurry of launches, in cluding an intercontinental ballistic missile, which Seoul said appeared to have failed.

Pyongyang also fired a shortrange ballistic missile that crossed the de facto maritime border and landed near the South’s territorial waters.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said at the time that it was “effectively a territorial invasion”.

Both launches were part of a Wednesday November 2 barrage, when Pyongyang fired 23 missiles

—more than it launched during the whole of 2017, the year of “fire and fury” when Kim traded barbs with then-US president Donald Trump on Twitter and in state media. Drills, predictions

The flurry of launches came as hundreds of US and South Korean warplanes -- including B-1B heavy bombers -- were participating in the large-scale joint air drills, called Vigilant Storm, which Pyongyang has described as “aggressive and provocative”.

Pyongyang ramped up missile launches in response to the drills. Such exercises have long provoked strong reactions from North Korea, which sees them as rehearsals for an invasion. AFP

IN BRIEF

Six killed in 5.6-magnitude Nepal quake

KATHMANDU—Six people were killed in a 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck western Nepal in the early hours Wednesday, causing tremors as far away as New Delhi, authorities said.

The epicenter was near the Nepalese municipality of Dipayal, 340 kilometres (210 miles) west of Kathmandu at a depth of 15 km at around 2:00 am (2030 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey.

Six people died in the western district of Doti, including three mem bers of the same family, local police chief Rajendra Dhamala said.

Five others were injured and were undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

Some houses were damaged and local authorities said they were still assessing damages and casualties.

Tremors were felt in northern India but there were no reports of deaths or damage there.

Residents of Indian capital New Delhi posted videos on social media including swaying light fixtures and shaking fences.

The Indian National Center for Seismology reported the quake as magnitude 6.3. AFP

Protesters glue selves to Warhol print

CANBERRA—Climate protesters on Wednesday glued their hands to the transparent covers of Andy Warhol’s famous “Campbell’s Soup” screen prints at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.

The protest by a group calling itself “Stop Fossil Fuel Subsidies Aus tralia” was the latest in a series of climate demonstrations targeting fa mous artworks around the world.

The two protesters also scrawled graffiti across the covers of the prints, which were removed for cleaning but were not damaged, accord ing to the gallery.

“A protest has taken place at the National Gallery of Australia fol lowing similar incidents here and overseas,” the organisation said in a statement.

“The National Gallery does not wish to promote these actions and has no further comment.”

A video shared online showed one of the protesters dabbing her hand with glue before slapping it to the cover of a “Campbell’s Soup Cream of Mushroom” print. AFP

Aussie health records leaked on dark web SYDNEY—Hackers have followed through on a threat to leak sensi tive medical records stolen from a major Australian health company that counts the country’s prime minister among nearly 10 million customers.

Medibank told investors that a “sample” selection of customer data was posted on a “dark web forum” on Wednesday after it refused to pay a ransom demand.

The data included names, birth dates, passport numbers and informa tion on medical claims for hundreds of customers who were separated into “naughty” and “nice” lists.

Some on the “naughty” list had numeric codes that appeared to link them to drug addiction, alcohol abuse and HIV infection.

For example, one record carried an entry that read: “p_diag: F122”.

F122 corresponds with “cannabis dependence” under the Inter national Classification of Diseases, published by the World Health Organization. AFP

photo

TOP GAINERS

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

1 LPC 0.205 0.098 91.59%

2 PAX 1.87 0.17 10.00%

3 PERC 4.88 0.41 9.17%

4 ION 0.495 0.03 6.45%

5 HVN 600.5 30.5 5.35%

6 PRMX 2.39 0.12 5.29%

7 FLI 0.84 0.04 5.00%

8 ORE 0.7 0.03 4.48%

9 INFRA 0.95 0.04 4.40%

10 CROWN 1.55 0.06 4.03%

TOP LOSERS

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

1 ECP 3.18 -0.79 -19.90%

2 TUGS 0.94 -0.23 -19.66%

3 MBC 6.09 -1.35 -18.15%

4 ABG 3.6 -0.45 -11.11%

5 PBB 7.51 -0.74 -8.97%

6 HTI 0.84 -0.07 -7.69%

7 CEU 6.49 -0.49 -7.02%

8 LR 2.78 -0.19 -6.40%

9 SCC 29.5 -2 -6.35%

10 ARA 1.05 -0.07 -6.25%

MOST ACTIVE

VOLUME VALUE (PHP)

1 BDO 5,179,540 691,302,256

2 SCC 17,403,600 521,072,400

3 BPI 4,394,600 417,172,470

4 SM 401,200 332,756,390

5 TEL 208,445 319,594,695

6 ALI 9,371,300 243,499,190

7 ICT 1,263,780 233,782,343

8 SMPH 6,506,200 221,001,110

9 GLO 92,260 211,637,070

10 AC 255,220 170,129,685

Stocks fall; peso rises to 57.99 a dollar

STOCKS

fell for a second day while the peso advanced ahead of the release of the thirdquarter gross domestic product growth and as investors took profit from recent gains.

The PSE index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 47 points, or 0.8 per cent, to close at 6,241.68, as four of the six subsectors declined.

The broader all-share index also lost 15 points, or 0.5 percent, to settle at 3,292.74 on a value turnover of P5.6 bil lion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 95 to

84, while 39 shares were unchanged.

Three of the 10 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Ayala Corp. which climbed 2.8 percent to P669.00 and Globe Telecom Inc. which added 1.2 percent to finish at 2,298.00. Aya la Land Inc. inched up 0.2 percent to P26.05

Meanwhile, the peso strengthened to a week high against the US dollar and returned to the 57 territory amid expec tations that the Bangko Sentral ng Pili pinas would increase by 75 basis points the policy rate in its meeting next week.

The peso closed at 57.99 against the greenback, stronger than 58.275 on Tuesday. Total volume traded reached $1.107 billion, up from $954.9 million on Tuesday.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said earlier the dollar declined against ma jor global currencies after the financial markets priced in another, but smaller, 50 bps Fed rate hike on Dec. 14.

“The relatively stable peso exchange rate [was] also brought about by signals recently on local policy rate hikes of as much as 0.75 on the next rate-setting meeting on Nov. 17,” Ricafort said.

Asian stocks lost momen tum on Thursday as factory gate prices in China

Musk sells nearly $4bn in Tesla stock: SEC filing

WASHINGTON—Tesla chief Elon Musk sold nearly $4 billion worth of shares in the elec tric car company, SEC filings showed Tuesday, more than a week after he closed his $44 bil lion acquisition of Twitter.

Musk has been pushing for ways to pay for the massive deal, for which he took on billions of dollars in debt and earlier sold $15.5 billion worth of shares in Tesla.

On Tuesday, documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) indicated that he had disposed of more than another 19 million shares, worth in excess of $3.9 billion.

Musk took control of Twitter and fired its top executives in late October, after a drawnout back-and-forth between the world’s richest person and the influential social media com pany.

The billionaire initially tried to step back from the deal after his unsolicited offer was ac cepted in April.

He said in July that he was canceling the contract because he had been misled by Twitter over the number of fake “bot” accounts, allega tions rejected by the company.

After Musk sought to terminate the sale, Twitter filed a lawsuit to hold the entrepreneur to the agreement. With a trial looming, he re vived his takeover plan.

Overhaul

On Friday, Twitter sacked half of its 7,500-strong staff as its new owner launched an overhaul of the company.

Jack Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter in 2006 and stepped down as CEO last year, tweeted to apologize for growing the site too quickly, following news of the firings.

Musk has been searching for ways for the social media platform to make money after the buyout, including an idea to charge users $8 a month for verified accounts.

The move would help overcome a po tential loss of advertisers, Twitter’s main source of revenue, after many top brands put their ad buys on hold, uneasy about Musk’s well-known disdain for content controls.

Musk’s actions and statements since taking over the reins of Twitter have prompted concern, including warnings from the United Nations. AFP

China’s ultra-rich squeezed by slowing economy—report

BEIJING, China—The wealth of Chi na’s billionaires this year dropped by the largest amount in more than two de cades, according to an annual ranking, as zero-Covid curbs and a property market crisis stall the world’s second-largest economy.

The Hurun China Rich List, released Tuesday, said the total wealth of all indi viduals with a minimum net worth of 5 billion yuan ($691 million) dropped by 18 percent to $3.5 trillion.

Only 1,305 people made it onto the list—an 11 percent net decrease com pared with last year and the biggest drop in 24 years.

The fortunes of China’s ultra-rich have been battered by Beijing’s harsh zeroCovid policy, which has heavily disrupt ed production and supply chains.

They have also taken a hit from stock

market routs during a two-year crack down on the tech industry and suffered from geopolitical volatility caused by events such as the war in Ukraine.

The property and healthcare sectors were hit especially hard, according to the list.

Property developer Yang Huiyan of Country Garden Holdings lost the most personal wealth at $15.7 billion this year, while Pony Ma, founder of tech and gaming giant Tencent, lost $14.6 billion after a sweeping crackdown on the gam ing industry last year.

China’s three richest people stayed the same as last year, with Zhong Shanshan, founder of bottled water company Non gfu Spring, increasing his wealth by 17 percent to $65 billion.

Zhang Yiming, the founder of TikTok parent ByteDance, retained second place

but saw his wealth drop by 28 percent to $35 billion after the company’s valuation dropped.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma fell from fifth to ninth place after losing 29 percent of his wealth to $25.7 billion, while Pony Ma slipped from fourth place to fifth.

Nearly 300 individuals listed last year were absent from this year’s list, most from the property industry, which has faced a spiraling debt crisis after the government imposed borrowing curbs in 2020.

The chairman of property giant Ev ergrande, Xu Jiayin, fell out of the 100 richest to 172nd place as his company sagged under over $300 billion of debt.

The International Monetary Fund has predicted that China’s annual GDP growth will only reach 3.2 percent this year. AFP

fell for the first time in nearly two years.

Shares in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai edged up at the open as votes were counted in crucial US midterm elections that will shape the political fortunes of President Joe Biden. But they soon fell after official data from China showed the world’s second-larg est economy languishing under its strict zero-Covid policy. With AFP

5th 6th – 5th 30th 6th-15th 15th 16th – 15th 10th 16th-20th 20th 21st – 20th 15th 21st-30th/31st30th/31st 1st – 31st 25th

6. The first billing of the subscriber shall be calculated in proration based on the following calculation rules:

• Data Proration Formula: (Data Allocation) x { (Remaining days of the month) / (Total Days in the current month) }

o For example, a subscriber who has subscribed to plan 990 (180GB on their first 3 months, 90GB thereafter) signed up on July 16 but their bill is due on the 21st of each month. Their consumption from July 16 to July 20 will be added to their first monthly bill as follows: 180GB x (5/31) = 29GB. Therefore, an additional 29GB will be charged to their bill on August 21st on top of the 180GB they would have been allocated from July 22 to August 21.

• Monthly Service Fee (MSF) Proration Formula: MSF x { (Remaining days of the month) / (Total Days in the current month) } o For example, a subscriber who has subscribed to plan 990 signed up on July 16 but their bill is due on the 21st of each month. Their time from July 16 to July 20 will be added to their first monthly bill as follows: P990 x (5/31) = P159.68. Therefore, an additional P159.68 will be charged to their bill on August 21st on top of the P990 they would have been charged from July 22 to August 21.

shows

producing vibratory feeder controllers at a factory in Nanjing in China’s eastern Jiangsu province.

BLIBLI IPO. This handout photo taken and released on Nov. 8, 2022 by Blibli shows people

standing next to a big screen featuring Blibli shares during its initial public offering of Global Digital Niaga, owner of e-commerce firm Blibli, at the Indonesia Exchange in Jakarta. AFP

IN BRIEF

Megaworld booked P8.4-b net income in three quarters

OFFICE and condominium builder Megaworld Corp. said Wednesday net income attributable to the parent company’s shareholders rose 3 percent in the first three quarters to P8.4 billion from a year ago.

Consolidated revenues in the first nine months went up by 15 percent to P42.5 billion from P36.9 billion as all business segments maintained double-digit growth.

Megaworld chief strategy officer Kevin Tan said the depreciation of the peso against the US dollar had tempered the company’s strong revenue growth.

“Our strong topline performance during the year affirms our drive to not only reach our pre-pandemic levels, but to exceed it. While our bottom-line was tempered by the strong dollar, our underlying operations and profitability remained robust. We look forward to sustaining our momentum and closing the year strong,” Tan said.

Real estate business demonstrated strong recovery, registering a 13-percent increase in sales to P26.2 billion in the nine-month period from P23.1 billion last year.

Jenniffer B. Austria

SEC approves Alternergy’s P1.89-b initial public offering

THE Securities and Exchange Commission said Wednesday it approved the planned P1.89-billion initial public offering of Alternergy Holdings Corp. to finance renewable energy projects.

The SEC en banc rendered effective the registration statement of Alternergy Holdings covering 4,320,669,117 common shares in its Nov. 8 meeting, subject to the company’s compliance with specific remaining requirements.

Alternergy Holdings will offer to the public a maximum of 1,281,430,000 common shares priced at P1.48 apiece. The offer will also include 192,220,000 common shares to be sold by shareholders.

The shares will be listed and traded on the main board of the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Net proceeds from the IPO could reach up to P1.62 billion, which the company will use for the development and construction of projects under development, debt payment for the acquisition of Kirahon Solar Energy Corp., pre-development expenses for projects in the pipeline and general corporate requirements. Alena Mae S. Flores

Jollibee, Dunkin’ Donuts end China franchise deal

RESTAURANT operator Jollibee Foods Corp. and Dunkin’ Donuts Franchising LLC announced Wednesday the termination of the master franchise agreement for operations and expansion of Dunkin Donuts in China.

Jollibee said in disclosure to the stock exchange it also ended the operation of Beijing Golden Cup Corp., which runs seven Dunkin’ Donut restaurants in Beijing.

Jollibee chief executive Ernesto Tanmantiong said the company’s priority is “to realize attractive value for our shareholders by concentrating our resources on our businesses with the highest growth potential.”

Jollibee said it would focus on building its business in China through its larger business there. The fast food company owns three restaurant brands in China including Yonghe King (418 stores), Hong Zhuang Yuan (55 stores) and Tim Ho Wan (13 stores).

It also has 21 Jollibee stores in Hong Kong and three Jollibee stores in Macau. Jenniffer B. Austria

Manila Water and Maynilad investing P344b in five years

By Alena Mae S. Flores

WATERconcessionaires

Manila Water Co. Inc. and Maynilad Water Services Inc. announced Wednesday massive capital expenditures of P344 billion to improve water service in their respective concession areas in the next five years.

Manila Water programmed P181 bil lion in capex, while Maynilad said it would invest P163 billion for infrastruc ture projects to sustain service improve ments in the face of challenges such as climate change and population growth.

Manila Water, the east zone water

concessionaire, said water security is at the forefront of its service improvement plan from 2023 to 2027. It said other pillars of the plan are service continuity, service accessibility and environmental sustainability.

“These major pillars represent the proj ects that Manila Water will undertake to ensure continued water and wastewater services for the increasing population of the East Zone and Rizal Province, which continues to grow at an annual rate of 2 to 3 percent. Manila Water is earmark ing P181 billion for the five-year plan, of which P105 billion are allotted for its massive capital expenditure program,” said Manila Water president and chief ex ecutive Emmanuel De Dios.

Manila Water said that with an annual water demand increasing at 3 percent and the need for additional supply of 15 percent during peak summer months, it is essential that new water sources be

developed to ensure the continuity of 24/7 service and not be reliant on Angat Dam.

Manila Water started tapping Laguna Lake as an alternative water source for customers.

Construction of the Antipolo Water System is also underway with the Wawa Calawis Water Supply Project. Phase 1 will provide an initial 80 million liters per day, and an additional 438 MLD is expected to be completed by 2025.

“Implementation of Manila Water’s service improvement plan will ensure that water supply for East Zone custom ers will continue to remain 24/7 and at the same time, adequate wastewater and sanitation services will be available for those residing in San Juan, Mandaluy ong, Pasig, Taguig, Pateros, Marikina, portions of Quezon City and Manila as well as Rizal province in the coming years,” De Dios said.

6,241.68

1.00000058.2920 Japan Yen 0.0068650.4002 UKPound1.15400067.2690 Hong KongDollar0.1273937.4260 SwitzerlandFranc1.01450759.1376 CanadaDollar0.74482343.4172 SingaporeDollar0.71515441.6878 AustraliaDollar0.65030037.9073 BahrainDinar2.653435154.6740

Saudi Arabia Rial 0.26601415.5065 BruneiDollar0.71260641.5392 IndonesiaRupiah0.0000640.0037 Thailand Baht 0.0270751.5783 UAE Dirham0.27227915.8717

EuroEuro 1.00760058.7350 Korea Won 0.0007270.0424 ChinaYuan0.1382748.0603 IndiaRupee0.0122900.7164 MalaysiaRinggit0.21123812.3135 New Zealand Dollar 0.59540034.7071 TaiwanDollar0.0313951.8301 Source: BSP

SMIC’s 9-month income jumped 50% to P42.9b

By Jenniffer B. Austria

CONGLOMERATE SM Investments Corp. said Wednesday net income climbed 50 percent in the first nine months to P42.9 billion from P28.6 billion in the same period last year on strong performance of core banking, real estate and retail businesses.

SMIC, the listed holding company of the Sy family, said in a disclosure to the stock exchange nine-month consolidated revenues rose 31 per cent to P381.9 billion from P292.6 billion a year ago.

SMIC president and chief ex ecutive Frederic DyBuncio said in creased economic activity and strong consumer sentiment supported the company’s growth this year.

The company’s recent acquisition of Philippine Geothermal Produc tion Company Inc., which operates the Tiwi and Mak-Ban steam fields in Albay, also contributed to the strong financial results.

Banking business accounted for 45 percent of total consolidated net income, followed by property at 23 percent and retail at 19 percent. Port folio companies accounted for the remaining 13 percent of reported net earnings.

“With encouraging results, we remain confident about sustained growth in the fourth quarter,” Dy Buncio said.

DOTr wants private sector to take over MRT 3 operations, maintenance

By Darwin G. Amojelar

THE Department of Transportation said Wednesday the government is not selling the assets of Metro Rail Transit Line 3, but only plans to privatize the operations and maintenance of the rail system.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bau tista said the agency was considering the possibility of turning over the O&M of MRT 3 to qualified private sector operators to improve its operational ef ficiency.

Bautista said “railway systems should remain the most affordable and safest mode of mass transit in the country.”

The government continues to subsi dize the operations of railways in the metropolis including Light Rail Transit Line 1, LRT 2 and MRT 3 to keep fares affordable.

“We are looking at partnering with private rail operators for MRT 3’s op erations and maintenance – under the same scheme with LRT 1—with the rail line’s assets remaining governmentowned,” Bautista said.

He said privatizing MRT 3’s O&M was expected to enhance efficiency and safety and reduce operational costs to maintain affordable fares.

The DOTr earlier said that under the 25-year build-lease-transfer arrange ment, Metro Rail Transit Corp. will

transfer the 16.9-kilometer MRT Line 3 to the government by 2025.

MRTC, owned by Metro Rail Tran sit Holdings II Inc. led by businessman Robert John Sobrepeña, is responsible for the design and construction of the EDSA rail transit system.

Formed in 1995, MRTC started build ing MRT 3 in October 1996, completed it in December 1999 and started full op erations in July 2020.

MRTC and the government, through the DOTr, signed the BLT agreement in 1997 to construct and maintain MRT 3.

The partnership required the DOTr to hold the franchise and run the system particularly the operation and the col lection of fares.

SM Retail reported a 138-percent increase in nine-month income to P11.5 billion, surpassing the 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

Retail revenues rose 26 percent to P258.1 billion on increased demand for school essentials and other sup plies with the resumption of face-toface classes.

“Increasing employment and high er OFW [Overseas Filipino workers] remittances across the country helped fuel spending, and we anticipate con tinued momentum towards the fourth quarter with the resumption of nor malized holiday activities,”DyBuncio said.

SMIC’s property development business under SM Prime Holdings Inc. reported P22 billion in con solidated net income in the first nine months, or 41 percent higher than last year’s P15.6 billion.

By Julito G. Rada

CLIMATE change is exacting a heavy toll on Filipinos’ lives, properties and livelihoods and could hamper the coun try’s ambition to become an upper mid dle-income country by 2040, the World Bank said Wednesday.

It said that with 50 percent of its 111 million population living in urban ar eas, and many cities in coastal areas, the Philippines is vulnerable to sea level rise. Changes due to the variability and intensity of rainfall in the country and increased temperatures will affect food security and the safety of the popula tion, it said.

Metro Pacific expects to achieve P14-b core net income this year

INFRASTRUCTURE conglomerate

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said Wednesday it expects to end 2022 with a core net income of P14 billion, up 13.8 percent from 2021 level after posting strong nine-month earnings.

MPIC chairman and chief execu tive Manuel Pangilinan said in a press briefing the group was on track to hit ting a double-digit growth for the rest of the year as core businesses remained strong despite the high interest and in

flation rate environment.

Nine-month net income rose 25 per cent to P11.8 billion from P9.5 billion in the same period last year as consoli dated revenues climbed 25 percent to P383.1 billion from P297.9 billion.

The company attributed the strong nine-month growth to the recovery in toll road traffic, growth in power consump tion and increase in billed water volumes.

Power accounted for P8.9 billion or 58 percent of net operating income, fol

lowed by toll roads which contributed P4.1 billion and water which delivered P2.2 billion. Other businesses, mainly real estate, hospitals, fuel storage and light railway contributed P153 million.

The conglomerate said third-quarter core net income reached P4 billion.

The group said it managed to reduce average interest rates on borrowings, which resulted in a 7-percent decline in net interest costs in the first nine months. Jenniffer B. Austria

The bank said any policy inaction on the part of the government to address climate change would result in around 5.7 percent to 7.5 percent reduction in GDP by 2040.

Benoit Bosquet, the bank’s regional di rector for sustainable development in East Asia and Pacific, said in an online briefing that climate change would likely reduce GDP substantially, but the range of pos sible outcomes would be wide.

Bosquet said the sectors that would be hardly hit are water, agriculture, en ergy, transport and urban areas.

“Rainfed crops will be mostly af fected and this might result in low agri cultural production that will impact the

farmers and the poor,” he said, adding this would eventually result in higher food prices.

“Even under conservative estimates, climate change will reduce GDP by 5.7 to 7.5 percent by 2040,” Bosquet said. He said the good news is that adapta tion actions could reduce the impact of climate change to the poor.

“[The] Philippines needs to take ac tion to avoid worsening the problem,” he said, citing the country’s number one ranking in the 2022 World Index in terms of vulnerability from climate change.

The Philippines Country Climate and Development Report presented by Bosquet said that climate change poses major risks for development in the Phil ippines.

Climate shocks, whether in the form of extreme weather events or slowonset trends—will hamper economic activities, damage infrastructure and induce deep social disruptions, it said.

The report analyzes how climate change will affect the country’s ability to meet its development goals and pur sue green, resilient and inclusive devel opment.

It said adapting to the risks of climate change—including extreme events and slow-onset problems—would be criti cal for the Philippines.

WB: Climate change may block PH’s bid to become upper-middle income country

CASHLESS MALLING. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas officials join the launch of ‘Cashless Malling at SM’ in Pasay City, as they believe that the adoption of electronic payments in malls would facilitate an inclusive digital payments ecosystem. Attending the ceremony are (from left) Department of Trade and Industry assistant secretary Mary Jean Pacheco, Department of Information and Communication Undersecretary David Almirol Jr., BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan, BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, SM Supermalls president Steven Tan, SM Engineering Design and Development president Hans Sy Jr. and SM Malls Online App vice president for operations Daniel Lim.

PNB’S AWARD. Philippine National Bank is recognized for the second year in a row by a joint program of the European Union and the UN Women as runner up for Transparency and Reporting in the UN Women 2022 Philippines Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards. PNB acting president Florido Casuela (fourth from left) receives the award on behalf of the bank. With him are (from left) Ma. Rosalyn Mesina, country program coordinator of UN Women Philippines; Christine Clarke, CSC Ambassador for Women and Girls at Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Commissioner McJill Bryant Fernandez, Corporate Governance and Finance Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission PBCWE; co-chairperson Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia; and Kathy Mulville, business partnerships director of Investing in Women.

Converge storms to 6th straight triumph

THE Converge FiberXers’ defensive plays in the final minute frustrated the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters as they escaped with a 132-127 win on Wednesday in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

Quincy Miller topscored with 46 points and hauled down 18 rebounds for the FiberXers, who pulled off their sixth straight win and seventh overall in nine outings.

Miller’s heroics included eight triples out of a total of 22 threepoint shots made by Converge, both franchise highs.

Jeron Teng added 25 points as the FiberXers climbed to second position behind the Magnolia Timplados Hotshots (6-1).

Coach Aldin Ayo said the FiberXers were distracted by the Fuel Masters’ zone defense, but their adjustments in the final period kept them on track.

RK Ilagan made 22 points, a new career high, while Maverick Ahanmisi knocked in 13 for the FiberXers, who weathered a late rally from the Fuel Masters.

Kaleb Wesson shot 25 points for the Fuel Masters, who now have a 5-4 card.

The Fuel Masters threatened, 127-131.

But a charity from Alec Stockton, followed by Justine Arana’s block on Serrano and a bungled trey by Tyler Tio allowed the FiberXers to hang on to the lead in the final 13 seconds. Peter Atencio

16 countries join Nomura golf at Manila Southwoods

SIXTEEN countries, bannered by defending champion Thailand and regional powerhouses Australia, Japan and Korea, are vying for team and individual honors in the Nomura Cup, the Asia-Pacific region’s most prestigious and longest-running men’s team championship.

The 29th edition of the Nomura Cup will be held from November 15 to 18 at the Masters’ course of the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite with the trio of Kristoffer Arevalo, Elee Bisera and Coby Rolida hoping to finally end the Philippines’ quest for a first victory in the biennial event.

It will mark the country’s fourth hosting of the Nomura Cup with the first three all held at the Wack Wack east course in 1963, 1971 and 1991.

“It is a great honor and pleasure for the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club to host the 2022 Nomura Cup. We welcome the 16 national teams from Asia who will participate in this championship event. We have always supported junior and amateur golf which we believe represents the future of the entire golfing industry,” said Manila Southwoods chairman Bob Sobrepeña.

Australia, the winningest team in Nomura Cup history with 10 victories and four runner-up finishes, will be going for another major title at the same club where it captured the Eisenhower Trophy at the 1996 World Amateur Team Championship which to date remains the biggest amateur competition ever held here.

The 29th Nomura Cup was originally set to be played at The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club in Hong Kong in November 2019 but was rescheduled to June 2020 due to peace and order concerns in the Special Administrative Region of China. Then the Covid-19 pandemic intervened, prompting another delay to June 2021 which was further extended to 2022 because of continued travel restrictions.

‘Merciful’ NCAA suspends JRU’s Amores indefinitely

By Peter Atencio

FOR assaulting opposing players in a fit of rage inside the basketball court last Tuesday following a referee call he didn’t like, Jose Rizal University Heavy Bomber guard John Amores was suspended indefinitely by the management committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Mancom representative Fr. Vic Calvo of Letran announced the punishment on Amores, and the penalties on 13 other players at the end of a five-hour meeting on Wednesday.

The mancom reasoned out that the 23-yearold Amores should have been slapped with a lifetime ban for his misdeeds in the fourth quarter of the St. Benilde-JRU game, which forced organizers to declare the Blazers as the winner in their 98th National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament game at the FilOil-EcoOil Arena in San Juan.

But the 6’2” Amores was instead suspended indefinitely so that he will have a

chance to change his ways, and maybe play again in the future.

“We want to serve justice, at the same time be merciful in implementing measures and sanctions. Puwede naming sabihin na lifetime ban. But you need to give a small window or door for the child to return, probably in the future,” said Calvo.

The controversial game was nearing its end, with Benilde leading, 71-51, when the referee whistled a foul on Amores for tripping Blazers’ cager Chris Flores during a play. The foul call sent Amores in fit of anger, charging the Benilde bench swinging

ee,

In all, three CSB cagers and 11 from JRU will be suspended and banned from playing in their next games for their involvement in the fracas.

A three-game suspension will be meted on JRU’s William Sy Jr. for his dance moves while being pacified during the incident.

On the other hand, a two-game suspension will be meted on Sangco and Flores on the CSB side, for their participation in the brawl, along with Heavy Bomber Ryan Arenal for committing disrespectful acts of dancing as well.

CSB player Ladis Lepalam will be suspended for a game for also entering the playing court, along with other JRU cagers, namely Jason Tan, Joshua Guiab, Jason Celis, Marwin Dionisio, Jan Abaoag, Jonathan Medina, Karl de Jesus and Christian Gonzales.

SMART/MVP Taekwondo Team off to Mexico for world tourney

tion when he lost in his Round of 64 match in the men’s finweight class.

Barbosa, the pride of National University, one-time Most Valuable Player in UAAP Season 81, and the first Filipino taekwondo jin to make it to the pandemic-delayed Olympics in Japan last year since Tshomlee Go in the 2008 edition, will try to rebound from a failed bid on his first world stint as he is now armed with better preparations and experiences.

“Naghanda po kami ng todo para dito. Halos dalawang buwan din po kaming nag-training sa Korea para mabawi ‘yung dalawang taong pahinga dahil sa pandemic. Babawi po ako dito,” said the 22-year-old, who failed on his mission in the 2019 edi-

Joining him in this prestigious competition participated in by more 100 countries, such as top contender Korea, China, Spain, Iran, Turkey, Chinese Taipei and USA, are fellow 2018 Manila Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Dave Cea (-74kg), Laila Delo (-67kg), Baby Jessica Canabal (-53kg), Joseph Chua (63kg), and Alfritz Arevalo (-68kg).

Raul Romero and Carlos Jose Padilla will be the coaches, while Raul Samson is the team manager. Former Senator Anna Dominique ‘Nikki’ Coseteng is the head of delegation.

“This tournament is important for our athletes as they are trying to earn points to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Naka-programa na sa amin ‘yung mga tournaments na makakatulong sa atin pagdating sa point system, and as much as possible, we have to join on this competition next year,” said Samson.

Quezon City unbeaten in PNVF Champions League

QUEZON City outlasted Imus City, 14-25, 25-20, 1925, 25-16, 15-12, to clinch the No. 1 ranking in women’s Pool A of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation Champions League Wednesday at the Philsports Arena.

Bern Flora took charge and scored four of her nine points in the fifth set for the Lady Vikings, who checked Judith Abil and Justine Dorog in the decider.

With a 3-0 record, Quezon City will face the secondranked squad in Pool B in the quarterfinals.

The Cavite-based AJAA Lady Spikers settled for second with a 2-1 card and will take on the Pool A winner in the next phase of the tournament supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Rebisco, PLDT, Philippine Olympic Committee, Cignal HD, One Sports, Cignal Play, F2 Logistics and Amigo Segurado

Final day of women’s action is set Thursday, with Pool B leaders CPS Antipolo City (2-0) battling Davao City (1-1) at 6:30 p.m. and UE Manila (1-1) going up against Bulacan (0-2) at 8:30 p.m.

Abil led the Lady Vikings with 16 points, including two blocks, Sheeka Espinosa chipped in 10 points, while Dorog also scored nine points.

Monica Guibao had six service aces for a 16-point outing while Jorelle Singh and Julie Catindig each had 14 points for Imus.

opportunity to showcase the talents of our athletes,” said Del Mundo, as UB is now setting its sights for the NCAA-South and PRISAA tournaments next month. “It is a great help for the kids because you can’t get experience from anywhere. By playing against strong teams, definitely, when we return to Batangas, we will become stronger as a team.”

Kylie Macatangay capped her sensational outing for the Lady Brahmans with 26 points, matching Jelai Gajero’s tournament-high in the CAL Babies four-set win over the Lady Warriors last Monday. She also had a team-best four service aces.

“Actually, she has been with us since high school. So she came from our grassroots and with her experience, she knows how to carry the team,” said Del Mundo.

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

TOKYO Olympics’ veteran Kurt Bryan Barbosa will lead an 8-man SMART/MVP Sports Foundation Philippine Taekwondo Team vying for pride and glory against the best and toughest fighters in the world in the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships slated November 13 to 20 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Earlier, UB Batangas topped ICC Caloocan, 25-15, 1525, 25-23, 25-19, to finish third in Pool A. Despite missing the semis bus, Lady Brahmans coach Roderick Del Mundo is grateful to play in big-time competitions like the Champions League.

“We would like to thank the PNVF for giving us the

and then dropping James Pasturan and Taine Davis to floor. Amores also hit CSB players Mark Sangco and Miguel Oczon during his rampage.

The mancom explained that during the incident, Amores also intentionally bumped and pointed a finger at the refer-

disrespected JRU representative Paul Supan and other court officials, charged the CSB bench and made provocative gestures to instigate a fight.

Kate Ramos (right) of UB Batangas de es the double-team of Angelica Nidoy and Gelah Lopez of ICC Caloocan.

Former senator and head of delegation Anna Dominique ‘Nikki’ Coseteng (center) poses with the Philippine Taekwondo Team bound for the 2022 World Taekwondo Championship in Guadalajara, Mexico. The team is composed of (from left) coach Paul Romero, Dave Cea, Laila Delo, Baby Jessica Canabal, Raul Samson (Team Manager) Olympian Kurt Bryan Barbosa, Joseph Chua, Alfritz Arevalo and coach Carlos Jose Padilla.

Fr. Vic Calvo of Letran explains the decision of the NCAA management committee.

Four Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters gang up on Converge import Quincy Miller as he drives to the basket in a PBA Commissioner’s Cup game won by the FiberXers, 132-127.

Puerto Princesa ready for IRONMAN

PUERTO Princesa is pulling out all the stops to guarantee not just a successful staging of its first-ever IRONMAN 70.3 hosting but also a memorable racing experience for more than 1,200 triathletes all geared up for the premier endurance race blasting off Sunday (Nov. 13) in Palawan.

“It is our inaugural year and any inaugural year in any location is special,” said Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron. “We have over 1,200 triathletes from 26 countries competing in a new race after pandemic. It’s an excellent turnout and we must make it special.”

The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc. has staged triathlon events in Subic, Cebu and Subic with general manager Princess Galura expressing her impression with the debuting city host’s preparations to ensure the smooth conduct of the 1.9 km swim, 90km bike and 21k run event over a challenging course set up to international standards.

In fact, a Puerto Princesa contingent, led by Mayor Bayron and city officials, watched the IM 70.3 event in Cebu last August to observe how the event is planned, organized, hosted and managed.

The new host city, however, said it’s more than providing the participants a new racing experience but also a “racecation of triathletes” of sorts, this being a rare chance for them to visit various scenic locations throughout the city which is home to a number of worldclass natural attractions.

They include the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park or the Underground River, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and holds a place in the new seven wonders of nature.

Puerto Princesa has also guaranteed the city’s hosting of the IM 70.3 in the next two years with next edition to include the pros from all over.

Meanwhile, registration remains open. For details, visit www.ironman. com/im703-puerto-princesa, puertoprincesa70.3@ironman.com, or www. ironman.com for brand and global event series.

Titles to be disputed are the individual for men and women and the various agegroup categories, along with men’s and women’s relay and the relay mixed with the recent Kona and St. George finishers also competing.

US livid as Griner moved to Russian penal colony

PPS tennis levels up, holds national collegiate tilt

THE Palawan Pawnshop goes a notch higher in its continuing commitment to boost local tennis, holding the PalawanPay National Collegiate Championships beginning Thursday at the Philippine Columbian Association outdoor courts at Plaza Dilao in Manila.

The field features player-students gearing up for the UAAP and NCAA wars with the men’s and women’s singles and doubles titles and men’s and women’s team championships up for grabs in the week-long tournament presented by Dunlop.

“This tournament will help raise the level of play in the collegiate ranks, instill discipline among the players and at the same time elevate qualities like determination and teamwork,” said Bobby Castro, president/CEO of Palawan Pawnshop, which is also at the forefront of junior tennis development with its annual, country-wide circuit.

In fact, the PalawanPay Juniors Group 1 tournament will be held right after the collegiate tilt from Nov. 17-22, also at the PCA courts, home of the annual PCA Open.

WASHINGTON—Russia

is moving detained US basketball star Brittney Griner to a penal colony, her lawyers said Wednesday, drawing a sharp rebuke from the White House.

Griner, convicted for possession of a small quantity of cannabis oil, was transferred out of a detention center on November 4, her legal team said.

She “is now on her way to a penal colony,” lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said in a statement.

They said that Russia generally sends notifications of transforming prisoners by mail, taking up to two weeks.

“We do not have any information on her exact current location or her final destination,” they said.

Griner’s case has drawn outrage in the United States, with Secretary of

State Antony Blinken reaching out to Russia to propose a deal to free her despite soaring tensions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that the United States had put forward a “substantial offer” to Russia to resolve her case.

“Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

“As the administration continues to work tirelessly to secure her release, the president has directed the administration to prevail on her Russian captors to

improve her treatment and the conditions she may be forced to endure in a penal colony.”

Griner, a two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist and Women’s NBA champion, had been in Russia to play for the professional Yekaterinburg team during her offseason from the Phoenix Mercury Women’s National Basketball Association side.

She said the cannabis in vape cartridges was to treat pain from her sporting injuries, but Russia does not allow medical marijuana use.

Reports have suggested that Griner and another American jailed in Russia, Paul Whelan—a retired US Marine arrested in December 2018 and accused of spying—could be traded for Viktor Bout, a famed Russian arms trafficker serving 25 years in prison on a 2012 conviction. AFP

UE’s Jarell Edangga and Stephen Guia, UST’s Nilo Ledama and Eric Tangub, UP’s Loucas Fernandez, Ateneo’s Gabriel Gurria, and National U’s Jude Ceniza and Ibarra Ortega banner the tough 64-player men’s singles draw in the event backed by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating).

Headlining the women’s singles roster are NU’s Danna Abad, Ateneo’s Althea Ong, Tracy Llamas and Gabby Sandejas, UP’s Dominique Malazarte and Sydney Enriquez, La Salle’s Beatrice Gomez and Mikaela Vicencio.

Meanwhile, the PPS-PEPP circuit heads to Cainta, Rizal on Nov. 24 for the Brookside Open featuring the juniors (boys and girls) and the men’s Open with Pampanga hosting the next stop from Dec. 6-12 for the Zentro Open in Apalit.

Action shifts to the City of Naga, Cebu from Dec. 15-22 for the Dagitab Open.

Kendo federation to hold promotional exams for practitioners

The event is scheduled on November 13, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will be held at the Upper Deck Sports Center in Pasig City.

The exam is open to all kendoka (kendo practitioners) based in the Philippines.

This event will gather together 105 participants from all over the country, 77 of whom will be aiming to earn kyu ranks (equivalent to colored belts in other martial arts), and 28 trying to earn dan ranks (equivalent to black belt degrees in other martial arts).

Kendo is a Japanese martial art that teaches sword fighting, and can be considered Japan’s equivalent to western-style fencing.

Kendoka spar with one another with bamboo swords (shinai) and wear protective clothing and armor (dogi &

bogu) for safety.

Prior to this event, Philippine-based kendoka had to take their grading outside of the country.

This made taking Kendo grading exams difficult from both a financial and logistical standpoint which discouraged most local kendoka from pursuing rank promotions.

By holding the exams in the Philippines, the UKFP aims to alleviate

the obstacles that prevented many of its members from taking the promotional exams. It is hoped that this will spur further growth of the art in the country.

The United Kendo Federation of the Philippines is the official Philippine affiliate of the International Kendo Federation (FIK).

For more information, visit its website: www.kendo.ph.

The promotional exams will be judged by a series of panels composed of Japanese, Philippine, and Singaporean sensei (teachers), most of whom are based in the country and are instructors in the various clubs mentioned above.

Eighteen sensei have agreed to volunteer for this task.

Matsuda Shigehiro, the Director of the Japan Information and Culture Center of the Embassy of Japan in the Phil-

Premier mobile Sportsbook site SportsPlus integrates GCash functionality

THERE’S nothing quite like the thrill of the game. Sports fans understand this better than anyone else. Even without ever once stepping onto the basketball court or football field itself, the energy watching from the stands or from the comfort of one’s own home is always electric.

Those fans who want to take that raw excitement to the next level can do so with SportsPlus, the premier mobile sportsbook site. The PAGCORaccredited site is the newest hot spot for Filipinos looki ng to partake in the adrenaline-f illed excitement of having real stakes on the line for major sports events.

For all those aged 21 and up, registration at the site is quick and simple, which means they can get started on enjoying SportsPlus as soon as possible.

SportsPlus also has features meant to make the sportsbook experience even better than before. At this point, seasoned gamers will know the hassle of

connecting their e-wallets or bank accounts to websites in order to funnel their money in and out of the sportsbook.

At its worst, it can be a challenge to set up. There’s a long process of hopping between apps and uploading relevant screenshots just to get started. After this, one might need to copy-paste transaction numbers for the tedious wait to see winnings reflected in their chosen e-wallet.

Wouldn’t it be better if one could simply access their e-wallet funds straight from the site? Forget lengthy verification set ups—SportsPlus has streamlined the handling of money for all its users.

Part of what makes SportsPlus an enticing new online sportsbook is its seamless GCash integration. With the simple press of a button, registered users can now top up and cash out any winnings straight into

their GCash account.

This partnership with GCash adds another layer of convenience for interested players. Easy access to and from one’s GCash account ensures that one can enjoy their winnings in an instant, and top up to play whenever convenient.

ippines, will be on hand to observe the event and give a keynote speech. This is the first national event that the UKFP will stage since the start of the pandemic lockdowns in March 2020.

If the event becomes successful, the UKFP looks forward to holding other national events in 2023, such as the resumption of the Philippine National Kendo Tournament and the 2nd edition of the shinsa.

SportsPlus also boasts a sleek mobile-friendly design that means users don’t even need to download a new app to enjoy their services. SportsPlus is optimized to be best experienced from standard mobile browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.

With the mobile site’s modern, user-friendly design and interface, its convenient GCash integration, and the competitive odds they offer, SportsPlus is primed to be the go-to sportsbook in the country.

Gaming for 21 years old and above only. Keep it Fun. Game Responsibly.

THE United Kendo Federation of the Philippines is organizing its first official promotional exams (shinsa) since becoming a member of the International Kendo Federation in 2020.

The following kendo clubs will be represented during the event.

US Women’s National Basketball Association basketball player Brittney Griner is as well “as can be expected” in a Russian prison, the White House said on November 3, 2022, after embassy o cials were able to visit her. “She’s doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with President Joe Biden. AFP

GMA Public Affairs earns multiple int’l wins, hits 20M YouTube subs

FROM numerous local and international awards haul on air and online, GMA Public Affairs marks another milestone after amassing more than 20 million subscribers on YouTube.

Spanning three decades of blazing the trail in producing compelling stories, GMA Public Affairs continues to receive recognition here and abroad. This year alone, it proudly represented the Philippines on the global stage and took home accolades from prestigious awardwinning bodies yet again.

At the Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards last October, The Atom Araullo Specials: Munting Bisig won the Silver Award for Documentaries and Reports (TV, Online, and Cinema) in the Human Concerns and Social Issues category. The same documentary took home the Best Asian Documentary award at the 4th Asia Contents Awards (ACA) in Busan, South Korea in the same month. It also brought home the Gold World Medal at the 2022 New York Festivals TV & Film Award earlier this year.

Earning another NYF win this 2022 was Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS), which received a Bronze medal for its “Bestida ni Ranelyn (Ranelyn’s Dress)” story in the Health/Medical Information category.

Long-running public affairs program I-Witness is also dominating the international awards scene this year with several wins. Atom Araullo’s documentary “Koronang Tinik (Crown of Thorns)” earned a Bronze medal in the Documentary: Climate Change & Sustainability category at the 2022 New York Festivals TV & Film Award. Another I-Witness documentary, “Virus Hunters” by Sandra Aguinaldo, took home a Finalist Certificate under the Documentary: Science & Technology category.

At the 11th Deauville Green Awards in Deauville, France, I-Witness made the country proud yet again, taking home the Trophee Argent or Silver Trophy for Howie Severino’s “Mask Land’’ story.

The Atom Araullo Specials is also this year’s National Winner for “Best Documentary” at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for the documentary “Mata sa Dilim.” The program joins Born to be Wild: Primate Planet and Lolong as National Winners in Best Natural History/Wildlife Show and Best Visual/Special Effects categories, respectively.

Earlier this year, infotainment program AHA! was shortlisted at the Prix Jeunesse International Festival 2022, which is considered the Oscars of Children’s TV.

Meanwhile, GMA News and Public Affairs’ Eleksyon 2022 digital campaign Dapat Totoo emerged as the “Best in Audience Engagement” at the World Association of News Publishers, Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2022 held in Zaragoza, Spain. It likewise took home the “Best in Audience Engagement” honor at the Digital Media Asia Awards 2022 held in Singapore this November.

In 2020, the GMA Public Affairs YouTube channel gave GMA Network its second Diamond Play Button. The first 10M-subscriber feat was achieved by GMA Entertainment in 2019. Last year, GMA News also surpassed 10 million subscribers, making GMA the only Philippine network to own three YouTube Diamond Creator Awards.

The GMA Public Affairs YouTube channel has tallied 12.7 billion views from 2009 to date. It likewise recorded 1.1 billion hours of watched videos as of this writing.

E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2022 C3

Breakthrough Oppas in town K-Pop group TFN charms Pinoy fans

FOR the first time since its debut in 2021, TFN (formerly known as T1419) which means “Try For New,” is finally holding its first-ever tour in Manila.

In two weeks, Filipino fans will get to know and even meet the eight members of the group which has been known in Korea for its experimental music and exceptional stages and performances.

With the goal of shaking the standardized idol industry through their unique takes, passion for growth, and constant evolution, the all-male group consists of five Korean and four Japanese members.

To say that TFN, which is composed of Zero On Gunwoo Kairi Noa, Sian, Kevin, Leo, and their maknae, Kio, hasn’t arrived in the country prepared would be a huge understatement. As their Filo supporters have already been treated with different kinds of music through their three single albums namely “Before Sunrise Part. 1”, “Before Sunrise Part. 2” and “Before Sunrise Part. 3,” as well as,

their four digital singles namely “Row” (pre-debut) (2020), “Red Light, Green Light” (2021), “Edelweiss” (2022), and “Run Up (Korean Ver.)” (2022).

The all-male group under Korean

entertainment agency, MLD Entertainment, which brought Momoland and Lapillus into the spotlight, is going full throttle in getting their own brand of music through several

Yassi Pressman is Ginebra’s newest calendar girl

local engagements and activities. They are heading towards completing several exclusive multi-platform interviews, feature photo shoots, TV, radio, and digital appearances on top media agencies, creative vlog collaborations, and live performances.

Apart from a wide array of music, TFN also prides itself on having a fan base in different portions of the world. The group has become the first Korean artist to be invited to the Monitor Music Awards 2021 proving their hold in the Latin American region. While just last January, the group solidified their fanbase in Japan with the launch of their first mini album, “Our Teen: Blue Side.” Then, just last July TFN surprised their fans anew with their first Spanish digital single “When The Sun Goes Down.”

TFN Manila schedule includes a back-to-back mall tour with their sister group Lapilluson on November 12 in Trinoma and November 13 in Glorietta.

Shakira, Pique sign child custody deal for two sons

GINEBRA

San Miguel Inc. (GSMI) has introduced Yassi Pressman as its 2023 Calendar Girl in a grand event that also unveiled six calendar layouts that capture the actress’s positive, lively, and sultry personality

In an interview with the press, Yassi said that she was surprised and honored when she got a call that she was chosen to be the newest member of the GSMI family.

“Being a part of such a great legacy is something that is going to be a milestone in my life,” said Yassi. “It’s really something special to be part of a company that serves worldclass quality products, and it means a lot to me that they chose me to be a part of the brand.”

Yassi’s launch as Ginebra San Miguel 2023 Calendar Girl was the first time again, after two years, that GSMI held a face-to-face event to launch its latest muse.

“We are excited to finally hold our Ginebra San Miguel 2023 Calendar Girl launch live again! For us, this launch also signals the atmosphere for next year. The pandemic has affected many Filipinos, but now is the time to recover—armed with Bagong Tapang, to dream and hope again, and to spread that positivity to others,” said Marketing Manager Ron Molina

With the theme “Queen of the Barangay,” the calendar features Yassi as a modern Filipina that is able to adjust to the new normal with positivity and productivity through her “matapang,”

Cherie Gil’s swan song joins diverse QCinema 2022 roster

“ganado,” and “neversay-die” attitude.

Despite her personal struggles, Yassi continues to hone the talents that she already has and allows her inner beauty to radiate, too, in order to inspire others. According to her, she shows her most natural self online and sometimes even reveals some not-soglamorous side of a celebrity because she believes that it would be healthy for people, especially the youth, to see that genuine side of her.

“I am open to everybody [on social media] about my battles and journey toward being healthier and stronger,” said the 2023 Ginebra calendar girl. “Whenever I get messages from little girls or any netizen saying that I inspire them to dance, act, and to keep moving forward, it gives me the ‘ganado’ feeling and hope and aspiration to empower more women.”

If there are things that the pandemic or the recent months have made women realize, it’s that they can accomplish things that are not expected from them and deliver more than the ordinary. “I think Ginebra San Miguel chose me because I embody courage, passion, and its never-say-die spirit. Growing up in showbusiness, you’d experience a lot of rejections and comments from people, and while we know we should just brush them off—especially the nonconstructive criticisms—they sometimes get to you.”

The Ginebra San Miguel Calendar Girl is a long-held tradition in GSMI and an important part of the brand’s history. Since its inception in 1988, beauty queens, actresses, and models who have made their mark in their respective fields have graced the Ginebra San Miguel calendar. Among them were Marian Rivera (2009 and 2014), Anne Curtis (2011), Solenn Heusaff (2012), Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach (2019), Sanya Lopez (2020), and Chie Filomeno (2022).

He is also dedicating the film to Faustmann, adding that they subconsciously injected the loss of two great actors with the personal and production they experienced in the previous year.

Elehiya is among the entries in the 2022 QCinema International Film Festival. The festival, which runs from November 17 to 26, will feature 58 films, including six short film production grantees, with seven sections of full-length features and three short programs.

days each month plus during school holidays, the player’s lawyer, Ramon Tamborero, said.

“It is not that one has won and another has lost, if anyone won it has been the children,” he told AFP after the conclusion of the custody negotiations which lasted months.

In a surprise move Pique, 35, last week announced he was retiring from football. The Barcelona defender broke down in tears on Saturday during a farewell speech at his final game at the club’s Camp Nou stadium.

He also kicked a ball around on the pitch with his sons - Milan, nine, and Sascha, seven.

“We have signed an agreement that guarantees the well-being of our children and that it will be ratified in court,” Shakira’s representative said in a message jointly signed by the singer and Pique.

“Our sole objective is to provide them with the greatest security and protection, and we trust that their privacy will be respected,” the statement added without providing further details.

Shakira and Pique announced their romantic relationship in 2011 but never married. They met during the filming of the video for her infectious “Waka Waka,” the official song of the 2010 World Cup, in which Pique made an appearance.

The couple, who had been living together for years on the outskirts of Barcelona, announced in June that they were separating. AFP

Cherie’s fans and younger generations

have the opportunity to see her again in her element with her final film, Elehiya, directed by Loy Arcenas

Originally titled Mirador, Elehiya

chronicles

“Death leaves behind many unanswered questions, some beautiful and some painful. I will always treasure the zest Cherie poured into her life and art. She is stunning in the film, and Elehiya will be her exquisite swan song,” Arcenas said.

“It has grown bigger and stronger beyond our dreams and much sooner than our expectations. It is like the making of a film. QCinema’s growth has been a collaborative effort. While it started as a brainchild of mine ten years ago, it took a whole city and the efforts of many sectors to propel it to what it is now, one of the country’s most formidable film festivals,” said Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte Both local and international films will entice eager moviegoers to explore various genres, from love, horror, acceptance, and social issues.

As the QCinema International Film Festival celebrates a decade of success, moviegoers can enjoy several sections especially curated by the governing body.

QCinema’s main competition section is back. Asian Next Wave focuses on emerging filmmakers from Southeast Asia

and East Asia with less than three features. Also returning to the festival is the Asian Shorts program, a curated program of must-see shorts in their regional premieres. Another competition section is QCShorts. The films competing in this section received production grants of 350,000 pesos. Meanwhile, QCinema’s specially-curated section, Screen International, showcases the world’s renowned directors with distinctive styles. Next is the New Horizon section heralds new directors and their acclaimed new works is QCinema’s New Horizon section. Other distinctive sections in the festival are RainbowQC and Midnight Series, which feature movies on the queer community and spine-tingling stories, respectively.

In the meantime, the Special Screening sections showcase QCinemas Philippine premieres. Banking on local films, the film festival also launched the Digitally Restored Classics, which feature memorable films by two critically-acclaimed directors.

A new festival section also joins QCinema this 2022. The Advanced Screenings will give moviegoers a glimpse of award-winning and latest films before they hit the box office.

Details about in10City, QCinema’s 10th-anniversary presentation, will be available at qcinema.ph, and updates are available on its social media accounts.

Nickie

By Patricia Taculao

VETERAN actress Cherie Gil’s passing earlier this year saddened many Filipinos. As a maven in the entertainment industry, Cherie touched viewers and colleagues alike with her professionalism, skill, and grace on and off-screen.

will

the downward spiral of Dr. Celine de Miranda (played by Cherie) as she tries to piece together the shattered remains of a childless marriage. Yet the production wasn’t without struggles, including Cherie’s passing and Miguel Faustmann this 2022.

TFN, which means “Try For New,” is set to delight Filipino fans with their first-ever Manila tour

GMA Public Affairs has been producing compelling stories for three decades, earning them the trust and support of viewers locally and internationally

COLOMBIAN music superstar Shakira and Spanish footballer Gerard Pique have reached an agreement over the custody of their two children following their breakup, their representatives said Tuesday. The 45-year-old “Hips don’t Lie” songstress plans to move to Miami with the couple’s two sons and Pique will have them for 10

Shakira (left) in happier times with former partner Gerard Pique

Ginebra’s 2023 calendar features Yassi Pressman as a modern Filipina with a ‘never-say-die’ attitude

Cherie Gil’s character dives into a downward spiral in ‘Elehiya,’ bringing out the depth and complexity of the actress

Living the slow life at Sonya’s Secret Garden

AVISIT

to Sonya’s Secret Garden in Alfonso, Cavite – just a fewminute drive to Tagaytay – is enough to energize and refresh one’s body and mind. Whenever I visit this place, a part of me doesn’t want to go back to my real life in the city. This was how Sonya Garcia felt during her first few visits to this place before she called it her home in the late 1990s.

At the owner and founder of Sonya’s Secret Garden, Sonya Garcia’s invitation, six of us members of the press visited her piece of heaven and stayed overnight at the charming cottages. At lunch, she sat and re galed us with her colorful and inspiring life story. “A formidable yet welcoming lady,” I thought with admiration.

“I used to just visit here on weekends with my family and close friends. It used to be just one cottage and a garden where I would plant root crops, plants, and veg etables. I would tend to the plants and wait for harvest time. And of course, there’s also my flower garden,” this lively, full of wit and wisdom 80-year-old founder shares.

“My love for flowers or flower gardens, I got it from my grandmother. In fact, it was my childhood spent with her that made me decide to create something like the slice of heaven I grew up in,” she adds.

From one cottage, Sonya kept adding one step at a time— “whatever felt right,” she said. Now Sonya’s Secret Garden has 25 cottages each named after her favorite blooms in the garden and all reflecting her love for Victorian with a touch of rustic yet charming and chic interior design.

She transformed the restaurant into a full-blown one serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals with many ingredients harvested fresh from the garden. Our fa vorite was the garden salad with Sonya’s super-secret dressing. She wouldn’t reveal the ingredients, but she gave us a bottle to take home. A spacious events venue as well as the must-visit “proposal garden” was added. The bakery or panaderya came, of fering the popular pasalubong and bestsell er Spanish bread and cheese hopia among others.

There’s also a spa offering body mas sages and other body pampering services, as well as an apothecary that carries organic

and eco-friendly products like aromatherapy oils, body soaps, and shampoo.

The Vietnamese silk robe that staying guests can use may also be purchased here.

The more than threehectare development hous es the above-mentioned plus sprawling vegetable,

of Sonya, toured us around the entire development.

The following day, she invited us over to her home, located of course, within the development. It looked like it was cut straight from a country living magazine. She toured us around the mostly open-area three-story house she shares with her two school-age grandchildren as well as her beloved canines. You could see that every piece of decor, furnishing, or art work reflects Sonya’s taste and style. There

right balance. It was neither too little nor too much. Nothing is heavy on the eye, and each has a place and a breathing space. She calls it “carefully choreographed chaos.”

“Varieties can be beautiful,” she reveals. “Try a different approach. Surprise your self. If something is too much, calm it down with something neutral like white. Nothing is contrived here.”

She showed us where she plays mahjong with her friends who would come over oc casionally.

simple pleasures. Guests are urged to prac tice the art of doing nothing—to take things slow, commune with nature, and relish in its bounty. Health and wellness also take center stage at Sonya’s Garden as it encour ages guests to enjoy life and practice mind fulness.

Especially during the pandemic, So nya’s Garden became a therapeutic escape, where guests can breathe in the fresh air and breathe out the troubles that have built up during the strict lockdowns.

fruit, and flower gardens in different areas.

All these reflect the kind of lifestyle that Sonya wanted and has made for herself.

“I did not intend this to become a busi ness. I simply wanted a personal sanctu ary, an idyllic paradise retreat tucked in the quiet side of Cavite to revel in the joys of creating and tending to a beautiful garden teeming with bright colorful blooms and verdant greens,” she said. “Everything just happened naturally over the course of time and I’m glad it did because now we’re a growing family and community.”

“Ma’am Sonya has helped so many peo ple by providing jobs, and even gifting the deserving and long staying employees with plots of land to build their house on,” says Christina H. Caimoy, Chief Operating Officer, who, along with other loyal staff

was enough space to move around and the whole space felt light and airy. Sonya does not shy away from mixing and matching kitchenware, ornaments, and furniture yet she knows exactly how to maintain the

“Here, I have found my inner peace and happiness. Every day I get to bask in the refreshing scents of nature and the cool climate. I get to harvest fresh and organic food. I get to enjoy this modest country cot tage that allows me to breathe in the fresh air, commune with nature and just be in the moment. These are little things we of ten take for granted. This is what I want to share with each visitor of Sonya’s Gar den— the joy of living in the moment.”

More than two decades since she opened her doors to the public, Sonya’s Secret Garden continues to attract city dwellers and inquisitive souls seeking respite. In deed, from a garden with a “table for two” framed by a dramatic bougainvillea vine, it has now evolved into a thriving, wholly Fil ipino-owned integrated tourism enterprise.

Sonya’s Garden remains to be one of the most famous bed and breakfast destinations on this side of the country. And it’s easy to see why.

Every visit to Sonya’s Garden is a feast for the senses, allowing you to enjoy life’s

Sonya’s Garden also offers numerous ways to relax and unwind— from learning about basic gardening and compost-mak ing to watching the fireflies during mating season, decor making and nature trekking, fishing, and even cooking using the fresh est ingredients from Sonya’s Garden of edibles.

By staying true to its promise of being a health and wellness destination, Sonya’s Garden has managed to survive and thrive even in the most challenging crisis in recent times.

The next time you need to regroup and take a respite, go ahead, book that muchneeded stay at Sonya’s Garden, and indulge in what this lovely place has to offer.

And oh, did I tell you Sonya has some life advice that may just be what you need ed to hear? She said to the group:” Do not look for love. Instead, give yourself the love you seek for.”

For feedback, I’m at joba.botana@gmail. com.

Ruffa Gutierrez ventures into lifestyle business

LEADING health and beauty care chain store introduces Naturals by Wat sons to its consumers and patrons a se lection of products prepared using the finest organic ingredients from around the world. Every product, whether it be for moisturizing, softening, enhancing, or pampering, is thoroughly tested for safety so you can grow more beautiful with the premium organic ingredients from nature’s bounty.

This month, Naturals by Watsons intro duces its limited edition Lavender range, which allows you to cover yourself with the sweet flower’s calming and relaxing

works best for extremely dry and damaged hair and skin. The Nat urals Hair Oil has gained a loyal following among Filipinos who love their moisturized locks.

Their Coffee line boosts the anti-hairfall properties of coffee bean extracts, imported from Af rica. The Naturals Coffee Hair & Scalp Tonic helps with thin and fragile hair.

The Olive line is formulated with organic olive oil and olive fruit extract from Italy which provides deep moisturizing for

As the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer, A.S.Watson Group is taking the lead by offering more sustainable products to customers. Staying true to this promise, Naturals by Watsons opened its first refill station in the Philippines at SM Megamall. This refill station is the first step in response to the call of the government to preserve the environment and Climate Change Committee’s thrust to reduce waste.

By Nickie Wang

ACTRESS, model, and fashion icon Ruf fa Gutierrez was a vision of pride when Gutz and Glow was officially launched before the media and its business partners including Maricor Monton Flores, the CEO of Skin Solutions, at Hilton Manila recently.

The launch also marked the 48-year-old former beauty queen’s venture into the lifestyle business.

Gutz and Glow, according to Gutierrez, is a lifestyle brand complete with products specially made to suit the preference of women who are always on the go.

“Ever since I was young, I have always known what I wanted when it comes to products I use. It must be effective, gentle, and affordable so that people will be able to embrace it as part of their lives,” Gutier rez said.

scent that will ease away stress, and bring more relaxation and good energy.

Loyal customers of Naturals would know the core ranges that have been fa vorites since they were launched: Aloe Vera, Argan, Coffee, and Olive.

The Aloe Vera line is made with Mex ico-sourced aloe extract that soothes dry & irritated skin and strengthens hair.

The top-selling Aloe Vera shampoo is also found to be good for dandruffprone, oily scalps.

The Argan line features Argan oil and Argan seed extract from Morocco

Customers can now refill their clean empty Naturals by Watsons bottles with their favorite variants: Aloe Vera Sham poo, Coffee Shampoo, Argan Shampoo, Olive Shampoo, and Aloe Vera Body Wash. Empty bottles with screw caps are also available for purchase in the store, and customers can save up to 40 percent vs. regu lar bottles. Refill Station customers will also get a free sticker that they can customize to their liking.

Added the celebrity mom of two, “I came up with a lifestyle brand because just as how our times have evolved, our needs have also changed. Coming up with a beauty line alone is not enough. So, lifestyle brands like Gutz and Glow repre sent who I am. Each prod uct is handpicked by me. It has the touch and feel of Ruffa – my preference, my needs every day.”

feel my needs

The celebrity host carried with confidence the lineup of prod ucts under her own lifestyle brand, includ ing Butt and Body Scrub, Disinfectant Hand Soap, Feminine Lightening Spray Mist,

“She

love, plus her side that the public doesn’t get to see often,” said Flores.

With Gutz and Glow, Gutierrez is set to revolutionize the way most of us take care of ourselves. As the CEO of the brand, she sees a lot of possibilities in this business, not only locally but also abroad.

“We can tap the OFWs (over seas Filipino workers). I’ve al ways been interested in business, but most especially in the business of beauty and well-being. When you venture into something, it also has to be something that you enjoy,” she stressed.

but most especially in the business of beauty and well-being. When you be

Nickie

hair and skin.

Naturals by Watsons Refill Station

Luminous Hand Cream, Lustrous Hand Sanitizer, Blazing Hand Sanitizer, Makeup Remover Wipes, and Intimate Feminine Wipes.

All of these products were made from the fresh est and finest functional ingredients and antioxidants infused with superior technology to realize Gutier

was very hands-on every step of the way, from choosing which will be included in her line, to the scent, look, and feel of each product. She made sure that Gutz and Glow represents the Ruffa Gutierrez that everyone has learned to

every day.”

Blazing Hand Sanitizer, Makeup Remover Wipes,

rez’s vision.

from choosing which will be included in her line, to product.

With Gutz and Glow, Gutierrez is set ourselves.

Sonya’s idea of ‘fast food’ are fresh produce of the season from her garden straight to the table for the guests to enjoy

One of the charming cottages at Sonya’s Garden, perfect for a weekend family retreat

Ruffa Gutierrez (left) with business partner Maricor Flores

Some of Sonya’s favorites that guests can bring home

Sonya Garcia right at home in her garden