Manila Standard - 2022 November 18 - Friday

Accompanied by his predecessor and now Senior Deputy Speaker Glo ria Macapagal Arroyo, Mr. Marcos said

the meeting with Xi was “really just the kind of getting-to-know-you” between himself and China’s leader, who made his country’s presence felt in the meet ing of the Asia Pacific Economic Coop eration member nations.

“It’s the first time that I met President Xi Jinping and I was very happy that we were able to have this opportunity,” Mr. Marcos said in a 90-second video

released by the Office of the Press Sec retary via Twitter.

The President said he and Xi “spoke a little bit about regional issues” but mostly about the plans that Mr. Marcos has for the state visit “that I will be un dertaking to China in the first week of January.”

“The bilateral meeting is really just

PBBM sees ‘dark clouds ahead’

Rallies APEC leaders to work together for global economic recovery

By Vito Barcelo and Vince Lopez

PRESIDENT

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday warned of "dark clouds" looming ahead on at least three fronts—food security, global health systems and climate change—as he rallied leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to revitalize the region's role as a driver of the global economy.

“Dark clouds loom large if we are not...prepared. They loom on the economic horizon and now more than ever, our governments

Food group seeks to protect rice farmers’ farm gate prices

FARMERS cannot be on the losing end if the national government decides to lower the price of rice, the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. said Thurs day.

Farmers are seeking two things -- to lower the prices of rice for the consumer, but also to ensure farm gate prices remain high, PCAFI president Danilo Fausto told ABS-CBN.

Water rates up

This comes a day after President Ferdi nand Marcos Jr. said he is getting closer to his campaign promise of having rice sell for P20 a kilo while acknowledging that more needs to be done to make it a reality.

“We cannot lower the farm gate prices for the farmers because their costs are P12 [per kilo] because of the high prices of fer tilizer and fuel. We cannot allow that

Thai big firm eyes more aqua-agri projects in PH

By Vince Lopez and Vito Barcelo

THAI conglomerate CP Group has pledged to make additional investments in the Philippines in aquaculture, rice, and swine production, following a meet ing with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Bangkok, Thailand.

During a dinner meeting Wednesday, CP Group officials expressed interest in collaborating with the Philippines in swine, rice, corn and aquaculture, as well

least P5/cubic meter in January

as the development of the value chain of those industries to link them to local con sumers.

CP Group is one of Thailand's largest private companies with a $2 billion invest ment in the Philippines.

The largest and the most significant Thai investment in Philippine agriculture is Charoen Pokphand Foods Philippines Corp. (CPFPC), a subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Lim ited (CPF).

CPFPC started operations in the Philip

pines in May 2010 with a rented feeds mill located in Guiguinto, Bulacan. In 2012, the company made additional investments in aquaculture and agro-business in the country.

Aside from shrimp and fish hatchery farms, the company has built one of the most modern aquaculture feed mills in Bataan. The feed mill produces feeds for tilapia, catfish, milkfish, and also shrimp feeds for vannamei and manodon.

President Marcos pledged to improve

Villar, Tulfo in heated exchange over farmland conversion issue

Loud music may cause 1b youths to lose hearing

AROUND one billion young people worldwide could be at risk of hearing loss from listening to headphones or attending loud music venues, a large review of the available research esti mated on Wednesday.

The World Health Organizationled study called on young people to be more careful about their listening habits, and urged governments and manufacturers to do more to protect future hearing.

The analysis published in the journal BMJ Global Health looked at data from 33 studies published

and smaller because big developers are buying and turning them into subdivisions and commercial lands.

Tulfo demanded to know why the DA was allowing this to happen.

But Villar, whose family is one of the biggest land developers in the country, objected to Tulfo’s remarks, denying that they were buying up farm lands.

By Alena Mae S. Flores

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Thai land, as he revealed their talk focused on his state visit to the communist nation in January next year.

JESUS AND THE HOMELESS. A child looks at a Belen display at the Kartilya ng Katipunan that depicts the birth of Jesus Christ in a manger, homeless just like the many street children in Metro Manila. Danny Pata

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATORS Raffy Tulfo and Cynthia Villar traded barbs over the conversion of agricultural lands to residential and com mercial lands Thursday.

During the deliberation of the proposed budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) for 2023, Tulfo said agricultural lands of farm lands are becoming smaller

3 KEY FACTORS FOR APEC GROWTH. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a speech during the APEC CEO Summit at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, underscores three areas that the region must address: ensuring food security, boosting global health systems, and addressing climate change. PBBM's Official Facebook Page, Xinhua

PLEASANT FIRST MEETING. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. holds a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bangkok, Thailand late Thursday afternoon. Office of the Press Secretary

Sen. Raffy Tulfo

Sen. Cynthia Villar

Hike in COVID cases ‘not alarming’

By Willie Casas

THE Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday there is no cause for alarm over the increase in COVID-19 cases in the country this week.

All areas remain under low-risk case classification while hospital admission rates continue to be manageable, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

From Nov. 7 to 13, an average of 1,296 daily infections were recorded in the coun

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and economies must work closer and bet ter together as partners in order to find that break in the clouds where the light of hope and progress can shine through,” Mr. Marcos said in a speech delivered during the APEC CEO Summit in Bangkok.

"These shocks to our system have had… a deleterious effect on our efforts at fostering inclusive growth. To prevent a situation from becoming a prolonged and self-perpetuating problem, we need to im mediately address structural and policy is sues with the objective of enabling rapid economic recovery and growth in a manner that creates jobs, includes more people into the mainstream, and reduces poverty and inequality," he added.

Marcos said three issues are critical to this effort: food security, reinforcing global

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the kind of getting-to-know-you, and that was the same with our meeting,” he said.

“So whatever details need to be taken up between the Philippines and China will be taken up then. But for now, it was a very pleasant exchange,” Mr. Marcos added.

The President said Xi was also “very surprised to meet his old friend,” former President Arroyo, “who accompanied me, and they had a few minutes of rec ollecting the meetings that they have had, which I think helped the tone of the meeting.”

“So I’m looking forward to January and the state visit to China,” Mr. Marcos said.

According to Speaker Martin Romual dez, the President earlier received advice from Arroyo on how to approach Xi, who staged his own state visit to Manila in No vember 2018, the first visit to the Philip pines by a Chinese leader in 13 years.

“PGMA is definitely a big asset. Her reputation, her track record needs no introduction to anyone. Her advice, her counsel to President Marcos right now is valuable,” Romualdez said.

As President until 2010, Arroyo forged stronger ties with China, and as Speaker in 2018, she led lawmakers in

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farmers do not earn. No one will plant if they don't earn,” Fausto said.

Government must give financial aid to farmers if it wants to bring down the price of rice, he added.

“What is happening now is govern ment intervention. (Farmers) can bring down (the price) as much, as low as they can, as long as the government has money to subsidize the losses. We cannot sacrifice the welfare of farmers against the welfare of consumers. It has to be win-win,” the chamber chief said.

Mr. Marcos, concurrently the coun try's agriculture chief, said rice being sold in Kadiwa stalls and the National Food Authority (NFA) is pegged at P25 per kilogram.

“You can see that we are getting closer to our goal of P20 a kilo but let’s take it slowly. We’ll get there,” he said in Filipino at the launch of the "Kadiwa ng Pasko" project on Wednesday.

The Kadiwa ng Pasko project was designed to address inflation by provid ing the people with affordable goods especially during the holiday season in coordination with the Department of Agriculture as the lead agency, Mala canang said.

Fourteen sites were opened simulta neously across the country on Wednes day, including 11 in the National Capital Region, one in Tacloban City, one in Davao De Oro, and one in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.

The President was joined by First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos.

The program aims to provide a mar ket for farmers and fishers for their pro duce without having to go through trad ers and middlemen.

Organizers expect them to have bet ter income and, at the same time, provide the public access to more affordable, ac cessible, and high-quality merchandise.

try, which is 43 percent higher compared to the previous week, she said.

While the country has gone a long way in terms of managing viral transmission and disease severity, Vergeire remained cautious in saying that COVID-19 had al ready become endemic, she said.

"For us to declare it’s already endemic,

health systems and climate change.

"Food security is a serious global problem. This is felt by every household, by every family, by everyone. The issues that the world faces now – from climate change, to inflation, to war – are viewed by the ordinary Filipino through the lens of food security," he said.

The rise in commodity prices, coupled with supply chain disruptions and infla tionary pressures have contributed to the rising prices of food, he said.

"Food security must be a top priority for all governments and developing economies especially must have the policy flexibility needed to ensure an increased domestic food production and diversification and to improve the local agricultural supply and value chain," he said.

Mr. Marcos also underscored the im portance of beefing up health systems not only against emerging COVID-19 variants but other infectious diseases that

hosting a meeting with Xi during his state visit.

“GMA” is currently Deputy Speak er, having reclaimed her House seat in Pampanga’s second district.

She accompanied Mr. Marcos to the meeting with Xi along with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Ro mualdez said.

Trade, investments, and sovereignty issues were among the topics expected to be discussed in the bilateral meeting between the leaders, the current Speaker added.

“I’m sure that we’ll talk about many issues, of course, this being the APEC, the economic issues will be of course foremost in the minds,” Romualdez told reporters on the sidelines of the APEC Summit.

During the 25th ASEAN-China Sum mit in Cambodia last week, Mr. Marcos pushed for the approval of a code of conduct that will govern the behavior of claimants to the South China Sea with an eye on reducing the risk of conflict over the strategic waterway.

China continues to ignore the 2016 Hague-based tribunal ruling that fa vored the Philippines and invalidated the former’s virtual claim over all the South China Sea.

Earlier, Malacañang announced that Marcos will be conducting a state vis it to China from “January 3 to 5 or 6” upon Xi’s invitation. Vince Lopez

The President said he hoped Filipi nos would support the program, which aims to effectively promote the growth of local agricultural markets.

The Department of Agriculture, which Marcos also heads, said local commercial rice sells for between P38 and P50 per kilo.

"Life was really difficult for all of us, but there are ways to help. We will continue this even after Christmas. This is one of the ways the government can help the people," the President said.

"As your government, we cannot do anything with the rising prices. We can't do anything because the soaring prices of commodities were brought by exter nal forces that we cannot control, but we are helping with the people's capacity to buy," he added.

Earlier this month, Mr. Marcos ap proved the importation of cheap fertil izer worth at least P4.16 billion from China that will be given to farmers for free as a subsidy in a bid to support them while lowering food prices.

Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) President and Chief Executive Officer Emmie Liza PerezChiong said her agency plans to buy an initial 150,000 metric tons of fertilizer this year from China at $470 per MT, for a total of $70.5 million or P4.16 billion, through a government-to-government arrangement.

The purchase is significantly lower than the current price of $650 per MT.

Mr. Marcos likewise directed Fi nance Secretary Benjamin Diokno to ex tend the sovereign guarantee to PTIC’s P1 billion credit line from governmentowned LandBank

“I will also ask LandBank to allow DA to use its idle warehouses for the stockpil ing of fertilizers,” the President said.

With the much lower cost, DA will be able to buy around 2.277 million bags of urea to be given to farmers through farmers' groups and cooperatives.

we need the help of our experts and WHO (World Health Organization) to provide us with this kind of expertise to say ‘we are endemic now’,'" she said.

To say that COVID-19 has reached the state of endemicity, the number of cases has to be at an acceptable level, which Vergeire said was becoming more evident.

Severe and critical infections, as well as deaths from the disease, also have to be kept at a minimum.

"But what would be most important when you talk about endemicity, there is that level of immunity in the population against the specific disease. Right now, yes, our primary series is high, but our

may emerge, too.

"Governments must continue to invest in pandemic preparedness and in ensur ing the resilience of the global health sys tem. Adopting the One-Health approach and strengthening health surveillance systems for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, from the human-ani mal-environment interface, can be part of the solution," he said.

The President said the third concern -- climate change -- is "the most pressing existential challenge of our time."

“The Philippines is one of the coun tries at great risk from the climate crisis, as it stands to lose more than 6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) annually by 2100, based on a study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB),” he said.

"Global agreements that seek multilat eral and multinational solutions to the cli mate crisis, particularly the UN Frame work Convention on Climate Change and

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the aquaculture industry in the Philip pines, which he said is significant to achieving food security, especially since fishing serves as an important livelihood for Filipinos.

The President made this remark in his meeting with Aboitiz Group presi dent and CEO and APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) PH mem ber Sabin Aboitiz upon his arrival in Thailand on Wednesday, where he sought to increase partnerships and woo investments.

"[Aquaculture] is an area where the Philippines can do well… So that's something that we are not doing a lot, and I really feel that we are missing an opportunity because we are a country with over 7,000 islands. I am sure that there are many places that are suitable for this kind of operation," the Presi dent said.

"I think the timing is correct. There are many opportunities. I suppose the most important thing is that we are able

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(MWSS RO) said Thursday in a state ment.

"These include the development of additional water sources that will ensure continuous improvements in the supply of safe drinking water as well as the ex pansion of environmentally safe waste water services within the Concession Areas," it said.

Under the approved matrix, Manila Water consumers consuming 10 cubic meters per month will see an increase in their water bills to P192.42 starting January 2023 from P151.23.

Those consuming 20 cubic meters per month will see their rates increase to P425 from P333.47, and those con suming 30 cubic meters will see a rise to P866.3 from P679.02.

The subsidized rate for lifeline con sumers will ease slightly to P85.59 from P86.57.

For Maynilad consumers using up to ten cubic meters, their rates will rise to P135.70 from P130.42.

The rate for those consuming 20 cu bic meters will go up to P509.11 from P488.82, while the rate for those us ing 30 cubic meters will increase to P1,039.64 from P997.93.

The MWSS-RO said this was done after a thorough and independent re view and evaluation of the concession aires’ proposals, considering the inputs gathered from concerned stakeholders as well as the provision of the Revised Concession Agreement (RCA) that there shall be no tariff adjustments until December 31, 2022.

"The MWSS Board of Trustees ap proved on November 10, 2022, the MWSS RO’s recommendation for the Concessionaires to implement the fol lowing Rebasing Convergence Adjust ments from 2023 to 2027," the agency said.

The MWSS RO conducts a rate re basing exercise every five years under the concession agreement entered into by the MWSS and the two companies.

"The Office assures the public that

boosters are still low,” she said.

As of Nov. 15, around 73 million Fili pinos are considered fully vaccinated, but only around 20.8 million have received their first booster dose.

"We need to be very certain about this immunity among the population before we can really say, and the criteria have been fulfilled, that we are really in an en demic state," Vergeire said.

"We’re not saying it’s impossible. But now, I can see that light at the end of the tunnel so it appears we’re really going in that direction already. But right now, we cannot declare it as such this time. We’re not there yet," she added.

the Paris Agreement, are there and they are in force. But not enough progress has actually been made, as emissions contin ue to rise. The Conference of the Parties, the COP 27 is in full swing, but stronger action is required," he said.

Mr. Marcos said the Philippines is targeting 35 percent renewable energy in the power generation mix by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040, focusing on hydro power, geothermal power, solar and other low-emission energy sources.

"The future of APEC lies in its abil ity to revitalize its role as the region that drives the global economy... We must leverage our region’s core strengths and values as the premier forum in the AsiaPacific, as an incubator of cutting-edge ideas, as a pathfinder for collaborative so lutions to new and emerging trade issues, and as a laboratory for forward-looking and responsive economic and trade poli cies," the President added.

to forecast a little bit, which direction the economy is going and how we in the Philippines or any other country position themselves to take full advan tage of the new post-pandemic global economy," the President said.

Moreover, in his meeting with busi ness executives in Bangkok, the Presi dent reiterated that the centerpiece of his administration's bid toward eco nomic transformation is bolstering partnerships between the public and private sectors.

"It's something that we need to en courage to gain that synergy that we are all looking for as we find our way in the new economy," he pointed out.

The President earlier reported that as of August this year, the government recorded a total of 74 PPP projects in the pipeline, with a combined estimat ed cost of P2.25 trillion.

Mr. Marcos stressed that public and private sectors must work together to develop more infrastructure and en ergy projects, among others, as well as more projects for agriculture – all that will empower and strengthen the economy.

it remains relentless in protecting their interest and welfare and that it is com mitted to upholding transparency, ac countability, and citizen participation in governance," the agency said.

Rate rebasing is a periodic perfor mance review and general tariff adjust ment, which sets the maximum rates that the concessionaires may charge for their services at a level that will allow them to recover over the life of the conces sion their investment, capital, operating, and maintenance expenditures prudent ly and efficiently incurred and to earn a rate of return on these expenditures.

The MWSS RO held consultations from November to December 2021 to inform partner local government units on the completed and ongoing projects, programs, and plans of the concession aires; solicit valuable inputs from LGUs that may be incorporated into the con cessionaires’ business plans; provide a venue for discussing and addressing prevailing issues and concerns of stake holders on water, sewerage, and sanita tion services; and exploring good prac tices in providing these services.

The regulatory office engaged inde pendent consultant experts in January to handle the economic, financial, ac counting, legal, and technical aspects of the 5th Rate Rebasing Exercise and to ensure that it is methodical, fair, and equitable to both the customers and the concessionaires.

Manila Water and Maynilad submit ted to the MWSS RO their business plans for 2023 to 2027 in March to en sure water security, environmental sus tainability, and service continuity and accessibility for the customers within the East and West concession areas.

In July, the MWSS RO conducted the first phase of its 5th Rate Rebasing to present the concessionaires’ proposed business plans to concerned local gov ernments, customers, and other stake holders.

The second phase of the consulta tions was held in October to discuss and solicit feedback on the reasonableness of the concessionaires’ proposed busi ness plans and tariff adjustments for the next five years.

Mouth diseases hit nearly half of the world’s people—WHO

ROTTING teeth, swollen gums and oral cancers: nearly half the world's population suffer from mouth diseases, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

A new report highlighted glaring in equities in access to oral health services, saying it badly affected the most vulner able and disadvantaged populations.

"Oral health has long been neglected in global health," WHO chief Tedros Ad hanom Ghebreyesus said, insisting that "many oral diseases can be prevented and treated with the cost-effective measures."

The UN health agency found that 45 percent of the global population, or around 3.5 billion people, are battling tooth decay, gum disease and other oral illnesses.

The report, the first comprehensive pic ture of the situation across 194 countries, found that global cases have increased by one billion over the past 30 years.

The WHO said that was "a clear indi cation that many people do not have ac cess to prevention and treatment of oral diseases."

The most common diseases are dental caries, or tooth decay, severe gum disease, tooth loss and oral cancers.

Untreated dental caries is the single most common condition, affecting some 2.5 bil lion people around the world. AFP (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

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Instead, they procured lands in the cap ital towns or cities because houses built in these areas are salable.

Saying this has been a business of their family, Villar also said they comply with all the policies of the local government where they build subdivisions.

Villar acknowledged, however, that other developers buy farm lands. The owners of these lands sold their property because they could generate more money from the land sale than farm ing, she said.

But Tulfo said many farmers were forced to sell their farms because they did not earn enough with the Rice Tariffica tion Law, which allows private companies to import rice.

Villar, the author of the law, said farm ers gained from the taxes collected on im ported rice, a portion of which would go to them as financial assistance and would be used for mechanization.

Villar also said the law was passed because the Philippines failed to make its rice production competitive 25 years after the country signed the World Trade Orga nization's General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

"If we don't liberalize the importation of rice, they will bring down our credit rating and we have plenty of loans abroad and we have to pay higher interest for those loans so it will be a loss to the Phil ippine government," she added.

Villar said she did not feel guilty about passing the law as the tariffs from the RTL are being given to small rice farmers. She said under the law, P10 billion of the tariffs go to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, of which P5 billion will be used for mechanization, P3 billion will be used for seeds, P1 billion will be made available for loans, and P1 billion will be used for training. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

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in English, Spanish, French and Russian over the last two decades covering more than 19,000 participants aged between 12-34.

It found that 24 percent of the young people had unsafe listening practices while using headphones with devices such as smartphones.

And 48 percent were found to have been exposed to unsafe noise levels at entertain ment venues such as concerts or nightclubs.

Combining these findings, the study estimated that between 670,000 to 1.35 billion young people could be at risk of hearing loss.

The wide range is partly because some young people are probably at risk from both factors, said Lauren Dillard, an audi ologist at the Medical University of South Carolina and the study's first author.

Dillard told AFP the best way for peo ple to lessen their risk of hearing loss from headphones is to turn down the volume and listen for shorter periods.

"Unfortunately, people do really like very loud music," she admitted.

Headphone users should use settings. or apps on smartphones to monitor sound levels, Dillard advised.

In loud environments, noise-cancel ling headphones can help avoid "cranking up your music to try to drown out all that background noise," she added.

Earplugs should be worn at loud events like concerts or nightclubs, she said, add ing, "Maybe it's fun to be in the front by the speakers, but it's not a good idea for your long-term health.” AFP (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Drilon warns vs. misuse of CIF

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

FORMER Senate President Franklin Drilon on Thursday raised suspicions that the controversial multibillion-peso confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) were being misappropriated for unauthorized purposes such as to bankroll the operations of what he referred to as “troll farms.”

“Confidential, intelligence funds paying for troll farms? It’s not impos sible,” Drilon said.

He also raised the possibility that the CIFs were being used for tokhang operations.

“It can be used for trolls. It can be used for tokhang operations. I am not saying that they were being used but because we are ig norant of how the funds are being used, we can’t help but speculate,” Drilon said.

Operation Tokhang was a code used by the Philippine National Police (PNP) for

its bloody anti-drug operation by the pre vious administration that left thousands of suspected drug personalities dead.

Drilon said certain agencies have a wide latitude in using the CIFs, thus making it more susceptible to every kind of abuse and misuse.

According to the former Senate lead er, he agreed with the observation of of Senator Risa Hontiveros that the CIF was being abused.

In a separate statement, Drilon said

P175-b Bataan-Cavite bridge construction to start in 2024

By Vito Barcelo

CONSTRUCTION of the P175 billion inter-island bridge connecting Cavite and Bataan will start in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The 32 kilometer project is a cable-stayed bridge to be built over Manila Bay, to reduce the travel time between Bataan and Cavite from five hours to just 40 minutes, senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain said.

“This mammoth project is a priority project under the Marcos administra tion’s Build, Better, More (BBM) pro gram that aims to boost the country’s economic growth through increased in vestments in public infrastructure.

“It is only under this administration that this project was finally realized,” he said. The bridge will permanently connect the two provinces in Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog region, dramatically reducing the travel time and alleviating

traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

Sadain said that they were looking to complete the detailed engineering de sign (DED) works for the project by the first quarter of 2023.

The design of the bridge has been drawn from the sea, surrounding mountains, and Manila’s skyline. The 32.15 km-long Bataan-Cavite bridge is being constructed with two lanes in each direction, connecting Bataan and Cavite provinces, located north west and southwest of the capital Manila.

The bridge will start at Barangay Alas-asin in Mariveles, Bataan, cross ing Manila Bay, and end at Barangay Timalan in Naic, Cavite.

The project will involve the construction of two cable-stayed navigation bridges, the North Channel Bridge with a main span of 400m and the South Channel Bridge with a 900m main span, standing at a water depth of approximately 50m. Land viaducts, ma rine viaducts, and ancillary buildings will also be constructed under the project.

he does not rule out the possibility that the funds were used to hire troll armies due to the absence of documents and proof where they spent the money.

He recalled that the Senate had previ ously investigated the alleged use of gov ernment funds to hire troll armies and propagate fake news and misinformation.

Earlier, he called on the Senate to recon stitute the Select Oversight Committee on Confidential and Intelligence Funds.

“I am glad that Senator (Juan Miguel) Zubiri has heeded the advice that we made. We were the first ones to make the call for the revival of the commit tee,” Drilon said.

He added that the first order of business should be to convene the oversight panel.

“Hopefully, this administration will be more open to an executive session so that the Senate and the House of Repre

sentatives can make a proper judgment in the next cycle whether the CIFs are properly used or whether the agency is entitled to CIFs,” Drilon said.

He deplored that the agencies with CIF allocations have expanded in the proposed General Appropriations Act of 2023, the Marcos administration’s first budget.

In the proposed P5.268-trillion spending outlay for 2023, Drilon said there were seven agencies that do not have CIFs in the current budget, but were allocated with huge CIFs in the next year’s budget.

This includes the Office of the Vice President, the Department of Education, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Solicitor General, and the Commission on Human Rights.

SSS bares calamity loans for members in Paeng-hit areas

By Rio N. Araja

THE Social Security System (SSS) on Thursday announced it will extend financial assistance to members and pensioners in areas affected by severe tropical storm “Paeng,” starting Nov. 17 until Feb. 16, 2023.

SSS president and chief executive officer Michael Regino said the SSS calamity assistance package consists of the calamity loan assistance pro gram (CLAP) for its members and the three-month Advance Pension for SSS and employees’ compensa tion pensioners.

“We, at SSS, are always ready to assist our members and pensioners in the typhoon-stricken areas. We want to assure them that even during times of calamities, they can rely on the financial assistance from SSS,” Regino said.

SSS members and pensioners in the areas to be declared under state of calamity by the National Disas ter Risk Reduction and Manage ment Council or the Sangguniang Bayan, Panglungsod, or Panla lawigan can avail of the financial aid, he added.

Provinces declared under state of calamity were Cavite, Laguna, Batan gas, Rizal, Quezon, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Cat anduanes, Masbate, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, TawiTawi, Sulu, Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.

In Cagayan, the towns that are un der the state of calamity included Am ulung, Enrile and Tuguegarao City.

Gov’t breaks ground for 16 condo-type homes for ISFs in Tanauan

AT

Housing

By Darwin Amojelar

SMC Infrastructure apologizes to all mo torists affected by the traffic jams along portions of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Skyway, NAIAx and STAR Tollway on Thursday morning, resulting from a “momentary network outage” in its electronic toll collection system.

“Our IT teams traced the source of the downtime to a cut in our fiber op tic network,” SMC Infra said.

“We are still determining the root cause of the damage, but there are in dications that a major vehicular acci dent may have contributed to the situ ation,” the firm added.

To help ease traffic congestion, SMC Infra deployed additional field men to assist the motorists.

The company also opened affected toll plazas and waived toll fees.

Some 84,000 vehicles passed through the expressways from 6am to 2pm, Thursday, November 17.

“This includes motorists whose ETC accounts were deducted upon entry; they will receive electronic re funds in their Autosweep accounts,” SMC Infra said.

understanding, and kicked off a ground breaking ceremony at the proposed pro ject site in Barangay Sambat.

The project is the first in Batangas under the President’s housing program designed to address the country 6.5 mil lion housing backlog.

The Tanauan project consists of 16

BI ships out 17 more POGO employees

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The group boarded a Philippine Airlines flight to Wuhan, China. They were the third batch of POGO

It can be recalled that in October, the BI initially de ported six Chinese nationals, while 21 others were de ported last November 2.

Badoy asks SC to set aside show cause order

By Rey E. Requejo

junking

In

The latest mass deportation formed part of more than 300 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese citizens, set to be deported by the BI after being arrested by local law enforcement agencies for involvement in illegal online gambling in the Philippines.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla was closely monitoring the implementation of the deportations.

He added that they are regularly submitting reports on the status of the rest of the deportees to the DOJ.

Those deported were automatically included in the BI’s blacklist, effectively barring them from returning to the Philippines. Vito Barcelo

LEAST 17 Chinese nationals who were among the more than 300 foreigners arrested for illegally working for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country were deported by the Bureau of Immigra tion (BI)

employees sent back home by the government.

FORMER National Task Force to End Local Com munist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesper son Lorraine Marie Badoy on Thursday appealed to the Supreme Court to set aside its show cause order against her, in connection with her social media post red-tagging a trial court judge for his decision

the government’s petition seeking to de clare the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, as terrorist organizations.

a comment filed through lawyer Harry Roque, Badoy said the contempt order infringes on her con stitutional right to free speech being a journalist and a former spokesperson for the NTF-ELCAC.

least 4,000 informal settler-families (ISFs) stand to benefit from a housing project in Tanauan City, Batangas under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Pamban sang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program.

Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar and Tanauan City Mayor Nel son Collantes signed a memorandum of

medium-rise buildings.

The site is strategically located near the New Tanauan city hall, the downtown, the trading post and STAR Tollway to provide beneficiaries with easy access to jobs and livelihood opportunities.

Acuzar stressed that having aligned ef forts between the Department of Human

Settlements and Urban Development and the local government units is key to en suring the housing program’s success. The Marcos administration’s flag ship housing program aims to address the housing gap by building one million housing units per year in the next six years. Rio N. Araja

PRE-CHRISTMAS

GIFT GIVING.

Vice President and concurrent Education

Secretary Sara Duterte, along with Tarlac Foundation founder Dona Isabel and daughter Dr. Isa Suntay preside over a preChristmas gift giving to grade school students at Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac and Camp Servillano Aquino in Tarlac City. Lino Santos

BUMPER ONION HARVEST? At first blush, it looks like the country has a bumper harvest of red onions as shown in this photo taken at the Balintawak Public Market in Quezon City where a dealer prepares his huge stock of the spice newly delivered from Nueva Ecija. Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban however says the government is considering the importation of 7,000 metric tons of red onions as domestic retail prices soared to P300 per kilo. Manny Palmero

NOT A POLICE ARMORY. Laguna police chief Col. Randy Glenn Silvio checks a high-powered weapon which was one of more than 3,600 guns presented during the command’s inventory of unlicensed firearms held at Camp Paciano Rizal in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Also in photo are Lt. Rosana Nacar, chief of the regional firearms and explosives section; Lt. Col. Elmer Bao; and Lt. Col. Socrates Jaca. Roy Tomandao

Siao, AIP vows to give support to Tingog group

By Maricel V. Cruz

ILIGAN City Mayor Frederick Siao and his Asenso Iligan Party (AIP) with 5,000 members on Monday declared their unequivo cal support for Tingog Party-list led by Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre.

Lawyer Mark Peter Quilaneta, Tingog Deputy Secretary Gen eral for Mindanao, represented Acidre, a House Deputy Majority Leader, who was invited as the group’s guest of honor during its launching at AIP Gym at Brgy. Luinab here.

During the event, Siao, AIP chairman, formally expressed its full support for TINGOG, the only Party-list group invited to the event.

Quilaneta administered the oath to Siao as AIP chairman. Iligan City is a first-class highly urbanized city in Northern Mind anao with 184,058 eligible voters.

MOA FOR DIALYSIS CENTER.

Quezon City Fourth Dist. Rep. Marvin Rillo and Eric V. Olay, chairman, and president of  Passion Healthcare Philippines Inc., shake hands and show a signed memorandum of agreement for a new dialysis center in Brgy. UP Campus and Brgy. Dona Imelda in Quezon City, during a ceremony. Manny Palmero

News

‘Gov’t to roll out SIM law in Dec.’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SEN . Grace Poe on Thursday said the government is expected to roll out Republic Act 11934, or the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act by Dec. 27.

Poe made the disclosure during the hearing on the P11.32-billion proposed 2023 budget of the Department of Infor mation and Communications Technol ogy (DICT) before the Senate plenary.

Informed by DICT Secretary Ivan Uy, Poe said the agency is expected to

promulgate on Dec. 12 the implement ing rules and regulations (IRR) of the law.

A public hearing is set on Dec. 5 to gather inputs from stakeholders. “Dec. 12 is the issuance of the IRR, so it will be effective definitely on Dec.

27,” she said, quoting targets from the DICT.

Signed into law last Oct. 10, the SIM Registration Act requires the registra tion of SIMs as a deterrent to mobile phone-aided crimes such as text scams.

The said registration is a prerequisite to the activation of the SIM.

All existing SIM users must regis ter within a period of 180 days, which could be extended for another 120 days.

Poe said an IRR would elucidate de tails on SIM registration requirements and processes, giving telecommunica

tion entities and the public adequate knowledge and time to comply.

“The telcos are also waiting for the IRR so it will be clearer to them how to police these texts,” Poe said, even as she noted that telcos have already taken initiatives to combat spam texts and text scams.

The National Telecommunications Commission, in coordination with the DICT, the National Privacy Commis sion, telcos, and consumer groups, is mandated to issue the IRR 60 days from the law’s effectivity.

QC, healthcare group to launch free dialysis treatment in brgys

By Maricel V. Cruz

AMID the chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemic sweeping the country, barangays in Quezon City have launched a public-private partnership project to assure patients access to free, state-of-the-art dialysis treatment.

Through the efforts of Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo and Councilor Imee Rillo, ba rangays U.P. Campus and Doña Imelda have forged a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Passion Healthcare Philippines Inc. to implement the project dubbed Dialysis Cent ers Para Sa Bayan.

“We are absolutely determined to improve the quality of life of CKD patients, and we want them to enjoy longer lives with their loved ones,” Rillo said in a statement.

“Our intention is to guarantee patients, es

Party-list hails DTI decision on LPG cylinder swapping plan

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE party-list group Liquefied Petroleum Gas Mar keter’s Association (LPGMA) Partylist expressed gratitude to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for the approval of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the cylinder exchange swapping and improvement program prescribed un der Republic Act 11592 or the LPG Law of 2021.

Former

DPWH urged to submit proposals on classrooms

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

The

“It is our party’s duty and mission to keep

consumers safe and we hope that those in the in dustry will follow suit,” Ty said during a cour tesy call to the DTI.

pecially from indigent and low-income fami lies, absolutely free, zero cash out access to routine dialysis treatment,” Rillo said.

“We find it unacceptable that many poor Filipinos living with CKD are dying early simply because to their inability to pay for costly dialysis treatment,” Rillo said.

The MOA signed on Thursday provides for the construction, installation, operation, and maintenance of modern and duly licensed di alysis centers where CKD patients can receive dialysis treatment at zero cost.

U.P. Campus barangay chairperson Zenaida Lectura, Doña Imelda barangay chairperson Fernand Ubaldo, and Passion president Eric Olay signed the MOA. Rillo and Director Gloria Balboa of the Department of Health’s Metro Manila Center for Health Development endorsed the agreement as witnesses.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

Tulfo said there is evidence that will implicate some DENR officials who are in connivance with il legal miners.

“There are many undersecretaries there who have been in their posts since the ‘dinosaur times.’ Can you please investigate them?” Tulfo said.

He noted that since they “have developed dementia, these undersecretaries have already forgotten to do their jobs,” he added.

SENATOR Win Gatchalian is asking the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to submit its proposal on how to speed up the construction of class rooms and school buildings nationwide.

During his interpellation on the proposed 2023 budget of the DPWH, Gatchalian pointed out that P3.1 billion was allocated for the School Building Program for 2022.

As of September 2022, however, only more than P30 million has been disbursed, less than one percent of the total allocated amount.

According to the DPWH, it received a total of P2.78 bil lion to date for the School Building Program. Last June, the Department received a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) of P409 million for the School Building Program.

The department also received in October a SARO of P2.64 billion. Bidding is ongoing for the construction of these classrooms.

“In the past, we have seen that a lot of the school building program has been delayed and it’s because of the transfer of funds from the Department of Education (DepEd) to DPWH, and then from DPWH, they will construct and normally it takes one year to construct a classroom or a school building,” Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, said

“Maybe it’s about time you (DENR) assess who are these undersecretaries who have long been occupying their positions,” Tulfo stressed.

In response, DENR Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said they are looking into this issue, adding that the DENR will create a team to inquire into this report.

“Many of your people are in cahoot with illegal mint ers. Do you not know it? Don’t tell me na hindi nyo po alam? Don’t tell me this kind of information has not reached you,” he said.

Estrada says Harris’ Palawan visit means strong PH-US ties

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

He

“We

with the November 2021 Joint Vision Statement (JVS) of the two countries which expressed re solve to sustain cooperation across key areas of concern through the conduct of high-level visits and dialogues,” he said.

Harris’ visit to Palawan is historic, being the highest-ranking US official to visit the is land- province.

As a strong ally, Estrada noted that it is a clear manifestation of their commitment to stand with the government or demonstrate their support and solidarity for the rule of law and maritime law.

Harris will visit Palawan, which faces the dis puted South China Sea, when she comes over on an official visit next week, a senior American official earlier said. With AFP

SENATOR Raffy Tulfo has recommended to the lead ership of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to conduct a lifestyle check on all its officers and employees.

SEN Jinggoy Estrada said the planned trip of US Vice President Kamala Harris to the Philippines is a manifestation of the robust RP-US relations.

said it is an expression of the enduring alliance and strategic partnership of the two countries.

can also view such as being consistent

congressman and LPGMA Partylist

founder Arnel Ty said the support of government regulators and law enforcement agencies is crucial to the full implementation of thd LPG Law.

cylinder exchange swapping IRR speci fies the procedure and timeline for exchange, swapping, and buyback of LPG cylinders, the computation of the depreciated value of LPG cylinders, and the establishment of accredited LPG cylinder swapping centers.

DTI Undersecretary Carol P. Sanchez and Undersecretary Herminio Bagro lll represented Secretary Alfredo Pascual.

Other stakeholders who made the courtesy call included the LPG Industry Association (LPGIA) headed by Andrew Tan of Petron Gasul and Mercedita G. Pastrana of Ferotech.

INTERVIEW AT APEC.

House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez answers questions from members of the Philippine media during an interview at the Marriott Hotel on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Bangkok, Thailand. Ver Noveno

Second Trump presidency good for Asia, Europe

DONALD Trump, the immediate past President of the United States, recently announced his bid to obtain his political party’s nomination as its presidential bet in the fast-approaching November 2024 elections.

Speaking before a large assembly of followers, admirers and well-wishers, Trump said that with the help of the American electorate, he will not allow incumbent President Joseph Biden to impose four more years of incompetence and indecision on the American people.

It will be recalled that in the November 2020 US presidential election, Trump, who belongs to the Republican Party, lost to Biden of the Democratic Party by a narrow lead in three US states.

Born on November 20, 1942, Biden turns 80 this coming Sunday.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Trump warned against the aging Biden getting elected to the White House on account of the latter’s advance age.

“He’s so old, he doesn’t realize that he’s still alive!” was the famous line delivered by Trump to get his message through, that the most powerful office in the free world should not be entrusted to one who is bound to be forgetful and absent-minded.

Indeed, Trump’s political forecast proved to be true.

Two months ago, Biden called out to a crowd in search of a congresswoman who died earlier in a car accident. In September last year, he forgot the name of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a top-level international conference.

Biden mumbles in many of his speeches, and often looks oblivious. He is likewise prone to lose his temper almost indiscriminately.

Just recently, Biden lost his cool while talking to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky over Washington, D.C.’s promised military assistance to Ukraine, which is fighting a war on its territory against Russia.

Physicians say that forgetfulness and a propensity to lose one’s temper easily are badges of Alzheimer’s Disease, a common type of dementia that affects thought, memory and language, as well as the ability to maintain a continuing conversation.

Biden has also slipped while boarding the presidential airplane.

By the time the 2024 presidential election draws near, Biden will be almost 82 years old.

When Trump was President, the world saw him as an opinionated thug, but he was feared in the same way that the United States was feared as a world power.

It was during the Trump presidency that North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, agreed to meet personally with the US President to ease tensions in the Korean peninsula and in East Asia.

The Russians played a tough diplomatic game with Washington, D.C. and Russian diplomats were careful not to provoke a fight with America and its allies.

China chose its words and phrases very carefully when commenting on issues involving the United States and the South China Sea. Beijing was relatively mum about its plans to invade Taiwan.

The situation drastically changed when Biden succeeded Trump at the White House.

For one, North Korea is now engaged in open saber-rattling against American military presence in South Korea. Pyongyang has been firing missiles at targets close to South Korea and Japan more frequently than before.

It was during Biden’s watch when Russia invaded Ukraine. Moscow does not bother to hide its willingness to go to nuclear war over Ukraine and the latter’s plan, temporarily aborted by war, to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

NATO states, France especially, are currently making announcements about Ukraine and future of Europe that do no sit well with the Bidenheld White House.

Saudi Arabia, a known American ally, is entering into unthinkable economic deals with Russia, with the knowledge that Russia will use the proceeds of the deal to finance its illegal war against Ukraine.

With a seemingly helpless Biden watching in the wings, China is now openly supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine, as seen in its announcements and behavior in the United Nations.

It has stirred up a hornet’s nest over its planned invasion of Taiwan simultaneously with Moscow’s on-going conflict with Kyiv. In fact, Beijing seems to be ready to exchange heated words with Washington, D.C.

Under Biden’s watch, the notorious Taliban mounted a military offensive in Afghanistan, which led to the collapse of the American-supported, pro-democratic government in that country in May 2021.

If Biden is re-elected US President in November 2024, Japan may have to rethink its pacifist post-World War II status and re-arm itself to guard against threats from North Korea.

Many Americans feel and believe that under a Trump administration, the US can vindicate its immense strategic and tactical losses incurred during the Biden government.

That was the way it was and, hopefully, it will be the way once again if Trump wins his presidential bid in 2024.

When Trump retakes the White House, that will be good not only for America, but for Asia and Europe as well.

‘Friend to all, enemy to none’

Here, the Chief Executive ramped up his advocacy of a rules-based international order.

Amid competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, Marcos expressed support for the approval of a Code of Conduct based on international law.

The code of conduct in the disputed waters aims to reduce the risk of conflict over the strategic waterway.

EARLY on, in both his inaugural speech and his first State-of-the Nation Address, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. indicated that, as mandated by the 1987 Constitution, he would pursue an independent foreign policy that protects national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interest.

The fundamental law also provides that in our dealings with other countries, the government should adhere to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all nations.

Those Constitutional provisions have been encapsulated in the catchphrase “friend to all, enemy to none” as the guiding principle of the current dispensation in our foreign relations.

With that principle in mind, Marcos Jr. appears to be wasting no time in expanding and strengthening the country’s ties with other nations.

By the end of his first six months in office, he would have racked up no less than eight official trips abroad.

In September, he traveled to Indonesia and Singapore, both original members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and managed to meet with the highest officials and business leaders there, in the process managing to wangle investment pledges that can certainly help the economy recover from the nearly three years of the COVID-19 lockdowns by creating more jobs for Filipino workers.

In the same month, Marcos embarked on a working visit to the United States where he delivered a speech at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

There he emphasized that disputes should only be resolved through peaceful means, citing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The President also called on all nations to take part in the common effort to fight the effects of climate change.

Another highlight of this working visit to the US was his brief meeting with US President Joe Biden, who reaffirmed the United States’ “ironclad commitment to the defense of the Philippines.” Marcos assured Biden that Manila would remain Washington’s ally in “maintaining the peace in Asia.”

Marcos’ diplomatic offensive gathered more steam when he attended the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from November 10-13.

He will have ample opportunity to discuss this with Chinese leaders since he has accepted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s invitation to make a state visit to China early next year. China was represented by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during the summit.

At the 19th ASEANIndia Summit, the President urged members of the regional bloc to work closely with India to ensure better access to medicines and vaccines, calling India the ‘pharmacy of the world’

At the 10th ASEAN-US Summit, Marcos called for the continuation of ASEAN-US cooperation in addressing maritime security and transnational crime.

He expressed full support for US projects in support of efforts to combat transnational crime, terrorism and trafficking in persons.

The establishment of the ASEAN-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he said, would “serve as an additional anchor to our regional architecture and to the current international order that is presently volatile and constantly in flux.”

During the ASEAN-Canada Commemorative Summit, Marcos vowed to work with the other ASEAN member-states and Canada in promoting fair migration across the region along with the improvement of working conditions and labor protection policies, particularly for low-paid migrant workers. Canada is home to over 900,000 Filipinos.

In the second ASEAN-Australia Summit, Marcos welcomed Philippine engagement with Australia on the implementation of the Strategic Plan for ASEAN Cooperation in Food, Agriculture, and Forestry for 2016 – 2025.

“Food-resilience and food self-sufficiency are two of our very basic and foremost priorities in the Philippines. We need to protect the region and

EDITORIAL

The war on drugs, Marcos-style

That was the answer of then presidential candidate Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. when asked during the campaign for the May 9 general elections what he intended to do with the bloody war on drugs unleashed by Rodrigo Duterte from July 2016 to end-June 2022.

Today, the war on drugs under President Marcos certainly appears to have taken a different turn, taking the form of both the preventive and rehabilitative aspects, with focus on preventing the use of banned substances and on rehabilitating drug addicts.

But there’s another aspect of the marching order given to the police: Get the big fish, not the street-level or small-time drug dealers.

Duterte had ordered law enforcers to “destroy” the apparatus of drug traders and to shoot drug offenders if they felt that their lives were endangered.

The inevitable result? More than 6,200 drug suspects were officially acknowledged by the government as having been killed in anti-drug operations because they allegedly fought back (‘nanlaban’).

The PNP is actually implementing these days a new anti-narcotics program called ‘ADORE’ —short for Anti-Illegal Drugs Operation through Reinforcement & Education, which it says is a ‘multi-faceted reinforcement and education-based strategy’ to combat the drug menace

Human rights groups, however, claim that between 20,000 and 30,000 alleged drug suspects were killed in what they say were brazen summary executions. This number has not been confirmed or validated by an independent entity.

What has clearly changed in the war on drugs under the current administration is the number of casualties.

The Philippine National Police reported recently that close to 50 suspects have been

Opinion Rights of an accused

TO UNDERSTAND the rights of the accused, or derechos del acusado, it is important to know the precise moment wherein the suspect or a respondent in a preliminary investigation becomes an accused.

This occurs when a criminal information charging the suspect or the respondent of a criminal offense is filed in court.

It is exactly at this point wherein the suspect or respondent officially becomes an accused.

It means that he or she will now be brought to trial and that the State will prosecute the accused for the alleged act or omission that he may have committed (Section 2(b), Rule 1, Civil Procedure).

Lest it be overlooked, the suspect who is detained or in custody “under investigation for the commission of the offense shall have the right to be informed of his right to remain silent and to have a competent and independent counsel… [I]f [he] cannot afford the services of counsel, he must be provided with one” (Section 12, Article III, 1987 Constitution).

A respondent (whether detained or not) must file his counter-affidavit (response) within 10 days from receipt of the subpoena and the complaint-affidavit.

This legal process seeks to determine “whether there is sufficient ground to engender a well-founded belief that a crime has been committed and the respondent is probably guilty thereof…” or simply the determination of probable cause (Section 1, Rule 112, Rules on Criminal Procedure).

All accused are presumed to be innocent. While the presumption may appear to be a procedural tool, it can only be rebutted by proof beyond reasonable doubt (People v. Lagmay, G.R. No. 125310, 21 April 1999).

The burden or onus probandi of proving the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt is with the State.

The purpose of the presumption of innocence is “to balance the scales in what would otherwise be uneven contest between the lone individual pitted against the People and all the resources at their command.”

Hence, “the accused must be acquitted… if his guilt cannot be proved beyond the whisper of a doubt” (Tranquil Salvador III, Criminal Procedure citing People v. Jampas).

The defense the accused puts up may be weak but is inconsequential, if, in the first place, the State has failed to discharge the onus of his identity and culpability.

The presumption of innocence dictates that it is for the prosecution to demonstrate the guilt and not for the accused to establish his innocence (Tranquil Salvador III, Criminal Procedure citing People v. Arapok).

The mere fact that the accused is a repeat offender or has other pending criminal cases against him will not affect his right to be presumed innocent.

However, an accused’s previous conviction may be taken as an aggravating circumstance which, if proven, will increase his criminal penalty.

The accused has the right “to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation against him” (Section 1(b), Rule 115, Rules on Criminal Procedure).

“An accused should be given the necessary information as to why he is proceeded against and not be left speculating why he is made the object of a prosecution” (Tranquil Salvador III, Criminal Procedure citing People v. Mencias).

our countries from shocks on the global food value chain, as well as against the adverse effects of climate change,” he said.

During the ASEAN-Plus Three (APT) Summit that included leaders from China, Japan and South Korea, Marcos spoke with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who pointed out that the differences between the two countries are outweighed by their common interests.

“He has been proven right because the partnership with China has been a great benefit to both our countries,” Marcos said.

At the 19th ASEAN-India Summit, the President urged members of the regional bloc to work closely

To apprise the accused, the criminal information must be read to him during the arraignment and he will be asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty (See Section 1, Rule 116).

This is the essence of due process in criminal cases, that sufficient notice through the criminal information is given to the accused to give the latter the opportunity to prepare his defense during trial.

To satisfy the requirement of sufficient notice, the criminal information must state the name of the accused, the acts or omissions complained of as constituting the offense, and the elements of the crime.

All accused are presumed to be innocent. While the presumption may appear to be a procedural tool, it can only be rebutted by proof beyond reasonable doubt

The reason being that the accused is presumed not to have an independent knowledge of the facts that constitutes the offense (Tranquil Salvador III, Criminal Procedure citing Balitaan v. Court of First Instance of Batangas).

The accused also has the “right to be present and defend in person and by counsel at every stage of the proceedings.”

“The absence of the accused without justifiable cause at the trial… shall be considered a waiver of his right to be present thereat.” If an accused under custody escapes, “he shall be deemed to have waived his right to be present on all subsequent trial dates…” (Section 1(c), Rule 115).

Together with the right to be present is the right to be represented by counsel.

“[I]t means an efficient and truly decisive legal assistance and not a simple perfunctory representation” (Tranquil Salvador III, Criminal Procedure citing People v. Bermas).

The right to counsel starts from arraignment to rendition of judgment in the trial court and until the appeal is resolved (See Sections 6-8, Rules 116, Section 13, Rule 122, and Section 2, Rule 124).

An accused may exercise his right to counsel by electing to be represented either by a courtappointed attorney, including the public attorney, or by one of his choice.

“[I]t is essential that the court should assign one de officio for him if he so desires and he is poor…” (Tranquil Salvador III, Criminal Procedure citing People v. Holgado).

An accused may testify for himself (if he wants) but is exempt from being compelled to be a witness against himself (Section 1 (d)(e), Rule 115).

It is settled that “[A]n accused has the right to decline to testify at the trial without any inference of guilt drawn from his failure to go on the witness stand” (People v. Gargoles, G.R. L-40885, May 18, 1The accused has the right to confront or cross-examine the witnesses of the prosecution.

The cross-examination of the witnesses may cover: (a) contradictory evidence; (b) evidence that his general reputation for truth, honesty, or integrity is bad; or (c) evidence that he has made at other times statements inconsistent with the present

with India to ensure better access to medicines and vaccines, calling India the “pharmacy of the world.”

Marcos has two more official trips abroad before the year ends as he is scheduled to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC) in Thailand this week and the ASEAN-EU Summit in Belgium in December.

The diplomatic blitzkrieg is poised to gain even more traction as Marcos will also embark on state visits to China, Japan and quite possibly the United States in 2023, all part of his administration’s “friends to all, enemy to none” approach to foreign policy. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

killed in anti-drug operations five months under the Marcos Jr. administration.

PNP Chief, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, said 32 drug suspects have died in PNP operations while 14 others were killed by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

The number of deaths acknowledged by the PNP, however, is much lower than that monitored by Dahas PH, a running count of reported drug-related killings by the Third World Studies Center at the University of the Philippines, which documented 127 drug suspects killed between July 1 and November 7.

The PNP is actually implementing these days a new anti-narcotics program called “ADORE”—short for Anti-Illegal Drugs Operation through Reinforcement & Education, which it says is a “multi-faceted reinforcement and education-based strategy” to combat the drug menace.

What is new is that the PNP explicitly does not want to resort to killings as much as possible according to Gen. Azurin: “My policy that I emphasized to every police officer is that we will minimize the use of force in arresting drug suspects.”

In very specific situations where the lives of police personnel are placed in danger, however, then they will have no recourse but to defend themselves.

testimony (Section 11, Rule 132, 2019 Rules on Evidence).

An accused may also cross-examine a witness about a record of the judgment showing the latter’s previous conviction.

However, the previous conviction shall be admitted only if (a) the crime was punishable by a penalty in excess of one year; or (b) the crime is that which involves moral turpitude, regardless of the penalty (Section 11-12, Rule 132, 2019 Rules on Evidence).

An accused has the right to have compulsory processes such as a subpoena issued to secure the attendance of witnesses (ad testificandum) and the production of other evidence on his behalf (duces tecum) (Section 1(g), Rule 115).

The failure of a witness to comply with a subpoena upon proof of service shall be deemed as willful disregard or disobedience to a public authority.

The unjustified refusal to comply with a subpoena may lead to contempt of court and issuance of a bench warrant (See Section 8-9, Rule 21).

The primary requisite before the issuance of a bench warrant is that the absent party (witness) was duly informed of the hearing but unjustifiably failed to attend (Tranquil Salvador III, Criminal Procedure citing Office of the Court Administrator v. Judge Lorenzo).

The right of the accused to speedy trial (2017 Guidelines on Continuous Trial) and to speedy disposition of cases (Section 16, Article III, 1987 Constitution) were designed to prevent the oppression of the citizen by holding the criminal prosecution suspended over him for an indefinite period (Tranquil Salvador III, Criminal Procedure citing Corpus v. Sandiganbayan).

The accused is also entitled to an impartial and public trial. Not only must the proceedings be speedy but they must also be resolved in an impartial manner.

All of the elements of due process will be meaningless if the decision is rendered by a biased or interested judge.

The public trial of the accused “aims to ensure that he is fairly dealt with and would not be unjustly condemned and that his rights are not compromised in the secret conclaves of long ago” (Tranquil Salvador III, Criminal Procedure citing Re: Request Radio-TV Coverage of the Trial in the Sandiganbayan of Former President Estrada).

A public trial means that anyone who wishes to observe the proceedings may sit inside the courtroom to watch and monitor it.

On top of all the rights given to the accused in a criminal proceeding, he is not prevented from having the judgment of conviction against him reviewed by an appellate court.

It is important that an accused is not deprived of these rights to dispel fear that injustice abounds in our courts.

“T

HE war on drugs will continue but we have to do it in a different way.”

If Biden is re-elected US President in November 2024, Japan may have to rethink its pacifist postWorld War II status and re-arm itself to guard against threats from North Korea

S&P affirms PH credit rating of ‘BBB+’, with stable outlook

MAJOR credit watcher S&P Global Ratings affirmed on Thursday its investment-grade rating of “BBB+” with a stable outlook for the Philip pines, saying the economy rebound ed healthily, spurred by strong domestic demand amid the full re opening and lifting of mobility re strictions.

“The stable outlook reflects our expectation that the Philippine econ omy will maintain healthy growth rates and its fiscal performance will materially improve over the next 24 months,” S&P said in a report.

It said the sovereign credit rat ings on the Philippines reflected the country’s above-average economic growth potential, which should drive constructive development outcomes and underpin broader credit metrics.

It said it might raise the ratings if the economy would recover much faster than expected, and the govern ment would achieve more rapid fiscal consolidation.

“We may also raise the ratings if institutional settings, which contrib uted to a significant enhancement in the Philippines’ pre-pandemic credit metrics over the past decade, further improve,” it said.

It said it might lower the ratings if the Philippines’ economic recovery would falter, leading to a significant erosion of the country’s long-term trend growth, or an associated dete rioration of the government’s fiscal and debt positions beyond our pro jections.

“Indications of downward pressure on the ratings would be a sustained annual change in the net general gov ernment debt that is higher than 4 percent of GDP and the general gov ernment net debt stock exceeding 60 percent of GDP, or interest payments exceeding 15 percent of revenue on a sustained basis,” it said.

Persistently large current account deficits leading to a structural weak ening of the Philippines’ external bal ance sheet would also indicate further downward pressure on the ratings, it said. Julito G. Rada

Business

BSP delivers 75-bps interest rate hike to catch up with Fed

By Julito G. Rada

THE Monetary Board, the policy-setting body of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, on Thursday raised the benchmark policy rate by 75 basis points to a 13year high of 5 percent as expected to catch up with the aggressive tightening by the US Federal Reserve.

Monetary Board chairman and BSP Governor Felipe Medalla said in an on line briefing the rate hike would take ef fect Nov. 18. Data showed that the last time policy interest rate reached 5 per cent was in February 2009.

“At its meeting on monetary policy today, the Monetary Board decided to raise the interest rate on the BSP’s over night reverse repurchase facility by 75 basis points to 5.0 percent, effective

18 November 2022. Accordingly, the interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities will be set to 4.5 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively,” Medalla said.

The Fed early this month raised its in terest rate by 75 basis points to contain inflation and hinted of more adjustments in the coming months. Other central banks also followed to prevent the de preciation of their currencies against the US dollar. The peso lost more than 12 percent of its value against the green back this year.

Medalla said the BSP’s latest base line forecasts indicated a higher infla tion path over the policy horizon, with average inflation breaching the upper end of the 2-percent to 4-percent tar get range in both 2022 and 2023 at 5.8 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively. The forecast for 2024 was raised to 3.1 percent.

‘In deciding to raise the policy inter est rate anew, the Monetary Board not ed that core inflation has risen sharply in October, indicating stronger passthrough of elevated food and energy prices as well as demand-side impulses

on inflation,” Medalla said.

He said the risks to the inflation out look leaned strongly toward the upside until 2023 while remaining broadly balanced in 2024. He said upside risks were associated with elevated interna tional food prices owing to higher fertil izer costs, trade restrictions, and adverse weather conditions.

Medalla said that on the domestic front, the impact of weather distur bances on the prices of fruits and veg etables, supply disruptions in key food commodities such as sugar and meat, as well as pending petitions for transport fare hikes could also exert upward pres sures on inflation.

Meanwhile, the impact of a weakerthan-expected global economic recov ery continues to be the main downside risk to the outlook.

“Given the increased likelihood of further second-round effects, persistent inflationary pressures and the predomi nance of upside risks to the inflation outlook, the Monetary Board recog nized the need for aggressive monetary policy action to safeguard price stabil ity,” Medalla said.

6,403.74 F

1.00000057.4360 Japan Yen 0.0071660.4116 UKPound1.19120068.4178 Hong KongDollar0.1278177.3413 SwitzerlandFranc1.05898560.8239 CanadaDollar0.75035643.0974 SingaporeDollar0.73008741.9333 AustraliaDollar0.67400038.7119 BahrainDinar2.653294152.3946

Saudi Arabia Rial 0.26608515.2829

BruneiDollar0.72743141.7807 IndonesiaRupiah0.0000640.0037 Thailand Baht 0.0279451.6050 UAE Dirham0.27227915.6386 EuroEuro 1.03960059.7105 Korea Won 0.0007480.0430 ChinaYuan0.1408478.0897 IndiaRupee0.0122730.7049 MalaysiaRinggit0.22026412.6511 New Zealand Dollar 0.61470035.3059 TaiwanDollar0.0322061.8498

Source: BSP

DOE reviewing policies on offshore wind projects

THE Department of Energy said Thursday it is undertaking a review and enhancement of the policies and guidelines that will ensure the efficient and optimal development of offshore wind projects with potential investments of $157.5 billion.

The DOE awarded 42 OSW service con tracts with an indicated 31,500 megawatts of installed capacity. OSW projects require about $5 million of investment per megawatt.

The prime areas identified for OSW devel opment are Northern Luzon, Verde Island Pas sage, Northern Mindoro and Southern Mind oro.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said in an advisory released to renewable energy devel opers and stakeholders dated Nov. 7 that the refinements to the policies, framework and guidelines governing the administration of Wind Energy Service Contracts cover the tech nical, financial, operational, and administrative risks and challenges of OSW development.

Lotilla said, however, that OSW service contractors were still bound to comply with their obligations under their contracts and should continue to work on their commitments based on their approved work programs. Alena Mae S. Flores

Globe’s investment in new cable system to lift capacity

GLOBE Telecom Inc. said Thursday its invest ment in the planned $300-million Asia Link Cable system, an international subsea cable system, will boost its connectivity capabilities as it shifts to a digital solutions platform.

Globe, with five of the biggest telecom com panies in the region, announced their partner ship for the ALC—a submarine cable system in Southeast Asia that would address growing connectivity needs and boost service resiliency. Once completed by the third quarter of 2025, ALC would add at least 18Tbps of ca pacity to Globe’s existing network for internal and customer requirements through Singapore and Hong Kong, the two main Asian hubs for internet traffic. Connecting to these nodes will boost Globe’s capacity to service the growing connectivity needs of its customers.

Globe Group president and chief executive Ernest Cu said investing in the ALC submarine cable system would serve both national and regional aspirations for connectivity. As the project is seen to expand capacity for connectivity, it will also help drive Globe’s pivot to a digital solutions platform, with a suite of services addressing Filipinos’ everyday pain points, he said. Darwin G. Amojelar

NGCP signs over P30b worth of new contracts

Razon’s Prime Infra investing P55b in water, other projects

By Alena Mae S. Flores

SP NEW Energy Corp., a unit of So lar Philippines, said Thursday it se cured over 2,000 hectares of landbank as part of preparations in building the “world’s largest solar farm” in Central Luzon.

SPNEC said it secured the proper ties only two months after its stock rights offering.

“We expect the updated tally to be reflected in our next quarterly report, from which our public shareholders should have a better appreciation of the assets in SPNEC,” Solar Philip pines founder Leandro Leviste said.

Under SPNEC’s SRO prospectus, proceeds would be used to acquire land in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan, and it would seek projects with the high est value. This may include projects where SPNEC would own shares as part of its asset-for-share swap.

“Since our SRO, we have prioritized the execution of the project that we see has the highest value. After we perfect the documentation for these hundreds of parcels and then conversion, this land would be ready for a solar project. Our focus now is to realize the value from this, and we will provide further updates at the appropriate time,” Lev iste said.

One of SPNEC’s projects is Terra Solar Philippines Inc., a joint venture that recently signed a power supply agreement with Manila Electric Co. Under the PSA, Terra Solar would sup ply 850 MW of mid-merit for around 12 hours per day from a planned 3.5-gigawatt solar plant, 4.5-gigawatthour battery project in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan.

The 2,000-hectare properties se cured by Solar Philippines could fit a project that would exceed the capac ity of India’s Bhadla Solar Farm, cur rently the world’s largest solar farm at over 2.2 GW.

By Jenniffer B. Austria and Alena Mae S. Flores

PRIME Infrastructure Capital Inc., the infrastructure arm of tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., is investing P55 billion in energy, safe water, waste management and other projects that support the country’s urgent needs, a top executive said Thursday.

Prime Infra president and chief ex ecutive Guillaume Lucci said in a news briefing the company was wellpositioned to build projects support ing the most urgently needed sustain ability goals—energy, access to clean water, waste management and viable critical infrastructure.

He said the company planned to spend up to P55 billion in equity to finance existing projects and those in the pipeline.

“We need about, give or take, P50 to P55 billion of equity to support our projects,” he said.

Prime Infra might also revive its planned initial public offering in the first half of 2023, subject to market conditions, he said.

Lucci said “an IPO remains the pri mary objective” of the company to fund planned expansion projects.

“We are seeing things improving in the last couple of weeks. We will take a look at that in the first half of next year as soon as market conditions are supportive of an IPO,” Lucci said.

Prime Infra planned to conduct a P28-billion maiden share offering in October to fund its energy and water projects. It decided to defer the share sale amid the volatile market condi tions.

Lucci said that despite the post

DOTr plans to offer 3 projects to private sector

By Darwin G. Amojelar

THE Department of Transportation said Thursday it plans to offer three transport infrastructure projects to the private sector as part of the government’s public-private partnership program.

It said the priority projects under the PPP program include the NCR EDSA Busway, the North Long Haul Inter-Re gional Railway (NCR-Ilocos, Cagayan) and the Manila Bay-Pasig River-Lagu na Lake Ferry System.

These projects are identified as pri ority PPP projects that will contribute to the improvement of transportation infrastructure and establishment of liv able and sustainable communities.

The Public-Private Partnership Cen ter is helping the DOTr in developing these projects under the PPP arrange ment.

As part of initial stages of project development, the PPP Center and DOTr are conducting a preliminary market

sounding activity to solicit insights and feedback on the project terms from in terested private sector partners.

This activity will run from Nov. 16 to 23, 2022.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bau tista earlier said the government was “confident” that the expertise and capa bilities of the private sector would bring such ambitious undertakings to comple tion.

The DOTr was also looking at priva tizing 10 provincial airports in Bohol, Laguindingan, Bicol, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Davao, Bacolod, Kalibo, Bu suanga and Siargao.

Bautista said the government would also build an additional four new re gional airports in Dumaguete, Siargao, Zamboanga and Masbate.

He said the PPP scheme would gen erate investments and generate employ ment for Filipinos, while promoting transport connectivity and reducing lo gistics costs.

ponement of the IPO, the company continued to look out for investment opportunities both here and abroad to expand its footprint.

He said the company was also eye ing expansion projects in Southeast Asia and Latin America.

“As you can tell, we never stopped. We are always ahead and always mov ing and looking at opportunities. We will continue doing that, remaining true to our purpose in the market seg ments that we serve,” said Lucci.

“Our edge is we are a very disci plined management. We are absolutely relentless and always moving and two steps ahead,” he said.

“We actually get things done. Our track record is proven—when it comes to step up and get things done in complex settings, we actually do,” he said.

SYNERGY Grid & Development Phils. Inc. said Thursday its sole operating asset National Grid Corp. of the Philippines signed new con struction contracts amounting to P30.19 billion as of end-September.

SGP said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange the contracts included the per manent restoration of C.P. Garcia-Ubay 138kV transmission line towers affected by Typhoon Odette, construction and erection of NGCP transmission lines affected by DOTr-NorthSouth Commuter Railway Extension and the Zamboanga Peninsula Voltage Improvement Project, Schedule I.

Other construction contracts are the Mexico 69kV substation expansion project under the San Simon 230kV Substation project and North Luzon substation upgrading project Stage 2 rebidding, North Luzon substation upgrading Project 2, Schedule VI - (Laoag, Bauang, San Esteban & Bacnotan Substation Portion) & Pinili substation project - (Currimao Substation Portion), Visayas substation upgrading Project 2 at Barotac Viejo, San Jose & Sta. Barbara Substations (rebidding).

It also includes the expansion of the Visayas Regional Control Center Building (Cebu), Laguindingan230kV bus-in to Balo-I - Villan ueva and Nasipit138kV bus- in to Jasaan-Bu tuan transmission line project, Western Luzon 500kV backbone project (Stage 2) and others. Alena Mae S. Flores

SP New Energy gets over 2,000 hectares for largest solar farm

SUPPORT FOR AETAS. Clark Development Corp. president and chief executive Agnes Devanadera (fourth from left) signs a memorandum of agreement with Royce Foundation Inc. administration manager Benjamin Encinas (third from left) for the provision of solar panels and water systems in family care centers in Marcos Village and Sitio Calapi in Mabalacat City, Pampanga. With them are (From left) Royce Foundation chief engineer Antonio Delgado, Royce Foundation coordinator Rose Ann Sigua, CDC director Bryan Matthew Nepomuceno, assistant vice president for external affairs Rommel Narciso and CSR and placement manager Herbert Angeles; (second row, from left), Converge ICT Solutions Inc. chairman Jose De Jesus, CDC assistant manager Ronald Antonio and Luzon International Premiere Airport Development Corp. chief executive Noel Manankil.

NEW SM MALL. SM Prime Holdings Inc. announces the opening of SM City Tuguegarao in Cagayan province on Nov. 18, 2022. The new mall highlights shopping, dining and entertainment activities as it will provide more than 62,000 square meters of gross floor area. SM City Tuguegarao opens with 85 percent of space lease awarded and features two levels of mixed-use commercial space incorporating local and international shopping and dining destinations led by SM Group’s brands such as The SM Store, SM Supermarket, Ace Hardware, Pet Express, Sports Central, Our Home, SM Appliance Center, Watsons, Surplus, Miniso, Crocs, Levi’s and BDO. Shown is an artist’s perspective of SM City Tuguegarao.

Border reopening lifts PH gaming industry

By Jenniffer B. Austria

Things are looking rosy again for the Philippine casino and gaming industry amid the reopening of the country’s borders to international tourists, loosening of mobility restrictions and easing of capacity constraints.

More licensed gaming operators re ported higher gross gaming revenues, im proved foot traffic and higher non-gaming revenues in the third quarter of 2022.

The continued reopening of the domes tic economy is revitalizing the travel, hos pitality, gaming and entertainment sectors and is boosting hopes the overall domestic casino business will soon bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.

More than two years into the pandem ic, state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. reopened the gaming in dustry for business and supported activi ties to enable gaming firms to recover lost revenues.

PAGCOR predicted that the Philippine gross gaming revenues would exceed 2019 levels by 2026. But as early as now, many gaming firms are reporting gaming

revenues closer to pre-pandemic levels. Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertain ment Inc., the operator of Okada Manila Casino Resort in Entertainment City complex in Paranaque, has yet to release its third-quarter performance, but its top executive noted the dramatic increase in visitors this year.

TRLEI president Byron Yip said he was Turn to C4

CASINO INDUSTRY Towards Responsible Gaming

Constantino, Malixi dispute ICTSI Match Play golf title

HARMIE Constantino trampled Marvi Monsalve with a workmanlike 6&4 triumph, while a steady Rianne Malixi hammered out a 3&2 decision over Chihiro Ikeda as they forged a showdown for the ICTSI Villamor Match Play crown in Pasay City on Thursday.

The second ranked Constantino, reaching peak form, dominated the No. 6 Monsalve with a superb all-around performance at the Villamor Golf Club as she logged her most lopsided victory after grinding out a tough 1-up escape over Mafy Singson in the first round and pulling off a 3&1 win over Sunshine Baraquiel in Wednesday’s quarterfinals of the novel championship highlighting the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour season.

“I think I made a lot of putts and had a lot of good saves,” said Constantino, who ruled the final leg of this year’s 11-stage LPGT at Pradera Verde last month.

In contrast, Malixi three-putted No. 9 that enabled Ikeda to force an all-square match but the top amateur hit a clutch birdie on the 13th and went on to win two more holes to thwart her top seeded rival via the same scoreline she disposed of Pamela Mariano and Gretchen Villacencio in the first two days.

“My ball striking was better than yes-

Engineering student tops Governor’s Cup chessfest

AN electrical engineering student of Marinduque State Colleges swept his matches to reign supreme in the 1st BKCCI Governor’s Cup Chess Championship at the MSC Stadium in Tanza, Boac, Marinduque over the weekend.

The pride of Bicas-Bicas in Buenavista town, Toche Quijano garnered an unblemished record of 5 points in the 5-round Swiss System to bag the prestigious Governor’s Cup title of the event presented by Marinduque Gov. Presbiterio Velasco Jr., with support from lone District Representative (former House Speaker) Cong. Lord Allan Velasco.

Tied at second place were Richard Pelaez and Joseph Ricafrente with 4.5 points apiece, with the former getting the upperhand by virtue of win-over-the-other.

John Christopher Corcuera, Jeric Mendoza and Marc Dangel Perilla were with 4 points each, while 3.5 pointers were Ronelo Embing, Marc Vincent Manali and John Timothy Fiedelan.

Serelyn May Mataac, a young chess sensation from the province of world renowned Moriones Festival was crowned queen of the chessfest in the female division. The 16-year-old gem from Bgy. Matalaba of the Municipality of Sta. Cruz broke loose in a four-way tie (4 points) with Candy Mangundi, Vanessa Joy Regalado and Maricar Andrin via the quotient system to grab the distaff title of the tournament organized by Boac Knight Chess Club, Inc., headed by President Engr. Lauro Bautista and event coordinator Giovanni Buhain.

terday (Wednesday). But I struggled in numbers, especially in between clubs. I just can’t hit them,” said Malixi.

“The turning point was on No. 13. After I birdied it, I knew I had to just make pars (to win),” said the rising 15-year-old star from the ICTSI golf stable, who edged multi-titled Princess Superal by one to rule the seasonopening leg at Luisita last March.

Constantino and Malixi slug it out for the title worth P280,000 for the pro at 9:10 a.m. with Ikeda and Monsalve battling for third at 8:30 a.m.

Constantino actually struggled with her long game but it hardly mattered as Monsalve, who beat Lucy Landicho, 3&2, and edged Florence Bisera, 1-up, to barge into the semis, likewise groped for form trying to measure up with her rival’s level of play.

“My drives weren’t really going where I wanted them to go,” said Constantino, who marked her pro debut with two victories, both at Eagle Ridge-Aoki, last year.

But after a string of failed bids this year, she saved her best for last, nipping three-leg winner Chanelle Avaricio by one to close out the LPGT season on a triumphant note.

She, however, emphasized the need for her to crank up her long game and sharpen her iron play to give her campaign a resounding finish.

2-time SEA Games taekwondo champion Ninobla wins 2 golds

By Peter Atencio

BACK-TO-BACK

Southeast Asian Games champion Jocelyn Ninobla looks forward to another great campaign in Cambodia if she makes it back to the national squad.

The 26-year-old Ninobla, who is no. 2 in the word rankings, said this a week before she goes through a selection process again, after winning two gold medals in the taekwondo event of 8th Philippine Sports CommissionWomen’s Martial Arts Festival’s final day at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

“Pinaghahandaan ko iyung selection next

week, in preparation for next year’s SEA Games,” said Ninobla after she snared the gold medals in the individual poomsae finals for University of Santo Tomas and the team freestyle poomsae top honors for the national women’s team.

Ninobla, a recent sports management graduate, claimed a fourth gold medal for UST when she outscored La Salle bets Sofia Sarmiento and Mikee Regala with her average of 8.4 points off her two final performances.

She said that adding more power in her hand movements allowed her to earn more points, as she fended off the challenge of Sarmiento, who tallied 8.05, and Regala, who scored 8.05, at second and third places, respectively.

“I have only competed in two events this year after the lockdowns. So far, lahat ng nakaharap, magagaling din,” said Ninobla.

National teammates Janna Oliva and Faye Crisostomo showed more fluidity of move-

ment when they snared the team freestyle gold medal with 7.16 points.

UST’s Jade Carino, Stella Yape and Aidaine Laxa took the silver with 6.23 points, with University of the Philippines’ Joana Jubelag, Keith Castillo and Caabay settling for the bronze with 5.67 points.

Ninobla is a consistent podium finisher in the SEA Games in its last three stagings, getting the individual golds in 2019 and 2022. Ninobla and Crisostomo teamed up in the 2017 SEA Games for a team bronze medal, before Laxa joined her for a silver two years later.

Meanwhile, national team member Jubilee Briones ruled the lightweight division in kyorugi, with National University’s Jizyl Javier settling for the silver, and Lavaine Valeroso of the College of St. Benilde taking the bronze.

NU’s Aila Calip dominated the welterweight class, and San Beda’s Gabrielle Salomon won the middle-heavyweight gold.

Malazarte, Ledama dominate college tennis

NILO Ledama held off fellow UST stalwart Alexis Acabo, 5-3, 5-3, while Joshea Malazarte trampled Jonamil Prado, 5-3, 4-1, in an all-UP ladies final as they claimed the singles crowns in the National Collegiate Tennis Championships at the PCA outdoor tennis courts in Plaza Dilao, Manila last Wednesday.

Ledama survived National U’s Ibarra Ortega, 1-4, 4-1, 10-7, in the quarters, overpowered UE’s Zion Guia, 4-2, 5-3, in the semis, then ended the unranked Acabo’s run with a straight-set romp in the finals to bag the men’s

May listahan na: Players invited to national training pool named

Casambre,

BY the time this column comes out, the management of the Philippine Azkals would have made an announcement as to who are invited to the training pool from which players will be chosen to represent the country in the Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 next month.

A quick chat with Dan Palami, the Azkals team manager, gave The Designated Kit Man at least an update on those who were invited to come to the camp.

Palami, however, made it clear that nothing is final yet on the actual number of players and who will be available for the camp.

“The list is still incomplete and we are still finalizing the availability of foreign-based Azkals. Some changes might still be made before or even during the camp,” Palami said.

For now, here is the list of players who were invited to join the training poo: Anthony Pintus, Julian Schwarzer, Enrico Mangaoang, Jaime Rosquillo, Audie Menzi, Kouichi Belgira, Bryan Ybañez, Yrick Gallantes, Simen Lyngbo, Pete Andrei Forrosuelo, Stephan Schrock, Kenshiro Daniels, Jeremiah Borlongan, Dennis Chung, Pocholo Bugas, Hikaru Minegishi, Jesus Joaquin Melliza, Eric Giganto, Arnel Amita, Oskari Kekkonen, Javier Gayoso, Marcel Ivan Ouano, Griffin McDaniel, Marco

Also

Cyrelle James Saut, Dov Anthony Cariño and Andres Aleguer.

Palami added the Philippine Football Federation is expected to issue formal call ups to several players soon.

Speaking of Schrock, the Azkals Development Team playing coach and captain has decided to postpone the opening of the Azkals Development Academy (ADA) to fully concentrate on his call up to the national training pool for the forthcoming Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022.

The ADA is supposed to open next week and has generated a warm response since Schrock made the announcement of its establishment the past few days.

“The schedule is tight,” Schroecky explained.

Nevertheless, the Pinoy football icon is so stoked to be among those called and publicly acknowledged by Palami during an episode of 3PTS–Pambansang Tambayan ng Sports over DZME 1530 khz last Sunday.

“You don’t know how much a call-up means to me,” Schrock said.

While he is happy that he has a chance to play once more for the Azkals, Schrock is also aware of criticisms on the name of his

singles trophy in the pre-season tournament presented by Dunlop.

He went on to help deliver the two other titles for the Espana-based school, teaming up with John Steven Sonsona to trounce UE’s Patrick Mendoza and Dawson Ormoc, 5-3, 4-2, in the men’s doubles finals and then anchoring UST-A’s 2-1 victory over UE-A in the men’s team event.

UE’s Stephen Guia edged Acabo, 8-6, in the first singles match but Eric Tangub and Richard Bautista nipped Norman Gaspar and Edangga, 8-7(7), in doubles before

football academy, especially coming from fans themselves who expressed resentment over the use of the Azkals’ brand.

“Basically, it’s connecting the Azkals Development Team with an academy because it could be good. I don’t know yet but I’d like to be prepared and if ever we turn it into a club so that players don’t have to choose between the scholarships and turning pro because at the moment that’s still the case, you know, with the ADT team as a team, we are in a kind of a gray zone because if ever we win something as a guest team, we will never compete internationally. Part of the club licensing is having an academy but other than that, I’d like to share knowledge on my philosophy of football as early as possible to some players so that they won’t need that much adjustments. I think it’s a good move to set up the academy under ADT,” he explained.

Regarding the name of the academy, he has this to say.

“If ever we can transform the ADT to a club, it would not make much sense if we named the academy differently than the club name. You know Kaya FC has an academy and it’s called Kaya and Maharlika FC has one too and it’s called Maharlika. You don’t make much sense to change it into another name,” Schrock added.

Schrock was also quick to say that being accepted to the ADA doesn’t mean that someone is assured of a spot in the ADT or to the Philippine Azkals.

“If people think that just because you joined my academy, you are automatically a member of the national team [then that is incorrect]. The Philippine Football Federation will be the one which will decide that. People should not be confused about this because the ADA and the federation are two different entities,” Schrock added.

Schrock also maintained that Palami, the Azkals Team Manager, knows about the academy and is supportive of his

Ledama routed Jed Durog, 8-1, in the other singles duel.

It was sn3orry loss for Acabo, who scored a walkover win over No. 4 Loucas Fernandez then stunned top seed Jarell Edangga, also of UE, 4-5(4), 4-2, 10-4, in the semis.

The third-ranked Malazarte, on the other hand, repulsed No. 2 Althea Ong of Ateneo in the semis then imposed her will over fellow Lady Maroon Prado to notch the women’s singles diadem in the week-long event put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/ CEO Bobby Castro as part of the PPS-PEPP

move to set it up.

“Otherwise I would not have used it. (The) Azkals will always be under Boss Dan and of course I asked him about it,” he said.

But for the meantime, Schroecky would focus his mind on the upcoming national training camp set to start this coming Monday, November 21, 2022 at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

On the lighter side of things, there are a bunch of young soccer players who are quite busy preparing for an international tournament set to unfold in Bangkok, Thailand next month.

These 9-year-olds or younger padawans, representing the Aspire Football Academy, will compete in the Winter Edition of the Bangkok International Super Cup 2022. The tournament is a seven-a-side competition featuring several age brackets that will be played at the Thai FA’s National Training Centre at Nong Chok in Bangkok. A game will be played for 22 minutes with at least 12 players composing each team that has been invited to join the tournament.

One of the players in the Aspire team is Jacob Marcus Puno Navarro, a Grade 4 varsity player for the Ateneo De Manila Grade School. For full disclosure, Jacob is my nephew, a fact that has nothing to do with his ability and great potential to become a future member of the Philippine Azkals someday.

While most kids his age are into basketball, being the undisputed number 1 sport in the country, Jacob would rather lace up his boots and kick the ball under the bright sun whenever possible.

“I like football because you need energetic players so that you can run up and down the field. You need to be energetic and in basketball sometimes you just stay still. In football it requires me to use my legs because you usually shoot, dribble, pass and run. And I like to run,” the Aspire defender explained.

But more than anything else, football

tennis program.

Malazarte matched Ledama’s three-title feat as she teamed up with Jesha Cervantes to drub NU’s Danna Abad and Luivy Carvajal, 4-0, 4-1, and helped steer UP Team B to the team championship over UP Team A, 2-1.

Sydney Enriquez beat Renee Esteban, 8-5, in the first women’s singles match then Malazarte and Cervantes clinched the win with a similar 8-5 victory over Anica Cari and Dana Regala in doubles play. UP Team A’s Anna De Myer averted a shutout loss by trouncing Chezka Malaki, 8-2.

has taught him so many valuable life lessons at his age. “Football has taught me to be fair, kind, hardworking, team player and patient,” he added.

Jacob says he is very excited to compete in Bangkok and is forever grateful to his parents—Marc and Ruth—and Ate Julia, for their unconditional love and support to his passion for football. “This is my first time competing internationally and I’m very thankful for them. They pay so that I can play,” he said.

Jacob, who plays as a defender in the Aspire squad and right wing for his school, says he wants to play internationally when he grows up and topping the list of his goals is playing for the sun and the three stars. “Yes, I want to play for the Azkals,” he said.

Hearing Jacob saying these things brings some sort of happiness on my end. Now the clan has a solid and possible contribution to the men’s national football team someday. And I hope that the Philippines will reach the FIFA Men’s World Cup in this lifetime and pray that one of the great Azkals that will accomplish that historic feat will be Jacob.

For more about Jacob, please tune in to 3PTS–Pambansang Tambayan ng Sports this coming Sunday, November 20, from 2 to 3 p.m. at DZME 1530. The Designated Kit Man and partner Rommel Miranda will get to know more about the Aspire Football Academy and their chances in the Bangkok International Super Cup 2022 from player Jose Cristiano Bernal, Coach Anto Gonzales, Coach Vince Aguilar and Coach Steven Rivera. Fitness and conditioning coach Rommel Lantin will also join the radio program.

Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@ yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat

Mark Hartmann, Sandro Reyes, Kevin Ray Hansen, Jesse Curran, Jesper Nyholm, Jens Sebastian Rasmussen, Jefferson Tabinas, Michael Robert Baldisimo, Amani Aguinaldo, Oliver Bias, Dylan de Bruycker and Christian Rontini.

getting invited to the camp are U-22 players Kamil Jaser Amirul, Chester Gio Pabualan, Haren Garcia, Harry James Nuñez, Justin Frias, Jacob Francis Maniti,

Harmie Constantino (right) and Rianne Malixi (left) slug it out for the ICTSI Villamor Match Play title on Friday. Manny Marcelo

Jocelyn Ninobla

Experience magical Northern Holidays

SM City North

The northern lights, or the aurora borealis, appear in a clear night sky as swirling rivers of greenish-blue light. They move and dance unpredictably; sometimes barely perceptible, then suddenly growing vividly that have captivated people for millennia. And the good news is that SM City North EDSA recreates this spectacular experience for its shoppers during the holidays.

With this, the Block Atrium is transformed into an Aurora Holiday Park featuring a 360-experience of the Aurora ascending the giant 60-ft Magical Northern Holiday Christmas tree adorned with magical array of lights until January 8.

Adorable Rein-bears surround the centerpiece inviting kids to explore the Reinbears Playhouse featuring a deck to view the Aurora and a 4-ft fun slide activity.

The beautiful and festive forestry around is perfect for instagrammable holiday travel

Work of Heart

Benedict Mique pledges five laptops for aspiring writers and filmmakers

and vacation inspired photos for the whole family to enjoy. Shoppers can also have their photo taken at the illuminated North Express train.

Aboard the Polar Express, one can experience winter themed interactive activities like snow throwing through the interactive green screen backgrounds. Capture these special holiday memories with Free Instax prints from Fujifilm.

A stroll at the Sky Garden is a walk into the glowing Magical Holiday Garden of Lights. Have your photos taken at the whimsical trees with twinkling stars underneath the beautiful sky that brings smile, hope and love for all mallgoers.

Have you been naughty or nice this year? Kids and kids at heart can Meet and Greet Santa on December 4, 11, 18, 23, 24, and 25 at 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. at The Block Atrium. Northern skies will light up the holidays with the Grand Firework Show on December 3,10, 21, and 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the Sky Garden.

Gift giving is also easy and convenient at SM City North EDSA's Christmas Market filled with the latest HOLI-DEALS and best gifts delivered by SM Malls Online at your doorstep that will surely bring home the season’s cheer.

SM brings back the spirit of sharing through its annual SM Bears of Joy campaign. Share the season’s joy with World's Sweetest Sister bear, World's Coolest Brother bear, World's Greatest Mom bear and World's Best Dad bear. The SM Bears of Joy is an annual charity project of SM Cares, SM Supermalls, and Toy Kingdom. Get a pair for P250, one bear for you to keep and the other for this year’s partner charity, Childhaus QC.

The Magical Northern Holidays is one of the many exciting events at SM City North EDSA.

THE new premier online mobile sportsbook SportsPlus announces the selection of Sam YG as its official spokesperson. The longtime radio jock, best known for his tenure on Boys Night Out, has given his seal of approval to the exciting sportsbook mobile site.

When asked about his new role, Sam YG talked about how important sports are to the Filipino people.

“Their love for sports goes beyond fandom,” said Sam YG. “Di nga lang siya fandom for some, parang naging way of life na rin siya. SportsPlus takes this passion and reinforces it with more fun and excitement.”

With the online mobile sportsbook, sportsfans now get the chance to bet on their favorite athletes and sports teams for the thrill of it. Imagine having one’s ‘fate’ tied to the result of a big game.

For Pinoys looking for a taste of that thrill, they need only register at https:// bit.ly/sportsplusph.

SportsPlus is designed to make sportsbooking as convenient and thrilling as possible for its users. The PAGCOR-accredited service offers quick registration for all players aged 21 and up, after which players can start betting on their favorites for as low as P100.

The online sportsbook covers a variety of sports such as basketball, football, boxing, MMA, tennis, and more—and offers competitive odds for users. Bets may also be placed on the results of major sporting leagues such as the NBA, NHL, Premier League, UFC, just to name a few.

SportsPlus is also optimized for use on any mobile device. There’s no need to download an app; the site runs on any standard mobile web browser. Just fire it up on Firefox, Chrome, or Safari to get going.

The mobile site also has built-in GCash functionality, making it simple to channel one’s funds in and out of GCash for maximum convenience.

“Sobrang exciting nga,” Sam YG enthuses about SportsPlus. “Anytime, anywhere, I can place my bets and cash in and cash out. Ang galing niya at ibang klaseng enjoyment talaga siya. Magugustuhan niyo to. Play for the chance to win the game na!”

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

“H

UNGER for learning the craft more than ambition,” seasoned TV and movie writer-director Benedict Mique named what he is looking for in aspiring writer-filmmakers to train.

In an intimate group interview, the Lonewolf Films founder announced his pledge to give laptop computers and mentoring to five lucky enthusiasts. In the late ‘90s, Direk Benedict, as he is fondly called, received a life-changing act of kindness from National Artist for

Film and Broadcast Arts, Ricky Lee

“Ricky [Lee] gave me P21,000 when I was starting,” Benedict recalled how he still couldn’t afford a desktop computer when he was fresh out of college. The award-winning veteran screenwriter who was then a head writer jumpstarted Benedict’s now flourishing career. “That’s when I started writing for Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK), Tabing Ilog and even for GMA,” Benedict shared. Before the financial assistance, he looked back at the time he submitted scripts handwritten on the classic yellow pad paper.

“From that P21,000, my career as a scriptwriter and filmmaker began,” Benedict enthused. “The P21,000 helped me provide for my family.” His words convey gratefulness and passion as he recalled his humble beginnings and expressed the desire to give back. “If there are filmmakers or writers today who cannot afford a computer, I am willing to give them one. I just need their names, life stories, and sample works. Whatever [potential] I’ll see in them, I will help develop it,” Benedict pledged. He also clarified, “No promises but who knows, they might be able to enter [the entertainment industry]. I’m not trying to give livelihood, I’m offering training.”

In the last 20 years, Benedict has passed on the kindness and trained writers who now have successful writing careers as well.

Benedict thinks grit and passion are the main qualities potential writers and filmmakers should possess to make it in the industry. He makes himself credible in saying this as his journey to the suc-

cess he’s currently enjoying entailed him to be a gritty and passionate individual. He has come a long way from being a kid fascinated by the late Fernando Poe, Jr.’s movies and would walk several blocks to cinemas with his grandfather.

“All I wanted was to see a film camera and how it works,” Benedict recalled his simple reason for getting practicum work at ABSCBN’s teleserye Esperanza (top-billed by Judy Ann Santos) after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts from Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

While Benedict has always loved reading during childhood, it was only when a professor gave him a perfect score and words of encouragement for a script he wrote in class that he considered the writing profession. His life was a series of doors being opened by others and by himself. Aside from sheer talent, Benedict’s go-getting attitude led him from one opportunity to another.

“After my practicum, I went to ABSCBN and inquired where I can join the team shooting for Star [Cinema]. Direk Jerry [Lopez-Sineneng] took him to Baguio where he worked as a production assistant for the movie Labs Kita, Okey Ka Lang? The film starred phenomenal ‘90s artists Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin.

“I was the first to wake up and last to sleep because my task was to wake Marvin Agustin and other cast members up,” Benedict happily recalled. He later went on to train under other industry icons like Rory Quintos and Olivia Lamasan.

Through the years, Benedict’s value for hard work, learning, and fairness has been key to his success. He puts a premium on spending time to hone and master a skill.

“I could have been a director ten years earlier but you know what they say, that it takes 10,000 hours to perfect [a craft],” Benedict explained why he chose to focus on scriptwriting first before diving into directing. In this age of instant content creation, he explained, our standard for quality work should never waver.

Over time, Benedict has developed turning random encounters, real-life stories, and

actual

continues

in

standards of

strictness he absorbed from his mentors. Giving feedback for his writers’ improvement is something he takes seriously, sometimes appearing as a terror leader. “I am strict. Others may think I am berating my writers but I want them to learn. I am being paid to comment,” Benedict said with conviction. “If you’re a creative consultant, everything you say about a material is being paid.”

Benedict feels strongly about and advocates for fair compensation and rights protection for creatives when it comes to concept pitching to film outfits, TV networks, and streaming platforms. He cited himself as an example to illustrate the value of creative license, “When I provide my concepts, those are like my children. When you’re getting me, you’re getting 24 years of TV and film experience.”

Success is an ongoing process for the Mars Ravelo’s Darna unit director. He continues to add to his list of remarkable writing and directing projects (MMK, On The Wings of Love, Born For You, Till I Met You, ML, etc.). Benedict also adapts to new technology and changing media landscape. While he’s still busy being the wind that keeps Darna soaring, Benedict’s Lonewolf Films is cooking up projects with Viva Entertainment, Net25, and iWantTFC.

His journey and portfolio clearly show us that Benedict’s craftsmanship is more than creativity and art. It is an evolution from sustained efforts to genuine works of the heart.

For aspiring writers and filmmakers who wish to qualify for Direk Benedict Mique’s assistance and training, you may send your entries (name, short life story, and sample writing work) to benedictmique@yahoo.com.

For random thoughts, email the author at randomrepublika@gmail.com

EDSA welcomes Christmas with Magical Northern Holidays inspired by the breathtaking Aurora Borealis.

Award-winning opera singer Jade Riccio (center) with Magical Northern Holidays Forest folks

The entrance walkway to the Aurora holiday playpark with adorable Rein-bears inviting you to stroll the lighted ramp across the giant Magical Northern Holiday tree

Walk with the whole family through an immersive experience at the Aurora trail at the Aurora Holiday Park. This features a 360-experience of the Aurora ascending the giant 60-ft holiday tree

Vice Mayor Gian Sotto and wife Joy Woolbright-Sotto with their kids Hugo, Edrigo, Sandro, Rosanno, Amari, and Domiku

Gaming

Responsibly.

IT’S the season of giving once again, and Jollibee has made it much easier for customers to share the joy of Christmas with people outside of their immediate circles. Through Jollibee's Buy One, Gift One delivery promo in partnership with the Jollibee Group Foundation, more Filipino families will get to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with great-tasting food.

Until December 15, customers who order any of the participating Family Pans via the Jollibee App will be able

to donate pans of the same variant to underprivileged families. Farmer communities, homes for seniors and the differently abled are just some of the groups that will benefit and have an extra joyful holiday salu-salo this season with every Family Pan ordered by customers.

Simply head to the promos page of the Jollibee App and pick from any of the participating Family Pans: Jolly Spaghetti Pan (P220), Palabok Family Pan (P456), Double Jolly Spaghetti Family Pan

(P439), Family Pan Duo (P649), 8-pc.

Burger Steak Family Pan (P410), 8-pc. Burger Steak with Jolly Spaghetti Family Pan (P590), or 8-pc. Burger Steak with Palabok Family Pan. Every purchase will then be matched by Jollibee and donated to selected Jollibee Group Foundation beneficiaries across the country.

For more information, visit Jollibee. com.ph, follow Jollibee on Facebook at facebook.com/JollibeePhilippines, and on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at @ Jollibee.

experiences into TV and film concepts. He believes that his slow-but-steady journey led him to having concepts being sent to award-giving bodies abroad and having effective one-liners that make audiences worldwide cry buckets of tears. Today and

recent years, Benedict

to uphold the same high

evaluation and

Benedict (seated, center) with Ricky Lee, Tony Labrusca, and the late Eddie Garcia while lming ‘ML (Martial Law)’

PH CASINO INDUSTRY Towards Responsible Gaming

BingoPlus: More than just a game

Text by Patricia Taculao  Photos by Peter Paul Duran

FILIPINOS have a penchant for games whatever the occasion may be. Who could forget playing cards with loved ones during sunny afternoons, or plan ning strategies in board games like sung ka or Game of the Generals?

Bingo is no exception. Those who want to try their luck and spend time with more people often participate in this worldwide favorite. Since the game can accommodate numerous players, it has long been en shrined as a communal activi ty that families can do at home.

Regardless of a Filipino family’s class, background, or income, it’s sure that they have at least once brought up bingo during their social gatherings.

Bingo often comes with prizes, either money or goods. Regardless, it’s a fa vorite game among Filipinos. Before the pandemic, bingo halls in malls would be flocked by players of all backgrounds. These people patiently listen to the an nouncer—who calls out the letters and numbers on the balls drawn—until they achieve a specific pattern on their re spective cards.

Yet when the pandemic struck, these once-bustling halls became silent.

Fortunately, people were quick to lever age the power of modern technology to access essential services, get their tasks done, or find a worthy past-time. Eventu ally, they found their way back to bingo.

Leisure & Resorts World Corporation (LRWC) was among those who found several opportunities in the online space.

As the pioneer of Bingo Bonanza, the bingo parlors established by LRWC’s sub sidiary AB Leisure Exponent, Inc. (ABLE), the leisure and entertainment   company eagerly embraced change through Bin goPlus.

It officially launched last January 2022 and is the first live-streaming bingo plat form in the country, even securing a li cense from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

The live streaming bingo platform is accessible as players can participate anytime, anywhere. Even with only P1, a player can have the chance to be come a millionaire. The highest jackpot prizes an individual won via BingoPlus is over P54M, while the lowest is around

P500,000.

“BingoPlus was developed because of the pandemic. During the peak of the pandemic, the management saw the op portunity in e-commerce and decided to transform how it’s played, from the bin go halls to online,” said LRWC president Andy Tsui.

EARNING THE PUBLIC’S TRUST

Despite BingoPlus’ legitimacy, the public was skeptical toward the live stream bingo platform at first. As one of the first chal lenges LWRC encountered, the company fought hard to prove that BingoPlus de served its trust and recogni tion.

Tsui shared that LWRC per sisted in promoting the validity of BingoPlus. One of the steps the company took was utilizing its social me dia accounts and appealing to the pub lic’s interest.

Every month, BingoPlus stages Jack pot Awarding Ceremonies. The team behind the platform also highlights heir lucky players—interviewing them andposting their profiles online to raise awareness and   and invite more partici pantss

“LRWC was very supportive of BingoPlus when it comes to sponsorship, brand awareness activity, and media expo sures,” Tsui said.

Jasper Vicencio, the president of Bingo Plus, assisted in furthering the initiative by finding endorsers with suitable back grounds and platforms to raise awareness about the brand. Notable celebrities Luis Manzano and Maine Mendoza are Bingo Plus’ first celebrity endorsers.

According to Vicencio, they chose Manzano because of his background as a game show host, just like his father, Edu Manzano. Meanwhile, Mendoza has significant followers on her social media platforms, making her an effective en dorser. With both celebrities supporting BingoPlus, the brand has since grown

“Right now, we have 150 branches in the Philippines, and we’re hoping to grow it more,” Vicencio said.

He added that the public’s perception of the game has also changed. Before, people didn’t want any association with BingoPlus. But now, they look forward to it, and even have their photos taken at the platform’s production sites.

Tsui and Vicencio spent several years in the leisure and gaming industry in

the Philippines. They know the lo cal market’s potential in social gaming activities, and their innovative minds encourage modern developments that allow BingoPlus and LWRC to meet the demands of an everchanging landscape.

A GAME THAT GIVES BACK  Vicencio, who also has fond memories of playing traditional bingo with his family during the holidays, knows there’s more to BingoPlus than just being an online social game. With BingoPlus, LWRC is bringing the well-loved game to younger generations, which signifies the preservation of Filipino culture from one generation to the next.

“It’s more than just a leisure game. It’s a shared activity for people of all back grounds—an innately Filipino experi ence where they can bond, make friends, catch up, during and after the game” the BingoPlus President said.

However, as a PAGCOR-licensed com pany, BingoPlus can only accommodate players aged 21 and above. Nonetheless, this age specification still allows them to encourage young adults to participate in a well-loved game.

BingoPlus also values its players’ priva cy, especially since text scams are abun dant in the country. Tsui and Vicencio ensure that the bingo platform keeps all user information confidential.

They designated an official team of professionals to provide 24/7 customer service to address players’ problems and queries. Moreover, BingoPlus deals with player concerns with utmost priority to resolve issues ef ficiently. Different teams have been coordinating to build a better user environment for all

players, allowing BingoPlus to an swer the public’s demands and continue their innovation for longevity.

Tsui and Vicencio proudly partnered with other agen cies and organizations as sponsorships also boosted brand awareness. BingoPlus is the official bingo partner of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the official gaming partner of the Philippine Volley ball League (PVL).

BingoPlus also sponsored several entertainment events in the country, including Luv-Anne: The Comeback Concert, Miss Philippines Earth 2022, Beks2beks2beks, MassKara Festival, BlogFest, and more.

Another BingoPlus initiative worth mentioning is how it gave back to the Filipino community by sponsoring a P6M scholarship for iACADEMY through Fu tureSmart Scholarship 2022. It is one of the corporate social responsibilities of BingoPlus Foundation to support educa tion and technology as drivers of nationbuilding.

Playing bingo has come a long way from the usual environments and oc casions. Through BingoPlus, Filipinos can play the well-loved game that has become an integral part of their culture with the help of technology. As Filipinos continue to demand new opportunities, they can expect more from BingoPlus in the following years.  BingoPlus is available via www.bingoplus.com, the App Store, and Google Play.

expecting Okada Manila to end 2022 on a high note amid the steady rise in foot traffic and continued influx of foreign and local guests.

He said foot traffic in Okada Manila surged 355 percent in the first nine months from same period last year.

“We at Okada Manila are seeing green shoots of recovery from when the pandemic struck the Philippines in 2020. Through the collaboration of our employees and leaders, Okada Manila was able to record more than two-fold growth in our monthly foot traffic,” Yip said.

To accommodate its patrons and guests, Okada Manila opened new facilities and attractions this year.

It has recently expanded its retail business, revamped some of its restaurants and opened a new VIP club and function rooms. It also reopened The Fountain— one of the main attractions of the casino that features a dazzling light and water show.

“With the revitalization of the travel, hospitality, gaming and entertainment sectors, we are optimistic that we will continue to ride on a growth momentum and end 2022 on a positive note,” Yip said.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp., the owner and operator of Solaire Re sorts and Casino, said in a financial report that it returned to profitabil ity this year, with net income from January to September reaching P4 billion. This was a dramatic turn around from the P3-billion net loss it booked in the same period last year.

Nine-month consolidated GGR hit P35.4 billion, representing an increase of 80 percent from P19.6 billion in the first nine months of 2021.

Solaire’s VIP rolling chip volume, mass table drop and slot coin-in reached P132.8 billion, P10.6 billion and P85.1 billion, representing year-on-year growth of 23 percent, 77 percent and 118 percent, respectively.

Bloomberry said growth was seen across all segments, driven by strong domestic demand and supported by much easier COVID-19 mobility and travel restrictions both locally and within the Asian region.

“Against a global economic backdrop of rising inflation and interest rates, our business saw third-quarter gaming volumes further improve toward prepandemic levels,” Bloomberry chairman and chief executive Enrique Razon Jr. said.

The casino experience on-the-go

By Patricia Taculao

FOR many years, gambling has been a leisure activity for people from all walks of life. It involves various games, often cards, dice, board, and sometimes sports, that interested parties find entertaining. Most of the time, people enjoy gambling in specific locations, such as casinos or hubs. Yet these areas are not always accessible to the general public, either by travel or budget.

Since gambling is usually an inclusive activity for everyone’s enjoyment, forward-minded entrepreneurs saw that the online space welcomes able players anytime, anywhere. Thanks to this timely innovation, people can now ac cess casino games through their mobile phones.

The Philippines has several online gambling platforms, such as its abundance of casinos, available for everyone’s access. Here are some legitimate ones worth trying.

OKADA ONLINE CASINO

The premiere luxury hotel won’t allow itself to fall behind its counterparts, especially with its gaming services. Okada, through Okada Online Casino, takes gaming to a different level with the newly launched platform.

With OOC, gaming enthusiasts have access to an array of popular table games and electronic gaming machines from virtually anywhere in the Philippines. Players can enjoy baccarat games, slot machines, jackpot links, and roulette games.

SOLAIRE ONLINE

As a famous luxury hotel in the Philippines, Solaire has solidified itself in the local landscape. Aside from leisure, the brand also entertains with its various casino offerings. Like most brands, Solaire also turned to the online space for a wider reach. It runs Solaire Online, a Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation-approved online gaming website where Solaire Rewards members can play live casino games on any desktop or mobile device safely and conveniently, anytime and anywhere in the Philippines.

It’s an efficient online platform where Filipino players can access Solaire’s slot and card games, with the brand’s other casino attractions.

FORTUNE GATE ONLINE

One casino card game that players love en gaging in is baccarat. Fortune Gate Casino combines new technology, entertainment, and efficient design for online players. Aside from bringing baccarat to the online space, it also awards winning players various prizes.

VIP members also receive exclusive privileges from the online platform. Fortune Gate Online is among the PAGCOR-licensed online casinos that operate in the Philippines.

PAGCOR has several other licensed online gaming platforms available for Filipino gaming enthusiasts. Depending on their preferences, the public has various choices to keep them en-

tertained as they try their luck or sharpen their skills online.

The organization has strict requirements before a gaming platform can receive a license from PAGCOR. It keeps the players secure from the risks of participating in casinos.

RESPONSIBLE GAMING FOR SAFETY

Although online casinos provide leisure and entertainment to users virtually, they still need to exercise caution because it remains a gambling activity. Many people have experienced the negative impact of excessive gambling. As a result, casinos and organizations like PAGCOR encourage gaming enthusiasts to protect themselves and practice responsible gaming.

Yet what is responsible gaming? People sometimes call it responsible gambling. It refers to the condition when players remain aware of the circumstances of their actions. They must consider the risks of excessive behaviors and how they should manage themselves when needed.

Nonetheless, people must begin implementing responsible gaming as soon as they start. Here are some tips for the best gaming experience.

LEARN THE INS AND OUTS OF THE GAMES

Online casino games also require a bet of several pesos before the game starts. It offers instructions on playing the game, and players must learn it thoroughly for the best results. Going in blind could cause problems as it keeps players from understanding the rules and reaping their rewards.

They should also avoid placing large bets if they haven’t mastered the technicalities of the online casino game yet.

SET A BUDGET AND SCHEDULE

One of the reasons why some people go overboard in gambling is because they don’t practice self-control and spend all their time and resources on the game. While gambling can sometimes be fun, with some people trying out their chances for good returns, it also poses high risks.

A good practice is setting an alert or alarm to know when to stop. It could take a few minutes or an hour, but it shouldn’t take up most of the day. Another ideal approach is only spending what they can afford. Prepare only a specific amount, and don’t try to recover losses by spending more. If luck doesn’t seem near, don’t chase after it frantically, as it may become more elusive.

KEEP A SHARP MIND

Some people prefer drinking alcohol when gambling because it’s part of the experience or heightens their senses. Still, making relevant decisions that involve a significant amount of money requires an alert mind, especially if one can’t handle their drink.

Playing in casinos, whether online or on-site, is a fun experience many Filipinos enjoy. The right platforms and responsible gaming practices can yield high returns aside from the entertainment value.

Leisure & Resorts World Corporation (LRWC) President Andy Tsui (left) and BingoPlus President Jasper Vicencio make a dynamic team in promoting BingoPlus as a premiere online gaming platform

Andy Tsui

Jasper Vicencio