Manila Standard - 2022 November 14 - Monday

‘Resolving issues ASEAN way’

PBBM notes summit’s success in binding common interest with PH

By Joyce Pangco Panares and Vince Lopez

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Manila at midnight Sunday, declaring his first attendance as Chief Executive at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit a “successful debut” while focusing on the pressing global issues of climate change and food security.

This was after Mr. Marcos rallied world lead ers at the regional summit to act decisively and immediately on these problems while highlight ing the five bilateral meetings the Philippines held with host Cambodia, Brunei, South Korea, Vietnam, and Canada over three days.

In his speech after arriving from Phnom Penh, Mr. Marcos said: “I am pleased to report that my visit to Cambodia for the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summit was successful. I actively participated in

China calls for stability, peace in SCS

PHNOM PENH – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang urged member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as its other dialogue partners, Japan and South Korea, to be committed to safeguarding peace and stability and achieving development and prosperity.

Li made the remarks ASEAN Plus Three or APT Summit chaired by Cam bodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that was

By Rio N. Araja SPEAKER

attended by leaders of other ASEAN member-states, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, and Japanese Prime Min ister Fumio Kishida.

In a pull-aside meeting with Philip pine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Li said China is ready to work with the Philippines and other nations in securing peace and stability in the South China Sea.

“I forward to working with the Philip

in the Association of Southeast Asian Na tions Summit, with other heads of state seemingly eager to rub elbows with the Filipino leader, whom he described as “a rockstar.”

pines and other countries in ASEAN for peace and stability in the South China Sea on the basis of mutual respect and respect for the Declaration of Conduct of Parties and international law,” Li told Mr. Marcos on the sidelines of the ASEAN Plus Three Summit.

Mr. Marcos earlier pushed for the ear ly conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to serve as a guide

Russia blasts US for pushing regional militarization in SEA

RUSSIA'S foreign minister on Sunday accused the United States of driving in creased militarization in Southeast Asia, saying that Washington was trying to contain Beijing and Moscow's influence in the region.

Sergei Lavrov, who has defended Rus sia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, was

“It makes me feel proud to see our President being warmly received by his fellow leaders in the region. He has been welcomed and embraced.

Other leaders in Asia are looking

forward to meeting him and talking business with him. Dare I say, the President has been like a rockstar here," he said.

speaking to reporters at Phnom Penh's air port after attending the East Asia Summit in Cambodia—and before flying to Bali for the G20 summit where China's leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden will meet.

Earlier on Sunday, Biden said he would establish "red lines" with Xi.

G20 rolls out $1.4-b fund vs. pandemic

GROUP of 20 (G20) health and finance ministers launched a $1.4-billion fund Sunday to tackle the next global pan demic ahead of the bloc's leaders gather ing for a summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, but the host's president said it was not enough.

The 24-nation fund is viewed as one of the early global outcomes of the summit next week where little progress is expected on the Ukraine crisis with Russian President Vladimir Putin not in attendance.

It was launched at a news conference Sunday opened by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and addressed by World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and World Bank President David Malpass.

Ahead of the G20 meeting, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. rallied

Bantag, co-accused in Lapid slay to be subpoenaed today

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Department of Justice will issue subpoenas today (Monday) against sus pended prisons chief Gerald Bantag and several others on the murder complaints filed for the deaths of radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa and in mate Cristito “Jun Villamor” Palana.

The issuance of the subpoenas requir ing the appearance and submission of counter-affidavits by Bantag and his corespondents in the two murder cases offi cially starts the preliminary investigation of the charges, the DOJ said.

“Subpoenas will be issued Monday,”

Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Char lie L. Guhit said in a text message to reporters.

Aside from Guhit, the other members of the panel of prosecutors are Senior As sistant State Prosecutor

T. Dugay and Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia I. Laroza Torrevillas who sits as chairperson.

Bantag and Bureau of Corrections Deputy Security Officer Ricardo Zulueta were charged as “principals by induce ment” in the killings of Mabasa and Pala na, an inmate at the New Bilibid Prison who was tagged as a “middleman” in the

Martin Romualdez on Sunday praised President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as among the “more magnetic” personalities

SUCCESSFUL DEBUT. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos walk the red carpet as they attend the ASEAN Gala Dinner at the Chroy Changvar International Convention and Exhibition Center (CICC) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Saturday night. The Chief Executive then smiles to the crowd welcoming him home, including his Cabinet, at midnight Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (inset photos). Presidential photos

Josie Christina

IMEE'S BIRTHDAY BASH. Senator Imee Marcos (left) joins Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio (center) as they say hello to residents of Brgy. 19-B in Davao City, where Marcos spent her 67th birthday on Sunday. The senator distributed nutribuns and vegetables to the residents in gratitude. VPSD FB

AMONG EQUALS. Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol all take their turns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his debut in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings Sunday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Gas, kerosene prices seen rising

GASOLINE and kerosene prices are seen rising this week as prices in the world market showed volatility due to various factors, industry estimates showed Sunday.

Kerosene prices are expected to increase by P1.30 to P1.50 per liter while gasoline prices could go up by P0.75 to P1 per liter, the second

‘Resolving...

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the ASEAN Summit. (It was) very inter esting as it’s the first one I’ve been to as President.”

“We got the opportunity to put forward our positions and plans and find ways to move forward and coordinate” with the other Southeast Asian nations and the leaders of the guest countries that graced the summit, he added.

The President said it was gratifying to see “a large area of similar concerns” –especially on food supply and the spiral ing prices of oil products, as he noted that all ASEAN member states agreed that “not one nation can solve these problems on its own.”

“We have to solve these together –that’s my most important takeaway,” said Mr. Marcos, as members of his Cabinet welcomed him upon arrival.

The President noted ASEAN’s con cerns over Myanmar, Ukraine, and Timor Leste's application to the regional bloc, while all nations pushed for a “compre hensive post-COVID-19 recovery.”

“I am happy to say that when I went up and spoke during the global dialog, it seemed we thought in the same way. We articulated our national interest and com mitment to work with ASEAN and dialog partners, and will deepen cooperation on key areas,” he said.

Mr. Marcos noted the roundtable discussions with business leaders from across the region organized by the Trade department, as he invited them to visit the country “and have a look at what oppor tunities they might find in the Philippines, as it seems our efforts at post-pandemic recovery are bearing fruit.”

“We look forward to working with In donesia as the incoming ASEAN chair,” the President added.

He also greeted Speaker Martin Ro mualdez, his cousin who was part of his official delegation to Cambodia, a happy birthday. The Leyte lawmaker turned 59.

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Washington is attempting to boost its influence in Southeast Asia, worried by Beijing's increasingly assertive behavior in the region, which it views as its strate gic backyard.

Lavrov accused the United States of pushing the "militarization of this region, clearly aimed at containing China and limiting Russian interests in the region."

As the Ukraine invasion has ground on,

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leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the need to create sustainable growth and a humancentered future post-COVID-19.

Mr. Marcos said nations cannot achieve economic progress alone.

“We, as ASEAN, must promote a people-oriented and people-centered recovery and development pathway beyond the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said in his intervention during the 2nd ASEAN Global Dialogue in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Meanwhile, Widodo said in a video address: "The G20 agrees to build a pandemic fund to prevent and prepare for a pandemic. Donors from G20 and non-G20 members, as well as philanthropic organizations, have contributed to the funds. But it is not enough."

He said $31 billion was required to tackle the next global pandemic.

"We must ensure community resilience in the face of a pandemic. A pandemic can no longer take lives and destroy the joints of the global economy."

The United States has contributed $450 million to the fund, nearly a third of the total.

In Bali, US Treasury Secretary Janet

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"Leaders from around the world are drawn to the Chief Executive and this bodes well for the Philippines, for practical reasons,” he added.

“We in government intend to build on our 7.6 percent economic growth in the third quarter based on our gross domestic product. The President will strive to turn these interactions on the international stage into tangible benefits that can trickle down into every Filipino home," Romualdez said.

Romualdez is in Phnom Penh,

straight week that prices of the latter will rise. Diesel prices, however, are seen falling for a second week in a row by P0.25 to P0.50 per liter, indus

In his intervention during the 17th East Asia Summit earlier Sunday, Mr. Marcos told world leaders: “Our people look to their leaders, to us, to correctly navigate the uncertain waters of this new world. Our partnerships will make us strong. Our partnerships will give us wisdom. The fu ture awaits.”

The President made the call earlier Sunday in front of world leaders, which included US President Joe Biden, Chi nese Premier Li Keqiang, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Kate Ardern, Japanese Prime MinisterFumio Kishida, India Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, South Korea President Yoon Sukyeol and Australia Prime Minister Anthony Nor man Albanese.

On Saturday, the President said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the US need to collaborate more closely to address maritime security issues and transnational crime.

“Let us continue our cooperation in fighting against illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing and also in combating marine plastic debris and marine pollu tion,” Mr. Marcos said in his intervention during the 10th ASEAN-US Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Moving towards the post-pandemic economic recovery, the chief executive said stakeholders in ASEAN and East Asia must build on and improve existing strategies towards holistic and green, and sustainable development to ensure envi ronmentally-sound economic progress.

“It has become glaringly clear that there is a dire need to strengthen food security towards self-sufficiency in our region, to increase adaptability and resil ience in the face of threats to the global supply chain,” the President said.

“It is incumbent upon us, for our sake and that of future generations, to act de cisively and immediately on climate change,” Mr. Marcos said.

The Philippines, Mr. Marcos said, ex presses its support for EAS initiatives, es pecially on promoting women’s econom ic empowerment, strengthening energy

and with Western sanctions biting, Russia has pivoted toward Southeast Asia in an attempt to shore up its battered economy.

Lavrov called Washington's strategy —which has seen the United States push for closer relations with Southeast Asian nations—"not inclusive and that com petes with the inclusive structures created around ASEAN.”

The regional summit in Cambodia has been dominated by international concerns, as first Ukraine and then the US-China ri valry overshadowed local concerns such as Myanmar.

Yellen said the joint fund was an example of what the G20 can do to tackle global problems.

"I am proud of what we have accomplished. I think the steps we have taken this year will help deliver on a vision of a healthier and more responsive global health architecture," she said.

Indonesia was at one point an epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic when a wave of Delta strain cases hit the country in mid-2021.

Its health system was overwhelmed by the number of infections andJakarta produced its own homegrown vaccine as lower-income countries became frustrated at more developed nations hoarding inoculations for their citizens.

The fund's major donors include the United States, Britain, India, China, France, Canada, Australia, and Japan.

"We meet at a time of multiple crises... this new dedicated fund is an important tool that will support low and middle-income countries to be better prepared for global health crises," said Malpass, who urged more countries to commit to the fund.

"The pandemic fund can help make the world safer."

Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told a news conference Saturday that Saudi Arabia was expected to contribute to the fund, without specifying how much. AFP

Cambodia as part of the official delegation of the President at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summit and related summits.

He said the President has made significant inroads in promoting the country’s national interest and broadening relations with the Philippines' regional and international partners during the summit.

“President Marcos has skillfully managed to promote our country’s national interest not only through his participation during the summit sessions but also in his interactions and exchanges with fellow leaders in ASEAN and dialogue partners,” he said on the last day of the ASEAN Summits.

He cited the President’s call during the ASEAN-China summit for the immediate

try sources told the Standard.

They said prices of imported petro leum products spiked in the first three days of trading, then declined on the fourth day due to weaker oil demand in China, fears of a worldwide recession, and lower oil supply.

China earlier reported its highest CO VID-19 caseload in six months, and oil demand often factors China's capacity to manufacture goods.

security, and promoting volunteerism for sustainable development –– all consistent with the EAS objectives as a leader’s-led forum on strategic issues.

The PH leader said he also looked for ward to working closely together with In donesia, the incoming ASEAN Chair for the year 2023, in continuing communitybuilding efforts.

On Saturday, the ASEAN and US leaders adopted a statement declaring the establishment of the ASEAN-US Com prehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).

US President Joe Biden said the CSP between the United States and the ASE AN bloc will help to tackle "the biggest issues of our time".

The pact, Biden said, seeks to defend na tions against “threats to the rule of law” and “build an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, stable and prosperous, resilient and secure.”

He said the agreement marked a “new era” in US-ASEAN ties.

During the summit, Mr. Marcos also renewed his call to make the highly con tested West Philippine Sea, an area of peace, security, stability, and prosperity and not an area of armed conflict or geo political discord.

“Let us be guided by the universal prin ciples of peaceful coexistenceand friendly cooperation as laid out in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. as high contracting parties to the treaty, we have a moral and legal obligation to work towards finding resolutions and not resort to inciting conflicts. That path leads us only to perdition,” the President said in his interven tion during the 17th East Asia Summit.

The Philippines, as an archipelagic country with porous maritime borders, considers maritime cooperation as a key priority in bilateraland multilateral coop eration and engagements, specifically in the South China Sea, the President said.

At the same time, Mr. Marcos said the Philippines welcomes engagementswith states and organizations which respect ASEAN Centrality, especially in the pri ority areas of cooperation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, particularly

US President Joe Biden said Sunday he will seek to establish "red lines" in America's fraught relations with Beijing when he holds high-stakes talks with Chi nese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Biden said he goes into Monday's en counter on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Indonesia stronger after his Democratic Party's unexpected success in midterm elections they were forecast to lose heav ily.

Washington and Beijing are at logger heads over issues ranging from trade to hu man rights in China's Xinjiang region and

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murder contract by self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial.

Also charged in the Percy Lapid killing as “principals by indispensable cooperation” were inmates Denver Batungbakal Mayores, Alvin Cornista Labra, Aldrin Micosa Galicia and Alfie Penaredonda.

For the killing of Palana, also charged as “principals by direct participation” were inmates Christian Dizon Ramac, Ricky Lamigo Salgado, Ronnie Pabustan Dela Cruz, and Joel Alog Reyes.

The two murder complaints will be consolidated with the first complaint filed by the Philippine National Police on Oct. 18 against Joel Escorial and his four alleged accomplices – brothers Edmon and Israel Dimaculangan, a person identified only as “Orly” or “Orlando,” and Christopher Bacoto, a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) inmate, who, together with Palana, had been tagged as middlemen in the Mabasa killing.

Bacoto earlier submitted his counter-affi davit denying any involvement in the crime.

Lawyer Salvador Quimpo said Bacoto denied he was the one who talked to Escorial for the payment of the murder contract.

Quimpo said his client knew of Escorial but had never talked to him.

conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea based on international law (see related story on A1 – Editors).

In a brief exchange with Marcos, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said he looked forward to working with the Philippines and other ASEAN countries for peace and stability in the South China Sea based on mutual respect and international laws, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“The agreement between President Marcos and Premier Li to further enhance Philippine-China relations bode well for the easing of tensions in the South China Sea and for our country’s energy and food

This in turn has been affected by their strict zero-COVID policies such as lock downs, quarantines, and mass testing, sources told the Standard.

Almost half of the caseloads came from the manufacturing hub Guangdong province, they noted.

Filipino experts previously warned of gasoline prices usually rising during the winter season, as the Philippines imports its oil supply.

maritime cooperation.

The Philippine leader also called upon his colleagues in the ASEAN to continue engaging Myanmar stakeholders and to push for the urgent implementation of the Five-Point Consensus reached in Jakarta during the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting last April 2021.

Also on Saturday, the President recog nized the crucial role played by the Brunei Sultanate in the Mindanao peace process.

During his bilateral meeting with Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Phnom Penh, Mr. Marcos said efforts to ensure long-lasting peace in Mindanao are pro ceeding despite the roadblocks posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I’m happy to be able to inform, Your Majesty, that the peace process is pro ceeding along. Although we have extend ed the Transition Authority for another three years simply because they were un able todo their job during the pandemic,” Mr. Marcos said.

“This process – the negotiations be tween the Bangsamoro and our Muslim brothers and sisters began in 1976—I be lieve, is the fruition of that. And we are very happy," he added.

Brunei is part of the International Monitoring Team and the independent de commissioning body in the peace process in the southern Philippines.

Bolkiah, meanwhile, pledged his coun try’s continued support to the efforts of the Philippines in ensuring peace and stability.

“We will continue to support your gov ernment’s efforts in ensuring peace and stability through various initiatives in the southern Philippines including our partic ipation in the unification and modification assistance,” the sultan said.

Mr. Marcos also informed the sultan about the scheduled 2025parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

He said he looked forward to having a functioning autonomous government in the south.

the status of the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Biden said he expected candid talks with Xi.

"I know Xi Jinping, he knows me," he added, saying they have always had "straightforward discussions."

The two men have known each for more than a decade, since Biden's time as vice-president, but Monday will see them meet face-to-face for the first time in their current roles.

"We have very little misunderstanding. We just got to figure out what the red lines are," Biden said. AFP (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Prior to the consolidation of the cases, Guhit has been conducting the preliminary investigation on the murder complaint against Escorial and his alleged accomplices.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said the DOJ will file with the trial courts petitions for the issuance of precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) against Bantag and Zulueta.

In a recent media interview, Bantag challenged Remulla to step down asJustice Secretary for allegedly losing credibility and moral ascendancy to head the DOJ.

Remulla, however, urged Bantag to “just face the charges like a man.”

Bantag on Friday accused Remulla of two things: that he was into drugs and may even have a hand in the drug case of his own son, and that he was using his position as Justice chief to prepare for the 2025 elections.

He also insinuated that Remulla wanted to "control the drug lords."

DOJ spokesperson Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano earlier said Bantag's accusations may have been prompted by a “misguided sense of betrayal.” “The Department of Justice understands the predicament of DG Bantag. His words and actions, no matter how personal and inappropriate, come from a misguided sense of betrayal. (But) there is only one issue at hand, the related murders of Percy Lapid and Jun Villamor. Let us not muddle the issue, let us not clutch at straws,” Clavano said.

security,” Romualdez said.

Li underscored that what the two countries have in common far outweighs their differences.

Marcos is set to make a state visit to China in January 2023.

The Speaker noted that in his request during the ASEAN-US Summit, Marcos appealed to US President Joe Biden to leverage the influence of the United States in taming rising oil prices, which has hurt businesses and livelihoods of many countries around the globe, including the Philippines.

In the bilateral meetings with Cambodia, Vietnam, Brunei, and South Korea, Marcos called for increased cooperation and collaboration with these

9,196 examinees make it to Day 3 of ’22 Bar exams

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court on Sunday said only 9,196 of the 9,207 examinees who were qualified to take the second day of the 2022 online and regionalized Bar ex aminations finished the tests yesterday.

Because of this, only 9,196 examinees are qualified to take the third day of the examinations set on Wednesday, Nov. 16. The Nov. 13 examinations were on Criminal Law (and practical exercises) from 8 a.m. to noon and Commercial Law from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

On the third day set on Nov. 16, the examinations will be on Civil Law I in the morning, and Civil Law II (and prac tical exercises) in the afternoon.

On Nov. 20, the last day of the exami nations, the subjects covered are Reme dial Law I in the morning, with Remedial Law II (with basic tax remedies), and Le gal Ethics in the afternoon.

The SC’s Public Information Office said that in the National Capital Region (NCR), there were 579 examinees who finished the tests at San Beda Univer sity; 762 at De La Salle University; 331 at Manila Adventist College; 2,227 at Ateneo de Manila University; and 636 at University of the Philippines in Taguig City.

In Luzon, 946 examinees finished the tests at Saint Louis University in Baguio City; 333 at De La Salle Lipa in Lipa City, Batangas; and 439 at the University of Nueva Caceres in Naga City, Cama rines Sur.

There were 708 examinees at the Uni versity of Cebu in Cebu City; 492 at the University of San Carlos, Cebu City; and 360 at the Dr. Vicente Orestes Romual dez Foundation, Tacloban City.

In Mindanao, 440 examinees took and finished the test at XavierUniversity –Ateneo de Cagayan in Cagayan de Oro City; 706 at Ateneo de Davao University, Davao City; and 237 at Ateneo de Zam boanga University in Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur.

Meanwhile, SC justices led by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo visited var ious testing sites during the second day of the 2022 online and regionalized Bar examinations on Sunday.

Gesmundo visited the SC’s bar exams headquarters at the University of Nueva Caceres in Naga City.

Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, chairperson of the 2022 Bar examinations committee, was at the San Beda University and Manila Adventist College.

At De La Salle University, Justice Caguioa was with Associate Justice Sam uel H. Gaerlan.

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for claimant-countries in the disputed waters.

The Philippine leader said the imme diate conclusion of the COC becomes more relevant as nations mark 40 years of the United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and 20 years of the Declaration on the Conduct of Par ties in the South China Sea.

“It shall be an example of how states manage their differences: through rea son and through right,” Mr. Marcos said, adding that he welcomed progress on the negotiations over the text of the COC, which he said he hoped would be ap proved “in the very near future.”

For his part, Li said the APT Sum mit is a major mechanism for East Asia cooperation, noting that the region is an important driver for global growth.

Countries should continue to com mit themselves to safeguarding peace and stability, Li said, as he put forward a five-point proposal: to keep the process of regional economic integration going, including the full implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership; maintain the stability of in dustrial and supply chains; improve cri sis response capacity; deepen cultural, and people-to-people exchanges; and work to enable sustainable development.

“China is willing to bring new opportu nities to other countries with its own devel opment, and inject new impetus to the APT cooperation,” Li said. Xinhua News

countries on various areas of concern, including security, trade, and business relations.

“President Marcos pushed forward the agenda for our country’s post-pandemic recovery and economic restoration and displayed a keen understanding of the dynamics of international relations,” Romualdez said.

The firm resolve Marcos has shown on matters of ASEAN regional concerns, like his stance for the quick resolution of the Myanmar situation toward democracy and respect for human rights, as well as his call for the enhancement of ASEAN solidarity and centrality to address conflicts and challenges in the region.

CHINA’S MODERNIZATION AND LOOK TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Xi Jinping delivers a report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on behalf of the 19th CPC Central Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 16, 2022. The 20th CPC National Congress opened on Oct. 16, 2022.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and the other newly elected members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi, meet the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 23, 2022.

EDITORIAL

Closer ties with ASEAN

IF THERE’S one thing the Philippines achieved with the participation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the recent ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, it was to enhance our position in the 10-nation grouping as a consistent advocate of dialogue, consensus, cooperation, peaceful settlement of disputes, and the establishment of a rules-based order not only in the region but also in the international community.

At the 40th ASEAN Summit Plenary, Marcos emphasized the need to reassert ASEAN Centrality amid geopolitical dynamics and tensions in the region and the proliferation of Indo-Pacific engagements, including the requests of dialogue partners for closer partnerships.

The President, also concurrent Agriculture chief, urged enhanced ASEAN food security cooperation through strengthened initiatives and expanded projects.

He pointed out the need “to solidify our food resilience and promote food self-sufficiency, through the use of new agricultural technologies, in order to protect the region and our countries from shocks to the global food value chain, as well as against adverse effects of climate change.”

On the Myanmar crisis, Marcos stressed the need for the speedy implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, which the ruling junta agreed to in the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting in Jakarta in April 2021.

The Five-Point Consensus includes an immediate end to violence in the country; dialogue among all parties concerned; the appointment of a special envoy; provision of humanitarian aid to Myanmar by ASEAN; and a visit by the bloc’s special envoy to Myanmar to meet with all parties.

The President said while the country adheres to the ASEAN principles of non-interference and consensus, the protracted suffering of the people in Myanmar, in part due to the lack of progress in the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, also challenges the ASEAN-honored principles of democracy and the respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the ASEAN Charter.

During the ASEAN Summit, Marcos also raised the climate crisis and said the developing countries are the most

vulnerable to changes brought about by climate change.

“Addressing climate change is our collective responsibility and developed countries should play a bigger role in global efforts to mitigate its risks, its effects, its damage and loss.”

On the South China Sea issue, Marcos told the summit that since Southeast Asia is primarily maritime in character and concerns, the regional grouping should strengthen the multifaceted character of maritime cooperation.

He urged ASEAN to work together to ensure safety and freedom of navigation and thus promote peace, stability, security, and prosperity in accordance with the relevant international and regional treaties and agreements, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

All in all, the President demonstrated a firm grasp of regional issues and more important, showed the way forward for ASEAN to remain relevant and responsive in the years ahead.

Governance, the economy, and the private sector

THE character of the country’s political governance is intimately connected to the economic well-being of the people.

This dynamic is understood by Filipinos who virtually unanimously concur that stopping, or at least controlling corruption will directly benefit everybody – that good governance will result in a faster and stronger economic revival and therefore fighting corruption should be the biggest governance handicap that must be addressed with urgency.

This is the strong sentiment reflected in the September 2022 Pulse Asia survey commissioned by the Stratbase group wherein 92 percent of nationwide respondents agree that “The government should strengthen anti-corruption laws, representatives, agencies, and collective mechanisms to implement and fulfill its international commitments to combating corruption.”

These findings were announced during the online forum held Thursday organized by think tank Stratbase ADR Institute and DemocracyWatch Philippines where the panel of speakers advocated for evidence-based good governance reforms.

Professor Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit highlighted the importance of accountability and the Filipino value of “pananagutan” in the way government must fulfill its programs and services.

He stressed on transparency, accountability, and responsiveness as non-negotiable requisites that we as taxpayers should demand from government in delivering public services.

In the same survey, 91 percent of the respondents agree that “To effectively control corruption, government should cooperate with the different forces and groups in society like the civil society, academe, private sector, mass media, and ordinary citizens.”

This validates what governance experts and anti-corruption advocates have been pushing for in many administrations, an all of society approach to reform a corrupt prone bureaucracy.

The fundamental mandate of government institutions is to serve the people whose taxes are essentially the source of funding of these bureaucracies.

It is the duty of elected and career officials of government to ensure that disbursement of the people’s money will give optimal returns in terms of projects and services and not siphoned away by corrupt practices.

World

The survey also probed into the public’s view of the private sector in the context of the economy.

A total 86 percent of the respondents believe that “The private sector plays a crucial role in accelerating economic growth” and identified the top issues of creating jobs (69 percent), helping uplift the lives of Filipinos out of poverty (65 percent) and expanding livelihood opportunities (49 percent).

This again reflects the immediate concern of Filipinos still struggling from the economic disruptions of the COVID 19 pandemic which is now further compounded by record level inflation hitting hard on the purchasing power of the ordinary consumers.

played a leading role in procuring vaccines and implemented many interventions which were all documented and publicly acknowledged by the government.

The findings of these surveys provide conclusive data that gives strategic guidance to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his administration.

It is clear that Filipinos are cognizant of how corruption in government directly impacts on their individual welfare as citizens.

The difficult economic landscape amplifies the need for efficiency and urgency for serious reforms that would finally plug the corruption holes of government bureaucracies.

The survey rightly recognizes the role of the private sector as an indispensable economic force that can be harnessed by building a symbiotic partnership of trust, empowerment, and a shared vision of sustainable economic recovery towards inclusive prosperity.

Furthermore, when asked if “The government and the private sector should engage in partnership in order to sustain the country’s economic recovery,” the answer is just as prevalent with 89 percent saying they agree.

This data as a vindication of the previous President’s vilification of leading business groups that ironically was sustaining the country’s prepandemic growth rates and when government was caught unprepared to cope with the people’s economic shock because of the lockdowns, it was the business groups being demonized who led the private sector’s emergency relief operations that gave immediate food assistance to millions of families deprived of their daily livelihood.

Leaders of industries quickly organized and mobilized their human and financial resources to help government fight the pandemic and

In pursuit of our ongoing advocacy of working together in an all-of-society approach to address the daunting challenges of the country, the Stratbase ADR Institute will host the 7th Pilipinas Conference on November 21 and 22, convening key Cabinet Secretaries, government officials, leaders of industries, the academe, the diplomatic corps, and international experts in two days of sessions that will focus on the outlook and strategies that will address the most critical problems as well as the opportunities in three key areas of development: governance, security, and the economy.

Under the theme “Onward to New Beginnings: Sustaining and Improving Philippine Development, among the esteemed roster of speakers from government are Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Environment Secretary Antonia “Toni” YuloLoyzaga, and DFA Undersecretary Jesus Gary Domingo.

Do check out the Stratbase ADR Institute Facebook page to see the rare line-up of thought leaders and apropos issues relevant to each of us Filipinos.

G20: Bali preps for everything from security risks to tsunamis US Democrats maintain

INDONESIA on Tuesday will host the G20 leaders’ summit, gathering the globe’s most powerful figures together on the resort island of Bali instead of the traffic-clogged capital Jakarta.

Seventeen world leaders – barring Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the leaders of Mexico and Brazil –will seek solutions to myriad global crises on the Muslimmajority country’s mostly Hindu “Island of Gods.”

Preparations for 20 national delegations, plus other prominent international figures including the heads of the United Nations and FIFA, are well under way, aimed at ensuring the summit passes without incident 20 years after a major bombing killed more than 200 people on the island.

“I have inspected the smallest aspects (of the venues) since this morning. We have checked everything, and I want to convey that we are ready to receive the G20 guests,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said this week, according to state news agency Antara.

Here’s how authorities in the G20’s only Southeast Asian member have been preparing for the global stage, and for thousands of delegates to descend on an island that is witnessing a tourism revival after two years of being slammed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The security measures, dubbed Operation Puri Agung, will see 18,000 military and police officers deployed to the Nusa Dua area of Bali, popular with tourists.

The heads of state will move between their 24 designated hotels and the summit venue – the Apurva Kempinski – inside a security ring protected by the Indonesian military, with outer rings manned by the country’s police force.

The military will deploy 12 warships, 13 helicopters and four fighter jets – two F16s, a Sukhoi-27 and a Sukhoi-30 – along with a Boeing reconnaissance aircraft, another Boeing aircraft for VIPs, and two Hercules cargo aircraft, including one for medical evacuations.

As well as facial recognition cameras, police will deploy hundreds of bodycams to protect the Nusa Dua area and 1,700 CCTV cameras will be in operation.

Indonesian officials have liaised with US and Chinese delegations about their high-level security needs and said they are sharing intelligence with delegations about any threat to the event. AFP

Trump lawyer poised to be Slovenia’s 1st  woman prexy

Natasa Pirc Musar, backed by the center-left government, is running against ex-foreign minister Anze Logar, a veteran of conservative politics, in the EU country of two million.

A lawyer, Pirc Musar was hired to protect the interests of Slove nian-born Trump during her hus band’s presidency, stopping com panies attempting to commercialise products with her name.

She is forecast to win just slightly above 50 percent of the vote ahead of Logar who is on between 44 and 49 percent, according to the latest

polls.

Pirc Musar, who headed the country’s data protection authority for a decade, says her victory would make her “the voice of women” in Slovenia and abroad.

Though the president’s role is largely ceremonial, the human rights advocate has vowed to be a

Pirc Musar, who is a keen mo torcyclist, has come under attack

of her husband’s lucrative investments – especially in tax ha

Her opponent Logar, 44, also ran as an independent but is a long-time member of the Slovenian Demo cratic Party (SDS) of Janez Jansa, who failed in his bid to be re-elect ed as premier in April.

Critics accused Jansa of attack ing media freedom and the judici ary and undermining the rule of law in his latest term in office. AFP

Midterms traditionally deliver a rejection of the party in power,

with inflation surging and Biden’s popularity in the doldrums,

been expecting

ride a mighty “red wave” and capture the Senate and the House of Representatives.

But the wave never got much beyond a ripple, and on Saturday US networks called the key Senate race in Nevada for Democrat incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto, giving the party the 50 seats it needed for an effective majority.

The win clinches Democratic control in the Senate as Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the tie-breaking vote if the upper chamber is evenly split 50-50.

“I feel good and I’m looking forward to the next couple years,” Biden said of the result, speaking at a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders in Phnom Penh on Sunday.

Biden, due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Monday, said control of the Senate would bolster his position in the talks.

“I know I’m coming in stronger,” he said of the midterms’ impact.

One Senate race remains up in the air – a runoff in Georgia set for December 6, in which the Democrats could add to their majority.

The result in the House of Representatives still hangs in the balance, and while Republicans are slightly favored to take control, it would be with a far smaller majority than they had envisaged going into Tuesday’s election. AFP

effective Senate majority

PRESIDENT Joe Biden’s Democrats retained control of the US Senate on Saturday, a remarkable midterm election result that defied predictions of a Republican win over both houses of Congress.

and

Republicans had

to

SLOVENIANS were voting on Sunday in a run-off poll expected to elect the country’s first woman president—a lawyer linked to for mer US first lady Melania Trump.

“moral authority.”

“The president cannot be neu tral... and have no opinion... I have never been afraid to speak out,” the former television presenter, 54, told AFP.

because

vens.

It is the duty of elected and career officials of government to ensure that disbursement of the people’s money will give optimal returns in terms of projects and services and not siphoned away by corrupt practices

All in all, the President demonstrated a firm grasp of regional issues and more important, showed the way forward for ASEAN to remain relevant and responsive in the years ahead

NEVER FORGET. Catholic faithfuls participate in a procession to commemorate the 33th anniversary of the murder of Father Ignacio Ellacuria, five Jesuits priests and two employees at the Central American University in San Salvador. They were murdered by government military forces on November 16, 1989 during a guerrilla offensive on the Salvadorian civil war from 1979 to 1992. AFP

Natasa Pirc Musar

Pursue China’s modernization and look to new opportunities for China-Philippines relations

By H.E. Huang Xilian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of the Philippines

FROM October 16 to 22, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was successfully held in Beijing. The Congress elected the Central Committee’s new leadership, and elected Comrade Xi Jinping to continue to serve as the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee; three resolutions were passed, namely: the resolution on the report of the 19th CPC Central Committee, the work report of the Party’s 19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and an amendment to the Party Constitution.

General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important report at the opening session of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, summarizing the major achievements of the Chinese people led by the CPC in the past five years and the historical achievements and reforms of the Party and the State in the past 10 years. The past ten years marked three major historical achievements: We embraced the centenary of the CPC; we ushered in a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and we eradicated absolute poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus completing the First Centenary Goal.

From this day forward, the central task of the CPC will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese modernization. The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC outlines a two-stage general strategic arrangement: to realize socialist modernization in the first stage from 2020 to 2035 and then develop China into a “great modern socialist country” that is “prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful” after another 15 years.

Since the opening of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, “Chinese modernization” has become a buzzword in the global community and has also aroused widespread discussions among Filipino friends. What does “Chinese modernization” mean for China’s future development? What new opportunities will it bring to the Philippines and China-Philippines relations? I would like to share my understanding of “Chinese modernization.”

Chinese modernization, simply put, is the socialist modernization led by the CPC, which not only has the common characteristics of modernization of all countries but also has Chinese characteristics based on its national conditions. Chinese modernization is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development.

Based on these five features, the report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC has clarified that the essential requirements of Chinese modernization are as follows: upholding the leadership of the CPC and socialism with Chinese characteristics, pursuing high-quality development, developing whole-process people’s democracy, enriching the people’s cultural lives, achieving common prosperity for all, promoting harmony between humanity and nature, building a human community with a shared future, and creating a new form of human advancement. To understand it better, we need to focus on the following: One is self-determination. Adhering to the leadership of the CPC is the essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the primary requirement for Chinese modernization. Over the past century, the CPC has always practiced its original mission of seeking welfare for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. Countless people with lofty ideals have made continuous struggles and explorations. On the premise that there is no precedent to follow and no ready-made path to take, they finally find a unique development path in line with China’s national conditions from scratch. Throughout the history of human modernization, Western countries have long held a dominant position. However, there is neither a onesize-fits-all modernization model nor a standard, but rather more than one road to modernization. Chinese modernization

differentiates from the capital-centered, expanded materialism, and pollution-firstgovernance-second Western modernization model. Chinese modernization takes root in China, is in line with China’s reality, and has distinctive Chinese characteristics. It expands the route for developing countries to modernize and has reference significance for other developing countries.

The second is openness. In the practice and exploration of China’s modernization, reform and opening up is the key move determining China’s destiny. It is the inexhaustible driving force for the construction of modernization.

Over the past 40 years, China’s rapid economic growth and comprehensive social progress have depended on reform and opening up, and so will the high-quality economic development and comprehensive modernization in the future. Nowadays, China has become the world’s largest trader of goods, the second largest trader of services, and a major trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions. In the past decade, China’s average annual contribution to world economic growth has exceeded 30%, the largest engine driving world economic growth. China’s door to opening up will not be closed but will only open wider and wider. We will adhere to the fundamental national policy of opening up to the outside world, insist on promoting reform, development, and innovation through opening up, and continue promoting a higher level of opening up.

The third is people-centeredness. Serving the people is the principle of the CPC. The background of what China now faces comprises the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life. Chinese modernization will adhere to the people-centered development philosophy and continuously realize development for the people and by the people so that the fruits of modernization will reach all people more equitably. We have eradicated absolute poverty and are promoting rural revitalization in a comprehensive and in-depth manner, making continuous progress toward the goal of common prosperity. China strives to achieve high-quality development and accelerate the construction of a new development pattern with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and the domestic and international dual cycles mutually reinforcing. In this process, we pay more attention to the coordination of material and cultural-ethical advancement, the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature, green and low-carbon development, and the quality of people’s lives.

The fourth is peacefulness. The CPC leads the Chinese people to firmly explore a new path to achieve national development and rejuvenation through peaceful means. This is a road of modernization that not only develops itself but also benefits the world. It has made significant contributions to human modernization and provided new options. As a responsible major country, China actively and comprehensively participates in and supports economic globalization. It combines the genes of peace in its own culture with the development needs of modern international relations and has proposed the “Belt and Road” Initiative, the Global Development Initiative (GDI), and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), among other significant initiatives. We sincerely call on all countries to promote the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom for all humankind, foster mutual understanding among people of all countries, jointly tackle various global challenges, and pursue the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind.

As the Chinese proverb goes, “Even though one has reached great heights of success, one should still strive to improve oneself.” In the face of changes in the world and history, China’s determination to take the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics will not change, its determination to learn from others and achieve win-win cooperation with other countries will not change, and its determination to walk hand in hand with the world will not change. The CPC has provided a clear sense of direction and certainty not only for China but also for the world. The vital process of Chinese modernization will also have a profound impact on the world and benefit humankind.

In exploring the path of modernization, China and the Philippines will go hand in hand and benefit from each other.

For a long time, developing countries, including China and the Philippines, have made unremitting efforts to explore a

development path that suits their national conditions, realizes economic and social modernization, and achieves remarkable results. China and the Philippines have similar development concepts, compatible development interests, complementary development advantages, and broad prospects for cooperation. China’s journey towards Chinese modernization will have far-reaching implication for the Philippines. Both sides need to focus on the future and grasp new opportunities of cooperation.

—— China’s development path will provide a new reference and choice for the vast number of developing countries. In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Marcos specifically put forward the goals and measures to realize the modernization of the Philippines. We believe that China and the Philippines can learn from each other, and draw wisdom and courage from each other. We must firmly grasp the destiny of development and progress in our own hands and take the path of modernization that suits our own national conditions.

—— China’s opening to the outside world will open up new major opportunities for neighboring countries and regions. China is the Philippines’ largest trading partner and a major source of foreign capital. In the future, we will focus on the new development pattern of dual circulation, continue to open up the country, boost trade, and encourage more Chinese companies to make the Philippines their first investment destination. Philippine companies are also welcome to fully tap the potential of China as a global supermarket.

—— China’s inclusive development will further promote China-Philippines cooperation and improve the quality of life of the two peoples. Since the new Philippine government took office, promoting the economy and improving people’s livelihood has become the primary direction of governance, which also coincides with the development concept of Chinese modernization. We should earnestly implement the spirit of the consensus reached by the two heads of state and further promote cooperation in the four key areas of agriculture, infrastructure, energy, and humanities so that the dividends of development can continuously enhance the sense of gain, happiness, and security of the two peoples.

—— China’s peaceful development will promote China and the Philippines’ efforts to jointly maintain peace and stability in the region. China and the Philippines are good neighbors, good relatives, and good partners, and the traditional friendship has a long history. What China has brought to the Philippines is not colonization and war, but cooperation and friendship. At the same time, as neighbors, it is normal for China and the Philippines to have differences. The key is to place differences in the proper position of China-Philippines relations, and not let them affect or even sabotage the overall situation of the relations between the two countries.

At present, the Philippines has entered a new stage of development and is also facing new strategic choices. Experience tells us that development is of overriding importance and the key to solving all problems. China and the Philippines are both developing countries and must rely on modernization to accomplish many arduous tasks, such as economic development and social progress. Asia is the place where we live and thrive. With the joint efforts of countries in the region, today’s Asia has become a highland of development and a hot spot for cooperation. As many insightful people have realized, we are currently living in the “Asian Century,” and the focus of global economic development is shifting to Asia. This also proves once again that our future is deeply rooted in our own national construction and development, in the surrounding environment of good neighborliness and friendship, and in the Asian family of peace, stability, and common prosperity. The prospect of symbiosis and a win-win between China and the Philippines is broad. I believe that the express train of Chinese modernization will surely bring more dividends and opportunities for further deepening mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and provide new powerful momentum for the overall development of China and the Philippines. We have reason to believe that Chinese modernization will create new opportunities for the new “Golden Era” of ChinaPhilippines relations. Let us work together to create a brighter future for China-Philippines relations!

EvEryman

Medicinal cannabis legalization: High time for the Philippines

By Zarah Uytingban Cruz

IHAVE to admit, my reaction to the election of yet another celebrity, this time actor Robin Padilla, to the Philippine Senate last May was the typical cynical “Only in the Philippines!” comment.

Filipino voters have quite the reputation, after all, when it comes to recycling showbiz has-beens into shiny politicians, so nothing new there.

But just as soon as he took office, the freshly-minted senator authored a bill proposing the legalization of the medical use of cannabis in the Philippines.

What a way to announce one’s arrival in the Legislature!

Suddenly, Robin, er Sen. Robinhood Padilla, has my attention. And in a noncynical way.

My ears perk up when someone talks about cannabis.

For almost six years now, I have lived in the cannabis universe as a regulator in California’s capital city, Sacramento.

To hear about an effort to make cannabis legal in the Philippines, whose disastrous war on drugs is still fresh in people’s memory, was difficult to fathom.

But at the same time, intriguing, if not downright exciting.

Sen. Padilla’s SB 230 will grant access to medicinal cannabis as a compassionate alternative means of medical treatment for a host of debilitating conditions.

The bill is now awaiting hearing before the Senate Committee of Health.

Most importantly, with this proposed regulatory structure, cannabis, which will be made available in the form of pills, will be cultivated and manufactured in the Philippines. But unlike in the US, cannabis will be produced by pharmaceutical companies.

I’m still on the fence on that aspect and how the long-term economics will play out, but in the short term, having the pharmaceutical industry a part of the equation makes the proposal a less bitter pill to swallow (no pun intended) for some of our lawmakers and skeptics.

As a policy wonk, I’m a big proponent of government oversight.

Also, with my experience in the cannabis realm, I definitely support the need to regulate a product that is extremely prone to abuse, diversion to the black market, involves a ridiculous amount of cash and has potential ties to a host of illegal activities that feed the underground economy.

Sen. Padilla’s SB 230 will grant access to medicinal cannabis as a compassionate alternative means of medical treatment for a host of debilitating conditions

I support this bill for many reasons, foremost of which is for the positive impact cannabis would create on patients suffering from a variety of ailments – from rheumatoid arthritis to the pain in the last stages of cancer.

In the course of my job, one of the most rewarding and humbling experiences I’ve had was the opportunity to speak with cannabis patients or their loved ones and caregivers, and to hear their stories of how cannabis changed their lives.

We often only read about cannabis being an effective alternative treatment for insomnia, migraines and other chronic pains.

But patients suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), Multiplesclerosis or MS and severe epileptic seizures tell a more profound story of how cannabis became THE game changer that allowed them to participate in daily life again.

There is no shortage of literature, studies and testimonials out there supporting the healing effects of cannabis for a list of ailments that only keep getting longer with research.

So it should come as no surprise that it is now accepted as medicine in dozens of countries around the world.

In 1996, California became the birthplace of the medical use of cannabis in the United States when voters passed Prop. 215 or Compassionate Use Act of 1996.

Since then, four-fifths of the states have also legalized medical cannabis or have adopted some form of medicinal cannabis law.

Today, the curative effects of cannabis are supported by four million patients across the US.

Given, the number of patients are anecdotal due to the irony that while most Americans now see cannabis as a medicinal plant with countless health benefits, as a Schedule 1 Drug, it is still Federally illegal and therefore not backed by Federal research. But let’s save that for another piece.

Opponents of legalization in the Philippines contend that with or without this legislation (or any other similar proposals past or present), patients can submit a request for a Compassionate Permit under RA 9165, to use a controlled substance such as cannabis, to treat certain medical conditions.

True! However, it should be emphasized that not only is the permit process complicated, but the real issue is access to cannabis after the permit is granted. Cannabis is not legally available in the Philippines, so patients who hold a Compassionate Permit will either have to import it at an exorbitant cost, or purchase it illegally, from the black market.

What this bill will do is create an inter-agency framework for safe and legal access to medical cannabis for qualified patients.

It will involve the Department of Health, the Food and Drugs Authority, the Narcotic Drugs Board (DDB) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

It will also create a new agency, the Medical Cannabis Compassionate Center overseeing the facilities where qualified patients can access medical cannabis.

I won’t get into the weeds (pun intended) of what the proposed regulatory structure would look like, as the bill, in all likelihood, will go through several iterations in the bicameral process – assuming it gains some traction in the early stages.

It should be noted that a counterpart of this bill HB 241 by Rep. Antonio “Tonypet” Albano is also pending in the House of Representatives.

The congressman has also championed legalization of medical cannabis in the previous Congress but unfortunately, the legislation did not pass.

In addition, at least five other procannabis bills (HB 243, HB 2007, HB 4208, HB 4638 and HB 4866) are also pending in the lower house and have yet to be heard at committee level.

Above and beyond SB 230 and the six other pending cannabis-related bills, I believe it is high time (no pun intended) that the Philippines take cannabis (again, no pun intended) seriously and focus on the basic facts that has now been embraced by a growing list of countries, including most recently, our neighbor in the region, Thailand.

By basic facts, I’m referring to the dumbed-down, oversimplified version of the scientific truth that the cannabis plant can heal because the human body’s endocannabinoid system and the cannabis plant works like a lock and key: our body’s endocannabinoid system (lock) responds to the cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant (key). How about another basic fact that no person has ever died from cannabis overdose?

Simply put, if regulated properly, cannabis can save lives.

But the journey to legalization is never as simple as that.

Not for cannabis, anyway.

Throughout history, cannabis has often been a focal point in politics and associated with awkward conversations around the war on drugs, racism, social injustice, disenfranchisement and poverty.

And in the heat of the ugly debates, it is the patients, already saddled with health woes, who ultimately end up paying the price.

I predict a long and difficult journey ahead with a lot of heavy lift, starting with changing our leaders’ mindset about a plant that has so long been viewed with negativity.

Where do we even begin?

But cliche as it sounds, every difficult endeavor starts with one important step…and in this case also a strong political will.

SB 230 is a step in the right direction that I now find myself doing something I never thought I would do five months ago – rooting for Sen. Padilla.

(Zarah Uytingban Cruz is a Program Specialist for the City of Sacramento Office of Cannabis Management and specializes in policy development and licensing regulations since 2017. She has over 20 years of State (of California) and local government experience under her belt in the areas of public policy,

(Author’s

inter-government relations and public information. She can be reached by email at msuzcruz@gmail.com.

Note: the views expressed in this piece are purely the author’s and do not represent the position of the City of Sacramento on the topic.)

Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher

Chief Photographer

PBBM: PH committed to work with Canada, ASEAN on workers’ rights

The

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made the remarks during the ASEAN-Canada Commemorative Summit held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Mr. Marcos also highlighted the support of Canada for the TRIANGLE in ASEAN project which promotes fair migration in the region.

According to the ILO, the TRIANGLE in the ASEAN program will “cre-

‘COP27 must take real action vs. climate change’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

COP27 must take real action to stave off the worst effects of climate change, said Venkatachalan Anbumozhi, director of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) Research Strategy and Innovation.

He said this means going beyond COP21’s Paris Agreement 2015 on national commitments to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and COP26’s Glasgow agreement in 2021to achieve a net zero economy by the middle of the century.

The core issues behind the ongoing climate negotiations are making bold commitments and agreeing on higher targets to reduce GHG emissions, he also noted.

Anbumozhi said these can be achieved by developing countries in times of economic uncertainty and extending massive financing that advanced economies have already committed in support of global climate actions.

The ERIA official said COP27 will be a success if substantial progress is made on both these issues.

But current climate negotiations and agreed action plans are woefully inadequate for reaching a carbon-neutral planet by 2050, which would keep global warming below 2°C as envisaged in the Paris agreement.

“Problematic actions are the heavy burning of fossil fuels by the top five carbon emitters: China, the United States, India, the Russian Federation, and Japan, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union, taken together as economic blocs,” Anbumozhi said.

He said one way would be for COP27 to name the countries or regional blocs that are most out of line with the Paris climate agreement and ask them to do more either individually or in cooperation with others.

ate a suite of policies, tools, and services that enhance the contribution of labor migration to stable and inclusive growth and development.”

“The project has promoted labor mobility across the region along with the improvement of working conditions and labor protection policies, particularly for low-paid migrant workers,” Marcos, quoted by a GMA News report, said

Mr. Marcos also thanked the people of Canada for extending kindness to the over 900,000 Filipinos staying in their country.

“Canada is considered home by over 900,000 fellow Filipinos, and may I say that I have experience of the stories that these people tell me and it is that they have been assimilated into society and into the workforce so smoothly,” he said.

He also said the Philippines welcomes the continued support of Canada for ASEAN initiatives for women’s welfare such as the implementation of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security (WPS).

He said the initiatives aim to support the upskilling of women and empowering women entrepreneurship, particularly of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in ASEAN, adding that women stand to benefit from Canada’s support for ASEAN’s digital transformation efforts that are inclusive and enable women to participate in the region’s development.

The President also shook hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the Bilateral meeting Sunday afternoon.

Earlier this year, Canada announced that it will be accepting more Filipino immigrants and workers.

PH, Korea vow to step up on bilateral ties

By Vince Lopez

THE Philippines and South Korea agreed to elevate their relations to a new level that will enhance security, infrastructure, energy, and people-to -people exchanges.

Both countries made the decision for a stronger partnership during a bilateral meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol in Sokha Hotel on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

“I do believe that it is time that we start to work to elevate our bilateral relations to a strategic partnership. Our newly launched bilateral platforms on science and technology, fisheries, cooperation and maritime cooperation, all contribute to the deepening of this engagement,” President Marcos said.

Also during the meeting, Mr. Marcos expressed his gratitude toward South Korea for its solidarity initiative centering on maritime security that entails infusion of significant funding in various regional cooperative projects.

Such initiatives include the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-MalaysiaPhilippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Fund of South Korea, according to the President.

Established in 1994, BIMP-EAGA aims to accelerate the socioeconomic development of less-developed, marginalized and geographically remote areas in those four countries as part of a broader goal to narrow the development gaps, not only among ASEAN member states, but also within them.

Mr. Marcos also backed South Korea’s efforts on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as he expressed concern over North Korea’s continuous missile testing.

“This is of great concern and we are fully supportive of the Republic of Korea in all your efforts to denuclearize North Korea,” Marcos, quoted by a GMA News report, said. “The Philippines is one with you on that and we will do what we can to assist South Korea in that effort,” he added.

Salceda urges admin to step up on FDIs

By Rio N. Araja

ALBAY

He made the statement in response to August FDI data showing foreign inflows to have slowed by 19.2 percent year-on-year.

“President (Ferdinand) Marcos is achieving progress in agriculture. This

is one of the few times the sector actually recorded positive growth. We need to capitalize on our strong Q3 GDP performance. While the decline in FDI is understandable due to global conditions, there are low-hanging fruits we haven’t picked up yet,” he said.

“The most basic one is the Public Service Act implementing rules and regulations. That would open up telcos and other big sectors to greater foreign investments. I was told last week that it is now for signing. Well, sign it,” he added.

“I would also urge the economic team along with Secretaries Remulla and Lotilla to work out the final draft of amend-

ments to the Renewable Energy Law, to allow full foreign ownership of energy generation. We need major foreign investments in our renewable energy sector,” he further stated.

“A surplus of renewable energy will reduce power rates in the country. And that, in turn, will cure some of the oligopolistic price abuses in the energy market and attract even more foreign investments in various sectors such as manufacturing.”

“With the Department of Justice saying that the RE Law IRR can be amended, the legal impediments to such a move no longer exist,” he also said.

Tulfo backs action on energy woes

SENATOR Raffy Tulfo said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s call for aggressive action to address the country’s short-term and long-term energy requirements will help avert the country’s looming energy crisis.

As chairperson of the Senate energy committee, he vowed to support the President’s directions with regard to the energy crisis.

He thanked President Marcos for promptly responding to the pressing issue on energy, citng the importance of concerted efforts from the Legislative and Executive branches of the government.

Earlier, the President met with officials of Department of Energy (DOE) and other related agencies to brainstorm what steps to take to guarantee energy supply. Following said meeting, the President reportedly said the government should be ag-

Acuzar welcomes EO on national housing project

THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is delighted over the talks of an impending executive order to be signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., touted as a huge boost to the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program as it would reserve government idle lands for housing— a key element toward the program’s success.

The President is set to sign an executive order (EO) to mandate various government agencies, particularly the DHSUD, Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Department of the Interior and Local Government, to conduct inventory and identify state-owned idle lands, approximated at 16,000 hectares, that are suitable for socialized housing and rural

development projects.

“On behalf of DHSUD, I am delighted with President Marcos’ imminent signing of an executive order that will bring Filipinos closer to their dream of becoming homeowners,” Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar said.

“Such order will surely boost our efforts to build houses and establish safe and resilient communities across the country, ” he added.

The presidential order would effectively reinforce Section 24 of Republic Act 11201 stating that lands left idle for more than 10 years and are not held by government-owned an0d -controlled corporations would be prioritized for housing and urban development purposes.

RA 11201 is the law which created the

DHSUD is 2019.

gressive in addressing the country’s energy problems, underscoring the need to find ways to ensure that the country has enough power at least in the short term.

Tulfo said he has already started looking for short-term solutions to the country’s energy problem by investigating the root causes of high electricity cost in various on-grid and off-grid areas.

He has also been looking into the reported mismanagement of electric cooperatives that are possibly triggered increase in electricity.

From their investigation, the senator said they found out that there should be a law to give stronger teeth to the National Electrification Administration (NEA) so it can impose stricter regulations on board members of electric cooperatives.

In this way, wastage of money of their members can be avoided.

“This EO will surely catapult the President’s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program to success as land is an important component of this program. In turn, it will be instrumental in uplifting the Filipino family’s morale and quality of life,” Acuzar cited.

DHSUD has identified housing sites in strategic locations around the country which are deemed viable for human settlements, includig government properties that have the potential for land development and housing construction.

Assistant Secretary Avelino Tolentino III, DHSUD spokesperson, said the use of government lands would be beneficial to the housing program as it may result in lessening the cost of the housing units. Rio N. Araja

DMW needs bigger budget, says Cayetano

SENATOR Alan Peter Cayetano has appealed for a higher budget for the newly-established Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), saying the contribution of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to the country’s economy merits a more substantial allocation for the government agency tasked with ensuring their welfare.

“P2 trillion to P4 trillion pesos ang contribution ng OFWs to the economy over the last five years, and then we’ll give them P16 billion budget?” Cayetano said in a manifestation during the Senate sponsorship presentation of the 2023 budget for the DMW.

The Senate had passed a P16.2 billion budget for the DMW after insertions, up from an initial P14.9 billion laid out in the 2023 general appropriations bill.

Cayetano, however, said the appropriation should be even higher.

“Let us give them P20 billion, P25 billion, P30 billion in funds,” he said.

The senator directed his appeal to Malacañang as well as his colleagues in the House of Representatives, saying that giving the DMW a higher budget in its first year will send the signal to OFWs and their families that the gover ment is serious about advancing their interests.

“Let’s make a significant impact in the first year. We don’t want to be so sentimental na finally may department for OFWs and then not meet the expectation,” he said.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

Philippines is committed to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Canada in promoting the rights of migrant workers and the welfare of women.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda is urging the economic team of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to “ramp up efforts for the country to catch up on foreign direct investments (FDIs)” by seizing what he called “low-hanging fruits” in policy reforms to make the country more open to foreign investments.

‘BISIKLETA, IWAS DROGA.’ Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Romando Artes, Dangerous Drug Board Usec. Gilberto Cruz, and Manila Police District Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon lead various bike enthusiast groups during the ‘Bisikleta Iwas Droga’ held at kilometer zero at the Luneta Grandstand in Manila on November 13. Norman Cruz

EXOTIC BEAUTY. Colorful and exotic birds delight tourists at the Malagos Garden Resorts in Davao City in Mindanao. Robert Gines

BIKE DAY. Cycling enthusiasts wear their favorite costumes as they participate in National Bicycle Day to promote the environmental bene ts of using the bicycle. National Bicycle Day is celebrated every 4th Sunday of November based on Proclamation No. 1052, signed by then President Rodrigo Duterte. Danny Pata

P255m in shabu seized in buy-bust ops in Cavite, QC

ANTI-NARCOTICS operatives of the Phil ippine National Police (PNP) seized close to P252 million worth of suspected shabu from two suspects following a buy-bust Saturday in Cavite.

Police identified the suspects as Datu Ali Dayo Sampulna, 38; and Almira Karao Sam pulna, 30, both of Cotabato City.

In a statement on Sunday, PNP Drug En forcement Group chief Brig. Gen. Narciso Do mingo said the suspects were arrested at 7:20 p.m. at Block 1, Lot 66, Happy Homes, Baran gay Buhay na Tubig, Imus City.

The two, who are charged with violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dan gerous Drugs Act of 2022, yielded around 37 kilos of suspected shabu worth PHP251.6 mil lion, drug paraphernalia, cellphones, assorted identification cards, and remittance receipts, Domingo said.

In Quezon City, members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) seized 500 grams of suspected shabu worth P3.4 million during a buy-bust in Barangay Bagong Pagasa that led to the arrest of Mansawi Lala, 38.

Also seized from the suspect were P1,000 marked money and identification cards.

The suspect is now under the custody of the PDEA and is facing drug charges.

Meanwhile in Dumaguete City, close to P36 million worth of suspected shabu and marijua na was seized in various anti-illegal drug opera tions in Negros Oriental in 2021.

A consolidated report from the Negros Orien tal Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) showed that last year, the total volume of shabu seized was pegged at 5,255.26 grams.

On the other hand, marijuana seized was pegged at 95.74 grams.

The aggregate street value of the illegal drugs totaled over P35.747 million, the report said.

The NOPPO conducted 474 operations last year in which 515 suspects were arrested.

Bill for pandemic response eyed after calamity state ends in Dec.

By Willie Casas and Rio N. Araja

THE Department of Health (DOH) is urging Con gress to pass a measure that will allow the govern ment to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic once the state of calamity expires by end-December this year.

According to DOH officer-incharge Maria Rosario Vergeire, the agency has submitted to the House of Representatives the Public Health Emergency for Emerging and Reemerging Disease Bill.

“This was signed as one of the priority bills of this current administration,” she said in a press

briefing.

Under the bill, the government may still procure vaccines, conduct vaccination, and provide benefits to health workers even without the declaration of a state of calamity, Vergeire said.

She disclosed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants the

proposed measure passed during the first Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council meeting.

“The President specifically said that these are priority bills, and it has to be passed,” she added.

The Philippines is under a state of public health emergency until December 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was first declared by former President Rodrigo Duterte during the onset of the outbreak in March 2020.

Meanwhile, the DOH is urging the public to get COVID-19 vaccines and boosters for an additional layer of protection and minimize the virus spread, as face-to-face holiday

gatherings are expected to return.

Vergeire said everyone should have an informed decision of when they’ll take off masks.

“I hope we all know what our risk level is when we take off the mask and when we think we should or shouldn’t be wearing a mask,” she said.

“We don’t have restrictions as to age or capacity, so we remind ourselves to make an informed decision when we go to a gathering with a lot of people,” she added.

As of November 9, a total of 73.6 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Meanwhile, 20.7 million fullyvaccinated individuals have been boosted.

IN BRIEF

THE research and development partner of the Department of Science and Tech nology (DOST) Council in Cagayan Valley has won the top Ugnay Award.

Cagayan Valley Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (CVAARRD), a consor tium of the DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), was recognized as the Most Outstanding Regional R&D consortium out of 14 regional groups in the country.

Conferred every two years since 1995, Ugnay acknowledges the efforts of the regional consortia of the Council in meeting the regional R&D and tech nology needs.

It incentivizes the consortia to en hance their efforts to realize the region al and national R&D goals in the agri culture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) sector.

P8.5b Christmas bonus, cash gift for PNP out

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin on Sunday said P8.5 billion in Christmas bonuses and cash gifts for uniformed and nonuniformed personnel are now ready for distribution.

Azurin said the funds allocated for the Year-End Bonus (YEB) and Cash Gift for this year for the 226,515 members of the PNP had been released.

PNP Finance Service Director Brig. Gen. Bowenn Joey Masauding said the YEB and Cash Gift 2022, equivalent to one-month base pay and P5,000 respec tively, will be released to PNP personnel on November 15 through their Landbank ATM Payroll Accounts.

missioned Officers and Non-Uniformed Personnel with Salary grade 18 Step 1.

Petitioners Janelyn Herrera and Roman Herrera allege that their daughter, Romina C. Herrera, is a Filipino citizen born abroad on 16 November 1997 in Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In February 1998, an employee of the Jeddah Consulate approached and instructed them to fill out a certain form concerning their newborn daughter. Without knowing and without being informed that the information he would provide would eventually constitute as permanent record in the civil registry, petitioner Roman Herrera registered the name of the child as Janine Romina Herrera and wrote as date of birth “Nov-16-98”. He also indicated thereon the name of the child’s mother as “Janelyn C. Rubrico”. Unknown to petitioner spouses, the said form eventually became the official Report of Birth of Janine Romina Herrera, which was forwarded by the Jeddah Consulate to the DFA in the Philippines, and transmitted by the DFA to the then National Statistics Office (NSO). Believing that their daughter’s name was that indicated on her KSA Birth Certificate, petitioners Janelyn Herrera and Roman Herrera have always filled out documents in relation to their daughter using the name “Romina Casuncad Herrera”. Petitioner Roman Herrera did not bring up the forma he filled out for her daughter, indicating the name “Janine Romina Herrera”, thinking that it was just an informal document that the Jeddah Consulate requested them to fill out for records purposes. Since petitioner Janine Romina Herrera’s childhood, and until the present, she has always used the name “Romina C. Herrera” or “Romina Casuncad Herrera” in school and other official records. She has always been known by the people around her by such name.

When petitioner Janelyn Herrera requested for an NSO Copy of petitioner Janine Romina’s birth certificate, when the latter was about to graduate in high school in 2014, she was surprised and shocked to know that it was the Report of Birth filed with the Consulate General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and not the KSA Birth Certificate which was forwarded to the then NSO, and that there were errors in the same. At that point, petitioners realized that while all petitioner Janine Romina Herrera’s records indicate the name Romina C. Herrera, the Report of Birth, which forms part of the official records of the PSA (then NSO), still indicates the name “Janine Romina Herrera”. Petitioners thus pray that the following entries in the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) copy of petitioner Janine Romina Herrera’s Report of Birth be corrected, as follows:

Entry From To

First NameJanine RominaRomina

Year of Birth1998 1997

Mother’s NameJanelyn C. RubricoJanelyn S. Casuncad

WHEREFORE, finding the petition to be sufficient in form and substance, let this petition be set for hearing before this Court located at Room 703, Seventh Floor, Hall of Justice –Annex, Diliman, Quezon City on January 18, 2023, at 1:30 in the afternoon at which place and on which date and time, all interested persons must appear and file their opposition/s to the petition. Let a copy of this Order be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation throughout the Philippines.

Further, let copies of the order, together with the petition and its annexes be served upon

The funds came from the programmed budget of the police force for 2022.

“I wish you to use your bonus properly for your family, loved ones and also in preparation for the upcoming holiday sea son,” Azurin said.

Measure filed to shut controversial PS-DBM

However, pursuant to Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion Law and Bureau of Internal Revenue Regula tions 8-2018 and 11-2018, the YEB and other bonuses, including the midyear bonus exceeding P90,000 are taxable.

Hence, they are subjected to year-end tax adjustments affecting all Police Com

All affected PNP personnel who reached the minimum net take-home pay are also advised to settle through an overthe-counter payment scheme for their unpaid loan/s for November and Decem ber 2022 to avoid incurring penalties and other charges.

Azurin said the regular monthly with holding tax deduction will resume on the pay period of January 2023.

Meanwhile, no YEB and cash gift will be given to those who were administra tively charged and were found guilty by the final and executory judgment.

SURIGAO del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel has filed a bill seeking to permanently close the De partment of Budget and Management’s Procure ment Service – the highly controversial office behind the P2.4 billion overpriced purchase of second-rate laptops for public school teachers.

“There’s absolutely no need for the Procure ment Service, which has become wholly redun dant, and which has merely served as a breeding ground for corruption,” Pimentel, House good government and public accountability committee vice chairperson, said.

Under Pimentel’s House Bill No. 5748, the Procurement Service would be abolished and af fected employees would receive separation ben efits under the Government Reorganization Law.

In the bill’s explanatory note, Pimentel pointed out that the Government Procurement Reform Law of 2003, or Republic Act No. 9184, had ren dered the Procurement Service totally irrelevant and unnecessary.

“All government agencies, since 2003, have been empowered to establish their own Bids and Awards Committees (BACs) for their respective procurements through competitive bidding,” Pi mentel said.

“The Procurement Service’s shutdown via an act of Congress would also give more meaning to the mandate of the Constitution for the State to take effective measures against corruption, and to maintain honesty and integrity in public service,” Pimentel said. Rio N. Araja

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE Optical Media Board (OMB) should only have a budget of one peso in next year’s proposed P5.268-tril lion national budget with its lacklus ter performance in the past year, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said Sunday.

Based on his research, Estrada said in a statement the OMB “had no per formance whatsoever for the past year.”

“No collection, no apprehension of

Angeles’ Walking Street to turn into Red Street

ANGELES CITY — From “Walking Street” to “Red Street” patterned after Pink Street in Lisbon, Portugal.

This is the goal of Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. in converting Fields Avenue into an al fresco or outdoor dining area.

The city partnered with Architect Michael Ponio for the design of the soon-to-be convert ed Red Street, complete with the outdoor din ing, tables, chairs, fence, lamp post, and mist.

Lazatin, through his Chief Adviser IC

Calaguas, also instructed Councilor Arvin

violators, none, a truly zero perfor mance. One year in office, they did nothing, zero performance,” he said.

OMB oversees the protection and promotion of intellectual property rights in digital form.

In hearing the OMB’s proposed P75.858-million appropriations for 2023, Estrada questioned the agency’s chairman Jeremy Marquez over its lackluster performance since he took the helm of the regulatory office.

“During your term, there were zero

Suller to sponsor the ordinance renaming Walking Street in Fields Avenue to Red Street, which will be a wholesome food destination in the city.

Calaguas explained that policies will also be drafted for the management of Red Street.

“Mayor Lazatin and the team initially want ed to pattern Red Street after Pink Street in Lisbon. But we will also be looking at Time Square where there are individuals in costume and families can take photos while walking in Red Street,” Calaguas said.

CVAARRD was cited as embodying the true essence of “ugnayan” through collaboration, complementation, and sharing of resources to deliver its ser vices to the region. Butch Gunio

Sauyo residents fete PCUP exec

URBAN poor residents in Barangay Sauyo recently feted Reynaldo Galupo, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor commissioner in-charge for the Na tional Capital Region, through a boodle fight or group meal with hands.

This followed commitments from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Department of Labor and Employment on their request for assistance in expanding livelihood projects to uplift their lives.

The Nagkaisang Mamamayan ng Bgy. Sauyo, led by its president Mirasol Abac co, visited Galupo’s office and asked for financial assistance for their livelihood project that manufactures handicrafts, clothing, and food items they sell to pro spective clients.

Member families of NAMABASA have been affected by the Segment 8.2 infra structure development project that would connect the South Luzon and North Luzon expressways.

The PCUP has stepped into the matter to ensure their rights are respected and protected as stipulated in the commission’s mandate.

NAMABASA initiated the boodle fight or meal without cutlery as thanksgiving with Galupo, who went out of his way to seek the help of the PCSO in raising P300,000 for NAMABASA to procure sewing equipment for their livelihood.

Rio N. Araja

administrative cases filed against vio lators of RA 9239 from November 2021 when you took over until about July of this year 2022. In contrast, the OMB was averaging 200 administra tive cases filed each month before you took over,” he said.

Compared with Marquez’s prede cessors, Estrada said the OMB col lected P560,000 in 2018, P1.83 mil lion in 2019; P350,000 in 2020; and P2.3 million in 2021 in administrative penalties.

Jinggoy wants one-peso budget for Optical Media Board for ‘23

Cagayan Valley cops top Ugnay Award

Herrera a.k.a. Romina C. Herrera, Janelyn Herrera, and Roman Herrera, through counsel.

SECOND ‘BAR’ TEST. Bar examinees are sent off by their relatives and friends before entering the testing center at San Beda University in Mendiola, and at Taft Avenue near Dela Salle University also in Manila early Sunday. About 9,916 examinees took the most rigid test in the country for aspiring lawyers, with two tests remaining on November 16 and 20. Danny Pata and Norman Cruz

NURSES’ EXAM. Nurses from various hospitals line up for the two-day Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination outside Far Eastern University on Recto, Manila on Sunday. Danny Pata

ETHNO-EXHIBIT. Visitors check the (KA) LOOB (AN) exhibit of Nayong Filipino Foundation at the IVC Teatro of Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila on Sunday. The exhibit shows ethnographic artifacts from various ethnolinguistic groups, textiles, personal ornaments, ritual items, hunting and warfare, and domestic objects. Norman Cruz

6,286.77

IN BRIEF

1.00000058.1250

Japan Yen 0.0070950.4124

UKPound1.17170068.1051 Hong KongDollar0.1274787.4097 SwitzerlandFranc1.03777560.3207 CanadaDollar0.75086343.6439 SingaporeDollar0.72364142.0616 AustraliaDollar0.66170038.4613 BahrainDinar2.653576154.2391

Saudi Arabia Rial 0.26602815.4629

Share

prices expected to sustain momentum

SHARES prices are expected to sustain their upward momentum this week on hopes that in terest rate hikes would soon ease.

Analysts said the lower-than-expected US inflation was bolstering hopes for slower US Fed rate hikes.

“Following the lower-than-expected US inflation report, markets expect a higher prob ability of a 50-basis-point rate hike in US Federal Reserve’s meeting... in December,” UTrade Inc. research analyst Neil Andrew Maderaje said.

Maderaje said the market already priced in the previous announcement of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla of a 75bps rate hike in the upcoming Monetary Board meeting this week.

The strong third-quarter earnings of listed firms are also boosting investor confidence in the market.

“Earnings have been in line or surprisingly outperformed our expectations given the head winds brought about by inflation,” Regina Capital Development Corp. head of sales Luis Limlingan said.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index rose 1.64 percent last week to close at 6,286.77, while the broader all-share index went up by 1.7 percent to 3,328.89.

Jenniffer B. Austria

ATI’s net earnings rise 20.2% to P1.8b

ASIAN Terminals Inc. said net income grew by 20.2 percent in the first nine months, driven by higher cargo and passenger volumes handled by its gateway ports in Batangas and Manila.

The port operator said net profit amounted to P1.8 billion from January to September, higher than last year’s P1.5 billion.

Revenues from international container op erations in Manila and Batangas increased by 16.8 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively, while revenues from non-container opera tions in Batangas went up by 68 percent on the strong influx of international rolling cargoes and the robust increase of passenger foottraffic through the modern Batangas Passenger Terminal with the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Batangas Port, the country’s premier car carrier terminal, handled the resurgent imports of major car manufacturers and distributors, which reached nearly 170,000 completely built units, representing an 80-percent year-on-year growth.

The Batangas Passenger Terminal, the country’s most modern inter-island transport hub, facilitated the safe transit of more than 1.6 million outbound passengers, or 252 percent higher than in the same period last year.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Senate approves P1.3-b budget for ERC in 2023

THE Senate approved the P1.127-billion bud get of the Energy Regulatory Commission for 2023, underscoring the need to equip the regu lator with resources to complete its priority projects to increase transparency and account ability in the power sector.

The ERC budget for 2023 is the highest ap propriation allocated to the agency since its creation in 2001.

The Senate also commended the ERC for realigning the confidential fund in the budget of the office of the chairperson and chief ex ecutive.

Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III said ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta distributed the amount to particular lines in its budget.

“The ERC appreciates the support of both Houses of Congress for our 2023 budget. The increase in our budget received from both Houses is a testament to the renewed confi dence in and a challenge to us at ERC,” Di malanta said.

“Over the past three months, we have taken it as our mission in the commission to consci entiously and diligently present our programs to the legislative bodies while at the same time delivering results that would impact positively in the lives of the Filipino people,” Dimalanta said.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the sponsor of the Energy Budget in the plenary, said the ERC is a very important office “because it’s our reg ulator and is supposed to protect the interests of consumers and protect the interests of the Filipino people.” Alena Mae S. Flores

MPTC recomputes toll road costs as inflation bites sector

By Jenniffer B. Austria

METRO Pacific Tollways Corp. is “recalculating”

value of three ongoing toll road projects amid the rising construction and financing costs, a top executive said over the weekend.

MPTC president Rodrigo Franco said in a briefing these projects that were de layed because of the pandemic would be subject to cost recalculation given the increased prices of construction materi als and higher interest rates today.

“If these projects were not delayed, then they would not have been caught up by current higher costs of construc

tion materials as well as higher borrow ing cost,” Franco said.

Franco identified the projects as the P35billion Cavite-Laguna Expressway, the P15billion NLEX-SLEX Connector Road and the P9-billion C5-Link Expressway.

The projects are now slated for com pletion by 2023, he said.

Franco said the recalculation of costs was covered by the re-evaluation provisions of commercial agreements covering the projects.

“The additional cost will have to be recovered, and that is the one we need to talk with the grantors,” Franco said.

Meanwhile, Franco said the company had yet to finalize its planned initial public offering, which would largely depend on market conditions.

“Timing is everything. We have al ways been open for IPO, but market has not been favorable to an immediate IPO,” Franco said.

He said while MPTC continued to prepare for an IPO, the company would also focus on completing the remaining big projects in the pipeline and addressing regulatory concerns.

MPTC, which operates a network of toll roads in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian markets. was previously listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange.

MPTC sought voluntary delisting its shares from the local bourse in 2012, after the PSE implemented a 10-percent mini mum public ownership for listed companies.

Under the PSE rules, a delisted com pany could apply for re-listing, five years after it was delisted.

MPTC, the infrastructure arm of con glomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp., posted a 51-percent growth in core net income to P4.1 billion in the first nine months as revenues jumped by a third to P16.4 billion on combination of record traffic growth and toll increases.

BruneiDollar0.72103341.9100 IndonesiaRupiah0.0000640.0037 Thailand Baht 0.0275411.6008 UAE Dirham0.27227915.8262 EuroEuro 1.02100059.3456 Korea Won 0.0007410.0431 ChinaYuan0.1391898.0904 IndiaRupee0.0124020.7209 MalaysiaRinggit0.21285712.3723 New Zealand Dollar 0.60230035.0087 TaiwanDollar0.0318821.8531

Source: BSP

Globe’s 9-month net income grew by 48% to P26.5b

By Darwin G. Amojelar

GLOBE Telecom’s net income grew by 48 percent in the first nine months from a year ago, boosted by non-telco businesses and a one-time gain, a top executive said over the weekend.

The telecom unit of the Ayala Group said net income amounted to P26.5 billion from January to Sep tember, up from P18 billion in the same period last year.

Excluding one-time gain, normal ized net income reached P16.7 bil lion, up by 6 percent year-on-year.

Core net income, which excludes the impact of non-recurring charges and foreign exchange and mark-tomarket charges, ended at P16 billion. Normalized core net income was flat year-on-year.

“We are pleased with the Globe Group’s performance amidst the chal lenging economic climate and rapid changes in our industry. We believe that our decision to pivot and expand our growth opportunities through non-telco services has paved the way for us to remain relevant and com petitive,” Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu said.

“We will stay committed to our promise to improve our network and come up with new products and ser vices to meet the changing needs of the market and support Filipinos’ dig ital enablement. Looking ahead, we are confident that our digital trans formation will enhance shareholder value and unlock Globe’s sustainable growth trajectory,” he said.

PH economy to pull through ‘very difficult challenges’, says Medalla

By Julito G. Rada

THE Philippine economy will pull through “very difficult challenges” such as high inflation and interest rates, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla said over the weekend. Medalla said among these challenges are the policy tightening in the United States that affected global financial mar kets and the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine that led to high global commodity prices.

“We are facing more challenges than ever on the economic front. In fact, I have said before that this may be the most difficult time since I joined the

Monetary Board more than a decade ago,” Medalla said during the 31st Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines Business Journalism Awards on Friday night.

“We are facing very difficult challeng es. There’s the very aggressive response of the US Fed. Then, we also have the Ukraine-Russia conflict, which along with domestic supply issues, pushed up the prices of oil and non-oil commodi ties,” he said.

Inflation in October accelerated to an almost 14-year high of 7.7 percent from 6.9 percent in September, driven by faster increases in the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages.

LT Group’s net profit doubled to P20.4b in first three quarters

LT GROUP Inc., the listed holding company of tycoon Lucio Tan, said at tributable net income surged 105 per cent in the first nine months to P20.41 billion from P9.95 billion in the same period last year.

The company said in a disclosure to the stock exchange consolidated ninemonth revenues climbed 6.6 percent to P71.3 billion from P66.9 billion in 2021.

“The improvement in the banking segment’s result more than offset the decline in the tobacco, distilled spirits and property development segments’ performance,” LT Group said.

The group said the tobacco business accounted for P12 billion or 59 per cent of total attributable income, while banking unit Philippine National Bank contributed P6.46 billion or 32 percent.

Tanduay Distillers Inc. added P855

million, while Asia Brewery Inc. and Eton Properties Philippines Inc. con tributed P428 million and P334 million, respectively.

The company’s 30.9-percent stake in Victorias Milling Company Inc. added P186 million.

PNB’s net income reached P11.49 billion in the first three quarters, down 53 percent from P24.44 billion a year ago. Last year’s net income included a one-time gain of P33.6 billion from transferring real estate assets into PNB Holdings Corp.

LTG’s tobacco business reported a nine-month net income of P12.04 bil lion, down 10 percent from P13.32 bil lion in the same period last year. The decline was largely due to lower vol ume and increase in excise taxes that PMFTC Inc. had to absorb.

Jenniffer B. Austria

By Alena Mae S. Flores

PHILIPPINE

SMIC said in an earnings presentation the geothermal plants, which produce en

ergy fueled by the heat from the Earth’s core, would augment baseload supply in the country.

“There is room for geothermal to grow with the need for more RE in the future,” SMIC said.

PGPC’s five new geothermal areas are Kalinga (26,139 hectares) in Pasil, Lubuagan and Tinglayan, Kalinga; Da klan (3,969 ha.) in Bokod, Benguet;

The October inflation was the fast est since it hit 7.8 percent in December 2008 during the global financial crisis.

This brought the average in the first 10 months to 5.4 percent, above the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent set by the government for 2022.

Medalla said while these challenges were indeed tough, “the Philippines will pull through”.

“We have done so in past crises and we will do it again,” he said.

Medalla said the BSP uses three tools to cushion the economy against disrup tions. These are interest rate adjustment, a flexible exchange rate and foreign ex change market participation.

Consolidated service revenue hit a record P118 billion, up 3 percent yearon-year led by corporate data and mo bile services, supplemented by the sus taining growth from non-telco services.

Mobile business achieved strong revenue growth to P80.6 billion, compared to P80.4 billion reported in the first nine months of 2021.

Total mobile revenues comprised 68 percent of the total service revenues, with the total mobile customer base expanding to 87.9 million, or 5 percent higher than in the same period last year.

Home broadband business slid in the third quarter, bringing its total revenues in the first nine months to P20.5 billion from P22.4 billion a year earlier. Home broadband sub scriber count went down by 27 per cent year-on-year to 2.7 million.

Baua-Sikaw (36,450 ha.) in Gonzaga and Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Cagua-Baua (33,904 ha.) in Gonzaga and Lal-lo, Cagayan; Mt. Labo (20,169 ha.) in Del Gallego, Camarines Sur, San Vicente and San Lorenzo Ruiz, Camarines Norte and Tagkawayan, Quezon; and Mt. Malinao (17,658 ha.) in Malinao, Tiwi, Tabaco City, Polangui and Malilipot, Albay and Buhi, Camarines Sur.

Geothermal energy comprises about 10 percent of the total energy generated in the Philippines and about 45 percent of the entire renewable energy mix. Under the National Renewable En ergy Program 2020 to 2040, the gov ernment committed to expanding the country’s renewable energy generation to 50 percent by 2040 from 35 percent in 2030.

SHERATON’S LIGHTING CEREMONY. Sheraton Manila Bay marks the start of the holiday season in whimsical flair with a Christmas lighting ceremony highlighting the hotel’s 16-foot carnival hot air balloon at the newly-refurbished lobby on Nov. 10. Attending the event are (from left) executive chef Plaridelio Adora, Sheraton Manila Bay director of finance Jennifer Labita, director of human resource Edna Al Sharhan, director of rooms Crystal Monzones, director of sales and marketing Juvy Agudon, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, Vice Mayor John Marvin Servo Nieto, general manager Richard Masselin and Barangay 699 chairman Edwin Chan.

the

Geothermal Production Co. Inc., a renewable energy producer owned by SM Investments Corp., will develop five geothermal areas that could add 250 megawatts to 400 MW of geo thermal capacity.

YELLOW BLACK

Sports

Pencak silat athlete Hamsain shows seamless shift to karate

By Peter Atencio

FATIMA A-Isha Lim Hamsain seamlessly transitioned back to karatedo from her new passion in pencak silat as she bagged two medals Sunday in the 8th edition of the Women’s Martial Arts Festival at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.

The 16-year-old Hamsain, whose dad is a technical official in pencak silat, first earned a gold medal with her teammates from the Maharlika Karatedo Kai of the Philippines International, before settling for a bronze in the team competitions.

Hamsain said she was able to infuse some of the moves that she learned from the fighting styles of tanding and semitunggal.

“I’m cross-training. That’s why I memorize a lot of movements,” said Hamsain, whose family is from Zamboanga City. Hamsain and and teammates Baby Angel Lamorte and Christine Colonia

tallied 22.2 points to finish ahead of Central State University rivals.

CLSU’s Marie June Adriano, Jerahmeel Trases and Julie Mae Bonifacio collected 20.2 points for the silver.

Another team from CLSU, composed of Melody Delfin, Janine Co and Aprilyn Mateo took the bronze with 15 points.

In the individual kata, Hamsain settled for a bronze medal behind two teammates from the Association for the Advancement of Karatedo

Focus on the power of their lunge and reverse punches allowed Hamsain’s teammates to finish big in

their performance.

“My moves in Shotokan were kind of similar to what’s done in pencak silat. I mixed it up. The similarities are in the power punches and the kicks,” added Hamsain, who was making a shift to pencak silat with the encouragement of her dad, Molly, when the pandemic lockdowns came two years ago.

Hamsain, whose team is coached by police staff sergeant Raquel Lacorte, also got influenced in Shotokan two years ago by the Philippines’ top ekata practitioner James “OJ” de los Santos.

She even joined online meets with De los Santos.

Two years ago, Hamsain has climbed to no. 2 on the eKumite under-15 world rankings after her gold-winning performance in one of competitions in the SportData eTournament World Series.

Hamsain said that by joining more national meets in the coming months, she hopes to someday find a chance to see action in face-to-face international competitions.

Aguilar becomes youngest world jiu-jitsu champ

LIKE father, like daughter.

At five years old, Aleia Aielle Aguilar has just followed the footsteps of her father Alvin Aguilar after becoming the Philippines’ youngest world champion in jiu-jitsu.

Aguilar conquered the 2022 Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Championships with a big victory over finals’ counterpart Gabriela Vercosa of Brazil over the weekend at the Jiu-jitsu Arena, Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates.

Unaccompanied by her mother Maybelline Masuda during the fight itself, the youngest daughter of the country’s mixed martial arts founding father went all by her lonesome on the mat and won over Vercosa via verbal submission to capture the gold in the kids’ 1 Under 16 kg event.

“I’m beyond happy that my baby

girl is now the Philippines’ youngest world champion. We will continue to work hard to bring honor to our country,” the elder Aguilar, the president and the founder of longest Filipino MMA promotions Universal Reality Combat Championship, said.

Prior to her championship campaign, Aguilar of Deftac-Ribeiro Jiujitsu Philippines defeated UAE’s Maria El Halabi, 6-0, in the semifinals to advance to the finals.

“We are so all proud of you. Even at such young age you are already so organized and hardworking in everything you do. From academics to sports, you always excel because you always work hard. I remember when you were two years old and you said you wanted to be the greatest,” he added.

Her mother watched Aguilar’s

match from afar, saying her finals opponent just tapped out after Aielle applied a heavy sprawl and her rival didn’t want to continue the fight.

Aielle’s favorite move is the armbar.

“She was born into jiu-jitsu. I was bringing her with me to training after giving birth to her when she was as young as three weeks old. Every training day, competition day, she grew up with jiu-jitsu in her life and it eventually became her dream to compete,” Masuda said.

The little Aguilar was accompanied by her mother Masuda in the trip, the junior grappling team, her brothers Alonso Lucas and Andreas Lucho Aguilar, coach Lester del Rosario along with athletes Fierre Afan, Lord Gabriel Del Rosario, Joaquin Antonio Marte and David Zaldarriaga.

Alcala, Choo reign in IM 70.3 Puerto Princesa

PUERTO PRINCESA City—John Alcala put up a strong finishing kick to capture the men’s overall crown in decisive fashion but Singapore’s Ling Er Choo proved a lot tougher and stronger, bucking the heat and dominating the women’s side in the inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Princesa here yesterday.

Alcala came out of the opening swim leg at the Baywalk Park at joint sixth but chased early leaders Fer Casares, Dutch Eric van den Linden and Satar Salem with a third-best time in bike before pouring it out in the closing run part to rule the 1.9 km swim-90km bike-21k run in 4:32:20 at the Ramon Mitra Jr. Sports Complex.

Third in the IM 70.3 Cebu last August, Alcala turned in a fast 1:29:11 clocking in the final leg that indeed decided the outcome of the grueling race that looked headed to a scrambling finish until the TRI SND Barracuda spearhead, who timed 34:52 in swim and 2:24:22 in bike, charged home with that scorching run in hot conditions.

Mervin Santiago of Sante Barley TRI team and Jailani Lamama wrested control after the bike stage but both failed to keep in step with the big-striding Alcala with the former ending up second in 4:37:23 with leg times of 34:04 (swim), 2:21:13 (bike) and 1:37:46 (run) and the latter settling for third in 4:39:46, including 31:30 in swim, 2:24:49 in bike and 1:38:57 in run.

But the day belonged to Choo, who hardly impressed

after emerging fourth in swim (32:58) but lived up to the event’s title after storming ahead with a stirring 2:34:22 clocking in bike then darting home to victory in 1:45:10 in run for a total clocking of 4:57:46.

She beat Leyann Ramo (5:18:53) by 20 minutes while Guam’s Mieko Carey wound up third in 5:19:53.

“It was hot and that was a challenge. The volunteers and everyone were so helpful they got me to the finish line. I’m so thankful,” said Choo, who described the closing run leg as the toughest and most challenging.

“I think the running back (was the hardest) when you can see the road going up and down on the run. But it’s a good pain,” she added.

But what made the 35-year-old Choo’s victory doubly astounding was she nailed the Puerto Princesa win one week after topping the IM 70.3 Langkawi in Malaysia, underscoring her tremendous strength, superb conditioning and endurance.

The IM 70.3 Langkawi was her first half-IRONMAN race after returning to training a month after giving birth in late May.

Not only did Alcala and Choo earn the bragging rights as the first IM 70.3 Puerto Princesa champions but each also banked P150,000 for emerging the fastest overall male and female triathletes in the event courtesy of Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron.

3rd time’s the charm for J&T in PBA 3x3

FOR J&T, the third time’s the charm.

The Express finally solved the puzzle that is TNT, hacking out a close 21-19 win to become Leg 2 champions of the PBA 3x3 Second Conference Season 2 Sunday at Robinsons Malabon.

Joseph Sedurifa was the man of the hour for the Express, draining the gamewinning deuce that clinched for the franchise its first top podium finish in the standalone tournament.

Sedurifa had eight points and big man Robert Datu had seven for J&T as coach Ryan Monteclaro also got valuable contributions from veteran Marvin Hayes and Robin Rono in pocketing the P100,000 prize money.

The win somehow eased the pain of the Express’ two previous losses to the Tropang Giga during the Leg 5 and 6 finals of the First Conference.

Almond Vosotros topscored with 14 points for TNT, including the gametying deuce that made it a 19-19 contest with 1:18 left.

It was also Vosotros, who tied the game at 15-all before Sedurifa and Datu each scored on a pair of 2 to give the Express some breathing room, 19-15.

The loss denied TNT a second straight leg crown after winning Leg 1 last week. The quartet of Vosotros, Lervin Flores, Mark Acuno, and Chris Exciminiano nonetheless, took the P50,000 runner up purse.

Earlier in the semis, Vosotros had 11 points in TNT’s 21-17 win over Cavitex, while J&T leaned on the nine points of Sedurifa to nip Barangay Ginebra, 2118, to forge their third title duel.

Cavitex denied Barangay Ginebra another podium finish behind a 16-12 win in the battle for third place.

Jorey Napoles and Dominick Fajardo each had seven points for the Braves, who took home P30,000.

The loss prevented the Kings from duplicating the third place finish they had in Leg 1. The scores

Third place

Cavitex (16) – Napoles 7, Fajardo 7, Galanza 1, Saldua 1.

Ginebra (12) – Aurin 4, Gumaru 4, Cu 2, Villamor 2.

Finals

J&T (21) – Sedurifa 8, Datu 7, Hayes 6, Rono 0. TNT (19) – Vosotros 14, Flores 3, Acuno 1, Exciminiano 1.

Tabuena, Que perk up ICTSI golf Match Play

Alcala

The multi-titled Asian Tour veterans wrapped up their International Series Egypt stint Sunday and are expected to be back late Monday in time for Tuesday’s opening of the Philippine Golf Tour’s season-ending tournament among the top finishers in the just-concluded six-leg PGT and 11-stage Ladies PGT.

And in a head-to-head format, emphasis will be on each player’s ability to finish off his rival in the shortest possible route to conserve energy for the grueling battles ahead in pursuit of the top P280,000 purse in the event put up by ICTSI.

While the two-time Philippine Open champion Tabuena has nailed one PGT crown in the season-opening leg at Luisita last March before shifting his campaign abroad, the Japan Tour-based Que, a three-time Asian Tour titlist, has had not much success on the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized circuit, ending up tied for fourth at Eagle Ridge-Aoki which he led in the first round. He limped to tied 14th at Riviera but bounced back to place fifth at Pradera Verde.

Despite their limited stints, the pair safely made it to the Top 32 in the Order of Merit rankings with Tabuena placing fifth and Que ending up at No. 18.

Meanwhile, 18 pros warm up for the event in today’s pro-am tournament where they will be paired with 54 amateurs from various sectors.

MIGUEL Tabuena and Angelo Que hope to buck the rigors of long travel and provide the challenge in a stellar field all primed for a novel knockout format in the ICTSI Villamor Match Play Invitational beginning tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Villamor Golf Club in Pasay.

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

also ran away with 25-29 age-group crown with Lamama placing second and two-time SEA Games gold medalist Fer Casares winding up third in 4:41:12 in the season-ending event organized by the IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc. that drew over 1,200 triathletes including bets from 25 countries.

Fatima A-Isha Lim Hamsain

Aleia Aielle Aguilar holds the Philippine ag.

John Alcala mobilizes his last reserve to outclass the eld in the closing run leg and claim the overall championship in the IM 70.3 Puerto Princesa.

J&T Express players Joseph Sedurifa, Robin Roño and Marvin Hayes celebrate their team’s win in the PBA 3x3 Second Conference Season 2 Sunday at Robinsons Malabon.

Tall odds for PH in Nomura golf meet

THE Philippines will be facing tall odds against the regional powers when it hosts the Nomura Cup, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Team Championship, for just the fourth time starting on Tuesday at the Masters course of the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite.

Kristoffer Arevalo, a veteran of two national team campaigns, will be teaming up with Elee Bisera and Coby Rolida who will be making their debut for the Philippine squad in the 29th edition of the 16-nation event that features talents from the region ranked highly in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

“We’ve prepared hard enough, it’s going to be a tough mission for the three of us but hopefully playing in our home course and with a local crowd to support us will work in our favor,” said Arevalo, who is also a mainstay of the crack Southwoods team that has dominated most of the Inter-club competitions.

Bisera and Rolida will be taking their baptism of fire in international play on home soil and like Arevalo, will be fired up by the inspiration that the country has yet to win the biennial competition that was last held in 2017. It was the same year when Thailand ended its own search for a breakthrough win.

The Philippines had finished second twice but those runner-up finishes came quite a long time ago, first in 1971 and then in 1977.

For Martin Lorenzo, president of the organizing National Golf Association of the Philippines, the hosting of the Nomura Cup is a testament to the resilience of the country amid a confluence of pandemic and natural disasters.

“What makes this event even more special is the way it uplifts us after having tested our mettle these past few years. Nevertheless, as we learned in the game of golf, we knew how to accept adversity, focus on the tasks at hand, and find solutions to the problems confronting us,” Lorenzo said.

Taimur Hassan Amin, chairman of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, also lauded the leaderships of the NGAP and Manila Southwoods for coming to the event’s rescue after its original host in 2019 (Hong Kong) begged off due to its peace and order problems in 2019 before the pandemic caused another postponement.

“Given the history of the Nomura Cup and its enduring connection with the Philippines, it’s entirely fitting that we’re able to celebrate its belated return to our calendar,” said Amin.

Russell secures 1st career F1 triumph

SAO PAULO—Mercedes’

The 24-year-old Briton, in his 81st Grand Prix weekend, started third on the grid behind maiden pole-sitter Kevin Magnussen of Haas and two-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, but powered to a thrilling triumph in a breathless 24-lap contest.

Carlos Sainz of Ferrari finished second ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes, who faced a post-race investigation into a starting procedure infringement.

Sainz is set to take a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s full Grand Prix race after having an engine change.

That’s a move that could see Hamilton join Russell on the front row of the grid with the sprint result shaping the starting line-up for the penultimate race of the season.

Verstappen, who passed Magnussen at the start of lap three, was the only frontrunner on medium tyres and was unable to resist Russell’s pace and then fell back to fourth after a brush with Sainz.

He finished ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari.

‘Let’s go!’

Lando Norris finished seventh for McLaren ahead of Magnussen, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly of Alpha Tauri.

“That’s how we roll, baby,” said a delighted Russell on team radio. “That’s how we roll! Very nicely done. Big points for tomorrow – let’s go.”

His win was Mercedes’ first success this season.

Russell earned eight points for his win with Sainz taking seven and Hamilton, subject to any penalty, six. “Mega job guys,” said Hamilton. “Congratulations to George—that’s awesome.”

The newly-adopted Brazilian citizen added that he was hoping to claim a win on Sunday to preserve his record of a victory in every season of his career.

In warm and dry conditions, Magnussen made a perfect start from his maid-

en pole position and led for the opening two laps while Verstappen defended against Russell.

The world champion then powered into the lead at start of lap three while behind him Fernando Alonso and Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon battled and collided, the two-time champion pitting after damaging his front wing.

“He pushed me in Turn Four and then finally in the straight,” reported the Spaniard, referring to Ocon as ‘our friend’ in a sarcastic radio message. “Well done.”

Verstappen stayed in control, without providing convincing pace, until lap 15 when Russell passed him on the run to Turn Four, after four laps in fierce competition had produced thrilling thrustand-defend battles between them.

Once out in clean air, Russell demonstrated the potential of his Mercedes as Magnussen fell back to seventh and Hamilton rose to fourth in the second of the ‘silver arrows’.

By lap 20, with four to go, Russell led Sainz, who had fought his way past Verstappen at Turn One a lap earlier, leaving the Dutchman with a damaged front wing, and Hamilton, up to third with a clean pass of the Red Bull. AFP

Obebe frontrunner for Most Outstanding Swimmer award

PAULINE Beatriz Obebe is poised to run away with the coveted Most Outstanding Swimmer award as she hiked her gold-medal haul to six even as Nicola Queen Diamante and Anya Dela Cruz remained solid in their performances on Sunday during the second day of the COPA (Congress in Philippine Sports, Inc.) Reunion Swim Challenge National Finals at the Teofilo Yldefonso swimming pool at the Rizal Memorial Sports Center in Malate, Manila.

The pride of Aqua Sprint of coach Manny Thruelen collected six gold medals after two days of action, winning the girls’ 12 Class A 100m freestyle (1:08.34), 100-m butterfly (1:14.93) and 50-m breaststroke (46.01).

On opening day, the 11-year-old dominated the 100-m breast (1:39:95), 200-m back (3:00.69) and 50-m butterfly (58 seconds) in the0 tournament backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, MILO and Speedo.

“Gusto ko pong maging member ng Philippine Team in the future kaya talagang sinusunod ko ang program ni coach Manny. Next week, try ko pong maka-gold pa rin,” said Obebe referring to the continuation of the meet organized by COPA, in collaboration with the Samahang Manlalangoy sa Pilipinas.

For her part, Diamante won the girls’ Class A 100-m fly, clocking 1:21.84 after anchoring the RSS Dolphins to a bronze-medal finish in the mixed 200-

m individual medley (2:12.91).

Obebe’s teammate Anya Dela Cruz also shone in the 9-year-old class, claiming the gold in the 100-m fly (1:35.72) and 100-m free (1:25.21).

Tournament director and COPA Board member Chito Rivera said the group decided to stretch the tournament to four days in two consecutive weekends to accommodate the big number of participants, which included underprivileged students from public schools and athlete with disabilities.

“We did this para hindi masayang ‘yung exposure and experience to swim in an international-environment competition. Our swimmers need to find what event they really fit in,” said Rivera, also the head coach of JRU

swimming team in the NCAA.

“With the support from both the public and private sectors and with the guidance of COPA founder Eric Buhain and two-time Olympian Pinky Brosas, we’re planning to hold much bigger tournaments in December and in the first quarter of 2023. ‘Yung educational program ng COPA sa coach mas palalakasin natin,” said Rivera.

Other winners in Day 2 were Janna Articulo in girls’ 12-years Class C 100-m fly (1:36.22); Jhoi Araos in class C Girls’ 9-year-old 100-m fly (2:11.23); Allianah Keith in 10-year class 100-m (1:30.05); John Lee in boys’ 100-m fly ( 1:51.96), Godfrey Pagurayan in boys’ 9 yrs 100-m fly (2:01.45) and Kai Mangubat in boys 10 yrs 100-m fly (1:55.14).

Blu Boys outranked but unfazed in World Cup

THE Blu Boys leave this week for Auckland, New Zealand for the Men’s Softball World Cup, where they play other qualifiers from other regions.

The lowest-ranked team at 21st among the 12 competing teams, including defending champion Argentina and many-time world champion United States, the Blu Boys are unfazed at the prospect of playing these teams, optimistic that they can come up with some surprises.

“There is no pressure at all for them as all their opponents are ranked higher. We are excited at the prospect of playing at the world stage of men’s softball, confident that this young team is capable of matching up with the other teams,” said ASAPHIL president and sportsman-businessman Jean Henri Lhuillier.

The team is grouped with Argentina and the United States, which the Blu Boys play on opening day on Nov. 26, together with host New Zealand, Czech Republic and Cuba,

Lhuillier’s primary objective is to improve the team’s world ranking, which it will if it does well in the tournament.

“We have played in the past against some of these teams like the United States, New Zealand and the Czech Republic and we managed to stay close to them. Our team maybe younger, but we are certainly more prepared now,” said head coach Jasper Cabrera, who took over the team following Apol Rosales’ decision to leave for personal reasons.

The team has been training for several months already, playing the best local teams available in pocket tournaments and since the team arrives in Auckland a week earlier, the Blu Boys are scheduled to play practice games against some of the other teams in the field.

Lhuillier exhorted local fans to watch the live streaming games and support the Blu Boys,” they are playing for the country and for you,” concluded Lhuillier.

Listup for Army Navy Club200 Endurance Race in full swing

THE biggest motorsports spectacle in 2023, the Army Navy Club200 200/50 Endurance Race slated on Feb. 11 -- has opened its registration this November.

Each team in the novel motorcycle event, the first of its kind in the Philippines, will be composed of three riders sharing one transponder and riding duties in 50 adrenaline-pumping laps of approximately 200 kilometers.

The race blasts off at the Clark International Speedway, with a practice run slated on Dec. 11, 2022, in order to allow participants to familiarize themselves with the rules and how the endurance race will play out.

The organizing Club 200 is planning to exclude competitive racers currently riding in the National Superbike Series to level the playing field among regular everyday riders

and weekend enthusiasts.

“This means it’s a free-for-all out there,” said Bobby Unson, President of the Club 200.

Event is limited to 50 teams per race in order to avail of the Dec. 11, 2022 Free Trackday for Demo and Tips in the endurance race presented by SMAC BMW, Pirelli, KTM, Ducati, Angkas, Evo Helmets, APRILIA, Juan Life, Hotel 101 and Merry Mart, and powered by Wheeltek, Triumph, Harley Davidson of Manila and Motoworld, with Manila Bulletin andC! Magazine as media partners.

Interested riders can just do the following steps in order to register.

Step 1: Pay the entry fee (Individual P7,500 /Team P21,000) at the Club200 Riders Association Inc.’s Unionbank, Magallanes Paseo Branch’s account no. 001470007566.

Step 2: Send a message to the event’s

Facebook page (Army Navy Club 200 Endurance Relay Race) https://www.facebook. com/profile.php?id=100084886190715 the copy of proof of payment (screen shot or photo of deposit slip).

STEP 3: Once organizer receives a copy of proof of payment, it will send participant an Online Registration Form. Fill up the form, send back and receive confirmation.

Step 4: Finally, DM your photo with white background.

Morning schedule during raceday are the 50-Lap Endurance Relay Race for Adventure and Adventure Open Classes Open to 400cc-1300cc Adventure Motorcycles with 21-19 inch Front Wheels and 2/3 Cylinder Engines for the Adventure Class; and 19-17 Front Wheels with 4 Cyl for the Adventure Open/Sport Touring Class.

George Russell claimed the first victory of his Formula One career on Saturday when he won a closely-contested sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Mercedes’ British driver George Russell races during the sprint qualifying at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace racetrack, also known as Interlagos, in Sao Paulo, Brazil ahead of the Formula One Brazil Grand Prix. AFP

All the members of Club 200, led by its president Bobby Unson (center), are shown during the media presentation of 200/50 Endurance Race.

Pauline Beatriz Obebe

Richard Gutierrez finally in his first ABS-CBN series as lead star

The story revolves around Apollo (Richard), who is known for his super strength, and how his mission leads him in finding out his identity and his deeper connection with his enemies.

Richard took part in the series’ creative process and emphasized his desire to showcase a modern action series led by directors Lester Pimentel Ong and Richard Ibasco Arellano

“We wanted to do more hand-to-hand combat. A more modern approach in terms of cinematography. We wanted to show something different in terms of action. Matagal na akong hindi napapanood gumawa ng aksyon na ganito,” Richard said during the series grand launch held at the Dolphy Theater.

Joining him in the series is Maja Salvador for a special participation two years after her last starring role in The Killer Bride Maja said that she did not hesitate to be part of the show after it was pitched to her.

“Hindi siya bago sakin pero sobrang importanteng ito

because it’s ABS-CBN. Ang ABS-CBN ay ang ganda gumawa ng isang teleserye. Namiss ko gumawa ng isang love story. Madali lang ako napapayag,” she explained.

Sue Ramirez, who will play Apollo’s other love interest named Venus, promises viewers that they will see another version of her after earning praises for her portrayal as Lexy Lucero The Broken Marriage Vow

Entertainment editors’ group unveils nominees for 5th EDDYS

The death of Halyna Hutchins on October 21, 2021 sent shock waves through Hollywood and gave rise to a series of civil suits.

The 64-year-old Baldwin is suing the film’s armorer and props assistant, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed; assistant director David Halls; props master Sarah Zachry; and Seth Kenney, who supplied guns and ammunition to the film set, according to a filing Friday in a Los Angeles court.

Baldwin’s complaint follows a suit filed against him and others on the set last year by script supervisor Mamie Mitchell over their alleged role in the shooting that caused her great emotional distress.

In his suit, Baldwin accuses GutierrezReed of failing to verify that a Colt revolver he was using in rehearsal was safe. The suit also states that Halls failed to check the weapon before he declared it safe and handed it to Baldwin, and that Zachry failed to ensure that weapons used on the New Mexico set were safe.

All those named in the suit have denied any culpability.

The gun Baldwin was holding during rehearsal – meant to be loaded only with blanks – instead discharged a live round, killing the 42-year-old Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza Baldwin last month reached a civil settlement with Hutchins’ family, details of which have not been disclosed. A judge has not yet approved the settlement.

The incident led to calls in Hollywood for guns to be permanently banned from sets. AFP

DESPITE the previous years’ quarantine restrictions arising from spikes of coronavirus cases, the film industry still thrived and came out with finished works that The Eddys, an annual awarding ceremony organized by the Society of Philippines Entertainment Editors (SPEEd), now honors in its anticipated event.

After refashioning the previous awarding ceremony online, the fifth EDDYS (Entertainment Editors’ Choice) returns with an in-person event to be held at the historic Metropolitan Theater (MET) on November 27, promising tough competition among the Filipino movies released on various platforms in 2021.

The awards show is hosted by Boy Abunda and directed by Ice Seguerra Chosen films, with their cast and technicalities, will compete in 14 categories. The group recently released the list of nominees for the 5th EDDYS.

Vying for the Best Picture Award are Arisaka, Big Night, Dito at Doon, Kun Maupay Man It Panahon, and On The Job: The Missing 8.

Meanwhile, competing in the Best Actress category are Janine Gutierrez (Dito at Doon), Kim Molina (Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam), Maja Salvador (Arisaka), Charo Santos (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon), and Alessandra de Rossi (My Amanda).

Actors joining the shortlist are John Arcilla (On The Job: The Missing 8), Christian Bables (Big Night), Dingdong Dantes (A Hard Day), Daniel Padilla (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon), and Piolo Pascual (My Amanda).

On the other hand, nominees for the Best Director category include Erik Matti (On the Job: The Missing 8), Mikhail Red (Arisaka), Jun Lana (Big Night), Carlo Francis Manatad (Kun Maupay Man it Panahon), and JP Habac (Dito at Doon).

Carrying on the tradition of paying tribute to movie stars who have made an indelible mark in the industry through their significant bodies of work, this year’s Icon Awards will be conferred upon Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, Phillip Salvador, Roi Vinzon, Helen Gamboa, Divina Valencia, Elizabeth Oropesa, Sharon Cuneta, and Alma Moreno

Meanwhile, Gretchen Barretto, Kris Aquino, Alfred Vargas, GMA Kapuso Foundation, and ABSCBN Sagip Kapamilya are the recipients of this year’s Isah V. Red Award. The award is presented in honor and memory of SPEEd’s founding president, Isah V. Red. It is given to personalities and organizations to honor their humanitarian efforts toward alleviating the conditions of people adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s special awardees have been named as the following: entertainment reporter Mario Dumaual for the Joe Quirino Award; former entertainment editor Eric Ramos for the Manny Pichel Award; Rein Entertainment

for the Rising Producers’ Circle; and Viva Films as Producer of the Year.

SPEEd celebrates the 5th EDDYS with the support of Fire and Ice Media and Productions, the company established by Liza Diño and Ice Seguerra.

The event is in partnership with sponsors Beautederm, Tanduay, Globe Telecom, Dr. Carl E. Balita Foundation, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and MET, and with kind support from JFV Rice Mill and Bataan

CINEMATIC arts give a razor-sharp depiction of the whys and wherefores of those who brand themselves as influencers and vloggers. In a nutshell, this is what Perci Intalan’s Live Scream is all about.

But when one digs deeper and weighs the truth that it presents, we get that this motion picture is not just a cautionary tale. It tells us what kind of morality and motivation these vloggers believe and have. What is alarming is that the most bored, entitled, and gullible, whose lives revolve around their gadgets and get a kick with the latest scandal and the one

day you are in, the next hour you are out online sensation, are the market that accepts what they offer, hook, line and sinker.

The story of an online vlogger named Exo who has gone a bit too far with his prank videos, prompting netizens to cancel him is a common occurrence in the dizzying world of social media.

The most horrific ingredient of the movie is that one day, Exo finds himself trapped in a dark room. Things turn bloody and gory, when a masked figure gives him instructions to use a torture wall or else his loved ones will suffer.

Exo has no choice but to give in to the situation and the major prankster now becomes the unwilling subject of all kinds of physical, sexual, and mental abuse –streamed live at that, in order to save the life of a beloved.

The best reasons to watch it are, first of all, Elijah Canlas as Exo, whose level of commitment in giving his character’s emotional truth is beyond compare.

As Exo, he is sweet and loving to his grandmother. He also has this I do not give an F attitude as he executes a prank

with his girlfriend portrayed by Phoebe Walker. He legitimizes and justifies fame whoring for exponential numbers of viewers for the cash and instant gratification of course.

Canlas made Exo a man you who stirs confusion. He plays the inexperienced from the exterior remarkably well but as the movie progresses, one gets to see how he employs this boyish charm offensive to hide his many plans and schemes for online supremacy and preservation.

Another reason to arouse curiosity is definitely Phoebe Walker. As the seasoned influencer and partner of Exo, she invested not only life but vulnerability in her Amanda. She gives damsel in distress a twisted flavor. New starlet Kat Dovey has the insouciance and brazenness to pull off her influencer named Raiza. And character actor Lucky Mercado gives a whole different meaning and exposition to the words surprise and shocking.

The biggest, and most horrific element of this movie is the absurdity of its premise which is taking the phrase violent reaction to an all-extreme level. We all know that cursing, cuss words, and all sorts of shaming are already considered staples in the online world

but what LiveScream showed is the scariest of them all.

This is Perci Intalan’s manner of reminding the callous and irresponsible members of the vlogging community to stop polluting the web with nonsensical activities and polarizing shenanigans.

members of the vlogging

True, for a vlogger, his or her video page is a democratic space and platform to express what he feels and believes as truth. However, Live Scream makes one realizes that freedom is not absolute and yes, it also has repercussions that can be immediate, intense, and life-altering.

Though it is unlikely to happen given the Filipino psyche per se, what Live Scream wants all of us to realize, the tribulation that Exo experienced, is not an impossibility. The right dosage of lunacy, when it becomes extremely potent can seduce all those who have been aggrieved.

When they succumb to the dark side and implement their version of a “cleaning

afraid. Be very afraid. Live Scream is currently streaming on Vivamax Plus, the pay-per-view service of Vivamax.

Nickie Wang,

The nominees for Best Actress and Best Actor

The five local filmmakers contending for the Best Director Award

Five Filipino movies released last 2021 are now vying for the Best Picture award

ACTOR Richard Gutierrez takes on his biggest role in an ABS-CBN television series as he plays the lead character in the action drama Iron Heart

“I think masu-surpass nito ang pagiging daring role ko. Not only the outfits as seen in the trailer but yung character. Iba yung upbringing,” she shared.

AMERICAN actor Alec Baldwin has filed a lawsuit against four people involved in the Western film Rust , saying they were negligent in providing him with a gun that discharged, killing the movie’s cinematographer.

Richard, who plays the lead character Apollo, wants to do more handto-hand combat in ‘Iron Heart’

From left: Phoebe Walker, Elijah Canlas, and Kat Dovey star in Perci Intalan’s ‘LiveScream’

Richard actively shares his insights on the series’ creative process to showcase a modern action show

The cast and crew of ‘Iron Heart’

THE

The specific arrangements will allow in bound tour group travelers who are received by licensed travel agents and have pre-registered their itineraries to enter designated tourist at tractions including theme parks, museums, and temples, as well as dine in designated catering premises when holding the Amber Code of the Vaccine Pass. The government will also explore the permissibility of allowing such travelers to undergo fewer nucleic acid tests while balanc ing the epidemic risks.

Dr. Pang Yiu-kai, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) welcomed the Govern ment’s latest announcement.

“The new arrangements mark Hong Kong’s resumption to normality and send a positive mes sage to travelers and our trade partners around the world. It is expected that the specific arrange ments can help gradually attract leisure travelers to visit Hong Kong again, especially consumers in short-haul markets,” Dr. Pang said.

“The HKTB will continue to work with the Government, the tourism industry, and related sectors to demonstrate Hong Kong’s diverse tourism appeal to ramp up travelers’ interests in

Hong Kong eases restrictions for inbound group travelers

Honoring outstanding hotel professionals

AT ABOUT this time of every year, the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association of the Philippines (HSMA) always takes a pause to honor the outstanding professionals in our country’s hotel industry in a glitzy celebration held at any of the metro’s posh hotels. Unfortunately, the pandemic prevented them from holding a face-to-face event the past two years so, for this year’s celebration, they made up for lost ground.

It certainly was a glittering, colorful and fashionable event, as the organiza tion’s lady officers came in their best for mal gowns, matched by their gentlemen colleagues’ tuxedos and formal blazers with elegant pochettes.

Distinguished representatives of the

country’s hotel industry flocked to the elegantly decorated Grand Ballroom of Okada Manila to witness the important event, made doubly significant now that the Industry is getting back on its feet again after the pandemic wreaked havoc on our country.

As in previous years, three winners were proclaimed: June Niño Cali nawan, Banquet Sales Executive of Quest Hotel and Conference CenterCebu, was the Outstanding Sales and Marketing Associate; Marie Antonette de Belen, Conrad Manila’s Senior Sales Manager, was named Outstanding Sales and Marketing Manager; and Michelle Angeli Crudo, Director of Sales at No votel Manila Araneta City, is this year’s Out standing Sales and Marketing Leader.

tion. These priorities have since become the basis for sustainability targets.

Virtus Awards Chair Rose Libongco congratulated the winners as they “start their odyssey in the industry, inspiring others by example and converting others towards the philosophy of winning until they form a like-minded army who will perpetuate their ideals of success.” For his part, outgoing HSMA President Ben jie Martinez declared that “this year’s winners are helping the industry break free from the pandemic by embrac ing opportunities, relentlessly pursuing business for their respective properties despite the challenges.”

YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE

SIGN OUTSIDE CHURCH:  Try our Sundays.  They are better than Baskin Robbins.

HSMA also gave an award for Outstanding Marketing Campaign to Newport World Resorts (NWR) for its “I Love Earth” project which banners the establishment’s commitment to sustain ability after seeing the disruption and negative impact of the Covid-19 pan demic.

NWR manages five international hotels, a shopping mall, casinos, enter tainment venues, and MICE facilities.

As part of its post-pandemic plans, NWR Management is consolidating and integrating all sustainability efforts be ing carried out throughout the property complex. It created an “I Love Earth Council” which quickly assesses and identifies priority areas for collabora

This year’s Virtus Awards also hon ored the win ners of 2020 and 2021 who, un fortunately, had to be proclaimed and awarded on line then, to con form with the past two years’ quarantine restrictions.

With the support of the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promo tions Board, this year’s event was made possible with the assistance of Atlantis, Okada Manila, Dida Travel, Crimson Filinvest, Media Meter, IDeaS, Maya Business, Newport World Resorts, and EDI.

Information on future events and projects of HSMA is available through www.hsma.org.ph or hsmasecretariat@ gmail.com

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@ gmail.com

A Quiapo-themed heritage dinner at Lore Manila

THE Mama Sita Foundation (MSF) recently sponsored Peacetime Quiapo (1920 –1940): Home Recipes from the Art Deco Era , a non-profit din ner held at the Lore Manila in Bonifacio Global City.

The event was curated by food writer Ige Ramos and organized by Fernando Nakpil Zialcita, PhD and his class at the Cultural Heritage Studies Program of the Department of Sociology and An thropology of the Ateneo de Ma nila University.

The four-course meal, interpret ed by Chef Tatung Sarthou , fea tured recipes from the illustrious families of Old Quiapo, then a cos mopolitan enclave that linked Asia, Europe, North and South America in the couple of decades leading up to WWII. Mama Sita’s Balati naw Heirloom Rice Champorado topped with Balatinaw Pinipig and Danggit bits was served for des sert.

Clara Reyes-Lapus , MSF Presi dent talked about the Foundation’s Heirloom Grains Project, which was established to support the Kankanaey tribe whose ancestors hand-carved the rice terraces out of the Cordilleras 2,000 years ago.

Keynoted by Dr. Zialcita, the program articulated the vision of converting the Quiapo district into a living heritage and pilgrimage zone with talks from Claire Vitug of the San Sebastian Basilica Con servation and Development Foun dation, Architect Roz Li of Bakas Pilipinas, Dr. Czarina SalomaAkpedonu of the Loyola School

of Social Sciences of the Ateneo de Manila University, and Congress man Joel Chua, chief proponent of the Quiapo Heritage Zone Act, which awaits deliberation at the House of Representatives.

Gemma Cruz-Araneta , writ er, director, and former Tourism Secretary was among the event’s notable guests. Paintings of Quia po-native Brian Villareal were ex hibited in the restaurant.

Building a repository of heritage food stories Now in its tenth year, MSF’s Mga Kuwentong Pagkain, an an nual contest on heritage food sto ries, has extended its deadline for submission of entries to Decem ber 31. Anyone from anywhere in the world who has a Filipino food story to tell is invited to join. Even non-Filipinos can now join the conversation on Filipino food.

Stories can focus on cherished family recipes, hometown culinary traditions, regional food folklore, or even locally grown crops and spices.

Mga Kuwentong Pagkain celebrates the uniqueness of Fili pino food and the stories that con tinue to shape it. To make room for more creativity and style in sharing food stories, separate categories were set up for essay, photo, and video formats.

Participants can win up to P20,000 in prizes. Click on this link to join and learn more details about the contest: https://tinyurl. com/MKP2022Form or email com munity@mgakuwentongpagkain. com

Nickie

Hong Kong Government announced on No vember 7 that specific arrangements for inbound tour group travelers will be launched this month.

The Star Ferry is a passenger ferry service operator and tourist attraction in Hong Kong

Tourists can marvel at the city’s grandeur at the West Kowloon Cultural District Promenade

Winners of the 8th Virtus Awards with HSMA Board of Directors

The Virtus Awards honors the outstanding professionals in the Philippine’s hotel industry

Mama Sita’s Balitanaw Heirloom Rice Champorado is the heritage dinner’s featured dessert

From left: Fernando Zialcita, Yuan Gabriel Reyes, Joshua Imperio, Ria Tenido, Earl JoyLopina, Simone Andrea Yatco, Clara Reyes-Lapus, and Ige Ramos

Marie Antonette de Belen wins the award for Outstanding Sales and Marketing Manager

June Niño Calinawan is this year’s Outstanding Sales and Marketing Associate

Michelle Angeli Crudo bags the recognition for Outstanding Sales and Marketing Leader

visiting the city, to drive the revival of tourism in Hong Kong,” Dr. Pang added. The HKTB has been constantly and closely engaging

travel trade and media partners around the world. For instance, in October, the HKTB lined up more than 400 meetings with over 200 local trade partners and repre

sentatives in visitor source markets, including tour op erators, hotels, and attractions, to discuss partnership op portunities and gear up for bringing back visitors.