Manila Standard - 2022 November 28 - Monday

Higher electricity bills loom

PBBM asks CA to rethink TRO on gov’t junking plea to raise power rates

By Vince Lopez

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday described as “unfortunate” the recent Court of Appeals decision that would enable San Miguel Corp.'s power subsidiary to charge more for the electricity it supplies to the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), a move that could mean higher power bills for millions of consumers.

In a statement, Mr. Marcos echoed concerns raised by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) that the court's decision to suspend the power sup ply agreement (PSA) between Meralco and SMC's South Premier Power Corp. (SPPC) would mean high prices for Meralco customers.

“We hope that the CA will reconsider and include in their deliberations the extremely deleterious effect this will have on power prices for ordinary Filipi

SolGen pushes BuCor’s total overhaul

By Rey E. Requejo

FORMER Justice Secretary and current Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra pro posed on Sunday the “total overhaul” of the Bureau of Corrections and the restora tion of the Department of Justice’s full ad ministrative control over the controversial prison bureau.

Guevarra, who served as DOJ secre

Separate raids yield P4.25m of illegal drugs

AS LAW enforcement authorities shifted to a higher gear in the government's anti-drug campaign, about P4.25 million worth of suspected illegal drugs were seized in operations over the weekend.

One such raid was conducted at a storage facility in Taguig City in Metro Manila, where suspected cocaine worth P2.65 million was reported confiscated.

Authorities on Sunday also reported grabbing large quantities of suspected "shabu" (crystal meth) estimated to cost

tary from 2018 to early 2022, said most of the “shenanigans” at BuCor “were very deeply rooted and institutionalized,” which made the overhaul a necessity.

He said one of the measures that Con gress should consider in overhauling the bureau was “restoring full control, instead of mere supervision over BuCor, to the DOJ.”

Under the 2013 BuCor Moderniza

tion Law, Guevarra noted that the agency “was made autonomous.”

“The DOJ now merely supervises, but does not exercise control over, the BuCor. But still, the DOJ steps in whenever the BuCor exceeds the limits of its powers,” he stressed.

During his stint as DOJ secretary, Gue varra recalled that the department fixed

Pres’l pardon eyed for elderly inmates to decongest prisons

SENIOR citizen persons who are deprived of liberty (PDLs) aged 70 and above may be granted executive clemency as part of decongesting jails under the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

This possibility is being studied by the BuCor as the move was implemented during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, according to its officer-in-charge, retired Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr., in an interview on radio

dzBB Sunday.

Speaking in Filipino, Catapang recalled there was a law or executive order in Macapagal-Arroyo's incumbency which allowed those 70 and above “to be given parole or be released from prison because they said people that age could no longer think of committing crimes.”

Catapang told the radio station that possibility was being studied right now

nos,” he said in a statement from the Office of the Press Secretary.

On Nov. 24, the CA 14th Division issued a 60day temporary restraining order (TRO) on the ERC’s rejection of Meralco’s joint petition with SPPC for a rate increase under their 2019 PSA.

The ERC said it denied the plea because the agreed price in the PSA is fixed in nature, and the

House to press budget revision to hike funds for social services

By Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta

to the proposed P5.268-trillion national budget bill to augment the funds for edu cation, health, transportation, and other critical social services, Speaker Martin Romualdez said Sunday.

Romualdez said he is confident the

PRICES of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products may rise again next month, in contrast to the continued roll back in fuel pump prices in the next few weeks, the Department of Energy (DOE) said Sunday.

Although the Energy Department did not project the amount of the increase, LPG prices went up this month by P3.50 per ki logram, and AutoLPG prices rose by P1.96 per liter, according to Petron Corp.

AMENDMENTS to a deal between the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to produce the Philippine Identification Cards (PhilID) are “legally infirm” – po tentially delaying the distribution of the ID cards even further, a legal opinion of the Department of Justice (DOJ) released recently said.

The DOJ opinion disagreed with the

CHRISTMAS COMMERCE.

Senior citizens of Marilao, Bulacan display bags made of recycled products and newspapers, and Christmas lanterns made of empty plastic bottles, on Sunday to augment their income going into the holidays.

Meanwhile, Christmas shoppers flock Tabora Street in Divisoria, Manila to avoid the late rush and high prices (inset). Manny Palmero and Norman Cruz

MISS TEEN BET. Lyanella Antonie of Nasugbu, Batangas walks beside a 'Belen' during her photo shoots inside Paco Park in Manila on Sunday. Antonie will represent the Philippines in the Miss Teen beauty pageant in Vietnam in January 2023.

Danny Pata

‘Only vax will stop new variants’

By Willie Casas

FOLLOWING the recent detection of the highly transmissible BQ.1 subvariant of the coronavirus, the Department of Health (DOH) said Sunday that new variants will naturally emerge with continue transmission, and that limiting the spread of COVID-19 and keeping people's vaccination protection up-to-date are key to stopping them.

It said all current vaccines remain ef fective in preventing severe and critical COVID-19, as well as death from CO VID- 19, regardless of variant.

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grounds for the increase cited by Meralco and SPPC were not among the exceptions that would allow for a price increase.

ERC chair Monalisa Dimalanta earlier expressed disappointment over the CA ruling, particularly the “instantaneous” effect of the temporary suspension on the implementation of the PSA.

“The fixed price PSA of Meralco with SPPC covers 670 megawatts of supply,” Dimalanta said, adding that it has shielded Meralco consumers from the volatility of prices from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market and automatic fuel pass-through.

“If these PSAs are immediately sus pended, this brings us precisely tothe situ ation which we at the ERC have sought to avoid with our ruling that required the proper observance of the terms of the PSA, including the contractually-agreed process of termination,” she added.

The ERC also expressed confidence

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the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) rules so that they would be aligned with the law.

It also ordered the BuCor to stop gang wars and construction of “kubol” or spe cial housing for inmates, tempered its ac tions prohibiting the passage of residents near the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlu pa City, and included persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in the COVID vaccination program.

The DOJ alspo launched the single car peta (prison records) system and recom mended the disapproval of the BuCor’s joint venture agreement with ATOM or Agua Tierra Oro Mina Development Cor

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proposal of BSP Governor Felipe Medal la to amend its memorandum of agree ment with the PSA and its contract with AllCard, Inc. for the personalization of the PhilID card.

Although there is no legal action yet stopping the contract, court observers told the Standard the opinion could set back the production of the national IDs even further, with only 30 million of the 116 million ID cards slated for release this year.

The production and delivery of the cards was supposed to be done from 2021 to 2023, with a total budget of P3.48 bil lion.

Lawmakers last week scolded PSA officials over their supposed negligence in distributing the national IDs, which would replace the scores of government IDs currently required to legally identify a person in the country.

On June 10 this year, the PSA and BSP entered a memorandum for the produc tion of 116 million pieces of cards for the period of four years to be used for the PhilIDs; and the provision, management and maintenance of the personalization equipment that will interface with the PSA System.

The PSA would then manage the Phil Sys database and ensure the availability, confidentiality, integrity, accuracy, and readiness of the data that would be per sonalized in the BSP-produced and prepersonalized cards.

In a five-page legal opinion made pub lic last November 9, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla disagreed with the BSP’s position that the proposed amend ment is not substantial or material, thus it

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Senate contingent to the bicam budget meeting, set to resume today, would agree to the amendments.

“We really feel that these institu tional amendments will redound to the benefit of the people. We will not make any mistakes if we put the welfare of the people first,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“And we are confident that the Sen ate and the House bicam members will

“Given that variants will continue to emerge, the DOH likewise underscored that continued strengthening of existing management and surveillance systems is

that the CA “will accord great respect, if not finality, to the regulator’s factual find ings because of its special expertise over the energy sector.”

Meralco, meanwhile, said it is review ing the resolution in consultation with its counsel to determine the next steps.

Last week, the Power for People Co alition (P4P) condemned the CA decision as “illogical and anti-consumer.”

The ERC in October denied a joint petition of SMC and Meralco to adjust power rates in its 2019 PSA due to the drying up of the Malampaya natural gas field and the high prices of gas in the world market, saying that the condi tions cited by SMC do not constitute a change in circumstance, which was re quired by the terms of the PSA for any price adjustment.

The decision of the appellate court suspends the implementation of the PSA between SMC and Meralco and enables them to jack up prices.

“The TRO is absurd and rash. It sus pended the PSA between SMC and

poration for non-compliance with legal requirements, among other supervisory actions.

“Sadly, however, the huge excavation inside the NBP was purposely hidden from the knowledge of the DOJ,” Gue varra lamented.

Suspended BuCor Director General Gerald Bantag has been charged in two murder complaints as “principal by in ducement” for the deaths of radio com mentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa and inmate Cristito Villamor Palana.

Palana had been tagged by self-con fessed gunman Joel S. Escorial as the middleman in the slaying of the broad caster last Oct. 3.

The preliminary investigation of the two murder complaints, which were con solidated with the first complaint against

may be allowed under the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184 or The Contract Implemen tation Guidelines for the Procurement of Goods, Supplies and Materials.

The BSP sought the DOJ’s legal opin ion particularly on whether the modi fication of the agreement’s technical specifications to indicate monochrome personalization and amendment of the terms of reference of the card personal ization contract with AllCard may be le gally undertaken.

This followed the recommendation of the National Economic Development Au thority (NEDA) to shift from the current digital colored printing—using drop-ondemand (DOD) technology—to mono chrome laser engraving of the PhilIDs front-facing photograph.

This would enhance photo quality and replace the DOD printers with laser en graving printers to increase the capacity of card personalization.

NEDA issued the recommendations in a bid to achieve the government target of 50 million PhilIDs issued by the end of 2022.

Complying with NEDA’s recommen dation, the PhilSys Policy and Coordina tion Council (PSPCC) issued a resolution approving the shift from digital colored printing to monochrome laser engraving for the PhilID card at no additional cost to the government.

It also approved signing the amended technical specifications indicating mono chrome printing, which shall form part of the MOA.

The council also allowed BSP to amend its contract with AllCard for the replacement of the DOD machines with laser engraving machines and start the full implementation not later than Octo ber 1, 2022. Rey E. Requejo (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

see eye-to-eye on this. Our objectives are the same: to pass a people’s budget that reflects President Marcos Jr.’s eightpoint economic agenda that will help the country bounce back from the pandem ic,” the Speaker added.

Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, appropriations committee chairman, echoed Romualdez’s statements.

“Our amendments can speak for themselves. You can see that is indeed pro-people and pro-development as we prioritized health, education, and trans portation. We are confident that if the Senate and the House approve these

key to living with COVID-19 in the new normal,” the DOH said in a statement.

“We have to start demystifying vari ants. Viruses naturally mutate with con tinued transmission–this is a natural occurrence” Health Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

Following the detection of BQ.1 in the country, the DOH assured the public that the country’s health care utilization rate re mains at low risk, and preparatory activities have already been initiated to ensure that triage systems are in place and step-down health facilities are available should there be an increase in hospitalization.

Equally important is strengthening local and international surveillance and

Meralco, which governs how SMC can supply Meralco with electricity and how much SMC can charge. Now that it is gone, how should Meralco act to procure electricity? How much can they charge consumers? How should Meralco react given that the PSA suspension is tempo rary? This is a desperate move from SMC, and with the CA's approval, consumers are left to foot the bill for SMC's business decisions to use volatile coal and gas in its power contracts,” said Gerry Arances, P4P convener.

Luke Espiritu, labor lawyer and Presi dent of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), a member organization of the P4P, said the action taken by the CA should not have been in the form of a TRO.

“A TRO is supposed to preserve the status quo to protect the requesting party from the irreparable injury that will be inflicted upon it by another party. In this case, there is no such harm committed by another party upon SMC,” said Espiritu.

“In fact, the ERC simply ordered

Escorial and his alleged accomplices, will resume on Dec. 5.

Among the BuCor controversies that surfaced after being tagged in the two murder complaints were Bantag’s signing of the JVA with the ATOM and the large excavation inside the Bilibid compound.

Under the agreement, ATOM will re portedly donate a 234-hectare of land in Nueva Ecija where the new NBP will be built without any expense on the part of the government, in exchange for the de velopment of the present NBP compound into a commercial hub, with NBP alleg edly getting 35 percent of the earnings.

Guevarra said that when he was in formed about the JVA during his time as DOJ secretary, he sent a memo to Bantag “telling him to hold off any further action until the DOJ had reviewed the proposed

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more than P1.6 million in anti-illegal drug operations in different parts of the country.

The Department of Interior and Local Government earlier announced that some P9.7 billion worth of illegal drugs were confiscated by the police and other law enforcement agencies since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed office in July this year.

The authorities conducted 18,505 anti-narcotics operations which also resulted in the arrest of 22,646 individuals engaged in drug dealing, and other illegal activities during that period.

In Taguig, elements of the Bureau of Customs, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency swooped down on a warehouse in the city and seized 500 grams of suspected cocaine.

Armed with a Letter of Authority signed by Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz, the team coordinated with the Philippine National Police and visited a storage facility in East Service Road, Taguig City on November 22.

Agents were reported to have uncovered at least 500 grams of suspected cocaine worth P2.65 million, various e-cigarettes or vape cartridges containing suspected marijuana oil, and more or less 30 grams of suspected kush (hybrid marijuana).

Other items seized included identification cards, a small transparent glass and plastic tube container with suspected marijuana oil, assorted paraphernalia, one bag of empty capsules, and several bags with a residue of

amendments, we can recover well from the pandemic in 2023,” Co said.

The institutional amendments are “ayuda” or aid programs that would di rectly benefit the people.

Among these are P12.5 billion for the Department of Social Welfare and Development, P5.5 billion for the De partment of Transportation for fuel subsidies, and P5 billion for the De partment of Labor and Employment's emergency work program for dis placed workers.

“What we did was allocate more bud get to pro-people programs without need

data-sharing systems to ensure that the natural emergence of variants is always captured, studied, and used to update CO VID-19 vaccines, the DOH said.

It said all current vaccines remain ef fective in preventing severe and critical COVID-19, as well as death from CO VID-19, regardless of variant.

An infectious diseases expert, Dr. Rontgene Solante, said COVID-19 vac cinations should be intensified now that the more contagious BQ.1 subvariant has been detected.

“The risk is really high that even if you are vaccinated… that you will get an in fection," he added. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

SMC to continue implementing the PSA, thus maintaining the status quo. Going by SMC's convoluted logic, it is being harmed because of its own action – enter ing into a PSA in 2019 with Meralco,” he added.

“What SMC wants to happen, which was granted by the CA, is to undo a thing that SMC brought upon itself. It seeks to escape a contract, but this cannot be al lowed by the mere expedient of a TRO. At the very least, a hearing is required and unilateral action by the court cannot suf fice,” Espiritu said.

P4P called out SMC for backing out of its responsibility to supply power at the cost it pledged to in its power contracts.

“SMC must be very desperate for it to stop at nothing to get out of its contract with Meralco. We hope that given their efforts to escape their obligations, SMC will be banned from participating in fu ture PSAs. We also hope that despite this setback, any further development on this case will be positive for consumers,” said Arances.

transaction.”

“Eventually my office found that the unsolicited proposal failed to comply with certain legal requirements, and we informed the Office of the Executive Sec retary accordingly. Since then, we have not heard about this project. It might have been discontinued,” he said in an earlier interview.

Incumbent Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla earlier said hehad or dered a stop to the excavation at the NBP after Bantag informed him the digging was for a treasure hunt.

The purpose of the excavation contra dicted Bantag’s public pronouncements that the digging was for the construction of a diving pool for training of BuCor personnel who are also fielded during ca lamities and disasters.

suspected illegal drugs.

The pieces of evidence were turned over to PDEA Laboratory Service for examination and filing of appropriate charges.

In Bataan, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency operatives and police seized P731,200 worth of suspected shabu from a man in Barangay Gabon, Abucay town.

The suspect, considered a "high-value target," has been under surveillance since September after authorities received a tip from a concerned citizen about the illegal drug trade in the barangay (village), authorities said.

In other parts of the country, in Oriental Mindoro, personnel from the PDEAMimaropa office arrested a suspect identified as Louie Miraflores Ereve, who yielded P325,000 worth of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Pola town.

The suspect works outside the province but comes home to occasionally sell illegal drugs, PDEA agents said.

He previously had a job at the Pola municipal disaster office but was terminated, authorities said.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs turned over P12.5 million worth of alleged contrabands to the PDEA in Central Luzon last Thursday.

The contrabands include mostly illegal drugs confiscated from the Port of Clark from March to November this year.

The drugs were packaged as massage oil, candies, and toys until they were discovered through X-ray inspection and shipment profiling, the BOC said.

In Talisay City, Cebu, police nabbed a female suspect and confiscated some P578,000 worth of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation. Joel E. Zurbano (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

to sacrifice our national programs and projects for job creation.

We are confident that there will be no contentions with our amendments here,” Co said.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, mean while, urged lawmakers to craft a national budget that "leaves no Filipino behind" and which focuses on investments in the regions and provinces, saying these will ultimately benefit the entire country.

Noting that allocations have usually favored the National Capital Region (NCR) and other highly urbanized cit ies, the senator said the 2023 budget

Farm-bred crocs from PH allowed for export now

PANAMA CITY—A global wildlife summit that ends Friday passed resolu tions to protect hundreds of threatened species, including sharks, reptiles, turtles as well as trees.

Thanks to one resolution, the Philip pines and Brazil now will be able to ex port farm-raised crocodiles, after a total trade ban was lifted during the two-week meeting of the Convention on Inter national Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Panama.

Delegates also allowed the export of skin and meat of the broad-snouted cai man —found in the wild in the Brazilian Amazon and Pantanal as well as wetlands, rivers, and lakes of neighboring countries.

"The population of these animals is very big. There has been a great repro ductive success," said researcher Miryam Venegas-Anaya, a crocodile expert with the University of Panama.

In the Philippines, a trade restriction was lifted on the saltwater crocodile that lives mainly on the islands of Mindanao and Palawan.

However, Thailand's efforts to lift a ban on its Siamese crocodile was rejected. AFP (See full story online at manilas tandard.net)

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Rino Abad, DOE Oil Industry Man agement Bureau director, said the months of November and December are usually “in the impact period” of LPG inventory build-up.

“The chance is really big. I don't want to say 100% as I don't have a report yet, but there is a big chance that the LPG prices will increase,” Abad said in a radio dzBB interview,

“What I’m comfortable with is that LPG prices will ease out in January, Feb ruary, and March because that's the utili zation period,” he added.

Despite this, Abad said it was possible the pump prices of fuel may continue to fall in the next two weeks.

“There is a big chance that it will con tinue again probably for another week... In the coming week, I can really see that there is still a chance that the rollback will continue. That is very clear about what is happening,” he said.

“Probably for the next two weeks, there is still a chance but in the long run, we are not sure,” Abad added.

On Saturday, Rodela Romero, DOEOIMB Assistant Director, attributed the rollback to the increasing COVID-19 cases in mainland China, the higher crude inventory in the United States, and the price cap imposedon Russian crude.

Citing oil trading from November 21 to 25, oil industry sources told the Stan dard the price per liter of diesel may go down by P3.90 to P4.20. Gasoline prices, meanwhile, may be slashed by P1.20 to P1.50 per liter.

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to decongest the Bucor, whose Bilibid population alone was around 30,000, some 17,000 of them considered maximum security inmates.

Department of Justice spokesperson Mico Clavano earlier said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla would prioritize the decongestion of jails under the BuCor, as the New Bilibid Prison was found to have a congestion rate of 300 percent.

He added Remulla was seeking to transfer the maximum-security prisoners of the NBP to the Sablayan Prison in Occidental Mindoro and the minimumsecurity inmates to Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

Catapang said more than 1,500 elderly PDLs could be transferred to the facility in Fort Magsaysay, which is a drug rehabilitation facility “that was not used much.”

“There are two bays (at the fort) there that could probably fit about 1,000 to 1,500 PDLs per bay. Secretary Remulla's order is to bring there the elderly or those who are just waiting to be released,” he added.

A television report in September showed that several elderly PDLs have been praying to be included in the list for executive clemency. Rey E. Requejo

should be made instrumental in dis tributing growth more evenly across the country.

“We should make every effort to pro vide quality jobs all over the country and not just in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, and other urban centers. It’s time we replicate this growth in other regions,” he said.

Cayetano, a long-time advocate for regional planning and rural develop ment, said all Filipinos “deserve the chance to live a full life no matter where they live.” (See full story online at ma nilastandard.net)

IN BRIEF

Benguet rep backs DSWD tack for indigenous peoples

BENGUET Rep. Eric Yap on Sun day gave his support to Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Erwin Tulfo’s pronouncement to provide assistance and protection to indigenous peoples (IPs) through various programs.

“Since his appointment as DSWD secretary, Tulfo reinforced the de partment as a proactive agency incharge of providing social services to the Filipino people, wherever they may be. The agency brought its pro grams closer to every community in order to serve thousands of families. Now, the welfare of our IPs will be given precedence,” he said.

The agency recently rolled out its educational assistance program of P1.6 billion in cash aid distributed to over 600,000 student beneficiaries.

Rio N. Araja

Navotas distributes TVs, ceiling fans to 12 schools

THE City Government of Navotas distributed 335 smart TVs and 169 ceiling fans to 12 public elementary and high schools.

The Navotas Schools Division Of fice also received three smart TVs and fans for its newly-completed Me dia Center and Conference Room.

“Our goal is to provide Navoteño students with the best learning envi ronment,” Mayor John Rey Tiangco said. “Students who feel comfortable and safe will be able to study harder and learn more.”

One smart TV and two ceiling fans were allotted to each classroom of the newly-built four story school buildings in the city. Jun David

Ordinance seen to ease traffic on Bataan road

TO ENSURE safety and smoother traffic flow, the Sangguniang Panla lawigan of Bataan presided by Vice Gov. Cris Garcia has passed an ordi nance mandating slow-moving vehi cles in Roman Superhighway to use the right lane.

Board Member Popoy Del Rosario who authored the ordinance said the legislative piece will minimize traf fic delays and hazards in Roman Su perhighway, thereby promoting the economic and health objectives of the province.

He also said the impending con struction of Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge is expected to significantly contribute to the volume of traffic in Bataan, particularly, along the Ro man Superhighway, thereby increas ing traffic hazards. Butch Gunio

HFMD cases in Albay: report

THE Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit reported that there have 541 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Albay for the No vember 15 to November 25 period.

The HFMD cases were recorded in 10 towns and two cities, GMA News reported.

The report said the municipality of Oas had the most cases with 162, followed by Legazpi City and Guino batan and majority of the cases were children aged one to 10 years old.

The Provincial Health Office’s sani tary services unit has started disinfect ing the communities, the report said Health officials said among the symptoms of HFMD are fever and rashes. Health officials also advised those with symptoms to stay at home to avoid possibly infecting others.

Further, officials also reminded the public to observe personal hygiene, take baths and always wash hands.

Tingog bats for quarterly cash assistance for poor

By Rio N. Araja

TINGOG party-list Representatives Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre proposed the immediate provision of quarterly medical assistance worth P1,000 up to P150,000 to individuals and/or families who are indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged, or are in a crisis situation.

“The 1987 Constitution mandates the State to ‘free the people from poverty through policies

provide adequate social services.’ To uphold this, this bill seeks to institutionalize the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation pro gram of the Department of Social Wel fare and Development,” their explana tory note of House Bill No. 1940 read.

The measure is now pending before

the House committee on social services.

“AICS is social safety net or stopgap measure to support the recovery of in dividuals and families who are indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged or are other wise in crisis situation. It provides psy chosocial intervention through therapies, direct financial or material assistance which enables such individuals and fami lies to meet their basic needs in the form

of food, transportation, medical educa tional, or burial assistance, and, referral to other services of other national gov ernment agencies,” the bill stated.

Section 4 of the measure proposes that the AICS program provide in tegrated services to individuals and families in crisis or difficult situ ations in the form of psychosocial intervention or direct financial and material assistance, particularly transportation assistance, medical assistance, burial assistance, educa tion assistance, food assistance, cash assistance, psychosocial interven tion, or referral for other services.

Under the bill, the amount of trans portation assistance will be based on actual ticket quotation and may be availed once a year.

QUICK LOOK.

A saleslady peers through a window of a store selling accessories at a baratillo or a bargain sale inside Fort Santiago on Sunday.

Gov’t plans to unveil budget ‘in real time’

WITH the digitalization efforts of the government underway, the pub lic may soon be able to know in real-time how the national budget is utilized and monitor the status of government projects.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) made this state ment during the recent Pilipinas Con ference 2022, which was organized by think tank Stratbase ADR Institute.

In her keynote speech, Budget Sec retary Amenah Pangandaman said, through digitalization, the govern ment hopes to energize citizen partici pation in governance.

Pangandaman said the government is in the process of establishing a Civil Society Organization (CSO) desk that will serve as the focal unit for all con cerns related to public participation in the budget process, among others.

“The Philippine Open Govern ment Partnership (PH-OGP) Initia tive will focus on harnessing tech nologies that will help build the capacity of CSOs to properly moni tor and evaluate national commit ments,” Pangandaman explained.

During the Open Forum, DBM Undersecretary Maria Francesca Del Rosario, head of the Information and Communications Technology Group, said digitalization will en sure transparency and accountabil ity in government.

“We’re pushing for the Budget and Treasury Management System, which is a system that enables ef ficiency and transparency of the government’s financial transactions. U ltimately, this data will be fed to a warehouse, where all of the govern ment agencies can open the data, get it real time. And the public will be able to know how the budget is being utilized,” Del Rosario said.

Tourism chief says DOT looking at setting up more parks nationwide

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is looking at establishing more parks in the Philippines, noting their importance as public recreation facilities.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, in a speech at the 1st Philippine Parks Congress, said “the department is com mitted to developing the said parks not only in Metro Manila but in the rest of

the Philippines.”

“Parks are important because it allows us and our families to com mune with nature, to spend quality time with each other, and to remind us that despite how busy life may get, we must always take time to relax, un wind, and spend time to be in touch with nature and commune with the

Earth,” Frasco, quoted by an ABSCBN News report, said.

The DOT has already been reaching out to local government units in park development across provinces, based on an earlier department directive.

Frasco said one of the DOT’s objec tives “is to ensure that we are able to provide continued opportunities for

tourism product development across the country by lending the expertise of the DOT as well as its attached agencies towards effort at educating and building capabilities of LGUs and private individuals that may be in terested in partnering with us pursu ant to our development of product, of tourism product portfolios.”

Rotary bet for gov dies after cardiac arrest

By Orlan L. Mauricio

MALOLOS CITY—What started as a simple rivalry between two Rotarian Malolenyo-buddies turned deadly after their quest for the governorship of Rotary District 3770 reportedly resulted in a fatal heart attack of one of the protagonists over the weekend.

The two candidates for Rotary Club governor, both past presidents of their respective clubs in the capital city of Malolos, are well-known in their field of profession.

Edwin Cariaso, of the Rotary Club of Malolos, is a long-time former manager of the Meralco Central Office in the province, while Paul Camiña, Rotary Club of Met ropolitan Malolos, is a doctor by profession and an orthosurgeon at the Bulacan Medical Center. He reportedly

collapsed, suffered a massive heart attack and dropped dead during an interview session.

Camiña had earlier won as governor thru the process of Ballot-By Mail (BBM). However, the current District governor nullified the election of Camiña asserting that it violated the club by-laws that was supposed to be done thru a District Nominating Committees (DNC).

Based on the BNC, the winner was supposed to be voted upon by a 20-man District Election Committee last Saturday in a venue Sta. Maria, Bulacan after a one-onone interview with the two candidates.

Camiña was first to be interviewed and the interview was reportedly so intense that it took more than three hours before Cariaso was called for his turn to face the panel. It was at this juncture when he faced the interview ers that Cariaso collapsed due to a heart attack.

that

TRIBAL ORNAMENT. Children from the Matigsalog tribe in Bukidnon show ‘tikos’ products being sold for P10 each to tourists. Tikos are derived from local vines and are used by the indigenous tribes of Bukidnon as an ornament worn around the calves just above the leg. Danny Pata

Danny Pata

ROTARY CANDIDATES. Dr. Edwin Cariaso (left) and Dr. Paul C. Camina are the two candidates vying for the Rotary Club International - District 3770 governorship for 2024-2025, both past presidents of their respective clubs in the capital city of Malolos. Cariaso reportedly suffered a heart attack while being interviewed by a panel.

‘Support SC 5-yr. reform program’

By Rey E. Requejo

CHIEF Justice Alexander Gesmundo has exhorted all lawyers in the country to support the Supreme Court’s five-year reform program for the judiciary to enhance and achieve a fair, transparent, accountable and in real-time justice for all Filipinos.

Gesmundo made the call during the Grand Alumni Homecoming of the Ateneo de Manila University’s Law School held last Friday, Nov. 25, at the Centennial Hall of the historic land mark Manila Hotel.

“It is no exaggeration to say that the effectiveness of the Supreme Court and

the entire judiciary is dependent on you, the members of the Philippine Bar,” Gesmundo said.

“The Court cannot fulfill its consti tutional mandate without your support. As officers of the Court, lawyers are responsible for maintaining the dig nity of the profession, and by so doing,

San Juan Mayor Zamora elected Metro Manila Council president

SAN Juan Mayor Francis Zamora was elected the new president of the Metro Manila Council during the group’s joint meeting with the Regional Development Council (RDC) on Saturday night.

Zamora was also selected as the vice chairperson for the RDC during the session.

Zamora thanked the MMC, Metro Manila Development Authority chair man Romano Artes, and his fellow National Capital Region mayors during the session held in San Juan City.

In attendance were Pateros Mayor Mike Ponce III, Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian, Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin Abalos Sr., Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano, Manila City Mayor Honey Lacuna, Malabon City Mayor Jeannie Ng-Sandoval, and Department of Human Settlements and

Urban Development (DHSUD) Secre tary Jose “Jerry” Acuzar.

While Zamora admitted disagree ments may be inevitable as the region has a diverse roster of leaders, he as sured he will do his best to unite them.

“In my first term as mayor, we all ex perienced the (COVID-19) pandemic, and I saw how important it is that the 17 mayors of Metro Manila are united,” he said. “Sometimes, it is possible that we have disagreements, but it’s different if we have one voice and one decision.”

Among the pressing issues the San Juan mayor promised to resolve is the traffic in the metropolis.

“Our lives are returning to normal. Which means our citizens will start going out, and thus we need to make measures to solve traffic in Metro Ma nila,” he said.

strengthen and fortify the trust of our people, not just in lawyers, but in the whole Filipino justice system,” the top magistrate added.

“A trustworthy judiciary is a corner stone of a functioning and healthy de mocracy, and a trustworthy judiciary can exist only if the members of the Bar are equally trustworthy and dedicated to the rule of law,” he said.

Appealing for his co-lawyers from AdeMU’s Law School, Gesmundo said: “Your support truly is essential. The ef fective administration of justice is only possible with the genuine support of all the stakeholders of the justice system, whether in the public or private sectors,

QC FOR KIDS.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte speaks at the Quezon City Memorial Circle to mark National Children’s Month on Sunday.Belmonte said 10,000 child labor victims in the cuty have been freed, making Quezon City child-labor free. Manny Palmero

the academe, or specialized fields.”

According to the SC Public Information Office, Gesmundo, who obtained his Bach elor of Laws degree from AdeMU in 1984, is among the seven incumbent SC justices who are graduates of the Law School.

The others are Associate Justice Al fredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, who was the chairperson of the committee of the just concluded 2022 online and region alized Bar examinations; and Associ ate Justices Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, Rodil V. Zalameda, Ricardo R. Rosario, Jose Midas P. Marquez (Batch 1993), and Maria Filomena D. Singh.

Justice Inting was a graduate of the Ateneo de Davao University.

Nat’l Bike Day highlights PH active transport

By Willie Casas

IN CELEBRATION of the National Bicycle Day, key government and private sector representatives joined hands at the Bike Lane Awards to showcase and recognize efforts of dif ferent stakeholders to promote cycling and other active transport modalities in the country.

Organized by the Inter-Agency Task Force Technical Working Group on Active Transport, lead ing the event were Health Under secretary Beverly Ho, Metro Manila Center for Health Development Di rector Gloria Balboa, and Transpor tation Secretary Jaime Bautista.

During the event, Ho discussed the importance of developing adequate and sufficient active transport infra structure in enabling Filipinos to de velop healthy habits, such as regularly engaging in physical activities, the DOH said in a statement.

Towards this end, Ho highlight ed the DOH’s efforts in supporting the active transport initiatives of several LGUs, such as Cordova, Is abela, Aklan, Marikina, and Bula can, through provision of financial and technical assistance.

She likewise lauded the efforts of the winning LGUs, particularly Mandaue City, Quezon City, and Il oilo City.

DOH OIC Maria Rosario SinghVergeire extended her support for the event, emphasizing collabora tion as key to improving the health and wellness of Filipinos for a Healthy Pilipinas.

“For us in the health sector, a key learning from the pandemic is that minimum public health standards such as masking and physical distanc ing are not enough to create healthy and pandemic-resilient communities; we must also create settings that en courage healthy behaviors such as physical activity,” she said.

Belmonte says Quezon Memorial Circle now child-labor-free zone

By Rio N. Araja

QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Sunday said one of the city’s prides, the 27-hectare Quezon Memorial Circle, is now a child labor-free zone in celebra tion of National Children’s Month.

THE Public Attorney’s Office is urging the Philippine National Police to be ex tra careful in its anti-crime operations.

“There must be a marching order not to kill (a suspect) if one went down on his knees (to beg for his life),” PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta told radio dzBB on Sunday.

“Please, be careful in your police operations,” she told law enforcers, appealing to them not to use excessive force on the suspects.

But she clarified that police offic ers must always protect themselves if their lives are already in danger while neutralizing lawless elements.

“We cannot afford our police to die just like that, especially if the suspect is armed,” Acosta said.

She lamented that many men in uni form had sacrificed their lives during anti-crime operations, including in the war against illegal drugs. Rio N. Araja

Belmonte said it was fitting to grant the feat to QMC for serving as the ven ue of the Global March Against Child

Labor on Jan. 17, 1998.

“This is the historic site where our local intention to end child labor ignited a world wide conviction that is now being shared by the nations of the world,” she said.

During her recent State of the City’s Chil dren Report at the QMC, she awarded the Seal of Child Labor-Free Zone to QMC af ter all its tenants, guards, gardeners, and ad min staff underwent extensive training for

Child Rights and Child Labor 101.

As part of the city government’s ef forts to eradicate child labor, Belmonte said she has established the Quezon City Inter-Agency Task Force for the Special Protection of Street Children and Child Laborers or Task Force Sampaguita.

Created by virtue of Executive Order No. 41, Series of 2022, the task force has consolidated and intensified all ef

forts to eradicate all forms of child la bor in Quezon City.

Since September, 685 individuals, including 296 child workers, have been rescued by Task Force Sampaguita.

The city government also conducted an extensive profiling to determine the child labor situation in Quezon City where it was discovered that 5,449 boys and 4,773 girls were victims of child labor.

Kalayaan Island Group eyed as protected area

Hagedorn

Lawmaker pushing retroactive retirement plan for envoys

4PS party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan is pushing for a new retroactive retirement plan for the country’s foreign service officers in a bid to upgrade their pensions when they reach old age or suffer any disability.

Under his House Bill No. 4077, a foreign service retirement program would be launched

under the state-run Government Service In surance System.

The new program would cover all foreign service officers, including those who previ ously retired or became disabled, if they had served for at least 15 years in the Depart ment of Foreign Affairs or in other govern

ment agencies.

“We have to consider the financial chal lenges faced by our foreign service officers in preparing for their eventual retirement, includ ing their need to resettle and establish a home here in the country after completing their tours of duty overseas,” Libanan said. Rio N. Araja

“We must learn to cooperate as one region in the protec tion of our natural resources while we settle the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea. The protection of the rich marine resources and environment of the West Philip pine Sea is a shared interest and responsibility of all adjoin ing states around the South China Sea which should be a guiding policy for all of us in the region,” he said.

“We all stand to gain or to lose depending on the outcome of our collective actions while we settle our territorial disputes. Through this bill, we hope for the Philippines to help initiate and spark this regional cooperation,” Hagedorn added.

House Bill No. 6373 is seen to strengthen the protection and preservation of the atolls, coral reefs, and other vital marine resources in those areas. Palawan (District 1) Rep. Edgardo Salvame and (District 2) Rep. Jose Chavez Alva rez co-authored HB 6373. Rio N. Araja

PALAWAN 3rd District Rep. Edward Hagedorn has filed a bill declaring all low-tide elevations and high-tide features, and an area of three nautical miles around the Kalayaan Island Group and Scarborough Shoal, as a marine protected area.

said the protection of the environment and the natural resources in the West Philippine Sea should also be prioritized by the Philippines.

BIKERS’ DAY. Cyclists in Makati City celebrate the 8th National Bicycle Day with a 50-km parade traversing the cities of Makati, Pasay , Manila, Quezon City, and Taguig, while their children enjoy their own mini-track, complete with costumed friends, at the Makati City Hall quadrangle on Sunday (inset). Diana Noche

Norman Cruz

When optics thwart good sense

agency was saddled with a 178 billion peso debt, well over the 150 billion ceiling that our economic managers prescribed in the GMA government.

We were swimming in rice, because the previous dispensation imported some 2.25 million tons of rice in 2010, up from 2.1 million in 2009.

We had to rent an additional 420 warehouses over and above our 370 NFA-owned warehouses just to store the stockpile.

WEEKS ago, the president made a show of launching Kadiwa stores where 25 pesos per kilo of rice was made available to the public.

It was good optics for the day, made with a promise that his campaign pledge of 20-peso rice per kilo was truly achievable.

But it did not make any sense from the vantage point of good economics. And it cannot be sustained.

And if the government has plans of sustaining the same against all good sense, it will cause a hemorrhage in public funds, funds which come from the taxpayers of this country. 95 percent or more of this country’s households cannot line up in select Kadiwa stores to get a kilo of rice, along with an even more limited supply of 70 pesos per kilo of sugar.

Former DA undersecretary Fermin Adriano did the math, which anyone from farmer to miller to trader to retailer knows by heart.

A kilo of harvested palay loses weight (reseco) after drying, and for well-milled rice, that kilo of palay translates into 0.650 grams of rice, sometimes lower depending on the milling process.

Then you add the cost of storage, packaging, transport, all the way to the retailer (in which supply chain more loss of weight occurs), and so the industry computes the retail price of rice as two times the cost of palay.

The National Food Authority, which, after the Rice Tarrification Law, is no longer allowed to sell to retailers, no longer allowed to import rice, and is virtually just a public warehouse for emergency reserves, currently buys dried palay at 19 pesos per kilo.

You would think that armed with a huge electoral mandate, our president should be doing the right policies and programs despite immediate unpopularity, and stake his political will on long-term and long-needed reforms

Using the rule of thumb, the retail price of such, assuming the NFA could yet sell commercially, should be 38 pesos per kilo of rice.

Farmers cry that when private traders buy their palay, they get as low as 10 pesos per kilo exfarm, or a high of 16 pesos for dried palay these days, depending also on the distance from farm to the miller.

Yet even before fertilizer zoomed three times up, the cost of production was around 13 pesos per kilo. In effect, at the current buying price by private traders, farmers are losing their shirts, and their future as well.

The revived Kadiwa stores, a relic from the days of the president’s father which lost a huge sum of money for government, is now supplied by NFA from its reserves.

So assuming NFA bought palay at 19 pesos, the retail price ought to be 38 per kilo of rice. At 25 pesos per kilo from the few Kadiwa stores, government loses 13 pesos per kilo.

How in heaven’s name can we sustain that?

When I took over the NFA in July of 2010, the

An audit ordered by Pres. Aquino concluded that the GMA government bought the rice exclusively from Vietnam at atrociously high prices which I will no longer detail here.

Suffice it to say that since the price and supply of rice is a political issue, the previous dispensation, which in 2008 suffered from a price and supply crisis which shocked the global grains market, may have over-reacted by over-stocking on imported rice.

I will repeat that: imported, not domestically farmed rice.

NFA was selling rice to NFA-accredited outlets at 23.50 per kilo, and they sell to the public at 25.

By a special arrangement with select Catholic parishes, GMA directed NFA to sell at 18 pesos (remember the Pajero bishops?) per kilo. As I said, in this country, politics often trumps economic sense.

So, the NFA Council in my time approved an increase in the retail price to 27 pesos per kilo, marginally up from 25, in an announcement I timed during the feel good Christmas holidays of 2010 so people would not feel the pinch as much.

We intended to increase the release price a year after to 27, with a retail price of 30 per kilo.

But a strong typhoon in 2011 just as the grains were to be harvested flattened Central Luzon, and it was inappropriate to increase rice from 27 to 30 per kilo.

Then, we cut down government importation to a mere 200,000 kilos for buffer stock purposes, down from 2.25 million the previous year, and allowed the private sector to bid for their import licenses, earning billions for government, for a total of 660,000 tons.

The idea was to gradually wean away NFA from importation, and give the same to the private sector, just as our quantitative restrictions per World Trade Organization agreement were due to expire.

We then approached our lenders, from DBP to LandBank, to BdO and foreign banks such as ANZ, Bangkok Bank PCL, Mizuho, to restructure our short-term loans into medium-term and renegotiated the rates, which with the goodwill of the newly-elected Aquino government, were approved.

The net result was to reduce in a year and a half the reduction of our bloated 178 billion-peso loan to 143 billion.

But per decision of the Department of Agriculture, we applied with the WTO for a fiveyear extension of our rice import quantitative restriction, the only country in the world still availing itself of such despite the free trade “bible”.

When I resigned from the agency in the last quarter of 2012, the QR issue was yet unsettled before the WTO, aside from the fact that no Rice Tarrification Law was even brought up before Congress until DOF Sec. Sonny Dominguez seized the rice crisis of 2017-18 to egg Congress on to finally pass the RTL.

The law has its good economic merits, but the implementation of the rice subsidy portion for marginal farmers is still wobbly, on top of the current international economic crisis that has impacted on fertilizer and other inputs and brought palay farming close to penury.

But that is a long, long story, spanning years of neglect, the agrarian reform redistribution of land, land conversion, irrigation problems, all of which now confront the president with overwhelming vengeance.

He is saddled with the wages of previous neglect.

Still and all, promising 20 pesos per kilo, and making a show of reviving Kadiwa with its 25peso rice is nothing more than good optics for the moment, but against good sense.

You would think that armed with a huge electoral mandate, our president should be doing the right policies and programs despite immediate unpopularity, and stake his political will on longterm and long-needed reforms.

By Nash B. Maulana

IT’S about time politicians and politicking actors underwent incident command system or ICS training.

Days ago, we saw Senator Robinhood Padilla on a humanitarian mission in a hardesthit Maguindanao area, delivering more speech than necessary in time of sheer need by typhoon-ravaged communities among his national constituency.

The senator’s speech has been spliced and posted on some individual Facebook accounts, as if in a mode of an adverse media campaign against BARMM in post-disaster activities.

The splicing cut the portion in which he called on BARMM to get down or bring down its “huge budget,” the region’s financial resources he articulated in his video taped “call” in sheer numbers.

But mind we did that Padilla would have known better on the dos and don’ts of humanitarian mission if he had undergone ICT; or he would have known more of the convolutions of politics in relation to true humanitarian acts and in relation to Islam.

Padilla should have known better on where to check and counter-check information or facts when hungry evacuees were set to some conditional tones to tell what politicians want to hear from them and how stories needed to be retold in their interest, or twisted for visitors

EDITORIAL

One million homes every year

CAN the government deliver?

We’re referring to the pledge made by Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development during the closing ceremony of National Shelter Month that the government will build one million homes annually until 2028.

The announcement was greeted with skepticism by those present, according to news reports, as it was deemed too ambitious.

Acuzar, a property developer, is said to have conceded that the administration’s housing program called Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino is indeed ambitious, but countered: “You’re right, we’re being ambitious, but when will we start fulfilling our dreams?

It’s a valid question by the Housing Secretary, to be sure, but the skepticism was not entirely misplaced.

For one thing, the government has to deal with a huge foreign debt reaching more than 12 trillion pesos that will take many years to pay, even beyond this administration’s life-span.

And for another, the economy is still in a

Acuzar said President Marcos himself has already met with top bankers to ask for their support for the government’s housing program

fragile state and taking only baby steps on the road to recovery after nearly three years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acuzar said President Marcos himself has already met with top bankers to ask for their support for the government’s housing program.

The Housing Secretary assured the Chief Executive that it can be done and the DHSUD and its agencies, such as the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-Ibig Fund, will in fact start construction in January.

But socialized housing will not come for free.

Minimum wage earners and informal workers who want to have their own houses would have to shell out between P3,000 and P5,000, which corresponds to the amount they now pay to rent small dwellings.

“As soon as they get their own houses, they need to pay because for every unpaid house, 10 Filipinos would not be able to get their own shelters,” the housing czar said.

But a nagging question is: How about the informal settlers now living a hand-to-mouth existence along esteros and unable to even provide for their daily needs because of extreme poverty? Who will give them decent housing?

The housing backlog may hit 11 million units by 2028 if the government would not be able to fund the socialized housing program.

But the administration appears intent on delivering on its promise.

While attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Phnom Penh recently, President Marcos informed Cambodian business leaders that given the shortfall in the Philippines of about six million housing units, his administration has embarked on a very aggressive program to build one million homes every year.

“It is an ambitious number but we will try very, very hard.”

Building economic momentum

government to amend the agrarian reform law to increase the land retention limit from 5 to 24 hectares, implementing a debt condonation program for unpaid amortization of Agrarian Reform beneficiaries, and convert certificates of land ownership awards into simple titles.

Second is to reform PhilHealth into a sciencebased and transparent healthcare system and encourage Public Private Partnership in the implementation of the Universal Health Law.

THE critical role of the private sector and the synergies needed with government in terms of vision, priorities, a sense of urgency, and openness to transform the ecosystems of the country to pivot from mere survival to a more aggressive developmental mode was the clear consensus of the esteemed thought leaders from the public and private sector during the first panel discussions of Day 2 of the Pilipinas Conference 2022 last Tuesday.

Stratbase ADRi President, Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit opened the day with his statement that pointed out “for the Philippine economy to bounce back amid global uncertainties and achieve sustainable long-term economic growth, the new administration must pursue an investment-driven strategy to transform the economy into one that is more resilient to shocks.”

Government must, therefore, create the stable and enabling business environment to make the Philippines the most viable, thereby the most attractive to both local and foreign investors.

No less than Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno graced the event delivering the keynote speech.

Among the points he discussed, he stated that to achieve the goal of creating high quality and green jobs, the government “will invest heavily in physical infrastructure, digitalization, and human capital development.”

He recognized that effective public-private coordination holds the key and that publicprivate partnership mechanisms will be harnessed to execute impactful projects consistent with development goals.

“The task of rebuilding the economy requires a concerted whole of nation effort so let us work together to deliver to the Philippine people a prosperous nation and a secure future,” Sec. Diokno said.

Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Mr. George Barcelon, shared their resolutions presented to the President.

First is on achieving food security, urging the

Government must therefore create the stable and enabling business environment to make the Philippines the most viable, thereby the most attractive to both local and foreign investors

Chairman of the Makati Business Club, Mr. Edgar Chua, spoke on the need invest in human capital to re-skill and upskill Filipino workers and to improve the education system with the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

He said TESDA should update their course offerings and that DepED can strengthen the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) curriculum to produce workers with high value skills.

He warned about the looming power crisis due to inadequate capacity and the old, unreliable and inefficient power plants.

Further aggravated by the depleting Malampaya gas reserves and spikes in fuel prices because of the Russia Ukraine war, power shortages and high-power prices will slow economic growth and job creation.

Mr. Chua called for a seamless coordination between the business sector and government for

renewable energy facilities which can be built with much faster than thermal plants and are already very competitive relative to the traditional fuel for power plants.

Mr. Rogelio “Babes” Singson, President of the Management Association of the Philippines raised policy concerns that are needed for public and private collaboration to work.

“Clearly define the purpose and objectives of the different public and private partnership projects and privatization projects of the government. It’s not a one size fits all.”

He cited as examples the Malampaya project which raised funds for government in contrast to airports and toll roads which is to provide public service using private sector technical and financial capabilities.

He also pointed out delays caused by the slow delivery of government responsibility, particularly in the delivery of right of way in toll roads power, water supply, and the like.

Former Presidential Adviser on Flagship Programs and Projects, Mr. Vivencio “Vince” Dizon, for his part believes that “the role of government is to get things done, and to get things moving.”

Though the “Build, Build, Build” vision started to change decades of neglected public infrastructure, Mr. Dizon sees that the Philippines will “need at least 30 years of continuous focus and investment in infrastructure to achieve what our neighbors throughout the region and throughout all other developed countries in the world have achieved” and acknowledged how PPPs can be unleashed for fast results citing the 12-billion-peso Clark International Airport now fully operational.

To build the momentum of economic recovery, the common denominator with all the speakers is the urgency for digitalization across all sectors of society which presents its own set of challenges in addressing human capital and digital infrastructure readiness gaps.

The pandemic practically pushed the country into embracing digital technologies to be indispensable to the continuity of the economy and individual survival which further highlights how government must seriously invest in systemic digital transformation.

There’s a wealth of learnings from the Pilipinas Conference 2022 that I highly recommend you check out at the Stratbase ADR Institute Facebook page.

Padilla’s call and what BARMM does

who could potentially retell stories to generate greater number of followers.

The actor-turned-politician would have known that the BARMM leadership under Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim had convened the Regional Disaster Risk-Reduction Management Council which has since set up an inter-agency incident command post under the command of 6ID CG Brig Gen Roy Galido –weeks before he came over.

At the very least, Padilla should have understood that efforts are collectively put up together from the top level of the Office of the President to the NDRRMC which recommends appropriate courses of action to the President –and this holds true in the descending levels of the local government units, including BARMM.

In all, Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo, head of the BARMM READi (Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidents), says 226,373 families which translate to 534,725 individuals have been affected in 894 barangays across the region.

BARMM’s humanitarian workers are trained in ICS courses for emergency disaster situation, including WASAR (water search and rescue) operations: the region has invested much of its resources (human, time, efforts and funds) on effective emergency disaster response, including procurement of monitoring and rescue equipment.

Officials of the he BARMM’s RDRRMC and the council’s operating human resources had barely slept in more than a week of continuous

works in 24/7 operations.

Understandably, Senator Padilla had become emotional on sight of a local settlement buried under tons of landslide, and of survivors –among them women and children that he thought all help, aid and relief, was best expressed solely in terms of foods for the displaced families.

And that it was their turn that day to bring in foods when he delivered his political speech at the same time albeit at the wrong place.

By October 30, onwards the BARMM READi has covered all of the affected municipalities, setting now sight on an Early Recovery Plan under which priorities include

rehabilitation of damaged houses or the support for reconstruction of houses totally destroyed in hardest-hit areas.

The region’s economy has suffered a setback of 48,962,000 losses in agriculture (273,378,745) and in infrastructure (P 359 M).

In clusters of 1,495 evacuation sites only 7,383 individuals have not returned to their places of origin.

The BARMM’s Ministry of Health had placed the number of fatalities or deaths at 62; the injured at 38; and missing, 13.

Sinarimbo, concurrent spokesman and BARMM interior and local government minister, shares a glimpse of the interagency BARMM recovery plan, saying it has a total allocation of P 1.18 B from various agencyministries which have an aggregate of quick response funds amounting to 933,913,627 from their respective regular budgets.

For its road to recovery, BARMM earmarks 4.435M for environmental protection through a Greening Program; P 202,723,912 for livelihood recovery, seen to generate CEEP (Community Emergency Employment Program); P 9,994,000.00 for restoration of roads, bridges, communications facilities, energy support systems.

The Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), currently on a series of outreach activities and psychosocial intervention or stress debriefing sessions,

will build temporary evacuation centers for the region to be better prepared in future occurrences of emergency situations and to spare school grounds from being the safe refuge during natural disasters.

Interagency recovery efforts were gearing towards school outreach activities and delivery of replacement of shelter assistance packages, among other programs, projects and activities.

The MSSD, MPW (Ministry of Public Works), MIPA (Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs), MENRE (Ministry of the Environment, Natural Resources and Energy), MILG (Ministry of the Interior and Local Governments), BPDA (Bangsamoro Planning and Development Agency) and the MHSD (Ministry of Human Settlement and Development) have pooled their resources together to put up a total of P 1,386,382,500.00 to implement the region’s early recovery plan, says Sinarimbo.

(NB Maulana writes a column for The Mindanao Cross, the oldest weekly newspaper in South-Central Mindanao. As a journalist, Maulana had previously covered the Muslim beat in Metro Manila for another daily, and had been to diplomatic coverage in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj Pilgrimage in February 1999, and for the Department of State’s Foreign Press Center to the US East Coast in autumn of 2011.)

Rolando

Stock market likely to move sideways

By Jenniffer B. Austria

STOCKS are expected to move sideways in this shortened trading week after an eight-week rally that brought the benchmark index above the 6,600 level.

Analysts said the global markets were rallying on hopes of slower rate hikes as inflation eases.

UTrade research head Gabryle Agui la said in a weekly report that while a 50-basis-point interest rate hike was

expected in December, there was a pos sibility of a smaller rate hike as inflation continued to slow down.

“Coming from quite a run-up since early October, we expect some correc tive pressures in the near term as the index tests the 6,600 resistance level,” UTrade research head Gabryle Aguila.

“Amid the extended rally, we think the current levels are well supported as we see concerns on inflation, interest rates and currency easing from recent developments,” Aguila said.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said last week it was ready to move to softer rate adjustment as the US Federal Reserve leaned on smaller rate increases

moving forward.

The PSE index, the 30-company bellwether of the Philippine Stock Ex change, climbed 2.6 percent week-onweek to close at 6,606 on Friday. The broader all-share index also advanced by 1.64 percent to settle at 3.452.44. De spite the market’s recent rally, the index was still down 7.2 percent this year.

Meanwhile, trading was light after the Thanksgiving day break in the United States with few catalysts to drive action on trading floors and investors looking ahead to economic data releases next week, as well as a public appearance by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The S&P 500 was flat at the end of a

holiday-shortened session as much atten tion turned to “Black Friday,” the annual kickoff of the festive shopping season.

Leading forecasts from Deloitte and the National Retail Federation project a single-digit percentage rise in US holi day sales this year, but this is unlikely to exceed the inflation rate -- which stood at 7.7 percent in October.

Most of Europe’s major stock markets were up at the end of the day’s trading while Asian indices closed mixed.

The euro was also mixed against main rivals, as official data showed Germany’s economy grew more than previously thought in the third quarter despite high inflation and an energy crisis. With AFP

TOP GAINERS

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

1 GTCAP 458 27.6 6.41%

2 NOW 1.37 0.08 6.20%

3 GEO 0.202 0.011 5.76%

4 MAH 0.76 0.04 5.56%

5 LR 2.52 0.13 5.44%

6 MA 0.0098 0.0005 5.38%

7 DWC 1.35 0.06 4.65%

8 MM 1.38 0.06 4.55%

9 FB 36.8 1.6 4.55%

10 TEL 1665 66 4.13%

WASHINGTON—US authorities an nounced a ban Friday on the import or sale of communications equip ment deemed “an unacceptable risk to national security” -- including gear from Chinese giants Huawei Tech nologies and ZTE.

Both firms have been on a roster of companies listed as a threat by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the new rules bar future au thorizations of their equipment.

The move is the latest in a series of actions to limit the access of Chinese telecom firms to US networks and comes during a long-running stand off between the world’s two biggest economies.

US officials have shown growing wariness in recent years of Chinese telecommunications companies and technology.

US authorities ban telecom gears from China’s Huawei and ZTE on security risk EU wants to remove discriminatory provisions in US IRA

“The FCC is committed to protect ing our national security by ensuring that untrustworthy communications equipment is not authorized for use within our borders,” said chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement.

She added that the new rules are a part of ongoing work to guard against security threats.

A Huawei spokesperson offered no comment on the ban when contacted by AFP.

The order also affects other com panies, including video surveillance equipment firms Hangzhou Hikvi sion and Dahua Technology.

The FCC said Friday that it was also seeking comment on future action re lating to existing authorizations.

Previously, Washington had banned Huawei from supplying US government systems and strongly discouraged the use of its equipment in the private sector, with fears that Huawei equipment could be compro mised by Chinese intelligence. AFP

BRUSSELS, Belgium—The member states of the European Union on Friday voiced their concern about the discrimi natory provisions contained in the US Inflation Reduction Act.

They also voiced concerns about the likely significant repercussions of the IRA on the competitiveness and invest ment decisions of the EU industry, in particular as regards sectors of crucial importance for its transition to a green economy.

“We are very concerned about the likely significant impact of the U.S. In flation Reduction Act on the EU’s man ufacturing base,” Jozef Sikela, chair of the EU Trade Council, said after a meet ing of the member states’ trade minis ters.

“Many of the green subsidies provid ed for in the act discriminate against EU

Decoupling from China to put Japanese firms at survival crisis

automotive, renewables, battery, and energy-intensive industries. These are serious concerns for the EU, which I, and many of my colleagues, have raised repeatedly with our U.S. interlocutors,” EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dom brovskis said.

“What we are asking for is fairness,” he said. “We want and expect European companies and exports to be treated in the same way in the U.S. as American companies and exports are treated in Europe.”

Sikela and Dombrovskis both under lined the need to avoid a “subsidy race” between the EU and the U.S., explain ing that it would be dangerous, expen sive, and inefficient.

These issues are now being discussed in a joint high-level task force. The next opportunity to take stock of the situa

tion will come on Dec. 5, at the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) meet ing. The TTC is a platform that enables the EU and the U.S. to coordinate ap proaches to key global trade, economic, and technology issues and to deepen transatlantic trade and economic rela tions.

“In the current geopolitical context, and keeping in mind our shared green targets, we should be building alliances in these important sectors -- be that bat teries, renewable energy, or recycling,” Dombrovskis said.

Signed in mid-August, the IRA pro vides a record 369 billion U.S. dollars for climate and energy provisions. The landmark package comprises tax credits for electric cars made in North Amer ica and supports U.S. battery supply chains. Xinhua

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Financial Mindset

THERE is a saying that “Money makes the world go round.” This means money is essential in life as a commodity. Some may even connect money with happiness. Without a doubt, money can dictate every aspect of life, whether as power, love, or materials.

TOKYO—Japanese companies would face an existential crisis if they lose Chi na, the largest export market and source of imports, Hidetoshi Tashiro, chief economist at Japan’s Sigma Capital Ltd., has said.

Recently, some Japanese mainstream media have published articles discussing the possibility and cost of “decoupling between Japan and China.”

China is Japan’s largest trading part ner and “finding a replacement for China is extremely difficult for Japan,” Tashiro told Xinhua in a recent interview.

For example, TDK, a well-known Japanese electronic components manu facturer, generated more than half of its total revenue from China between April 2021 and March 2022, Tashiro said, add ing that Murata Manufacturing, another major Japanese electronic parts maker, also gets more than half of its annual revenue from China.

Tashiro argued that decoupling from China would put the two companies at risk of collapse.

According to an article published by Shukan Post weekly magazine at the end of October, the 15 Japanese companies

with the highest proportion of sales in the Chinese market cover a wide range of industries, including electronic equip ment, retail, chemicals and precision in struments.

Tashiro said that if decoupling from China, these companies could collapse, and the fallout would have a profound impact on the Japanese economy.

Data from Japan’s Ministry of Finance show that in 2021, Japan imported from China 2.4 trillion yen (17.2 billion U.S. dollars) worth of telephones and related equipment, accounting for 11.8 percent of Japan’s total imports; 1.7 trillion yen (12.2 billion U.S. dollars) worth of elec tronic automatic data processing ma chines, accounting for 8.1 percent; 361.1 billion yen (2.6 billion U.S. dollars) worth of projectors and receiving equip ment, accounting for 1.8 percent.

Tashiro believes that decoupling from China’s economy could result in problems such as skyrocketing cell phone prices in Japan and difficulties in purchasing electronic automatic data processors, and some companies here would be struggling with operational difficulties. Xinhua

However, money is simply an assurance that I can live life comfortably with my family and loved ones. My goal is to reach financial independence or have sufficient money to pay off expenses for the rest of my life without having to depend on others. At the top of my mind, I can list thousands of ways to achieve this goal, such as setting life goals, creating monthly budgets, avoiding debts, and many more. However, this is hard to achieve, especially in the current situation in the Philippines.

With unemployment increasing and the cost of living exponentially growing, living and surviving in this competitive country will be difficult. At this point, working corporate, even at a high position, will not significantly improve the chances of achieving financial independence. I am also considering the fact that inflation will continue to hit the country. As I want to start a family in the future, it will significantly affect my decision-making to ensure good lives for my loved ones.

Last Oct. 13, my Integral Human Development class had Sandy Gilles as our guest speaker. At first glance, I already felt his presence and confidence in teaching his expertise in investment and personal finance. Unlike any other financial advisor, his knowledge was beyond the usual. He could grab the audience’s attention by citing multiple examples and life hacks.

He started by explaining four types of savings. First, here-and-now savings are budgeting to be able to pay off the expenses while setting aside for your pleasure. Second, medium-term savings are meant for expenses during events such as owning a car, buying a house, and spending on tuition. Third, long-term savings for the known future cover retirement and additional support for the next generations. Fourth, longterm savings for the unknown future are unexpected scenarios that may occur, such as accidents, deaths, or disabilities.

Among these, he focused on the importance of long-term investments. As someone who never showed interest in finance, it opened my eyes to the world of investment. He was able to share definitions and options for investments such as stocks, time deposits, corporate bonds, mutual funds, and unit investment trust funds (UITFs). All of these are very familiar to me as I have heard them one way or another. However, it is hard to act and commit to these investments without confidence.

With this, I brought up a question on cryptocurrency and his thoughts on it being an investment for the future. I have worked in a company that provides customers with a platform for this kind of trade. I multiplied my initial capital by a lot through valuable tips and analytics. Despite this, it was nice to hear a financial expert’s perspective, especially from someone who trades stocks for a living. He did not encourage the option of cryptocurrency as a long-term investment because it is very volatile and hard to predict. Even though digitalization has been one of the critical changes in technology, the risk is too high to gamble on everything.

Money guaranteed long-term is better than the uncertainty short-term.

My biggest takeaway from this session is patience. There is no doubt that hard work contributes to being financially stable. However, people often overlook the quality of being patient. In 20 to 30 years, he assured us that the small investment in stocks or UITF would yield enough to provide for the future generation. He mentioned a simple P30,000 investment can change the life of a loved one in the future as long as we invest smartly now. Therefore, invest while you are young and capable of working, because money grows over time. If money is just left in the bank, earning a measly 0.1 percent, then it is similar to throwing money away, as more lucrative opportunities are wasted.

To conclude, there are three types of people in this world. One will spend all the money earned. One will leave all the money in the bank. One will invest a part of the earnings. As much as there are risks in every decision and external factors that may randomly affect the value of money, the odds and chances of it multiplying are big since it is what happened to successful and financially independent people at present. I will continue to set goals and targets in every age bracket and appreciate every milestone to ensure a happy and prosperous life for my family and me.

The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, DLSU. He can be reached at daniel_yu@dlsu.edu.ph.

The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

Green LiGht

DANIEL DICKSON YU

BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING. People shop during Black Friday in Santa Anita within the city of Arcadia, California, on Nov. 25, 2022. Inflation hovers over US shoppers this year as many hit the stores for the traditional day-after-Thanksgiving shopping sales. AFP

IN BRIEF

expects to sustain its growth momentum in 2023 after hitting record earnings this year.

DMCI president Isidro Consunji told re porters Friday the company’s business units, power generation, coal mining, real estate, construction were expected to continue to per form strongly next year despite rising costs and higher interest rates.

Consunji said while coal prices were ex pected to ease from a record high, this would be offset by the power generation business which is expected to pick up in 2023.

“For 2023, I think it will be more of the same for Semirara but different mix. Power will contribute more because of the supply de mand issue. If coal prices drop a little bit, this will be compensated by power,” Consunji said.

“But if coal prices does not drop, then we would be very happy,” he said.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Prime Metro, JBD to invest P60b in Laguna hydro project

By Alena Mae S. Flores

1.060333 60.2163

0.749794 42.5808

0.727220 41.2988

0.000064 0.0036

0.012253 0.6958

Malaysia Ringgit 0.222717 12.6481

New Zealand Dollar 0.626400 35.5733

water, waste management and infrastructure. Documents submitted by API to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for its environmen tal impact study showed that the Pakil pumped storage project would be con structed in two phases.

The first phase involves 677 MW with a project cost of P31.105 billion, while the second phase would add 723 MW at P24.595 billion.

The pumped storage hydro project is expected to start construction next year and to be in operation by the end of 2027.

during nighttime for use during the day time. It will also be capable of providing grid stabilization services to the Luzon System Grid,” it said.

Taiwan Dollar 0.032365 1.8380 Source: BSP

It will utilize a reversible pumpedstorage system to generate energy. Wa ter will be pumped from the Laguna Lake lower reservoir to the upper res ervoir, where energy will be stored. The stored water will then be released through turbines to produce electricity.

GERI

Cavite

to launch 41-hectare residential project in

GLOBAL-ESTATE Resorts Inc., an integrated tourism estate developer, said it expects to raise P1.3 billion in sales from a residential project in Trece Martires, Cavite.

GERI will launch the 41.8-hectare Prana Garden Villas inside the 340-hectare inte grated lifestyle community Sherwood Hills. The project will offer 178 residential lots with sizes ranging from 240 square meters to 513 sq. m.

“We are very excited to showcase the el egance of living amidst nature at Prana Garden Villas, which has been mindfully planned to blossom together with its surrounding land scape,” Megaworld Global-Estate Inc. first vice president for sales and marketing Rachelle Peñaflorida said in a statement.

“The village will also provide easy and con venient access to the Sherwood Hills Golf and Country Club since it will rise just beside the world-class leisure development,” Peñaflorida said.

GERI is a subsidiary of Megaworld Corp. Jenniffer B. Austria

Sendwave, GCash team up for digital money transfer

SENDWAVE teamed up with mobile wallet GCash to allow Filipinos around the world to send money to their loved ones in the Philip pines with zero remittance fees and near in stantaneous transfers.

Dan Santos, Sendwave growth manager for the Philippines, said the partnership aimed to help overseas Filipino workers and their fami lies make the most of their hard-earned money by offering remittances with zero transaction fees and very reasonable exchange rates.

“The pandemic revealed a need to shift to ward more digital options for sending money. We wanted to help address that for the Filipino community and provide them with a more af fordable way to send funds to the people they care about,” Santos said.

Santos estimated that OFWs could save over a $1 billion in remittance fees each year from using the Sendwave app. “The pandemic was a very unstable time for many overseas Filipino workers, so we wanted to make sure as much of their money as possible is getting to their families, and in the quickest way pos sible,” he said.

“Through the Sendwave app, OFWs can securely send money back home directly to a family member’s GCash app—without the need to fill out forms, line up or leave to go to a bank or remittance center,” Santos said.

Sendwave works by partnering with tra ditional money transfer methods, like bank transfers or cash collection, as well as digital wallets like GCash.

“Digital wallets are really the future, be cause they are able to quickly and affordably link people around the world, especially in ar eas where people have not had as much access to traditional banks,” Santos said.

Ortigas

By Jenniffer B. Austria

AHUNAN Power Inc., a joint venture of Prime Metro Power Holdings Corp. and JBD Water Power Inc., is developing a P60billion pumped-storage hydroelectric power project with a capacity of 1,400 megawatts in Laguna province.

Prime Metro is a unit of Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. of businessman Enrique Razon Jr. that focuses on building assets to support the most urgent sustainability priorities in energy, clean

“The main objective of the project is to act as a buffer for the Luzon grid be tween electricity demand and the output of the various renewable energy proj ects which are expected to come online in the foreseeable future,” API said.

“Until such renewable projects have come online, the project will serve to shift available over-capacity on the grid

API said the project would increase tax collections for the local government units, provide additional income for the LGU and promote the establishment of new businesses and industries.

“With the project’s long operating lifespan, there will be a continuing job generation during construction up to the operating phase, and the access road improvements can provide continuing progress to the community,” the company said.

Peso expected to sustain rally against US dollar

By Julito G. Rada

THE Philippine peso is expected to sustain its rally against the US dol lar in the coming weeks on expected increase in remittances and higher export sales in the fourth quarter, an economist said over the weekend.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said in a report the peso’s weakness in the past months could be attribut ed partly to the seasonal increase in importation by some manufacturers meant to prepare for the seasonal rise in demand for many businesses in the fourth quarter.

This was exacerbated by the pre vious expectations that the US Fed might have bigger rate increases which boosted the greenback in the process.

“But the seasonal increase in im portation [is] already at the tail-end, before the seasonal increase in OFW remittances and export sales in 4Q that could provide some support for the peso exchange rate especially towards the end of the year, based on the consistent patterns for many years,” Ricafort said.

The Fed is now expected to have smaller rate increases with the eas ing of inflation in the world’s biggest economy. Economists earlier said the latest 75-basis-point rate hike by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas could support the peso against the dollar.

The peso on Friday closed at 56.67, stronger than 56.78 on Thursday.

Meralco wants 1,070-MW emergency power deals exempted from bidding

POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. renewed its call to the Department of Energy over the weekend for the exemption from the competitive se lection process of 1,070 megawatts of emergency power supply agree ments.

Meralco said this was to ensure supply security in the wake of the Court of Appeals’ issuance of a 60day temporary restraining order on the Energy Regulatory Commission’s rejection of San Miguel Corp.’s joint petition with the power retailer for a rate increase under a 2019 power supply agreement.

Meralco first vice president and head of regulatory management Jose Ronald

Valles said the company had received the official copy of the TRO on the PSA between Meralco and SMC subsidiary South Premiere Power Corp.

“We are reviewing the resolution in consultation with our counsel to deter mine the next steps,” Valles said.

“We have also written the DOE to fol low up on our previous letter requesting for CSP exemption of certain emergency PSAs that are ready to be implemented to shield our customers against volatile and potentially higher WESM [Whole sale Electricity Spot Market] price,” the executive said.

Meralco is seeking CSP exemption for the one-year PSA for the following generators: SEM Calaca Power Corp.

(200 MW), GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co. (300 MW), Masinloc Power Partners Co. Ltd. (250 MW), SMC Consolidated Power Corp. (200 MW) and SPPC (120 MW).

Based on the previous presentation of Meralco, it said the EPSA offers ranged from P7.80 to P10.21 per kilowatt-hour, higher than what SPPC was asking for about P6.0691 per kWh.

Meralco said this would mean a P12.6billion burden to consumers, adding that the ERC approval of the temporary rate adjustment and the grant of the change in circumstances of the SMC PSAs was compliant with the least cost mandate of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001. Alena Mae S. Flores

Ricafort said the peso strengthened for the ninth straight week, further below the 59-record low posted four times in October.

He said the latest signals that pro spective local policy rate hikes could still match any future Fed rate hikes if inflation remained high would help support the peso exchange rate.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ear lier signaled the government might have to defend the peso in the coming months through interest rates hike.

Ricafort said the year-to-date per formance of the peso was still some what similar to other regional cur rencies such as the Chinese yuan, Indonesian rupiah, Indian rupee, Ma laysian ringgit and Thai baht.

The new phase includes a new of fice building with 40,000 square me ters of leasable space and retail area with 50,000 sq. m. This will increase the property’s leasable space by 40 percent.

Ortigas Land president and chief ex ecutive

said in a recent interview the company was looking at either an initial public offer ing or real estate investment trust of fering to fund expansion plans.

“It is going to be a capital market event, either an IPO or REIT. We will decide at that point in time,” Jalandoni said.

Ortigas Land, formerly Ortigas & Co Limited Partnership, has built mas ter-planned developments for over 90 years. In 2014, Ayala Land Inc. and SM Prime Holdings Inc. finalized a deal to acquire a majority stake in the company.

It owns strategic land bank in the Ortigas central business district, Greenhills Shopping Center, Tiendesi tas in Frontera Verde, Circulo Verde and Capitol Commons.

Jalandoni said the group was beefing up its residential, office and shopping mall businesses.

He said the company would open a new phase within the Greenhills Shop ping Complex in San Juan City in 2023.

Ortigas Land has been redeveloping its crown jewel, Greenhills Shopping Complex, to transform it into a modern mixed-use estate.

“We will have to upgrade the whole Greenhills,” Jalandoni said.

He said Greenhills would retain the “tiangge” area, one of the most popular sites within the complex.

Jalandoni also reported plans to add two more estates in its portfolio and dou ble its revenues in the next five years.

Silang asks DPWH to resolve right-of-way issues to complete Cavite-Laguna Expressway

By Darwin G. Amojelar

THE local government of Silang, Cavite asked the Department of Public Works and Highways to resolve the remaining right-of-way issues of the Cavite Lagu na Expressway of MPCALA Holdings Inc. to speed up the completion of the whole project.

“We are very willing to help MPCALA and the national government to fast track the opening of the Calax

Silang [Aguinaldo] Interchange. Right now, we are planning to set up a meeting with the owner of the land to discuss the right-of-way issues. Maybe, we can get a compromise agreement before the end of the year,” Silang Mayor Kevin Anarna said in a statement.

About 64 percent of Calax Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange subsection of the CALAX project was completed so far.

MHI earlier said the target date for the opening of the subsection had been moved several times, with the latest be ing December 2022.

It said one critical portion for the completion of the interchange is the un delivered ROW of about 450 meters of land, which is owned by a private cor poration.

The ROW issues prevent the progress of continuous works, including con struction of drainage and bridge, exca

vation and roadway earthworks and in stallation of fence and coco net.

Anarna said the delay in completion of the CALAX subsection had ham pered the development of inner roads of the municipality.

“Once the CALAX Silang [Agui naldo] Interchange is completed, we can now start the construction of inner roads so that we will be accessible to lo cal tourists and investors who want to invest in Silang,” Anarna said.

DMCI still bullish on 2023 after record profit this year

DIVERSIFIED engineering conglomerate DMCI Holdings Inc.

Land preparing to go public in 5 years to support expansion plans

ORTIGAS Land Corp., which is now majority owned by two of the coun try’s largest property developers, is preparing to go public in five years.

Jose Emmanuel Jalandoni

ABOITIZ SCHOLARS. Aboitiz Foundation awards scholarship certificates to ten successful applicants of Aboitiz-Uplift Code Camp—a six-month intensive training program where scholars learn programming, IT and full-stack web development to help them upskill and kick start their career in software development. Awarding the certificates to the scholars are Aboitiz Foundation president and chief operating officer Maribeth Marasigan (second from left) and Uplift Code Camp chief executive Ruffa Carreon (second from right) at the Aboitiz Group’s corporate office in NAC Tower, Taguig City.

DATA PROTECTION CONFAB. The National Association of Data Protection Officers of the Philippines, the country’s first non-government organization that aims to help transform the Philippines into a global center of excellence for data privacy and cybersecurity, holds the 5th annual NADPOP YearEnder: Data Privacy and Cybersecurity conference at the Grand Ballroom of Sheraton Manila Bay Hotel. The group called on the public and private sectors to work together to uplift the data protection profession in the Philippines.

HD stunSpikers Cool Smashers, near finals

Sports

Platinum 3x3 kings at last

PLATINUM Karaoke capped an amazing run in the Leg 4 playoffs of the PBA 3x3 by winning its first-ever championship Sunday at Robinsons Place in Malabon.

The team of coach Anton Altamirano finally broke through in the standalone tournament, beating a tough Cavitex Braves side in a low-scoring final, 1312, to claim the P100,000 prize money.

Platinum Karaoke previously made the leg finals twice, but always end up a bridesmaid.

There was no denying the team this time as Terrence Tumalip hit a clutch deuce that made it a 1310 Platinum lead with 52 seconds left, while big man Brandon Bates blocked a potential game-winning 2 by Jorey Napoles at the buzzer to preserve the hard-earned win.

Tumalip finished with six points, Bates with four, Nico Salva added three, while Yutien Andrada, the only player who remained from the original Platinum Karaoke team, had five rebounds and two block shots.

“So proud of this team. It’s been a long time coming,” said

Altamirano, who finally got his victory ride shortly after the game. “Ang tagal naming hinintay ito. It’s God’s will.”

Cavitex bagged P50,000 after a second straight runner-up finish in the Second Conference Season 2.

Napoles led the Braves with six points and six rebounds, including a long two that put the Braves within a point, 13-12, in the final 44 seconds.

Cavitex even had the chance to salvage the win, but Bates was there to save the day for Platinum by foiling Napoles’ final attempt.

On the way to the finals, Platinum foiled TNT’s backto-back title bid and a fourth straight finals appearance in the conference with a close 13-12 win in their quarterfinals duel.

“That gave us a big boost,” said Salva of Platinum’s upset of TNT.

In the semifinals, Platinum edged another former leg winner

Cavitex

47-point third quarter fuels Hotshots past Bolts

By Peter Atencio

PAUL Lee struck hardest in the third as the Magnolia Timplados Hotshots turned things around with an insane 47-point quarter and whacked the Meralco Bolts, 108-96, to close in on a twice-tobeat incentive on Sunday night in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

Lee unloaded 11 of 27 points in the third period as the Hotshots unleashed one of their best performances in a quarter in six years.

“Coach Chito (Victolero) challenged them. They responded. They scored 37 to nothing on

fastbreaks,” said Hotshots’ assistant coach Jason Webb on the team’s offensive burst in the period en route to their ninth win in 11 games.

The Bolts were held to nine points in the first six minutes of the third as the Hotshots unleashed the decisive scoring run. Lee’s pullup jumper signalled the start of a 13-0 salvo that sent the Hotshots ahead at 72-60 in the quarter after trailing, 59-60.

The Hotshots, with import Nicholas Rakovcevic shooting 16 points and pulling down 20 rebounds, finished the third period at 93-74, on Calvin Abueva’s triple.

They went on to enjoy their biggest advantage at the start of the fourth after Abueva connected with a jumper at the 11:49 mark, 95-74.

Magnolia’s third-period surge was the

Luisita leads by 2 over Southwoods

By Adrian Flores

BAGUIO—Benjamin Sumulong

scored 35 points, while Martin Ilagan added 30 as Luisita opened with a two-point lead against Ma nila Southwoods at the start of the Fil-Championship division in the 72nd Fil-Am Men’s invitational held at the Camp John Hay Golf Club.

Luisita got solid support from Danilo Cruz and Rodel Mangu labnan, who each submitted 29 for the team’s output of 123 points.

Manila Southwoods assembled

121 on the 34 of Raul Minoza, 30 of Junjun Plana, 29 of Theody Pas cual and 28 of Manfred Guangko.

Although his team is in the driver seat, playing captain Sumu long said that his wards could have scored better if not for the firstday jitters.

“We haven’t had a competition as big as this in the last three years. Everybody is adapting to team play again. We just have to keep grinding, especially in the last two rounds at the short but tricky Baguio Country Club, where the real scoring battle is,”

Sumulong said.

Riviera is a distant third with 111 followed by Mamala Bay 106 and Leeward Filam of Hawaii 92.

In the Am-A division, Bibak NY/NJ iGolfers collected 79 points and 160 total in two rounds.

Herbert Donglasan led all scorers with 34. Diman Felipe, Ramon Gaoat and John Dangos assisted with 18, 15 and 12, respectively.

At second spot is Pradera Verde (81-151). Willy Cabalce shot 24, Bobby Inigo made 23, Butch Ba kunawa had 18 and Jojo Mercado added 16.

highest in a quarter in the PBA by any team since Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters did it six years ago.

Back then, the Fuel Masters had 49 points in the fourth canto, in a 117-124 setback to the TNT Tropang Giga in the 2016 Governors’ Cup.

Jio Jalalon made 12, while Ian Sangalang and Mark Barroca each banged in 11 for the Hotshots, who recovered from their loss to the Bay Area Dragons.

The Hotshots need another win against Rain or Shine on Friday and Magnolia to formally claim the no. 2 spot.

The Bolts, with their 4-5 card, need to win their remaining eliminationround game with the NLEX Road Warriors and the San Miguel Beermen to remain in contention for the quarterfinals.

RIRI Meneses froze as she spread her wings in a gesture of triumph and the Cignal HD Spikers whooped it up on their side of the court to celebrate a key 23-25, 25-23, 28-26, 25-18 victory over the fancied Creamline Cool Smashers yesterday before a big Sunday crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The HD Spikers actually haven’t nailed the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference crown, not by any means. But with a 2-0 card in the semifinal round and upending the grand slam-seeking team in the race for the first finals slot, the back-to-back third placers in this year’s Open Conference and Invitationals took a step closer to a dream championship appearance.

“Creamline is a great team, with so many fans. But for us to be able to do it, it’s great in our confidence. It showed in our character, our ability to keep getting better,” said Tai Bierria.

The Cignal import came off the bench late in the opening frame and fired 21 points, matching her record output in leading the team past Chery Tiggo last Thursday. Lightly regarded among the reinforcements for her youth and demea nor, the 25-year-old American continued to prove her worth as Cignal campaign progresses, embracing her role as bench player ready to step up at any given time. She led her team in the last three sets and was in sync with the Cignal locals, both in offense and defense, while sneak ing in a number of smart plays with her drop shots and power tips.

wins 1st fencing gold medal

The 11-year-old Galvez turned back Precious Sison of Calle de Armas, 6-1, in the finals of Under-12 women’s foil, for her first-ever gold medal in the sport.

Galvez, a grade 6 student of Univer sity of the East, also got past Merida Amber Diaz, also of CF, in the semifi nals.

Diaz settled for the bronze medal to gether with Bobby Dime of RF.

The top-seeded Galvez first pre vailed over Diaz in the semifinals, 104, while no. 3 Sison upset the second seeded Dime, 3-2.

Canlas, the daughter of former na tional coach Amatov Canlas, won over fellow CF fencer Jaden Divinagracia in taking the U-12 women’s sabre crown.

Divinagracia settled with a silver medal, while Kirsten Shanelle “Shy” Catantan of CF and Baley Olayres took bronze medals.

Other CF winners were Eyce Olarte, silver medalist in the U-12 men’s sabre, along with Ralph Xenen Cuenca and Enrico Joaquin Ronsayro, who went home with the bronze.

Young and up-and-coming fencers from Canlas Fencing, numbering more than 60 athletes, are set to join in the Malaysia Minime Competition on De cember 1 to 4 in Kuala Lumpur.

Galvez had her first international outing in Singapore, where she went 3-2 in pool matches, to gain entry into the Round of 32. Peter Atencio

Garcia wants High School for Sports in Bataan

The

and taekwondo, among others.

Bataan District 3 consists of towns Mariveles, Bagac, Morong, and Dinalu pihan. Butch Gunio

KUALA LUMPUR-BOUND Willa Li ana Galvez gave herself a good sendoff, after she and teammate Nicol Amethyst Canlas topped their respective events in the final day of competition of the Republic Fencing’s Young Musketeers Series 2022 on Saturday at the RF club in P. Tuason, Quezon City.

Riera

Mallari,

Randy M. Caluag, Assistant

Benjie Sumulong

Cignal players celebrate a scored point during their Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference game against Creamline.

Members of the Platinum Karaoke team take a photo of themselves after their PBA 3x3 title run. J&T, 15-13, to advance to the finals.

earlier defeated Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals, 18-12, and beat Blackwater in the semis, 21-19.

The Express meanwhile, denied Blackwater Red President a first ever podium finish

by hacking out a 22-20 overtime victory as Joseph Sedurifa and Robert Datu accounted for a combined 18 points for J&T. Robin Rono hit the game-winning deuce to give the Express the P30,000 prize money for third place.

THIRD District Congresswoman Gila Garcia has filed a bill seeking to estab lish a high school for sports in Bataan.

Pending at the Committee on Basic Education and Culture, Garcia’s House Bill 00355 is known as “An Act Creating a High School For Sports In the Munici pality of Bagac, Province of Bataan.”

The school is expected to complement the construction of the Philippine Sports Training Center in Barangay Parang in the same town.

modern training center will house 39 sports facilities for aquatics, athletics, gymnastics, weightlifting,

Paul Lee

Arcilla, Joven  headline

Brookside  Open meet

MULTI-TITLED Johnny Arcilla seeks to add another Open crown to his vast trophy collection but faces a slew of hungry rivals in Brookside Open National Tennis Championships unfolding Tuesday at the Brookside Hills courts in Cainta, Rizal.

Hostilities actually kicked off over the weekend with the staging of the two-day qualifiers to accommodate the big number of players bidding to join the Group A tournament that also features Jose Maria Pague, Vicente Anasta, Charles Kinaadman, Ronard Joven, Zion Guia, John Tomacruz and Noel Damian Jr.

Arcilla is coming off a couple of ti tle romps in the Puerto Princesa Open, where he repulsed doubles partner Joven, and in the Pintaflores Festival Open, which he copped as Pague re tired due to injury.

But the 22-year-old Pague, from Zamboanga Sibugay, is coming into this week’s event, sponsored by Pala wan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala, Rep. Jack Duavit, BHTC president Allan del Castillo, Ret. PNP Dir. Gen. Oscar Calderon, Ret. Gen. Louizo Ticman and Selective Security Services, in good shape, winning the singles and doubles titles in the Bugla san Open last month.

Kinaadman, 24, is also brimming with confidence, having upended Ar cilla in the semifinals on his way to ruling the Gov. Edwin Jubahib Cup in Davao del Norte last September.

That should make the title chase wide open with a host of upcoming junior players, along with the qualifiers and wild card entries eager and ready to showcase their stuff in the event serv ing as part of the country’s longest tal ent search put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Also on tap is the men’s doubles, led by John Altiche-Anasta, ArcillaJoven, Kinaadman-Pague and Nilo Ledama-Damian, Rash ManatadAlberto Villamor, and Marc JarataExequiel Jucutan pairs.

Currently being held is the PPS Brookside Open, a Group I tourna ment featuring eight age-group cat egories.

The next Open tournament of the circuit, backed by ProtekTODO, Pala wanPay, the Unified Tennis Philip pines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rat ing), is the Zentro Open on Dec. 6-12 at Zentro Recreational Tennis Court in Apalit, Pampanga. For details, contact event organizer Bobby Mangunay at 09154046464.

Messi hoping to match Maradona’s tall legacy

DOHA —Lionel Messi’s dream of matching late great Diego Maradona’s Argentina legacy lives on.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or-winning forward pulled level with Maradona on eight World Cup goals and a record 21 appearances at the tournament for his country on Saturday.

Messi’s brilliant low strike from out side the box sparked a 2-0 win over Mexico to take them second in Group C, just as their hopes of victory were starting to fade and fear was setting in.

Argentina’s talisman is two goals short of their World Cup top-scorer Ga briel Batistuta’s tally of 10 goals, but his winner should bring more opportuni ties to overtake “Batigol” in Qatar.

The real dream is emulating Mara dona’s 1986 World Cup win, but Messi can content himself for now by level ling Maradona’s World Cup appearance record and goal haul, two years and a day after ‘El Pelusa’ passed away.

The curly-haired playmaker inspired Argentina to victory in Mexico in 1986,

as well as playing in the 1982, 1990 and 1994 editions.

Some insist Messi cannot be con sidered the greatest of all time un less he lifts the trophy, and in Argen tina, Maradona’s gleaming World Cup legacy often aids him in comparisons, his flawed genius winning out against Messi’s near-perfection.

Maradona scored five and set up an other five as Argentina waltzed to their second World Cup trophy 36 years ago in Mexico.

Almost a year later Messi was born, but Argentina have not managed to lift the trophy in his lifetime.

The Albiceleste captain managed to inspire the team to second place in 2014, with Argentina losing 1-0 in ex tra-time against Germany in the Rio de Janeiro final.

The Paris Saint-Germain No 10, playing in his fifth World Cup, convert ed a penalty in Argentina’s opener but they crashed to a shock defeat by Saudi Arabia.

Against Mexico he sporadically burst into life but his team were largely suf focated by their energetic opponents.

Early in the second half Messi sent

a free-kick over the crossbar from a dangerous position, as Argentina’s des peration grew.

Eventually he broke the deadlock in the 64th minute, finishing exquisitely beyond the reach of Mexican cult hero Guillermo Ochoa, with Enzo Fernan dez adding a brilliant second late on.

Maradona scored only 15 goals for Argentina in 41 competitive appear ances, compared to Messi’s 49 in 115, but some led him to World Cup glory. Competing histories

After elimination in the second group stage in Spain 1982, Maradona returned with a vengeance four years later.

He conjured the most talked-about display in football history against Eng land in the quarter-finals.

The stocky attacker scored one of the great all-time goals with a mag nificent solo dribble, after opening the scoring with the infamous “hand of god” punch over England goal keeper Peter Shilton.

Another brace followed against Bel gium in the semis and Maradona pro vided an assist in the 3-2 final win over West Germany, perhaps the country’s finest sporting moment. AFP

81: Decades of Success set on Dec. 6 in Okada

THE Universal Reality Combat Champion ship will celebrate two decades of greatness titled the “Decades of Success” in a fight night on December 6, featuring the country’s best mixed martial artists at the Okada Ma nila in Parañaque City.

Three years since the last time they held their last main event, URCC founding presi dent Alvin Aguilar announced the coming URCC 81 will definitely be a night to remem ber with events like the 3 Versus 3, MMA fight and the bare-knuckle bouts.

“Our first main event in three years will definitely be an unforgettable night in mixed martial arts. We have a lot of good fighters and everyone is very excited,” Aguilar said.

The last time URCC held a main event — Retribution— was in November 2019, at the same venue. Despite the pandemic, URCC didn’t stop as it held three fight nights when the government finally allowed contact sports. In celebrating URCC’s main event return,

Aguilar will be having Team Philippines of Sugar Ray “Mammoth” Estroso, Caloy “Bad Boy” Baduria and Boss Bullet Manliclic tak ing up against South Koreans Jeong Minhun, Choi Wontae and Jeon Youngjun in an excit ing 3 versus 3 event.

“We have to go up against other Asian countries before we start expanding. So we meet Korea then later on China again and then we will invite people from Russia and the USA. This is the fourth time we will be holding this 3 versus 3 fight,” Aguilar said, who also expects the other events to live up to the hype.

A URCC welterweight interim champion ship is also set between Filipino Arvin Chan and American Will Chope as the other high light of the main event presented by Okada Manila and sponsored by Winzir.

URCC Global Chairman Arnold Vegafria said the promotions have been evolving since 2002, becoming a household name in the lo

cal mixed martial arts industry, where it dis covered great MMA fighters and promoted quality fights abroad.

For inquiries about tickets sale, go to www. urcc.online and download app https://apps. wix.com/place-invites/join-lp/b4e05b9055a0-40a8-8fac-17ccf4a2c074?ref=pre_ban ner_top which is available for iOS and Goog le.

Other MMA undercard bouts feature Dun lee Stewart facing John Tirona in a 170 lbs bout, followed by Gester Maglaque meeting Mariano Jones in an 185 lbs bout; Kimbert Alintozon battling Junie Kimayong (125 lbs); Rhyle Lugo clashing against Alex Aballe (145 lbs) and Eros Baluyot taking on MJ Abrillo (125 lbs).

For the thrilling bare-knuckle competi tions, Damsa Abrenica collides with Joseph “King Pinoy” Cabral, while Dondon Serrano squares off with Sherwin Niro and Denzel Dimaguila fights Mark Jalaron.

Loyzaga: Best support system goal for ‘23 SEAG

By Lito Cinco

THE 2023 SEA Games will take place in May next year in Cambodia and with just over six months to go, chef de mission Chito Loyzaga is very clear on his task.

“With the POC (Philippine Olym pic Committee) calling for maxi mum participation for our athletes (more than 800 have been identified to compete in 45 of 49 events), my primary responsibility is to ensure that we come up with the best sup port system for our athletes,” said the baseball head Loyzaga. As the del egation head, Loyzaga is tasked to co ordinate with the National Sports Asso ciations, the POC, the Phil ippine Sports Commission and the organ izing group, to make sure the logistical needs of the delegation will be met in terms of plane tickets, uniforms, lodging and local trans portation, considering there are two other venues outside of Phnom Penh.

“I am not involved with the training of athletes, that is the concern of the NSAs though I believe the training of our athletes has been continuous right after the Vietnam SEA Games last May.

There has been no estimate yet as to the possible number of golds to be targetted, but 608 are at stake with host Cambodia doing everything to increase their chances of faring well, as it is their first time to host the SEA Games.

He also acknowledges that men’s bas ketball will be under scrutiny of local fans after losing the gold to Indonesia in the last SEA Games in Vietnam.

“But I am sure the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas will be doing its best to come up with a different result this time, I believe in the lead ership of the NSA,” he said.

Ironically his own sport of base ball, and softball, are not included in next year’s list of events.

Labrador siblings make waves in Bangkok, Las Vegas

SIBLINGS Marcus and Aluna Labrador dominated the JRC Artistic Gymnastics Stars Competition held in Bangkok, Thailand recently, while their sisters Alani and Ava took center stage in Las Vegas, where they bested taekwondo jins from various countries.

Marcus reaped medal in different categories of the gymnastics events, including gold-medal feats in the Pommel, Vault, Parallel Bars events.

The 10-year-old Labrador, one of the triplets of Mark and Angel Labrador, also garnered bronze in the individual all-around, for MAG Level 2, as well as in the rings event.

Her sister, Aluna, didn’t make it to the podium, but came up with a strong performance.

She ranked 12th in individual allAround, seventh in floor exercise and 10th in bars and beam and 14th in Vault for WAG Level 4.

The Labrador siblings are making waves in the international sporting scene, participating in major events and continuously building up their skills set.

If Marcus and Aluna were taking the spotlight in the gymnastics competition, their sisters, Alani and Ava were stamping their class in international taekwondo.

Just recently, Alani bagged the gold in the poomsae and wood breaking, while also securing the bronze medal in the kyorugi in the 2022 Las Vegas Taekwondo Open.

Another Labrador, 12-year-old Ava Maxinne Rae Uy, went on to capture a silver in poomsae and a bronze in wood breaking.

Alani represented Davao de Norte in the recent Batang Pinoy Sports Competition. She competed in the Blackbelt Poomsae and is ranked no. 7 from 28 competitors all over the Philippines. Furthermore, she holds the top rank in Region X1.

Argentina’s forward Lionel Messi celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group C football match between Argentina and Mexico at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, north of Doha.  AFP

Chito Loyzaga

The Labrador siblings—Marcus and Aluna in gymnastics and Alani and Ava in taekwondo — are making their presence felt in major international competitions.

MARIEL Padilla, Ci ara Sotto, and Ruffa Gutierrez share some unique characteristics that make them the perfect trio to head line the late-morning talk show M.O.M.s – Mhies on a Mission that promises to provide more than just entertainment.

In the program, which premieres today on ALLTV, these modern moms will accomplish different missions every episode by featuring informative, fun, and compelling stories relatable to fellow ‘Mhies’ (short for mommies) and to the whole family.

“We have different personalities, for me, what I can offer is my energy, my happy vibe. That’s what I can offer to the show and to the audience,” Mariel told Manila Standard Entertainment during the show’s grand media launch held at The Crossings Cafe in Las Piñas.

“I can offer my originality and authenticity. That’s important I think. What I can bring to the table is I know that the Villar Group of Companies can rely on me and that they’ll always be my priority. And I’ll be professional and I will always do my best,” Ruffa said alluding to what she can offer to the table as one of the hosts.

“I’ll be just honest with my feelings. I can also promise them that my co-hosts can rely on me. And as a host, I hope to inspire our viewers to be fit, and that’s just one of my missions,” Ciara said in turn.

M.O.M.s’ first episode gives viewers a day in the life peek of the three hosts.

Moms on a mission

and moms. I am excited to share new stories of hope with Mariel and Ciara.” Ruffa emphasizes.

“This is another milestone in my career since it is my first time to do a talk show and I take this as a challenge to learn new things. It is also overwhelming to work with two amazing mothers and hosts,” Ciara said.

On what makes M.O.M.s different from all other morning talk shows that we have already seen on TV, the trio said that it’s all about their chemistry on screen, their being together in one show for the first time, and their “genuine intention” to inspire and entertain the viewers.

“Our timeslot is different, we are accompanying the viewers before they watch their favorite noontime shows,” Mariel said.

“It’s a new combination, we’ve never been in one show together, so that’s what makes this show really fresh,” Ciara responded.

“It’s a platform for self-discovery for me and for the viewers because we have missions to accomplish. As hosts, we learn about how ordinary people live their everyday lives, and that’s what we hope to share with the viewers as well,” Ruffa added.

AMBS President Maribeth Tolentino, who also joined the three hosts during the media conference, said the talk show is just one of the few surprises the new television station has in store for the viewers adding that the management is also excited to see the morning show fly as their first produced program.

“We’re very excited about this because it is the first show produced by ALLTV. Buong buhay ngayon lang ito namin ginawa. You know that the Villar Group of Companies is into real estate. Now we venture into the broadcast or network industry,” said Tolentino.

“We chose them because we took into consideration their friendship and their being comfortable with each other. Working with them is such a breeze. And obviously, that’s what the audience will see in their show,” Tolentino ended.

Joshua Bulot’s ‘Lily’ kind of magic

androgynous, showing some skin, torsos n biceps. I always believe that what I wear is a form of self-expression. It is always liberating for man to be adventurous in what he wears, mix and match this and that The bottom line, especially in what I wear on stage, is if I feel comfortable and good, then I know it will look good. Then I put the supermodel fashion is what I wear and ayun! It works all the time for me,” he shares.

IT IS a no-brainer why Joshua Bulot now Lily’s lead vocalist, Bulot is the total package to lure the audiophiles to their quest of bringing cinematic rock to all.

“I am excited to sing the songs of Lily with my voice being heard by all. Yes, it cannot be denied that from time to time, I will get to perform their songs that became popular and was identified with their former frontman. I am just excited to put my vocal stamp to our latest song creation,” Bulot begins.

People in the know have a familiarity with Lily’s Bulot because he has graced fashion shows on ramp, shoots, and commercials. He also did a star-turning performance in the hit musical Rak of Aegis, and had his fair share of gigs as part of a pop group that made headlines in an international talent search.

Bulot reveals that he idolizes Callalily so when an audition for its new lead singer was announced, he knew that it was a now-or-never opportunity that he cannot ignore. Of course, his journey in the search is now part of Filipino pop

culture history.

“I think I made it as their new lead singer because I am a passionate performer I give my all on stage. My theater background was most helpful in letting me decipher the subtexts and unspoken messages in a song. And I always give the emotional truth na required sa songs I think that is what the judges saw and appreciated,” he states.

Another scintillating aspect of Bulot is his sense of fashion. He confidently dons a fishnet see-thru crop top that showcases his toned body, and tattered jeans, and boy oh boy, to say that he loves to accessorize – rings, trinkets, and chains – is an understatement.

“My sense of fashion is like an homage to the main rockers of the ‘90s. They have a strong sense of what looks good on them and were never afraid of going

Aside from Bulot, completing the ban now known as Lily are drummer , bass guitarist Aaron , rhythm, and lead guitarist Nathan Reyes, lead guitarist and backing vocals Alden Acosta

On December 2, the reinvigorated and cinematic rock champions, Lily’s concert Magbalik happens at the Music Museum.

“A whole lot of rocking and rolling the Lily way! Cinematic rock is a different experience. It is big, grand, and has an orchestral feel and movement to it. It is mind-blowing and heart-wrenching at the same time. We are presenting new songs that I am sure everyone will love and I guarantee na naka-LSS siya. When you get a bite, experience and savor our Lily kind of musical magic, I am affirmative that you will not only come back for seconds, but you will want it in musical heaps and more,” Bulot says of the concert.

Magbalik concert tickets are available at Ticketworld at 02 8891-9999 or visit https://premier.ticketworld.com.ph for ticket inquiries and reservations.

Kanye West hints at another presidential run

US rapper and fashion designer Kanye West has suggested he will run for president and wants Donald Trump to be his running mate. Trump, for his part, brushed aside a recent meeting with West as of no significance.

The artist, who goes by the name Ye, posted Thursday a swirling symbol on his Twitter account with “Ye” and the number 24, apparently representing 2024, the year of the next US presidential election.

Then the rapper posted a video of himself speaking about a meeting this week with the former president in Florida.

“I think the thing that Trump was most perturbed about (was) me asking him to be my vice president,” West said.

“Trump started basically screaming at me at the table, telling me I’m going to lose,” West said. “I’m like, hold on Trump, you’re talking to Ye.”

Trump, who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost to Joe Biden, announced last week that he would run again in 2024.

Trump posted on Friday on his Truth Social platform about his meeting with West, saying the two discussed politics “to a lesser extent” than business, and that West had asked Trump “for advice concerning some of his difficulties.”

The two “got along great,” Trump said, adding that he told the rapper “he should definitely not run for President” because “’any voters you may have should vote for TRUMP.’” AFP

Seasoned Hollywood cinematographer holds master class for GMA-7

By Angelica Villanueva

HAVE you ever wondered how films manage to draw feelings to their audience in each scene? While great acting and likable characters are a given for films to evoke emotions from their audience, another factor that makes a movie a great one is its cinematography.

In a recently-concluded workshop, GMA Network tapped seasoned Hollywood cinematographer Mark Irwin, CSC, ASC to mentor its techno-creative personnel on how to improve their practices in cinematography.

Started last November 14, the five-day seminar was attended by directors of photography and key technical staff from the network’s engineering, public affairs, news, entertainment, and post-production departments.

With more than a hundred films under his name, Irwin is known for his exceptional works such as Robocop 2, Scream, Old School, and Scary Movie 3. He is also a member of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) since 1970 and the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 1992.

Serving as his first training in the Philippines, despite his decades of experiences in the industry, Irwin willingly shared his knowledge such as the proper way of setting up the lighting, camera angles,

and even post-production techniques such as the right way of mixing color-grading.

“One of the things that I like about Mark Irwin is that he’s not secretive and he’s very much willing to share his knowledge,” said GMA Network Head of Studio and Remote Operations Jeffry Evangelista

“Even with his credentials, he’s still open to suggestions and to train people. There are also times when he encourages the participants to speak up, ask questions, and share their own insights on how they do things. Coming from the participants’ inputs, that’s where he would give suggestions on how to improve,” he added.

Moreover, Evangelista that the veteran cinematographer also praised the network’s staff in terms of being experts not just in their equipment and tools, but also in what they are doing.

“I could say one of the strong points that Mark Irwin noticed in our GMA participants is that they know what he is doing. Whenever he mentions specific equipment, where to put it, and the manner of set-up, the people already know what to do. They are also quick on their toes since they understand the flow. The relationship between the facilitator and the participants was built during the workshop, wherein the discussions and interactions were easy,” Evangelista added.

Irwin, in turn, shared how his approach was in films

and how it can help the network in producing more quality-wise TV series.

“Everyone has the skills and the experience and how to apply it. This is more of a filter class and your questions will be filtered through my experience back to you. I’m not this fountain of knowledge that just says, ‘there it is, take it or leave it.’ I want to apply what they need through what I can provide. So, the hard part for me is to know what people don’t know and fill in those blanks,” he said during the interview.

The workshop was made possible through the coordination of GMA Network’s Supply and Asset Management Department with Hollywood film equipment provider Birns & Sawyer.

“One thing that led me to pick him to bring here is that he has knowledge not just in films, but also in broadcast. So, I said, it’s a good fit and I think it’s

Ruffa, the “Mhie na may Laban” shares a success story on how she raised her two daughters, Lorin and Venice, and how she finished her college degree this year as a single mother.

Mariel, the “Mhie na may Diskarte”

reveals her fun life as a hands-on mom to her daughters and determination as an entrepreneur despite being a Senator’s wife.

On the other hand, Ciara, the “Mhie na may Hataw” shows her strength as a

single parent, discipline as a health and fitness advocate, and being a motivator and mentor as a pole-dancing teacher.

“Despite coming from different backgrounds and experiences, the three of us anchor on common ground as women

going to work. He’s traveled and he’s shot here in Asia, so he knows our conditions like the weather. We came here not to change anything, but to add confidence to them,” shared Birns & Sawyer CEO and Owner Mari Acevedo.

Sparkle artists Aidan Veneracion, John Clifford, Waynona Collings, Charlie Fleming, and Bryce Eusebio also graced the workshop and participated as the subjects of the workshop.

Joshua Bulot is the new lead vocalist of Lily

Ruffa is the ‘Mhie na may Laban’ because of she successfully raised two daughters and achieved her dreams despite being a single mother

Mariel Rodriguez is a hands-on mother to her children, earning the moniker ‘Mhie na may Diskarte’

Ciara Sotto is known as ‘Mhie na may Hataw,’ a single mother who advocates health and fitness

‘M.O.M.s – Mhies on a Mission’ hosts (from left) Mariel Rodriguez, Ruffa Gutierrez, and Ciara Sotto

Kanye West (left) with former US President Donald Trump

Mark Irwin with GMA participants

Undeniable charm in mountain living

ON A clear day, heralded by a spectacular sunrise, you look out over your spacious balcony and soak up the panoramic views of sweeping naturescapes under a cerulean sky. You step out and catch more views of the surrounding greens, providing tranquil ity at your every turn. All these are yours for the taking at Horizon Terraces Garden Villas’ newest and the last of its townhouse clusters – Scottsdale.

Living close to lush, soul-soothing nature views makes Horizon Terraces Garden Villas your beautiful alternative primary home. Here, the joys of living are everyday aspirations found in nature’s bounty, enveloped by the beauty of Taal Lake shimmering on the horizon.

There is much to covet about waking up to a generous dose of mountain views – from the mystical Mt. Makiling in the distance to the Highlands’ own peaks. Accustomed to

the polluted air in the city, you are jolted by the bracingly clean and fresh mountain air, instantly revitalized by it.

Comprised of select, well-appointed three-bedroom townhomes ranging from 140 to 172 square meters, Scottsdale is ideal for close-knit families. Each townhouse unit comes with a ground-floor den, a multi functional space convertible into a separate bedroom for extended family members and friends. The second floor is a common area that serves as a convergence point for fam ily and friends to come together and appre ciate nature’s view – a unique home living feature at Scottsdale – unlike other homes where such areas are typically located on the ground floor. Upper levels, on the oth er hand, are for owners to enjoy their own private space. Located at the highest point within Horizon Terraces, Scottsdale affords

one views of stunning sceneries enjoyed from its balconies and terraces.

Perched at the heart of this enclave is the Central Garden, an expansive hectare of recreational and open garden space ex clusively for residents of Horizon Terraces. They can relax or do stretches at the Garden Courtyard with Sundial, or let their children frolic and play at the Sensory Garden. At any time of the day, seniors may spend quiet moments at the Pocket Gardens, while those so inclined may take dips in the Central Garden’s resort-inspired pools.

Horizon Terraces Garden Villas is also close to the Midlands Golf Course that of fers myriad challenges for resident golfers, and unobstructed vistas of Taal Lake and Mt. Makiling.

Allowing for a dynamic and well-rounded lifestyle, homeownership at Horizon Terraces

Garden Villas also comes with membership at The Country Club, and access to top-notch sports and leisure facilities. Casual and finedining restaurants are within reach for fami lies who like bonding over food and drinks.

For the convenience of Garden Villas residents and homeowners, the surround ing locale of Tagaytay City is likewise just a quick driving distance away. Essential ser vices and support facilities abound, such as hospitals, schools, shopping areas, industri al and technological parks, churches, banks, and gasoline stations.

Discerning families who are looking for an alternative primary home, a sanctuary they can retreat to less than two hours from the metro, will do well to check out Scotts dale, a Garden Villa of Horizon Terraces. They, along with investors who want to turn their wealth into real assets, will be happy to know that flexible payment terms are available, bringing individuals and families a step closer to an idyllic lifestyle in safer and healthier environs.

As Tagaytay Highlands adapts to new norms, it encourages prospective home buyers to avail of a 360° Virtual Walkthrough of its Horizon Terraces Garden Villas model unit, a contactless solution for aiding customers on their property-prospecting journey. With just a few clicks of the mouse, this immersive virtual tour allows one to check out all rooms

and living spaces in the model home as if they were actually standing there.

Complementing the 360° Virtual Walk through is the Virtual Tour Guide, which provides personalized service through an experiential journey featuring the exclusive lifestyle lived at a Garden Villas home. Take this virtual tour guide via Tagaytay High lands’ official YouTube channel at Glendale Model Unit Walk Through AVP - YouTube.

Because Tagaytay Highlands is commit ted to providing safe and secure facilities for all its members, residents, guests, and staff, it has been awarded the Safety Seal of the City Government of Tagaytay.

Likewise, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development has named Tagaytay Highlands’ developer Highlands Prime, Inc., a subsidiary of SM Prime Holdings, as one of CALABAR ZON’s 2021 Outstanding Developers for Open Market Projects.

All facilities and personnel of the High lands ensure strict adherence to sanitation procedures and safety protocols, including disinfection, hand sanitation, wearing of face masks, and social distancing.

Finally, Property Management will re main efficient in its compliance with health and safety precautionary measures and in its delivery of quick crisis response during adverse natural and high-risk events.

All dressed up for the holidays

YOU know that the Christmas Season is at hand not only because singer-composer Jose Mari Chan makes his presence felt through his memes and songs, but also because all the hotels in the metro put up their respective Christmas Tree Lighting ceremonies. The past week has been a busy one because of these glittering events.

Century Park Hotel

Dr. Lucio Tan and his family, owners of the hotel, officiated in the lighting of its Christmas tree, which showcased “A Boun tiful Christmas” theme. The stunning 25 ft. tree at the Atrium Lounge has the warm colors of bronze, copper, tangerine, gold, and green. The earthy palette is symbolic of lasting hope and positivity amidst the on going pandemic.

General Manager Anthony Tan de clared, “After a two-year hiatus, we are glad to see old and new friends alike and share the joy of the season with them for giving us the privilege of serving them with our own unique brand of Filipino hospitality in spite of the unusual times. We thrived because of their trust and confidence.”

Incidentally, the hotel also launched its line of Christmas hampers with an array of pastries, delicatessen, and wines which would be perfect gifts for the Holidays. They are available through 0917 528 8888.

seko in Japan which is set to open in 2025. The chain’s portfolio also includes hotels in The Fort, another one in Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Cebu, and Li bis, Quezon City.

Joy Nostalg Hotel and Suites Manila

This five-star serviced residence at the Ortigas Business District is now “All Aglow” as the twinkling lights and jingling bells on their Christmas Tree were switched on by a bevy of important personalities, led by its General Manager Odette Huang

The Joy Nostalg Hotel and Suites Manila mounted this meaningful kick-off event for Christmas to celebrate the time-honored Fili pino family traditions we all love. The hotel’s grand Christmas tree is decked with locally sourced design materials like banig, rattan, and elegant capiz shells. It was an evening of smiles and cheers as guests were serenaded by the Ateneo Chamber Singers and served Filipino Noche Buena culinary specialties. What makes this Christmas more meaning ful for the hotel management are the handcraft ed parols being sold in the lobby, as its proceeds will be given to the families of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) at the San Juan City Jail.

Joy Nostalg Hotel and Suites also offers holiday gift baskets from local shops and arti sans on the hotel’s recently launched E-Shop website. It is their way of supporting the small and medium enterprises in their com munity. More information on these offerings is available at www.joynostalgmanila.com

Conrad Manila

The hotel’s “Season of Splendor” got off to a glittering start when government and society stalwarts, all dressed to the nines, trooped to the upper lobby of Conrad Ma nila to be a part of the hotel’s “Christmas In Our Hearts” Tree-Lighting ceremony. Making the occasion even more significant was the mini-concert of the Young Voices of the Philippines, which dished out popular Christmas melodies, much to the delight of the crowd.

Musical accompaniment came from another group of young boys and girls, the Philippine Youth Symphonic Band Switching on the dazzling Christmas tree made of handcrafted crystals, and standing tall in a nook on the hotel’s third floor lobby were: SM Hotels and Conventions Corp (SM HCC)

SMHCC

Hotel 101

The fastest-growing hotel chain in the country staged its own Christmas Tree Light ing ceremony led by the amiable and attrac tive Group General Manager Gel Gomez The cute tree banners this year’s theme of being “Green and Sustainable,” with all or naments made of indigenous materials that proudly showcase everything Filipino.

During the ceremony, Gomez also gave out awards to Green Champions: Pasay City Mayor Imelda Rubiano, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, Japanese Ambassador Ko shikawa Kazuhiko, Philippine Coast Guard

Commandant Admiral Artemio Manalo Abu, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Tourism Promotions Board COO Ma. Mar garita Nograles, Cebu Pacific Chief Strategy Officer Alex Reyes, TV celebrity Gretchen Ho, Carousel Productions’ Executive VicePresident Lorraine Schuck, and DeWaste So lutions Founder Juvien Galano

Aside from Hotel 101–Ma nila, the chain also includes Jin jiang Inn–Ortigas, Jinjiang Inn–Makati, Jinjiang Inn–Boracay, and Injap Tower Hotel in Iloilo. Currently being constructed is the first international Filipino Hotel Brand, the Hotel 101–Ni

Taal Vista Hotel

The giant Christmas Tree in the hotel’s well-manicured garden was all set to be lit but the threat of rain made the hotel Manage ment decide last minute to gather the guests, instead, at the hotel lobby and witness the si multaneous lighting of the dazzling 10-foot tree at the lobby, as well as the giant tree at the garden, which guests could easily see through the lobby’s glass wall.

Taal Vista Hotel’s “Season of Lights” started with this event, officiated by SM Hotels and Convention Corp. (SMHCC) President Elizabeth Sy, SMHCC Execu tive Vice-President Peggy Angeles, DOT Region 4-A Director Marites Castro, and General Manager Ramon Makilan The hotel also presented its Christmas donation to the children under the auspices of the Au gustinian Sisters of Jesus and Mary.

After the activities at the lobby, guests were ushered into the ballroom for a sumptuous six-course dinner with wine pairings for every course, courtesy of Don Revy. Musical enter tainment was provided by the De La SalleDasmariñas Choir and by an attractive pair of sopranos who call themselves The Nightingales It was definitely a great way to usher in the Season of Merriment which we finally can celebrate with our loved ones…

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Cebu Pacific conducts travel familiarization for Autism Society PH

IN CELEBRATION of World Children’s Day, Cebu Pacific partnered with the Au tism Society Philippines (ASP) for a pro ject that aims to familiarize persons with autism and their families with air travel.

The activity, called “Autism Angels Take Flight,” was conducted alongside sensitivity training for some Cebu Pacific employees so they may have a better un derstanding of the needs of families trave ling with a person with autism.

“Cebu Pacific believes in inclusiv ity, diversity, and equality that is why we support the ASP. This is also in sync with the 2022 World Children’s Day theme “Choose Kind” which aims to raise awareness that kindness matters to eve ryone,” said Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific Vice President for Marketing and Cus tomer Experience.

Children on the spectrum normally face challenges when taking a plane ride. It takes a lot of preparation since any changes in routine, unfamiliar sur roundings, hypersensitivity to noise, bright lights, and large crowds can be

overwhelming for these children, causing sensory overload that can trigger uncon trollable meltdowns.

“Over the ASP’s 33-year history, one of the things that we had to contend with is the fact that persons on the autism spec trum often have problems with access to transportation. It is very important for them to receive sensitivity exposure to air travel, including the process of go ing through an airport. The opportunity to ride an aircraft before the actual trip allows them to gain familiarity with a unique environment. We are very happy that we have partners like Cebu Pacific who have been very welcoming and very accommodating,” said Mona Magno –Veluz, ASP National President.

More than 50 Persons with Autism (PWA) from different Metro Manila ASP chapters and their families joined the activi ty. For the event, a mock airport with checkin area and boarding gate counter was set up for the group. Then, they were led to the Cebu Pacific plane for an inflight tour, short orientation, and fun games.

Nickie

President Elilzabeth Sy,

Ex ecutive Vice-President Peggy Angeles, Pasay Congressman Antonino Calixto, SM Prime Director Hans Sy, and Conrad Manila Gen eral Manager Fabio Berto. This was followed by cocktails at the adjoining C Lounge.

Artist’s perspective of Scottsdale – a completing cluster of garden villas located at the highest point within Horizon Terraces

Each townhouse at Scottsdale features a multifunctional groundfloor den

Scottsdale’s flexible living spaces can be customized to serve different functions to suit one’s interests, lifestyle, and evolving life stages

face to face!

The Cebu Pacific flight cabin crew and captain with persons with autism and their families

Lucio Tan and family leading the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at the Century Park Hotel

Hotel 101’s cute Christmas tree promotes sustainability during the holiday season

Taal Vista executives during the Christmas lighting event

The hotel’s grand Christmas tree is decked with locally sourced design materials like banig, rattan, and elegant capiz shells

Conrad Manila’s dazzling Christmas tree made of handcrafted crystals