Manila Standard - 2022 December 8 - Thursday

SSS, GSIS out of wealth fund

House cuts out state pension agencies’ share of P175b from MIF

By Maricel V. Cruz and Vince Lopez

SPEAKER Martin G. Romualdez and other leaders of the House of Representatives on Wednesday decided to remove the Social Security System (SSS) and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) as contributors to the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF).

Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo, a co-author of Romualdez of the MIF bill, said lawmakers made the decision to cut out P175 billion in proposed contributions

from the state welfare funds after meeting with the administration’s economic man agers, who drafted the measure.

PBBM vows to use public money wisely for people’s benefit

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednes day assured the public that his government would use public money wisely, saying this is his policy.

In a statement, Malacañang said taxpayers’ money will be used on projects that will benefit the Filipino people, just as the Bangko Sentral

ng Pilipinas presented new notes and coin series bearing Mr. Marcos’ signature.

“Be assured that it is the policy of this admin istration, to ensure that every peso and every cen tavo that the government spends in its programs and projects will be to the benefit of all Filipi

Jobless rate at

By Julito G. Rada, Vince Lopez, Macon Ramos-Araneta, and Maricel V. Cruz

THE country’s labor market bounced back to its pre-pandemic level, as the unemployment rate dropped to 4.5 per cent in October from 7.4 percent a year ago, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Wednesday.

It was the lowest jobless rate recorded for all October rounds since 2019, the

PSA said. It also eased from 5 percent in September.

“In October 2022, the country’s unem ployment rate also fell back to pre-pan demic levels at 4.5 percent, translating into 2.24 million unemployed Filipinos. This is a decline of 1.26 million from the 3.50 million unemployed reported in October 2021, and lower by 256,000 compared to the 2.50 million unemployed in September 2022,” national statistician

SolGen justifies NCAP of LGUs

USING vehicles on public roads is “noth ing more than a privilege” that can be subject to regulation, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra has said in justify ing the “no physical contact apprehension policy” (NCAP) of some local govern ment units (LGUs) in Metro Manila.

Guevarra defended before the Su preme Court the ordinances of Valen

zuela, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Quezon City, and Manila, which allowed traffic enforcers to apprehend traffic violators through using closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and impose fines based on the captured images.

Three groups of petitioners chal lenged these measures before the High

nos,” the President said. “So, I convey my full support to all our BSP of ficials and their employees. I also have complete confidence in your capability, competence, and integrity,” he added.

National budget set to be signed into law Dec. 15

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to sign the proposed P5.268trillion national budget for 2023 into law by December 15, Speaker Martin Romualdez said Wednesday.

“We have ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee Report on the national budget, which should be ready for signing... for the signature of the President after he returns from his trip to Brussels [in Belgium],” Romualdez told reporters.

“We acted on it with dispatch. We have done our jobs, and we are of hope that this will help in our country’s suc cess and the President’s agenda of pros perity for all,” he added.

Marcos will be in Brussels from De cember 11 to 15 for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Eu ropean Union Summit.

Congress on Monday ratified the proposed P5.268-trillion national budg et for 2023 after it was approved by the bicameral conference committee in the morning.

The bicam panel also restored the P150 million in confidential funds of the Department of Education (DepEd), which was cut by P120 million in the

DRUGPEDDLING AGENTS?

In

PDEA official, agents nabbed in drug buy-bust

allegedly

By Rio N. Araja

By Joel E. Zurbano and Rio N. Araja

THE Southern Police District an nounced Wednesday the arrest of the chief of the Philippine Drug Enforce ment Agency - Southern District Office

(PDEA-SDO) and two PDEA agents in a buy-bust operation Tuesday night in Taguig City.

The suspects — PDEA-SDO chief Enrique Lucero and agents Anthony Vic Alabastro and Jaireh Llaguno — were

involved in selling drugs. Seized from the suspects were a total 1.3 kilos of shabu worth more than P9 million, four PDEA service firearms, a digital weighting scale, and the cash and

pre-pandemic level of 4.5% in Oct. from 7.4% year ago

this televi sion screen grab, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Southern District Office chief Enrique Lucero and agents Anthony Vic Alabastro and Jaireh Llaguno hide their faces after police arrest them for allegedly selling P1.3 million worth of shabu in their own PDEA office in Taguig City on Tuesday.

NEW MONEY. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. examines the new banknotes and coin series bearing his signature as presented to him by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe

Medalla (left) on Wednesday at Malacanang. Presidential Photo

FORCED OUT. Students of Manuel Araullo High School in Manila make a beeline out of their campus after shockwaves from an intensity 5.2 earthquake that jolted Camarines Norte on Wednesday reached Metro Manila. It even forced the Senate to halt their session – making Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senators Francis Tolentino, Loren Legarda, and Nancy Binay suffer the midday heat – and suspend their confirmation hearing for Science Secretary Renato Solidum (at left, center frame). Danny Pata and Lino Santos

Media frets over anti-fake news bill

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja

MEDIA groups on Tuesday said they were worried that an anti-fake news measure would stifle freedom of expression and valid political views.

They offered this view during a Sen ate hearing on Senate Bill 1296, filed by Senator Jinggoy Estrada, that seeks to criminalize the spread of disinforma tion online.

Jonathan de Santos, chairman of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said although fake news is a problem, “it might be better ad dressed with better media and infor mation literacy.”

“We could also look at Senator [Raffy] Tulfo’s point in reaching plat forms to take down ‘yung disinforma tion and fake news, and also free WiFi and internet access,” he added.

De Santos said the possibility of jail time was a danger to free speech and freedom of expression.

The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas also expressed concern over the definitions used in the bill.

“It should not be too broad to include prohibition of valid political opinions,” said KBP general counsel and spokes man Rudolph Jularbal.

Jularbal said the KBP was concerned that the way the law was crafted might impede free speech and expression.

Senator Robinhood Padilla, on the other hand, said malicious disinforma tion should not go unpunished as it vio lates the rights of others.

Padilla, who chairs the Senate committee on public information and mass media, said the constitutional right to freedom of expression should never be abused.

“When we add malice in an attempt to destroy another person’s reputa

increased budget from the government that would meet their needs, she added.

tion, that is not right. That is violat ing the rights of a fellow person. And there should be a penalty for that,” said Padilla.

“Whether the penalty is civil or in another form, we should make sure we punish this wrong,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Hu man Rights (CHR) said it supported the passage of House Bill No. 454 or the Media Workers’ Welfare Act on its final reading at the House of Representatives.

The CHR said the provisions are in accordance with Article XIII, Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution which guaran tees workers’ rights to “security of tenure, humane conditions of work, and a living wage.”

Marcos invites LGUs to team up with nat’l govt

By Vince Lopez and Vito Barcelo

HIGHLIGHTING the importance of co operation between the national and local government units (LGUs), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. invited Wednes day the local government of the City of Manila and other LGUs to collaborate with his administration to address pre sent challenges confronting the nation.

Speaking during the courtesy call of Manila local officials in Malacañang, President Marcos said it was very important to him to work closely with the LGUs to tackle many problems such as the rising cost of living and other challenges.

and civil registrar general Dennis Mapa said in a briefing.

He said the employment rate in creased to 95.5 percent, the highest record since the start of the pandemic.

This translated into an employment level of 47.1 million in October, or 3.3 million higher than a year ago.

The labor force participation rate accelerated to 64.2 percent in October from 62.6 percent a year earlier, trans lating into an additional 2 million in dividuals entering the workforce.

Economic Planning Secretary Ar senio Balisacan said an upbeat labor market was sustained, leading toward a strong economic recovery from the impact of the pandemic.

“The country’s sustained recovery of the labor market backs our confidence that our policies and interventions to re invigorate our economy are working,” Balisacan said in a statement.

“Our move to finally open face-toface classes at full capacity has paved the way for us to immediately address the learning losses from the pandem ic—this is a precursor to a workforce that demonstrates competence and high productivity. Also, with children back in school, parents-at-home—es pecially mothers—are also able to pursue more income opportunities,” Balisacan said.

Most of the increase in employment came from the services and industry sectors, while the agriculture sector posted employment loss because of the tropical cyclones that entered the country in October.

The contraction in the sector was slightly moderated by fishing and aq uaculture, which recorded 34,000 ad ditional employments during the period.

The PSA said the underemployment rate also eased to 14.2 percent in Oc tober from 16.1 percent a year ago, or 371,000 fewer underemployed persons.

The number of invisibly underem ployed continued to increase as more seek to earn additional income amid the persistent rise in commodity prices.

“While the employment numbers have improved, we recognize that we need to expand efforts towards creat ing more and high-quality employ ment by improving workforce em ployability. We need to do this if we really want to pursue economic trans formation,” Balisacan said.

Balisacan said the government was committed to boosting the country’s dis aster resilience as the La Niña season was expected to persist until March 2023.

These include the effective implemen tation of emergency employment pro grams to minimize employment losses, leveraging technology that will improve knowledge-sharing and establishing preventive and responsive measures for disaster risk reduction and management across the country, he said.

Without the proposed P125-billion allocation from GSIS and P50 billion from SSS, the Maharlika Fund would get a P50-billion contribution from Land Bank of the Philippines, P25 bil lion from the Development Bank of the Philippines, and P25 billion from the National Treasury.

“Based on our assessment of the pro posed changes put forward by the eco nomic team, we are amending the bill to change the fund sources, removing GSIS and SSS as fund contributors and instead utilize profits of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,” Quimbo said in a press conference last night.

Upon the Speaker’s instructions, Quimbo said the changes would be introduced into the bill by the com mittee on appropriations in a meet ing on Friday.

“It is good that we made a series of consultations about the proposal; it val idated the misgivings of our country men, especially our industrious Filipino workers who give their contributions to the GSIS and SSS monthly,” she added.

Quimbo pointed out that the purpose of the proposed Philippine sovereign wealth fund “is to become an invest ment vehicle where existing surplus capital of the government can grow and reap benefits.”

The Marikina solon said any excess capital of the government would be put to good use in projects with high returns. The earnings from the Maha rlika investments would then go back to Filipinos, who would feel and see an

As the bill goes through the delibera tion and approval process, Quimbo said the House “will put in place safety nets to ensure the success of the project.”

“We should ensure that the law cre ating the Maharlika Fund will have the pertinent provisions that would secure the public’s funds,” Quimbo said.

Meanwhile, the proposed Maharlika Wealth Fund bill is likely to pass its sec ond reading before the end of the month, House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City Representative Manuel Jose “Man nix” Dalipe, one of the authors of House Bill 6398, said in a chance interview.

“We don’t have a definite timeline but my estimate, probably second reading by this December. Hanggang doon lang [That is all I can say],” Dalipe said.

The bill, which seeks to create a sovereign wealth fund sourced mainly from government institutions, was also authored by Speaker Romualdez of Leyte, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Mar cos, House accounts panel chairperson Rep. Yedda Romualdez, fellow Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, and Quim bo, the House appropriations panel sen ior vice chairperson.

Dalipe said he could not say if the House will approve the Maharlika Wealth Fund bill on third and final reading this year.

“In so far as the Committee of Rules is concerned, it will reach sec ond reading this December. There are no specific instructions from the Speaker,” he added.

Under House Rules, a measure ap proved on second reading can be ap proved on third reading after three

ratify next year’s capital outlay.

session days. Congress only holds ses sion days on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

In the event the bill is certified urgent by the President, Congress can pass the measure on second and third and final reading on the same session day.

Earlier, for the second day running, GSIS president and general manager Jose Arnulfo Veloso defended the MIF, saying it would bolster economic activ ity and provide funding for critical in frastructure projects.

The MIF has stirred concern from business groups that questioned the wisdom of using state pension funds, but Veloso again said there were enough safeguards to ensure transparency and accountability.

House Bill No. 6398 defines MIF as an independent fund that adheres to the principles of good governance, trans parency, and accountability.

The proposed measure states that the fund shall be used to invest on a strate gic and commercial basis in a manner designed to promote fiscal stability for economic development and strengthen the top-performing government finan cial institutions (GFIs) through addi tional investment platforms that will help attain the national government’s priority plans.

The Bureau of Treasury also said there are at least eight measures in place to ensure the integrity of the MIF.

“We support the calls to study the bill to ensure that risk management is in place,” National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon said. “Upon reading the bill, we note that there are already eight meas ures that will safeguard the integrity of the Fund.”

million confidential fund of the DepEd.

“And that’s why it is extremely im portant that the local government and the national government work very, very closely so that we maximize all our efforts to alleviate the problems that our people face – the rising cost of food, fuel,” the President said in his speech.

“Things are starting to even out, but we still have many problems to face,” he said.

There will be less wastage in re sources if there is better coordination between the national and local gov ernments, Mr. Marcos said, adding duplications could also be avoided.

And because of the scarcity of resourc es, the President called for more prudent use of government money and assets.

“We have to be very careful [on] how we deploy what resources that we have. And again, to maximize those resources we have to be in very close coordination, both the national gov ernment and local government such as the City of Manila,” the President said.

Mr. Marcos also urged the Central Bank and relevant agencies to ramp up its fight against illegal activities and work on bank reforms “to guaran tee that public interest remains at the heart of the government’s priorities.”

The financial system must be used to benefit Pinoys, he said, adding that this should be efficient and secure.

Aside from this, the President sought innovation and “smart solutions” that will help address Filipinos’ burden in their daily lives. Malacañang did not elaborate.

Senate version of next year’s national capital outlay.

Romualdez, who presided over the Mon day session at the House of Representatives, announced the bicam report as duly ratified after holding a voice vote. The affirmative votes won overwhelmingly.

The Senate ratified the same docu ment at past 7:30 p.m. during its own session in plenary, after Deputy Major ity Leader Joel Villanueva moved to

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri an nounced the budget’s ratification, which was opposed by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Assistant Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros.

Senate finance panel chairperson Juan Edgardo Angara made the an nouncement after the closing of the bicameral meeting held at the Manila Golf Club in Makati Monday morning.

“We have returned the money slashed by the Senate from some (government) agencies, but not those from other agen cies,” he said, specifically citing the P150

according to Guevarra, before the SC can entertain petitions filed before it.

In the Senate, Hontiveros had pro posed cutting the agency’s confidential funds and transferring it to the healthy learning institution program, a move her colleagues approved.

But she said: “Today, the 19th Con gress missed an opportunity to show its independence. We failed to demonstrate that we do hold the power of the purse.”

But Angara said the DepEd said they needed the budget and “we respected the wishes of the agency,” which is headed by Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio. Maricel V. Cruz

Mr. Marcos had urged his government to finally digitalize transactions nation wide, as the country plans to include more Filipinos in the financial system.

It would be “neglectful,” he said, if the country would not acknowledge the trend.

The President encouraged govern ment agencies and the Filipino people to innovate and come up with sustainable and smart solutions that will uplift lives and lessen the burden on the people.

The chief executive also rallied for unity to improve the safety and effi ciency of the Philippine financial sys tem and make it an instrument of pro gress, benefitting ordinary Filipinos.

Vince Lopez

Court, claiming, among others, viola tions of their constitutional rights to due process and privacy.

The SolGen questioned whether they could even bring their petition before the SC in the first place in the absence of a right or of a clear actual or threatened injury of that right -- a key requirement,

the Marcos administration’s renewed anti-narcotics campaign dubbed “BIDA” or Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan program.

Citing the 2015 SC case of MMDA vs. Garin, he said there can be no viola tion of a right that does not exist.

The oral argument on the petitions will continue on January 24, 2023.

The OSG also assured motorists that the enforcement of the NCAP will not violate their privacy rights under Republic Act 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

Disputing the petitions filed by sev

eral transport groups and lawyer Ju man Pa assailing the constitutionality of NCAP, Guevarra stressed that while NCAP cameras capture vehicle images that violate traffic rules and regulations, these cameras are neither designed nor capable of obtaining facial recognition of the drivers.

“This fact attenuates and weakens peti tioners’ claim of violation of their right to privacy,” the chief state lawyer stressed.

According to Guevarra, in assessing

the volcano that drifted southwest, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

any claim of violation of privacy rights by the State, the Court has always examined whether the person claiming violation of such right has shown reasonable expecta tion of privacy and, if so, whether the ex pectation has been violated by unreason able government intrusion.

In this case, Guevarra argued that the petitioners failed to establish an expec tation of privacy while exercising the privilege of openly using vehicles in public roads. Rey E. Requejo

boodle money used in the operation.

Prior to the arrest, a police officer acted as a buyer and was able to transact with the suspects.

SPD director Brig. Gen. Kirby Kraft said Lucero and his men, along with driver Mark Warren Mallo, were arrest ed at their office at Bonifacio Street in Barangay Upper Bicutan around 9 p.m.

The four are now in the custody of the National Capital Region Police Office and will be charged with criminal of fenses in relation to the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act before the Taguig City Prosecutors Office.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government commended the composite team of policemen who conducted the operation in line with

Meanwhile, PDEA stressed the im portance of cooperation among all law enforcement agencies to ensure the suc cessful implementation of the national anti-drug campaign.

PDEA and the PNP agreed to strength en their collaborative efforts to deal de cisive and crippling blows against wellorganized local and international drug syndicates, including going after scala wags in drug law enforcement.

According to PDEA, as a testimony to the strong partnership between the agency and the PNP, a buy-bust opera tion was conducted recently by local police that led to the arrest of PDEA op eratives inside the PDEA Southern Dis trict Office along A. Bonifacio Street, Barangay Upper Bicutan, Taguig City.

The earthquake occurred as the na tional government was continuing to carry out initiatives to protect pub lic buildings against earthquakes in Metro Manila, where 13 million of the 114 million population live, Climate Change Commission executive direc tor Robert Borje said.

Meanwhile, a small phreatomag matic burst was recorded in Taal Volcano, which lasted for a minute, according to state monitoring of the volcano from 5 a.m. on Tuesday to 5 a .m. on Wednesday.

Taal Volcano remained at Alert Level 1, which means there is a lowlevel unrest.

A weak emission of plumes reaching up to 600 meters tall was observed over

The PNR said in an advisory all PNR trips were suspended tempo rarily and advised commuters to and from the Bicol Region to check its official Facebook page for addi tional updates regarding train trips and schedule.

Meanwhile, Phivolcs said the quake, of tectonic origin meaning it was caused by the movement of the earth’s crust, occurred at 1:05 p.m. at a depth of one kilometer.

Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. of the Department of Science and Technol ogy was at the Senate for his confir mation hearing with the Commission on Appointments at the time when the tremor happened.

Intensity 5, characterized by strong shaking, was felt in Mercedes and Jose

Panganiban in Camarines Norte, while intensity 4 or moderately strong shak ing was experienced in Daet, Cama rines Norte, and Guinayangan and Po lillo in Quezon.

Intensity 3 or weak shaking was also recorded in Ragay, Pili and Iriga City in Camarines Sur, and Mauban, Lopez, Mulanay, Alabat and Gumaca in Quezon.

Several parts in Metro Manila felt intensity 2 or slightly felt shaking, such as in Quezon City, Marikina City and Pasig City, and in Tabaco, Albay; Dingalan, Aurora; Batangas City, Batangas; Calumpit; Plaridel, Pulilan, Marilao and San Ildefonso, Bulacan; Sagnay, Camarines Sur; Carmona, Cavite; Gapan City, Nueva Ecija; Pina malayan, Oriental Mindoro; Guagua, Pampanga; Infanta, Pangasinan; Do lores, Infanta and Calauag, Quezon, and Taytay and Tanay, Rizal.

By Vito Barcelo

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) con fiscated more than P20 million worth of carrots and onions at the Port of Subic in its continuing crackdown against smug gled agricultural products.

BOC Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz said the seized agricultural prod ucts came from China and were mis declared as other products, suggesting that the items were part of smuggling activities.

Ruzi immediately ordered a thorough investigation in coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA), where the BOC and DA inspected shipments and found the smuggled goods

Port of Subic District Collector Maritess Martin issued Alert Orders against the shipments of Veneta Con sumer Goods Trading and Lalavy Ag

DOJ asserts jurisdiction over probe on Bantag case, twits Ombudsman

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday asserted that it is the agency--and not the Office of the Ombudsman--that has jurisdiction to investigate the two murder complaints filed against suspended Bureau of Corrections Director General Gerald Q. Bantag.

DOJ Assistant Secretary and spokes person Jose Dominic Clavano IV stressed that “in cases where the crime or the violation is in relation to his of fice that is when we can say it is purely or it will fall under the primary juris

Hontiveros:

SENATOR Risa Hontiveros renewed her call to the government to consider granting workers’ demands for pay adjustments and to devise appropriate measures to contain inflation.

Hontiveros said low wages and high prices are causing many Filipinos to be “buried into poverty.”

Reports said the country’s inflation surged to 8% in November, surpassing the 14-year high of 7.7% recorded in October.

She hopes that the government will heed the call of workers especially with the coming Christmas.

Hontiveros supports the call for wage hikes as contained in the 5-Point Labor Agenda being pushed by the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition and United Labor and has committed to work for reforms in the wage fixing mecha nisms at the Senate.

She said that the proposed increase is justified because, in addition to inflation, productivity-based wage adjustments have never been granted

DFA chief asks UN to review maritime law amid disputes

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has called on the United Nations to review the implementation and the provision of the United Nations Conven tion on the Law of the Sea due to new challenges and threats to maritime secu rity four decades since its adoption by the world body.

In his speech before maritime forums in Manila before delegates of the Asso ciation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASE AN), Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo stressed that “geopolitical rival ries are simmering, transnational crime has intensified, and the effects of climate change are present and irreversible.”

Manalo urged the neighboring coun tries to review the law, which must govern the marine scientific research, navigational rights through straits, ex ploitation of seabed resources and ma rine environmental protection.

“It is timely for us, four decades on, to look back and take stock of this land mark document and examine whether it has served its intended purpose in this vast array of areas,” Manalo said on Tuesday night.

“It is often said that the UNCLOS is a ‘constitution of the oceans.’ The heft of this description should not be lost on us, 40 years onward,” he added.

Rey E. Requejo

diction of the Ombudsman.”

Clavano said the Ombudsman han dles cases that “fall within the exclu sive jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan or cases that have a lot to do with cor ruption, graft, direct bribery, indirect

bribery, malversation, those violations of the code of ethics of government em ployees and similar offenses.”

In an interview over CNN Philip pines, the DOJ official explained that the murder cases filed against Bantag are not “in relation” to his office.

“But it’s a murder case (the case filed against Bantag). It’s not in relation to his office,” Clavano said, arguing that the cases filed against Bantag before the DOJ “fall(s) within the jurisdiction of the regular courts.”

Clavano’s statement was issued in reaction to a motion filed by Bantag, through his lawyer Rocky Balisong, seeking the inhibition of the DOJ’s pan el of prosecutors in the investigation of

the two murder complaints.

Bantag also claimed that it is the Om budsman and not the DOJ that has jurisdic tion over the complaints filed against him.

With Bantag’s motion, the DOJ’s panel of prosecutors suspended its pre liminary investigation to resolve first the motion for inhibition.

Clavano said the murder complaints against Bantag “are well within the exper tise and competency of the National Pros ecution Service to handle and to resolve.”

Bantag was charged as “principal by inducement” in the killings of radio com mentator Percival “Percy Lapid” C. Maba sa and Cristito Villamor Palana, an inmate who was alleged as the “middleman” in the slaying of the broadcaster last Oct. 3.

gregates Trading.

The examination revealed that the shipment of Veneta Consumer Goods Trading were declared as assorted food stuffs but contained frozen carrots.

The other shipments consigned to Lalavy Aggregates Trading, declared as frozen lobster balls and crabsticks, were found to contain fresh red and white on ions.

The operation came amid the continu ous rise in the price of onions and other agriculture products.

Last year, local farmers were forced to throw away thousands of pesos worth of carrots, tomatoes and other agricul tural products due to the abundant sup ply of imported products.

Earlier, the BOC and the Department of Agriculture (DA) said they have foiled attempts to smuggle into the country on ions estimated at P30 million.

CA panel gives nod to DOE, DICT, DOST executives

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE Commission on Appointments (CA) confirmed the ad interim ap pointments of Department of Energy (DOE) Sec. Raphael Lotilla, Depart ment of Science and Technology (DOST) Sec. Renato Solidum, and Department of Information and Com munication Technology (DICT) Sec. Ivan John Uy.

The CA, however, deferred the con firmation of Department of Transpor tation (DOTr) Sec. Jaime Bautista.

The CA also confirmed the interim appointments of 13 ambassadorial positions. It also gave its nod to the appointment of other Department of Foreign Affairs officials.

After three hearings, Lotilla finally got the nod of the members of the CA. During the third and last hearing, the CA panel asked Lotilla’s commit ment to review some of the existing policies at the energy department.

“Most minimum wages are set around the poverty line, but it is undis puted that labor productivity has been going up while real wages have been at the same level for decades now. As production technology is improved, our workers have to work more,” Hon tiveros said.

The labor sector, she argued, must not be made to carry the burden of bat tling economic crises everywhere.

She noted that other than wage hikes, the government must find methods to prevent further erosion of the purchasing power of Filipinos by regulating the high inflation rate on basic household expenditures such as food and utilities such as electricity and water.

Instead of focusing on the Mahar lika Fund which can reduce the funds of SSS and GSIS workers, she said it is more important to recoup what the people lost. Macon Ramos-Araneta

According

Among the commitments made by Lotilla is to review the opera tion of the wholesale electricity spot market (WESM). He commit ted to striving hard to reduce the cost of electricity and vowed to fix the structural reforms in the of fices under the DOE.

He also vowed to remain independ ent although he was a former official of Aboitiz , an electric service com pany.

CA members also requested Lotilla to inquire into the policy in choosing the president of electric cooperatives. Sen. JV Ejercito questioned Lo tilla about his plans to address global warming. Lotilla guaranteed that the country’s commitment targetting to use renewable energy continues.

He related that in 2030, the DOE’s target is to use 35% renewable energy in the country’s energy mix. He said the DOE hopes to increase the use of renewable energy to 50% in 2040 which is the direction of the country toward a cleaner energy.

ency

“With

By

Rio N. Araja

THE Department of Agrarian Re form (DAR) has distributed 1,663 certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) in a 2,653-hectare agricul tural land to 1,582 farmer-beneficiar ies to help them uplift their lives in the Zamboanga peninsula.

DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III, together with other government of ficials, recently spearheaded the issu ance of CLOAs and distribution of P8.6 million in support services in Zam boanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte.

DAR would continuously visit various far-flung communities to see the situations of the agrarian reform beneficiaries and their conditions and help in the stand of President Ferdinand

Marcos Jr. to fight poverty in the countryside.

“After we assess the situations of the farmers, we will provide them with the necessary support they need in order to improve their living conditions,” the DAR chief said.

He specifically distributed land ti tles in Zamboanga Sibugay with 819 CLOAs covering 1,373 hectares of land to 764 beneficiaries, Zamboanga del Sur with 441 CLOAs covering 628 hec tares to 441 beneficiaries and Zam boanga del Norte with 403 CLOAs covering an area of 652 hectares to 377 beneficiaries.

“We will continue to help the agrar ian reform beneficiaries by providing them with various support services and we will not stop bringing the govern ment closer to the people,” he said.

BOC seizes more than P20M worth of smuggled carrots, onions

Many Filipinos ‘buried into poverty’ due to inflation, low wages

by Regional Tripartite Wages and Pro ductivity Boards.

THE Department of Budget and Manage ment (DBM) has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with three authorized government servicing banks for the imple mentation of its online release of Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) system.

to the agreement, upon digital release of the NCAs from the DBM, the Land Bank, DBP, and Philippine Veterans’ Bank shall credit the respective Modified Disburse ment Scheme (MDS) sub-accounts and make funds available to concerned agencies.

DBM Secretary Amenah F. Panganda man stressed that the MOA signing is proof of the government’s continued thrust to ward achieving bureaucratic efficiency.

transportation expenses for physical claim ing of documents by agency representa tives,” the official said.

The online release of the NCAs will be carried out through the DBM’s Action Document Releasing System (ADRS). The ADRS is a web-based application that facil itates the release of approved DBM action documents in digital format directly to the authorized users of recipient agencies.

the institutionalization of the on line release of the NCAs, greater transpar

and efficiency are fostered because of the elimination of unnecessary steps and paper wastage in physically signing, rout ing, and photocopying of Action Docu ments,” DBM Information and Technology Group Undersecretary Maria Francesca del Rosario said.

The MOA was signed between the DBM and three authorized government servicing banks, namely, Land Bank of the Philip pines, Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), and Philippine Veterans Bank.

SMUGGLED ONIONS. Bureau of Customs (BOC) agents in the Port of Subic (POS), in coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA), intercept container shipments of agricultural products believed to be smuggled. BOC photos

‘NO’ TO MAHARLIKA FUND. Members of the militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), trooped to the House of Representatives to urge lawmakers to junk the Maharlika Wealth Fund (MWF). The MWF aims to use SSS and GSIS pension funds, as well as other sources. Manny Palmero

ECO-FRIENDLY LANTERN. Members of an environmental group urge students, teachers, and parents of General Roxas Elementary School Quezon City to ban toxic materials and use eco-friendly lanterns instead. Manny Palmero

Justice sought for 3 slain students in Sultan Kudarat

By Nash Maulana

TWO former congressmen have de manded justice for the killing of three criminology students in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat last Friday.

Former House Deputy Speaker Ali Pangalian Balindong and ex-Lanao del Sur Rep. Mauyag Balt Papandayan Jr. both called on high police authorities to order a thorough investigation of the incident.

Balindong said one of the three slain students, Samanoden Mustapha Ali, 19, was raised by a family of Maranao trad ers who settled in Lambayong, The vic tim was a grandson of his former aide.

Meanwhile, lawyer Ronald Halid Dimacisil Torres said his group of Muslim lawyers will collaborate with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for a parallel inquiry, Torres said the NBI agents will be assisted by Atty. Badrodin Mangindra.

Balindong, Speaker of the Bangsam oro Parliament, urged authorities for a deeper investigation of the crime as there appeared to be procedural lapses in the local police’s report of the killings.

The two Maranao leaders urged Philippine National Police (PNP) higher commands to help check earlier reports by the Lambayong police sta tion that a shootout took place between the policemen and the victims who were first-year criminology students.

According to the Lambayong police report, the policemen chased the stu dents Samanoden Mustapha Ali, 19, and his schoolmates, Horton Ansa Jr. and Anshad Ansa, 20, who were riding a motorcycle, until the boys stumbled and bumped on a tree along a dimly lit interior road.

Balindong, himself a lawyer, said the probers should scrutinize the police report, and as to why it did not involve a scene of the crime operatives’ (SOCO) participation, as alleged by the policeman-father of one of the victims.

House

Speaker swears in Lagman as new governor of Albay

By Maricel V. Cruz

SPEAKER Martin Romualdez on Wednesday

administered the oath of office to replacement Albay Gov. Edcel Greco Lagman.

Lagman was elected vice governor of the province in last year’s elections. However, he assumed the position re cently after the Commission on Elec tions (Comelec) disqualified elected Gov. Noel Rosal.

“Congratulations on your new re sponsibility as governor of the province of Albay,” Romualdez told Lagman af ter the simple oath-taking rites held at

the Speaker’s Office in the House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon.

“I am confident that you will serve your constituents to the best of your ability and accord the highest priority for their welfare,” the Speaker added.

Lagman was accompanied by his fa ther, Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lag man, who held the post multiple times since 1987.

Also with them to witness the event were Ako Bicol party-list Reps. Elizaldy Co, chairman of the Committee on Ap propriations, and Raul Angelo Bong alon, as well as former congressman Alfredo Garbin who had represented the same party list in the chamber.

Meanwhile, Rosal filed a petition ask ing the Supreme Court to stop the Com mission on Elections (Comelec) from implementing an en banc resolution dis

qualifying him as the duly elected gov ernor of the province.

Rosal’s petition for certiorari includ ed a plea for the issuance of a temporary restraining order and writ of preliminary injunction by the High Court against the poll body.

Rosal is contesting the move by the Comelec en banc which affirmed an earlier resolution by the poll body’s First Division disqualifying him from running for the position of governor in the May 2022 elections based on a com plaint filed by a certain Joseph Armo gila.

In his petition, Rosal alleged that the Comelec had deprived him of his “con stitutional right to due process” after the poll body denied his motion to reset “hearing on the preliminary conference despite justifiable grounds.”

3 PCPs win cash prizes for being children-friendly

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Makati City government has recog nized and awarded cash prizes to 10 ba rangays and three police community pre cincts (PCP) in the city for being “most child-friendly.”

“Congratulations to all the barangays and PCPs who were vetted as most childfriendly this year. Because of your hard work and dedication, Makati continues to be a safe place for children. We are truly grateful to have you as our trustworthy partners in building safe communities for young Makatizens to thrive and achieve their full potential,” said Mayor Abigail Binay.

The winners were recognized in last Tuesday’s ceremony held at City Hall attended by key city officials, including Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo, First District Rep. Romulo Peña, Second Dis trict Rep. Luis Campos, city councilors, barangay captains and PCP commanders.

Binay said the barangays which gar nered five stars each won P500,000 cash prize and a seal, while P250,000 cash prize and a seal were awarded to each ba rangay with a four-star rating. Barangays rated three stars each got P100,000 and a seal.

Barangays San Isidro and Bel-air re ceived five stars, while Southside, East Rembo and Pio del Pilar received four stars. Three stars were given to Pobla cion, San Lorenzo, Pembo, West Rembo and Guadalupe Viejo.

In the PCP category, the prizes were P350,000 cash prize and a seal for a fivestar rating, P200,000 cash prize and a seal for four stars, and P150,000 and a seal for three stars.

Police substations of Guadalupe, Pala nan and Bangkal received five, four, and three stars, respectively.

The Search for the Most Child Friend ly Barangay is conducted annually, with all 33 barangays automatically consid ered as contestants. They are grouped into five categories based on their simi larities, such as income, population, and presence/absence of elementary and high schools.

Drug tests give P’que officials negative results

PARAÑAQUE City Mayor Eric Oli varez on Wednesday announced that all 81 heads of departments and of fices of the city government who un derwent random drug testing late last month turned in negative results.

A COMMITTEE of the House of Rep resentatives has adopted a concurrent legislative resolution that calls for the convening of Congress and the Bangsamoro Parliament Forum.

The Committee on Local Govern ment chaired by Valenzuela City Rep. Rex Gatchalian adopted House Con current Resolution (HCR) 3 which calls for the immediate formation and convening of the Congress and Bangsamoro Parliament Forum, as mandated by Republic Act 11054, also known as the “Bangsamoro Organic Law.”

In his opening statement, Lanao del Sur Rep. Yasser Alonto Balindong said the HCR 3 was filed to enable the Bangsamoro Parliament to cooperate and coordinate its legislative initiatives with the Congress through a forum.

The concurrent resolution was coauthored by Lanao del Sur Rep. ZiaurRahman Alonto Adiong.

The Office of the Presidential Ad viser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., manifested his support for the measure.

The panel also approved with amendments House Bill 4749, seeking to provide proper delegation of legis lative powers by conferring jurisdic tion and the means of removing erring Sangguniang Kabataan officials.

Authored by Gatchalian, the bill would amend Section 21 of Republic Act 10742 or the “Sangguniang Ka bataan Reform Act of 2015.” Gatch alian said in his explanatory note that the said law did not grant any court, office, or tribunal jurisdiction over the removal of any Pederasyon officer.

It simply delegated authority to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Department of the Interior and Lo cal Government (DILG), and the Na tional Youth Commission (NYC) to is sue guidelines governing the removal of officers.

The panel made changes to the bill, such as ensuring that the SK’s actions, including its investigations are gov erned by by-laws, as well as incorpo rating the role of the youth develop ment office in investigations. Lastly, the panel also approved various mea sures seeking to declare special nonworking holidays in certain parts of the country. Maricel V. Cruz

Taguig officials deliver yearly Xmas gifts to constituents

THE Taguig City government has started distributing its yearly Christmas gifts for its constituents.

On Monday, local officials visited the villages of San Miguel, Bambang, Tuktu kan, Ibayo-Tipas, and Ligid-Tipas to de liver the Pamaskong Handog packs as part of their yearly Christmas program.

Each pack contained groceries items such as canned goods, cheese, pancake mix, fruit cocktail, chocolate biscuits, pasta, spaghetti sauce, and 10 kilos of rice.

“Please accept the gifts of our city. The Christmas Gift is a symbol of the spirit of caring, giving, and love,” said Mayor Laarni Cayetano.

The packages for households with se nior citizens, persons with disabilities, and pregnant women were delivered houseto-house for the recipients’ comfort and safety.

During the second day of distribution, the city officials handed the packages to residents of Barangays South Daang Hari,

MMDA bares traffic rerouting for MMFF

THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday an nounced its traffic rerouting plan in con nection with the annual film festival Pa rade of Stars.

The star-studded event will take place in Quezon City on Dec. 2, signaling the start of the countdown to what the MMDA described as highly anticipated and illustrious Metro Manila Film Festi val (MMFF).

The parade will feature floats carrying ac tors of the eight MMFF official entries and will start at the Welcome Rotonda at 4 p.m. to end at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

Travelers going to Epifanio de los San tos Avenue (EDSA) coming from España Boulevard should turn right at Blumen tritt Road then left at Sto. Tomas Street or Matimyas Street, right Nicanor Ramirez., left at Cordillera St, right at E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, left at Tomas Morato, right at Timog Ave towards East Avenue to des

tination.

They may also take Nicanor Ramirez and go straight towards Cordillera St., right at E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., left at To mas Morato, right at Timog Ave towards East Avenue to destination.

Vehicles going to Manila coming from the Quezon Avenue tunnel up ramp should turn right at Biak na Bato, left at Dapitan Street, left at Lacson Avenue and right at Espana Boulevard to destination.

They can also turn right at D Tuazon Street, then left at Sen. Mariano Cuenco to Piy Margal Street, left at Blumentritt Road, then right at España Boulevard to destination.

Vehicles going to Del Monte Avenue and Araneta Avenue coming from España Boulevard must take a U-turn at Mabuhay Rotonda, then right at Blumentritt Road, then right at Piy Margal Street, then left to Mayon Street to their destination.

Joel E. Zurbano

Tanyag, Maharlika, and North Daang Hari.

To protect the environment, the local government ensured that the Pamas kong Handog goods were placed in re usable and recyclable containers. They also made sure that every places where the distribution was carried out were cleaned later on.

The containers can be reused when shopping. We wish for the safety of our environment,” Cayetano said.

The drug tests, conducted by per sonnel of the City Health Office and coordinated by the Parañaque AntiDrug Abuse Office, were in compli ance with the local government unit’s Drug-Free Workplace Ordinance, the mayor said.

“We are happy to announce that all those who took the tests are negative for drug use,” he said. “This is a big boost to our efforts to ensure a drugfree workplace, and our department heads deserve credit for serving as good examples to our employees and constituents alike.”

Olivarez said random drug tests will be conducted regularly in the fu ture and will cover both officers and rank-and-file employees.

“We want the random drug tests to continue not only to serve as de terrent against drug use, but also to show our constituents that govern ment employees are not exempt from our Drug-Free Workplace Ordinance.

“We encourage our employers in the private sector to also conduct reg ular drug testing and help us achieve a safe, productive and drug-free workplace,” the mayor added.

Parañaque Anti-Drug Abuse Office executive director Andres Altarejos said the random tests conducted last month were also part of activities for the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week held every 3rd week of November.

Joel E. Zurbano

committee adopts measure on Congress-B’moro Forum

OATH-TAKING. Speaker Martin Romualdez (2nd from left) administers the oath of office to Albay Governor Edcel Greco Lagman (center) in ceremony held at the Speaker’s office in the House of Representatives. Witnessing the event are (from right) Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rep.Raul Angelo Bongalon, former congressman Alfredo Garbin, Albay 1st District Rep Edcel Lagman, and Ako Bicol party-list Rep Zaldy Co. Ver Noveno

CHILD MARRIAGE BAN. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) spearheads a ceremonial signing of the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 11596 prohibiting child marriages and imposing penalties for violations thereof. Also present during the event are DSWD Undersecretary Jerico Francis Javier and Commission on Human Rights chair Richard Palpal-latoc. Manny Palmero

MMDA EXEC DOES A SANTA CLAUS ACT. Manila Metropolitan Development Authority Task Force Special Operations chief Edison Nebrija leads the delivery of Christmas gifts to sick children at the Justice Jose Abad Santos Hospital in Binondo, Manila. Norman Cruz

EDITORIAL

A WEEK ago, the president’s approval and trust ratings were exceedingly high, almost as high as the president he succeeded in office.

This comes, in part, in the afterglow of being the first ever president elected by a majority vote since his father was deposed by the EDSA revolt.

In part likewise, the high approval ratings were brought about by the re-assuring appointment of persons highly regarded by the political and economic community to be in his economic team.

The fallout from the in-and-out official life of high officials in the presidential office, mismo, did not affect the president himself.

Neither will the expected deferment, possibly even rejection by the Commission on Appointments, of some of his appointees to Cabinet, crack the president’s armor yet.

The sugar importation fiasco had its innocent fall guys and the public, by and large, never got to know the real story.

The continuing rise in food prices has yet to affect the president’s approval rating, partly due to senseless optics like the Kadiwa stores, partly because the public knows it is an inherited problem exacerbated by global discombobulation.

But come 2023, I will not sustain this observation.

Ditto for diesel and kerosene, the cost of which the public has long accepted to be outside the realm of government’s powers.

The manner political capital was taken for granted, will increase the decibels of opposition from a suddenly-awakened and previously stunned non-believers of the ‘unity’ clarion

Still and all, sugar prices have not gone down, and economists know why, even if the sugar barons and oligopolistic traders are laughing all the way to the bank, or enlisting themselves in the long queue for imported luxury vehicles.

Inflation has registered 8 percent, the highest in 14 years, but that is not the end of the story.

People may be relatively giddy at the moment because Christmas bells always bring temporary joy and relief, but the morning after, when the revenge spending is gone, the dissatisfaction over food inflation will surely come.

The newly harvested rice crop is lower than projected, and for as long as fertilizers remain high and the DA keeps distributing low-yielding inbred seeds on top of machines inappropriate for agrarian reform beneficiaries, the problems of food production will persist long till 2023 rings out.

The problems of neglect, inefficiency, and continuing wastage of public funds in the altar of political greed and the rent economy it perpetuates, will exact its wages severely in the following year.

By then, the afterglow shall have dimmed.

Which is why it is difficult to understand why House Bill 6398 was rushed through a one-day approval “in principle” by the Committee on Banks, and a sudden intermediation by a one-man TWG in the person of the admittedly brilliant Joey Salceda came as afterthought.

After

By Jing Xuan Teng

ONCE dominated by doom and gloom coverage of the dangers of the virus and scenes of pandemic chaos abroad, China’s tightly controlled media has dramatically shifted tone as the country tentatively moves away from zero-COVID.

Long anchored to a hardline strategy of mass lockdowns, forced quarantine in centralized facilities and mass testing for millions, Beijing is dialling down curbs in the wake of nationwide protests calling for an end to lockdowns and greater political freedoms.

That policy shift has been accompanied by rapid changes in pandemic messaging in both state media and official statements— which now downplay the risk from the virus and blame local officials for over-zealous implementation of COVID lockdowns.

The prevalent Omicron strain is “not at all like last year’s Delta variant”, Guangzhoubased medicine professor Chong Yutian said in an article published by the Communist Party-run China Youth Daily.

The uproar it raised has drawn first blood. Sadly, it is a self-inflicted wound.

CSW, or complete staff work, does not mean simple calculation of numbers. It must likewise include an appreciation of possible political fallout.

Clearly in this case of expending political capital, the calculations were wrong.

The manner political capital was taken for granted, will increase the decibels of opposition from a suddenly-awakened and previously stunned non-believers of the “unity” clarion.

The politically astute presidential “ate” saw it coming, and was among the first to call for a sobering “time-out.”

You don’t awaken the legion of SSS and GSIS members who keep contributing to a nest egg that looks threatened by what in theory is a good project, a sovereign wealth fund, but the rules of “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) has prevailed, and no assurance from Ben or Joey, or Wick Veloso or even the previously yellow Stella Quimbo, can plug a dam of doubts that has been cracked.

Even the use of the term “Maharlika” reeks of hubris, allowing the likes of Rowena Guanzon to bring back the forgotten issue of the P203 billion estate tax and arrears.

What if, years from now, Maharlika becomes Maharloko?

The assurances of Ben Diokno about the fund being “professionally managed by the private sector” was immediately washed away by Joey Salceda’s and GMA’s invocation of the president’s accountability as chair of fund management.

It just highlighted the fears of a Najib Razak redux in a country where corruption has always been a major political issue.

Come to think of it, even if the 2023 budget that was passed is interspersed with huge slabs of pork called “insertions” in the budgets of many line departments, some say to the tune of 760 billion (three times the Maharlika’s initial funding), the issue brings back the question: why not limit the pork barrel entitlements instead?

After all, it is Congress which wants the wealth fund. So why not at the expense of limiting their “parochial” concerns in a time of extreme economic want?

In the previous article last Monday, I clearly interposed no objection to the creation of a professionally-run sovereign wealth fund.

But do not use pension funds, which government holds only in trust for its contributors. And the timing, given the unsettled global environment, is rather off.

I even went to the extent of proposing to get the P250 billion from 5 percent of the Bangko Sentral’s reserves, which its governor, Philip Medalla, disdained.

The idea was already proposed by previous proponents, even in the Duterte administration pre-COVID, an idea that the pandemic effectively shot down.

Atras muna, guys, and back to the drawing board. Wait for better times, or at least until the worsening inflation and food security problems are mitigated considerably.

From a political standpoint, what reelectionist senator will come to the defense of Maharlika?

And what would-be senatoriable, other than my friend Harry Roque, will come to its defense, and risk the ire of teachers, civil servants, middle-aged employees looking forward to pensions, and the senior citizenry who will influence their progeny in 2025?

When first blood is shed, the first instinct should be to stanch the bleeding.

Targeted cash transfers

DO TARGETTED cash transfers by the national government to the poor and vulnerable sectors really help them cope with the high cost of living these days?

Last month, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released P5.2 billion to cover the one-month requirement of the Targeted Cash Transfer (TCT) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The amount released would benefit around 9.8 million identified beneficiaries. That’s not a small number of people getting helped by the government.

Secretary Amenah Pangandaman explained the rationale for the latest round of cash assistance to the vulnerable sectors: “The DBM fully supports the projects and programs that provide social assistance to our fellow kababayans.

“It was the President himself who gave the marching order not to neglect those in dire need. Thus, we will do everything we can in our capacity so that they may receive the benefits they are entitled to.”

The TCT Program grants unconditional

The previous administration had rejected calls to suspend excise on oil products amid skyrocketing global prices wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

cash transfers of P500 per month to the most affected households for six months to mitigate the effects of the increase in the prices of fuel and other non-fuel commodities on vulnerable populations.

That may be a minuscule amount for a family’s basic needs, but every little bit helps.

The DBM had previously released a total P10.33 billion to the DSWD covering two months of cash transfers for 10 million target household beneficiaries.

The P5.2 billion release is part of the P9.1 billion computed requirement to cover the one-month grant for the 9.8 million identified

beneficiaries and three-month grants for additional 2.6 million beneficiaries of the TCT program.

At the start of the Marcos Jr. administration in July, the DBM released P6.2 billion in cash subsidies for households worst hit by the continuing rise in oil prices.

The cash was distributed by the DSWD to six million households, of which four million are among beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). The rest of the two million were social pensioners or senior citizens.

The previous administration had rejected calls to suspend excise on oil products amid skyrocketing global prices wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Instead, the new administration has opted to give away cash aid to the most vulnerable sectors as targeted support.

This is the correct move, with no less than the World Bank citing the Philippines where the current main tool to address the impact of high inflation is cash assistance to the poor as well as the agriculture and transport sectors.

Rising inflation, it said, could be best addressed by cash transfers to vulnerable households and groups as it is the least fiscally costly way to mitigate the impact of inflation, and it is much better than universal and untargeted subsidies which are really not sustainable, especially in a period where fiscal space is limited.

Worsening Baguio traffic

for public schools teachers as it used to be.

There are now also squatters inside the Teachers Camp reservation, and they are now exclusively using the Teachers Camp roads apart from those who are going to the NAPOLCOM office and PNP training center.

EVER since Baguio City opened its door to unlimited tourism, traffic in the city has gotten worse.

There was a day three weeks ago when traffic in the city virtually stood still.

Considering that tourism is the City’s economic lifeblood, it is doubtful that the number of vehicles going up the City will be limited anytime soon.

The city will simply have to come up with a traffic plan to improve the traffic.

The daily heavy traffic along Leonard Wood Road and South Drive Road is due in part to the Baguio Botanical Garden and the Baguio Country Club Christmas area which attracts many tourists especially on weekends.

The fact that the BCC Christmas area is along the road to one of the entrances of Camp John Hay adds to the problem.

Add the Wright Park, Mansion House, Mines View Park and the Pacdal Circle where the rental horses are, and it is understandable why traffic is always congested in that area. This is worsened by the fact that the road that connects Leonard Wood and South Drive Roads that goes thru Teachers Camp has been closed to the public since the start of the pandemic.

The City should make arrangements with Teachers Camp or the office of the Secretary of Education to reopen the road to the public which has been the case for more than 100 years.

This would greatly help in easing the congestion on Leonard Wood and South Drive Roads and the Pacdal circle.

Teachers Camp, for the information of the public, is now a cheap bed and breakfast facility for tourists instead of a training facility

In the meantime, traffic going to the Pacdal circle from Leonard Wood Road and South Drive will continue to be congested.

The city will simply have to come up with a traffic plan to improve the traffic

There is really no compelling security reason for Teachers Camp to keep the road closed considering that COVID restrictions have all been lifted all over the country. The City government should force the issue with Teachers Camp or the office of the Secretary of Education to open the road to the public.

That is not a private road. It is a government property and the public should be allowed the right of passage like in any other government property in the City.

Ordinarily, the City’s road system can accommodate all the vehicles registered in the City plus a certain number of additional tourist vehicles but not the kind of number we have been seeing coming up lately.

This is expected to continue during the holidays which means that a traffic plan should be temporarily put in place to make road use a bit more efficient.

This also means that the city government should start thinking of doing another professional traffic and transport study to see if there are long-term engineering projects that could be undertaken to ease traffic

congestion on a more permanent basis.

This is because there is now such a thing as Metro Baguio which includes the outlying municipalities of La Trinidad, Sablan, Tuba and Itogon.

All are within commuting distance to Baguio and should be included in any traffic and transport plan.

Parking or the lack of it is one of the most serious problems that need to be addressed. Streamlining the operation of the current public transportation to make it more efficient is another.

For those who are familiar with the city, most of the city roads inside the central business district are all practically used by jeepneys for parking.

The City has been grappling on how to solve this problem for some time but unfortunately has not found a workable and suitable solution up to this time.

Perhaps, the city should try reversing the location of the parking.

Instead of parking inside the city, the jeepneys should park from the point of origin and simply assign loading and unloading areas.

The associations should also be required to have better operation and communication systems to make their transport operation more efficient.

Taxi operation must also be improved so that not all of the taxi fleet are on the road.

As it is, six out of every 10 vehicles running on city roads are taxi cabs.

This is because there are no Taxi garages where people can call for taxi cabs like in the old days in Baguio.

Fortunately, the traffic problem is not so difficult to solve.

It depends, however, whether the City can find the right people who understand the problem and know how to go about solving them.

The overriding objective should be for the tourists to better enjoy their visit to the city instead of being stuck in traffic jams and for residents to go about their lives without too much frustrations due to traffic.

“After infection with the Omicron variant, the vast majority will have no or light symptoms, and very few will go on to have severe symptoms, this is already widely known,” he assured readers.

“Don’t be overly terrified, but also take some precautions” against the virus, a story in the Beijing Youth Daily quoted recovered COVID patients telling readers.

And an analysis Friday by state-run newspaper People’s Daily quoted health experts supporting local government moves to allow patients to quarantine at home, which would be a marked departure from current rules.

“This is a kind of official propaganda preparing the people for more relaxation and giving the government some possibility to step down (from zero-COVID),” Hong Kong-based Chinese politics expert Willy Lam told AFP.

‘There will be punishment’

Experts say Beijing is laying the groundwork for a loosening of COVID rules —as well as putting in place convenient scapegoats to blame for the restrictions going too far.

The country’s top virus response body has already pointed to over-zealous local officials who had gone overboard with their virus measures, urging in a Q&A with the People’s Daily on Saturday that these people be “strictly held accountable.”

“There will be punishment of a lot of local officials,” Lam told AFP.

In one case announced by authorities on Saturday, a sub-district security official in Hunan province was expelled from the Communist Party and removed from his post for assaulting a local resident during a lockdown-related dispute.

COVID-testing companies are also emerging as a scapegoat, with state media in recent days publishing exposes of alleged

violations by testing organizations.

“Nucleic acid companies will be the first to be sacrificed by the government,” Chinese political blogger Jing Zhao wrote on Twitter, under his pen name Michael Anti.

“Catching the bosses of these companies can solve two problems: the people wanting to find scapegoats, and (the fact that) abandoning nucleic acid tests and switching to less sensitive antigen tests is more in line with Omicron’s rules and can reduce some pressure on pandemic control,” he said.

‘Carrots and sticks’

And the state propaganda apparatus has already begun to portray pivots away from the zero-COVID policy as evidence of the Chinese government’s care for its people.

Local governments across the country said earlier this week that they would not require all people to take part in mass testing campaigns, allowing groups including the elderly and those who never leave their homes to skip testing -- a minor step back from existing policy, but one repeatedly highlighted in state media headlines.

Xinhua news agency described the changes as proof “the government responds to what the people call for.”

The Chinese Communist Party “recognizes that the zero-COVID policy has put on the line a fundamental pillar of its legitimacy: its promise to provide a basic living standard for citizens”, Diana Fu, associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto, told AFP.

She said the softening tone on COVID was part of the party’s traditional strategy of responding to protests “through a combination of carrots and sticks”.

“While the security apparatus has swung into motion in repressing protestors, local governments are also giving concessions in terms of easing COVID restrictions to let the pressure valve release.” AFP

The Chinese Communist Party ‘recognizes that the zero-COVID policy has put on the line a fundamental pillar of its legitimacy...’

doom and gloom, China’s propaganda shifts gears on COVID

COMMENCEMENT ORDER

This is a verified Petition filed by petitioner HDI ADMIX, INC., for a courtsupervised corporate rehabilitation with a prayer for staying of all claims, actions and proceedings.

The petitioner alleges that: HDI Admix, Inc., was incorporated on September 28, 2012, with Company Registration No. CS201217918, with principal address at No. 159 Ermin Garcia St., Brgy. E. Rodriguez Sr., Cubao, Quezon City. The Petition was filed with prior approval of the majority of the board of directors and authorized by the vote of the stockholders representing at least two-thirds (2/3) of the outstanding capital stock of the petitioner.

The petitioner is engaged in the general business of Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising, a form of advertising that can be found outside of a consumer’s home which includes billboards to bus shelters, benches, and everything in-between.

The petitioner started as a corporate social responsibility project by its Chairman Emeritus Peter Chia who saw Filipino commuters being forced to wait for public transport. He approached the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and expressed his intention to construct waiting sheds, free of charge. To cover the maintenance costs, he proposed to place advertisements on top of the sheds. Thus, in 1991, HDI Stopovers, Inc. was born.

In 2003, HDI Adventures, Inc. was founded to address the need for diversity in out-of-home advertising formats. Thereafter, in 2012, petitioner HDI Admix, Inc. was established to answer the growing digital advertising requirements of its clients. Since then, HDI Stopovers, HDI Adventures, and petitioner HDI Admix have grown to become one of the biggest and most innovative out-of-home media companies in the country.

When it was incorporated, HDI Admix Inc. envisioned to conquer the advertising industry through the following means: to acquire and offer several structures for lease and sublease as advertising and commercial spaces; to manufacture cards, signs, posters, handbills, banners and flags to be placed in all kinds of conveyances used by passengers; and to display contents, and ideas for and on behalf of its clients.

Petitioner has helped hundreds of its clients in expanding their advertising avenues through services such as digital advertising. Petitioner prides on establishing relationships with over hundreds of clients in all industries. Some of them are FEU Diliman, Honda Philippines, Inc., Smart Communications, SB19, and Globe Telecom, Inc., just to name a few. It is also prospecting major clients such as Century Pacific Foods, Inc. (CNPF), Ever Bilena Cosmetics, Marikina Shoe Exchange (MSE), Mayor Isko’s Presidential Campaign, and VIU Philippines.

Petitioner is also an accredited sales agent of Bantayog at Bayanihan Advertising Corp. (BBAC). It has the following projects along EDSA: Mass transit OOH in the thirteen (13) stations of the MRT; and Grand Center Island Boards (GClB), Center Island Mini Boards (CIMB), Center Column Banners (CCB) and Side Column Banners (SCB), Pole Banners (PB), Full Beam Billboards (FBB), Half Beam Billboards (HBB), Twin Column Banners (TCB), and Fence Streamers (FS). It has 3-LED Billboard Series in Camp Aguinaldo, EDSA and a digital billboard in Greenhills Promenade.

Petitioner also has existing cross-selling arrangement for all OOH properties of HDI Adventures and HDl Stopovers. With regard to this, it has: Bulletins (billboards) and wallscape/spectacular along NLEX; and Street furniture referring to bus shelter/mini billboards, ad boxes and alternatives including lamp post banners and traffic sign ads (with directional signage) along Metro Manila - EDSA.

Moreover, it has media in Transit/Mobile Out-of Home (OOH) advertising format. These are the advertisements posted in UV Express, Jeepney, Roving Truck, Taxi, Bus or Tricycles also found in the major roads in Metro Manila-EDSA.

Petitioner’s cause of insolvency and its decision to rehabilitate can be traced back to its joint venture agreement with Media Puzzle, Inc. (“MPI) for the restoration of MRT ad spaces. From thereon, petitioner ran into several legal impediments caused by management conflict which consequently hampered its operations.

In 2015, when the petitioner had already invested in several LightEmitting Diode (LED) Billboards either on its own or under joint ventures, an opportunity was offered to re-activate the MRT ad spaces which have not been operating since 2010. Considering that these out-of-home (OOH) advertising properties had a sales potential valued at One Billion Pesos (Php1,000,000,000.00), petitioner agreed to invest therein.

In 2016, petitioner started to aggressively sell MRT ad spaces in partnership with MPI. MRT ad spaces were also being bundled with OOH properties of petitioner, HDI Adventures and HDI Stopovers to give more value to customers. This helped in the revenue generation efforts of the petitioner.

In late 2017 to early part of 2018, petitioner decided to sell its shares in MPI to the latter and get out of the partnership due to conflict in management style. The management of the MRT ad spaces was turned over to MPI as part of the agreement.

During the second quarter of 2019, the operation of the petitioner was severely affected as key officers were not available to manage its day-today operations. Consequently, management of cash flow was affected which caused delays or even non-payment of due obligations.

The said officers were able to get back to operation only in the fourth quarter of 2019. The company could have registered a reasonable end year profit were it not for the legal expenses incurred.

In 2020, the petitioner started to align all of its dues and set out a plan to pay them off within the year. The MRT bookings came in the first quarter of the said year and numbers were looking good for the petitioner.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic came in the same year and the operations of the petitioner got seriously affected, as follows:

a. Declines in revenue for about Php 21 million from LED Billboards and another Php 112 million from MRT ads during the first nine (9) months of 2020 versus the first nine (9) months of 2019. However, the losses incurred from MRT ads were actually because of losing the accreditation given by the MRT Development Corporation (DEVCO) for the MRT ad spaces in 2020.

b. Limited clientele support for early payment discount schemes. Out of the then existing clients of the petitioner, only four (4) of them were able to avail the discount offer. Thus, the original intention of increasing the operating cash flows of the petitioner was not entirely met. It only goes to show that the pandemic has taken a toll on the operations of most industries.

c. Loss of a major client account. With an accounts receivable of Php 8.8 million, petitioner lost the ability to immediately collect such amount when Philippine Airlines (PAL) filed a petition with a United States bankruptcy court in relation to its recovery plan to eliminate its $2.1 billion debt.

In 2021, the uncertainties in the economic environment caused the petitioner and other OOH advertisers to shift their focus on the social medial online ads platforms.

Thus, the petitioner decided to consolidate its efforts in selling only properties that generate good margin. Tactical campaigns (one to threemonth duration with shorter payment cycle) were prioritized. Petitioner also discontinued underperforming sites that eat up cash to operate. 27. In the latter part of the third quarter towards fourth quarter c of 2021, the petitioner started to work on cross-selling OOH properties from HOI Adventures and HOI Stopovers. It also focused on MRT-BTR, Camp Aguinaldo LED Billboard and Greenhills Promenade LED Facade Billboard.

However, the potential earnings of the petitioner were still hindered by dense competition in the industry.

Based on the petitioner’s latest Audited Financial Statement as of 31 December 2021, its total assets as of the year 2021 are in the total amount of FIFTY-SIX MILLION NINE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTEEN PESOS (Php 56,918,718.00), while its total. liabilities are in the total amount of TWO HUNDRED TWENTYFIVE MILLION TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY-THREE THOUSAND EIGHTY PESOS (Php 225,273,080.00).

Thus, the liabilities of the petitioner are more than its assets, clearly making it insolvent.

Further, the petitioner’s latest Audited Financial Statement shows that it reported total comprehensive losses in the total amount of TWENTY-THREE MILLION FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY-EIGHT THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED TWENTY-SIX PESOS (Php 23,468,526.00).

Considering its state of insolvency, the petitioner foresees the impossibility of meeting debts when they respectively fall due resulting in financial distress that would likely adversely affect its financial condition and/or operations. As such, petitioner prays that it be allowed to rehabilitate voluntarily pursuant to the FRIA and FR Rules.

The petitioner has been operational but became distressed or insolvent primarily because of the COVID 19 pandemic and the legal controversies its management had faced. In view of the petitioner’s huge outstanding liabilities, the economic slowdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the dense competition in the industry, the petitioner finds it difficult to operate in a manner that effectively achieves a healthy cost profit ratio. Resultantly, the petitioner foresees its inability to meet its debts as they fall due.

The petitioner submits that its rehabilitation is possible, feasible and reasonably attainable. It is optimistic that it can substantially improve and maximize its revenue potential in the coming years.

Petitioner believes that a Rehabilitation Plan during the ten (10) year rehabilitation period conducted under the supervision of the Court will enable it to continue its business and, in due time, comply with all its obligations. The petitioner only needs time and opportunity to systematize and streamline its business to substantially minimize cost and maximize its profits to attain its goals.

The petitioner is highly optimistic that the successful implementation of the said Rehabilitation Plan will allow it to settle its outstanding obligations in an orderly manner, restore itself to stable solvency, and even result in profitability.

Consequently, petitioner prays for the issuance of a Commencement and Stay or Suspension Order pending proceedings before this Court, and after due hearing, for the approval of petitioner’s Rehabilitation Plan.

A careful examination of the petition shows that the same conforms substantially with Section 2, Rule 2 of the Financial Rehabilitation Rules of Procedure (2013) in relation to Section 1, Rule 3 of A.M. No. 15-04-06-SC the Financial Liquidation and Suspension of Payments Rules of Procedure for Insolvent Debtors.

IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, this Court issues this Commencement Order/Suspension of Payment Order, in accordance with Section 8, Rule 2 of the Financial Rehabilitation Rules of Procedure (2013) in relation to Section 2, Rule 3 of A.M. No. 15-04-06-SC the Financial Liquidation and Suspension of Payments Rules of Procedure for Insolvent Debtors (2015).

1. Declaring the petitioner HDI Admix, Inc. under court supervised rehabilitation.

2. Appointing Atty. Kennerly Albert R. Malinao, CPA as rehabilitation receiver who shall be considered as an officer of the court and who shall have the powers, duties and functions as provided in Section 26, Rule 2 of the Rules. The Rehabilitation Receiver must post a bond of Php300,000.00 before entering upon his powers, duties and functions and must take an oath, as provided under Section 29, Rule 2 of the Rules.

The petitioner corporation is directed to serve immediately a copy of this Commencement Order/Suspension Order upon the rehabilitation receiver, who shall manifest his acceptance or non-acceptance of his appointment not later than five (5) days from his receipt hereof.

3. Suspending all actions or proceedings in court or otherwise, for the enforcement of all claims against the petitioner and all actions to enforcement any judgment, attachment or other provisional remedies against the petitioner.

4. Prohibiting the petitioner from selling, encumbering, transferring or disposing in any manner any of its properties except in the ordinary course of business.

5. Prohibiting the petitioner from making any payment of its liabilities outstanding as of the commencement date except as may be provided under the Rules.

6. Prohibiting the suppliers of the petitioner from withholding the supply of goods and services in the ordinary course of business for as long as the petitioner makes payment for the services or goods supplied after the issuance of this Commencement Order/Suspension Order.

7

. Directing the petitioner to pay in full the payment of administrative expenses incurred as they fall due after the issuance of this Commencement Order Suspension Order.

8. The petitioner is further directed to furnish by personal delivery copies of the petition and its annexes on (a) each creditor holding at least ten percent (10% ) of the total liabilities of the debtor as determined from the schedule attached to the petition; (b) the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR); (c) the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); (d) the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP); (e) Insurance Commission (IC); (f) the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB); and (g) the Energy Regulatory Board (ERC), within five (5) days from issuance of the Commencement Order/ Suspension Order.

9. Directing all creditors to file their verified notices of claims with the Court at least five (5) days before the initial hearing date, and they are put on notice that their failure to do so will bar them from participating in the proceeding before this Court.

10. All creditors and all interested parties including the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are directed to file with this Court and serve upon the petitioner a verified comment on or opposition to the petition, with supporting affidavits and documents, not later than fifteen (15) days before the date of the initial hearing as set forth above.

11. The petitioner is further directed to have a copy of this Commencement Order/Suspension Order published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines once a week for at least two (2) consecutive weeks, with the first publication to be made within seven (7) days from the time of its issuance, all at the expense of the petitioner.

The initial hearing on the petition is set on December 19, 2022 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning.

All parties are directed to provide this Court with their email address (es) and contact numbers immediately upon receipt of this Commencement Order/Suspension Order.

The Sheriff and/or the Process Server of this Court is ordered immediately to serve copies of this Commencement Order upon: 1) the petitioner HDI Admix, Inc.; 2) Atty. Ismael L. Sarangaya Jr / Atty. Mary Joanne M. Manalo of Saranggaya Law Offices (counsel for the petitioner); 3) Atty. Kennerly Albert R. Malinao, rehabilitation receiver; 4) the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and 5) all known creditors listed in the Petition.

SO ORDERED. October 20, 2022, Quezon City, Metro Manila.

(Sgd.) MARIA ZORAIDA S. ZABAT TUAZON Presiding Judge

cc: Sarangaya Law Offices Atty. Ismael L. Sarangaya Jr Atty. Mary Joanne M. Manalo Counsel for the Petitioner Unit 110 Regalia Park Towers P. Tuazon, Cubao, Quezon City isaranqayajr@gmail.com 09178989148 manalomaryjoanne@gmail.com 09054802017

HDI Admix, Inc., through its President Raoul L. Buencucillo No. 159 Ermin Garcia St., Brgy. E. Rodriguez Sr., Cubao, Quezon City Petitioner

China loosens restrictions vs. COVID-19

BEIJING—China announced Wednesday a nationwide loosening of Covid restrictions following protests against the hardline strategy that grew into calls for greater political freedoms.

Anger over China’s zero-Covid policy -- which involved mass lockdowns, constant testing and quarantines even for people who are not infected -- stoked unrest not seen since the 1989 pro-de mocracy protests.

Under the new guidelines announced by the National Health Commission, the frequency and scope of PCR testing -- long a te dious mainstay of life in zero-Covid China -- will be reduced.

Lockdowns will also be scaled down and people with non-severe Covid cases can isolate at home instead of centralised government facilities.

And people will no longer be required to show a green health code on their phone to enter public buildings and spaces, except for “nursing homes, medical institutions, kindergartens, middle and high schools”.

The new rules scrap the forced quarantines for people with no symptoms or with mild cases.

“Asymptomatic infected persons and mild cases who are eligible for home isolation are generally isolated at home, or they can voluntarily choose centralised isolation for treatment,” the new rules read.

“Mass PCR testing only carried out in schools, hospitals, nursing homes and high-risk work units; scope and frequency of PCR test ing to be further reduced,” they added.

“People travelling across provinces do not need to provide a 48h test result and do not need to test upon arrival.” AFP

Suicide bombing kills cop, wounds 10 in Indonesia

BANDUNG—A suicide bomber killed a police officer and wound ed 10 others in an attack on a police station in Indonesia’s West Java province on Wednesday, police said.

Police have not yet determined a motive for the attack but Indo nesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation, has long strug gled with Islamist militancy.

The blast occurred at about 8:00 am local time (0100 GMT) dur ing roll call at the Astana Anyar police office in Bandung, the capi tal of Indonesia’s most populous province.

“When our officers were doing the morning roll call, a man tried to enter the office forcibly and officers tried to stop him,” said West Java police chief Suntana, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

“The perpetrator insisted on getting closer to our officers while wield ing a knife and suddenly an explosion happened,” he told reporters.

A second device was later found nearby and safely detonated by the police bomb squad, Suntana said. AFP

IN BRIEF

Germany busts far-right terrorist cell planning attack on parliament

FRANKFURT—German police launched nationwide raids on Wednesday and made 25 arrests against members of a far-right “terror group” suspected of planning an attack on parliament, federal prosecutors said.

More than 3,000 officers including elite anti-terror units took part in the early morning raids and searched more than 130 properties, in what German media described as one of the largest police actions the country has ever seen.

The raids targeted alleged members of the “Citizens of the Re ich” (Reichsbuerger) movement suspected of “having made concrete preparations to violently force their way into the German parliament with a small armed group”, prosecutors said in a statement. AFP

New Zealand takes custody of ill baby from anti-vaccine parents

WELLINGTON—A New Zealand court on Wednesday took temporary custody of a sick infant whose parents blocked life-saving heart surgery because potential blood donors may be vaccinated against Covid-19.

The Auckland High Court ordered six-month-old “Baby W” to be placed under partial guardianship -- allowing an urgent operation to correct a heart disorder known as pulmo nary valve stenosis to go ahead.

The baby’s parents had blocked the procedure on the grounds that any blood transfused could have come from a donor jabbed with an mRNA vaccine. AFP

PAPAL AUDIENCE. Pope Francis, escorted by Prefect of the Pontifical House, Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza (2nd right) and Argentinian priest Monsignor Luis Maria Rodrigo Ewart (rear left), arrives for the weekly general audience on December 7 at Paul-VI hall in The Vatican. AFP

Stocks fell on global sell-off; Peso closes at 55.45 a dollar

STOCKS retreated amid a global sell-off Wednesday, while the peso closed at a new three-month high against the US dollar on growing fears the US Federal Reserve monetary tightening will tip the US economy into recession.

The PSE index, the 30-company bench mark of the Philippine Stock Exchange, lost 149 points, or 2.2 percent, to finish at 6,525.16 Wednesday as four of the six sub sectors declined.

The broader all-share index also tumbled 51 points, or 1.5 percent, to settle at 3,425.86, on a value turnover of P6 billion. Losers out numbered gainers, 104 to 68, while 47 issues were unchanged.

Two of the 10 most active stocks ended in the green, led by PLDT Inc. which rose 1.9 percent to P1,700.00. International Con tainer Terminal Services Inc. picked up 0.9 percent to P190.00.

The peso appreciated 0.9 percent Wednes day to reach 55.45 against the greenback from 55.97 on Tuesday. It was the local currency’s strongest showing since Aug. 12 this year.

Meanwhile, Asian stocks were mostly lower, after the heads of Wall Street’s leading banks warned of tough times ahead in 2023.

JPMorgan Chase chief Jamie Dimon tipped a “mild to hard recession” and Gold man Sachs’ David Solomon said jobs and pay would be hit, while Morgan Stanley and Bank of America were also uneasy about the outlook.

The comments added to the downbeat mood that has coursed through trading floors at the start of the week, after forecast-beating reports on jobs and the giant US services sec tor fanned worries the Fed will have to push interest rates higher than hoped.

Markets had been rising healthily ahead of Friday’s employment figures after a weakerthan-expected inflation reading for October suggested the almost year-long tightening campaign was finally affecting prices.

“Any hopes that the Fed would turn more dovish in the months ahead have been dashed significantly as the vast US services industry is where sticky inflation hangs out,” said SPI Asset Management’s Stephen Innes.

He added that the latest readings suggest rates will go above five percent before the Fed stops hiking, while several observers have suggested they will not be reduced until 2024.

Seamless ride via connector road; Grab crowds out rivals

ROAD infrastructure projects are always the key to economic prog ress. They ease traffic, especially in urban centers, stimulate com merce and create social benefits.

One particular project that offers significant solution to our traffic jams is the NLEX-SLEX Connector, an eight kilometer four-lane, elevated expressway that will link the North Luzon Expressway and the South Luzon Expressway. It is the latest roadway project of the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.(MPTC).

The skyway will start from C-3 through the Caloocan Interchange, proceed through Blumentritt and España until it reaches Sta. Mesa, in the vicinity of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP).

The NLEX segment of the connector road will be linked to the Skyway Stage 3, which then connects to the South Luzon Express way (SLEX)–built and operated by SMC Infrastructure.

The NLEX-SLEX Connector project as planned will be completed in February 2023. Section 1, a 5.15-kilometer tollway, is 90-percent complete. This section starts at C3 Road in 5th Avenue in Caloocan City, and proceeds to España Boulevard in Manila. The Connector’s Section 2, a 2.75-kilometer segment that begins at España and pro ceeds all the way to PUP Sta. Mesa–is 22-percent finished. MPTC, the originator of the connector project, looks forward to the construction of what is called the “interconnection structure”—a 1.2-ki lometer segment. SMC Infrastructure, another major tollway builder and operator, is all set to install what others have now called the “missing link” to meet its completion target in the first quarter of 2023.

The partnership of MPTC and SMC Infrastructure over road connec tivity follows the successful seamless link-up in the north. The NLEX easily hooked up with SMC’s Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) to significantly reduce travel time to the north of Luzon.

The road connector will cost MPTC a whopping P23.3 billion, but it is a small price to pay for an economic boon. The project will pro vide a solution to the perennial traffic prob lem—in the form of a seamless connection between the southern, central and northern parts of Luzon.The travel time from NLEX to SLEX and vice versa will be drastically cut by two hours to a mere 20 minutes.

The connector road aims to serve about 7,000 Class 2 and Class 3 vehicles, mostly trucks. Once these trucks are re-rerouted to the connector and away from the public roads, they will no longer be burdened by truck bans and the occasional “kotong.”

Smaller vehicles like cars and jeepneys will now have the roads to themselves. More specifically, traffic flow will greatly improve through major thoroughfares like España Boulevard, Abad Santos Avenue, Rizal Av enue and Lacson Avenue.

The Manila ports will also be directly con nected to their various destinations northward and southward. The NAIA in Pasay City and the Clark Airport in Angeles will also be linked—heaven for air travelers.

Manufacturing facilities in the north and south of Luzon, in addition, will enjoy un hampered flow of raw materials and needed hardware and be able to produce more effi ciently.

Metro Manila, per the recent study of the Boston Consulting Group, has the third worst traffic condition in Southeast Asia. Manila commuters in 2021, based on another study, lost some 15 hours going through the city’s rush hour traffic.

Earlier in 2014, a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) reported that traffic congestion was costing the Philippine economy P2.4 billion a day. JICA warned that if this situation is not addressed soon, economic losses could swell to P5.4 billion a day by 2035.

Fair competition pushed

The rat race in urban centers is a never-end ing struggle. Transport workers and consum ers fight it out every day to get to their desti nation. Policymakers are also doing their part in ensuring the creation of a more conducive transportation system for them.

Grab PH, however, dismissed the govern ment initiative when it entered into backdoor deal with MoveIt.

The MoveIt deal naturally raised an eye

Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Mumbai, Bangkok and Ja karta all dropped.

And Lauren Goodwin, at New York Life In vestments, saw further pain ahead for markets.

“We have not yet seen the bottom on eq uity prices,” she said, according to Bloom berg News. “While this phase of equity mar ket volatility is likely to end in the next few months, earnings have not yet adapted to a recessionary environment.”

The somber outlook overshadowed Chi na’s moves to wind back some of its harsh Covid rules that traders hope will kickstart the world’s number two economy, which has been battered this year by months of lock downs and other containment measures.

In a sign of the impact the zero-Covid strategy has had, data Wednesday showed that imports and exports and imports plunged far more than expected in November.

Developing economies’ debt more than doubled, says WB

WASHINGTON—The external debt of developing economies has more than doubled from a decade ago to $9 trillion in 2021, the World Bank said Tuesday, warning the debt crisis facing these countries has intensified.

The pandemic has forced many countries to take on more bor rowing, and World Bank President David Malpass has warned that the world is facing a fifth wave of a debt crisis.

Many countries are already facing or at risk of debt distress with surging global inflation and rising interest rates.

And global growth is slowing sharply this year, with an in creased risk of world recession in 2023 amid “one of the most internationally synchronous episodes of... policy tightening” in 50 years, the World Bank said.

“A comprehensive approach is needed to reduce debt, increase transparency, and facilitate swifter restructuring -- so countries can focus on spending that supports growth and reduces poverty,” Malpass added on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, he said the combination of high govern ment debt levels and rising interest rates will cause greater ab sorption of global capital by advanced economies for a longer period.

“For developing countries, this is a grim outlook... access to electricity, fertilizer, food and capital is likely to remain limited for a prolonged period,” he added. AFP Manila Standard TODAY

On Wednesday, officials announced for the first time a nationwide loosening of restric tions, including a reduction in mandatory PCR tests and allowing some positive cases to quarantine at home.

But while the country edges back to nor mality, Zhiwei Zhang, of Pinpoint Asset Management, warned that it would take time. With AFP

brow from several consumer transport civic groups, like National Public Transport Coalition and Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection.

Grab PH has dominated the transport network vehicle services (TNVS) industry when it acquired Uber in 2018. Many suffered from unjust fare prices that prompted the Philippine Competition Com mission to issue penalties.

But Grab wants more despite being the biggest player in the fourwheel sector of the ride-hailing industry.

Grab’s acquisition, which was not approved by the Department of Transportation’s Motorcycle Taxi Technical Working Group (TWG), has enabled it to join the government and civic-led pilot program on the motorcycle taxi market. The TWG only accredited Filipino com panies Angkas, JoyRide and MoveIt for the pilot run that will serve as an aid for developing legislation to better govern the industry.

Thus, Grab PH’s dominance in the motorcycle taxi market is now feared. Its presence in the motorcycle taxi market will lessen compe tition, hurt passengers’ pockets and endanger the jobs of transporta tion workers.

Grab’s foray into the motorcycle taxi sector has raised a similar alarm when it began to dominate the regular taxi market. It has yet to submit its latest compliance report on whether it is following its commitments to fare transparency and pricing behavior.

The PCC earlier confirmed that Grab PH has been cited for over charging when it acquired Uber. Grab PH as of March 2022 has not released P19.3 million in refunds to eligible passengers for violating its commitments.

Grab, perhaps, should first tend to its contentious business prac tices as part of the TNVS industry before joining a new one.

E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or extrastory2000@gmail.com

386,813,804.06123,280,222.14

1,295,423,377.00548,278,138.00

3,769,703.28 1,098,309.13 22,250,558.23 5,353,554.04 0.00 0.00 2,731,192.23 3,324,715.96 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 281,860,471.7999,402,543.35 0.00 0.00 10,215,717,202.804,890,823,419.32 0.00 0.00 8,382,801,136.553,260,196,532.61 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

0.00 0.00 497,270.24 0.00 38,009,331.6214,578,253.89 176,202,778.33130,334,424.01 0.00 0.00 8,597,510,516.743,405,109,210.51

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0.00 0.00 1,618,206,686.061,485,714,208.81 10,215,717,202.804,890,823,419.32

PAL to launch regular fights to Perth in March

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PHILIPPINE Airlines said Wednes day it will launch regular flights from Manila to Perth, Australia by March next year to boost tourism and trade between the two countries.

“We are delighted to say, ‘Mabuhay, Perth!’ as we expand our network to Western Australia,” said Captain Stan ley Ng, president and chief operating officer of PAL.

“The new nonstop flights give Philippine Airlines and travel part ners a great opportunity to promote the Philippines as a prime tourist and business destination for travelers in Western Australia. Likewise, we in vite Filipinos to do business in Perth or visit family members while dis covering this dynamic Australian re gion and building new friendships,” he said.

PAL said that starting March 27, the three-weekly services would operate every Monday, Thursday and Satur day.

Citing a “win for Western Australia business, tourism and exports”, Perth Airport chief executive Kevin Brown said: “This exciting new route will inject more than 52,000 seats into the market each year. We’re keen to see more Filipino students choose to study in Perth to help the education sector as well as our tourism and hospitality markets. The same is true in reverse.

With more than 7,000 islands and amazing beaches on offer, the Philip pines also offers Western Australians an attractive holiday destination.”

PAL operates the largest network of flights between the Philippines and Australia. Perth is PAL’s fourth Aus tralian gateway, joining Sydney, Mel bourne and Brisbane, all of which are served with nonstop flights using Air bus A330 and A321neo aircraft.

PAL offers a total of 20 weekly direct flights to Perth, Sydney, Mel bourne and Brisbane.

The first direct flights between Ma nila and Perth will help stimulate busi ness and holiday travel of Australians to the Philippines, as well as Filipinos visiting the western regions of the Aus tralian continent.

Australia is the Philippines’ third largest source of tourist visitors, with more than 89,000 Australians visiting the Philippines in 2022 thus far.

Power rates likely to increase after SMC ended supply deal

By Alena Mae S. Flores

MANILA Elecric Co.

said Wednesday

consumers may face higher electricity prices next month after it was forced to get supply from the electricity spot market, where prices reached P7 per kilowatt-hour to P9 per kWh.

Meralco said it received a notice of cessation of supply from SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. covering the 670-megawatt power supply agreement with South Premiere Power Corp., which was the subject of the recent 60-day temporary restraining order issued by the Court of Appeals. SPPC supplies 670 MW from the 1,200-MW Ilijan power plant in Batangas.

The CA ruled in favor of SPPC and is sued a TRO stopping the Energy Regula tory Commission from implementing its decision which denied the temporary rate

hike petition of SPPC and Meralco under their 2019 PSA.

SMCGP asked the ERC for a temporary rate increase, citing gas constraints for the Ilijan plant and an unprecedented increase in coal prices for the 1,200-MW Sual coal plant in Pangasinan under San Miguel Energy Corp.

ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta said it was not yet clear “if SPPC served a notice of PSA termination or merely a suspension of supply considering that the case before the Court of Appeals filed by SPPC involving the said PSA is still for final resolution.”

The ERC also awaits action by the agency’s statutory counsel, the Office of the Solicitor General, after the matter was referred for undertaking the appropriate legal remedy, she said.

“We are exhausting all efforts to mitigate any impact of this recent development on our customers in electricity bills,” Meralco spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga said.

He said Meralco was negotiating with other generation companies to secure the 670-MW supply and shield the more than 7.5 million customers from volatile and potentially higher WESM prices.

WESM is the trading floor of electricity, where prices are more volatile, especially if supply is tight.

Based on ERC records of Meralco billings for November, the 670-MW SPPC PSA accounted for 13.4 percent of the power retailer’s supply and was priced at P4.2455 per kWh.

The average WESM price for the same period was at P8.47 per kWh. SPPC’s contract with Meralco under the PSA was about P4.30 per kWh.

“The cessation of supply from a bilateral contract or PSA does not excuse the distribution utility from its obligation under Section 23 of Republic Act No. 9136 or EPIRA to supply electricity in the least cost manner to its captive market,” the ERC said in a statement.

Meralco head of utility economics Lawrence Fernandez said he could say yet how much the full impact of the SPPC contract termination would be.

“It really depends on a lot of factors. We still have around two weeks remaining for supply months, and we also don’t know the trend of spot market prices for the coming days,” he said.

Outstanding gov’t debt hit a record P13.64t in October

THE country’s outstanding debt ballooned hit a record P13.64 trillion as of end-October, up by P123.92 billion or 0.92 percent from Sep tember’s P13.52 trillion, driven by more bor rowings and weaker peso against the US dollar, the Bureau of the Treasury said Wednesday.

It said in a statement the increase was “largely due to the net availment of both local and external loans. NG [national government] debt has increased by P1.91 trillion or 16.31 percent since end-December 2021.”

The government’s domestic debt amounted to P9.36 trillion, P54.58 billion or 0.59 percent higher than the end-September 2022 level.

“For October, the increment to domestic debt was primarily due to the net issuance of gov ernment securities amounting to P55.83 billion while local currency appreciation against the US dollar trimmed P1.25 billion,” it said.

Domestic debt comprised 68.58 percent of the total debt stock and increased P1.18 trillion or 14.50 percent since the beginning of the year on continued preference for domestic financing to mitigate foreign currency risk. Julito G. Rada

BDO Insure now offers protection from dengue

BDO Insure said it started to offer an afford able dengue insurance plan for families’ finan cial protection, as more Filipinos caught the dengue virus this year.

It said the Department of Health reported 128,346 dengue cases from Jan. 1 to Aug. 20, 2022, up by 152 percent from 50,982 cases recorded in the same period last year. More dengue fatalities were also registered this year with 422 compared to 179 in 2021.

“As an insurance brokerage, we understand the medical insurance needs of our Filipino cli ents. Through the dengue insurance plans we offer in partnership with trustworthy insurance providers, we aim to protect our clients from potential financial losses due to dengue and be with them every step of the way, from purchas ing the product to claiming its benefits,” said BDO Insure general manager Ma. Theresa Tan.

The company said that for a premium amounting to P300 a year, Plan A provides cash assistance worth P20,000 when diagnosed with dengue. Plan B provides cash assistance worth P40,000 for an annual premium of P500.

BDO Insure also started offering financial and emergency medical protection to travel ers through its comprehensive travel insurance plans with COVID-19 coverage. The travel insurance plans include coverage for emer gency medical treatment for COVID-19, travel inconveniences benefits and access to a 24/7 emergency travel assistance hotline. Coverage varies and may be availed for domestic and in ternational travel.

BDO Insure is a registered trademark of BDO Insurance Brokers Inc., an insurance bro ker licensed and supervised by the Insurance Commission of the Philippines.

Eramen Minerals gets US trade grant

US Vice President Kamala Harris in her recent travel to Manila launched a US Trade and De velopment Agency grant to Filipino mining company Eramen Minerals Inc. for a feasibil ity study to advance the development of an environmentally sustainable nickel processing facility in the Philippines.

The project will advance the clean energy transition by producing critical minerals that are key elements in the supply chain for batter ies and energy storage systems.

“This partnership is important to the shared clean energy and national security goals of the Philippines and the United States,” said USTDA director Enoh Ebong. “Through this grant, we are supporting high-quality techni cal and environmental standards for mineral processing in the Philippines, while also creat ing valuable commercial opportunities for US companies.”

USTDA’s study will evaluate the techni cal and economic viability of developing a nickel processing facility at the site of EMI’s mine in Zambales province. The plant is ex pected to use EMI’s nickel ore to produce refined nickel and cobalt products for sale as battery precursor materials. The study will help define the technical specifications for the facility and promote alignment with high environmental, social, and governance standards.

A LOCAL shipping line chief execu tive on Wednesday urged the govern ment to ensure that shipping and cargo gateways are free of obstructions to further improve their operations.

“While port operators, like Interna tional Container Terminal Services Inc. and Asian Terminals Inc., have invested heavily to modernize ports in Luzon for international operations, the government must do its part in ensuring that these shipping and cargo gateways are free of obstructions,” said Doris MagsaysayHo, whose family owns the Magsaysay Group of Companies.

“International ports have made sig nificant investments and can contrib ute valuable revenue to the govern ment,” Magsaysay-Ho said.

“However, it is important for the government to improve the vital per formance of ports with ‘a whole-ofgovernment approach’ working on

solutions’ outside the port,” Magsay say-Ho said.

She said to achieve the full potential of ports as a nucleus of the economy, these facilities should not only be gateways but full logistics hubs with spaces for inland container depots, stripping, agricultural facilities, cold storage, inspection and certification of products to enable efficient distribu tion of goods for export and import.

Crucial to her proposal to create a network of “portropolis,” which means ports becoming the heart of burgeoning economies, is the removal of obstructions that restrict quick and efficient movement of cargo.

“The roads, that are the arteries to and from the port must be free and clear of illegal business fees charged by the LGUs [local government units],” Maysaysay-Ho said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

By Othel V. Campos

THE Philippines aims to double exports to $240.5 billion by 2028, according to the 2023-2028 Philippine Export Devel opment Plan.

Cielito Habito, a former National Economic Development Authority director-general and now chief economist and chairman of think tank Brain Trust Inc., presented the updated plan during the 2022 National Export Congress Wednesday.

Based on the new export plan, the aggregated sectoral export earnings for 2022 is expected to reach $112.7 billion.

Exports are projected to rise annually to $126.8 billion in 2023; $143.4 billion in 2024; P173.6 billion in 2025; $186.7 billion in 2026; $212.1 billion in 2027; and $240.5 billion in 2028.

Philippine Exporters Confederation president Sergio Ortiz-Luis expressed op timism Philippine exports would hit more than $100 billion this year.

“The industry is taking a more aggres sive stance inspired by the PEDP and the recovery in our export performance. In fact, I believe that we can reach nearly $100 billion from exports of goods and services this year, surpassing last year’s $87 billion,” he said as he addressed the Congress.

Export receipts went up by 7 percent to $7.16 billion in September, a turnaround from a 2-percent decrease in August and faster than the 6.4-percent growth in Sep tember 2021.

Luis attributed the “surprise bounce” in exports to the 19-percent jump in elec tronic shipments.

He said the Philippines ranked 6th regionally and 12th globally in the Sustainability Trade Index 2022, joining more developed economies as it scored high in the report that measures economies’ behavior and effects of international trade on sustainability and economic prosperity.

Shipping CEO asks DTI to establish industry clusters with ports in mind

Six-year plan aims to double exports to $240.5b by 2028

FINANCIAL STABILITY CONFAB. Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland president and chief executive Loretta Mester (left) and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas senior assistant governor Johnny Noe Ravalo exchange ideas on global systemic risk issues and the future agenda for financial stability during the 10th Financial Stability Conference held in Cleveland, Ohio. This was co-hosted by the FRBC and the US Treasury’s Office of Financial Research. Ravalo and bank officer Theresa Gapaz, representing the BSP, also had a meeting with senior FRBC and OFR officials after the conference where they discussed the experience of the US in instilling a new systemic risk mindset after the global financial crisis.

GOING GLOBAL. The five-year success story of GIGIL Philippines, one of the country’s top advertising agencies, culminates in its foray into the metaverse and international markets. With a bold vision to become one of the top 10 advertising agencies in the world in the next five years, GIGIL founding partners (from left) Herbert Hernandez and Badong Abesamis and managing partner Jake Yrastorza lead the agency on an ambitious mission to make Filipino talent globally renowned. The independent Filipino ad agency is expanding its operations to major cities in North America such as Toronto, Los Angeles and New York, and into the metaverse, with the launch of its new division, Metama.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Beermen bludgeon FiberXers, near semis

CJ PEREZ scored 25 points for the San Miguel Beermen, who re pulsed the Converge FiberXers, 114-96, on Wednesday at the start of their 2022-23 Philippine Basket ball Association Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinal clash at the Phil sports Arena in Pasig.

Perez joined come-backing June Mar Fajardo in putting the Beermen ahead in the first period, 21-13, with both canning in five points. They were hardly threatened from there.

The 29-year-old Perez then had seven points apiece with another returning player Terrence Romeo as the Beermen stayed in control, 55-32, at halftime.

“The jelling of the team is much better now. The best part with June mar and Terrence back is that ev erybody is healthy,” said Beermen assistant coach Jorge Gallent.

The 6’2” Perez joined hands with Marcio Lassiter for 14 points as the Beermen took an 88-65 spread at the end of the third.

Fajardo, who sat out seven games after undergoing surgery on his in jured throat, made six points in the last six minutes of the third as the Beermen cut loose further, 80-49, with 5:52 left.

This Beermen will have a chance to formalize their semis entry on Saturday if they claim a 2-game sweep of their series with Con verge.

Romeo shot 13 points and Las siter added 11 points, while Simon Enciso only managed eight points and 10 assists before he was eject ed for his second technical foul with just a little under seven min utes to go. Peter Atencio

Ronaldo a bystander as Portugal finds magic

Maroons tame Bulldogs, secure 1st berth in finals

By Peter Atencio

BIG man Carl Tamayo sat out the last eight minutes on a right ankle injury, but the University of the Philippines still pulled through as it reached the finals for the second straight season in the 85th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Gerry Abadiano and Joel Cagalun gan scored the key baskets with Ta mayo watching on the bench and his feet dipped on ice, sending the second seed Fighting Maroons to a 69-61 tri umph over the third seed National Uni

versity Bulldogs.

Malick Diouf unloaded a game-high 17 points, to go with 21 boards for the Maroons, who are in their fourth finals appearance since 1986.

“We’re happy that we’ll be getting

another chance to win another cham pionship. We started out flat. But I believe the team bounced back from where we started, losing Carl in the first half, when he’s not 100%. The team responded well to the challenge that was given to us,” said Maroons’ coach Goldwin Monteverde.

Tamayo finished with eight points and left the court with 8:35 to go and with the NU Bulldogs in front, 54-50.

With Tamayo sidelined, the Fighting Maroons fought the Bulldogs to two deadlocks. UP’s Terrence Fortea forced the last one, 61-all, on a split free throw off NU’s Kean Baclaan’s foul.

UP first moved ahead, 63-61, on Aba diano’s basket off his steal off Omar John’s bad pass to Baclaan with 1:40 left.

After NU missed three attempts, two from Patrick Yu, Cagulangan’s triple off Zavier Lucero’s pass pushed UP to a comfortable 66-61 edge with 58 ticks to go.

“It’s their experience, or you call it composure. They had their adversities in this kind of the situation. Dito sila nab uhat ng mga veterans. Medyo masakit, pero it was still was a good run for us,” said coach Jeff Napa of NU, which, how ever, still had its best finish since reach ing the Final Four back in 2015.

Donaire challenges newly crowned WBC champ

climbed the ring.

By Randy Caluag

The superstar forward was largely a spectator as the side he has captained for so long threw off the shackles and romped to a 6-1 victory over Switzerland in the World Cup last-16 on Tuesday.

Young striker Goncalo Ramos, brought in for Ronaldo, scored a stun ning hat-trick and at least competed with his illustrious teammate for the head lines.

Ronaldo came to the World Cup seek ing respite after his troubled spell at Old Trafford this season, where he had become a peripheral figure under new manager Erik ten Hag.

Those frustrations boiled over last month in an explosive TV interview in which he lashed out at the club and the coach, leading to an inevitable parting of the ways.

The 37-year-old landed in Qatar to the usual fanfare, once again the focus of fawning attention from the world’s media.

Things even went to script in Por tugal’s first game, when he scored the opener from the penalty spot in a 3-2 win against Ghana, becoming the first man to score goals at five World Cups.

But things went downhill from there. He huffed and puffed through games against Uruguay and South Korea but failed to find the net and Portugal were less than the sum of their considerable parts.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos, who masterminded the side’s triumph at Euro 2016, finally took the decision to leave his star man out against the Swiss and was vindicated in spectacular fashion.

Portugal turned on the style, with Ben fica’s Ramos, 21, netting three times in a free-flowing attacking performance.

- Ronaldo chants -

With the match long since won, chants of “Ronaldo” echoed around the cavernous Lusail Stadium in Doha and he was cheered as he warmed up on the sidelines. AFP

FORMER four-division world cham pion Nonito Donaire, Jr. was hoping to issue a personal challenge inside the ring to Juan Francisco Estrada, moments af ter he captured the vacant WBC super flyweight title in Arizona, USA recently. But an overeager security staff asked him to get out of the ring.

Unable to personally talk with Estra da, the “Filipino Flash” turned to social media to congratulate the newly minted champ.

“First off Congratulations to @gal loestradaoficial for his win on Saturday night. @chocolatito87 had an amazing fight and showed great heart. This trilo gy is the heart of boxing fans worldwide and is historic!,” Donaire said.

Then, he proceeded to give his thoughts on what transpired when he

“I was at the fight, we had talks in Hermosillo, Japan, and the WBC con vention. @fernandobeltranrendon @ zanferboxing invited me into the ring and even tried to get Matchroom secu rity to back off, but they took me out.”

Donaire said he prefers to challenge opponents personally.

“I like challenging fighters face to face, not on Twitter, but apparently yall (you all) want me to do it this way. So, if Estrada wants to fight me, I’m right here. No shade thrown just always going for the best in the division. It’d be epic.”

In his post on Instagram and Twitter, he could not hide his disappointment with the overzealous security at the are na.

“Lastly, if yall Matchroom security guys ever want to put hands on someone, put hands on ME. Yall had every oppor

tunity to escort me out if you wanted to push the crowd of fans, I was taking pics with, but instead, you knee-check my wife on the stairs when she clearly had nowhere to go.”

“Y’all could have easily HELPED me move the crowd instead of causing more disruption and chaos. Sometimes using your brain is better than using brute.”

In big-ticket fights, it is normal for boxing figures, especially a former fourworld division champion like Donaire, who could be the champ’s future chal lenger, to personally challenge the win ner.

Donaire was coming off a sec ond-round knockout loss to Japanese Naoya Inoue for the unified world title belts in the bantamweight division last June in Saitama, Japan. And it looks like, he’s ready to go down in weight to chal lenge Estrada.

Manila Southwoods gets lift from young gunners

BAGUIO

Januarius Golf Team is a surprise third, so far, with 121 points. Ter ence Macatangay spearheaded the attack with 35 markers. Other scor ers are Kirby Lachica 33, Ray Sangil 31 and RJ Rizada 22.

Gab Manotoc and Carl Corpuz each made a three-under 66 worth 39 points apiece to lead Southwoods’ scoring binge. Jeff Jung accounted for 37 and Aidric Chan added 33 for a whopping 148 points.

Forest Hills amassed 129 points on the 39 of Rocky Co, 32 of jungolfer Edison Tabalin, 30 of Jose Rodelio Mangulabnan and 28 of Augusto Pa checo.

SPES Team 1 (116), Time Car go Logistics 1 (110) and X1R-Tip syPig-Mizuno (107) round out the teams in the premier division of the world’s largest amateur tournament.

In the Am-Championship, Manila Southwoods’ second unit was also up after it turned in 119, way ahead of Royal Northwoods (103), Riv iera-Batangas Barakos (95).

Time Cargo Logistics Team-2

maintained leadership following a 92-point performance at the Bagu io Country Club course although its lead was sliced to two by a surging Forest Hills in the Am-A division.

Joseph Tambunting starred for Time Cargo with 26 markers. Renie Floro and David Guangko produced 23 and 22 while Rusty Bayani add ed 21 that hiked the team’s two-day output to 182 points.

Forest Hills, led by the 29 of its general manager Raymond Bunquin, came through with its consecutive 96 to grab second place with 180. Ron nie Littaua had 27, Edgar Lee made 24 and JB Gosiaco contributed 16.

DOHA—Cristiano Ronaldo first found himself unloved and unwanted by Man chester United. Now the unthinkable has happened -- he has been dumped by Por tugal.

Nonito Donaire (right) with Juan Franciso Estrada

UP’s Joel Cagulangan finds an opening inside for a layup in a game the Maroons won 69-61, over the NU Bulldogs.

— Manila Southwoods’ ti tle defense in the Fil-Championship started on the right track as its young gunners turned in scores expected of them after the opening round at Camp John Hay Golf Club.

Gab Manotoc of Manila Southwoods

Cristiano Ronaldo

Buhain wants to help PH swimming

By Peter Atencio

RETIRED swimming cham pion Eric Buhain hopes to get involved in the affairs of the Philippine Swimming Inc.

If given the chance, the 52-year-old Buhain said he will give a helping hand in bringing PSI back on its feet, after FINA, the world gov erning body for swimming, withdrew its recognition of the national sports association for the sport in the Philippines.

“I don’t know if I will be invited or given a chance to help. I do hope so,” said Bu hain, who had been serving as a congressman for Batangas’ 1st district since 2022.

For now, Buhain is tied up with the Congress of Philippine Aquatics Inc. and its grassroots development programs.

“I have my own group. COPA, the Congress of Phil ippine Aquatics and we have been doing our best to help from 2019 up to now,” added Buhain, a multiple medallist in the Southeast Asian Games.

Buhain said COPA’s focus has been grassroots develop ment, while PSI’s priorities have been elite level and the Fil-foreign swimmers, who have been excelling.

The Philippine Olympic Committee’s Stabilization Committee has undertaken a review of the PSI’s constitu tion and bylaws.

POC legal counsel Wharton Chan is leading the review. The board of trustees of the PSI have appealed the deci sion of FINA and sought clar ification.

PBA recognized for ‘20 PH Cup bubble tourney

The pioneering pro league in Asia was recognized with the Sports Tour ism Tournament of the Year for mount ing the 2020 Philippine Cup under a bubble set up at Clark at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commissioner Willie Marcial per sonally received the award, of a 15inch gold trophy.

A creation of Raymundo Art Collec tion, the trophy features a variety of elements, each of which represents a component of Philippine Sports Tour ism and its role in bringing the indus try together.

Now on its 47th year, the league was recognized for its ‘resolute, pas sion, and commitment to basketball fans, and continued efforts in promot ing the sport despite the challenges during the pandemic in 2020.’

The PBA was the first to mount a major tournament during the pan demic, staging the all-Filipino Cup at Clark behind a work force of more than 500 persons, including all 12 member teams.

Barangay Ginebra went on to win the championship at the expense of TNT in five games.

Other recognized with awards were the Samahang Basketbol ng Pil ipinas as National Sports Association of 2021, Cebu Pacific Air as Sports Tourism Airline of the Year, Clark Development Corporation as Sports Tourism Destination of the Year, and Quest Hotel as Sports Tourism Hotel of the Year.

Arrey Perez received the award in behalf of the SBP.

The PSTA helped boost sports tour ism in the country since 2015.

It honors destinations, venues, lo cal governments, sports associations, event organizers, and private compa nies which helped local sports tourism industry grow rapidly in recognition of their contributions to establishing the Philippines as a premier destina tion for sports tourism.

Beach Pro Tour spikefest kicks off in Subic

THE Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures kicks off Thursday with 11 men and 14 women teams vying in the knockout qualifiers at the Subic Bay Sand Court .

Only four squads from each gender will advance to the main draw of the major international beach volleyball tournament organized by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation.

The pairings were determined during Wednesday’s preliminary inquiry su

pervised by International Volleyball Federation technical delegate Barry “Baz” Wedmaier of Australia.

The men’s qualifiers feature 11 teams from Thailand, Czech Republic, Austra lia, Japan, USA, Israel and Austria.

The top four teams will join 11 squads from host Philippines (three), Latvia, Thailand, Gambia, Japan, Israel and Lithuania in Thursday’s main draw of the event supported by the Philip pine Sports Commission, PLDT Home

and Rebisco and also backed by Akari, F2 Logistics, Asics, SBMA, Philippine Olympic Committee, Smart Giga Play, Cignal Play, OneSports, OneSports+, Senoh and Mikasa.

Fourteen squads from Japan, Norway, Singapore, Czech Republic, Nether lands, USA, Canada, South Korea and France, on the other hand, are figuring in the women’s qualifiers where also the best four teams will make the 12-team main draw that already incluses the

Philippines (three), Japan, Thailand, Lithuania, Singapore, Israel, Italy and Austria.

The Futures event is the third ma jor international competition that the PNVF hosted this year. The first two were a men and women leg of the Vol leyball Nations League last June at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and the Asia Volleyball Confederation Wom en’s Cup last August at the PhilSports Arena.

FESSAP, New Era University forge partnership

By Graham C. Lim

FESSAP president Edwin C. Fabro recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement with New Era Univer sity president Dr. Nilo L. Rosas in a partnership creating a program of exchange of their respective mem bers for instructional research and cultural purposes.

The agreement also covers all disciplines offered by the respec tive institutions.

The FESSAP and NEU shall also explore the potential of co-spon soring international conferences and academic exchanges in areas of joint interests, the arrangements of which shall be subjected to terms and conditions as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties.

Witnesses of the signing were FESSAP Executive Vice President Prof. Robert Milton Calo, Corpo rate Secretary Cecil Sarmiento, Ex ecutive Assistant Allan Soria, NEU executive secretary Bro. Erwin S. Briones and NEU Athletic Director Rodilo Legaspi.

The agreement took effect upon signing and will last for a period of five years.

Meanwhile, Fabro also wel

comed New Era University’s partic ipation in the first Philippine Uni versity Volleyball League, a premier tournament organized by the FESS AP-PUVL, led by its chairman Gra ham C. Lim, with the FESSAP-PUVL Working Committee, composed of Prof. Calo, Sarmiento, Soria, Fructu

so Raytos, and Antonio Quiza.

The PUVL, which will open on De cember 12, at the NEU Gymnasium, will be a national qualifying tourna ment for the Asia Pacific Universi ty Games and the Asian University Championship in 2023.

NEU is the legal owner of the Phil

ippine Arena, the largest indoor arena in the world with a seating capacity of over 50,000.

Located at Central Avenue in Que zon City, New Era University was founded in 1975, with a current pop ulation of approximately 30,000 stu dents.

East Asia Super League unveils Champs Week

HONG KONG—East Asia Super League is proud to announce the stag ing of the EASL Champions Week in Japan from March 1 to 5, 2023.

The league’s eight teams will bat tle for the inaugural Champions Week title and the first prize of $250,000, with $100,000 going to the runner-up and $50,000 to the third-place team.

Ten games will be played in Japan in five days, with The Utsunomiya Brex hosting the first six games of the Group Stage. The Ryukyu Gold en Kings will host four games totaltwo Group Stage games as well as the Championship and third place game on March 5 in Okinawa in their new stadium, which is also a 2023 FIBA World Cup venue.

“EASL is honored to be the hub of East Asian basketball, bringing the best of the best of the region’s club teams together in an elite competition, supported by long-term agreements with FIBA and Asia’s top leagues,” said EASL CEO Matt Beyer. “EASL Champions Week in Japan will be unlike anything ever seen before and provide fans with electrifying game actions and a platform for the top leagues and professional teams in the region to gain global exposure.”

Each day of EASL Champions week will feature two marquee match-ups.

EASL Champions Week is final izing broadcast deals with top indig enous broadcasters in all core EASL geographies, and beyond. Further news on how to tune into EASL Champions Week is coming in soon. The eight teams that have already qualified for EASL Season 1 will re main in their respective groups. The schedule will be determined through a draw taking place in December. More details of the draw will soon be released, and the draw will be lives treamed globally for basketball to enjoy.

“KBL welcomes the EASL Cham pions Week in Japan. We wish the Champions Week will be a foun dation for a prosperous and stable long term operation of EASL. KBL expects the participating KBL teams in Champions Week to showcase the best of Korean basketball,” said KBL Commissioner Kim Hee Ok.

Each team will play two Group Stage games, for a total of eight games from March 1 to 4. The first three Group Stage game days will be held in Utsunomiya Nikkan Arena. The final day of Group Stage games will be held in Okinawa Arena, and the top two teams from each group advance to play in a Championship and third place game, also in Okina wa.

“We can’t wait to see our top teams head to Japan to compete in East Asia Super League competition,” said PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial. “We’re also well aware of the rising popularity of Filipino players and basketball in Japan, and we’re ready to make a strong run for the Cham pionship.”

If two or more teams finish group play with the same win-loss record, a tiebreaker will be implemented. The order of tiebreaker implemen tation will be as follows: the higher game points difference of all games in the group, followed by the higher number of game points scored in all games in the group.

EASL continues its commitment to providing fans with dynamic behindthe-scenes, in-depth entertainment, and Korean director John H. Lee, top Korean reality production com pany IGNITE!, together with Steve Nash’s CTRL Media led by Ezra Holland, former CAA China head Jonah Greenberg’s Salty Pictures and Marc Iserlis’s Third Culture Col lective will be producing a five-epi sode, 20-minute per episode series on EASL Champions Week for audienc es globally.

EASL will launch its home-andaway format in Fall 2023 for Season 2 of EASL competition, with represen tative teams qualifying through their current domestic seasons. In Season 3 beginning in Fall 2024, EASL will expand the format to 16 teams and potentially add in new leagues and geographies into the EASL.

“Our fans love great basketball and can’t get enough of it,” said P. LEAGUE+’s CEO, Charles Chen. “For the P. LEAGUE+, this Cham pions Week is an opportunity for our growing league to elevate its lev el through elite competition, while gaining exposure on a pan-regional stage.”

For more information about EASL, please go to www.EASL.basketball or EASL’s social media channels.

THE Philippine Basketball Association was one of those honored during the 5th Sports Tourism Awards held Tuesday at the Quest Hotel inside the Clark Freeport Zone.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial (third from left) receives the Sports Tourism Tournament of the Year Award from Charles Lim (Founder and Chairman, Philippine Sports Tourism Awards) on Tuesday at the 5th Sports Tourism Awards held at the Quest Hotel inside the Clark Freeport Zone. Watching on are Caroline Uy (DOT Regional Director, Region III) and Atty. Chito Salud (Team Governor, Converge FiberXers).

FESSAP president Edwin C. Fabro (6th from left) and NEU president Nilo L. Rosas (5th from left) shake hands after signing a memorandum of agreement. With them are (from left) Allan Soria, Rohilo Legaspi, Robert Milton Calo, Katelyn Chen, Cecille Sarmiento and Bro. Erwin S. Briones.

By Patricia Taculao

Kyle Lowder dives into familiar and unfamiliar territory

love, family, kindness, and harmony themes.

Most of these films combine reality and whimsy to emphasize the season further.

WFL Productions and Lenaz Film Production take a different approach to the influx of Christmas-themed movies by adding an element that most people usually associate during the summer: a mermaid.

A Mermaid for Christmas combines classic themes with an escapist fantasy element only a mermaid can provide. It boasts humor and a touch of magic the whole family can enjoy.

The film stars American actress Jessica Morris as the mermaid Daphne, as she brings warmth, love, and hope through this whimsical holiday offering. It also showcases family performances from Daytime Emmy nominated and award-winning American

actor and producer Kyle Lowder

For those who don’t know, Kyle began his career in showbiz two decades ago as Brady Black in the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, where he stayed on until 2005. He later played Rick Forrester in The Bold and the Beautiful from 2007 to 2011. Kyle recently returned to Days of Our Lives in a contract role.

In A Mermaid for Christmas, plays the male lead, Travis Hunter.

“He’s a really nice guy. He’s a very sweet guy, and he owns this bar slash restaurant in a fictional town where the movie takes place,” Kyle told Manila Standard Entertainment during the media conference for the film last November 22, Tuesday.

The trouble for Travis starts with the lack

of funds to keep his business afloat. But when he starts to feel down, a mermaid will unexpectedly enter his life and “help him in so many ways,” as Kyle puts it. Travis also experienced loss and tragedy, so Daphne’s presence will help him deal with mental and emotional issues.

Kyle shared that he likes Travis’s character and shares similarities with his personality in real life.

“I definitely put a lot of who I am, my life experiences, into Travis’s character and in formulating his character. But there were also a lot of aspects in the character of Travis that I personally can’t relate to as Kyle,” the actor said.

He made some preparations to get into his character’s heart and head. As a result,

New aces of local pop music

ANEW P-pop girl group emerges amid the growing P-pop fever.

The group is called Blvck Ace

The group’s name Blvck Ace (Black Ace) comes from two words, first is “Black” which is the name of their talent manage ment agency, Blvck Entertainment. The second word is “Ace” derived from the name of the group’s manager, Engr. Grace Cristobal

Coincidentally, both words also have significant meanings. “Black” stands for power and “Ace” is the highest playing card. Combining these two words can connote “high and powerful.” Blvck Ace is determined to be “high and powerful” in continuing to empower and promote OPM using the platforms that the members of the girl band now have. They are also re ferred to as the “alas” of Blvck Entertain ment because they are the first P-Pop girl group formed by the agency.

Blvck Ace was formed through a series of auditions. Completing the five-member group are Anasity, Ely, Jea, Rhen, and Twinkle. These five girls have honed their musical talents through TV commercials, joining personality/talent competitions, and attending personal workshops and camps. In addition to this, management has trained them intensely in singing, dancing, and acting for several months to be fully prepared to join the growing P-Pop group craze in the music industry. Until now, they are still being supervised closely so that they can continuously im prove and develop their skills and talents. The members of Blvck Ace describe their music to be “positive,” giving good

vibes to all those who listen to it. They want their music to be relatable to all.

“Pasahero” their first single, is a tribute to our reliable taxi, jeepney, motorcycle, and transport service drivers who are dedicated to bring us safely to our destina tion. In a deeper sense, the “driver” in the song can be attributed to a friend and the “pasahero” can be anyone who needs help in his or her own “journey” of challenges. A line from the chorus of the song goes, Ikaw ang aking pasahero. Ako ang s’yang magmamaneho. At ako ang ‘yong super hero. Na taga payo mo sa t’wing akala mo

tinatalikuran ka na ng mundo. They will also be releasing a Christmas song as their second single this month.

“Pasahero” is produced by Blvck Mu sic, the music label of Blvck Entertain ment, and is out on Spotify, Apple Mu sic, iTunes, Amazon, Deezer, Medianet, Boomplay, YouTube Music, and other music streaming platforms. Follow Blvck Ace on their social media accounts: Face book Blvck Ace, Twitter @blvckaceph, Instagram @blvckaceofficial, Youtube Blvck Ace, and on Tiktok @blvckaceof ficial.

Blvck Entertainment started operating last June of this year and is gaining mo mentum to prepare for bigger and more exciting projects in 2023. For inquiries, contact 0939 9278023.

Filipina in Marquis Who’s Who to speak in ‘Leadership Experience Tour’

turing “innovative parents turning coun tries into classrooms” to be launched on December 9.

A homeschooling parent, Joahna is on a mission to raise her son Samuel in ways that motivate her to promote joyful learn ing, traveling, and creating which is the very backbone of schINAbp.

he can proudly describe his performance as authentic and believable.

“It was a combination of both, pulling from my own personality and my own life experiences, and also doing some research to create this character as well,” he said.

Joining Jessica and Kyle are Kathleen Gati as Connie Hunter, Arianne Zucker as Tiffany Devereaux, Sheree J. Wilson as Theodora, and Chadwick Armstrong as Beau Hunter.

Michael Caruso wrote and directed the film to bring the holiday feel that people know and love. Its executive producer is Filipino-American Arsy Grindulo Jr., with Tess Reyes and Imelda Napa as producers. A Mermaid for Christmas is now in cinemas.

The couple has relocated here to the United States where Joahna has excelled in the field of education and arts. In 2015, she founded School In A Backpack which spe cializes in experiential education. For this, along with her success as Special Education Teacher at Whiteriver Unified School Dis trict (USD) in Fort Apache, Arizona since 2017, and other related accomplishments, she was included in Marquis Who’s Who publication a few months ago.

As they say, it pours when it rains, so fate led Joahna to be chosen as one of the speakers for the morning show of the

upcoming Leadership Experience Tour scheduled in March 2023 at the Michigan State University Education Center. She is the first Filipino to make it on this stage.

“I’m going to talk about ‘Courage 1st,’” she said. “I have tons of stories from expe riences, including those we shared together during my time working alongside you.”

She must be talking about stuff she ac complished in the Philippines. Her bach elor’s degree in Multimedia Arts at the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde proved to be a strong ground for her to build her foundation of excellence.

Joahna formed a production company back

in Manila, then took various roles for top me dia companies. She later landed consulting and executive positions for institutions in San Franciso, Australia, and Singapore.

On the art side, she curated art exhibits for a number of Filipino artists and ventured into performance arts as hip-hop dancer, rapper, lyricist, and spoken word act.

She noted, “The cool thing is that School in a Backpack (schINAbp) started in the Philippines in 2015 and now it had been launched in the US. Its current direc tors are all Filipinos based in the Philip pines, USA, and UK and it has a global reach of learners and families.”

Her initiative also paved the way for her inclusion in World Schoolers, a book fea

The Leadership Experience Tour is labeled as a premier platform for aspiring speakers to gain access to resources, tools, and services for the goal to succeed. It is a first-rate venue for networking. On top of this event is Shawn Fair, a trained and experienced motivational speaker in the areas of leadership, consulta tive sales, vision, time mastery, coaching, and business development.

Since its first edition in 1899, Marquis Who’s Who has chronicled the lives of truly accomplished individuals in America. It re mains to be an essential biographical source for researchers, journalists, and the like.

That Joahna is on such a revered list and by next year will share her ideas and expertise on an international stage is simply commendable. It’s a blessing to be her family friend.

For tickets to Leadership Experience Tour, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ leadership-experience-tour-am-michiganstate-university-education-center-tickets479515412507?aff=JoahnaTupas, or you may check http://www.schoolinabackpack.com

New single sees rapper Shehyee at crossroads

WHEN you’re a rap music artist at the top of your game, what comes next?

This seems to be the question that hit rap artist Shehyee addresses in his latest single titled “Kuntento.”

Rhythmic as it is melodic, “Kuntento” is all about Shehyee picturing what it would be like to be content to the point of not chasing his passions and just giving them up. It’s a part confessional and caution ary tale as Shehyee emphasizes that what keeps his world turning is by finding pas sion in what he does. Of course, he says it better with his rhymes in that inimitable rap style of his.

Here he raps, “Yo, pa’no ba sipagin / Bruh, pwede ba ituro n’yo sa akin / Ang hirap hanapin / Gan’to ba talaga ‘pag natupad na ang iyong dalangin?”

This is from the guy who almost broke YouTube overnight when he released his

first breakout hit “Trip Lang.” It could be argued that said track ushered in the era of social media personality collaborations by featuring several popular celebs in the song’s music video. That track was re leased almost a decade ago but can still be found trending on platforms like TikTok.

Shehyee has tasted success. Been there, done that, as they say. Which brings him to “Kuntento.”

If you listen to his song, it’s all there, revealing where his head is currently at. “Di ko na bibilangin / Not a fan baka sabi hin n’yo mahangin / Gan’to na lang, alam n’yo sa’n ako nanggaling / Kung baba likan ‘yon ay hindi na pwedeng lakarin, ey’ / Parang lyrics lang ni Thyro / Kilomekilome-kilometro ang layo / Masaya na sana kaso / ‘Di ko gets, ‘di ko get kung saan na’ko dadako.”

Sounds like a man currently at a cross

roads. Like a man, who doesn’t know what to do next.

“Appreciate what you currently have but never settle,” said the rapper when asked what the main message is for his latest song. A terse answer, but one that makes sense.

In the course of it, Shehyee gets to wrap his thoughts with cool 80’s inspired mu sic. “(the music on “Kuntento”) is city pop vibe, I want to feel (and sound) like I’m driving around the streets of Tokyo at night when I listen to it.”

For a top-rated rapper, Shehyee doesn’t really sound like the sound of Pinoy rap and hip-hop today. To this, he answers, “Yes, I really don’t like to sound like ev erybody else as much as possible.”

Asked if there ever was a moment in his career that made him content, the rap per answered, “when I became a 2 divi

sion Rap Battle Champion, won an Awit Award, and became a champion on all the stuff I competed on” (Shehyee is also a long-time gamer).

So, it sounds like Shehyee just needs to find that spark to keep him going. Because it’s obvious what’s that one thing that won’t keep him from sitting on his ass, so to speak.

“Yes, the thrill of competition.”

Probably in a related matter, Shehyee’s release of “Kuntento” coincides with his engagement to his long-time girlfriend Ann B. Mateo (a popular online personal ity and gamer in her own right).

A new music video for “Kuntento” was recently released, the video is directed by Eric Ejercito and Jeff Centauri and based on a concept by the rapper). “Kuntento” by Shehyee is now out on all music streaming platforms released by Viva Records.

‘Avatar’ sequel gets world premiere in London

O NE of the most delayed sequels in block buster history finally hit the big screen on Tuesday as Avatar: The Way of Water got its much-anticipated world premiere in London.

The 13-year wait for a follow-up to Ava tar, the biggest-grossing film of all time, cannot come too soon for cinemas around the world still struggling from the impact of the COVID pandemic.

The public will get to see James Cam eron’s three-hour opus next week, with the director hoping it will justify his dream of establishing a franchise on a par with Star Wars and the Marvel juggernaut.

The legendary filmmaker admitted to having some nerves ahead of the premiere.

“I’ve always been nervous every time before we put a movie out into the mar ketplace and this is a particularly fraught time because, after the pandemic, the mar ket has contracted somewhat,” he told the BBC from the red carpet.

But Cameron added he was confident that the sequel to his 2009 blockbuster de livers.

“The film is a good ride. It’s a good experience. It’s powerful. It’s emotional. People are crying, they’re weeping their eyes out coming out of the theatre in a good way.”

Having been re-released around the world in recent months, the first Avatar is now just shy of $3 billion in worldwide revenue. But Cameron’s initial hopes of having a sequel out by 2014 saw repeated delays as his technical ambitions grew.

The second film continues the mix of sci-fi and eco-politics – returning to the planet Pandora where the Na’vi characters struggle to fend off rapacious humans – as well as the groundbreaking use of 3D and cutting-edge cinematic wizardry that made the original such a box office hit.

Stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver return, alongside new additions including Kate Winslet, a quarter-century after her world-beating collaboration with Cameron for Titanic AFP

THE name Joahna Tupas is familiar to me on a personal level as she is the wife of my best friend Ronald Tupas. In Philippine show business, Ronald is Joaqui Tupas who years back played sidekick Bodjie in a hor ror-comedy TV series titled Midnight DJ

AH, CHRISTMAS. As the famous saying goes, “‘tis the season to be jolly.” One wellloved Christmas tradition is binge-watching holiday-themed movies to get into the Christmas spirit.

From late November to January of the succeeding year, cinemas and streaming platforms promote Christmas movies with

Blvck Entertainment is a new talent management company owned by entre preneurs and power couple, Engineers Louie and Grace Cristobal. They are determined to further increase their pool of talents and help deserving “unsigned” artists fulfill their dreams. They are also into music, live events, concerts, films, and various content production.

A scene from ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

World Schooler’s is a book featuring “innovative parents turning countries into classrooms”

Joahna Tupas, pictured with her son Samuel, has been recently included in Marquis Who’s Who list

The newest P-pop girl group Blvck Ace aims to bring positive music their listeners can relate to

Hit Filipino rap artist Shehyee

Jessica Morris (left) as the mermaid Daphne and Kyle Lowder as Travis Hunter

BY YUGEL LOSORATA

TOUCHBASS

Ivana Alawi’s choice

Actress and social media personality

Ivana Alawi is one of those people who rarely visit the gym or engage in physi cal activities but still look healthy, fit, and sexy. Some might say it’s probably the genes or she’s just “blessed” with a figure to die for.

In a recent media junket for the 25-yearold’s latest product endorsement, she admit ted that there are times that she’s too tired to exercise or too lazy to hit the gym, but it doesn’t mean she’s not on top of her physi cal health. But what’s the secret to her whis tle-bait body?

“My profession requires a lot of ener gy, it’s exhausting at times. But because I’m not an active person, I watch what I eat, drink, or put in my body. I’m a healthy eater,” Ivana shared during her launch as the official face of Maxijuice, an organic juice drink.

“It may be taken by diabetics, too,” she added saying that drinking Maxijuice is her bonding moment with Mona, her younger sister who has Type 2 diabetes. “She is tak ing Maxijuice in the morning.”

Ivana said that it’s been more than a year since she started taking the prod uct and it took her months to finally

Ivana (third from right) with the owners and founder of M88

endorse it.

“I’m the type of person who want ed to experience the product first, I wanted to experience the benefits be fore I give my seal of approval. Now, I share the product with my family and co-workers because it’s a nice gift that I could give them,” she told Manila Standard Life

“It’s my personal choice to re ally try any product. With Maxi juice, I really felt the weight loss. And it’s energizing,” she added.

Maxijuice has buah merah, guyabano, acai-berry, hibiscus, barley, stevia, malunggay, wheat grass, mangosteen, and inulin fi ber. Maximum 88 president and CEO, Dr. Patricio Jugueta said it is an excellent detoxifier, powerful

antioxidant, and rejuvenating agent. It has high fiber content, low calories, and promotes vi tality and energy. “I’m not health-conscious about what I eat because I don’t want to spoil my enjoyment of food. But I’m conscious about what I drink. And the product I drink must be organic and natu ral. That’s what I look for in juice,” Ivana went on.

Maxijuice is manufactured by Maximum 88 Corporation with Dr. Jugueta as president, Mark Anthony Dapiton as VP, and Willis Chavez as co-founder.

On skincare and products you can trust

One of the many things I wish I knew when I was younger was proper skincare. Growing up and as a track and field athlete, it didn’t really occur to me that I should develop a good skincare regimen, all the more so because I spent several hours outdoors. The moment awareness struck me, I started paying more attention to what I put on my skin, trusting only the experts on their opinion as well as product rec ommendations.

As the body’s largest and most visible organ, our skin serves to protect from whatever harmful elements it comes in contact with trapping moisture in while keeping allergens, irritants, and pollut ants out.

According to skin experts, having sensitive skin is natural, but it’s often overlooked or misunderstood. Many don’t realize that sensitive skin isn’t a skin type, but rather a skin state. May it be dry skin, hormonal skin, sunburned, red, or eczema prone –it’s all sensitive. So, paying atten

tion to your skin, learning about

skincare, and adopting good habits can prevent skin flare-ups and lead to a lifetime of healthier skin.

Last November was National Healthy Skin Month, making it a great time to give our skin the extra care it needs. It is also a good reminder for everyone to know more about the products used to manage sensitive skin. One of the trusted brands in the market, Aveeno has a wide range of products with sciencebased formulations that are ideal for people sensitive to ecze ma-prone skin or those who are looking for a better solution to relieve their skin conditions.

“We know that sensitive skin is real and can tremendously impact one’s quality of life. Aveeno’s commitment is to care for people with sensitive skin— dry, itchy, and eczematic by combining

scientific research with the strong pow er of oats. As a leader in skin science, Aveeno® has everyday solutions made with effective formulations proven to soothe, help heal and pro tect dry, sensitive skin,” shares Nica Rolla, senior marketing manager for the skin health franchise.

Aveeno products are recommended by derma tologists; they are formu lated for sensitive skin, free of parabens, phthal ates, and dyes.

“We are mindful of our consumers’ concern, and seek to address their needs by unlock ing the power of natural ingredients in our science-backed solutions,” says Chernis Low, Johnson and Johnson research and development scientist for skin health, Through the years, the brand has innovated solutions for different levels of skin needs and sensitivities all

with the power of oats. The Aveeno’s Daily Moisture, for instance, is for people with normal/ sensitive skin. Its vital ingredient is prebiotic colloidal

Health and beauty care brand announces milestone in corrective surgeries for cleft kids

A.S. Watson, the world’s largest in ternational health and beauty retailer, is proud to announce the milestone of sponsoring Operation Smile with 5,000 corrective surgeries worldwide, as well as launching the Women in Medicine program which empowers women in the medicine and healthcare sector to provide educational pathways for women to be global leaders in medicine, health care, and surgery.

According to Malina Ngai, CEO of A.S. Watson (Asia & Europe), “At A.S. Watson, we’re not only putting a smile on our customers’ faces today and tomorrow but also the people who need our help. That’s why we partnered with Operation Smile to launch our first-ever global com munity program ‘Give a Smile’ in 2018 to raise awareness and funds for children born with cleft palates or cleft lips, giving them beautiful new smiles and fresh hope through life-changing surgeries.”

Since its launch, A.S. Watson and its retail brands have been working hand-inhand to change the lives of cleft children from all around the world. This year, the Give a Smile campaign has reached a sig nificant milestone of having sponsored 5,000 life-changing surgeries, which is coincidentally the 40th Anniversary med ical program of Operation Smile.

Ngai continued, “Every 3 minutes, a child is born with cleft. Cleft conditions not just affect a child’s physical health but also mental health. A timely cleft surgery is very crucial to transform a child’s life and bringing them a healthier and hap pier future. The 5,000th surgery is such a remarkable milestone for A.S. Watson as it means we’re making great progress in helping more cleft children and their families regain the smiles they deserve.”

“In fact, we cannot do it alone. It’s a joint effort by our people, our customers, and our business partners. Every one of them is part of the achievement we’ve made and their tremendous support will continue to drive us to do more for all cleft children and their families.”

A.S. Watson has an ongoing commit ment to empowering women so that every one of them can feel good, confident, and beautiful from the inside and out. It has teamed up with Operation Smile to launch the Women in Medicine program, aiming to educate women in developing economies on

global partnership with Op eration Smile not only helps cleft children to restore their smile, but we can also help to empower women in the field of medical science. We be lieve the Women in Medicine program will enable women to play a more leading role in the medicine and healthcare sec tor, inspiring them to be more confident and professional.”

oats which help prevent daily skin sensitivity and dryness by locking in moisture. For those experiencing dry to sensitive skin, Aveeno Skin Relief helps restore moisture loss, soothes, and relieves dryness. It also provides long-lasting protection with its triple oat complex and natural colloidal oats. Aveeno also offers a specialized line for eczema-prone skin by combining triple oats and ceramides in Aveeno Dermexa. Aveeno Dermexa provides immediate comfort and prevents flare-ups and the recurrence of extreme dryness.

The brand’s new and improved line of products continues to build on its heritage of care by continuously researching ingredients on nature’s soothing and healing properties to help provide care for all skin, even the most sensitive. For more information on Aveeno® visit their website at www. aveeno.com.ph and follow Aveeno on their social media pages @AveenoPH.

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

The

Maria

have the capabilities to better care for pa tients, especially the vulnerable ones.”

Belle Pesayco, sustainability cham pion for Community and Regulatory Af fairs Head of Watsons Philippines, who has been leading Watsons’ community program with Operation Smile Philip pines for 9 years, said, “I am pleased to be involved in this meaningful program which gives smiles to children and helps transform their lives. I am also very grateful to see the growth of our partner ship which empowers the female medical professionals and enriches opportunities for them.”

April Love Arriola Inso, a volunteer from Watsons Philippines was glad to join Cebu’s Women in Medicine surgical program, “It was the third time I joined the Operation Smile program but this allwomen workforce has given me an un forgettable experience. Women working together side by side for a surgical pro gram was a really powerful moment for all of us!”

Riding on the successful launch of the Women in Medicine program in the Philippines, A.S. Watson will continue to work closely with Operation Smile to empower more women in the medical field and inspire them to look good, do good, and feel great.

Nickie

Kathleen Magee, co-found er and president of Operation

Actress and social media personality Ivana Alawi makes it a habit to eat healthy

Ivana feels energized with Maxijuice

Paying attention to your skin, learning about skincare, and keeping good habits can prevent skin flare-ups and lead to a lifetime of healthier skin.

The Women in Medicine program is an all-female international surgical and educational program.

advanced medical practices and specialties, empower them to become leaders in global medicine, expand opportunities for female healthcare workers in underserved commu nities, and elevate the quality of cleft care.

Ngai added, “We are delighted that our

Smile said, “The ultimate goal of Women in Medicine is to inspire and enable women to take on leadership roles in the medical field so they can help shape policies that would attract more women into the fold and equip them with global-standard skills to widen

A.S. Watson will continue to work closely with Operation Smile to empower more women in the medical field access to safe surgery and quality cleft care. We appreciate the tremendous support from A.S. Watson Group for the Women in Medi cine program, and giving more smiles to the children suffering from cleft lips or cleft palate through its worldwide Give a Smile program.”

Women in Medicine program was first launched at Watsons Philippines, which is an all-female international surgical and educational program. The multinational team from 13 different countries conducted a one-day leadership and education day on the impact of women’s role in global health followed by five days of free surgeries, with 59 life-changing surgeries conducted for cleft children.

Fernanda Tapia, a plastic surgeon from Bolivia and Operation Smile Global Surgery Fellow who participated in the Women in Medicine program said, “Women and men are different from each other but that is no reason for women to feel less capable of being part of the healthcare sector. Women

Operation Smile provides corrective surgeries to children worldwide