Manila Standard - 2023 January 10 - Tuesday

Galvez named Defense chief

Succeeds Faustino who quits post following leadership change in AFP

By Vince Lopez and Macon Ramos-Araneta

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday named Carlito Galvez Jr. as the new Defense Secretary to replace Senior Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr., who had resigned.

Galvez, the Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity who served as Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief under President Rod-

rigo Duterte, was tapped to replace Faustino, the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) said. “It is with deep regret that the Presi-

dent has accepted the resignation of DND OIC Sr. Usec. Jose Faustino Jr.,” the brief statement from the PCO said.

It added that Galvez, who was also vaccine czar and chief implementer of the National Task Force against COVID-19 during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, had accepted the position.

The Department of National Defense (DND) welcomed Galvez’s appointment

600 top cops file courtesy resignations

By Joel E. Zurbano

SOME 600 ranking police officials out of nearly 1,000 have submitted their courtesy resignations, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said on Monday.

In a press briefing, Azurin said more officials are signifying their commitment to heed the appeal of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. to rid the police force of misfits and those with links to illegal drugs.

He added that their commander-inchief, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., has also expressed his full support for this initiative.

Meanwhile, Azurin said Police Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. would head the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), trading

500,000 devotees join Feast of Black Nazarene

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Willie Casas

Gov’t

By Alena Mae S. Flores and Rey E. Requejo

THE Department of Energy said it will proceed with oil and gas development in other areas of the country with an eye on foreign and domestic investors as it

PBBM bullish on mass transport as subway plan moves up

“We

“Having

Airport fiasco probe on, NAIA privatization eyed

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz and Joel E. Zurbano

SENATOR Grace Poe on Monday called for the privatization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), saying it is high time for the

command center of the Philippine National

NEXT DND CHIEF. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shakes hands with Carlito Galvez Jr. after the latter accepted the Chief Executive’s offer to become the new Defense Secretary vice Jose Faustino on Monday. PCO Photo

ARDENT DEVOTION. A throng of devotees stand along Quezon Avenue in Quiapo, Manila to attend Mass at the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in celebration of the feast of the miraculous image on Monday. At the Quirino Grandstand, many devotees crowd the image with towels and handkerchiefs (inset), hoping that by touching the Nazarene all their requests and prayers will be heard. Danny Pata and Joey O. Razon

SUBWAY

START. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. peers down at the gigantic tunnel boring machine (inset) made in Japan as he led officials in the launch of the Metro Manila Subway Project in Valenzuela City on Monday. With him were Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista and Deputy Chief of Mission Kenichi Matsuda of the Embassy of Japan. Japanese Embassy photo

By Vince Lopez and Darwin G. Amojelar

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the country’s public transportation system is in for “better days ahead” as he led the launching of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) of the P488.5 billion Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) in Valenzuela City on Monday.

Mr. Marcos said the event was a “testament to the administration’s commitment to continue the projects initiated

by the previous administration... (and) build better and more infrastructure.”

will continue to invest and improve on our transportation systems as well as pursue more projects in the years to come so that Filipinos can gain greater access to places of work, commerce, recreation and other vital areas,” he said.

an effective and efficient transportation

Diesel price rolled back by P2.80/l

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE country’s oil firms implemented a price rollback of as much as P2.80 per liter effective 6 a.m. today (Tuesday) to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market.

Oil companies cut the price of diesel by P2.80 per liter, kerosene by P2.10 per liter, and gasoline by P0.75 per liter.

places with Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee, who would become the deputy for the Directorate for Intelligence.

“As of Sunday, we were able to account for more or less 500 to close to 600, as reported from the different regions. Some of these documents are en route here at the national headquarters and these would be collated and submitted to the five-man committee that will be formed by no less than our commander-in-chief,” Azurin added.

A total of 956 police officials, composed of generals and full-fledged colonels, are expected to file their courtesy resignations.

Azurin reiterated that the process is being done to ensure that the nextin-line officers or those holding key positions are free of any type of accusations about involvement in illegal drugs.

The top police official in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and 15 police colonels tendered their courtesy resignation in support of the Department of Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) effort to cleanse the PNP of scalawags.

“I know, everyone was taken by surprise, but that was the appeal to all of us police generals and colonels and in support, we heeded the call to tender our courtesy resignation,” Brig. Gen. John Guyguyon, BARMM police director, said Monday.

Guyguyon said his and his subordinates’ decision to tender their resignations Sunday was to show commitment and cooperation with the ongoing PNP internal cleansing program.

At the same time, 21 police colonels and a brigadier general in the Police Regional Office in the Caraga Region (PRO-13) tendered their courtesy resignations as well.

In an earlier statement Sunday, the senior police officers in the region, led by PRO-13 Director Brig. Gen. Pablo Labra II, said they are also ready to face the process of cleansing the ranks of the PNP to free the organization from “all accusations and doubts.”

Last week, retired police general and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong was named as one of the five members of the committee that will scrutinize the records of police officials.

Azurin, who has also tendered his courtesy resignation, said they are expecting fairness and professionalism from the panel.

“We are talking here of the careers of senior officers of the PNP who worked very hard in the last 30 years or more of their service,” he said.

Azurin said he will not be spared from the probe even after he retires in April this year.

DILG officials said they were working on what to do with police officials who will not file their courtesy resignation in connection with the government’s internal cleansing effort, even as Abalos praised the commitment of Azurin and other top police officials who had complied with his call.

“Petron will implement the following price rollbacks effective 6 a.m. on Jan 10: P0.75/li for gasoline, P2.80/li for diesel, and P2.10/li for kerosene.

These reflect movements in the international oil market,” Petron Corp. said in its advisory.

Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Seaoil Philippines, Petro Gazz, Cleanfuel, and PTT Philippines also issued separate advisories of the rollback.

World oil prices tumbled last week on fears of economic slowdown and global recession in 2023.

The International Monetary Fund

to be placed on full alert due to “developing issues in Camp Aguinaldo,” and the “resignation of all personnel in the DND” and “destabilization movements from the AFP.”

issued a pronouncement that the global economy may worsen in 2023 due to the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine, rising interest rates, and the spread of COVID-19 with the loosening of restrictions from China.

On Jan. 3, 2023, the oil companies raised the price of gasoline by P2.90, diesel by P2.10 per liter, and kerosene by P3.05 per liter.

country’s military officials are generally loyal to their sworn duty and the Constitution.

DOE says yellow alerts seen for last week of May

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Department of Energy said Monday it forecasts the entire fourth week of May to experience yellow alerts and is banking on demand side management to bring down consumption, thus avoiding red alerts or outages.

“The Luzon grid is expecting to reach 13,125-megawatt peak demand for 2023 (which may occur on Week 21 or last week of May 2023),” DOE Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevarra said in a briefing.

in a statement issued to the press.

“With Secretary Galvez’s years of experience as a military commander and as a civilian public servant, we are confident that he will be able to effectively lead the department as we fulfill our mandates to the nation,” the DND statement read.

The DND also acknowledged the role played by Faustino, who resigned abruptly as the government denied rumors of a destabilization plot involving the AFP, and expressed gratitude for his service and leadership.

The Palace offered no explanation about Faustino’s abrupt departure, which came days after rumors began circulating online that various DND officials and personnel were resigning.

Faustino, who formerly served as chief of staff of the AFP, was appointed by Mr. Marcos to the Defense portfolio last July after he came to power.

At the time, Faustino vowed to ensure a “smooth implementation” of the military’s modernization program.

Rumors of a destabilization plot spread during Saturday’s turnover of command from outgoing AFP chief Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bartolome to Gen. Andres Centino, who was reappointed to the position by Mr. Marcos.

A copy of a memo whose authenticity could not be verified said all Philippine National Police (PNP) units were

Lt. Col. Dexter Ominga of the Police Regional Office of Cordillera signed the memo.

But national police chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. denied the existence of any destabilization plot and the memo’s authenticity, even as he ordered an investigation into its circulation online.

Azurin said the PNP and the AFP were operating normally.

He said he spoke with Centino and they committed to working hand-inhand to ensure the stability of the Marcos administration.

“So as far as the destabilization is concerned, I don’t think there is one,” Azurin said.

AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar also dismissed the rumors.

Azurin said the Ominga, whose name was on the memo, would be investigated.

“The appropriate charges as well as the consequences of the lapses, if any, will be meted to Col. Dexter [Ominga],” he said.

He added that the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) will also look into the spread of the document on social media.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said anyone proven guilty of spreading misinformation would be punished.

Meanwhile, former PNP chief and senator Panfilo Lacson said the

This was in response to destabilization rumors that floated following Centino’s appointment as military chief, with some Defense officials reportedly planning to resign over the issue.

“DND OIC (officer-in-charge) Jose Faustino Jr., newly designated AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Andres Centino, and newly retired Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro, along with two or three DND undersecretaries, all belong to PMA (Philippine Military Academy) Class 1988. Even among PMA batch mates, sometimes there are dynamics due to personal associations and loyalties that cannot be avoided,” the ex-senator said.

“There is information though that OIC and Senior DND Undersecretary Faustino mentioned to some close associates as early as last month that he will resign if Lt. Gen. Bacarro is replaced. That could have probably triggered the rumored ‘mass resignation’ in the DND,” Lacson said.

He said the PNP had clarified the reason for its supposed heightened alert status which rumormongers had used to bolster their claims.

“It was for another purpose, not related to any destabilization and the rumored ‘mass resignation’ of DND officials which as it turned out is just that -- rumor,” Lacson said.

The PNP earlier said such measures were done to ensure the security for the feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila.

“Factoring in the projected forced outage ranging from 500 MW to 600 MW for the entire year, along with the operation of existing power plants and committed power plants, the Luzon grid is projected to have zero red alert and 12 yellow alerts,” Guevarra said.

The yellow alerts are forecasted to occur in the following dates - March 12 to 18, March 26 and April 1, April 23 to 29, entire May, June 1 to June 10, August 17 to September 2, October 15 to 21 and November 19 to 25.

Guevarra hopes there will be no sudden outage of large power plants, which could trigger a red alert and implement manual load dropping leading to power outages.

“Yellow alert, but if there is one plant that goes down, we might have a red alert,” the official said.

Guevarra said there are around 1,074 MW power projects expected for completion this year, adding that many RE projects in the pipeline were delayed.

“If we did not have the pandemic, our RE sources would have been online,” she said.

The Energy official urged the public to conserve electricity and implement energy efficiency measures to reduce demand and avoid running the more expensive diesel plants.

the Philippines’ primary gateway following the glitch that shut down the country’s airspace on January 1.

In the House of Representatives, the Committee on Transportation begins its own probe into the New Year’s Day incident today, Tuesday.

The committee, to be presided over by its chairman Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop, summoned officials of the Department of Transportation (DoTr), the Civil Aeronautics Administration of the Philippines (CAAP), and the Commission on Audit.

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara also called for institutional reforms in the CAAP ahead of Thursday’s Senate hearing on the New Year’s Day fiasco that closed Philippine airspace, grounded more than 300 flights, and inconvenienced 65,000 passengers.

As the Senate committee on public services headed by Poe prepares to investigate the Jan. 1 incident, Angara said the focus should be on two fronts—pinpointing accountability and ensuring that the relevant systems and institutions are ready to respond to such occurrences, however rarely they take place.

Among their colleagues, Sen. Nancy Binay welcomes the privatization of commercial operations within the NAIA complex, but Sen. Christopher Go stressed any privatization is “too early.”

Since 2018, Poe said she has been pressing for the privatization of the operations and maintenance of the country’s main gateway to address the efficiency and safety needs of an increasing number of passengers every year.

“We have always pushed for privatization not just of the air traffic control system but of the airport itself,” Poe said.

She recalled that talks started in 2017

“They will help us shape our railway infrastructure and keep them at par with the highest international standards,” he said.

about the NAIA modernization project to be handled by a mega consortium involving reputable companies.

“Can you imagine if we awarded it to them in 2018 or 2019? During the pandemic, it would have been a downturn for them, but they could have rehabilitated the airport easily because there wasn’t so much activity during that time,” she said.

The NAIA’s rehabilitation would have involved upgrading the airport facilities and expanding the terminals.

Angara took note of the inclusion of Senate Bill 1003, which he filed in August last year.

“We first filed the bill way back in 2018 upon the recommendation of the Safe Travel Alliance, with inputs from the CAAP. We refiled the bill in the current 19th Congress in recognition of the need to strengthen the CAAP as part of the efforts to ensure the safety, reliability, and efficiency of air transport in our country,” Angara said.

once it becomes operational.

“If we operate diesel power plants at 420 MW, the number of yellow alerts go down to 1 from 12...But running diesel power plants is very expensive and will mean an increase in cost per kilowatt-hour. Thus, we suggest demand-side management,” Guevarra said.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said demand-side management is necessary in managing the country’s power supply.

DSM focuses on utilizing energyefficient equipment and appliances and promoting and implementing policies and programs that best fit each industry.

“Let’s save electricity usage so we won’t need additional plants. If our consumption becomes more efficient, we do not need to run the diesel-fired power plants, which are more expensive,” Lotilla said.

Lotilla said power plant construction takes time and cannot be done overnight.

“That’s what we are trying to address in the medium to long term, the power plants that we need to build,” he said.

system will have multiplier effects on employment, the economy, and our society. It will also bring comfort, convenience, and an easier life for all,” the President added.

Mr. Marcos also expressed his gratitude to the government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for being the Philippines’ active partners in the subway project.

Black Nazarene Feast, data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed.

“I hope that both you and the DOTr will not waver on your commitments to finish the contract package by the end of 2027 to ensure that Filipinos will get to enjoy the project at the soonest possible time,” Mr. Marcos added.

The Metro Manila subway will have 17 stations connecting Valenzuela City to Pasay City and is expected to serve approximately 519,000 passengers daily

“Today’s start of tunneling work signifies the point of no return. We are going full speed ahead to complete the country’s first subway,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.

Bautista underscored the value of interconnectivity of the country’s various transport infrastructures and said there is an “urgent need” to provide a railway station at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in the wake of the holiday rush.

“During the recent holiday rush

when I inspected NAIA Terminal 3, I discovered the urgent need of providing a railway station as one of the multi-modal land-based transport options for arriving passengers,” he said.

The MMSP’s Contract Package 101 (CP101) is part of the seven civil work contracts of the project and involves the construction of three underground stations in Quezon City and an additional semi-underground station in the northern-most part of the Valenzuela City depot.

wooden image of Jesus Christ bearing the cross was stationed.

The Traslacion – the traditional procession of the image – has been canceled for the third straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, a Walk of Faith was held from Saturday to early Sunday, drawing over 100,000 faithful. Devotees were also allowed to hear mass and participate in other worship activities in Quiapo and at the Quirino Grandstand.

Over 600 consultations were reported, managed, and addressed by the Metro Manila Center for Health Development from the preparations last January 6 to yesterday’s celebration of the

The DOH said most of the consultations were cardio-related including hypertension, hypotension, chest pains, and blood pressure monitoring – accounting for 577 consultations.

“Of these, four were hospitalized, 3 of which are now discharged and 1 is still under observation,” the DOH said in its report.

Meanwhile, Sen. Lito Lapid renewed his call on his colleagues to support his proposed measure to declare Quiapo a “National Heritage Zone” given its old infrastructures and rich culture and being home to the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene.

Lapid pushed for the establishment of the capital’s third heritage zone to cover the areas surrounding Quiapo Church, Plaza Miranda, San Sebastian Church, and Plaza del Carmen.

awaits the resumption of talks with China for a possible joint exploration of the West Philippine Sea.

“The agreement was to resume negotiations or resume talks. So we do not have any agreement on moving forward yet with the actual carrying out of activities in the Rector Bank,” Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said in a briefing on Monday.

“In the meantime, we are proceeding with oil and gas development in other areas of the country... We will be open to foreign and domestic investors carrying out development activities. As far as those are concerned, we will be able to go ahead,” he said.

The Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corp. (PNOC-EC) has already issued an invitation for potential farm-ins to several of its service contracts.

The agreement to restart talks with Beijing for a possible joint exploration was reached during the bilateral meeting of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week.

Lotilla said the DOE will wait for guidance from the Department of Foreign Affairs as to “the timing and the subject matter of the resumption of talks and even the venue of the talks.”

“Our Presidents have agreed in principle, and we do not expect them to negotiate the details at this particular point. What it establishes is a healthy environment for the talks to take place that

there is, at the highest levels of both the Philippine and Chinese governments, a commitment to move forward the discussions,” the energy chief added.

Lotilla said both parties “agreed to resume discussions at an early date, building upon the outcomes of previous talks.”

The Philippines terminated the talks for joint oil and gas exploration with China in June last year because of constitutional constraints and issues on the country’s sovereignty.

The Philippines on July 12, 2016, won its petition against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands after the court invalidated Beijing’s supposedly historic rights over nearly the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.

With opening of over 4,000 TNVS slots, Grab runs into driver-partners shortage

By Darwin Amojelar

WITH the country’s return to normalcy and the reopening of the economy that brought along brisk business,Grab Philippines is grappling with the unlikely problem of “driver-partners” shortage.

Grab senior director for operations Ronald Roda viewed the opening of 4,433 transport network service (TNVS) slots as a In light of the opening of 4,433 transport network vehicle service (TNVS) slots, as a “much welcome development for many passengers in the immediate term.”

“And if we are to make mobility work for our commuters in the long term, there needs to be a proactive, data-driven planning and forecasting of driver supply to ensure that at any given

Theft and rape most prevalent crimes—PNP

THEFT and rape remained the most prevalent crimes in the country over the past six months, with physical injuries picking up the third slot.

Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said the PNP will focus on cybercrimes in 2023. “It is now the fastest growing transnational organized crime which affects hundreds of victims not only in the Philippines but in other parts of the world. It is one of the greatest threats to million users of cyberspaces who have entrusted their personal data online.”

PN records showed there were 6,682 theft cases from July 2022 to yearend, representing an increase of more than 300 cases compared to the same period in 2021.

Rape, on the other hand, decreased to 3,762 from 5,192 during the same comparative period.

“For both six-month periods, theft, rape, and physical injury registered as the top three most prevalent crimes,” Azurin said in a media briefing in Camp Crame.

According to Azurin, the country’s peace and order indicator (POI) dropped by 6.37 percent or 7,178 incidents from 112,746 cases in 2021 to 105,568 cases in 2022.

HesaidthePOIalsowentdownby7.35 percent in Luzon, by 12.29 percent in Mindanao, but went up by 5.65 percent in the Visayas.

Meanwhile, the average monthly PIO crime rate decreased by 6.34 percent to 15.66.

Azurin said index crimes also declined from 21,185 to 19,484.

“Crime solution remains at a high 81.78 percent in 2022, increasing slightly from the 80.51 record in 2021,” he said.

time, passengers are able to book a ride whenever they need to.”

“There is still hope for our state of transportation, and Grab remains deeply-committed to playing an active role in supporting the needs and safeguarding the wellbeing of our passengers and driver-partners,” Roda said.

According to Roda, the ride-hailing firm continues to find ways of serving current passenger demand and maximizing existing cars on the road through features such as GrabShare and

Multi-Stop ride.

With Grab still grappling with the shortage in number of driver-partners on the road since the economy reopened, 1 out of 2 passengers was able to book a GrabCar during the holidays of 2022.

Roda added that the issue in supply during the holidays has put a strain on GrabCar drivers who had to be online for at least seven hours per day—with more than 90 percent of them driving for the majority of the week, just to serve the increased demand during the holidays.

Additionally, with more passengers preferring transport network vehicle services (TNVS), some resorted to unorthodox means such as booking via parcel-delivery or dating apps vis-a-vis the lack of available rides.

Despite the shortage of drivers, Roda reaffirmed its commitment to providing safe, reliable, and more accessible transport so-

lutions for commuters and driver-partners amid public outcry against the country’s transport situation.

“Every Filipino deserves safe, reliable, and more accessible means of transportation, and we are fully committed to making this possible with the support of our regulators and government partners,” Roda said.

Helping solve the ongoing transport challenges—according to Roda, is one of the priorities of the company this year as it prepares to serve more passengers as the economy further reopens this 2023.

Notwithstanding the ongoing shortage of drivers, Grab continues to make every possible effort to support passengers and existing drivers while remaining compliant with the fare matrix of the LTFRB. Among its key efforts include Multi-Stop Ride and GrabShare.

Cebu RTC set to try 6 DPWH execs for graft

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE Cebu City regional trial court (RTC) has set for Jan. 19 the pre-trial on the graft case filed against six officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Cebu province.

Accused in the graft charges were Florida Pangilinan-Nuñez, acting chief of Cebu 5th District Engineering Office; Eduardo Virtucio, bids and awards committee (BAC) chairman of the DPWH engineering office; Stephen Eric Castrodes, BAC vice chairman; and Lito Catubig, Rogelio Quibilan, and Violeto Orbeta.

They have posted bail for their temporary liberty after arrest warrants were issued by Judge Grace Veloso-Fernandez of Cebu City RTC Branch 19.

The civil aspect of the case has been referred for mediation before the Philippine Mediation Center on Nov. 14, 2022.

The six DPWH officials pleaded not guilty upon arraignment, claiming that statements issued by the complainant Pablito Obial, owner of P.B. Obial Construction, in his complaint filed in June 2022 were all “hearsay and self-serving.”

They six DPWH officials were charged of “deliberately and evidently” declared P.B. Obial Construction as post-disqualified from five government projects despite being declared as having the lowest calculated bid in a December 2019 bidding for the province’s flood control program.

On Sept. 13, 2022, the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office filed an information (criminal charge sheet) against the DPWH officials after finding a probable cause to indict them with violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The prosecutor’s office alleged that the accused DPWH officials connived “with deliberate intent and acting with manifest impartiality” in declaring P.B. Obial Construction as post-disqualified from the five government projects which the latter have participated in despite being declared as having the lowest calculated bid for all the five biddings.

Sen. Go underscores importance of sustaining anti-drugs fight

SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go has underscored the need to continue the government’s fight against illegal drugs as he cited the gains made by the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte in weeding out the drug menace.

Go said other societal ills such as criminality and corruption, may also be addressed if the fight against illegal drugs were sustained.

He also cited Duterte’s firm commitment to fight illegal drugs during his presidency and even as mayor of Davao City.

“Former president Rodrigo Duterte was passionate in the fight against illegal drugs, criminality and corruption,” Go said.

The senator noted that Duterte’s antidrug war has contributed to the decrease in the country’s crime rate.

As reported by the Philippine National Police, the crime rate in the

DENR puts to rest 606 land disputes

By Rio N. Araja

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Monday said it has resolved 606 land dispute cases or 43 percent of the 1,419 cases referred to its alternative dispute resolution (ADR) program since 2019.

DENR assistant secretary for legal affairs and ADR committee chair Michelle Angelica Go noted that previous delays in resolving land dispute cases generates “mistrust” in the DENR, but the speedy resolution of land cases through the ADR mechanism raised the agency’s integrity, “a crucial determinant of citizens’ trust in government.”

At least 606 mediated cases over the four-year period “is quite a feat” considering the longer time and costly expenses these cases would have entailed if resolved through court litigation, she said.

The ADR mechanism benefits disputants in terms of time and costs compared to resorting to filing lawsuits where two parties are put through an adversary system and court decisions are based on the merits of the dispute.

The agency’s adoption of ADR mechanism was pursuant to Republic Act 9285 or the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act of 2004 and DENR Administrative Order 2005-18.

Some 412 ADR mediations were conducted in 2022 mostly via online, exceeding by 110 percent last year’s 376 ADR mediations conducted.

Go credited the increase in ADR mediations last year to the full implementation of DAO 2021-01 entitled “Guidelines on the Conduct of Virtual Alternative Dispute Resolution Proceedings in the Resolution of Land Claims and Conflicts and Other Natural Resources Disputes in the Department” issued on Jan. 29, 2021.

country drastically dipped by 73.76 percent from the start of the Duterte Administration in 2016 until 2021.

Earlier, Go urged the leadership of the Philippine National Police and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to continue maintaining discipline among the nation’s police force in light ofreports that some police officers involved in illegal drugs have reappeared.

However, Go said that despite the actions of a few dishonest police officers, there are more trustworthy officers who perform their duties with honesty and integrity.

Meanwhile, Go reaffirmed his call for a more holistic approach to combat illegal drugs in the country and aid drug abuse victims in getting back on their feet through improved government rehabilitation programs.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

PDEA smashes two suspected drug dens in Cebu City

Navotas,

Caloocan to go waterless until Jan. 12

SOME parts of the adjoining cities of Navotas and Caloocan with have no water supply on Jan. 9 to 12, the Maynilad Water Services announced on Monday.

Maynilad said the disconnection stems from its continuing water pipelines maintenance and improvement works in the West Zone.

From 11 p.m. of Jan. 9 to 4 a.m. of Jan. 10, the affected areas are Barangay Bangkulasi in Navotas, specifically in Alpha corner Northbay; Barangays 24, 27, 28 and 31, particularly in Marcela corner Perpetua; and Barangays 12 and 14, specifically in Langaray East

corner Dagat-Dagatan, all in Caloocan City.

From 11 p.m. of Jan. 11 to 4 a.m. of Jan. 12, the affected areas are Barangays Daanghari and Tanza in Navotas City, particularly in Rodriguez corner Capt. Cruz; and Barangays 36 to 38 and 43 in Caloocan City, specifically in 4th Avenue corner D. Aquino corner Nadurata.

The affected customers were advised to store enough water for the duration of the water interruption.

Maynilad said there will be water tankers on standby and ready to deliver water to the affected residents.

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Central Visayas opened up 2023 with raids on two suspected drug dens in Cebu City and arrested eight suspects.

Leia Alviar Alcantara, PDEA-7 public affairs chief, said their operatives swooped down on a house in Barangay Duljo-Fatima on Sunday and arrested a 68-year-old alleged maintainer identified as Bebie Alya alias Nanay, along with two other suspects as Arnulfo Laresma, 56, and Joy Labaya, 41.

The agents seized from the suspects 19 packs of suspected shabu weighing around 12 grams valued at

P81,900, buy-bust money, and cash amounting to P490 believed to be proceeds from illegal transaction.

On Jan. 6, PDEA-7 agents also struck at another suspected drug den in Barangay Mambaling and arrested the suspected maintainer identified as Rogelio Camilo Jr. alias “Butchoy”, 46, along with four other suspects identified as Christ Jay Abellanosa, 27; Juvelyn Tabalin, 30; Pacito Jorge Campos, 36, a construction worker; and Ramon Tabalin, 55. The operatives confiscated during the operation seven packs of suspected shabu weighing around 10 grams with

an estimated street value of P68,000, the money used in the buy-bust, P240 cash and sniffing paraphernalia.

“Dismantling of drug dens is considered a high-impact operation as drug dens are breeding ground for violence and criminality and disrupt peace and order in the community,” Alcantara said.

Alcantara said that in 2022, the agency, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies including the Philippine National Police, conducted 99 anti-drug sting operations, leading to the arrest of 281 drug personalities who are facing charges in court. Macon Ramos-Araneta

GOOD LUCK CHARM. Chinese priest Rev. Fr. Wong Seng Tian blesses a lucky charm at the Sheng Lian Temple, ahead of the Jan. 22 Chinese Lunar New Year 2023 in Asia. Manny Palmero

TNVS SLOTS UP FOR GRABS. Aspiring transport network vehicle services (TNVS) operators troop to the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board in an e ort to partake of the 4,443 slots opened by the transport body to cope with surging demand for convenient transportation. Manny Palmero

VICE PRESIDENT SARA GRACES BUSTOS FESTIVAL. Vice President Inday Sara Duterte is in Bustos, Bulacan to join the locals’ celebration of their Minasa Festival which, according to her, showcases the “amazing ability of Filipinos to continue our long tradition of establishing our traditional practices and e orts.” VPSD photo

QC court acquits activists of perjury raps

A LOWER court in Quezon City court on Monday acquitted activists and members of progressive groups of perjury charges filed by then National Security adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. under the Duterte administration.

Branch 139 Judge Aimee Alcera of the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court absolved the 10 accused for reasonable doubt.

The prosecution failed to establish “beyond reasonable doubt that all accused made a willful and deliberate assertion of a falsehood,” she said.

Those cleared of the charged were Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP) national coordinator Elenita Belardo, Gabriela chairperson Gertrudes Libang, Gabriela secretary general Joan Salvador, and Karapatan national council members Cristina Palabay, Elisa Lubi, Roneo Clamor, Edita Burgos, Wilfredo Ruazol, Gabriela Krista Dalena and Jose Mari Callueng.

In 2019, Esperon Jr. accused the RMP of falsely claiming to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

RMP is a missionary religious group working with farmers, indigenous peoples and other minority groups.

Amid the petition filed by the groups against the government’s red-tagging and violence on them, Esperon filed the perjury case. Rio N. Araja

Comelec reports uptick in voters listup

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday reported an increase in the number of applications for voter registration during the second week of the initial implementation of the Register Anywhere Project (RAP) in different malls in Metro Manila and two provinces.

Based on the poll body’s data, a total of 1,129 applicants signed up in RAP booths in eight malls between Jan. 7 and 8.

This is nearly double as compared to the 611 applicants that filed during the first leg of the RAP from Dec. 17 to 18, 2022.

SM Fairview in Quezon City recorded the highest number of applications with 381, followed by Robinsons Place Manila with 269; Robinsons Galleria, also in Quezon City with 169; and SM Sucat in Parañaque City with 149.

Other RAP booths that recorded an increase were SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City with 57; Robinsons Tacloban, Leyte with 41; SM City Legazpi, Albay with 36; and Robinsons Naga, Camarines Sur with 27. The improved data coincided with the decision of the Comelec en banc to expand the RAP’s coverage.

Under the additional coverage, RAP booths will also accept applications for the transfer of overseas voters back to the Philippines (Post to Local); of residents of the city/ district, where the RAP sites are located; and of senior citizens and persons with disability (PWDs), who are new registrants or will update their records.

Originally, the project only accepts and processes applications for new registration; and transfer of registration records from another city/municipality/district.

The RAP booths will be accepting such registrations on Jan. 14 to 15 and Jan. 21 to

Villafuerte hails admin on efforts vs. inflation

CAMARINES Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte on Monday lauded President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his economic managers for providing instant financial relief to ordinary consumers reeling from high inflation.

“We commend the President and his economic team for providing instant financial relief at the onset of 2023 to Filipino consumers continuously reeling from the mostly imported elevated inflation with the twin directives designed to keep at bay the impending price spirals in basic foodstuff like rice, corn and pork and the rate adjustment in the monthly premiums of PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.) members,” Villafuerte said.

“Such pro-poor, pro-consumer presidential directives illustrate anew that Mr. Marcos’ heart is in the right place,” he said.

“More importantly, most of our people are apparently aware of, and truly appreciate, his good intentions, as reflected in the increasing number of public opinion polls pointing to the President’s high trust and approval ratings.

Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party made the statement after President Marcos issued Executive Order (EO) 10 last Dec. 29 extending for a year the temporary modification or reduced import tariff rates on pork meat (whether fresh, chilled or frozen), rice, corn and coal until Dec. 31, 2023, to alleviate the impact of inflationary pressures resulting from the continued Ukraine-Russia crisis, expand supply sources, and reduce the cost of key commodities.

As endorsed by the Committee on Tariff and Related Matters (CTRM) of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the issuance of the EO was approved by the NEDA Board during its recent meeting presided over by President Marcos, who is Board chairman.

Villafuerte said that as pointed out by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan after the NEDA Board meeting, the lower tariff rates would enable the government to augment our domestic food supplies, diversify our sources of food staples, and temper inflationary pressures arising from supply constraints and rising international prices of production inputs due to external conflict. Maricel V. Cruz

Imee will talk directly to PBBM on onion issues

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

Sen. Imee Marcos on Monday said she will talk to her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. about the rising prices of onions in the country which she said have remained “unconscionable.”

“Yes. He also knows that the Department of Agriculture (DA) should have thorough planning,” Marcos said when asked if she will bring the issue of onion shortage and spiraling cost to the President in an ambush interview in Bulacan.

The President also sits as the secretary of the DA amid calls for him to appoint a secretary to focus on the problems of the country’s agricultural industry.

By Maricel V. Cruz

QUEZON City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas renewed his appeal to local government units (LGUs) to establish their respective Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) in accordance with Republic Act 10070 or the amended Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.

Vargas said he expects the LGUs to fulfill their role in establishing a PDAO in every province, city and municipality, to further ensure the implementation of programs and services for persons with disabilities, as mandated by RA 10070 which was enacted in 2010.

“More than 12 years after the law was enacted, Filipino persons with disabili-

Marcos noted it should not be that there’s a sudden shortage and sudden importation.

She raised doubts that smugglers, importers and traders have been manipulating the price of onions and other agricultural products. “Kasi hindi naman ito nangyayari dati, bakit biglaang nagkakaganito?” she said.

She related that farmers in Bongabon, Pangasinan, and Ilocos Norte have to harvest their onions prematurely as a temporary solution to the lack of onions.

“But the truth is we still need several weeks before we can harvest our local onions,” she said.

She related that the DA wants anew to import onions. “My fear is with the many importation of onions, prices will decline,” she said.

Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, chairperson of the Senate agriculture committee, said she supports the importation of onions in case of a shortage, but insisted that this should just be temporary.

Villar also said that a cartel might be behind the high prices of onions in the local markets. Villar, in a GMA News report, said an investigation in 2013 showed that there is an onion cartel which has “complete control” over the supply in the country.

“We have already investigated this in 2013 and we found out that there really is an onion cartel. This cartel buys the produce from local farmers at a low price and at the same time imports onions so they have the complete control over the supply. That’s why sometimes they create artificial demand so they can increase the prices. That’s what we need to solve right now,” Villar, quoted by the GMA News report, said, adding that she does not “see any other reason for the price of onions to be that high.”

As a solution, Villar said the value chain must be fixed where the local farmers can directly sell their produce to the consumers and get rid of the traders.

MIAA, MMDA vow to go after illegal vehicles in major airports

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) agreed to join hands to address rampant violations of colorum and illegally parked vehicles in the vicinity of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Operatives of the MMDA Task Force on Clearing Operations led by its chief Edison Nebrija started conducting clearing operations by towing illegally parked vehicles and apprehending colorum cars, and motorcycles or commonly known as “habal-habal” at major thoroughfares near the NAIA Terminals.

MIAA general manager Cesar Chiong said the Task Force in close coordination with Airport Traffic Police Division, Pasay City local enforcers, the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (I-ACT) and other member agencies “shall continue to undertake more and frequent and spot operations to keep them out of the NAIA.”

“We thank the MMDA for their willingness to help us in solving this problem that has been hounding the airport complex for years,” Chiong said.

Chiong sougt the collaboration of the MMDA and I-ACT because of the heavy traffic around NAIA during the Christmas peak.

He said the MIAA and MMDA will impose sanctions, fines and penalties to violators pursuant to existing laws without prejudice to filing of appropriate charges in court.

According to the MMDA report as shared with MIAA, a total of 35 violations was recorded, 29 of which were issued tickets. In addition to this, 13 vehicles were impounded another 13 were impounded.

ties remain vulnerable to marginalization with the absence of established PDAOs in many LGUs in the country,” Vargas said in a House Resolution 209 he earlier filed in the House of Representatives.

Out of the 81 provinces, 146 cities and 1,488 municipalities in the country, Vargas noted in the resolution the National Council for Disability Affairs (NCDA) reported that only a total of 387 LGUs have established a PDAO as of June 2021.

Of the 387 LGUs, only 254 have designated Focal Persons that may function as PDAO in the absence of such and is particularly found in 4th to 7th class municipalities.

“We are delighted to announce that we were able to reach our target gross sales amounting to P500-million considering that we are still recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indeed, the 2022 MMFF is a certified box-office hit,” said lawyer Romando Artes, MMDA and MMFF

All the eight films

in cinemas nationwide from Dec. 25, 2022 up to Jan. 7, 2023, and now being extended until Jan. 13.

Artes also mentioned the Top 4 MMFF 2022 official entries, based on the gross sales receipts, in alphabetical order, which are the following: “Deleter,” “Family Matters,” “Labyu with an Accent,” and “Partners in Crime.”

“Rest assured that the MMFF will exert all efforts by encouraging our stake -

holders, especially the local entertainment industry, to create quality films. I urge each and every one of you to patronize Filipino films,” he said.

The 2022 MMFF Parade of Stars, which featured the floats of the eight entries carrying the celebrities of the film festival’s official entries, was held on December 21, 2022, hosted by the local government of Quezon City

It’s Awards Night held on Dec. 27, 2022 at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City was also a success.

Artes said the MMDA is set to launch the Metro Manila Summer Film Festival in April, in partnership with Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP).

“We will release the deadline of submission of entries as early as we can so that interested producers and filmmakers may be guided accordingly,” he said.

The Parade of Stars for the MMFF Summer Edition will be held on April 1, while the Awards Night will take place on April 11. Joel E. Zurbano

THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) intensifies its campaign against the ill effects of tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke.

Aside from promotion and public awareness, the MMDA also provides technical assistance to the 17 local government units, (LGUs) in the development of policies, capacity building, communication strategies and monitoring of compliance.

The agency noted that the US Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) stated that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that even brief exposure can cause immediate harm.

It added that non-smoking adults who are

exposed to second-hand smoke at home or at work have a 25 percent to 30 percent increased risk of developing lung cancer.

Results of the 2021 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) showed that the exposure to secondhand smoke in homes and public places has “significantly declined,” with the largest decrease in exposure to secondhand smoke occurring in public transportation—from 55.3 percent in 2009 and 37.6 percent in 2015 down to 12.2 percent in 2021.

The survey stated the exposure to secondhand smoke in homes also declined from 54.4 percent in 2009 to 34.7 percent in 2015 to 21.4 percent in 2021.

In the workplace, it also decreased

from 22.6 percent in 2009 and 21.5 percent in 2015 to 12.9 percent in 2021.

Former Health secretary Jaime Galvez Tan said the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should not set aside its commitment to address the immeasurable harm of tobacco use.

“While the results of the 2021 DOH GATS underscore the immense progress the Philippines has made, the Marcos Jr. government must not waiver in its commitment to address the immeasurable harm of tobacco use. As such, the government must continue and sustain the implementation of proven measures to reduce tobacco use,” said Dr. Tan, who is also a trustee of HealthJustice Philippines. Joel E. Zurbano

THE Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has reached its P500-million target gross sales, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced Monday.

Over-all Chairman.

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FEAST OF THE BLACK NAZARENE. Students from the Nazarene Catholic School in Quiapo, Manila perform at the grounds of the Quirino Grandstand during the ongoing ‘Pagpupugay sa Nazareno’ on January 8 where devotees touch the foot of the Black Nazarene image instead of the traditional ‘Pahalik rite.’ Inset shows a group of fire-blowing street dancers entertain devotees who are attending a series of masses in celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene. Danny Pata

MIAA general manager Cesar Chiong

SOUVENIRS. Calendars bearing the image of the Black Nazarene are among the items for sale in Quiapo, Manila. Since the weekend, thousands of devotees have flocked to the district to join the activities of the Feast of the Black Nazarene. Joey O. Razon

GREEN RANGER.

A vlogger wearing a Green Ranger costume from the popular TV show ‘Power Rangers’ takes a video of the devotees who wish to touch the image of the Black Nazarene at the Quirino Grandstand. Danny Pata

Honor

EDITORIAL

‘Greatest theologian with a legacy of failure?’

By Honor Blanco Cabie

DEFINITELY, the German-born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger will be talked about by many theologians among the 1.3 billion Catholics, while looking at the legacy of the 95-year-old pontiff who died on December 31, 2022.

Pope Benedict XVI, or Benedetto XVI in Italian, was interred a day before Epiphany this year, with his successor, the 85-year-old Pope Francis presiding over the solemn farewell ceremony at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, seen by observers as unprecedented in modern times.

Benedict shocked the church when he unexpectedly announced at a ceremony with cardinals in February 2013 that he would step down as spiritual leader of the worldwide church.

Then 85, he said he had “repeatedly examined my conscience before God” and decided he was no longer up to the task of guiding the church in the modern world, “subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith.”

Some theologians say Benedict ‘will best be remembered as the first Pope to resign in 600 years and that may well reshape the future of the Papacy by creating precedents and protocols for his successors’

Some 50,000 mourners dressed in black poured into St. Peter’s Square ahead of the televised Mass, which began at 9:30 a.m. local time (4:30 p.m. in Manila).

Benedict was the sovereign of the Vatican City state from April 19, 2005, becoming at age 78 the oldest newly elected pope since Clement XII (1730-40) until his resignation on February 28, 2013.

The Vatican announced the pope emeritus was buried in his tomb in the Vatican Grottoes under the main floor of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Benedict’s body was put into a space left after the Vatican moved the remains of his predecessor, John Paul II who beatified Lorenzo Ruiz in afternoon ceremonies at the sprawling bayside Luneta Park in February 1981, to the main floor to reflect John Paul’s sainthood.

Some theologians say Benedict “will best be remembered as the first Pope to resign in 600 years and that may well reshape the future

of the Papacy by creating precedents and protocols for his successors.”

Fact is, in the days since his death, it has been striking to see the Vatican subtly reshaping his legacy.

Ordained a priest in 1951, he became archbishop of Munich in the late ‘70s, then led the Vatican’s chief doctrine and discipline office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, starting in the early 1980s, until he became pope in 2005.

In one interview, Father Roger Landry, of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, said “Catholics will say that Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI, is the greatest theologian to occupy the chair of Peter here in Rome in at least 1,600 years.”

The Columbia University’s Catholic chaplain also said one of Benedict’s lasting legacies will be what he called the reconciliation of faith and reason.

“On the one hand, you have got exaggerated faith separated from reason that can lead to irrationality. And, on the other hand you have an exaggerated secularism that thinks that faith is a danger.

“What Pope Benedict tried to do in his time before the papacy and during the papacy is unite the two.

Shaun Dougherty, board president of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, himself said in another interview: “Starting at the age of 10, he was molested and later raped by his parish priest.”

He argues Benedict’s is a legacy of failure on church abuse and of shielding abusers, saying “Pope Benedict will take the legacy questions as to why he fell short and why he shielded people with him to the grave.

The organization as a whole, until they get ahead of it and quit shielding these abusing priests, this will be part of their entire legacy from this point moving forward.

While some will be talking about his legacy, others will be talking about his resignation on February 28, 2013 as announced by the Vatican.

While such papal resignations are extremely rare – only four out of 266 have stepped down- there are precedents in the two millennia history of the Catholic Church.

Marcellinus: This early church pope abdicated or was deposed in 304 after complying with the Roman emperor’s order to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods.

Benedict IX: Sold the papacy to his godfather Gregory VI and resigned in 1045.

Celestine V: Overwhelmed by the demands of the office, this hermetic pontiff stepped down after five months as pope in 1294. Pope Benedict XVI prayed at his tomb in the central Italian city of L’Aquila in 2009.

Gregory XII: The last pope to resign, Gregory XII stepped down in 1415 to help end a church schism.

(HBC, former Vice Prefect of the Catalonia, Spain-based Sodality of Our Lady of Montserrat [San Beda College chapter), was a college catechist and active in the Student Catholic Action including the Workers of Mercy)

Looking for airport accountability

TODAY, our national legislators will start their investigation, in aid of legislation, on the technical blip at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on January 1, which canceled and delayed flights affecting at least 65,000 outgoing and incoming passengers.

At the same time, Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Committee on Public Services, has said hearings will be done during the legislative break—the regular session resumes on January 23—which in their calendar will start two days after the House committee on Transportation starts determining the liability of air transportation officials.

The Senate committee will inquire into the technical malfunction at the country’s premier gateway which halted over 300 flights, with Poe describing the incident one of “national security” and safety.

Poe said the hearing would determine liability, and identify measures needed to avoid malfunctions in the future, adding “We will conduct an inquiry and direct them to submit a full report of what caused the supposed glitch and power outage.

“This is a national security concern. Thousands of lives depend on the efficiency and competence of CAAP,” she said.

The House Transportation Committee chair, Rep. Romeo Acop, and the Good Governance and Public Accountability Committee chair, Rep. Florida Robes, have filed separate bills seeking an inquiry.

“This is what the committee wants to know – accountability: where did it all go wrong, was this a ‘force majeure’ or an act resulting from negligence, and whose

negligence?” said Robes, one of the inbound passengers put out by the shutdown.

Robes noted the current CNS/ATM was funded by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency in 2003 worth 22,049 million yen, but was inaugurated only in January 2018.

She said data from the Department of Budget and Management showed the government continued to receive the loan package even in 2021.

Aside from the JICA loan, the 2017 national budget allotted P122,273,000 for the CNS/ATM project.

In both instances, we join stakeholders and air travelers in watching developments in both chambers, following allegations funds worth P13 billion meant for the modernization of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines or CAAP were rerouted.

There have been contentions the amount, meant for CAAP’s communications, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management system were merely diverted to “cosmetic projects” during the term of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. Tugade has since dismissed the allegation as being “farthest from the truth” and stressed he “always instructed a backup” and “a redundancy plan” for the country’s CNS/ATM system.

This stands for Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems for Air Traffic Management which uses various systems including satellite systems, and varying levels of automation to achieve a seamless global Air Traffic Management system.

Tugade has also identified DOTr officials – past or present – who “cannot deny this.”

Understandably, the technical breakdown has caused “incalculable” human and economic cost, in the words of Senator Risa Hontiveros “a wake-up call for our airport authorities to review the aggressive schedules of airlines during busy seasons.”

It is in the public’s interest that a transparent report on the technical impairment be made soon enough to help Congress address this during the budget hearings.

By Rosie Scammell

PAST the sandbags and anti-tank obstacles in Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, theatre director Mustafa Sheta ponders the fate of Palestinian thespians.

“We are under a very abnormal situation,” Sheta told AFP at the camp’s Freedom Theater.

The streets were silent that December day as residents had called a public strike to protest Israeli forces killing a 16-year-old Palestinian girl in Jenin hours earlier.

With Israeli forces raiding Jenin repeatedly in recent months, engaging in gunfights with Palestinian militants, the Freedom Theater’s ability to provide residents with respite is under growing strain.

In 2011, the theater’s well-known IsraeliPalestinian director Juliano Mer-Khamis was gunned down in Jenin’s refugee camp, in an attack that remains unsolved.

Other Palestinian cultural institutions across the West Bank annexed east Jerusalem or Israel also face many obstacles.

Funding ban After Jenin, “Metro Gaza” went on tour to Ramallah, east Jerusalem and finally Haifa in northern Israel.

Each playhouse faces its own challenges and Jerusalem’s El-Hakawati, also known as the Palestinian National Theater, has seen its audiences dwindle since Israel began constructing a barrier around the West Bank in the early 2000s.

submit their script to Israeli censors, yet the theater is “threatened by other things,” said Khalil. Decorated with posters of past productions, El-Hakawati’s foyer bustles with Jerusalemites ahead of each new performance.

But the director described a “very, very, very difficult—critical—economic situation,” with ticket sales not even covering a third of running costs.

DARK circles under his eyes, his beard closely cropped and dressed ubiquitously in khaki, President Volodymyr Zelensky is the face of Ukraine’s determination to expel Russian troops.

War has proved transformative for the 44-year-old former comedian, catapulting him from embattled leader of a struggling European outlier to a global household name and standard-bearer of opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Yet his larger-than-life persona and seeming popularity could not have appeared more unlikely when the world rang in 2022.

As the champagne corks popped at New Year parties, Zelensky faced growing malaise at home. The novelty of a celebrity-turnedpresident was fading.

The electorate was struggling with living costs, corruption and fledgling social services. They were tiring of a populist who promised his presidency would be a panacea to the country’s problems.

Fighting in the eastern Donbas region against Russian-backed separatists was worsening -- despite his vows to bring peace. His rivals sensed weakness. Doubts were growing in Kyiv that he was the right man for the job.

Everything changed the moment that Putin ordered his army into Ukraine on February 24, hours after a bombastic fireworks display lit up the Kremlin.

“Before the war many treated Ukraine as a failed state and Zelensky as a weak and not totally competent leader,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, a Ukrainian political analyst.

‘We’re all here’

“The war radically changed people’s attitude towards Zelensky in a positive way. But he

himself has also changed,” Fesenko told AFP.

The Russian invasion was a historic moment in a region embroiled in revolutions and conflicts over the three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

“There were rumours Zelensky would flee. There was a feeling he was weak, that he wouldn’t be able to withstand the pressures of war and that he wasn’t capable of being a wartime leader,” Fesenko added.

But Zelensky stayed.

In the war’s chaotic opening hours—with Russian tanks gunning for the capital— he calmly posted a video filmed outside government buildings in Kyiv with his closest aides in the frame.

“We’re all here, defending our independence and our country,” he said, looking directly into the camera.

In the months since, Zelensky has galvanised his country, promising victory in nightly addresses and frequent trips on the ground.

On the 300th day of the war, he dared to go close to the bloodiest of the fighting with a visit to the eastern city of Bakhmut, now the epicenter of the combat.

Ukraine’s comic turned war-time leader This all-in approach has won Zelensky accolades but it also charts for Ukraine a long course ahead in a war of attrition that has no end in sight

“It’s not like you have a clear plan in your schedule... you need to prepare for different scenarios,” said Sheta, 42.

Ahead of the opening night of the theater’s latest production, “Metro Gaza,” the creatives woke up to find three Palestinians had been killed in an Israeli operation.

“What can we do? Can we continue, or stop, cancel the show?” asked Sheta.

The actors took to the stage as planned and an audience of around 75 filled half the stalls.

Yasmin Shalaldeh, 30, a Jerusalemite who plays a Gazan girl in the show, said it was “essential to keep on working,” particularly in Jenin.

More than 40 Palestinians were killed last year during Israeli operations in the Jenin area, including militants, children, and a teenager involved in the theater’s youth program who was shot dead in November.

Whether living in Jerusalem, the West Bank, Israel or the blockaded Gaza Strip, Palestinians hold different papers which impact the ability of theater casts and audiences to travel

“After the wall and the checkpoints, (it) started to get less and less, people cannot come,” said director Amer Khalil, as the sound of children enjoying a puppet show drifted into the room.

Whether living in Jerusalem, the West Bank, Israel or the blockaded Gaza Strip, Palestinians hold different papers which impact the ability of theater casts and audiences to travel.

“It’s torture,” said Shalaldeh. “When you have a play in Jerusalem and you send it to someone from Gaza and they want to come, they can’t.”

Long gone are the days when directors must

After announcing a real bid for office, Zelensky sailed to victory in 2019 elections with a showman’s campaign and as “an ordinary guy, come to break the system”, dislodging the same businessman incumbent he had voted for years earlier.

Zelensky’s background as a performer has consistently played in his favour, said Sergiy Leshchenko, a former journalist and Ukrainian politician.

El-Hakawati cannot receive any support from the Palestinian Authority, banned by Israel from operating in Jerusalem, leaving it to “live on donations” largely from European states, said Khalil.

“Like the whole world, you have a national theater and... the running costs—electricity, water, taxes—are all paid by the government or by the municipality. And this is what we don’t have here,” he said.

‘Delivering art to people’

For Al Saraya, a theater in the coastal city of Jaffa that receives state funding from Israel, such support is far from unconditional.

Mahmoud Abu Arisheh, its 34-year-old director, said the theater’s mission is to celebrate “the richness and uniqueness of the Arab culture.”

In November, then finance minister Avigdor Lieberman called on authorities to take “all the available measures, including denying funding” when Al Saraya screened “Farha,” a film depicting alleged Israeli atrocities against Palestinians.

Abu Arisheh said threats and incitements against the theater “are already limiting our freedom of speech and expression.”

And sanctions by Israeli authorities “could happen at any time,” the director warns.

But Palestinian artists, whether in Jaffa, Jenin or Jerusalem, must keep the show going, said actor Shalaldeh.

“Even with all of this situation... and the cruelty in the world, it is important to keep on living -- and delivering art to people.” AFP

at the office.

Yet only rarely does the public glimpse his fatigue.

One iconic moment came in April when he visited Bucha, a town near Kyiv where Ukrainians dressed in civilian clothes were found shot dead and with their hands tied behind their backs after Russia retreated.

Images of Zelensky handing out honours to his troops on the frontline sharply contrasted with those of his Russian counterpart, who was holding a black-tie award ceremony at the Kremlin.

Shortly after, Zelensky was on a plane to Washington for his first visit out of Ukraine since the war began.

There, to the applause of the US Congress, he appealed for more of the military and financial aid that has been crucial to halting and pushing back Russian troops.

Blunt

Zelensky was born in 1978 in the southern industrial city of Kryvyi Rig in the heart of a mainly Russian-speaking region.

ManilaStandard

A year after Putin annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and threw Russian military weight behind the separatists, Zelensky the actor took the lead part in a television show that propelled him to national stardom.

“Servant of the People” sees a naive and foul-mouthed history teacher become president after his rant to a colleague against corruption goes viral.

“He doesn’t use politically correct or diplomatic language. He says bluntly what Ukraine needs to survive in the war,” Leshchenko told AFP.

After Russian forces were accused in September of bombarding civilians in Zaporizhzhia, Zelensky called the forces responsible “bloodthirsty scum” and Russia a “terrorist state.”

Moscow describes Zelensky variously as a neo-Nazi, the leader of a country responsible for genocide and a drug addict.

‘War fatigue’ His wife, Olena Zelenska, has said that their two children rarely see their father, who lives

The images show him crestfallen, with dark circles under his eyes, his face drawn, despondent and—at least in this image—lost for words.

After Bucha, Zelensky announced a policy reversal that Kyiv would no longer negotiate with Russia so long as Putin, whom he met face-to-face in 2019, was in power or as long as Russian troops remained in Ukraine.

This all-in approach has won Zelensky accolades but it also charts for Ukraine a long course ahead in a war of attrition that has no end in sight.

“He has to keep up the energy for resistance in Ukrainian society and maintain and even strengthen support from the West,” Fesenko, the analyst, told AFP. AFP

Wong/Ray

Estabillo

By Stanislav Doschchitsyn

Brazil retakes Congress after riots

BRASÍLIA—Brazilian security forces locked down the area around Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court Monday, a day after supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the seat of power in riots that triggered an international outcry.

In stunning scenes reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 invasion of the US Capitol building by supporters of then-president Donald Trump, backers of Bolsonaro broke through police cordons and overran the seats of power in Brasilia, smashing windows and doors and ransacking offices.

Initially overwhelmed security forces used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon to fight back the rioters until

Biden in Mexico for crisis talks on migrants, drugs

MEXICO CITY—A regional migration and drug smuggling crisis is expected to dominate talks between US President Joe Biden and his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday.

Biden arrived in Mexico City late Sunday after a politically charged stop at the southern US border -- his first since taking office.

He will meet Monday and Tuesday with Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau one-onone and also together in what is dubbed the “Three Amigos” summit.

While trade and environmental issues are also on the table, Biden has put a surge in irregular migration and dangerous drug trafficking front and center of his trip, his first to Mexico as president.

“Our problems at the border didn’t arise overnight,” Biden tweeted after his arrival.

“And they won’t be solved overnight. But, we can come together to fix this broken system. We can secure the border and fix the immigration process to be orderly, fair, safe, and humane.”

On his way to Mexico, Biden stopped for several hours in El Paso, Texas, a city at the heart of the troubled border.

He met with US officials at the Bridge of the Americas crossing, watching a demonstration of the latest border enforcement technology, as well as a customs sniffer dog. He later got out of his motorcade to inspect a section of the tall fencing that snakes between El Paso and its twin city Juarez on the Mexican side. AFP

they finally subdued them.

Newly inaugurated President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the veteran leftist who narrowly won Brazil’s bitter, divisive October elections, condemned the invasions as a “fascist” attack.

The far-right Bolsonaro meanwhile condemned “pillaging and invasions of public buildings” in a tweet. But the politician dubbed the “Tropical Trump” rejected Lula’s claim he incited the attacks, and de-

fended the right to “peaceful protests.”

Lula, who was in the southeastern city of Araraquara visiting a region hit by severe floods, signed a decree declaring a federal intervention in Brasilia, giving his government special powers over the local police force to restore law and order in the capital.

“These fascist fanatics have done something never before seen in this country’s history,” said Lula, 77, who took office a week ago.

“We will find out who these vandals are, and they will be brought down with the full force of the law.”

Lula returned to Brasilia and viewed the damage at the presidential palace and the Supreme Court. He said he

would work out of the palace on Monday despite all the destruction.

Police have made 170 arrests, media reports said.

TV images showed police ushering Bolsonaro supporters in single file down the ramp from the Planalto presidential palace -- the same ramp Lula climbed a week earlier at his inauguration.

The Senate security service said it had arrested 30 people in the chamber.

The chaos came after a sea of protesters dressed in military-style camouflage and the green and yellow of the flag flooded into Brasilia’s Three Powers Square, invading the floor of Congress, trashing the Supreme Court building and climbing the ramp to the Planalto. AFP

3 more to hang over protests for Iran’s Amini

TEHRAN—Iran has sentenced to death three people accused of killing three members of the security forces during the protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, the judiciary said Monday.

The Islamic republic has been rocked by civil unrest since the September 16 death of Kurdish Iranian Amini, 22, following her arrest for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.

The latest sentences, which can still be appealed, bring to 17 the total number of people condemned to death in connection with the more than three months of protests.

Four of those convicted have been executed and two others are on death row after their sentences were upheld by the country’s supreme court.

Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were sentenced to death on charges of “moharebeh” -- or waging “war against God” -- the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website reported.

Two others were handed prison terms for the incident that led to the deaths of three security force members in the central province of Isfahan on November 16, Mizan said.

All the sentences can be appealed before the supreme court, it added.

On Saturday, Iran executed Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini for killing a paramilitary force member in November in Karaj west of Tehran.

Two other men, Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard, were put to death in December after being convicted of separate attacks on security forces.

The executions have sparked global outrage and new Western sanctions against Tehran. AFP

German MPs travel to Taiwan as tensions rise

The visit was a “sign of solidarity” with the self-ruled democracy which China claims as part of its territory, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the parliamentary defence committee and a leader of the delegation, told AFP.

The deputies from the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) -- a junior partner in Germany’s coalition government -- would meet with “senior figures from politics, civil society and the military”, Strack-Zimmermann said.

Ukraine rejects Russian claim of ‘retaliatory strike’

KYIV—Russia

“More than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed” by a missile strike on troops stationed in two buildings used as barracks in Kramatorsk, said a Russian defence ministry statement.

Russia described the attack as a “retaliatory strike” following Ukraine’s

Ukraine’s armed forces rejected Russia’s claim about the Kramatorsk attack.

“This information is as true as the data that they have destroyed all of our HIMARS,” Sergiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the eastern group of the Ukrainian armed forces, told the Suspilne media outlet. In the attack on Makiivka, Ukraine used US-supplied

Hun Sen warns rivals: Face legal action or sticks

Minister Hun Sen warned opponents Monday they would face legal action or a beating with sticks if they accused his ruling party of vote theft in national polls later this year.

One of the world’s longest-serving leaders, Hun Sen will mark 38 years in power this weekend and has vowed to run again when Cambodia holds

elections in July.

Speaking at a ceremony in Kampong Cham province, he said political challengers would need to choose between the courts and violence if they criticised his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).

“There are only two options -- one is using legal action, the other is using sticks... What do you want?” he said.

“Either you face legal action in court or I rally CPP people for a demonstration and beat you guys up.”

He also instructed lawyers to monitor speeches by his rivals.

“We won’t let you accuse us of being thieves all the time. The CPP cannot accept being called thieves who steal votes. We must sue whoever says that,” Hun Sen added. AFP

New Malaysia PM Anwar visits Indonesia on first trip

BOGOR—Malaysia’s new prime minister met with Indonesia’s president Monday on his first foreign trip after winning a confidence vote and cementing his mandate last month following an inconclusive election.

Anwar Ibrahim, a long-time opposition leader, was sworn in as the coun-

try’s 10th prime minister on November 24 to head a unity government in a shaky alliance with the graft-tainted party of his former political rivals.

He met Indonesian President Joko Widodo for talks at a presidential palace in Bogor, south of capital Jakarta

where he thanked his counterpart for his support after the election.

“This is a bit personal, Mr President. When I was in a difficult situation, living in uncertainty and suffering, Indonesia welcomed me as a true friend,” he said after the meeting. AFP

HIMARS missiles.

Cherevaty said Russia could not deliver high-precision strikes.

The Russian statement did not say when exactly the strike had taken place -- only that Russian intelligence had “over the past 24 hours” located more than 1,300 Ukrainian troops in two buildings in Kramatorsk.

The industrial city, in the eastern Donetsk region, has been the target of repeated Russian missile attacks. AFP

The delegation would discuss the current “threat situation” in their meetings, she added.

The trip is set to be followed by a visit from German Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger, also of the FDP, in the spring, sources told AFP. It would be the first by a member of the German cabinet in 26 years.

“In light of the military threats from China we have travelled as a delegation from the FDP to Taiwan, because a signal of support for Taiwan is now needed,” senior FDP MP Johannes Vogel told AFP. AFP

said Sunday it had carried out a devastating “retaliatory strike” in eastern Ukraine to avenge a recent deadly attack on its troops, a claim quickly denied by Kyiv.

New Year’s Eve missile salvo in the eastern Ukrainian town of Makiivka, which Moscow said killed 89 of its soldiers.

PHNOM PENH—Cambodian Prime

BERLIN—A high-ranking parliamentary delegation from Germany arrived in Taiwan on Monday ahead of an anticipated ministerial visit later this year in moves that could spark tensions with China.

BIG PROTEST.

Supporters of Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro invade Planalto Presidential Palace while clashing with security forces in Brasilia on January 8. Hundreds of supporters of Brazil’s far-right ex-president broke through police barricades and stormed into Congress (inset), the presidential palace and the Supreme Court Sunday, in a dramatic protest against Presidentelect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s inauguration last week. AFP

BIDEN ARRIVAL. US President Joe Biden (left) is welcomed by his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador upon landing at Felipe Angeles International Airport in Zumpango de Ocampo, north of Mexico City on January 8. AFP

THAT TICKLES. A Rohingya refugee has a swab sample taken to be tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a temporary shelter in Ladong, Indonesia’s Aceh province on January 9. Thousands of the mostly Muslim Rohingya, heavily persecuted in Myanmar, risk their lives each year on long and expensive sea journeys -- often in poor-quality boats -- to reach Malaysia or Indonesia. AFP

Market bounces back; BPI tops gainers

STOCKS rebounded Monday, fueled by optimism over China’s reopening and on hopes the US Federal Reserve will slow its pace of interest rate hikes.

The PSE index, the 30-company benchmark of the Philippine Stock Exchange, jumped 122 points, or 1.83 percent, to close at 6,790.24, as all six subsectors advanced, led by mining and oil. It was also up 3.41 percent since the start of the year.

Goldman Sachs

to reduce 3,200 jobs on uncertain economic outlook

NEW YORK—Goldman Sachs plans to cut 3,200 jobs and could announce this as early as this week, a source close to the issue said Sunday, confirming press reports.

The American investment bank did not respond to an AFP query seeking comment.

A source close to the issue said there would be a maximum of 3,200 jobs eliminated -- less than the figure of 4,000 cited in the press last month -- and that it could end up being slightly less.

The larger figure of 4,000 would be about 8 percent of the bank’s staff.

Goldman Sachs typically trims about one to five percent of its headcount each year, targeting underperforming staff.

This year’s culling will be deeper than usual in light of the uncertain economic outlook and the growth in Goldman’s staffing in recent years, a person familiar with the matter told AFP in midDecember.

Goldman’s staff stood at 49,100 at the end of October, up nearly 30 percent from the end of 2019 after hiring campaigns and acquisitions.

The planned job cuts come as Goldman Sachs and other investment banks have seen a big drop in fees tied to initial public offerings and described a cloudy outlook for merger and acquisition advising in 2023 due to economic uncertainty. AFP

The broader all-share index also went up by 55 points, or 1.59 percent, to settle at 3,568.97 on a value turnover of P6.40 billion. Gainers outnumbered losers, 148 to 47, while 43 issues were unchanged.

Nine of the 10 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Bank of the Philippine Islands which climbed 5.37 percent to P106.00 and Ayala Corp. which rose 4.09 percent to P712.00.

Most Asian markets also rose, tracking the gains on Wall Street. All three main indexes in New York soared more than two percent Friday after a closely watched report showed a forecast-busting rise in new jobs but a slowdown in

wages growth.

That came as separate figures showed a shock contraction in the crucial services sector -- the first since spring 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

The readings, while suggesting the world’s top economy was showing signs of weakness, were seized on by traders hopeful that the Fed will begin to temper its monetary tightening campaign.

Investors are now betting officials will lift borrowing costs about 25 basis points at their next meeting at the end of the month.

However, policymakers have warned that rates will continue to go up as they aim to bring decades-high inflation un-

der control, with some saying they will not likely be cut until 2024.

In a further sign of hope, data Friday showed eurozone inflation slowed for a second month in a row in December, to 9.2 percent -- the first time in single digits since September.

“If Friday’s price action tells us anything it’s that investors really want to believe the peak inflation narrative that has helped support the rebound in equity markets that we’ve seen so far this year,” said CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson.

Asian equities started the day on the front foot, with Hong Kong sharply higher and Shanghai also well up. With AFP

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5 MVC 5.48 0.48 9.60%

6 PNX4 370 32 9.47%

7 MBC 8.1 0.7 9.46%

8 PHA 0.31 0.025 8.77%

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10 TFHI 100 7 7.53%

TOP LOSERS

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5 SBS 3.91 -0.19 -4.63%

6 ABSP 7.23 -0.27 -3.60%

7 PXP 7.51 -0.24 -3.10%

8 DFNN 3.25 -0.1 -2.99%

9 COL 3.12 -0.09 -2.80%

UN urges huge investments for Pakistan flood recovery

GENEVA, Switzerland—The UN chief called Monday for “massive investments” to help Pakistan recover from last year’s devastating floods, saying it was “doubly victimized” by climate change and a “morally bankrupt global financial system”.

“No country deserves to endure what happened to Pakistan,” UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres told an international conference in Geneva, which is seeking billions of dollars to support recovery from the disaster.

Guterres opened the one-day event appealing to the world to help Pakistan bounce back from floods that submerged a third of the country, killing more than 1,700 people and affecting more than 33 million others.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who attended with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, called

the floods “a climate disaster of monumental scale.”

Eight million people were displaced, millions of acres of agricultural land were ruined, and around two million homes were destroyed, while nine million more people were pushed to the brink of poverty.

More than $16b

The UN chief hailed how Pakistan and its people had responded to “this epic tragedy with heroic humanity.”

“We must match the heroic response of the people of Pakistan with our own efforts and massive investments to strengthen their communities for the future,” he told the conference.

According to Pakistan’s so-called Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework, which it will officially present during Monday’s conference, it will need $16.3 billion.

Pakistan’s government has said the country should be able to cover half the cost but is asking the international community to fund the rest.

“This is the greatest climate disaster in our country’s history,” Zardari told the conference, decrying a “colossal calamity.”

“Pakistan will need considerable support over the next several years from our international partners to implement this comprehensive plan,” he said.

The UN chief said the international community had a particular responsibility to help Pakistan, which has been “doubly victimized by climate chaos and a morally bankrupt global financial system.”

He slammed a system that “routinely denies middle-income countries the debt relief and concessional financing needed to invest in resilience against natural disasters.” AFP

Finding creativity

GRACE AQUINO TIONG

Green LiGht

DOHA—Qatar signed a $6-billion deal with Chevron Phillips Chemical on Sunday to build a plant, including the biggest ethane cracker in the Middle East, converting natural gas into polyethylene and other plastics.

The Ras Laffan Petrochemicals Complex, which will produce 2.1 million tons of ethylene a year along with 1.7 million tons of polyethylene derivatives, will come on stream in 2026.

The complex will have “lower waste and greenhouse gas emissions” than similar facilities around the world, said Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, Qatar’s energy minister and the CEO of QatarEnergy.

QatarEnergy has a 70-percent equity share in the joint venture, with Texasbased Chevron Phillips taking the other 30 percent.

“This marks QatarEnergy’s largest investment ever in Qatar’s petrochemicals sector and the first direct investment in 12 years,” Kaabi said at a signing ceremony in Doha.

Ras Laffan will double Qatar’s ethylene production capacity and increase

its polymer output from 2.6 million tons to more than four million tons a year. Overall, Qatar’s petrochemical production capacity will rise to almost 14 million tons a year.

The investment “marks an important milestone in QatarEnergy’s downstream expansion strategy,” Kaabi said.

“It will not only facilitate further expansion in the downstream and petrochemical sectors in Qatar but will also reinforce our integrated position as a major global player in the upstream, LNG, and downstream sectors.”

Ethane crackers, which convert gas into ethylene, have been targeted by environmental activists for their emissions, while ethylene and polyethylene are used in a swathe of plastic products from piping to water bottles and food packaging.

Wealthy Qatar has large reserves of natural gas, including the North Field, which contains the world’s biggest deposits and stretches under the Gulf sea into Iranian territory. AFP

WHENEVER we hear the word creative, most associate it with artistic expressions like visual artworks such as drawings, paintings, sculptures, murals, writings and the like. But Ms. Rosanne Araneta, the guest speaker in our class, a life coach and NLP art teacher, provided us with another perspective on the meaning of creativity. For her, creativity is a pattern that you can replicate. Once you do it repeatedly, you become an expert, comfortable doing it and imagine other ways. This time you become innovative.

She also stressed to us that practice builds patterns. It also builds our muscle memory and improves our skills over time. So, creativity can be learned despite the myth that creativity is innate to a person. Creativity is inborn to a person. You had it when you were born.

Hearing Ms. Rosanne encourages us to think outside the box. The bubbly delivery of her spiels made learning more about creativity easy and fun. I remember Albert Einstein’s quote about creativity during that time: “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” We had fun listening to her while imbibing creativity in our minds.

To be creative, you also need to be innovative. We need to go out of

our comfort zone and explore things about ourselves. We were discovering the things that we could do. It will take courage to do it, but it is achievable. My key takeaway from this talk is that “the fear of failure is the enemy of creativity.”

As I reflect on myself, I realize that I am also creative. Sometimes, I am the one who puts limitations on myself to be creative.

Creativity goes with being innovative. The employee programs I do in my work are products of my imagination. I’ve also infused innovation into how we do things in our department. Introducing new ideas to improve our processes and translating them to improve services to our employees are the driving force that we continuously innovate in our department, aside from the fact that we also need to support the company’s business objectives.

I also cascade these values to my subordinates so that we can work hand in hand with our goals and objectives. We can also create a learning environment where creativity and innovation will flourish.

Finding creativity in oneself needs a deep commitment. As I’ve learned, creativity can be learned. We can develop the skill. We also need to put in our best effort and practice. Remember, practice makes perfect. Then, it makes us experts.

We should not be afraid of fail-

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ure. When we are building our creativity, we need to take risks. This can help boost our creative skills and gain confidence over time. Negative thoughts can also hinder building our creative talents, so we should learn how to eliminate them. We need to find ways to overcome it. If we harbor negative thoughts like fear or failure, we can remind ourselves that it is part of the process.

If you are working with a group, it is advisable to brainstorm new ideas. It can promote creativity by practicing our minds to generate new ways to do things. The advantage of working with a group is that it can refine ideas and arrive at the best possible solutions. This can be done using management tools like flow charts, mind maps and other frameworks. In this way, we can see all ideas visually and connect them easily. If we have built our skills, then we can constantly challenge ourselves to put our creativity to the next level. So being creative is limitless.

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

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

SOLAR FARM. A shepherd looks on as a flock of sheep grazes near solar panel rows laid out at a farm on the outskirts of Moshav Haspin in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria on Jan. 8, 2023. AFP

Saad Sherida al-Kaabi (right), Qatar’s energy minister and CEO of QatarEnergy, and Bruce Chinn, CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical company, attend a signing ceremony at the QatarEnergy headquarters in Qatar’s capital Doha on Jan. 8, 2023. AFP

Gov’t launches first global bond offering this year

By Julito G. Rada

THE Philippine government launched its first global bond offering this year to augment its record 2023 budget of P5.268 trillion.

A term sheet showed that the benchmark-sized US dollar bond offer would have tenors of 5.5, 10.5 and 25 years. This follows the government’s $2 billion three-tranche global bond offering in October 2022.

Credit watcher Moody’s Investors Service said it assigned an investment grade rating of “Baa2” to the Philippine government’s shelf program filed with the United States’ Securities and Exchange Commission and the dollar-denominated bond offerings drawn from the shelf program, which include tranches maturing in 2028, 2033 and 2048.

Moody’s said the bonds would constitute direct, unconditional and unsubordinated obligations of the government of the Philippines.

The proceeds from the bonds are intended for general purposes including budgetary support and the repayment of a portion of the government’s borrowings. The ratings mirror the Philippines’ issuer rating of “Baa2.”

Fitch Ratings also assigned a ‘BBB’ rating on the bond offering, in line with the Philippines’ ‘BBB’ long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said in December last year the government was planning to raise up to $3 billion from the issuance of retail dollar bonds to local investors, particularly overseas Filipino workers, in the first quarter of 2023.

Retail dollar bonds are part of the government’s program to make government securities available to retail investors. Aside from raising funds for priority projects, retail dollar bonds are issued to diversify funding sources of the government as well as promote financial literacy and inclusion.

“The Philippines’ Baa2 issuer rating takes into consideration high potential growth and a moderate government debt burden as compared to peers, as well as a sufficiently strong external position to meet forthcoming cross-border payment obligations and weather capital flow volatility,” Moody’s said.

Nine Chinese firms investing $13.76b in PH energy projects

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Department of Energy said Monday nine Chinese companies agreed to invest $13.76 billion in renewable energy, battery energy storage systems and off-grid power supply systems in the Philippines.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the companies responded positively to the country’s renewable energy policy directions. These companies conveyed their interest to invest in the Philippines to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a roundtable meeting on Jan. 5.

“We are very pleased with the enthusiasm we have received from these Chinese companies during our roundtable meeting. They were upbeat with our policy reforms and directions on RE, especially on the opening of 100-percent foreign ownership on wind and solar projects,” Lotilla said.

Lotilla asked the Renewable Energy Management Bureau and Investment Promotions Office to start communicating with the Chinese companies, “and provide the full support to hasten this particular cooperation between the Philippines and China.”

Lotilla said during the meeting the Marcos administration aimed to attain 35-percent RE share by 2030 and 50-percent by 2040. He said an additional 52,000 megawatts of renewable

energy would be needed by 2040 to meet the country’s goals. About 27,000 MW will be from solar and another 16,000 MW from wind, excluding the country’s total offshore wind potential of about 178,000 MW.

The Department of Trade and Industry organized the investor meetings on RE, agribusiness, nickel processing and electric vehicle manufacturing as part of President Marcos’ state visit in Beijing.

Among the companies that attender the investor meetings are China Energy International Group Co. Ltd., China Power International Development Ltd., SPIC Guangxi Electric Power Co. Ltd (a subsidiary and a secondary unit of State Power Investment Corp. Ltd.), China Machinery Engineering Corp., China General Nuclear Power Group, China Huadian Engineering Co. Ltd., China Tianying Inc., Dajin Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. and Mingyang Smart Energy Group Ltd.

Some of these companies already have a presence in the Philippines, such as Energy China, which has been in the

country for more than 20 years.

Energy China’s projects, located in Northern Luzon, provide power generation, substation, transmission, cell site and fiber-to-home and data center projects.

CPID is involved in developing solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal and biomass power. It is also into emerging green energy industries such as energy storage, hydrogen energy, green electric transportation and integrated smart energy. CPID intends to establish corporations with local entities to invest in these industries.

SPIC Guangxi Electric Power Co. is a subsidiary and a secondary unit of SPIC, focusing on the development, investment, construction and operation of electric power. It has the largest installed capacity of wind power in Guangxi. Its projects include the 230-kV Substation EPC Project in Navotas, the 500-kV Substation EPC Project in Pagbilao, Taguig-Baras 500 kV Overhead Transmission Line EPC and the Abuyog 230 kV Substation EPC Project.

CMEC, a subsidiary of the China National Machinery Industry Corp., is among the world’s top 500 companies.

CGN is the third-largest nuclear power producer worldwide and China’s first-largest nuclear power producer. It also has a total wind power capacity of more than 35,000 MW and solar projects with combined capacity of 10,000 MW.

PCCI bullish on PH economy, expects close to 7% growth

By Othel V. Campos

A MAJOR business group is bullish on Philippine economic prospects and expects a gross domestic product expansion of nearly 7 percent in 2023.

Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president George Barcelon said his group agreed with the Department of Finance’s economic growth projection of 6 percent to 7 percent.

“Given the stability in oil price and China’s positive outlook of 5 percent growth due to its reopening, the figure of closer to 7 percent is attainable,” Barcelon said Monday.

PCCI said the economy would sustain a healthy pace in the first half.

Cebu Landmasters, YHES top off P3-b hotel-condominium project in Davao

By Jenniffer B. Austria

PROPERTY developer Cebu Landmasters Inc. and partner YHES Inc. recently topped off The Paragon Davao—a P3 billion mixed-use development envisioned to be a lifestyle and convention destination in Davao City.

CLI said in a stock exchange filing Monday The Paragon Davao, which has a gross floor area of 80,000 square meters, would house a 263-room hotel and 26-storey residential tower.

“We’re pleased that The Paragon Davao will be completed just as Southern Mindanao fully opens up to travel and heightened business and leisure activity. It will serve as a natural catalyst for economic growth in the area,” CLI chairman and chief executive Jose Soberano III said.

Fred Yuson, president of YHES Inc.,

the joint venture of CLI and the VillaAbrille family, said Pragaon Davao would be one of the largest mixed-use developments in the city.

“The Paragon Davao will be a lively destination for locals as well as a destination or venue for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions that will draw business travelers from other parts of the country,” said Yuson.

The residential tower, One Paragon Place, with 554 units, is expected to start turnover in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The hotel, Citadines Paragon Davao, is set to open its doors in 2024 and will feature well-appointed hotel rooms and serviced residences.

It is CLI’s fourth hotel in partnership with international hotel operator, The Ascott Limited, and is expected to help boost the listed company’s hotel leasing revenues.

The group said that despite the continuous interest rate hikes mirroring the US and European Union’s action to mitigate inflation, remittances and the rebounding local economy could weather the challenges.

It said, however, the government should find solutions on high food prices which heightened the clamor for big wage adjustment that could lead to even higher inflation.

“This is a vicious cycle that could stunt business and negatively impact the competitiveness of the export sector. As such, the outlook on both job creation and sustainability for the year may encounter head winds,” Barcelon said.

The group said the mitigation of

COVID-19 and the opening of physical schooling would add to economic activities.

It noted the government’s plans to continue infrastructure spending and massive housing projects for the homeless to boost the economy.

The group said that based on global trends, travel and leisure business were coming back strongly. The recent trip of the President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to China gained support for Philippine tourism and agricultural sectors, it said.

“Let’s be positive in our outlook and continue the good efforts in extending support to our chambers,” Barcelon said.

ACEN unit secures Au$277-m loan for Australian ventures

ACEN Corp. said Monday its Australian subsidiary signed a syndicated green term loan facility with major international banks amounting to Au$277 million, its largest green term loan facility to date.

The loan will provide capital financing for ACEN’s renewable energy portfolio in Australia, which will contribute to the company’s strategic aspiration to grow its renewable capacity to 20,000 megawatts by 2030.

“This syndicated green term loan facility continues to build on the funding secured at the end of last year and will be mobilized into our Australian portfolio. With Stubbo 520-MW project reaching notice to proceed late in 2022, ACEN continues on the journey in decarbonizing Australia. It is exciting to work with quality financial institutions and the appetite for quality investments is real,” ACEN Australia chief executive Anton Rohner said.

The syndicate banks comprise Bank of China in Manila and Hong Kong, CTBC Bank in Manila and Singapore and Standard Chartered Bank in Australia.

Bank of China (Hong Kong) Ltd. was the green loan structuring bank, while Commonwealth Bank of Australia acted as the agent for the syndicated green term loan facility.

Herbert Smith Freehills was legal counsel for ACEN Australia, while King & Wood Mallesons was the counsel for the lenders.

ACEN said the funds would be allocated to finance the development and construction of its project pipeline in Australia, encompassing solar, wind, battery storage, pumped hydropower and energy storage.

The New England Solar farm, the first of these projects, is expected to be in operation by the middle of 2023.

The syndicated green term loan facility is part of ACEN’s Au$600 million target to capitalize on Australia’s renewables potential and is a follow-through to several transactions completed last year. Alena Mae S. Flores

Big technology firms set eyes on PH expansion

REAL estate and property expert Santos Knight Frank said it expects hyperscalers or big technology companies to look at the Philippines as their next destination.

The real estate advisor said tech giants such as Amazon AWS, Microsoft and Alibaba have their eyes on the Philippines which is expanding its hyperscaler market.

“As we expand the amount of activities that require us to store and process data, as we continue to move more functions to the internet and to the cloud from business to our personal lives, there will be a continuing demand for data center space and investment,” said SKF data centers lead Monica Gonzales during the “Rise of Data Centers” forum organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, SKF and Quisumbing Torres.

She said given the country’s average of 76 million users logging in 10 hours of internet usage daily, big firms would likely capitalize on that, coupled with its investment-friendly climate, strong IT and engineering talent pool.

“Moreover, current statistics show that the Philippine digital economy was worth P1.87 trillion in 2021 and contributed 9.6 percent to the country’s economy,” said Gonzales. Othel V. Campos

MREIT declares P0.24 dividends

MREIT Inc., the real estate investment trust company of Megaworld Corp., declared dividends of P0.2428 per share to shareholders based on its distributable income in the fourth quarter of 2022.

This brought MREIT’s total dividends in 2022 to P0.9770 per share, equivalent to dividend yield of 7.1 percent as of the company’s closing share price of P13.70 per share on Jan. 6.

The cash dividends will be payable on Feb. 15 to all stockholders on record as of Jan.24.

MREIT said it would continue to declare quarterly dividends to shareholders. “We remain committed on delivering competitive returns to our shareholders through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions,” MREIT president and chief executive Kevin Tan said in a statement to the stock exchange.

The dividends, however, do not include additional income arising from the announced property-for-share swap transaction. MREIT announced in April 2022 the acquisition of an additional four prime properties worth P5.3 billion. Jenniffer B. Austria

Fitch Solutions sees PH exports rising 5% in 2023

FITCH Solutions, a unit of Fitch Group, said it expects the Philippine goods exports to rise 5.0 percent in 2023, slower than the estimated 6.0-percent increase in 2022, amid a slowdown in global demand.

Fitch Solutions said in a report the economic recovery in mainland China was unlikely to offset a broader slowdown in global demand.

“Factoring in the lagged effects of tightening global monetary conditions across the world, our global team expects that global GDP growth will slow to 1.9 percent in 2023 versus 3.1 percent in 2022,” the report said.

“In particular, we expect the US, which is the Philippines’ largest trade partner, to enter a mild recession in 2023, which would bode poorly for Philippine exports. Shipments to the US accounted for roughly 15.4 percent of Philippine exports in 2021,” it said.

It said while real GDP growth in China—-the second-largest export destination at 15.1 percent of total—-is seen to accelerate to 5.0 percent in 2023, from an estimated 3.3 percent in 2022, the recovery “remains bumpy due to uncertainties around the COVID-19 situation.”

MANULIFE-KWIK.INSURE DEAL. Global financial services provider Manulife teams up with Kwik.insure, an online insurance marketplace that serves thousands of customers, to make insurance accessible to more Filipinos through its HealthFlex, FutureBoost and Horizons plans, helping them financially secure their future. Sealing the agreement with a handshake are Manulife Philippines chief partnership distribution officer Neil Bower (second from left) and Kwik.insure chief executive Hamilton Angluben (third from left).

TUNNEL BORING MACHINE. Excavation work for the Metro Manila Subway Project starts with the launch of the gigantic tunnel boring machine made in Japan. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., together with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and deputy chief of mission Matsuda Kenichi of the Embassy of Japan, led the launching ceremony at the East Valenzuela Depot in Valenzuela City.

Sports

Starting Adelaide 36ers’ role improves Sotto’s confidence

By Randy Caluag

The key to his mild success, according to the Filipino 7’3” giant, is always being ready when an opportunity is given to him on the court.

“I’m always staying ready for all the opportunities my coaches give me,” Sotto said in an Adelaide team’s article on its website.

Sotto has been in the team’s starting line-up for five games now, boosting his morale and his game.

“Every practice and every game I get to have, I show my teammates can rely on me,” Sotto said. “So, I’m always staying ready.”

As a starter, Sotto played quality minutes to help his team to a four-game win streak before losing to New Zealand Breakers over the weekend. In that game, Sotto had 16 points and five rebounds.

Blessed with a long wingspan and an enviable height not common to Filipino cage athletes, Sotto was defensive presence under the hoop and a throwdown dunker in the offense for the 36ers, especially when Ian Clarke is handling

the guard chores.

Sotto has always been a willing beneficiary of Clarke’s alley-oop passes.

“That’s my primary role on this team with my size, it’s the first thing I think of when I step on the court is to have that impact defensively and everything else will follow,” Sotto said.

Even non-Filipino fans believe that coach CJ Bruton put more focus on plays involving Sotto.

“Also for the Pinoys, I thought Kai had a really good game today. Got the crowd out of our seats on those couple of dunks and the block. Want to see him bring that most games and it can help 36ers go all the way,” said Chris Woodrow in a social media comment.

“I’ve been saying the 36ers need to get pick and roll alley oops going for Kai! I want to see more of this. I don’t care if he’s not as strong, he’ll just dunk over them,” said Brothers Bob.

The 36ers, who will wear the team’s 1998 championship jersey, will play against Tasmania JackJumpers next Thursday night.

PH concludes fencing campaign with silver, bronze medals

THE Philippines capped its campaign in the Southeast Asian Fencing Federation Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with silver- and bronzemedal finishes by the senior squads over the weekend.

Individual Epee bronze winner Alexa Larrazabal anchored teammates Maria Juliana Gomez, Ivy Claire Dinoy, and Princess Honey Arbillon to a 41-45 win over Indonesia, before bowing to Vietnam, 24-36, in the final of the women’s team epee event to settle for silver.

The Philippine men’s saber squad of

Gomera, Jelena capture Masters Top 8 crowns

MCLEEN

San Carlos, Negros Occidental on Monday.

Six others also topped their respective age-group categories but Gomera, from Lanao del Norte, and Jelena, from Cavite, posted the worthiest victories to clinch the top honors in the tournament which gathered the top ranking junior players in last year’s edition of the country’s longest talent-search presented by Dunlop.

Gomera, who dominated the

Kale Cyd Villamar, 6-0, 6-0, in the finals of the 16-U class that included Kurt Barrera, Gio Manito, Ariel Cabaral, Reign Maravilla and siblings Frank and France Dilao. He earlier trounced Manito, 6-2, 6-2, in the crossover semis with Villamar holding off Maravilla, 7-6(4), 6-3.

Jelena, on the other hand, repulsed Jayden Ballado from Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, 6-3, 7-6(1), in the 14-U battle that featured Marlyn Mesiona, Jan Dagoon, Jayden Ballado, Kate Imalay, Avegail Ansay,

Queen Villa and Faith Lazaro. Hans Cabellon, from Pardo, Cebu, and La Carlota’s Alexa Joy Milliam, meanwhile, captured the titles and gained ranking points in the premier 18-U category with the former ripping San Jose, Nueva Ecija’s Ivan Charles Manila, 6-0, 6-1, and the latter turning back Lapu-Lapu City’s Claire Nocos, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Other winners in the weeklong event, sponsored by Mayor Rene Gustilo and Vice Mayor Criston Carmona, were Kimi Brodeth, Maristella Torrecampo, Josh Benedict Lim and Armik Gabrio Serillo.

Enrico Lucio Suplicio, Raphael Martin Jimenez, Thomas Robert Cabrera and Andre Dominic Agatep reached the bronze-medal play by beating Malaysia, 45-35.

They bowed to Vietnam in the semifinals to eventual gold medal winner Vietnam, 18-45, and missed the finals.

The Philippine fencing team tallied two gold medals--courtesy of Noelito Jose in the men’s individual epee and Wilhelmina in the women’s individual foil—on top of two silver and three bronze medals. Randy Caluag

Kvitova wins war of Wimby champions at Adelaide

ADELAIDE—Petra Kvitova won the battle of Wimbledon champions on Monday at Adelaide International II, outserving Elena Rybakina who has crashed early in two tournaments leading into next week’s Australian Open.

Two-time Wimbledon winner Kvitova beat the current All England Club champion 6-3, 7-5 in round one, exacting a measure of revenge.

Russia’s 23rd-ranked Rybakina won their first head-to-head meeting last year in Ostrava.

World number 16 Kvitova never faced a break point in 86 minutes, while breaking Rybakina at the tail end of each set to move safely through.

“I tried to play faster than Elena,” said Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014.

“She played really great (in Ostrava), it was a good match and I know that she’s serving really well.

“I was focusing on my serve and I was trying to wait for some chances to break her.”

There are two ATP-WTA Adelaide Internationals this month, with Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka winning the titles in week one.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a finalist at the 2021 French Open which saw her soar to 11 in the world, also crashed out, losing 7-5, 6-4 to Swiss qualifier Jil Teichmann.

It was the Russian’s first match in eight months after ending her 2022 season in May due to a recurring knee injury.

After losing in round one of the Adelaide International last week, there was no repeat for American Danielle Collins.

The 2022 Australian Open finalist will be Teichmann’s next opponent after she defeated Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 6-4.

Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, ranked 15, also progressed, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 at the expense of Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.

World number one Iga Swiatek and third-ranked Jessica Pegula had been due to play this week, but both pulled out after their exploits at the United Cup with Poland and the United States respectively. AFP

Australian Open no-show fuels fears for Osaka’s tennis future

TOKYO—Naomi Osaka has not played a tennis match since September and her withdrawal from next week’s Australian Open has raised concerns that the former world number one may never appear on court again.

Osaka’s social media accounts have stayed silent since Tennis Australia tweeted on Sunday that the two-time Melbourne champion would miss the first Grand Slam of the year, giving no reason for her absence.

Osaka’s posts over the past few months have shown her travelling in Europe with her boyfriend, the rapper Cordae, and announcing that her sports management agency had signed up world number two Ons Jabeur.

But there has been little evidence of the Japanese player spending time practising on court, fuelling speculation that the four-time Grand Slam champion’s tennis career could be over at the age of 25.

Tennis writer Ben Rothenberg, who has authored a biography of Osaka due out later this year, believes she has already taken a “meaningful step back” from the sport and is deliberately keeping quiet.

“I think she might want to be opaque about it because she doesn’t want to put a label on it necessarily,” he told AFP.

“I don’t think she would use the word ‘retiring’, but if she was stepping away from the sport for a while—and it could be for any length of time— I don’t know that she would want to speak that out loud. AFP

THE increase in playing time and new role as a starting player have boosted the confidence of Adelaide center Kai Sotto and he responded well by delivering quality numbers and proving himself worthy of his improved status.

Gomera pulled through in the boys’ 16-and-under division while Jana Jelena ruled the girls’ 14-U side as they grabbed the MVP crowns in the Masters Top 8 at the SRJI Center Mall courts in

San Carlos City leg of the PPSPEPP junior circuit last year, crushed fellow Lanao del Norte bet

Riera

Mallari,

Randy M. Caluag, Assistant

MAN VS BEAST. Boudreaux Campbell competes during the PBR Unleash The Beast event at Madison Square Garden. AFP

Kai Sotto

Mcleen Gomera (left) and Jana Jelena set in motion their respective campaigns in this year’s PPS-PEPP junior season with big victories in Negros Occidental.

Petra Kvitova AFP

MMA world pays tribute to late ONE fighter

SINGAPORE—The death of 18-year-old rising MMA star Victoria “The Prodigy” Lee, announced at the weekend, has prompted an outpouring of tributes from people associated with the sport.

Asia-based ONE MMA Championship chief Chatri Sityodtong said he was “heartbroken” by Lee’s passing and that he would remember her “for the beautiful and precious soul that she was.”

Lee came from a family of champion MMA fighters—her older sister Angela is the ONE Championship atomweight world title holder while her brother Christian holds the ONE lightweight title.

“I first met Victoria when she was 11 years old. I watched her blossom over the years as a martial artist and a human being,” Sityodtong wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday.

Indian-Canadian mixed martial arts star Gurdarshan Mangat tweeted: “This one is tough. Her energy was felt whether you knew her or not.

“She was destined for greatness. I just pray she knew that before she left us. That she truly was a light.”

Lee died on Boxing Day but was only announced late Saturday by her sister Angela on Instagram.

“We miss you so much sis. More than you could ever realise,” Angela wrote.

“We’re all broken. Because a piece of you was in each of us and when you left, those pieces were ripped out of us. We will never be the same.”

The cause of death was not revealed by her family.

Lee was born and raised in Hawaii to a Singaporean father and South Korean-Canadian mother and fought under the Singapore flag.

She had her first MMA fight at 16 and her last bout was in September 2021.

According to the ONE website, the young Lee had put competition on the back burner in 2022 to focus on graduating from high school, but she had planned to make a big return in 2023. AFP

Bills take AFC 2nd seed, Eagles nail NFC top seat; Packers out

NEW YORK— Buffalo’s Nyheim Hines returned kickoffs 96 and 101 yards for touchdowns on Sunday and the Bills captured a number-two NFL playoff seeding with an emotional 35-23 victory over New England, eliminating the Patriots from playoff contention.

The Philadelphia Eagles took the number one seed in the NFC after a 22-16 win over the New York Giants on the final day of the regular season.

But the Green Bay Packers missed out on the playoffs after losing at home to the Detroit Lions 20-16, allowing the Seattle Seahawks to take the last available spot in the NFC.

In their first game since Buffalo defender Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and was revived on the field last Monday, the Bills set up a home playoff game next week against Miami.

The Dolphins ground out an 11-6 win over the New York Jets to make the post-

season for the first time in six years.

The Bills finish behind AFC top seed Kansas City and if those teams should meet in the conference final, it would be at a neutral site since last Monday’s Cincinnati-Buffalo game will not be completed.

It was an emotional return to NFL competition for the Bills.

Hundreds of supportive signs for Hamlin and his recovery were on display as a crowd of more than 71,000 watched the Bills play host to New England.

Hines returned the opening kickoff 96 yards to deliver an electric start.

New England’s Jakobi Meyers caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones in response.

Josh Allen capped a 75-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown toss to Dawson Knox to give Buffalo another lead but again New England equalized on a 2-yard Jones touchdown pass to DeVante Parker, making it 14-14 at halftime.

Nick Folk’s 24-yard field goal after a Devin McCarty fumble recovery gave the Patriots their first lead early in the third quarter.

But Hines responded with a 101-yard kickoff return in another shocker—there had been only four kickoff return touchdowns in the NFL all season—and Buffalo reclaimed the lead.

Allen added a 42-yard touchdown pass to John Brown for a 28-17 Bills lead but

Jones and Parker combined on a 26-yard touchdown pass to lift New England within 28-23 but a two-point conversion attempt failed.

Jones was 17-for-17 on passes in New England’s three touchdown drives.

Allen answered with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs to create the final margin.

“I can’t remember a play that touched me like that in my life,” Allen said when asked about the remarkable start to the game.

“It was just spiritual”.

Miami’s Jason Sanders kicked his third field goal of the game, a 50-yarder, with 18 seconds remaining to give the Dolphins an 11-6 victory over the visiting New York Jets.

That combined with New England’s loss gave Miami the last AFC playoff berth for the first time since 2016.

The Dolphins were again without first choice quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and with back-up Teddy Bridgewater suffering with a dislocated finger, third choice Skylar Thompson started and did a solid job, throwing for 152 yards in the lowscoring game.

“Nobody was telling me that I had to be a hero,” said Thompson. “It may not have been pretty, but we got the job done.”

Eagles take top seed

Having squandered two prior chances to take the top seed and first-round bye, the Eagles finally finished the job albeit

POC chief to discuss PH sports in ‘23 at Forum

WHAT to expect for Philippine sports in 2023?

Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino provides the answers as a solo guest in the first PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) Forum for the year.

The special session is set at 11 a.m. at the East Ocean Palace Restaurant in Pasay City.

The year will be a busy one for Filipino athletes as several major international meets are on the horizon such as the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Thailand, qualifying tournaments for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, as well as the country’s co-hosting of the FIBA World Cup.

The weekly Forum is presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, POC, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

PSA president Rey Lachica, sports editor of Tempo, enjoins members to attend the session being livestreamed via the PSA Facebook page fb.com/ PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and aired on a delayed basis over Radyo Pilipinas 2, which also shares it on its official Facebook page.

in less than impressive fashion.

Philadelphia led 16-0 at half-time thanks to three field goals from Jake Elliott and a first quarter, eight yard touchdown rush from Boston Scott.

Elliott ended with a career-high five field goals as the Eagles, with Jalen Hurts back from injury at quarterback, secured a franchise-best 14th win of the season.

The San Francisco 49ers took the second seed after beating the Arizona Cardinals 38-13 with Brock Prudy throwing for 178 yards and three touchdowns.

Elijah Mitchell rushed for two touchdowns and 55 yards on five carries as the 49ers ensured they ended with a 13-4 record.

The 49ers will face Seattle in the wildcard round after they beat the Los Angeles Rams 19-16 with a field goal in overtime from Jason Myers. AFP

Djokovic, Kyrgios to play Australian Open practice match

MELBOURNE—Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios will deepen their blooming bromance with a practice match in front of paying spectators on Friday at Rod Laver Arena, the Australian Open said.

The first Grand Slam of 2023 begins next Monday and sees nine-time Melbourne champion Djokovic return to the tournament following his ban a year ago.

Game changer

be difficult to guard on a fast break because of his long strides and long arms.

But what about in a half-court set? That’s where we will start to see the many holes in Victor Wembanyama that will probably make him a ship easy to sink during a storm.

The famously fiery Australian Kyrgios once labelled the Serbian “a tool” but publicly offered his support last year when Djokovic was deported over his Covid vaccination status.

“Get set for explosive action as tennis’ most famous frenemies come together on RLA for an exciting practice match,” the Australian Open tweeted on Monday.

Proceeds from the match will go to charity and

about his current slim frame. The team that will draft him will also take into consideration the fact that at his young age, Victor Wembanyama has already sat out a lot of games because of injuries: psoas injury in June 2022, shoulder contusion in December 2021, fractured finger a month earlier, and a stress fracture in his fibula on December 2020.

I GET the excitement around Victor Wembanyama joining the NBA. He is a young, tall man and, according to lots of YouTube highlight videos, adept at drib bling, shooting, and passing. His wingspan at work covering shooters and slashers is every defensive-minded coach’s dream.

But calling this 7-foot-4 Frenchman a game-changer is a bit of a stretch, an expectation not even his 7-foot-11 inch-wingspan can fully cover.

I’m not even sure he will become a dominant player on either end of the court, and here’s why:

Assume today is Wembanyama’s first official NBA regular season game. What do we expect to see from him?

He will start for sure since he’s probably drafted by a bottom-tier team lacking in firepower. He will

Expect his coach to remove him from high-impact, full-contact situations. I’m talking about pick-androlls where he will get hit by an older, stronger, beefier defender. I’m talking about low post action where bigger defenders can outmuscle him and put a strain on his back and legs, where pesky defenders will get away —many times—with hitting his arm while jockeying for position or attempting a shot.

It’s not that he’s shown reluctance to engage in physical play. He’s an aggressive offensive player game on taking a hit. But if you are the coach or front office executive, do you want your first-round pick who will put fans on the stands injured early and demoted to cheerleader role the rest of the season? Don’t we have enough stars in street clothes already?

The question of whether or not he can handle the physicality is not just

It is possible his coach will use him to stretch the defense and put him outside the arc to wait for a kick out so he can shoot threes (not so different from today’s three-point shooting centers, right?)

After all, scouts say he has outside shooting. But will he be as lethal as the three-point shooters today in the NBA lighting up from distance?

Opposing coaches would dare him to shoot rather than give him the lane to drive. Looking at some of his 2022 games late in the year, this strategy appears sensible: 1-of6 against Gravelines on September 23, 2-of-7 against Le Mans on October 15, 3-of-8 against Limoges on November 4, 1-of-5 against Nanterre on November 20, against Roanne on December 6, and against Paris on December 17. He was 0-of-5 against Monaco on December 11 and 2-of-9 against Strasbourg on December 26. Fans swoon over Wembanyama as if

is a re-run of last year’s Wimbledon final, when Djokovic beat Kyrgios in four sets.

It will give Kyrgios a badly needed run-out ahead of his home Grand Slam, having been sidelined so far this year with an ankle injury.

Djokovic saved match point on Sunday before defeating Sebastian Korda to win the Adelaide International and reinforce his status as a heavy title favourite for Melbourne. AFP

he’s an unstoppable offensive juggernaut that will single-handedly car ry a team to victories when he hasn’t even been a sink-or-swim franchise player in France. How else would you explain his team winning against PauLacq-Orthez when all Victor Wembanyama can muster is a meager 10 points after shooting 3-of-10 from the field for an abysmal 30% FGA?

In a three-game stretch in December against Paris, Cholet, and Strasbourg, his FGA was 36.4%, 38.1%, and 33.3%, respectively.

And how will he perform on defense?

Well, NBA teams have been playing against tall players with good footwork. Kristaps Porzingis is 7’3”.

Lauri Markkanen is another agile and mobile 7-footer. But more importantly, why haven’t we seen a lot of shot-blocking in the NBA? Why is it that despite these tall players, it is common to see guards and forwards driving to the basket uncontested?

Ah yes, the defensive three seconds. The NBA wants more pace and shooting and less of that lane scrum that slows the game and diminishes its aesthetics. That and having Wembanyama cover a legit three-point shooter on the wing that will force him not to help a beat defender who is in the rearview mir-

ror of a slashing offensive player and the shot-blocking advantage he provides is already gone.

And assuming he finds himself in a shot-blocking position a lot of times—and make no mistake, he will block a lot of shots—how will his slim frame react over time after absorbing the impact of big-bodied players driving in full stride and hitting him in force time and time again, considering his skinny physique and his history of injuries?

All these considered, tell me again how is Victor Wembanyama a gamechanger?

How is he a game-changer when he can only average around 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game -- a stat line many NBA players shorter than Wembanyama can easily better —despite his combined height, dribbling, and shooting?

Don’t get me wrong - I think Wembanyama will become a good player. I wish him success, I really do.

But a game-changer? That one I think you got wrong.

Even Wilt Chamberlain—the man who wreaked havoc on the league and forced the NBA to implement new rules—wasn’t crowned gamechanger on his first day here.

Suggesting that Wembanyama is even Chamberlain-ish is blasphemy.

Gabe Davis of the Bu alo Bills fails to catch a pass, while defended by Jonathan Jones of the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

Victoria Lee

THE new year is starting strong for premier talent management, Star Magic as it kicks off its 2023 by collaborating with gamechanger film outfit, Mavx Productions.

The partnership, which is part of the agency’s grand yearlong 30thanniversary celebration, will elevate artistry and self-discovery, healing, and hope through three films bannered by some of the finest Star Magic artists.

“We are both thrilled and honored about this collaboration with Mavx Productions’ knowing the productions’ growing reputation for creating heartwarming, scenic, and criticallyacclaimed films in the business. We hope that the three films, I Love Lizzy, Unravel, and The Swing can spark inspiration, redemption, and change among the viewers and strengthen the love for local films,” said Lauren M. Dyogi, Head of Star Magic.

Leading the three-movie lineup is I Love Lizzy starring Carlo Aquino and Barbie Imperial which will be showing in theaters nationwide this January 18. The romantic drama film which tests the faith and fate follows a hometown party girl and a seminarian whose paths meet and whose lives are changed forever.

Viewers, then, take a wild turn with The Swing top-billed by reallife couple RK Bagatsing and Jane Oineza. Shot in picturesque Switzerland, the film depicts an adult love story about a couple who’s trying to save their marriage through unconventional means–that is engaging in swinging or swapping sexual partners. What they would discover about love, marriage, and their partners would be the deciding factor of their relationship.

Completes the set for 2023 and with Switzerland still in the background comes Unravel. Starring Gerald Anderson and Kylie Padilla, the film puts forward the practice of assisted voluntary death, which is a legal practice in certain European countries.

Ruru

Star Magic ushers in 2023 with landmark partnership

Tackling life, death, and everything in between, the film hopes to reawaken the weary souls of people no matter their status in their lives.

Helming all three films is seasoned director RC delos Reyes who is also behind the film Alter Me

“Star Magic has been discovering and honing talents the last three decades and these three films featuring their artists will serve as the shining testaments of the agency’s notable experience and stature in the Philippine entertainment industry,” said delos Reyes.

Mavx Productions, Inc is the same production house behind the titles Ikaw, A Faraway Land, and Doll House Together with Star Magic, it aims to challenge the norms of traditional films by experimenting with unconventional concepts, and formats set against the most breathtaking destinations.

to air in

LOLONG—2022’s most watched TV show in the Philippines—is set to make history again as it airs in Indonesia this January.

Through the Kapuso Network’s content distribution arm GMA Worldwide, the hit series bannered by Ruru Madrid will be seen on Indonesia’s freeto-air TV network ANTV as Dakkila.

Lolong will be the first Filipino title acquired by ANTV.

One of Indonesia’s major TV networks, ANTV reaches 130 million people through its 37 relay stations covering 155 cities across the said country.

According to ANTV, the GMA Public Affairs-produced series perfectly fits the Indonesian TV audience’s taste for the fantasy genre as their viewers enjoy shows featuring special animal characters or mythical creatures.

Lolong tells the exciting tale of a man’s extraordinary friendship with a giant crocodile named Dakila.

The series became a force to be reckoned with in Philippine primetime viewing. During its successful run,

Lolong consistently dominated TV ratings, posting double-digit numbers every night. It was hailed as “Best Primetime Serye” at the Gawad Pilipino Icon of the Year 2022 and was the Philippines’ National Winner for Best Visual/ Special Effects at the 2022 Asian Academy Creative Awards.

From a fictional character, Lolong has become a household name, with Filipinos being able to relate to Ruru’s character. Viewers praised the show for promoting values on family, friendship, and the environment.

The show and the cast drew crowds wherever they went. Even its popular crocodile character, Dakila, visited key cities in Mega Manila and select provinces in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The 22-feet long animatronic crocodile even made headlines prior to the show’s airing—with international news outlets reporting on the supposed ‘sighting’ of a giant crocodile ‘roaming’ around Marikina and Antipolo during the show’s promo.

Lolong’s powerhouse cast includes Shaira Diaz, Arra San Agustin Christopher de Leon, Jean Garcia, Bembol Roco, Malou de Guzman, Rochelle Pangilinan, Paul Salas, Marco Alcaraz, Mikoy Morales, and Maui Taylor

Directed by Rommel Penesa and Conrado Peru, the series stemmed from the idea of award-winning broadcast journalist and GMA News pillar Jessica Soho and Assistant Vice President for GMA Public Affairs LJ Castel

In a recent interview, 23-year-old actress made it chear that there’s no tinge of truth in the rumor saying that everything between her and Ian is n othing but “professional.”

“Perhaps, I just carry it off-cam. I have full respect and love for Chief (Ian’s character in the movie). He’s the best partner, what can I do, right? But kidding aside, there’s no love angle between the two of us,” Heaven clarified.

Why does he call him the “best partner ever”?

“We really had to work it out at first. We had to know and be comfortable with each other so that things will become natural on screen. Ian sets the standard for an ideal screen partner. For one, he’s very kind and caring. He possesses all the characteristics of a best partner,” she explained.

Heaven said that from the start of the shooting, her leading man treated her so well even noting that

he is so humble and giving.

Heaven Peralejo dispels rumor linking

“Everything was so light. He never made me feel intimidated because he is Ian Veneracion,” she added.

Meanwhile , when their TikTok videos came out where viewers can witness their sweetness, Heaven received bashing from netizens especially since Ian is a family man. Despite this, the young actress was not affected.

“You know, I’m already used to bashers. Ever since I started my showbiz career, it’s part and parcel of the game. For me, I’m just doing my job. The fact that the viewers are affected with the message of the film on ‘sugar babysugar daddy’ relationships, it just means that I’m effective in the role.”

Heaven stresses that she won’t enter a relationship with a married man.

“I really won’t! This also holds true to having a love life from the ‘biz. I don’t like it considering the trauma I obtained from my experience before.One more thing, I love what’s happening in my life now especially my career. It’s my current love and priority. That’s what I’m busy with at present. But if someone will come, so be it! If no one arrives, then let it be,” Heaven said.

During the New Year edition of

“I just want to extend my huge thanks to all of you—to those

I have in my personal life, thank you very, very much. You know who you are!”

It’s noticeable that of late, Sarah is more comfortable

be

NOT surprisingly, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water clung to first place on North American movie screens this weekend, pulling in an estimated $45 million, but an unexpectedly popular horror movie placed a strong second.

The Avatar sequel has now led the box office for four weeks, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

The 20th Century sci-fi fi lm has amassed domestic earnings of $516.8 million and $1.19 billion internationally, making it the seventh biggest movie in history.

But scary doll thriller M3GAN from Universal and Blumhouse—the title stands for Model 3 Generative Android —was also impressive, taking in a strong $30.2 million in its first weekend, far above analysts’ expectations.

M3GAN tells the story of a creepily humanoid robot designed—but evidently not that well—to be the perfect companion for a young orphan girl (Violet McGraw).

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Universal’s spin-off of the Shrek franchise, placed third. The family-oriented film took in $13.1 million for the Fridaythrough-Monday period, bringing its gross in North America to $87.7 million.

A new heart-warmer from Sony, A Man Called Otto, took in $4.2 million in its second week out to place fourth.

An adaptation of the novel A Man Called Ove by Swedish author Fredrik Backman Otto stars Tom Hanks as a curmudgeonly retiree whose rough edges are gradually softened by encounters with relentlessly upbeat neighbors.

And in fifth was Disney’s

sequel

Forever, at $3.4 million. That brings its domestic total to $445.4 million. AFP

YOUNG actress Heaven Peralejo sets the record straight when asked about the rumor linking her romantically with Nanahimik ang Gabi co-star Ian Veneracion . The grapevine has it that the two are sweet even off-cam.

her with ‘Nanahimik’ co-star

Madrid starrer ‘Lolong’

Indonesia ‘Avatar’ crosses $1.7b globally, ‘M3GAN’ scares up strong sales

superhero

Black Panther: Wakanda

ASAP Natin ‘To , many viewers were smitten and touched by Sarah Geronimo ’s message to her fans which exhibited genuine humility. The popular singeractress extended her gratefulness to all those who continue to support her in spite of the life decisions she chooses.

who never got tired of supporting me after all these times. And even those who still accept me with all positivity despite the various choices

in expressing her thoughts and feelings which can’t

said when she was younger and not yet married. Many believe that this is one positive influence her husband Matteo Guidicelli has on her.

Barbie Imperial and Carlo Aquino

Kylie Padilla and Gerald Anderson

Jane Oineza and RK Bagatsing

Direk Lauren Dyogi of Star Magic

Direk Rc Delos Reyes, Barbie Imperial, Carlo Aquino, Jane Oineza, Rk Bagatsing, Kylie Padilla, and Gerald Anderson

Ian Veneracion and Heaven Peralejo

Ruru Madrid

M3GAN

By Patricia Taculao

IN 2022, the famous Italian restaurant Olive Garden opened its first branch in the Philippines.

The restaurant delighted food enthusiasts who knew about Olive Garden or wanted to try something different.

At the beginning of this year, Olive Garden hopes to share its Italian hospitality with more diners through another branch in an essential shopping and leisure destination in Metro Manila. Diners can enjoy warm and hearty food with Olive Garden’s newest addition which could easily seat 113 guests.

“We are excited to open our second branch in the Philippines in a span of three months, on the heels of the success of our maiden store at the Mall of Asia. We are very pleased about the enthusiastic welcome that Filipinos accorded Olive Garden, and we look forward to expanding the brand in more locations soon,” said Greg Balogh, the Regional Operations Director of Darden Restaurants.

Olive Garden, a division of Darden Restaurants, has more than 900 restaurants globally. In the Philippines, they work alongside The Bistro Group to bring new flavors, such as Olive Garden, to Filipino diners.

“What we have with Darden Restaurants, Inc., the company behind Olive Garden, is a collaboration that’s been very positive from the start. We are happy to be working with them on building the brand and growing the business locally,” said The Bistro Group’s President, Jean Paul Manuud

After Glorietta 3, The Bistro Group promises to open another Olive Garden branch in the Philippines. But that’s a story for another time. Let’s focus on their recent addition.

Since most mallgoers know that the Glorietta 3 layout can be confusing to those with little to no experience, it’s fortunate that Olive Garden positioned its

BETTER THE SECOND TIME AROUND

Olive Garden opens another branch in the Metro

beside the escalator on the third floor.

Like all Olive Garden restaurants anywhere in the world, a rustic stone passageway welcomes guests inside to its comfortable and cozy interiors with warm elements and olive green accents. The interior design emanates the Italian countryside with its earth tones and natural textures.

Moreover, since Olive Garden prides itself on giving diners a unique experience, one section of the restaurant has a clear view of the outdoors.

Vista Land to launch over sixteen Asterra projects in 2023

This

However, the sardine-like density in the big cities can also take its toll on the harried Filipino workforce. The traffic and chaotic transport systems foment stress, driving even longtime urbanites to seek a happy medium – the suburbs – that offers the tranquil environment they want and the conveniences of city living that they need.

This is what Asterra, the affordable residential project of leading property developer Vista Land, seeks to address in 2023 when it opens sixteen new projects in various municipalities in the country.

While Vista Land has yet to disclose the locations where Asterra will rise, the property developer affirms that

All in all, Asterra looks to be the perfect domicile for cityweary Filipinos

thrive in suburban neighborhoods that are within a reasonable commute to urban centers. And the good news is, they can all look forward to Vista Land’s Asterra going on pre-selling mode next year.

For more information on Asterra, check out its website: https://www.asterraph.com/ or the official Asterra FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/AsterraOfficial

While

the ‘Salem homestyle’ can now be easily achieved in the comfort of your home.

For decades, Salem and Our Home

Yet aside from the view and ambiance, people return to Olive Garden for its food and overall dining experience. After all, only a few Italian restaurants offer neverending soup, salad, and breadsticks to guests.

Some drinks are also refillable, but Olive Garden offers alcoholic beverages with a refreshing twist to satisfy its diners’ taste preferences.

Like its maiden branch in SM MoA in Pasay City, Olive Garden in Glorietta 3 also serves menu classics like chicken alfredo, chicken parmigiana, and lasagna, perfect for hungry diners. In the meantime, the menu also has a sharing option because, more than anything, Olive Garden aims to be a family dining destination.

The restaurant assures that they use fresh, quality ingredients in making their dishes.

Olive Garden’s second branch opened on January 9, at the third level of Glorietta 3 in Makati City.

Nickie Wang Editor Patricia Taculao Editorial Assistant

second branch in an accessible location to avoid disorientation. Guests can simply enter via the entrance of Glorietta 3 and go two floors up. The restaurant is right

SALEM, the country’s leading mattress manufacturer, brings its iconic bed quality to its new line of sofas, dining sets, and lamps in a new shop-in-shop at Our Home.

Reflective of Our Home’s philosophy of helping customers create their ideal modern contemporary home, this lifestyle area not only elevates the shopping experience for guests and shoppers but also gives them more options and ideas on how to style their homes.

Salem, one of the premium brands offered in Our Home and the inaugural brand for the store’s shop-in-shop space, can now showcase its wide range of products exclusively to Our Home’s guests in one area.

best known for mattresses, Salem now also offers sofas, dining sets, and lamps under the chain. With this selection of items,

Specialties from Olive Garden

From left: Christopher Maglanoc, President of the Ayala Malls; William Stelton, Chairman of The Bistro Group; RC Tiongson, COO The Bistro Group; Greg Balogh, Darden International Operations Director; Jean Paul Manuud, The Bistro Group President

The rustic interior of Olive Garden in Glorietta 3

Enjoy unlimited breadsticks at Olive Garden’s newest branch in the Philippines

Salem brings its iconic bed quality to its line of sofas, ottomans, dining sets, and lamps in Salem’s Shop-in-Shop space at Our Home Megamall

Salem’s Lexi Table Lamp offers style and functionality. From its elegant marble base, the lamp can be freely adjusted to 90 degrees

worked hand in hand in helping consumers create their dream space and will continue to do so. Style your home with Salem and visit Our Home’s Shop-in-Shop in SM Megamall.

This Salem’s Belvedere Mattress is designed to follow the body’s curves and angles and offers enhanced contour support

FOR many Filipinos, Metro Manila is the gold standard for modern living. As host to three or more Central Business Districts and most of the country’s commercial and industrial hubs, the metro is where the movers and shakers keep the local economy humming.

the selection process is based on important factors like economic and investment opportunities that coalesce to improve Filipino homeowners’ quality of life.

likewise assures future Asterra residents that all developments in the portfolio will have access to schools, hospitals, retail hubs, leisure establishments—and even corporate spaces.

Asterra projects will feature clusters of residential developments all with sleek, spacious, and well-laid-out interiors that active young professionals, entrepreneurs, and start-up families covet. Asterra will also have various fun amenities like basketball courts, gyms, and function halls to foster warm and friendly community ties that are a trademark of all Vista Land developments.

who will

Asterra affirms its location will be based on important factors like economic and investment opportunities that coalesce to improve the Filipino homeowners’ quality of life

Asterra looks to be the perfect domicile for city-weary Filipinos who will thrive in suburban neighborhoods that are within a reasonable commute to urban centers