Manila Standard - 2022 December 17 - Saturday

PBBM okays 6-year dev’t plan

Whole-nation tack aims to steer gov't bureaucracy in ‘same direction’

By Vince Lopez

PRESIDENT

Mr. Marcos approval rating improves to 64% in last qtr.

By Julito G. Rada

MORE Filipinos are concerned the Marcos administration should focus on the prices of goods and inflation after the national economy, a fourthquarter survey conducted by Publicus Asia Inc. from Nov. 25 to 30, 2022 involving 1,500 total interviewees showed.

The same survey showed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s total approvalrating in the fourth quarter inched up to 64 percent compared to a quarter ago, but his low rating as the concurrent Department of Agriculture secretary is a “wake-up call” for him to find somebody to lead the department, an

economist said Friday.

The national economy is still considered the topmost priority for the President to focus on but prices and inflation moved up “as a clear second place, indicating a growing concern, particularly in NCR (National Capital Region),” Publicus said in its deck for the survey released to the media.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive’s 64 percent rating was higher than the 62 percent in his first three months in office. Vice President Sara Duterte’s approval rating was higher at 68 percent in the fourth quarter from 66 percent a quarter ago.

During the online Pahayag 2022

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By Vince Lopez, Vito Barcelo and Maricel V. Cruz

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the P5.268 trillion 2023 national budget on Friday, calling it “as fine a Christmas gift” a chief executive could receive from Congress.

The General Appropriations Act of 2023, he said, was the national roadmap that defines the intentions of the government and the projects it would pursue next year.

He also said the speed by which Congress passed the GAA—“the fastest passage of the national budget that we have seen so far”—was indicative of the support and solidarity that the legislature had with the executive department.

Senate sets MIF deliberation, ‘fine-toothed comb’ scrutiny

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By Maricel V. Cruz

ment and the passage of 19 priority bills.

In his remarks before the

P500 for Noche Buena amid price hikes?

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has defended its P500 Noche Buena price guide after critics on social media said the amount was inadequate for a Filipino family—given the high prices of commodities.

This coincided with a statement from an official of the Department of Energy that domestic pump prices are forecast to increase next week by as much as P1.60 per liter. The expected oil price hike ended five consecutive weeks of price cuts amid the softening of world oil prices.

Diesel is expected to go up by P1.50 to 1.60 per liter, kerosene by P1 to P1.10 per liter, and gasoline by P0.25 to P0.30 per liter based on the four-day trading.

Also, more Filipinos are concerned the Marcos administration should focus on the prices of goods and inflation after the national economy, a fourth-quarter survey conducted by Publicus Asia Inc. from Nov. 25 to 30, 2022 involving 1,500 total interviewees showed.

The national economy is still considered the topmost priority for the President to focus on, but prices and inflation moved up “as a clear second place, indicating a growing concern, particularly in NCR (National Capital Region),” Publicus said in its deck for the survey released to the media.

Those surveyed also said the economy should be the topmost priority for the President to focus on.

By Honor Blanco

SPEAKER Martin G. Romualdez on Friday cited the accomplishments of the House of Representatives in the first five months of the 19th Congress, including the approval of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) to boost economic develop-

legislature started its Christmas recess Thursday, Romualdez said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July, identified 19 priority measures for the 19th Congress to consider and approve.

File photo dated July 27, 2016 shows President Duterte during a National Security Council meeting attended by four former presidents including (from left) Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Fidel V. Ramos and Benigno Aquino III. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque says Malacanang is inclined to ask the four ex-presidents to attend a meeting on issues besetting the West Philippine Sea. NSC file

SIGNED AND DELIVERED. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signs the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA) surrounded by Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Speaker Martin Romualdez, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, and other lawmakers and Cabinet members (inset) who made it possible to draft and pass the spending measure in record time. Ver Noveno

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved Friday the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 20232028 to boost deep economic and social transformation while reinvigorating job creation and steering the economy forward.

SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Senate might begin deliberations on a bill creating the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) by February next year, noting that all bills passed by the House can only be referred to the Senate on Jan. 23, 2023 after the recess.

Zubiri said the bill would then be referred to the committees on banks, finan-

institutions and currencies, government corporations and public enterprises, ways and means and finance.

would then be up to the committee chairmen to schedule hearings, most likely by the middle of February.

respect the committee system in the Senate, and we will study through

Cabie

THE nine-day Midnight Mass has

begun. Today's Mass, the second, starts before the break of dawn, symbol-

izing the cock-a-hoop celebration of the Mass or Service of Worship in honor

The PDP was prepared by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) board, which the President chairs.

"I'm happy to announce that today, at the NEDA board meeting, we approved the Philippine Development Plan for

President calls nat’l budget as ’fine Xmas gift’

EU body OKs PBBM free trade bid

THE European Council (EC) welcomed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s push for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and the European Union (EU) in order to achieve post-pandemic recovery.

This comes after Mr. Marcos met with European Council President Ursula Von der Leyen on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-European Union (ASEAN-EU) Commemorative Summit in Belgium, according to a news release from the Office of the Press Secretary.

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2023 to 2028 and this sets out the framework of the development plan for the Philippines and we have included all of the priority areas," President Marcos said in a message.

The Chief Executive enjoined agencies to employ a whole-of-nation approach in the implementation of the PDP 2023-2028 and steer government instrumentalities into the "same direction."

"This will facilitate the coordination and the alignment of all departments and all agencies in government to a single plan so that we are all working in the same direction," the President pointed out.

The PDP 2023-2028 aims to reinvigorate job creation and accelerate poverty reduction by steering the economy back

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End of the Year public briefing, Publicus showed that the Marcos administration got an approval rating of 64 percent in the first six months but only 32 percent said it was better than the previous administration.

When asked what’s the most important issue that the President should focus on, a quarter of the respondents said the Philippine economy came first, followed by prices and inflation at 15 percent – but at 25 percent of those surveyed in Metro Manila, and 18 percent in Visayas and 15 percent in North and Central Luzon.

The respondents also said their most important concern heading into the next quarter was “not being able to afford basic needs” at 17 percent, followed by difficulty in finding employment at 14 percent, and losing a job and not getting enough pay, both at 12 percent.

Getting sick was also a concern as it would put an additional strain on their budget, mainly among the respondents in the 40 to 49 age group, according to Pu-

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“The roadmap that we have proposed from the executive is fully supported by our legislature and that is very, very important indeed,” Marcos said, noting that preparing a budget was often a long, difficult, and long-drawn-out process.

"The legislature has been very cooperative in making... amendments that we find are necessary to the laws in terms of investment, in terms of... our financial policy. All these elements... are important for us to position ourselves in the... new economy after the pandemic,” the President said.

Mr. Marcos thanked the members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives for creating the carefully crafted 2023 GAA, citing the leadership of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Moreover, the President also acknowledged the efforts of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for their dedication and hard work in preparing the budget proposal.

"I had a picture with the DBM and the DBM staff. And I’ve met withthem before. It’s the first time I’ve seen them smiling again because their job is done." Mr. Marcos said.

The 2023 budget, which is 4.9 percent higher than this year's, seeks to support the current administration's goal of economic transformation, with the infrastructure and education sectors securing the largest shares.

The Department of Education, Public Works, Health, Social Welfare, Agriculture, and Transportation are among the priority sectors in the administration’s first national budget.

Senate finance panel chairperson Sonny Angara said the bicameral conference-

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of the Nativity of Jesus, a tradition that began in the 400s.

Tradition says Jesus was born at midnight in a manger in Bethlehem, so the late-night Mass is celebrated by the church to honor the hour Jesus was born, according to theologians.

The darkness of the hour is also reflective of the spiritual darkness of the

Aside from the expansion of talks on the proposed PH-EU free trade agreement, Mr. Marcos said he is also pursuing the renewal of the Philippines' participation in the European Union's Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+).

Von der Leyen, during the meeting, said the GSP+ "would open the door for

on the high-growth path and push for efficient economic transformation for a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient society.

NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, in a release last week, said the PDP "offers an inclusive way forward, identifying the program priorities, strategies, and targets —as well as enabling policies and governance mechanisms—toward a 'matatag, maginhawa, at panatag na buhay' for all Filipinos."

"Addressing inflation and the constraints to rapid economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction in the new normal requires a whole-of-government and wholeof-society approach," Balisacan said.

With the approval of the development plan, it will be ready for immediate implementation in 2023.

Ten days ago, NEDA said the domestic economy was robust and would be able to sustain its growth momentum.

In his presentation during the House Committee on Economic Affairs briefing,

blicus.

The Marcos administration also received an approval rating of 59 percent in the National Capital Region, 66 percent in Northern Luzon, 55 percent in South Luzon, 61 percent in Visayas, and 75 percent in Mindanao, the highest regionally.

But the President was considered the second-worst Cabinet secretary next to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.

In the survey, interviewees were asked who the worst Cabinet members were, and Remulla got 16 percent (the highest), followed by Marcos (9 percent), and Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla (8 percent).

Dr. Rosalina Ora'a-Fuentes from Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Development Institute in Quezon City, one of the panelists, said Remulla’s and Marcos’s ratings were due to the “burning issues” attached to them.

“For Remulla, the [Bureau of Corrections chief] Bantag issue, and the other one was about his son’s involvement [in illegal drugs]. For Marcos, it is about agricultural issues like food security and the higher prices of commodities,” Fuentes said.

approved 2023 budget realigned funding to increase allocations for state universities and colleges, DepEd, infrastructure projects including bike lanes and specialty hospitals across the country, Libreng Sakay program, fuel subsidy, emergency employment, Assistance to Individuals in Crisis, Quick Response Fund, Department of Justice, Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Supreme Court.

He said Congress also restored the P10-billion budget for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which was reduced to P5 billion in the House version of the proposed budget.

Angara said the signing of the 2023 national budget would ensure continuous delivery of service, including the "targeted ayuda," Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), medical assistance to low-income Filipinos, scholarships to students, assistance to public utility vehicle drivers and operators, subsidies for the farmers and fisherfolk, and increase of the pension for the indigent senior citizens.

He said the budget will also cover the benefits and allowance for the health workers in the country.

The budget also provided P170 billion for the agriculture sector, in line with the President's priority, Angara said.

It also incorporates P150 million in confidential funds for the Department of Education, as well as the P10 billion funding of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, two controversial budget items that the Senate had originally sliced from the spending plan.

The budget also includes a P4.5-billion confidential and intelligence fund under the Office of the President and P500 million under the Office of the Vice President. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

time, as the birth of the promised Messiah was anticipated.

Midnight Mass, a Christian service held in many churches around midnight on Christmas Eve in this predominantly Christian nation of 114 million which received the Cross in the 16th century, is the first Eucharist Mass in some faiths.

It is a time for Christians to spiritually prepare for Christmas Day and the arrival of Jesus in their lives.

The Midnight Mass, its ninth edition

much easier start into going into free trade agreement negotiations."

"Let's work on it," Von der Leyen told Mr. Marcos.

The President was quoted as saying during the Philippines-EU business roundtable in Brussels, Belgium that the Philippines is "the only ASEAN country to benefit from the EU GSP Plus."

The GSP+ is one of the EU’s specialized incentive arrangements for sustainable development and good governance in the form of zero duties.

It is a unilateral trade arrangement which offers zero tariffs on 6,274 products or 66 percent of all EU tariff lines.

Balisacan highlighted the focus of the upcoming Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 for economic transformation.

“While our key economic indicators remain promising, socioeconomic scarring from the pandemic is expected to linger unless effectively addressed. The PDP 2023-2028, set for release later this month, is a plan for deep economic and social transformation, to reinvigorate job creation and accelerate poverty reduction by steering the economy back to its highgrowth path,” the NEDA chief said.

He said domestic consumption drove the economy’s recovery and growth.

The further easing of mobility restrictions and resumption of face-to-face classes supported the growth of tourism, industry, services, and other sectors severely affected by the pandemic, Balisacan said.

“For the first three quarters of 2022, the economy expanded by 7.7 percent.

“So, Remulla and Marcos have burning issues to be addressed. [For the President], this is a wake-up call for him if he really is the [right] one to lead the DA or find someone to lead the department,” Fuentes said.

“That is really a wake-up call for Marcos because it is just rightthat the people [surveyed] have given him the red flag [in terms of his leadership in DA]... Besides, leading the DA gives him additional loads,” Fuentes said.

Publicus Asia economist Eric Estrabo echoed Fuentes’ statement, saying “maybe it’s time [for the President] to pass on the leadership of DA to another person to address the agricultural issues….”

The top two Cabinet secretaries in the survey were Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo who received a total of 65 percent rating and Vice President Sara Duterte, 61 percent.

In terms of trust ratings, the President’s score slightly dipped to 57 percent in the fourth quarter from 58 percent a quarter ago. On the other hand, the Vice President got 63 percent in the fourth quarter, slightly up from 62 percent a quarter ago.

Estrabo said the slight decline in the

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“In just about five months, we have approved on third and final reading 10 of these measures. In addition, 37 other national bills and 128 local bills were likewise approved on third and final reading,” Romualdez said.

“This Maharlika bill is our response to the need for a more efficient, steady and reliable growth of the nation’s coffers, using well-thought of investment gains that will ultimately redound to the benefit of the Filipino people,” Romualdez said.

He said lawmakers exhaustively deliberated on the bill “in a bid to resuscitate our pandemic-battered economy.”

Romualdez noted that public consultations and extensive deliberations with agencies and stakeholders were conducted by House committees on banks and financial intermediaries, ways and means, and appropriations, while in plenary, several interpellators and numerous hours of session were devoted to “informative debates and manifestations discussing lengthily the nature, scope and benefits of the proposed measure.”

The House leader said the MIF bill was authored by 282 members of the chamber and said the creation and use of a sovereign wealth fund “has been tried and tested in both first world and developing economies.”

Romualdez said the House looks forward to the enactment of several other priority bills it has passed on third and final reading that were part of the Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

These include the National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Preven-

on Christmas Eve which becomes a Christmas Day, is moored in the belief that Jesus was born at midnight.

Christians in this nation gather in their respective parishes to celebrate the birth of Jesus, that moment, in the words of Roman Catholic Archbishop Diartmuid Martin “when the God who had existed before all ages took on human flesh for our salvation.”

Theologians say God took on human flesh and taught the believers what it meant to be human.

Prior to applying for the GSP+, the Philippines was using the Standard GSP. In 2012, the Philippines was the 20th largest user of this scheme out of 140 beneficiaries.

In June of the same year, the EU announced that the Philippines was included in the list of countries eligible to apply for the revised GSP+ program for 20142023.

In return, the country is expected to effectively implement 27 international core conventions on labor rights, human rights, good governance, and the environment. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

This further implies that the target growth of 6.5 to 7.5 percent this year is highly achievable,” he added.

Balisacan also affirmed that the Marcos administration was well-aware of the economy’s domestic and external risks.

These include factors that could disrupt food supply, elevated commodity, and input prices due to geopolitical and trade tensions, the spread of infectious animal diseases, inclement weather and issues in global value chains, he said.

Elevated inflation is expected to dampen the economy’s faster recovery from the socioeconomic scars, in the form of exacerbated inequality and higher poverty, inflicted by the pandemic, he added.

“Addressing inflation and the constraints to rapid economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction in the new normal requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” Balisacan said.

President’s trust ratings could be a signal that the people wanted more action from him.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s approval rating declined to 49 percent in the fourth quarter from 50 percent a quarter ago; House Speaker Martin Romualdez, 44 percent from 46 percent; and Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, 38 percent from 43 percent.

Likewise in trust ratings, Zubiri’s score declined to 36 percent from 41 percent; Romualdez, 35 percent from 39 percent; and Gesmundo, 30 percent from 35 percent.

Among government agencies, the highest approval rating was given to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority with 72 percent, followed by the Department of Education with 65 percent.

The Senate received an approval rating of 56 percent in the fourth quarter, unchanged from a quarter ago, while the House slightly declined to 52 percent from 54 percent in the third quarter.

Those surveyed also said the economy should be the topmost priority for the President to focus on.

tion, Medical Reserve Corps (HEART), Agrarian Reform Debts Condonation, Philippine Passport Act, Internet Transaction Act / E-Commerce Law, Wasteto-Energy Bill, Free Legal Assistance for Police and Soldiers, Apprenticeship Act, Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Act, Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, Valuation Reform Bill (Package 3), Eastern Visayas Development Authority (EVDA), and the Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone (see related story on A4 – Editors).

Last week, the House approved two other measures included in the CLA, namely the Virology Institute of the Philippines, and the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA), which is the fourth package under the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP).

On Thursday, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading the Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE) bill and National Citizens Service Training Program (NCSTP), both measures under the CLA.

The House of Representatives also approved on third and final reading HB 6517 is titled, “An Act further strengthening professionalism and promoting the continuity of policies and modernization initiatives in the Armed Forces of the Philippines", which seeks changes in the fixed tour of duty of key AFP officers.

The two that have been signed into law by the President are the mobile phone Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) Registration Act and the bill resetting the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, originally scheduled for this month, to October 2023. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

The Christmas story getting past “a fascinating fairy tale: Awonderful story of simplicity set in the bleak and austere beauty of a cold winter’s night” nearly 8,800 kms away from this Land of the Morning.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines itself previously underlined to the young Filipinos that they must “put God in their friendship” because the Midnight Masses were for worship and not for courtship. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Erwin: Tulfo clan doesn’t share Ramon’s opinion

SOCIAL Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo on Friday said the opinion of his brother, veteran journalist Ramon Tulfo, does not reflect the sentiments of his whole clan regarding his service in the government under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

In a Facebook post, Erwin Tulfo said: “Whatever the statement of our brother, Ramon Tulfo, in his (newspaper) column and Facebook page lately, does not reflect, nor share, my sentiment and that of the entire Tulfo family. His opinion and views are his alone.”

Ramon Tulfo on Thursday discouraged his younger brother Erwin to pursue his appointment as Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary under the Marcos administration after the powerful Commission on Appointments rejected the latter’s appointment twice. Calling the lawmakers making up the CA “ungrateful buggers,” Ramon said Erwin should just give up his post as “there is no reason for you to stay longer in your place.”

“If they don’t appreciate what you’ve been doing at the DSWD, whystick to your post like a ship barnacle?” said Ramon in his Facebook account – in a mix of English, Cebuano, and Tagalog – and calling his brother by his nickname. Vince Lopez

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the hearings and plenary debates all measures with a fine-tooth comb to make sure every bill or proposal would be good for our people and our country," he added.

Zubiri also emphasized that the speed of the passage of the MIF bill will depend on how the committee chairman, Senator Mark Villar, will shepherd the deliberations on the measure.

"The speed of the passage of the measure is dependent on the ability of the chairman and the quality of work that is put in during the hearings and debates. That is how it is in the Senate and that’s how it’s always been in this institution," he said.

Earlier, Zubiri said he already told President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the MIF bill will undergo rigorous discussion in the Senate.

On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading the MIF bill after the President certified it as urgent.

The President’s sister, Senator Imee Marcos, said the Senate will scrutinize the measure with the "panel" earlier set up by Zubiri.

The special panel is composed of Senators Juan Edgardo Angara (committee on finance chairman), Alan Peter Cayetano (government corporation and public enterprises committee chairman), Sherwin Gatchalian (ways and means committee chairman), Grace Poe (economic affairs committee chairperson) and Mark Villar (banks, financial institutions, and currencies committee chairman).

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III emphasized the need to fully examine the Maharlika bill.

"We have to make sure that the Maharlika Fund Bill will be thoroughly discussed in the Senate. We must examine everything in the said bill. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

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The Philippine economy got a total rating of 25 percent, followed by inflation 16 percent, eradicating corruption 11 percent, jobs creation 11 percent, poverty reduction 10 percent, education 6 percent, wages 5 percent, peace and order 4 percent, illegal drugs 3 percent, and environment 2 percent.

DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo appealed for the public’s understanding, saying it was a “sincere effort” by the department. The official had said that P500 might be enough for a family of up to five to prepare for Noche Buena.

The DTI official said they released the price guide because theythought that consumers would be “happy” that there were cheaper products available for Noche Buena.

Castelo said in the Mangahas Interviews on GMA TV the department released a Noche Buena price guide every year to help consumers with their choices of products for the Christmas season.

She said the manufacturers of the Noche Buena products also advised the DTI on when they would increase prices.

When asked what’s the most important issue that the President should focus on, a quarter of the respondents said the Philippine economy came first, followed by prices and inflation at 15 percent – but at 25 percent of those surveyed in Metro Manila, and 18 percent in Visayas and 15 percent in North and Central Luzon. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

A year after, Leyteños still feel Odette’s wrath

By Ronald O. Reyes

TACLOBAN City—Exactly one year after Super Typhoon Odette swept through Southern Leyte on Dec. 16, 2021, the Leyteños have yet to put a closure on their nightmarish experience as they struggle to recover from the storm’s catastrophic impact on their lives.

“While we are no longer in the same state as we were in the first few months after the storm, full recovery is still out of sight. Public facilities such as schools, multi-purpose buildings, and evacuation centers still need repairs; peoples’ houses remain in ruins, our farmers’ crops are still unproductive, and our fisherfolks are still left with no boats,” said Southern Leyte Rep. Christopherson Yap.

DA: Ex-MILF camps may be transformed into agri sites

By Nash B. Maulana

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) eyes the conversion of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) r camps in Mindanao into productive agriculture areas.

Agriculture Undersecretary Zam Ampatuan said the transformation plans have been drawn up and were discussed in an interagency meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Dec. 14, 2022.

Government peace panel chairman Cesar Yano and Usec Ampatuan, a panel member, attended the meeting.

Ampatuan said the meeting explored the potentials of abaca production in the areas around MILF camps.

Also present at the meeting were Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)

Minister Akmad Brahim of the Ministry of the Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE) and representatives of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources, the National Housing Authority, the Land Registration Authority, the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, the National Commission on Indigenous Pilipinos, the BARMM Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), and the Joint Task Force on Camp Transformation (TFCT-GPH) co-chaired by Bangsamoro Member of Parliament Engineer Baintan Adil Ampatuan and Executive Director Cesar De Mesa of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Reconciliation and Unity.

The meeting assessed the status of land classification and related issues pertinent to the camp transformation program for the 33 barangays in six MILF camps, particularly on abaca production and other agricultural ventures in said areas.

“We still need assistance from the government and our partners in the private sector and the international community,” Yap added.

“We are slowly recovering,” said Gabriel Villasotes, a storm survivorin Anahawan town.

However, Maasin City Mayor Nacional Mercado painted a better picture for the place, saying although it has not

yet fully recovered, it is getting back on track.”

“The people of Maasin City won’t forget that fateful day when Odette hit our city. It was indeed one of the strongest and most destructive typhoons ever on record, but we could not thank our partners from the different private and government sectors who extended assistance and support to us,” Mercado recalled.

“Significantly, we have prioritized the rehabilitation of our city hall, relocation sites, the Maasin City gymnasium, and other multipurpose gymnasium of our barangays as these are important in the delivery of basic services to our constituents,” he added.

According to the mayor, Maasin “is now at 80 percent in terms of rehabilitation.”

“The remaining 20 percent are mostly on road infrastructures, barangay halls,

and others. As to agriculture, we’re at 70 percent in terms of rehabilitation, and our people have somehow slowly rebuilt their homes,” Mercado told Manila Standard.

Odette destroyed a total of 94,173 houses and left an estimated P1.57 billion worth of damage to agriculture in the entire province.

“As we revisit the sorrow of our losses as a result of the typhoon, we must also remember that despite the immense devastation it caused, we have come together and have been rebuilding our communities and our livelihoods ever since,” Yap said.

“In honor of your courage and resilience, I stand with you in solidarity in order to support and uplift your voices,” Yap said as he enjoined the residents in commemorating the first anniversary of Super Typhoon Odette after it hit the province on December 16, 2021.

DepEd creates panel to look into maternity leave rip-o

CAN a woman give birth 11 times in three years?

Dumbfounded by this report, the Department of Education (DepEd) decided to create a fact-finding committee to look into an apparent irregularity involving a teacher who allegedly filed a total of 11 maternity leaves in just three years.

However, the teacher implicated in the anomaly categorically denied the allegation, saying she never filed for maternity leave because she has no children.

DepEd spokesman Atty. Michael Poa said the fact-finding committee will be composed of officers from DepEd regional offices, not schools division offices, to maintain impartiality of the investigation.

Poa said the panel will check the records on the alleged filing of the maternity leaves to determine if the teachers involved were really pregnant and had given birth at the time.

He urged a whistleblower and other individuals who may know about the scam to forward and give their statement.

“We want to know if this is an isolated case, or if it is widespread,” Poa said.

DepEd-TAPAT Curriculum Implementation Division chief Dr. Ellery Quintia on Thursday showed documents wherein one teacher received money ranging from P35,000 to P61,000 from 2016 to 2019 as she filed multiple maternity leaves during the three-year period.

Boracay sinkholes increasing in number—MGB

By Rio N. Araja

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) has observed and documented sinkholes in three villages of the world famous Boracay Island since 2018.

Mae Magarzo, MGB chief geologist in Western Visayas, cited the latest geological survey showing that the number of sinkholes in the island has increased.

She fears that the island might collapse as 815 sinkholes have been discovered.

Data showed that the number of sinkholes on the island went up from 798 in 2018 to 801 in 2019, 814 in 2020, and 815 between 2021 and 2022, in barangays Balabag, Manoc-manoc and Yapak.

Magarzo stressed that the island’s current physical carrying capacity must be strictly implemented amid increas-

Abalos gives rundown on drug drive

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE government has declared a total of 5,987 or 14.24 percent of barangays in the country as drug-free communities.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said the government also recorded a total of 26,544 (63.13 percent) drug cleared-barangays and 538 or 1.28 percent drug-unaffected.

Abalos, however, said 8,977 barangays or 21.35 percent are still drug affected, with 329 being classified as seriously affected; 6,623 as moderately affected; and, 2,635 as slightly affected.

“There is still more to be accomplished and I know that the PNP will be with us until the end,” he said.

The DILG chief recently commended

CHRISTMAS CHEERS REACHES WOMEN’S CORRECTIONAL.

Maximum security female prisoners, also called Persons Deprived of Liberty, in the Women’s Correctional in Mandaluyong City receive their Christmas gifts in the form of hygiene kits.

the National Capital Region Police Office for the P39.6-million worth of illegal drugs confiscated and the arrest of 516 suspects in just a week from December 5-9, 2022.

“Your proactive response to the call to eradicate illegal drugs within your jurisdiction leading to the confiscation of P39.6-million worth of illegal drugs is an inspiration to us all and a boost of confidence not just for the PNP but for the Philippine government,” he said.

NCRPO records showed that the Southern Police District was able to confiscate a total of P28.16-million worth of illegal drugs constituting to 4,129.09 grams of shabu, 306.52 grams of marijuana, and four grams of cocaine.

The Northern Police District comes next with P6.2-million from 911.58 grams of shabu and 762.8 grams of marijuana.

ing number of infrastructures being built on the island.

She raised concern that sinkholes could cause the ground to collapse, and that such occurrence is difficult to determine, unlike the occurrence of landslides through the observation of cracks or lowering elevation.

“We can see that there are more holes. The danger is, if the island is overcapacitated in structures, there would come a time when many (of these) structures might collapse,” she said.

Based on the DENR “subsidence susceptibility map,” the island in Malay town is highly susceptible to subsidence or ground sinking as it also sits on a fault line.

Magarzo said the island is made of limestone that is vulnerable to sinkholes.

Boracay’s carrying capacity assessment in 2018 showed structures built on the island had exceeded the ideal number.

There are at least 10,250 houses on the island or 4,712 units more than the 5,538 real carrying capacity for residential structures.

The island has 2,779 business establishments, 878 units more than the 1,901 RCC for business.

Boracay has a tourist carrying capacity of 19,215 or a daily capacity of 6,405.

Malay, Aklan Mayor Floribar Bautista said Boracay receives about 4,000 tourists daily, which is still within the island’s carrying capacity as allowed by the government.

Bautista issued the statement on the heels of the MGB’s disclosure that more than 800 sinkholes have appeared on the island.

“Basta hindi tayo bababa sa 4,000 a day…ang mga residents na lang sa Boracay nasa 38,000 yan eh,” Bautista told TeleRadyo.

Under the Expanded Maternity Leave Law enacted in 2019, female workers in the public sector, including public school teachers, would be granted maternity leave of 105 days with full pay,” and maternity leave of 60 days with full pay for miscarriage or emergency termination of pregnancy.

“Good as cash ito. Kung titingnan mo ito, cash na ito na ibababa sa account ni teacher... Hindi ko naman siya kinausap tungkol dito. Maaaring hindi nga siya aware kung ano iyong nangyari at nanganak siya ng 11 beses sa loob ng tatlong taon... Maaaring si teacher, biktima rin. Ginamit din... Ito ay conspiracy ng mga nasa itaas,” Quintia said.

Villafuerte raps Transport Dept. on Naga airport, PNR Bicol delays

By Maricel V. Cruz

CAMARINES Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte has complained to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) about the inordinate delay in the expansion and improvement of the Naga Airport as well as the rollout of the Philippine National Railways’ South Long Haul (PNR Bicol)project.

Villafuerte mentioned these at the recent Commission on Appointments (CA) committee hearing on the designation of DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista.

The solon bewailed that even though the past administrations had already set aside funds for the modernization of the Naga Airport, this project has failed to take off up to now because of the failure of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to actively participate in the protracted legal battle over the expropriation of private lands to be covered by the extension of this airport’s runway.

PH, Denmark eye cooperation in health

By Willie Casas

DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) officerin-charge Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire on Friday met with Danish Ambassador FranzMichael to discuss areas of cooperation to address non- communicable diseases, establish partnerships in digital health, and develop bilateral knowledge exchange mechanisms between the Philippines and Denmark.

Specific areas of discussion included health promotion, capacity building, information sharing, prevention and treatment of noncommunicable diseases, digital health development, and research and development.

“We

International

Villafuerte, the CA majority leader, also complained to Bautista that despite the PNR Bicol project being a priority undertaking of the Duterte administration under its centerpiece program “Build, Build, Build,” this railway plan has failed to move forward after the initial reports the project would be funded mainly by China and built by a joint venture (JV) of three Chinese companies.

He was referring to the reported signing last January 2022 of aMemorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the DOTr and the JV firms China Railway Group Ltd., China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group Co. Ltd. and China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co. Ltd. (CREC JV).

This was on a P142-billion DesignBuild contract for the design and construction of Phase 1 of this PNR Bicol project, which will cover a 380-kilometer (km) railway from Calamba, Laguna to Daraga, Albay.

said.

Vergeire thanked the Danish government for assisting the Philippines in its health programs.

thank the government of Denmark for assisting the Philippine Department of Health in improving the health of Filipinos.

cooperation initiatives such as this are crucial in achieving Universal Health Care, as these enable both countries to strengthen our respective strategies and health interventions through key learnings from the other’s experiences and best practices. As we strengthen our existing relationship with Denmark and enter into more collaborative engagements, we expect that these will better equip our country to further advance our healthcare system for the benefit of every Juan and Juana” Vergeire

BEST CHRISTMAS LANTERN IN LAS PIÑAS. Senator Cynthia Villar and Deputy Speaker Camille Villar hand over the cash prize amounting to P20,000 to Richard Loverez whose entry was adjudged the best lantern in the 17th Las Piñas Parol Festival. Danny Pata

CONTRACT SEALED. Negros Oriental Rep. Arnie “Kuya” Teves (second from left) poses for photo ops with (from left) DJ Raqiterra; DZRH vice president and station manager Rudolf Steve Jularbal,; and Jose Ma. Prieto, vice president for sales, after signing a contract with the radio network for his program “Teves Cares Live: Aksyon, Tulong, Solusyon.” Lino Santos

Manny Palmero

PBBM

By Vito Barcelo

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos

Jr. has signed Executive Order No. (EO) 8, which modifies the percentage of net earnings to be declared by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

The EO signed by the President on December 9, said the percentage of net earnings to be declared and remitted by the DBP to the national government for Calendar Year 2021 is adjusted from 50 percent of its annual net earnings to zero percent, pursuant to Section 5 of Republic Act No. 7656.

All government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) are required by RA 7656, or the Dividend Law, to declare and remit to the national government at least 50% of their annual net earnings in the form of cash, stock, or property dividends.

Based on the law, the President, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Finance, may adjust the percentage of annual net earnings to be declared by a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) “in the interest of national economy and general welfare.”

The finance secretary has recommended the downward adjustment of the percentage of the net earnings that shall be declared by the DBP as dividends to the National Government for the Calendar Year 2021, as what the law provides.

“The Secretary of Finance recommended the downward adjustment… in order to support the capital position of the DBP, allow it to comply with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) regulations, and sustain its role in the economic recovery of industries adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the EO read.

SUPPORTING MAHARLIKA.

Quezon

SC sets schedule on applications for Bar

THE Supreme Court (SC) will begin on January 8 accepting applications for the 2023 online and regionalized Bar examinations which will be conducted on Sept. 17, 20, and 24.

In a Bar Bulletin, the SC said the January 8 to April 30, 2023 application period will be for new law graduates and those who will take the examinations for the first time.

For “refreshers” or those who will take the examinations for the fourth time or more, the application period will be from May 1, 2023 to July 8, 2023.

“The Application Form for the 2023 Bar Examinations shall be accomplished only through Bar Applicant Registration Information System and Tech Assistance (BARISTA), the Court’s new online application platform. Once the application periods commence, applicants may access BARISTA,” the SC advisory said.

In the Bar Bulletin issued by Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, chairperson of the 2023 Bar examinations committee, the SC also said that all applicants are required to submit through BARISTA and through courier service the supporting documentary requirements “beginning Aug. 1, 2023, but not later than Oct. 24, 2023,” or 30 calendar days from the last day of the Bar exams.

“Failure to submit these required documents within the prescribed period will result in the disqualification of the applicant and the immediate stoppage of the checking of his or her examination answers,” the bulletin said.

Rey E. Requejo

Easytrip, AutoSweep integration on the way

THE Toll Regulatory Board announced on Friday that Easytrip RFID users can now register in Autosweep tollways or San Miguel Corporation tollways starting January 15, 2023, as part of efforts to streamline tolls.

A GMA News report quoted Toll Regulatory Board Spokesperson Julius Corpuz saying “this is the second phase of the toll interoperability project.”

The third phase aims to roll out a “one wallet” for tollways, the official said.

Easytrip subscribers are those who use the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), Cavitex, Cavite–Laguna Expressway (CALAX), and C5 link.

Autosweep tollways, meanwhile, include the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), STAR, NAIA Expressway (NAIAX), Manila–Cavite Expressway (MCX), and Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX). Some 20,000 Easytrip RFID users have already registered, Corpuz said, and he is expecting the number to increase. They have so far not encountered problems regarding Autosweep stickers being read in Easysweep tollways. He is hoping that in the future, transactions in tollways will be cashless.

LTO opens new Parañaque licensing section

THE Land Transportation Office’s (LTO) National Capital Region-West has opened its Parañaque City Licensing Section to serve more clients in need of a student permit, a new driver’s license, or a renewal of their license.

Its director Roque Verzosa, led the recent inauguration and blessing of the government office.

The licensing section is a one-stop shop wherein one can process their driver’s license and also one’s vehicle registration. Its opening is also through the guidance of LTO chief Assistant Secretary Jose Antonio Tugade.

“The opening of the Parañaque Licensing Section will bring LTO services closer to the people, which is one of the priorities of this administration,” Verzosa said.

He was in charge to oversee the opening of several licensing centers in the region since assuming the post as acting regional director of LTO-NCR-West in October.

LTO has been urged not just to strengthen the policy of the issuance of driver’s licenses to improve the quality of driver education but also to ensure that driver’s licenses are issued only to deserving applicants with sufficient driving skills and knowledge of road safety and proper road courtesy.

According to Verzosa, the licensing center is probably one of the best projects so far at the National Capital Region.

Florante Martin, Parañaque City Licensing Section chief, said the opening of the office would provide convenience and make it easier for residents to renew their driver’s licenses. Rio N. Araja

House approves bill to expand financing for small businesses

By Maricel V. Cruz

WITH an overwhelming 282 votes, the House of Representatives on Thursday approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks financing for small businesses, especially those crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic and other significant economic challenges of national and international scope.

House Bill (HB) 1 was the first legislative proposal introduced by Speaker Martin G. Romualdez. The bill is titled, “An Act providing for Govern-

ment Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery,” or GUIDE Act. According to the bill, the operations

of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have been severely restricted by pandemic-related community quarantine measures.

“Thus, it is essential that these enterprises are given necessary access to credit and financial assistance. It is hereby declared the policy of the State to protect employment and assist distressed enterprises to reinvigorate the economy,” the measure stated.

The authors said the bill would strengthen the capacity of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) to provide the needed assistance to MSMEs.

The President may increase the bank’s capitalization upon recommended of its board and the concurrence of the secretary of finance. Land Bank would be mandated to rediscount loans to eligible MSMEs.

The proposed law appropriates the amount of P10 billion for the expanded lending program: P2.5 billion for DPB and P7.5 billion for Land Bank.

The Department of Finance, together with Land Bank, DBP, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and the Securities and Exchange Commission would be mandated to issue implementing rules and regulations.

PAO chief Acosta named one of Top 5 personalities in Tofil 2022 awards

PUBLIC Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta is one of the top five personalities honored by the Junior Chamber International Senate Philippines (JCISP) that recently presented The Outstanding Filipino (Tofil) 2022.

The JCISP, led by National President Henry Juan Tong, and national chairman Tofil Awards 2022 Felipe Briones, held the awarding ceremonies under this year’s theme “Resiliency in Rebuilding our Nation” at the Rizal

Park Hotel, Manila last Dec. 12.

With over 100 awards to date, including the 2004 Lingkod Bayan Award (the highest presidential award for Outstanding Public Service), Rueda-Acosta was hailed for offering free legal aid, particularly to indigent Filipinos.

The PAO has garnered the highest rating among the institutions and legal professionals in the justice sector based on a survey of the Social Weather Station with net trust ratings of +57 and +58.

Remulla urges Southeast Asian nations to join efforts vs. human trafficking

By Rey E. Requejo

DEPARTMENT of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday urged leaders of Southeast Asian countries to work together to put an end to human trafficking in the region.

In his speech before the 8th Manila International Dialogue on Human Trafficking (The Dialogues) held at the New Coast Hotel Manila, Remulla stressed that southeast Asian counties share a common trafficking in persons

(TIP) reality as source, destination and transit countries and are connected as a region.

“This means that successes in one affects the others,” Remulla told leaders and participants from various countries in Southeast Asia.

The Dialogues is a platform for continuing conversations on trafficking in persons (TIPs) participated in by various local and international organizations, government agencies, and foreign missions.

The Dialogues was borne out of the Manila Declaration to Enhance International Cooperation to Combat Trafficking in Persons, signed by 19 foreign governments and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, as well as multilateral and other international and local civil society organizations.

Remulla emphasized that TIP is not only a crime but a major human rights

violation that crosses borders “and it is our common and shared responsibility to end it.”

The DOJ chief recalled recent successful rescue operations involving victims of human trafficking through coordination and cooperation with the Royal Malaysia Police, Royal Thai Police and the Philippine National Police. In those cases, the victims were provided ample protection and were repatriated back to their home countries.

Group nixes other vehicles using EDSA Busway

By Othel V. Campos

THE Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) is opposing the proposal to allow other vehicles on the EDSA Busway which was designed for the exclusive use of public buses allowing for the efficient flow commuters at a shorter time.

The group said the busway has dramatically achieved a higher passenger throughput rate utilizing fewer buses, a vital solution for the densest traffic corridor in Metro Manila that is used daily by over 1 million commuters.

MAP members believe that implementing the proposal to allow hybrid and electric vehicles on the EDSA Busway amounts to policy backsliding and will seriously set back the gains thus far achieved.

Clogging the busway with other vehicles will severely degrade the efficiency of the busway to the great detriment of the larger constituency –

400,000 bus passengers who now use this vital transport corridor, MAP said.

“Policy makers must realize this busway is still a work-in-progress, intended to be upgraded to full bus rapid transit (BRT) standards as announced by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista under a privatized concession being considered. 30 business and civic organizations, including the MAP, fully support this policy direction,” the group said.

The EDSA Busway conforms to globally accepted basic busway guidelines and BRT standards developed abroad over the past five decades and adopted in at least 188 such corridors worldwide.

The standards call for certain specifications, among which are a dedicated busway for the exclusive use of public buses, alignment away from traffic conflict lanes and control from inclusion and intrusion by other vehicles with its outer edges delineated with barriers.

FIRST FLIGHT. Members of the Ibaloi tribe perform a traditional dance to seek divine intervention for the safety of the inaugural Baguio-Cebu flight by flag carrier Philippine Airlines. The PAL flight from Cebu arrived in Baguio on Friday. Dave Leprozo

PAO CHIEF HONORED. Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida RuedaAcosta is one of the top five personalities honored by the Junior Chamber International Senate Philippines (JCISP) at the recently-held Outstanding Filipino (Tofil) 2022 ceremonies.

City Rep. Arjo Atayde (right) hands out meals to indigent constituents earlier this week. Atayde is supporting additional safeguards in the management of the Maharlika Investment Fund.

The visit of BBM to China

MANY are perplexed and ask what our President will tell his counterpart President Xi Jinping, in his upcoming visit to China.

Many observers are having their suspicion about the possible outcome of the visit for it seems our ambassador has laid down the substance on what the two are about to discuss.

Surely, the President is not about to discuss the demand of the US to increase their number of military bases in the country for that would be inappropriate for the two to raise, it being interpreted by President Xi as an internal matter for the Philippines to resolve.

China can only pretend that everything was threshed out.

It is awkward and monotonous for the country to keep silent for its reason why it opted to increase the number of US military bases. This will remain a lingering issue as if the threat to Taiwan is a threat to the Philippines.

First, we have no military commitment to militarily defend Taiwan. We we committed ourselves to the one-China policy in exchange for our recognition of the People’s Republic of China. Even if Taiwan is invaded by China, that country is outside the scope of our legal responsibility and obligation.

Taiwan could be an ally of the US but it does not make sense to send our troops in defense of Taiwan.

Second, BBM’s decision to increase the number of US bases does not speak of the real situation in the South China Sea.

US bases in the Philippines do not indicate aggressive design to contain the threat from China. Yes, there is a threat but there is no possibility we can pre-empt the invasion.

Our permission to allow our territory to be used by foreign military forces under the guise of a lease agreement or as training ground of foreign forces is unconstitutional and a violation of our defense treaty with the US

Our decision to increase the US bases is more sophomoric than real; that we can ask why we have to invite the US to cross the Pacific Ocean to contain China in the South China Sea?

Our permission to allow our territory to be used by foreign military forces under the guise of a lease agreement or as training ground of foreign forces is unconstitutional and a violation of our defense treaty with the US.

Notably, a defense pact among allies does not explicitly point to a particular country as enemy.

Every state must have its own keen sense of determining whether a particular country has the possibility of attacking it, and often this can be gleaned by the conduct of its policy.

Insofar as our relation with China is concerned, China has not exhibited signs they are against our decision to increase the US bases including our decision to allow the reopening of a US naval base in Luzon.

China continues to patrol the whole stretch of South China Sea as it is their prerogative to patrol that area of responsibility.

Some say that the added task of monitoring of foreign ships cruising the Philippine archipelago is heightened by the tension with China.

It is the US navy that persists in patrolling the area by allowing foreign warships to routinely pass our territorial waters and make anchor as if to taunt the Chinese navy, which is, by geographical location, just a few miles from our territory.

Chinese navy is practically free to navigate the whole area of South China Sea except on areas demarcated territorially as internal waters.

It is indisputable that the US and the Philippines did not provoke China to create the tense situation in

By Callum Paton

WARMED by a wood-burning stove and thinking of the past, James Collins often works with tin late into the evening, the passing of time punctuated by the steady tap of his hammer.

Collins, 73, is one of Ireland’s last remaining Traveler tinsmiths, a traditional craft passed from generation to generation which now has all but died out.

“My father done it and his father before him done it,” Collins told AFP in his Dublin workshop.

“There was hundreds of tinsmiths. Nearly every Traveler was a tinsmith. There’s only two tinsmiths that’s left.”

Collins grew up in a nomadic culture practiced by Ireland’s Traveler ethnic minority that is itself little more than a memory.

He was born in a tent by the side of the road in the Irish midlands in 1949.

In a time of deep deprivation even for Ireland’s settled communities, Collins lived with his family on the road until his midtwenties.

He learned tinsmithing from his father when he was 14, swapping the buckets, mugs and

the South China Sea.

Many could only ask why we encourage the US navy to cross the whole of the Pacific Ocean and allow themselves to establish military bases in this part of the globe?

The proximity of the US bases to China can never be reversed to insinuate that China could provoke the attack.

Remember, it was the Philippines and the US that established a military alliance here, and common sense will tell that the alliance is directed against China, not against Japan, South Korea. UK, Australia, Canada or Taiwan or countries alien to the region.

Will the US together with the Philippines not attack China?

The fact that US armed forces are already strategically prepositioned against China in the South China Sea is indicative that the US already positioned itself for war with China.

It is the US that has been bullying China.

Aggression is an act of war that is quite difficult to refute.

There must be an overt act of aggression to constitute a violation of the UN charter, and not just a mere cruising of warships in international waters.

US intrusion into the Taiwan Strait can be interpreted in a strict sense as an act of war because both sides of the waterway are considered internal waters to the warring factions.

Taking all these into consideration, will China not express doubt on our motivation to allow this issue to dangle unnecessarily?

Will this not result in a serious impact to our dealings with ASEAN as many of them are now racing to achieve a degree of industrialization through favorable trade with China?

By increasing the US bases here, would it not affect our bargaining leverage with China like seeking to augment economic assistance from China?

Will our posturing for more economic, medical, and increased export for our agricultural products etc. appear not anachronistic to our demand when, on the other hand, our president is begging the US for more military assistance?

Will the position of BBM not appear as ambivalent?

Even China could sense that we want to get most in our dealings with that country. We can never bridge the gap that separates us apart from our ASEAN neighbors.

This explains why, even if we made a good start in our dealings with ASEAN through China like our endorsement of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, our somewhat hesitant ratification of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and our ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, many of these Asian international organizations still see our dealings with China as insincere.

In substance, the issue tends to divide Asia.

This is apparent in our purchases and acquisition of arms and in the training of our soldiers.

All these speak that we are hardly loyal to our Asian neighbors.

We often prefer to send our officers for training and for higher education to Western military institutions.

Our choice for expensive armaments such as submarines, frigates, fighter aircraft, helicopters, radars, and telecommunication equipment indicate our preference for Western armaments despite the fact that we are geographically very much a part of Asia.

When BBM’s ambassador manifested our position of increasing the number of US military bases in the country, he virtually deprived our President of what he is going to discuss with his counterpart.

He can never open the discussion to secure more economic and military assistance.

That will surely put the country in bad taste, but will likely not to be favored by China.

In effect, it was our ambassador who preemptively sabotaged the agenda of the presidential visit.

The US and its lackey in the person of the Philippine ambassador to the US will be having their smirking smile knowing just how they turned our President to some kind of “yoyo.” (rpkapunan@gmail.com)

the wire-handled cooking pots or billycans he made for food.

The family also offered casual labor on the land, working at the same locations seasonally.

“It was a good life but it was a hard life,” Collins said. “You’d hate the winter time of the year with the cold, frost and snow.

“But you wouldn’t pass much heed to it because you were brought up with it.”

Roots

Collins set down roots in the 1970s, moving to a Traveller housing scheme in Avila Park in northwest Dublin where he raised a family.

Most Travelers living in the Republic of Ireland now live in a permanent location, according to European Union research.

Those who do travel tend to do so only in the summer.

When he arrived, Collins said the few houses on the estate were surrounded by fields on every side.

Now the scheme, a cramped cul-de-sac of four adjoining streets, is hemmed in by walls and fences topped with spikes and barbed wire.

The move gave Collins’ children the chance to learn to read and write and have the formal education he never had.

In the 1970s the tin items Collins made were

EDITORIAL

Welcoming ASEAN-EU supreme steps

WE JOIN others in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in welcoming milestones achieved recently by the 10-nation bloc and the 20-member European Union.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., home from a three-day Commemorative Summit in Brussels, has referred to these mileposts as country coordinator for ASEAN in the 10th meeting of the group and described them as “clear commitments from both sides, an active partnership for the post-COVID economic recovery of our region.”

These milestones include the adoption of the plan of action to implement the ASEANEU Strategic Partnership for 2023-2027 last August.

Under this plan, ASEAN and the EU will pursue cooperation in conformity with their respective member states’ obligations under international law, and in accordance with member states’ domestic laws, regulations and policies.

The President also cited the signing of the ASEAN-EU Comprehensive Air Transport

Agreement (CATA) in October, the world’s first bloc-to-bloc air transport agreement which reflects the latest policy thinking in air transport regulation.

“As coordinator of our relations from 2022 to 2024, I assure you of the Philippines’ continuing efforts to sustain successful and vibrant relations between our regions, and as always the case, we are stronger together than we are alone,” he said.

We are buoyed up by the strategic support of the European Union in regard to the rule of law in disputed areas, particularly in the South China Sea

The Philippines has been the ASEAN-EU country coordinator since 2021 and will stay in that role until 2024. The 10th ASEAN-EU Business Summit aimed to reinforce the existing strong trade and investment relationship between

ASEAN and the EU and reignite Europe’s interest in Southeast Asia as a region of opportunities.

At the same time, we are buoyed up by the strategic support of the European Union in regard to the rule of law in disputed areas, particularly in the South China Sea.

Replying to questions, the 65-year-old Filipino leader said the strategic support of the European Union placed the ASEAN and the Philippines in “a very strong position” to negotiate issues as regards the South China Sea.

At the press conference of the ASEANEU Commemorative Summit, the President talked of concrete steps, underscoring that objections to violations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea would be stronger if raised by a group of nations such as the ASEAN and the EU.

He said the EU’s commitment, readable in the joint declaration to “the doctrine of behaviors in the South China Sea, is already a very, very big step for us in the Philippines, for example, and all the countries around the South China Sea.”

China, invoking its historical nine-dash line, is claiming most of the South China Sea. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated China’s claims and upheld the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone as provided under the UNCLOS. We raise our hopes that the rule of law will shine despite the differences in political persuasion.

Hope is a little child

These situations may scare us or something, or sometimes expose us to judgment or ridicule from others.

OUR gospel reading tomorrow, the fourth and last Sunday of Advent, is from the Gospel of Matthew (1:18-24).

The reading covers the conception of Jesus Christ.

As told in the Scripture, Mary and Joseph are engaged to be married when Mary suddenly becomes pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.

A miracle such as this would not have been easily believed; in fact, the punishment would have required Mary to be stoned to death. Joseph being a just man wants to break off the engagement to spare Mary.

However, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary for his wife.

For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.

The birth of Jesus doesn’t happen without Mary because it was Mary through that the humanity of Jesus was brought into the world and the divinity of Jesus happened through God the Father.

Mary is the Theotokos or God-bearer” or “Birth-giver to God,” this title highlights Mary’s primary role to Jesus, who is the Son of God, fully divine and fully human; and this became possible because of Mary’s participation in the plan of salvation. Mary cooperated with redemption, with grace.

Joseph’s response to the call by the Holy Spirit is exemplary.

He courageously faced the danger of isolation, reputations likely destroyed, as the entire town would have been talking poorly of them for taking Mary, who was conceiving, home.

Sometimes, we are called by God to make difficult decisions in life; decisions that put us in a spot or create crises in our lives.

But in situations like these, we need to pray for discernment; listen carefully to the urgings of the Holy Spirit to boldly and courageously heed his call to take the righteous path. In the end, God always keeps his promise and never abandons those who heed his call. Who says following the footsteps of Christ is easy?

As Jesus himself warns us, the path to salvation is narrow and hard, but the way to perdition is easy and wide. It is easy to lose hope, especially in these challenging times.

Faith is a cathedral. Charity is a hospital. But hope is a person

Thankfully, Christmas points us to a disposition of hope.

My wife Titay, in a commencement speech she delivered last Thursday (which story I will use in my own commencement speech tomorrow at the Ateneo School of Government, quotes Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa OFM Cap.

In his Second Advent Sermon for this year, the preacher of the Papal Household recalls a story from a famous French Catholic thinker: “Christmas can be the occasion for a leap of hope. The great modern poet of the theological virtues, Charles Péguy, wrote that Faith, Hope and Charity are three sisters, two adults and a little girl.

“They go down the street holding hands: the two big ones, Faith and Charity, on the sides

and the little girl Hope in the center. Everyone seeing them thinks that it is the two big ones that drag the little one in the center.

“They are wrong! It is she who drags everything. Because if hope fails, everything stops.”

Titay also quotes from Sr. Teresa Walker, in her Advent-inspired reflection on the mystery of hope. The latter explains Péguy’s view on these virtues.

She says: “Of the 3 virtues, hope is indispensable to the other two, for in reality it is she who enables them to carry on walking: xxx it is she who drags them along. Without her, they would be nothing.”

Walker continues: “Hope humanises faith. She knows it is not easy, or even possible, for us to believe in God unceasingly and without ever doubting, knows it is impossible for us always to live up to the demands of the faith we profess.

“As she wakes up every morning, vulnerable but invincible, she sensitizes us to notice the tiny glimmers of light in the thick darkness that so often envelops us; she reminds us that if our faith weakens and we lose sight of God on life’s journey, we can always rediscover his presence and walk with him again.

“As for charity, and this can be said of love as well, hope reveals that mutuality is its true fulfilment.

“For charity is not just giving to those in need; it is also receiving from them, valuing what they offer, and it is hope that prompts this recognition of the importance of a reciprocal exchange of gifts.”

Faith is a cathedral. Charity is a hospital. But hope is a person.

Hope is a little child, and at Christmas, that child’s name first is Mary who as a young woman said yes to the impossible. And of course Jesus, our messiah and savior, truly “God with us.”

Website: tonylavina.com. Facebook: deantonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

as backward, as uncivilized.”

The challenge facing the community has been underlined in recent years by a growing mental health crisis

replaced with plastic and what little could be earned from the craft disappeared.

“I have five sons and none of them are interested in the tinsmithing because there’s (no money) to be made out of it,” he said.

Alone in his workshop with his father’s antique tools, the tinsmith says the craft now is little more than a hobby and he thinks of the past often as a happier time.

“There’s not a day that passes, it always goes through (my) mind. Because you knew so many settled people and settled people knew you,” Collins said.

“We used to camp outside their gates and there was no problem or no hassle.”

Prejudice

But discrimination against Travelers and friction with the settled communities is centuries old in Ireland, according to Collins’ nephew Martin Collins, who is director of Pavee Point Traveler and Roma Center.

“It’s very well documented that Travelers continue to be... one of the most persecuted groups in Irish society,” he explained.

According to census data, there were 30,987 Travelers in Ireland in 2016 representing 0.7 percent of the general population.

But despite recognition as a distinct ethnic minority since 2017, Travelers still face obstacles in virtually every area of life.

“(Travelers) experience discrimination and racism... in the education system in accessing employment and accessing accommodation, healthcare, and support,” said Martin Collins.

EU research in 2019 showed Irish Travelers experience some of the worst deprivation and discrimination of any minority group in the bloc.

Martin Collins said that while state rhetoric was for pluralism, there remained a “subtext when it comes to Travelers defining my people

Mental health

The challenge facing the community has been underlined in recent years by a growing mental health crisis.

A 2021 Irish parliament report showed suicide accounted for 11 percent of Traveler deaths -- seven times higher for Traveler men and six times higher for Traveler women than the general population.

Geraldine McDonnell, a mental health worker with Pavee Point, said the deaths touch every part of the tight-knit Traveler community.

“We see, unfortunately, a lot of families would have multiple suicides within that family.”

Pavee Point has launched an online service to give Traveler-tailored mental health advice, especially to children.

But Martin Collins says discrimination is the root cause of the crisis.

“If you’re hearing from cradle to grave that you’re of no value... you’re inferior to settled people, it’s not surprising many Travelers will internalize that belief,” he said.

“We need to create conditions where Travelers can be proud and confident of their Traveler identity.” AFP

One of Ireland’s last Traveler tinsmiths mourns lost way of life

Japan okays major defense overhaul on China threats

TOKYO—Japan’s government approved a major defense policy overhaul Friday, including a significant spending hike, as it warned China poses the “greatest strategic challenge ever” to the country’s security.

In its largest defense shake-up in decades, Japan vowed to up security spending to two percent of GDP by 2027, reshape its military command, and acquire new missiles that can strike far-flung enemy launch sites.

“Fundamentally strengthening our defense capabilities is the most urgent challenge in this severe security environment,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said last week.

Polls suggest Japan’s public largely backs the shift, worried by growing Chinese military power and geopolitical developments like the war in Ukraine.

But the changes could still be controversial as Japan’s postWorld War II constitution does not officially recognise the military and limits it to nominally self-defensive capabilities.

The moves are outlined in three defense and security documents approved by the cabinet Friday.

They describe Beijing as “the greatest strategic challenge ever to securing the peace and stability of Japan”, as well as a “serious concern” for Japan and the international community.

In response, the government plans to raise its defense spending to two percent of GDP by fiscal 2027, bringing Japan in line with NATO member guidelines. AFP

16 Malaysians killed, 17 missing after landslide

BATANG KALI—At least 16 people were killed when a landslide struck a campsite at a Malaysian farm on Friday, officials said, with rescuers scouring the muddy terrain for nearly 20 people still missing.

Nor Hisham Mohammad, director of the operations division at the fire and rescue department, told reporters that “as of 1 pm (0500 GMT), 16 victims have died. The search now is focused on the remaining 17.”

According to Nga Kor Ming, the local government development minister, 61 people so far have been found safe after the predawn landslide near the town of Batang Kali, just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur and near a mountain casino resort.

Veronica Loi, who was camping at the site overnight and survived the landslide, told AFP that her family was sleeping when they heard a sudden, loud sound.

“We saw the tent beside us was totally gone,” she said.

Hundreds of government personnel including police and rescuers were seen at the gates leading to the campsite compound, while an excavator was seen entering the area from the main road.

The farm where the campsite was situated -- “Father’s Organic Farm” -changed its Facebook profile picture to all black on Friday.

Nga said the “campsite is operating without a licence”, and that the operators would be punished if found guilty by the court.

Videos and photos circulating online showed large fallen trees and crushed vehicles, as well as search and rescue personnel wearing headlamps and digging with shovels, and searching for survivors by a fallen structure. AFP

Deadly Russian shelling cuts off power to Ukraine’s Kherson city

KYIV—Russian forces bombarded Kherson on Thursday, killing two people and depriving the Ukrainian city of electricity as the European Union announced its latest slew of sanctions against Moscow and an 18-billion-euro aid package for Kyiv.

Moscow-allied

Despite Russia’s retreat from the southern port city in November, Kherson remains within reach of Moscow’s weaponry and under constant threat.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had attacked Kherson 16 times on Thursday alone.

The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that one of its Ukrainian team members had been killed by the strikes and urged that humanitarian “personnel and property” be spared.

While winter temperatures plunge be-

low freezing, the heavy shelling has left Kherson “completely without power”, according to regional governor Yaroslav Yanushevych.

Much of Ukraine is struggling without heat or power after Moscow started targeting electricity and water systems nearly two months ago.

The UN human rights chief warned the campaign has inflicted “extreme hardship” on Ukrainians this winter, and also decried likely war crimes as he described his office’s documentation of civilians killed by Russian forces.

“Winter is coming, how can people survive?,” Svetlana, a resident of the capital, told AFP. “Lord, what do they want from

us? They do not let Ukrainians live.” - Summary killingsUN rights chief Volker Turk said his office has documented the executions and direct killings of 441 civilians across three regions of Ukraine from the start of Russia’s invasion on February 24 until April 6. The “actual figures are likely to be considerably higher”, he said, adding “there are strong indications that the executions... may constitute the war crime of willful killing.”

Beyond that initial period, Turk said his team had continued to document gross rights violations affecting both civilians and combatants, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture and sexual violence. AFP

Int’l observers say ‘no significant irregularities’ in Fiji vote IN BRIEF

SUVA—International observers said Friday they had no significant concerns about the conduct of Fiji’s general election, after opposition leaders questioned the legitimacy of the vote.

The situation has grown increasingly tense since votes were cast on Wednesday, with six opposition parties and one of the country’s largest churches saying they have lost confidence in the counting process.

But observers disputed claims of major problems, saying they “did not observe any significant irregularities or issues dur-

ing pre-polling, postal voting or election day voting”, according to observer and Australian member of parliament Rebekha Sharkie.

Opposition figures led by former prime minister and two-time coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka are suspicious that the early tally was unexpectedly hidden from public view for four hours.

Rabuka also alleged that some villages appeared to have cast more ballots than there were registered voters.

He has called for the count to be stopped and the military to step in. Both calls have

so far been rejected.

The nearly 100-strong Multinational Observer Group’s interim report found the glitches had affected how numbers were displayed on the vote results app, but did not indicate the counting system itself had been impacted.

“The error was resolved and the results app was restored after approximately four hours with corrected data,” the report read.

Rabuka’s hopes of stopping the election faded further Friday as military commander Jone Kalouniwai rebuffed Rabuka’s plea for the military to intervene. AFP

Huge Berlin hotel aquarium damaged

BERLIN—A 14-metre high aquarium in a hotel in central Berlin has burst and the leaking water has forced the closure of a nearby street, police and firefighters said Friday.

Berlin police said on Twitter that as well as causing “incredible maritime damage”, the incident left two people suffering injuries from glass shards.

The incident at the AquaDom aquarium happened at around 5:50 am, a police spokeswoman told AFP.

The cylindrical aquarium contains over a million litres of water and is home to around 1,500 tropical fish.

It is located in the foyer of a Radisson Blu hotel and has a clear-walled elevator built inside to be used by visitors to the Sea Life leisure complex. AFP

Fire outside Lyon kills 5 children among 10

LYON—Five children including a three-year-old were among 10 people killed when a fire broke out in a sevenstorey apartment building in a suburb of the French city of Lyon, the government said Friday.

Fourteen people were injured, including four who required emergency treatment, after the fire erupted in Vaulx-en-Velin in the northern outskirts of Lyon, in eastern France, the local authorities said.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters in Paris before heading to the scene that 10 people were killed, including five children aged between three and 15.

“We do not know the cause of the fire and the investigation will be able to find out,” he said. AFP

Ousted Peru leader ordered detained for 18 months

LIMA—Peru’s

Castillo was removed from office and detained after he tried to dissolve the legislature and announced he would rule by decree, in what opponents say was a bid to dodge an impeachment vote amid several corruption probes.

The leftist former schoolteacher stands accused of rebellion and conspiracy and could be jailed for up to 10 years if found guilty, according to public prosecutor Alcides Diaz.

A Supreme Court judge granted the request from prosecutors to keep Castillo in custody, saying he posed a flight risk after trying to seek asylum at the Mexican embassy in Lima. The detention order extends to June 2024.

His removal from office has sparked protests across the country, with the death toll now at 15, according to the health ministry and regional authorities. Thousands rally daily nationwide despite a state of emergency, including in the capital Lima on Thursday.

Clashes between the military and Castillo’s supporters left at least seven dead on Thursday in the southern city of Ayacucho, regional health authorities said, with fighting near the airport also killing two, according to the country’s ombudsman. AFP

Supreme Court on Thursday ordered ousted president Pedro Castillo to remain in detention for another 18 months after his arrest last week, which has sparked deadly unrest in the South American nation.

BLACKOUT SALE. A vendor waits for customers during a blackout at a market in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv on December 15 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP

officials in the Russianoccupied city of Donetsk, meanwhile, said they have come under some of the heaviest shelling in years from Ukrainian forces, leaving one person dead.

US-AFRICA SUMMIT. US President Joe Biden (center) participates in a family photo with the leaders of the US-Africa Leaders Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, on December 15. AFP

KOREAN WINTER. Visitors wearing traditional hanbok dress walk through Gyeongbokgung palace during snowfall in central Seoul on December 15. AFP

Market tumbles; ALI, ICTSI top gainers

STOCKS tumbled Friday, as investors contemplated interest rates going higher than expected for an extended period after central banks reaffirmed their commitment to bringing down inflation.

The PSE index, the 30-company benchmark, lost 70 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 6,496.50, as five of the six subsectors declined.

The broader all-share index also fell

US puts Chinese chipmakers on trade blacklist, cuts tech access

WASHINGTON, United States—

The US Commerce Department on Thursday blacklisted 36 Chinese companies, including top producers of advanced computer chips, severely restricting their access to American technology.

The move, which included semiconductor makers Cambricon and Yangtze Memory Technologies, aimed to limit China’s “efforts to obtain and leverage advanced technologies including artificial intelligence for its military modernization efforts and human rights violations,” the Commerce Department said.

The companies’ placement on the so-called Entity List makes it nearly impossible for them to legally acquire directly or indirectly US semiconductor manufacturing technology, designs, and other intellectual property, hampering their production potential.

Of the 36 names, 21 are identified as major firms involved in the research and design, marketing, and sales of artificial intelligence chips with close ties to the Chinese defense sector.

Seven are linked to the Chinese military’s efforts to develop hypersonic and ballistic missile systems.

One of the companies, Tianjin Tiandi Weiye Technologies, was placed on the Entity List for its alleged role in “China’s campaign of repression, arbitrary mass detention, and hightechnology surveillance” against Uyghurs and other minorities in the western Xinjiang region.

The Entity List additions Thursday further the Biden administration’s efforts to deny China “access to advanced technologies for military modernization and human rights abuses,” Assistant Secretary of Commerce Thea Rozman Kendler said in a statement. AFP

30 points, or 0.9 percent, to settle at 3,400.13 on a value turnover of P7.3 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 99 to 65, while 40 issues were unchanged.

Two of the 10 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Ayala Land Inc. which rose 0.9 percent to P29.25 and International Container Terminal Services Inc. which added 0.5 percent to finish at P205.00.

Most Asian markets also traded lower.

After a healthy rally in recent weeks fueled by signs that price rises were slowing, the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank hiked borrowing costs again and warning of more pain to come.

While inflation in most countries has

started coming down from the levels seen earlier this year -- helped by a drop in energy costs—it remains at multidecade highs.

Observers have warned that economies could be heading for a period of stagflation where prices keep rising but growth stalls.

After a rough week for markets, anxiety was enhanced on Wednesday after the Fed hiked rates as expected but indicated they would likely have to go higher than had been forecast, ramping up fears of a recession.

That was followed by similar moves by the ECB on Thursday, with its boss Christine Lagarde warning: “We have more ground to cover, we have longer to

go and we are in for a long game.”

The Bank of England also lifted rates and said more hikes were on the cards.

The decisions came as data also showed that almost a year of monetary tightening was hitting the economy more and more, with US retail sales dropping in November as American consumers -the key driver of growth—began to feel the pinch.

Recession on horizon?

“With central banks on both sides of the pond suggesting they have more work to tame inflation, hiking interest rates into a dimming macro environment will undoubtedly trigger a recession,” said SPI Asset Management’s Stephen Innes. With AFP

TOP GAINERS

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

1 NI 0.78 0.14 21.88%

2 VVT 15.22 2.38 18.54%

3 NOW 1.56 0.12 8.33%

4 HOME 1.48 0.09 6.47%

5 TUGS 1.01 0.06 6.32%

6 PREIT 1.7 0.1 6.25%

7 ANI 7.9 0.45 6.04%

8 HOUSE 9.95 0.47 4.96%

9 CTS 0.95 0.04 4.40%

10 PSB 56.95 1.95 3.55%

TOP LOSERS

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

1 MED 0.164 -0.026 -13.68%

2 SFI 0.073 -0.006 -7.59%

3 X 0.246 -0.019 -7.17%

4 LPC 0.143 -0.009 -5.92%

5 GLO 2070 -126 -5.74%

6 AC 660 -40 -5.71%

7 NIKL 5.27 -0.29 -5.22%

8 C 1.15 -0.06 -4.96%

9 SMC2K 68.05 -3.45 -4.83%

Eight online influencers charged with $100-m stock fraud

According to investigators, the influencers focused mainly on penny stocks -- shares in companies with a market capitalization of less than $100 million and that trade for a dollar or less.

The accusations said that seven of the suspects cultivated hundreds of thousands of followers and urged them to

up shares and pump up the

All of them had over 100,000 followers on Twitter, and one of them, Edward Constantin, known as @MrZackMorris, had over 500,000.

The case was filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the US market regulator, and charges were filed to a federal court in Texas.

The complaint charged Daniel Knight, who goes by the Twitter handle @DipDeity, with “aiding and abetting” the scheme by co-hosting a podcast in which he promoted the other defendants as experts.

Such companies are vulnerable to market manipulation, requiring only a small investment to move the price appreciably on the market.

“The defendants used social media to amass a large following of novice investors and then took advantage of their followers by repeatedly feeding them a steady diet of misinformation,” said Joseph Sansone, Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s Market Abuse Unit.

The scheme “resulted in fraudulent profits of approximately $100 million,” said Sansone, who added that the case “serves as another warning that investors should be wary of unsolicited advice they encounter online.”

The SEC is seeking a trial in federal

court on four counts, including deception and fraud, according to a statement.

Social media increasingly play a prominent role in investment with a new generation of traders who trade tips and advice directly to users on Twitter, Reddit, and Discord, often in defiance of the Wall Street establishment.

Sometimes known as “meme stocks,” in January 2021, the phenomenon rallied around a few stocks, including the video game store chain GameStop.

These individual investors bought shares of GameStop, but also of the movie theater chain AMC, to push the stock up regardless of the activity of the companies concerned and their performance.

In three weeks, GameStop’s share price increased 15-fold before falling back, allowing small investors to make significant gains, even though others also lost large sums. AFP

‘Work without limits’: Japan’s teachers battle for change

By Tomohiro Osaki

TOKYO—In one of his last diary entries, Japanese teacher Yoshio Kudo lamented workdays that started early and could last until nearly midnight. Two months later, he suffered “karoshi”—death from overwork.

Kudo’s taxing schedule was far from an exception in Japan, where teachers work some of the longest hours in the world, saddled with tasks from cleaning and supervising school commutes to after-school clubs.

A 2018 OECD survey found Japanese middle school teachers work 56 hours a week, versus an average 38 hours in most developed countries.

But that still fails to account for astonishing amounts of overtime.

One probe by a union-affiliated think tank showed school teachers work an average 123 hours of overtime each month, pushing their weekly workload well beyond the so-called “karoshi line” of 80 hours.

Teachers say they are reaching the breaking point, and some have challenged the culture through lawsuits. This year, Japan’s ruling party established a task force to study the issue.

That came too late for Kudo, a middle school teacher, who died of a brain hemorrhage aged 40 in 2007.

At his funeral, stunned students told his wife Sachiko that the lively physical education teacher was the “furthest imaginable person from death”.

“He just loved working with kids,” Sachiko, 55, told AFP.

But in his final weeks, he was struggling with his hours.

“Towards the end, he was telling me that teachers should stop working like this and that he wanted to lead that change in the future,” his widow said.

Japanese authorities have ordered steps including outsourcing and digitalizing some tasks.

“Our measures to reform work conditions for teachers are making steady progress,” education minister Keiko Nagaoka told parliament in October.

But she acknowledged that many “continue to work long hours” and “efforts need to be accelerated”.

Education ministry data shows a gradual decline in overtime, but experts see little fundamental change.

From reams of paperwork to tasks like lunch distribution, leading daily cleaning sessions with students and monitoring children on their way to and from school, teachers in Japan “have in a way become handymen”, school management consultant Masatoshi Senoo said.

“What should really be the responsibility of parents sometimes spills over onto teachers, who can even be sent to apologize to local residents when students misbe-

have at parks or convenience stores,” he said.

One of the most all-consuming tasks is the supervision of student sports and cultural “club” activities, typically conducted after school and on weekends.

“Being assigned as primary supervisor of one of these clubs usually means you have to kiss your weekends goodbye,” said Takeshi Nishimoto, a high school history teacher in Osaka.

In June, Nishimoto, 34, won a rare lawsuit seeking compensation for stress from overwork.

He filed the suit after coming close to a nervous breakdown in 2017, when the then-rugby club supervisor worked 144 hours of overtime in a single month.

‘Sacred job’

Experts say teachers are particularly vulnerable to overwork because of a decades-old law that essentially prevents them from being paid for overtime.

Instead, the law adds eight hours’ worth of extra pay to their monthly salaries, a framework that Nishimoto says results in “making teachers work without limits for fixed pay.” AFP

10 PX 2.74 -0.12 -4.20%

MOST ACTIVE

VOLUME VALUE (PHP)

1 ALI 33,607,600 982,137,635

2 BDO 7,118,740 772,454,799

3 SMPH 12,892,200 432,402,450

4 ACEN 55,400,300 410,490,678

5 ICT 1,891,770 385,708,296

6 TEL 231,530 350,158,935

7 SM 340,930 314,679,350

8 JFC 1,175,180 271,962,036

9 GLO 111,430 234,431,130

10 BPI 2,337,720 232,140,179

EU bares 15% minimum tax on multinational businesses

The

“Today, the European Union has taken a crucial step towards tax fairness and social justice,” EU economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said.

“Minimum taxation is key to addressing the challenges a globalized economy creates.”

The plan was drawn up under the guidance of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and already had the backing of Washington and several major EU economies.

But the implementation of the minimum tax in the 27-nation European Union has already been delayed as member states raised objections or adopted blocking tactics.

Most recently, this week Poland blocked the formal adoption of the measure while arguing about unrelated measures, such as sanctions on Russia.

But at Thursday’s summit, such reticences were negotiated away, and the tax will now come into effect across the block at the end of next year.

Leaders hailed the decision.

Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was a “project close to my heart,” and France’s President Emmanuel Macron said France had been pushing the idea for more than four years.

The global minimum tax is only one part, known as Pillar Two, of the OECD agreement.

The first pillar, which provides for the taxation of companies where they make their profits to limit

evasion, primarily targets digital giants.

It

NEW YORK—Eight online influencers were charged with stock fraud by US authorities on Wednesday for illegally pushing stocks on novice traders through social media platforms Twitter and Discord.

buy

price.

BRUSSELS, Belgium—The European Union on Thursday adopted a plan for a global minimum 15-percent tax on multinational businesses after leaders gave final approval following months of wrangling.

landmark agreement between nearly 140 countries is intended to stop governments racing to cut taxes to lure the world’s richest firms to their territory.

tax

requires an international agreement which is not yet finalized. AFP

ECB MEETING.

European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde arrives for a press conference following the meeting of the governing council of the ECB in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on Dec. 15, 2022. The eurozone should brace for ‘significant’ further interest rate hikes at a pace of half a percentage point to bring down stubbornly high inflation, Lagarde says. AFP

This picture taken on Nov. 22, 2022 shows Masako Shimonomura (center), a Japanese middle school physical education teacher, interacting with a student during class in Tokyo. A recent probe by a union-affiliated think tank showed teachers from elementary through high schools in Japan work an average 123 hours of overtime each month—well beyond the socalled ‘karoshi line’ of 80 hours. AFP

SwitzerlandFranc1.07747060.0603

CanadaDollar0.73217240.8127

SingaporeDollar0.73486240.9627

AustraliaDollar0.67010037.3527

BahrainDinar2.652801147.8724

Saudi Arabia Rial 0.26595714.8250

BruneiDollar0.73217240.8127 IndonesiaRupiah0.0000640.0036 Thailand Baht 0.0285231.5899

UAE Dirham0.27231615.1794

EuroEuro 1.06300059.2537

Korea Won 0.0007580.0423

ChinaYuan0.1433497.9906

IndiaRupee0.0120710.6729

MalaysiaRinggit0.22650112.6256

New Zealand Dollar 0.63440035.3627

TaiwanDollar0.0325021.8117

Source: BSP

Basic Energy to undertake reorganization

By Alena Mae S. Flores

BASIC Energy Corp. announced Friday it is undertaking reorganization to fast-track the development of renewable energy projects.

Basic said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its board appointed Oscar de Venecia Jr. as one of the vice-chairmen.

“With the board’s decision to fasttrack and move on with new and various wind and solar projects, Mr. De Venecia will take the lead in the areas of business development and marketing,” it said.

The company said De Venecia would promote and strengthen relationships with shareholders, investors and stakeholders.

“As a young blood in the board’s helm, he will provide vigor and dynamism in steering the various existing and future projects of the company to fruition,” Basic said.

De Venecia will turn over his position as president and chief executive at the end of the year to Luisito Poblete, who will pursue the company’s expected growth.

Poblete is the chief operating officer of Basic in charge of operations, and before joining the company, was president and managing director of Total (Philippines).

“This teamwork and re-alignment are expected to make the company well-equipped and thus ready to face the challenges of the coming years and achieve the targeted business growths aimed at making the company a truly pioneering energy development company,” the company said.

The board also approved the additional budget of P12.2 million for Mabini Energy Corp.’s wind project in Batangas to deploy LIDAR equipment.

LIDAR is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the earth.

The equipment will further enhance data gathering of wind resource assessment and expand the coverage over the existing wind mast already installed, it said.

PLDT incurs P48-b budget

overrun, announces

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PLDT Inc. said Friday it is undertaking management reorganization amid a P48billion budget overrun incurred over the past four years.

The company said the P48-billion cost overrun represented about 12.7 percent of the total capital expenditures amounting to P379 billion from 2019 to 2022.

PLDT said that based on internal investigation, it had “so far, not uncovered any fraudulent transaction, procurement anomalies or loss of assets arising from the capex spend.”

It said that because of the capex overrun, it “is undertaking a management

reorganization process and has initiated improvements on its processes and systems to address weakness that allowed such budget overruns to occur.”

PLDT said the 2023 capex would continue to be elevated as overruns enter the financial stations this year and next, cushioned by significant gains on tower sales.

It said the capex levels were expected to be lower by 2024 and onwards.

“Our vendors continue to be committed to their partnership with PLDT and have expressed flexibility to work with our commercial requests involving reduction of outstanding work,” it said.

PLDT said all three major revenue streams—wireless, home and enterprise—remained healthy and robust, with home and enterprise maintaining their respective market leadership.

“These three business units are unaffected by the capex overrun,” PLDT said.

PLDT earlier posted a net profit of

revamp

P27.4 billion from January to September, up 45 percent from P18.84 billion it booked in the same period last year.

Telecom core income, excluding the impact of asset sales and Voyager Innovations, went up by 10 percent to P25.4 billion in the nine-month period.

Revenues amounted to P152.93 billion in the first nine months, higher by 6 percent than P143.85 billion in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, PLDT said it signed a deal with a unit of Aboitiz Equity Ventures for the sale of 650 telecommunications towers and associated passive telecommunications infrastructure for P9.2 billion.

PLDT and subsidiaries Smart Communications Inc. and Digitel Mobile Phils. Inc. signed the sale and purchase agreement with Unity Digital Infrastructure Inc. for the 650 towers in Visayas and Mindanao.

IN BRIEF

More European firms keen on investing in PH

SEVERAL European companies engaged in different industries are interested in investing in the Philippines, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Friday.

Diokno was a part of the Philippine delegation led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a three-day working visit to Brussels, Belgium to showcase investment opportunities in the Philippines.

The working visit aimed to strengthen Philippine-EU relations and invite European investors to the Philippines. The president was also the coordinator for the ASEAN-EU Dialogue and will be serving in the role until 2024.

“We saw strong interest among EU-based businesses engaged in renewable energy generation, waste-to-energy projects, IT-BPM, disaster-resilient infrastructure, and technical education to invest or explore joint ventures in the Philippines,” Diokno said in a statement.

British multinational consumer goods company Unilever expressed intention to establish a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for personal care products in Cavite province. Ocea, a French multinational company that specializes in maritime safety, security, navigation, shipbuilding and integrated logistics support, plans to develop a shipyard in the Philippines with an investment of P1.5 billion. Julito G. Rada

Business sentiment turned less upbeat in fourth quarter

THE business sentiment in the Philippines turned less optimistic in the fourth quarter, compared to the third quarter because of elevated inflation, weaker peso and rising costs of production, results of the latest Business Expectations Survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show.

The overall confidence index in the fourth quarter declined to 23.9 percent from 26.1 percent in the third quarter. The lower index resulted from the increase in the percentage of pessimists, outweighing the increase in the percentage of optimists.

“The respondents’ less optimistic sentiment in Q4 2022 was attributed to higher inflation [i.e., faster increase in prices of consumer goods and services], peso depreciation, decline in sales and demand, rising costs of production inputs, e.g., raw materials and fuel and higher interest rates,” the BSP said. The business outlook for the next quarter also turned less upbeat as the overall confidence index decreased to 31.3 percent from 43.9 percent a quarter ago. For the next 12 months, the overall confidence decreased for the third consecutive quarter to 46.2 percent following the previous quarter’s survey result of 57.7 percent.

Julito G. Rada

Unilever expanding PH healthcare business

Aboitiz InfraCapital finalizes acquisition of Cebu Airport operator

ABOITIZ InfraCapital Inc. completed the acquisition of shares in GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., the developer and operator of the MactanCebu International Airport.

AIC acquired a stake representing 33 and 1/3 percent minus 1 share in GMCAC from Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Airports International B.V. for a total of P9.5 billion.

Megawide and GAIBV simultaneously issued exchangeable notes to AIC amounting to P15.5 billion, which will mature on Oct. 30, 2024, and are expected to be exchanged by AIC for the remaining 66 and 2/3 per-

DOST puts spotlight on homegrown startup heroes at the 6th TBI Summit

investments and generated P766.7 million worth of private investment. The TBIs also received a total of P118.3 million in private investments from their various partners.

cent plus 1 share of GMCAC’s outstanding capital stock.

“We are excited to finally consummate this transaction that will clear the runway for GMCAC’s next chapter, as well as accelerate Megawide’s longterm growth aspirations. We are also looking forward to unlocking more opportunities with this venture as we continuously re-engineer our portfolio towards achieving a First-World Philippines,” said Megawide chairman and chief executive Edgar Saavedra.

“Megawide is strengthening its portfolio towards more cycle-resilient, scalable and higher growth segments,”

he said.

Megawide plans to replicate its transformative value-creation model in other sectors, particularly in transport, social and digital infrastructure spaces, by modernizing and innovating systems and structures that will help jumpstart the Philippines’ recovery and ascendancy in the next normal.

The company initially bared its intention to build several transit-centric developments in key locations across the country and ride the information technology wave through its foray into data centers.

Darwin G. Amojelar

UNILEVER Philippines is boosting its presence in the healthcare space following the completion of a P4.7-billion investment to capacitate automation and increase the production capacity of its personal care facility in General Trias, Cavite.

Trade Undersecretary and Board of Investments managing head Ceferino Rodolfo said in a briefing the plant would start to operate in the first quarter of 2023, based on the presentation by Unilever Philippines chairman Benjie Yap in one of the forums at the ongoing 10th ASEAN-European Union Business Summit In Brussels, Belgium.

“We expressed to President Marcos our long-term commitment to sustainable and responsible growth in the country, and we are optimistic that our new P4.7-billion investment in a future-fit personal care factory in Cavite will contribute to the Philippine manufacturing sector’s competitiveness as we employ highly advanced technologies, with the potential to qualify the facility for the World Economic Forum’s ‘Advanced Fourth Industrial Revolution Lighthouse,” Yap said. Othel

V. Campos

“The TBIs have truly been significant in building a thriving startup ecosystem and in developing innovative startups in their respective localities who have the potential to become the next technology superstars,” said DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development executive director Dr. Enrico Paringit.

“The first 15 grantees of the Startup Grant Fund have collectively created 455 jobs, acquired 647 clients, raised P97.4 million in private investment and generated P280.7 million of revenues. If you look at the figures, the amount of investment plus the total revenues of the startups have already exceeded the amount of funding we have provided them. We are optimistic that these figures will increase as we measure the impact from the startups, we funded in 2021 and 2022,” he said.

Paringit said for the TBIS, they have collectively incubated and nurtured 1,369 startups, created more than 5,000 jobs, raised over P1.7 billion in private

“Our investment for the TBIs since 2018 amounts to a total of P244 million, and we are glad that our startups have attracted people and organizations to invest in them, as manifested in the investments and revenues they have raised and generated,” Paringit said.

One of the highlights of the summit are the keynote speeches from a TBI Manager and a DOST funded startup.

Prim Paypon, executive director of Asian Institute of Management-Dado Banatao Incubator, talked about how the TBI has supported the startups during the pandemic, the core values that a TBI Team should have, and the best practices of AIM DBI.

Alfred Gersava, co-founder of Virtualahan, a Davao-based social enterprise funded under the PCIEERD Women Helping Women-Innovating Social Enterprises program, shared their humble beginnings, local and global successes to inspire future technopreneurs that it is possible to go from being “zero” to “hero”.

The summit also featured startup founders from the Visayas like Nel Laygo of Peddlr (Samar), Neil Clyde Kho of The Green Table (Cebu), Wilvie Añora of AtoANI (Bohol) and Noreen Bautista of Panublix (Iloilo).

Pag-IBIG Fund launches virtual mobile app on 42nd anniversary

PAG-IBIG Fund launched the Virtual Pag-IBIG Mobile App to bring its services closer to members as it marked its 42nd anniversary on Wednesday.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recognized Pag-IBIG Fund’s accomplishments over the years and welcomed the launch of its official mobile app through a recorded message for the agency.

“Through the years, the Pag-IBIG Fund has stayed true to its goal to realize the dreams of millions of Filipinos by providing secure savings programs and dependable and affordable housing loans,” said Marcos.

“Today, we also welcome the launching of the Virtual Pag-IBIG Mobile Application. The app will bring Pag-IBIG Fund’s services and benefits closer

to every Filipino. In line with the unwavering commitment of this administration to digitize and streamline our services, be assured that this administration is committed to support you as you implement housing and development programs and initiatives,” the president said.

Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, who also heads the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund board of trustees, assured members that PagIBIG Fund would continue to make use of information technology to improve its processes and services.

“I congratulate the Pag-IBIG Fund for launching the Virtual Pag-IBIG Mobile App. This service innovation

will significantly help in providing social benefits to our fellow Filipinos, in line with the call of President Marcos to maximize the use of information technology in the delivery of public service,” Acuzar said.

Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive Marilene Acosta demonstrated the service features and the user-friendly interface of the agency’s mobile app during the launch.

“With the Virtual Pag-IBIG Mobile App, our members can now get their Pag-IBIG Membership ID number, view the status of their Housing or Short-Term Loans, make online payments and create a Virtual Pag-IBIG account by using just their smartphones,” she said.

THE Technology Business Incubator Summit of the Department of Science and Technology, held on the third day of the Philippine Startup Week 2022 with the theme “Homegrown Heroes: Incubating Future Tech Giants”, put a spotlight on the challenges and successes of homegrown heroes and the role of the TBIs in nurturing and supporting them.

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Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive Marilene Acosta (fifth from left) and other officials lead the launching of the virtual mobile app during the agency’s 42nd anniversary.

PREIT LISTING. Premiere Island Power REIT Corp., the power and infrastructure REIT platform of Villar family’s Prime Asset Ventures Inc., debuts on the Philippine Stock Exchange on Dec. 15. Attending the bell-ringing ceremony are (by row, from left) PREIT president and chief executive Timothy Joseph Mendoza and PSE chief operating officer Roel Refran; PREIT director Cynthia Javarez, PREIT director Manuel Paolo Villar, PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon and PSE Issuer Regulation Division head Marigel Garcia; China Bank Capital Corp. managing director Michael Chong, PREIT treasurer and chief finance officer Maryknoll Zamora, Securities Clearing Corporation of the Philippines chief operating officer Renee Rubio and PSE general counsel Veronica del Rosario.

Lee’s buzzer-beater carries Hotshots to victory, 1-1 tie

By Peter Atencio

PAUL Lee lost the ball on his way to the basket, but recovered in the nick of time, beating the buzzer with a driving shot as the Magnolia Timplados Hotshots pulled off a pulsating 96-95 win over a stunned Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in Game 2 of their best-of-fi ve semifi nal series on Friday in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

tin Brownlee and drove straight to the basket, electing to pass to Abueva.

Lee fumbled his pass when Japeth Aguilar blocked his path, but immediately recovered the ball. In a split second, Lee hoisted his driving shot at the buzzer, lifting the Hotshots to the one-point win and levelling the series at 1-win apiece.

Lee finished the game with 24 points.

“Nag-concentrate lang ako sa tira ko. Hindi ko na inisip kung may time pa,” said Lee moments after his teammates celebrated by piling over him on the floor.

The Hotshots, with Nick Rackocevic making 23 points, bounced

back from an 84-87 loss to Ginebra in Game 1.

Coach Chito Victolero said Lee’s miracle shot had left him speechless.

“Tulala ako. Buti na lang at bumagsak iyung tira niya,” said Victolero.

Brownlee fired 34 points for the Gin Kings, with his two freebies in the 1:52 giving the Gin Kings a 9290 edge.

Stanley Pringle chipped in 17 points, including a step-back triple in final five seconds allowing Ginebra to keep the lead for the last time, 95-94.

Scottie Thompson had 12 points, with his layup at the buzzer of the third allowing Ginebra to hang on to a 78-73 spread.

Batang Pinoy under way; Laguna bet eyes 2 golds

Stadium in Bantay.

Three years ago, Laguna tankers amassed eight gold medals to finish second behind Cotabato City, which had 14.

Now 15 years old, Ubaldo hopes to win two of the golds up for grabs in the National Youth Championship (Batang Pinoy) that is making a return after three years of absence because of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

“Nakaka-miss po ang competition,” said Ubaldo, who earned two gold medals in the boys’ 12-under 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly events when the national games were held in Puerto Princesa City back in 2019.

This time, Ubaldo will seek out golds in the boys’ 15-under events of the 200-meter individual medley and in the 100-meter freestyle.

Some 1,386 swimmers are taking part in the swimming event, which will be held at the Quirino

Smart

Five sports events will be held on Day 1, ushering in the country’s centerpiece grassroots’ development program in this province, which has fully reopened to tourism. They also include archery, badminton, chess and table tennis, to be held in different venues distributed in various Ilocos Sur cities and municipalities.

Archery is set at the San Ildefonso Central School grounds, while badminton is at the Ilocos Sur Badminton Center and Vigan Convention Center. Chess will be played at the Baluarte Function Hall, while table tennis is at the San Vicente Gym.

The centerpiece athletics’ competitions will commence on Sunday at the Quirino grounds, while cycling starts and ends at the Provincial Capitol in Vigan. Wightlifting will be at the Caoayan Gym.

Obstacle sports will start Monday at the Sta. Catalina Gym.

Ilocos Sur Gov. Jerry Singson, Philippine Sports Commission chair Noli Eala, commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo and Tokyo Olympics’ boxing silver medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam are gracing the parade of colors.

The opening rites will take place in the afternoon at the Quirino grounds, before more than half of the 6,000 in and out-of-school youth athletes from 140 local government units across the nation do the traditional parade of teams.

“The goal of Gov. Singson is to show to the whole country, not just the province and Region I, that Ilocos Sur tourism is now fully open to business,” said Jester Singson, special assistant to the governor in sports.

Senator Imee Marcos and officials of various National Sports Associations are also gracing the inaugurals. Peter Atencio

See, Floro set early pace in Chairman’s Charity Cup

ANTHONY See carded a 73 while Renie Floro shot a 75 as they grabbed the early lead in their respective divisions in the Chairman’s Charity Cup, which got going at the Legends and Masters courses of the Manila Southwoods in Carmona, Cavite yesterday.

See’s one-over par round was worth 35 points under the Individual Net Stableford scoring system as he set the early pace in the men’s overall gross race with a slew of others still to complete play in the first of the twoday tournament marking the return of Southwoods’ premier Members/ Sponsors-Guests tournament after a long hiatus due to pandemic.

See took a five-point lead over HongZheng Lu, who posted 30 points from a gross 79, while Lucas Aldeguer also turned in a 79 worth 29 points.

Floro, on the other hand, came away 33 gross points as he led Fred dela Cruz and former Senate President Tito Sotto, who scored 31 and 30 points from grosses of 77 and 78, respectively, in the Seniors’ gross competition of the event backed by Platinum sponsors The Turf Company, Inc., Agrexplore Corp., Malveda Properties & Development Corp., Starlux Airlines Co. Ltd., Newport World Resorts, Mit-Air, Inc., Klio International Marketing Corp. and HBW Enterprises Co.

Kristine Sison, meanwhile, fired a gross 84 worth 24 points to seize control in the Ladies division, three points ahead of Florence Okiyama and Vicky Herrera, who matched 21 points from a pair of 87s, while Soon Ja Park put up an 89 for gross 20 points, the same output put in Sun Hee Hwang and Archie Pelkonen, who carded 88 and 90, respectively.

In the Sponsors/Guests class, Camp John Hay’s Judson Eustaquio sizzled with a net 68 from a gross 73 as he led Forest Hills’ Raymond Bunquin and Ryu Suzuki, who posted identical net 70s from grosses of 77 and 78, respectively, under the System 36 format.

See also led the men’s Division I with 40 points, two points clear of Lucas Aldeguer, who shot a gross 79 worth 38 points, while Lu was at joint third with 35 points with Ian Laurel, who carded a gross 84.

PPS Mati juniors’ net meet starts

FRESH faces from the junior ranks aim for top podium finishes in various divisions as action in the PPS-PEPP Mati City national tennis championship kicks off Saturday at the City of Mati courts in Davao Oriental.

Duane Batad, Vince Lorejo, Jack Repaso and Mark Anthony Lacia banner the 32-player boys’ draw in the 18-and-under division while Jaden Orquia and Anne Marie Abos brace for a fierce duel in the girls’ side of the premier category of the four-day event presented by Dunlop.

Batad also gets the top seeding in 16-U play but faces a slew of top challengers in Jolimar Prado, Dave Cero and Andrei Yee, among others, while Louise Plaza and Chloe Yap are all geared up for a spirited duel in their side of the competition.

SMART Omega went on a rampage on opening day of the Call of Duty Mobile World Championship 2022 in Raleigh, North Carolina, taking a 2-0 sweep of the group stage to enter the playoffs as the top seed in Group A.

The team is now guaranteed at least a Top 8 finish in the global tournament facing Brazil’s SKADE in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

Smart Omega first swept Europe’s STMN Esports with a dominant 250:213 victory in Hardpoint (Game 1) then emerged on top of an arduous 12:10 triumph in Search and Destroy (Game 2).

They closed out the series against the European powerhouse with a convincing 3:0 win in Control (Game 3).

With momentum on their side, the Philippine representatives quickly imposed their will on the hapless NSYL Mayhem squad of North America in the Winner’s match, establishing a hundred-point lead before holding on late to squeak in a 250:243 win in Hardpoint (Game 1).

The North Americans continued to mount the pressure in Game 2 but Smart Omega made the right stops to clutch a 7:5 win in Search and Destroy (Game 2) before clinching their spot in the playoffs with a 3:0 win in Control (G ame 3).

Smart Omega is the only remaining Southeast Asian team in the playoffs after Singapore’s Almighty faltered against SKADE in the Decider match.

A tight battle also looms in the boys’ 14-U class of the event, sponsored by Mayor Michelle Rabat, which also features a 32-player draw, further underscoring the popularity of the country’s longest talent-search among the youngsters in the Mindanao region.

Erika Bismanos, Roanne Garuda, Jamela Anogot and April Cabanlit, on the other hand, are tipped to crowd each other for the girls’ 14-U diadem in the event which also serves as part of the PPS-PEPP junior program put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/ CEO Bobby Castro.

Gian Luna and Miguel Ale, along with John Bituin and Matthew Lozada, meanwhile, lead the title chase in the 12-U division with Garuda and Anogot expected to dispute the crown in the girls’ side of the tournament supported by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating).

Omega CODM sweeps Group Stage, enters playoffs as top seed

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

FORMER champion Franz Isaac Ubaldo of Laguna is back and will be among those seeking out golds from the 13 at stake at the start of the swimming competitions of the Philippine Sports Commission-Batang Pinoy National Championships.

The Smart Omega CODM team

Paul Lee, shown here passing to import Nick Rackocevic, won the game for the Magnolia Hotshots, 96-95, over the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.

After receiving the inbound pass from Calvin Abueva with 5 seconds

left, Lee extricated himself from the pesky defense of Ginebra import Jus-

HOTEL BY THE RIVER

Novotel Suites Manila taps into its ‘inner cool’ in Brgy. Hulo

MANDALUYONG

CITY—

When you visit Manila, you make hard choices. There are a lot of good restaurants, there are a lot of good bars, and there are a lot of good hotels.

And the problem with choosing a hotel is that you usually only choose one. Limiting your options to boutique hotels in Metro Manila might simplify the decision, particularly if you’re seeking an intimate, upscale stay that’s not only for out-of-towners.

“December is an opportune time for Novotel Suites Manila to open as Century Properties can actively participate and address the demand surge for tourism and leisure travel, which is also in line with the government’s thrust to promote the industry,” Antonio said.

MODERN AND STYLISH

Extra space, at no cost

PROPERTY company PH1 World Developers recently secured the license to sell for Modan Lofts Ortigas Hills located in Taytay, Rizal. This is the developer’s third project offering following its flagship project, The Hive Residences, also located in Taytay, Rizal, as well as its first high-rise development, My Enso Lofts in Timog Avenue, Quezon City.

Modan Lofts Ortigas Hills offers “Extra Space At No Extra Cost”, a PH1 innovation in its residential projects that uses the company’s exclusive Add-Loft Technology. Add-Loft helps create additional space in the units which can be customized and personalized by the user depending on one’s lifestyle. Sister company Megawide is PH1’s contractor for this project.

The company also built the previous projects of PH1. Modan Lofts Ortigas Hills, which will consist of three mid-rise condominium buildings, is targeted for completion in 2026.

ASIAN CUISINE EXPERIENCE

IF YOU are in the mood for exotic flavors, the Metro Park community in Manila Bay Area is laden with many creative restaurants serving mouth-watering Asian menu in al fresco seating. Choose from Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Taiwanese, Singaporean, and Korean dishes at the Blue Bay Walk and Met Live malls in Pasay City. Conti’s and Crisostomo will serve you classic Filipino dishes in new style. Fans of Chinese food will enjoy the Dynasty Teppanyaki Buffet with its assorted feast of tasty offerings. A ramen/tsukemen franchise from Japan, Mitsuyado Seimen House of Tsukemen serves the

(Shown in

something easy

is among the

Top in corporate governance totem pole

METRO

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nature by meaningful collaborations and the use of technology.

It also organized efforts that promote overall self-sufficiency like Bayan Tanim!, a community gardening program for food security and Puhunang Pangkabuhayan, its alternative livelihood program.

Typically with 150 rooms or fewer, boutique hotels are characterized by strong, focused design identities that became a thing in various urban central business districts, as well as tourist spots in Southeast Asia in the past two decades.

Now, everything old is new again. Metro Manila’s hotel scene is fresh off a splash of exciting openings—and boutique hotels feature heavily, perched on a wave of properties emerging from the pandemic which reflect travelers’ increased needs for space and tranquility, while also serving their desire to be tapped into a scene.

Boutique hotels are beloved for their strong character, intimate scale, and general cool factor. Their food and beverage programs are often a special focus, too, and can be destinations in and of themselves.

Enter the Novotel Suites Manila, Century Properties’ first hospitality venture, which opened its doors to leisure and business guests last week.

Housed at the sixth and final tower of Acqua Private Residences, Novotel Suites Manila is a 152-room hotel conceptualized by Century Properties in partnership with Accor, a multinational hospitality company.

The hotel can be found along a quaint street by the Pasig River called Coronado Street, Brgy. Hulo, Mandaluyong City.

SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF CBDS

The hotel takes pride in being located in what many deem as a midpoint in Metro Manila —at the boundary between the Makati and Mandaluyong and cities where everything is a few minutes away. Its location opens a plethora of options, whether guests are planning to shop, explore, or look for entertainment hotspots in Makati, Ortigas, and Bonifacio Global City.

It is accessible via the Estrella-Pantaleon and Makati-Mandaluyong bridges that connect the two cities and is very close to the GuadalupeEDSA area, which connects to the airport via the Skyway.

CPGI president and CEO Marco Antonio said the opening of the hotel comes at a good time, now that movement restrictions are easing amid the government’s continued push for tourism.

Guests—whether they be families, business travelers, or backpackers—can find a home away from home here. Modern, spacious, and stylish, each of the hotel’s rooms offers a luxurious experience with its Live N’ Dream beds. Guests have a choice between four room types—standard studio, one bedroom deluxe suite, one bedroom superior suite, and one bedroom premier suite.

An anchor of every hotel is the set of amenities it offers. At Novotel Suites Manila, amenities are designed to meet the lifestyle needs of its guests. Guests can access a fitness center with contemporary equipment on the 21st floor, and a spectacular swimming pool on the 6th floor where they can take in a view of the city, as it juts out of the tower.

Business travelers can also look forward to a comfortable and convenient experience with the hotel’s meeting rooms for small-scale business meetings – the Coronado, Hulo, and a Private Dining Room, each of which features high-speed WIFi and other meeting and communication facilities.

DINING CONCEPTS

Novotel Suites Manila also ensures that stays become memorable with its food and beverage concepts, a lounge, a café, and a pastry shop. For this, the hotel has tapped King Golden Dragon, the company behind House of Lasagna, as the hotel’s food and beverage partner.

The restaurant group diversifies its offerings as it enters the hotel food and beverage scene, promising a leveled-up service and menu as it partners with a veteran chef with an international hotel dining experience.

Located near the front desk on the 21st floor, a lounge offers quick bites, coffee, and sweet treats. Aside from the award-winning lasagna, its menu features choices of cakes and pastries best enjoyed with a cup of coffee. An all-day dining restaurant overlooks the pool, making it the best spot for hearty brunches, laid-back lunches, and night-time feasts.

Scheduled to be launched in January 2023, the pastry shop will be located on the hotel’s ground floor, making it perfect for those looking for snacks and treats they can grab on the go or pick up just in time for special celebrations.

Novotel Suites Manila general manager Raul Aquino said they are excited to welcome guests at Acqua Private Residences. “We are proud to carry the Novotel name, along with other 500 establishments globally. It’s a trusted brand, known for excellent rooms and service,” he declared.

authentic Japanese street vibe along with your bowl of ramen. Mor Thai

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top places to dine on flavorful traditional Thai dishes. If you are just looking for

and filling, you will enjoy the same 12-inch deep-fried chicken fillets Taiwanese love at Hot Star Large Fried Chicken. Michelin Awardee, Tiong Bahru hawker stall expands to the Philippines with its first restaurant at Met Live. Finally, live out your K-Drama dreams at Jang Geum Kitchen in Met Live. It serves Korean soul food in generous portions and has that authentic Korean mom and pop diner vibe.

Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) recently earned six recognitions for corporate governance, investor relations, and corporate social responsibility at the 12th Asian Excellence Awards 2022 of Corporate Governance Asia.

included Asia’s Best CEO (Investor Relations) for Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan, Asia’s Best CFO (Investor Relations) for Ms. Chaye CabalRevilla, Best Investors Relations Professional for MPIC VP for Investor Relations Maricris Aldover-Ysmael, Best Investor Relations Company (Philippines), Best Environmental Responsibility, and Asia’s Best CSR.

line with its recognition for Asia’s Best CSR and Best in Environmental Responsibility, the company invested in environmental protection programs such as reforestation and ecosystem preservation, most evident in Shore It Up! (SIU), the MPI Foundation’s (MPIF) fifteen-year-old flagship initiative on coastal and marine biodiversity conservation (Shown in photo, a SIUtrained marine guardian in Puerto Galera); and fortifying the protection of

SOUTHERN HAVEN. Laguna-based property developer P.A. Alvarez Properties and Development Corporation and Japan’s Hankyu Hanshin Realty recently launched their most recent community: Idesia Cabuyao. This, along with their previous Idesia township projects in Dasmariñas and Lipa, is an offspring of their joint venture. The 3.87-hectare modern Asian-inspired community, comprising a total of 276 units, showcases the common theme among the Idesia township projects: an elevated sense of community and Japanese expertise. Idesia Cabuyao offers two house designs—the Yama (townhouse units) and the Sora (single-attached units) – for both investors and home buyers.

By Chelsie Alquinto and Julian Cardenas

The rise of China as a technological powerhouse is not a hideable fact from the world as they continue to develop new technological innovations to improve everyday aspects of lifeand cars are no exception to that.

China gave the world amazing innovations lately such as the intimidating Hongqi L5 and the amazing Nio EP9 supercar whose performance can match with the household supercar brands of todayall in an effort to show the world what they are capable of. And what they are capable of is quite a lot.

However, their brand footing still needs a lot of work to make themselves known in a world dominated by Japanese and European automobiles. Yet casually in a Philippine setting, they are making steady progress in the mini-SUV Market as seen with the topselling MG Zs and the Geely Coolray.

Now they are making another mark with the Changan CS35 plus.

Already, the Chongqing-based automobile manufacturer pulled out all the stops to make the CS35 standout from the competition with its aggressive and Europeanesque styling, giving it the vibe of a Volkswagen Tiguan or an Audi Q5 to all who lay their eyes on it.

The Euro-spec styling continues with a stylish sporty interior with flashy silver linings and body-hugging seats. The plastics feel soft touch and the quality feels built to last a lifetime.

BGC now home to newest, largest MINI showroom in PH

MINI Philippines spices up the festive season with the launch of its largest showroom in the country. Located in the bustling Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig, the showroom is the only MINI dealership in Metro Manila equipped with aftersales services, lifestyle and lounge areas, and future-ready facilities.

“After our stay at Eastwood City, MINI BGC is now our permanent home in Manila,” said Willy Tee Ten, President, MINI Philippines. “In addition to being the largest MINI showroom in the country for MINI fans to enjoy, it boasts new designs and amenities that are aligned with the new corporate identity of MINI Global.”

Spanning 753 sqm, MINI BGC can house up to four display cars, has a large spacious area to receive guests, and a roof deck that serves as a venue for MINI activations and events. For customers who live and breathe the brand, a wide

PEUGEOT continues its hyper-growth trajectory as the fastest-growing auto brand in the Philippines with soaring year-over-year sales and successive dealer openings since its

variety of merchandise is available for purchase from the MINI Lifestyle Collection, such as luggage, shirts, jackets, and more.

For those customers looking to give their favourite rides some care and attention, the new Bonifacio Global City showroom has a service centre to handle quick services, while more extensive jobs will still be conducted at the

•

•

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Blindspot monitoring

• Adaptive Cruise control

• Automatic emergency braking system and Auto Hold

• The Top model or Luxe variant has a power tailgate.

Along with style, high-build quality and amazing Technological kit- The Interior is roomy both in the front and the rear, The Trunk is no exception as it will swallow most balikbayan boxes without trouble.

Now to tackle the most important question, What’s it like to drive it? Well, it does not disappoint.

The 1.4L Turbocharged 160 bhp Gasoline Direct Injection ( TGDi) engine gives the car an athletic acceleration which is helped by a fantastic 7-speed Wet-type Dual Clutch Transmission and an adaptive adjustable suspension that has three modes: Comfort , Sport and Standard .

Despite being a rather chubby, tall Front-wheel drive (FWD) SUV, the CS35 plus tackles corners like a small hot hatchback with zero to no body roll and a tight grip.

Along the way, passengers experience a smooth and comfortable ride whilst the car achieves more than 20 km/L, which is nothing short of an impressive feat.

And with Prices ranging from php. 999,000,000 to 1,169,000, we can all agree that the CS35 plus is an affordable high tech dragon, agree?

service factory.

Finally, as sustainability is the name of the game, the showroom will be equipped for the future. Electric vehicle charging points will soon be installed to support cleaner and greener energy use for the good of the environment.

Currently on display at the new MINI BGC showroom are the following:

MINI Cooper S 3-Door Resolute Edition∏—a special edition MINI with a Rebel Green body color alluding to the brand’s racing days and a distinctive Resolute Bronze detailing.

MINI Cooper S 3-Door—a compact urban icon fit for the streets, complete with that gokart feel.

MINI John Cooper Works Convertible—a sporty convertible that carries the essence of motor sport, decked in a color that evokes energy, optimism, and happiness.

Fast growing auto brand Peugeot opens back to-back dealerships in Visayas

re-launch in January.

At the close of November, Peugeot achieved 297% year-over-year growth –a new record for the brand in the country. The phenomenal growth is attributable to the huge customer demand for its four new nameplates: the PEUGEOT 2008 SUV, PEUGEOT 3008 SUV, PEUGEOT 5008 SUV and the PEUGEOT Traveller Premium, which were all launched this year.

The French lion brand also remains on track with its dealership expansion as it continues to open new showrooms and service facilities in key cities across the

country. Recently, Peugeot led back-to-back inaugurations of two new showrooms in the Visayas: Peugeot Cebu and Peugeot Negros.

The brand-new Peugeot dealerships in Cebu and Negros were officially opened to the public on December 5 and 8, respectively. Owned and operated by the Gateway Group, both outlets reflect Peugeot’s new global dealership design concept, making them the first flagship dealerships in the Visayas to proudly show the rebranded Peugeot Lion shield.

Peugeot Cebu’s 481 square meter facility is situated along Gorordo Avenue, Cebu City and has a capacity of three vehicles in its showroom and three car bays in its service area. Peugeot Negros is a 520 square meter property located at Zone 15, National Highway, Barangay Matab ang, Talisay City and features a four-vehicle showroom and a two-car service bay.

7 tips to save gas while beating Christmas tra ic

The a ordable high-tech dragon: Changan CS35 plus Drive towards Yuletide cheer

CHRISTMAS should be fun for everyone, but when EDSA feels like a giant parking lot on a Friday night in December, it’s hard to muster any kind of holiday cheer. With traffic congestion approaching pre-pandemic levels, this year is expected to be daily Carmageddon in December, as malls extend their working hours to accommodate the Christmas rush.

Traffic may well be beyond anyone’s control but how it’s dealt with greatly affects fuel consumption. The good news is that there are simple things that any driver can do to make the most of the fuel in your tank even in epic Christmas traffic.

Check tires—Make sure tires are at manufacturer-recommended pressure, this is usually indicated on a tire’s profile, or in newer cars, on a sticker on the edge of the driver’s door. If air pressure is too low, it will increase fuel consumption. The steering system should also be checked regularly in order to make certain it is balanced with the tires.

Drive smoothly—Anticipate stops and lift off the gas long before the stopping point to avoid having to break hard. When pulling out of a stop, accelerate slowly and gradually. Hard braking and quick acceleration waste a lot of fuel.

Make a list of errands—Plan your trips ahead and group nearby destinations together. If unnecessary, don’t travel at rush hour. Not so fun fact: the average speed on EDSA at peak hours in December 2021 was a stupefying 11 kph, slower than the average bicycle rider, and there were fewer cars on the road then. So this Christmas, make every trip count by planning routes, stops and activities ahead of time.

Better Fuel—Not all fuels are the same, Shell FuelSave is designed for better fuel efficiency. Filling-up with Shell FuelSave, coupled with sensible driving, can help reduce fuel consumption. It’s best to fill-up and make a few big fuel stops rather than several small ones to save on time as well.

Minimize idling—Even a small car idling for 1 minute or more consumes more fuel than restarting the car. So if a car has to remain stationary for some time, turn off the engine. 3 minutes of engine idling consumes enough fuel to power the car for a full kilometer.

Keep your engine clean—Racking-up a lot of city mileage? Be sure to fill up and add Shell V-Power to your fuel mix this season. This will get rid of any gunk deposits that engines tend to build up—from the long hours sitting in traffic. Shell V-Power will ensure a cleaner engine and optimum engine performance.

Drive at fuel efficient speeds—Each type of vehicle has an ideal economical speed at which fuel consumption is lowest. Usually, this is between 80-90 km/h. If you do get out on the road, stay within this range.

Make the most of every drop of fuel as you join the first full-blown Christmas after three years.

IT’S the most wonderful time of the year! With celebrations just around the corner, December is the perfect time to give oneself and the whole family the gift of mobility. This month, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) is spreading Christmas cheer by offering exciting deals and promotions for its wide range of vehicles.

Pay Low, Pay Light, or Cash Savings

A tribute to the 12 days of Christmas, 12 Toyota models can be availed through the Pay Low, Pay Light or Cash Savings options this season. Under the Pay Low option, customers can get a brand-new Vios, Corolla Altis, Rush, Innova or Fortuner for as low as 15% down payment, 60 months to pay, free 1-year insurance and 3-year LTO registration with no chattel mortgage (finance lease).

Drive over to your extended family’s noche buena with a brand-new Vios XE CVT at only PHP115,350 down payment, or take the family out for a Christmas day lunch with the Innova J DSL MT at PHP178,650 down payment. You can also rush into the holiday spirit with the

Rush GR-S, available with a down payment of only PHP176,400!

The Pay Light option lets fans purchase the Vios, Wigo, Corolla Altis, Avanza, Veloz, Rush, Raize, Innova, Fortuner, Hilux or Hiace with low monthly plans, 50% down payment and 60 months to pay. Truly a holiday treat, customers can avail the Wigo under the Pay Light option at PHP6,256 per month, the Vios at PHP8,212, and Raize at PHP10,110.

Finally, under the Cash Savings option, customers can get up to PHP50,000 in cash savings when they purchase a Corolla Altis. The Vios gets PHP45,000 and PHP8,500 savings for the XLE CVT and XE CVT models, respectively. Models that get PHP20,000 cash savings are the Innova E A/T and E M/T, and Fortuner 4x4 LTD and 4x2 G Dsl A/T.

Meanwhile, customers enjoy PHP15,000 in savings for the Fortuner 4x2 G Dsl M/T, and PHP10,000 for the Rush, Innova V, G and J, and LiteAce pickup.

Free Maintenance

Travel worry-free this holiday season when you purchase a Toyota vehicle this December! TMP offers free maintenance for every brand-new Vios, Corolla Altis, Raize, Avanza, Veloz, Rush, Innova, Fortuner, Hilux and

A bonus treat for Lite Ace fans, all variants of the Lite Ace sold and released during the promotional period are eligible for the Fixed 1K-40K KM Periodic Maintenance Service which requires customers to pay just PHP1,999 for each PMS up to the 40K KM check-up. A total of nine (9) Fixed Periodic Maintenance Service: (1K PM, 5K PM, 10K PM, 15K PM, 20K PM, 25K PM, 30K PM, 35K PM, 40K PM) are included in the promotion within 24 months of the vehicle’s release date.

Toyota Vios Free 5-Year Warranty For family vacations and outings, the Toyota Vios is the perfect holiday getaway car! A free 5-year warranty will be included with every new Vios G, E, and XLE purchased from accredited Toyota Dealers with a coverage of 5 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.

And yet people still label Madein-china products as substandard— which we believe is a complete understatement today.

The interior is not all show for it has a lot of go with the impressive

technological equipment that comes as standard from the base to mid-spec to the highest end model:

• Six Airbags

All Around view Camera with blindspot angles that makes parking

a piece of cake and to record any anomalies on the road.

Wireless charging at the center console

Panoramic sunroof

Engine Remote start

Front Collision warning and

Hiace. Customers may avail of the Free Periodic Maintenance Service (PMS) within 18 months from the release date of the vehicle.

Tech & Gadgets

Igloo leverages tech to bring accessible benefits to Filipinos

By Patricia Taculao

WE’VE all experienced getting offers for insurance to make our lives better.

Acquiring insurance for almost everyday actions at this time and day is vital in keeping ourselves and our loved ones safe during rainy days. It’s a product that we could all benefit from someday.

Yet most Filipinos find applying for insurance troublesome because of all the legalities they have to face to secure one. And when the time comes to cash out, it also takes a tedious process to claim the benefits.

As one of the top insurtech companies in Southeast Asia, Igloo hopes to eliminate the hassle. It has a mission of making insurance accessible to all by leveraging data and engaging in realtime risk assessment and end-to-end automated claims management to create a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) model in insurance solutions for platforms and companies.

Its insurance solutions enable companies to eliminate their exposure to operational risk, create new revenue streams, and optimize and enhance existing products and services.

Mario Berta, Igloo’s country manager for the Philippines, has been in the country for more than 12 years. He knows the struggles of Filipinos when it comes to claiming insurance policies for their daily activities.

Berta has been working in various industries and was one of the executives of Rocket Internet, which helped build the technology ecosystem across the globe. Although technically retired, Igloo gave Berta an offer that’s hard to resist.

“Igloo came to me with an interesting challenge—to restructure and develop an insurtech business in the Philippines. I manage various aspects of commercial operations across Southeast Asia, but I set my focus on the Philippines. I started about two years ago,” he said.

Protecting the gig community and marginalized communities

According to Berta, insurtech enables the distribution of insurance products that were difficult to market. It even works alongside local brands to secure accessibility.

“Today, thanks to our technology, Filipinos can open GCash and buy a gadget protection program or a pet insurance program,” he said.

Unlike most insurance claims, insurtech users only need to take photos of the incident and send them to their super-

vising platform for real-time processing and immediate results.

Igloo also designed a gig protection program to secure users involved in the gig economy. The rise of the gig economy benefits the new generation of employees, providing new job opportunities and multiple sources of income, as gig workers can work on several jobs simultaneously.

to foodpanda, other riders, or the claims department. Users can easily send proof of the incident via the app, and Igloo can process it immediately.

Even work-from-home employees can access similar insurance policies through Igloo. Moreover, local farmers can also access other policies with the help of Igloo’s insurtech services.

work for several days, the policy can cover the loss during the recovery period.

Another product from Igloo that safeguards farmers from the impact of climate change, which remains a pressing issue today, is weather index insurance.

Berta explained that it’s been available in the Philippines for some time, but most Filipinos found it inaccessible. When farmers secure a loan or purchase weather index insurance from their rural bank, they must work with a courier who will appraise the land to appraise the damages.

“We eliminated that part where it’s costly to service because they need to send someone physically to remote areas of the Philippines to assess the land and damages. That cost has to be passed to the consumer. Otherwise, that product would be a loss,” Berta said.

On the other hand, Igloo works with Japan and soon partners with PAG-ASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration) to take satellite images and detect areas in the Philippines with heavy rainfall.

Through this technology, Igloo can create an algorithm that makes assumptions about weather patterns for an extended period, determining that farmers in the area were affected by any disturbances.

As a result, Filipino farmers don’t have to visit their banks to receive insurance claims. Instead, they will receive a notification saying they can claim the returns from the policy.

Berta promises that Igloo will explore other insurance opportunities to serve Filipino communities better.

Although Berta set his sights on the Philippines, he believes that engaging in insurtech is more than an isolated opportunity. Instead, it’s something the whole SEA region can tap into for various advantages. Nonetheless, his stay in the Philippines gave him insights into the technology and business industries to better navigate and lead Igloo.

“The country is extremely technologically-savvy, but very insurance under-penetrated. I can’t stress this enough. All of us, meaning insurtech players, insurance, regulators, and associations, play a major part in the education of Filipinos, Vietnamese, or Indonesian, wherever we operate, to create awareness about the importance of insurance coverage,” he said.

Even though it may take some time for Filipinos to learn about the disruptive advantages of insurtech, companies like Igloo, with the partnership of local private establishments and the government, could reinforce the education to show what people can gain from buying insurance policies.

THE NTC just announced that the registration of new and existing SIM cards will start on December 27.

According to the IRR of the SIM Registration Law, mobile users in the country are required to input their personal information such as full name, birthday, sex, recent or official address, and identification card and ID number during the registration process.

Once this data ends up in untrustworthy hands, fraudsters might launch various types of phishing attacks from spam calls to voice phishing. Kaspersky describes phishing as a form of cybercrime that involves stealing of confidential data from a person’s device and using the same data to steal their money.

Privacy risks are another major concern. For a cybercriminal, having a potential victim’s phone number significantly increases the opportunity of a successful attack, since most online services require entering a phone number along with other personal data. Doxing, cyberbullying, blackmailing and extortion are among the potential cyberthreats victims might face.

Kaspersky is reminding Filipinos to be vigilant in securing their data against possible phishing attacks.

To stay safe against fraudsters, Yeo Siang Tiong, general manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky, advises those who will register their SIM cards to:

1. Visit and use links of official websites/platforms only. Mobile operators in the country have announced that they will launch their online SIM registration platforms. Make sure that you visit the official websites of these companies to register on their official platform.

2. Check each link and email carefully. When you receive an email, don’t rush to reply or follow its instructions. The first thing you should do is look for telltale signs of phishing such as mistakes, typos, and strange characters in the text as well as inconsistent sender address.

By Riera U. Mallari

WE’VE all seen green cars. But a green, environment-friendly phone?

Nokia’s latest offering, the Nokia X30 5G, is one.

Anywhere around the world, there is a niche market for such an advocacy, people caring for the environment and championing efforts to conserve and preserve our natural resources.

There is therefore a big fraction of the population that will be delighted with this latest Nokia offering.

As Nokia’s most eco-friendly smartphone, the X30 5G is made with 100 percent aluminum and 65 percent recycled plastic, aside from delivering the brand’s smallest eco-footprint to date.

The packing size is also reduced, made possible by the decision to remove chargers from the X-series to tackle ewaste (this saves on transportation CO2 emissions). And by using 100 percent

For instance, foodpanda riders can access personal accident insurance with the help of Igloo.

“It’s a very traditional product, but the way we are interconnecting with foodpanda and the way we interact with the rider, that’s where the technology comes in,” Berta said.

He adds that riders facing an unfortunate event don’t need to send information

“We have a couple of products in place, and soon we’re bringing in very disruptive ones,” Berta said.

One of the products available is through a partnership with rural banks’ distribution networks.

With Igloo, Filipinos don’t have to purchase insurance policies through the traditional approach, which involves too much paperwork and extensive processing. It also serves as a bridge for underserved communities and upcoming economies to secure themselves from unforeseeable circumstances.

3. Check the links in the email if it contains them or the website they lead to. You can check a link by hovering your cursor over it and reading the address carefully. Cybercriminals bet on victims who do not pay enough attention to detect slight changes made to the names of well-known companies or brands like sumsung.com or qoogle.com.

Berta explained that when farmers get a loan, they also receive personal accident insurance. So when, for example, a farmer injures his leg and misses out on

FSC certified and 94 percent recycled paper box, Nokia phone makers HMD Global seeks to promote responsible forestry and support the circular economy.

But make no mistake about it. Even though it’s made with the care for the environment in mind, it does have a really premium feel to it, what with the aluminum parts and chamfered edges.

Plus, it brings premium features, including the best-ever PureView photography that Filipino fans will surely enjoy and love.

General overview

The Nokia X30 comes with a clean and pretty premium look despite the mid-range price tag. It combines some recycled aluminum along the edges of the smartphone and a very smooth matte plastic finish on the back.

It is water-resistant with a IP67 protection rating and has complete protection against dust. This means you can bring it out during your next trip to Boracay or La Union to enjoy the sun and the sea. Enjoy selfies and groupies during boat rides and kayaks with peace of mind. Just don’t go scuba-diving with it.

The Nokia XC30’s 6.43-inch AMOLED display has a 90 hertz (Pure Display) variable refresh rate, a really good feature at this price point, making watching Youtube videos and playing mobile games a smoother and more responsive experience.

Also, it does have a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus, which helps protect the phone.

The bezels are a bit big, but that is just

a minor nitpick that doesn’t diminish its other features.

There is also a built-in fingerprint scanner that is ultra fast and and responsive, to go with face unlock as well.

Performance and software

It has a Snapdragon 695 processor, leading to an overall good general performance. For the casual and moderate users that the Nokia X30 is targeting, it is more than capable for day-to-day usage, including moderate gaming.

The Nokia X30 is a phone meant for everyday use, for calls, writing emails, the occasional video viewing, sound-tripping and the like. It’ll get you through the day without any problems, and without the need to grab a charger in the middle of the day (Li-Po 4200 mAh, non-removable

Indeed technology has come a long way in protecting and making lives easier for everyone.

“Use reliable security protection on your device. It’s hard to be on the constant lookout for red flags and to check every single address, link, and so on. But it’s a task you can automate, and you can rely on security solutions to protect you against phishing,” said Yeo. Nokia X30 5G: A ‘green’ phone that produces terrific photos?

battery; charging speed is pretty good as well).

The X30 comes with a stock version of Android 12, upgradeable to Android 13, meaning it’s easy to learn and all of your favorite Google Play apps and games are included.

Camera

If there is, however, a feature where the Nokia X30 stands out, it’s with its camera performance, producing pointand-shoot photos with surprisingly good results, what with a nice balance of color and contrast even in low-light situations —thanks to its 50 MP PureView camera, which uses AI and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to capture content in even higher detail. A 12MP ultrawide lens backs it up, while a16MP camera sits on the front for selfies, video calling, and face unlock support.

And then there’s the night mode.

Ahh, those awesome night shots.

The night mode is where the X30 blows out its competition, producing very impressive, terrific photos, using its all-new,

intuitive dropdown menu, giving users faster access to the most used camera settings, such as Night Mode 2.0, with Dark Vision, Tripod Mode, and Night Selfie.

So if you are going to be partying in some bar or events place until the wee hours of the morning, the Nokia X30 is your perfect companion to document all the fun.

The only bummer with the X30 is that you can’t shoot 4k videos, but then again, social media (FB, youtube) will most likely downgrade your videos anyway, for better uploading and faster play. But if all you’re after is a very good point-and-shoot camera for social media purposes, then the X30 is a very nice performer.

The Nokia X30 is a great improvement from past Nokia phones. It is a solid smartphone that does a little bit of everything better, specially if taking photos is your thing. And it’s a perfect reminder that we all have a part in caring for our planet. That alone, makes the Nokia X30 a cut above the rest.

3 things to remember when filing your mobile phone no.

Mario Berta, Igloo’s country manager for the Philippines

Low light photo of Santa Claus