Manila Standard - 2023 January 25 - Wednesday

PH, US eye joint patrol in WPS

Amb. Romualdez: It’s on the table; Amb. Carlson: We work with PCG

By Rey E. Requejo

THE United States and the Philippines are eyeing joint maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea.

US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said combined maritime activities between the Philippines and the US are “vitally important” to enhance the country’s safety and security.

This was echoed by Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel

Romualdez who said that serious talks on the joint patrol are “on the table.”

“So many fisherfolks have their lives wrapped up in fishing so the United States wants to do everything possible. There is an array of activities we

PBBM asks why egg prices spiked; to meet producers, traders

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

Abalos plans to restructure PNP to rebuild image, reputation

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) will undergo a “restructuring” after high-ranking officials turned in their courtesy resignations as part of the government’s drive to cleanse its ranks of “bad eggs.”

Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. made this announcement Tuesday, saying his office will conduct a review of its structure.

“Now we see the reforms that we have to do.

Let’s look also at the legal side. Let’s review the institution [and] the structures,” Abalos said.

“We will ask what we should change to the

A DILG insider told Manila Standard that Abalos felt that if the PNP generals and full colonels resign, the police force could “start with a clean slate and will be able to erase all

THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) on Tuesday defended its contract with a third-party auditor for offshore licensees, saying Global ComRCI went through a proper bidding process and met all the legal requirements under the Procurement law.

In a statement, the state firm and casino regulator said it awarded the contract to Global RCI in December 2017 and put the contract under review “with the assumption of the new leadership of PAGCOR” last September 2022 under chairman and chief executive Alejandro Tengco. “We assure the Senators that the review will

By Vince Lopez

THE Marcos administration intends to privatize the operations and maintenance of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) while keeping its assets under government control, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said on Tuesday.

Bautista issued the clarification after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on

Monday said the NAIA, the country’s main gateway, would not be privatized.

Mr. Marcos said “a private firm cannot own the airport” during a televised interview with broadcast journalists Monday night.

“What the President means is that we will not give it to the private sector, the assets of NAIA. What he wants to convey is, it’s the private sector who will

Fil-Am among dead in CNY mass shooting in US

By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

UN notes climate change a factor in human trafficking

EVIDENCE is emerging that climaterelated disasters are becoming a cause of human trafficking as criminal gangs exploit a growing number of uprooted people, the UN said Tuesday.

The continuing war in Ukraine is

also another risk factor for increased human trafficking, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report.

The UN drugs agency noted that an increase in cases of human trafficking

had been observed in Bangladesh and the Philippines after devastating cyclones and typhoons displaced millions.

Droughts and floods in Ghana, and the Caribbean region – subject to hurricanes

By Vince Lopez

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban to arrange a meeting with egg producers and

traders to determine why the prices of chicken eggs have surged in recent weeks despite a sufficient supply in the market. Mr. Marcos, who also heads the DA as its concurrent secretary, issued the order during a Cabinet meeting.

A FILIPINO -American was killed during the Lunar New Year mass shooting incident in California, the

Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Los Angeles reported on Tuesday. In a statement, the Philippine consulate identified the victim as 68-yearold Valentino Alvero, who was among the 11 people killed after a 72-year-old

suspect opened fire in Monterey Park over the weekend. It was not the only death of a Filipino overseas over the weekend, as the Department of Migrant Workers on

BAMBIKE. Erden Eruç, a 15-time Guinness World Record holder, rides a bamboo bicycle in Intramuros, Manila on Tuesday, January 24, 2023. The 61-year-old Turkish-American adventurer, who holds the world record for being the first to circumnavigate the globe by means of sole human power, is passing through the Philippines this month in his renewed quest to once again travel across the world. He began his land travel from Legazpi City, Albay on January 18 and will proceed to Ilocos Norte. Norman Cruz

VIGIL. People gather at a candlelight vigil for victims of a deadly mass shooting at a ballroom dance studio on January 23, 2023 in Monterey Park, California. AFP

CABINET MEETING. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presides over a meeting with members of his Cabinet on issues concerning the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Information and Technology (DICT), and Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023.

structure itself. Why did we end up like this?”

SC wraps up legal debate on NCAP

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday wrapped up oral arguments on the petition assailing the constitutionality of the controversial “No Contact Traffic Apprehension Policy” being imposed by several local government units in Metro Manila.

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo earlier said the resolution of the issues pertaining to the implementation of the NCAP is one of the cases that the 15-member bench would be prioritizing this year since the petition concerned public interest.

Gesmundo gave the parties in the petition 30 days to submit respective memoranda to amplify their arguments, after which, the petition is deemed sub -

mitted for resolution.

During the continuation of the oral arguments on Tuesday, Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan shared his bad experience as one of those who was forced to pay penalties for the traffic violations committed by his driver in Parañaque City before he can file a complaint to question the violations.

Gaerlan narrated that his driver was caught beating the red light in a cer-

tain location several times through the NCAP.

He, however, said the traffic lights in the area have no digital features that could forewarn drivers when to proceed and when to stop.

Since traffic in the area is usually heavy, Gaerlan said a traffic aide from the barangay would usually signal motorists to proceed, without regard to the traffic lights.

Thus, there were instances that his driver was caught through the camera beating the red light.

The SC magistrate lamented it is the registered owner of the vehicle who has to shoulder the fines or contest the violation and not the one actually driving the vehicle.

and law enforcement agencies on the China Coast Guard’s actions to force Filipino fishers to leave the Ayungin Shoal last week.

Lawyer Pancho Vasquez, who represented the Paranaque City government in the oral arguments, told the justices that traffic violations can be appealed before the traffic adjudication board.

“If it can be established that the violation was committed with the participation of the traffic enforcer it is usually being reconsidered,” Vasquez said.

While traffic violations can be appealed, Justice Gaerlan pointed out that it seems easier said than done.

“That is easy to say but in reality if you go there, because I personally went there, they will compel you to pay first. So, what you will do is just pay the fines,” Gaerlan said.

The justice also complained about the exorbitant fines being imposed by LGUs.

Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

doubts from the public and rebuild its image and reputation.”

PNP chief Police General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. earlier said they will institute a massive restructuring in the ranks of the PNP-Internal Affairs Service (IAS), Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) and Drug Enforcement Group (DEG).

These offices, Azurin said, are the frontline units of the PNP in their internal cleansing program and campaign against the illegal drug trade.

He said the program will take effect after the five-man panel formed by Abalos finishes its evaluation and review of the records and status of the resigned police officials.

The results of the evaluation will be submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

At the same time, Marcos said the government is rationalizing the importation schedule of sugar to match the local production of the commodity.

With egg prices rising sharply, the President told DA officials to explain why there was a wide gap between farm gate and retail prices that benefited mainly the traders.

“We determined that the increase in the price of eggs is not commensurate to the increase in production cost,” the President said.

“So we will have to have a look to see how to control that because we cannot explain almost one-half of the profit margin that we are seeing. We cannot attribute it to cost,” the President said.

Based on the DA’s price watch as of Jan. 13, medium-sized eggs retail at P9 each, compared to P6.90 in December 2022.

The DA said eggs should just retail between P7 and P7.50 per piece, given its farm gate prices. Reports show that eggs are being sold as high as P9.60 per piece.

To address the situation, the DA earlier reconvened the Price and Volume Watch Committee and Advisory Groups for Livestock and Poultry to closely watch the prices of eggs across the country.

In an interview on January 14, Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said that the agency is eliminating “certain layers of traders” to bring down prices of chicken eggs.

“We are coordinating with [Philippine] Egg Board also to see the supply situation, and if there are bottlenecks. Right now, what we are doing also is to eliminate certain layers of traders because that will also help bring down the price,” Evangelista said in a media forum.

The Agriculture Department, in its report to Malacañang Palace, said that the farm gate price of medium chicken eggs is pegged at P6.97 per piece, 7.89 percent higher than the price in December 2022.

On sugar, the President said rationalizing the importation schedule would help normalize prices of the commodity.

“We would not import while the price of sugar is low. This would normalize the price,” he said.

can do. We are certainly working very closely with the Philippine Coast Guard in that regard,” she said.

“So whether it’s joint patrol or any activities…the important thing is it is done in conjunction with our Philippine partners,” Carlson added.

Romualdez said “more activities as far as our defense cooperation with the US is concerned” will materialize in the next months.

“It’s part of the program and I think we are going to have these enhanced patrols in the West Philippine Sea fairly quickly,” Romualdez said.

“It’s on the table. We will let you know and I’m sure you will know when the joint patrols will take place...We have our joint exercises so joint patrols [are] also part and parcel of that agreement that we have with the United States,” he added.

For its part, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday declared that Filipino fishers who were driven away by Chinese coast guard vessels from the Philippine-occupied Ayungin Shoal have the right to fish in the area and “take whatever they are due” according to Philippine and international law.

The DFA said it has yet to receive official reports from the military

The reports will serve as the basis for diplomatic action, the DFA said.

“Ayungin Shoal is part of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of the Philippines. The Philippines is entitled to exercise sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the area without any intervention from another country,” the DFA said.

The harassment of Filipino fishers in Ayungin, also called Second Thomas Shoal, came days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to China, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to establish a hotline between Manila and Beijing to prevent an escalation of tensions in the South China Sea.

Marcos earlier said the Philippines had used the hotline following the Ayungin incident, but it was unclear how the Chinese side had responded.

A Philippine naval vessel— the BRP Sierra Madre—has been grounded at the Ayungin Shoal since 1999. The Philippines says this means it has established a permanent presence on the shoal.

The shoal is 105.77 nautical miles from Palawan and falls within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile continental shelf as provided under the United Nations Convention on the

“The department vigilantly monitors any developments in the West Philippine Sea, especially following the discussions between President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the former’s state visit to China,” the DFA said.

In 2013, the Philippines challenged China’s legal basis for its vast claim in the South China Sea before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. Manila won the case in a landmark award in 2016 after the tribunal invalidated Beijing’s assertions.

But China has ignored and belittled the ruling, maintaining an “indisputable” and “historical” claim over nearly the entire waters even as it encroaches on the territories of its smaller neighbors like the Philippines.

For years, the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, and China have been locked in territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a vital sea lane where oil and natural gas have been discovered.

Marcos earlier expressed hope that the incident would reach Xi, who recently vowed to find a “compromise” on Filipino fishers in the West Philippine Sea, which is part of the country’s exclusive economic zone and upheld by the 2016 Arbitral Ruling rendered by the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration

Abalos recently said that accepted resignations would mean early retirement for those who were found connected with illegal drugs and cases will be pursued if there is enough evidence against them.

He guaranteed that the probe would be independent and impartial as it would go through two rounds of review, one by the five-man advisory group led by retired police general and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, and another by the National Police Commission, which will review the group’s recommendations. He added that they aim to finish the investigation in three months.

So far, none of the other four panel members has been identified but Abalos said they would be of “impeccable credibility and integrity.”

On Monday, Azurin said only 11 senior police officials had not submitted their courtesy resignations.

Eight colonels and three brigadier generals have until Jan. 31 to submit their courtesy resignations, Azurin said in a press briefing at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Maybe they are still trying to discern whether they should submit their resignations so close to retirement, he said.

and rising sea levels – were also forcing many to migrate.

“Climate change is increasing vulnerability to trafficking,” the UNODC report said.

“While a systematic global analysis of the impact of climate change in trafficking in persons is missing, community level studies in different parts of the world point at weather induced disasters as root causes for trafficking in persons,” it said.

The report is based on data from 141 countries collected from 2017 to 2020, and the analysis of 800 court cases.

The impact of climate change “disproportionately” affected poor farming, fishing and other communities mainly relying on the extraction of natural resources for their livelihoods, the report said.

Once “deprived of their means of subsistence and forced to flee their community,” people were becoming easy prey for traffickers, Fabrizio Sarrica, the report’s main author, told a press briefing.

In 2021 alone, climate-related disasters internally displaced more than 23.7 million people, while many others fled their countries altogether. AFP

manage the operations through a concession agreement, which is what we have been doing in two airports now, Cebu and Clark [airports],” Bautista said at a Palace briefing.

The Department of Transportation chief was referring to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport and Clark International Airport, which are operated by private firms GMR-Megawide and Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corp., respectively.

Bautista said the DOTr is working with the Asian Development Bank in preparing the terms of reference for the NAIA operation’s privatization.

The Transportation chief also allayed fears of higher airfares and airport terminal fees, as the regulatory function will remain with the government.

“The government will have a say in the rates that the operators will impose,” Bautista, a former president of flag carrier Philippine Airlines, said.

Meanwhile, the President ordered the fast-tracking of the modernization of the country’s aviation safety system to avoid glitches like the New Year’s Day air traffic incident at the NAIA.

At the same media briefing, Bautista said the management agreement

with Sumitomo-Thales -- the maintenance provider of the communications, navigation, and surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) system of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) -- will also be expedited.

Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy said an “electromechanical malfunction” triggered the air traffic system glitch that shut down the country’s airspace for most of January 1 and affected over 300 flights, stranding thousands of travelers.

At a Palace press briefing, Uy said the matter was discussed during a recent meeting with the President and the Department of Transportation.

“We did discuss on the incident that happened last January 1, and so far from the cybersecurity aspect, there doesn’t appear to be any cyber-related incident that triggered the incident,” Uy said.

“It was basically an electromechanical malfunction that triggered the whole incident,” he added.

“[The President] is very much aware of what happened, and he supports our recommendation to implement future requirements necessary for the upgrade or improvement of the CNS/ATM system,” Bautista added.

The requirements include hardware and software maintenance, hardware

In its statement, the gaming regulator noted that the offshore gaming industry “has only been in existence in the Philippines under PAGCOR over the last five years.”

replacement, ultimate fallback system for software redundancy and the need for an independent CNS/ATM in a separate location, the DoTr chief added.

Bautista said that the government has been working with Sumitomo-Thales since last September to help CAAP with the CNS/ATM system maintenance.

However, he said a maintenance agreement was not reached due to financial issues with the maintenance provider.

“They have claims against the government, we do also have claims against them, and they were just trying to settle this and hopefully by the end of this month, There is a clear indication on how we will be able to settle the issue,” Bautista said.

Aside from upgrading the CNS/ATM system, the government is looking to create an offsite permanent back-up system, possibly in another airport, to keep the system redundant and further minimize the possibility of issues that could affect airport operations.

“We will need to prepare a feasibility study to do this and for us to be able to determine the cost which we will present to NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) for approval and for funding either from ODA (official development assistance) or from GAA (General Appropriations Act),” the Transportation chief said.

declared by POGO operators, including that it must have an operating capital of at least P1 billion.

Monday condemned the demise of a Kuwait-based Pinoy worker, who was reportedly found burned in a desert.

Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople has talked to the family of 35-year-old OFW Jullebee Ranara, whose death was reported by Kuwaiti media over the weekend.

In the wake of the gruesome death, the Philippines will seek “additional safeguards” instead of suspending the deployment of workers to Kuwait, Ople said on Tuesday in a Senate hearing.

Senate Committee on Migrant Workers chairman Senator Raffy Tulfo asked the DMW to ensure there will be strong evidence against the suspect who burned Ranara to death.

The 17-year-old suspect in the killing of Ranara, 35, is now under police custody, Ople reported.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada called for justice to be served and for the perpetrators to be punished “for the ordeal of our fellow Filipino.”

Meanwhile, the Philippine consulate said it was “shocked and sad” over the death of Alvero and was ready to assist the shooting victim’s family “in whatever possible way.”

“Our prayers go out to the families of the victims, and we mourn with them during this Lunar New Year Festival, which is supposed to be a time of gathering and celebration,” the consulate said.

swindled or let yourselves be swindled),” Gatchalian said.

be finished and released at the proper time,” the PAGCOR statement added. “We have been in contact with Global ComRCI and are currently assessing the contract’s terms and conditions and the company’s performance.:

However, senators took turns blasting the state firm on several issues in yesterday’s hearing of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, with panel chairman Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian reiterating PAGCOR was hoodwinked into signing a P6-billion contract with the third-party auditor.

The lawmakers also took the government firm to task for its handling of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators and its actions on the alleged kidnapping of a Filipina by workers of two companies that are reportedly service providers of POGOs.

“Aside from the taxes to the national and local governments, it currently employs an estimated 25,000 Filipinos and contributes billions of pesos to the local economy thru real estate activities, consumption and indirect employment,” it added.

“It is PAGCOR’s aim to nurture this industry as it believes it has much more to contribute to the Philippine economy and nation building,” the statement said.

But Gatchalian lambasted PAGCOR for its failure to comply with its own Terms of Reference (TOR) when it entered the big contract with Global ComRCI, one of three company names that surfaced in the hearing.

The TOR provided the requirements necessary for an entity to qualify as a third-party auditor of gaming revenues

But based on the audited financial statements of the members of the consortium -- Global Myoho Renge Copy, Inc., Comfac Corporation, and Highweb Trade -- for the third-party auditor, their combined equity does not meet the P1-billion requirement.

The 10-year contract between PAGCOR and Global ComRCI started in 2017.

To comply, GlobalComRCI submitted a bank guarantee issued by Soleil Chartered Bank in its favor in the amount of $25 million (P1.36 billion).

However, it was revealed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) that Soleil Chartered is not a registered bank in the country and therefore, cannot issue a bank guarantee in the Philippines.

“How come nobody saw this? How did it pass? It’s either nabudol kayo or nagpabudol kayo (It’s either you were

The hearing also uncovered that the office addresses declared by Global ComRCI to PAGCOR were traced to a residential area in Paranaque City, found to be fictitious, and considered inappropriate venues of operation for the entity that it claims to be.

Global ComRCI also failed to secure the necessary building permits. In the contract, its address is in Makati but in a letter submitted by Global ComRCI to PAGCOR and to the Committee, its address is in Manila.

Worse, the city governments of Makati and Manila certified that no business permit was issued to the thirdparty auditor.

The committee also found out that Highweb Trade Ltd., part of the thirdparty auditor consortium under Gloval ComRCI, does not have the technical expertise to provide the technology for a regulator like PAGCOR.

Record 189 Chinese tourists land in Manila

By Joel E. Zurbano

ARECORD 189

Chinese tourists arrived in Manila on Tuesday, airport authorities reported.

Manila airport officials led by general manager Cesar Chiong and Tourism executives headed by Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco, along with Chinese ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian, welcomed the arrivals who landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport -Terminal 1 at 4:43 p.m. aboard Xiamen Air flight MF 819.

An Immigration officer told reporters that it was the first time that he saw such a huge number of Chinese tourists arrived in a single batch in Manila.

“Ngayon lang ako nakakita ng ganito kalaking bilang ng Chinese tourists since the pandemic,” he said.

Majority of the tourists were from Xiamen who came with a handful of other foreign nationals and at least 10 children who were provided with kiddie stuff toys and shirts by the Philippine Tourism department.

The tourists underwent regular airport procedure at the quarantine and immigration sections.

“They were subjected to the arrival guidelines of Immigration for foreign nationals. What’s the protocol for other nationalities, the same will be applied to them,” a NAIA information officer said.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) acknowledged the significant contribution of the People’s Republic of China as a major tourism market of the Philippines, next to South Korea.

The DOT said in 2019 alone, 1,743, 309 million Chinese tourists visited Manila.

“We look forward to the significant contribution of the Chinese market to the recovery and resurgence of the Philippine travel and tourism industry,” Frasco said in an interview with Xinhua News.

“We gladly welcome back our Chinese friends to the Philippines’ awardwinning and emerging tourist destinations,” she added.

Taguig LGU intends to expand Bicutan’s Lakeshore complex

TAGUIG

Mayor Laarni Cayetano on Monday signed an agreement with officials of various government agencies led by Department of Health (DOH) on the creation, use, management, and promotion of healthy parks and public open spaces in the city.

Cayetano said her administration supports the program, adding that every city must have open spaces where the public can visit for physical activity to help them reduce any feelings of loneliness and isolation, and put them in touch with other people.

The mayor said apart from the expansion of the Lakeshore that allows for activities such as zumba exercise and cycling, the local government will also allocate funds for every barangay that has vacant land for possible conversion into a park. The signing ceremony was also attended by officials of the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources, as well as the Philippine Commission on Women. Present were DOH regional director Loreta Malaluan, DILG Assistant Secretary Rolando Puno, DENR Assistant Secretary Marcial Amaro Jr., and Philippine Commission on Women executive director Kristine Rosary Yuzon-Chaves.

Mar. 5 eyed for resolution of Evangelista murder case

By Rio N. Araja

A QUEZON City trial court wants to reschedule its promulgation of judgment on a carjacking with homicide case against three suspected members of a crime syndicate who allegedly abducted and killed a son of Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) president Arsenio Evangelista 11 years ago.

Evangelista told the Manila Standard he was informed of the planned resetting of sentencing from Feb. 3 to Mar. 5 to allow for the presence of journalists during the event.

Evangelista said a Quezon City told him about the request of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Rafael Hipolito to be given more time to prepare his ruling on the case.

According to Evangelista, senior deputy state prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon called up the trial prosecutor a week ago to coordinate with the court on “the presence of media during the promulgation.”

He said Hipolito has yet to consult the RTC executive judge and the Court Administrator about the matter.

The case involved the murder of Venson Evangelista who reportedly went missing on Jan. 13, 2011 while working as a used-car salesman in Cubao, Quezon City.

The boy’s burnt body was found later in Barangay Biliran, Cabanatuan City.

Case records showed that the victim disappeared after he entertained three men who pretended to buy a second-hand sports utility vehicle from the shop in Cubao.

Venson allowed the two suspects to test drive the vehicle, but offered to go with the purported buyers.

Maynilad agrees to pay P27.48-m rebate to M’lupa customers

AFTER a study on the causes and adverse effects of its service interruptions, the Maynilad Water Service Inc. on Tuesday agreed to pay a P27.48-million rebate for customers south of Metro Manila.

“We have agreed with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage SystemRegulatory Office on the rebate after they reviewed the causes of the service interruptions and affected areas in the south. Since the individual rebate amount depends on the experience in the specific areas, it is best for customers to get the details from the Public Information Drive of the MWSS RO,” Maynilad said in a statement.

“To date, maintenance activities at our water treatment plants in Putatan, Muntinlupa, are ongoing. We are working roundthe-clock to fully restore water service at the soonest possible time. Our mobile water tankers continue to do the rounds of affected areas meantime,” it said.

The full 300-MLD (million liters per day) output of our existing Putatan water treatment plants is just enough for the current requirements of our customers in the south, the firm added.

“Hence, any reduction owing to maintenance activities or other causes are immediately felt by customers. To address this, we are constructing a new treatment plant in Poblacion, Muntinlupa (City). Targeted for completion by yearend, this facility is designed to produce 150 MLD of additional supply that will help to reduce service disruptions,” it cited. Rio N. Araja

Airline to PH-bound travelers: Have eTravel card early

AIR

Steve Dailisan, Air Asia communications and public affairs chief, said the eTravel platform which replaces the One Health Pass is the only travel requirement for fully vaccinated Filipino and international travelers going to Manila. He added it is available online via etravel.gov.ph.

The airline served the reminder amid

observations that about 20 percdent of arriving international guests were still unable to complete the eTravel requirement prior to their flight, causing long queues at the arrival area.

“As a mandatory requirement of the Philippine government on safety and security, we would like to highly encourage the compliance of our guests as we promote a seamless customer experience with AirAsia,” Dailisan said.

The Department of Tourism, meanwhile, predicted that more than 4.8 million tourists are expected to visit the Philippines this year.

Air Asia, reputedly one of the world’s

best low-cost airlines, expected Philippine arrivals to increase beginning the second quarter or during the summer season, especially for popular tourist destinations such as Bohol, Boracay, Cebu, and Puerto Princesa in Palawan.

To encourage more international tourists to visit the Philippines, the airline opened its three times a week flight to Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Dailisan said travelers going to Guangzhou (Canton), China, and Tokyo (Narita), Japan may now find the best value deals through the airasia Super App. He added flights to these key routes are expected to start next month.

Olivarez cites village chiefs’ role in solving Parañaque’s trash problem

issued certifications to the fact that garbage collection in their jurisdictions have returned to normal, and that out of the 16 barangays, 10 barangays have registered 100% collection efficiency,” the mayor added.

BI nabs American wanted in Texas for sexual assault crime

By Vito Barcelo

BUREAU of Immigration (BI) operatives have arrested an American wanted by Texas authorities for alleged sexual assault on a disabled woman three years ago.

In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the fugitive as Calvert Leroy Cummings, 68, who was arrested in a subdivision in Novaliches, Quezon City by elements from the BI’s fugitive search unit.

Tansingco said US authorities sought Cummings’ arrest and requested the suspect’s deportation to stand trial for his crime in Texas.

The BI chief said Cummings would be placed in the immigration blacklist and banned from re-entering the country.

Olivarez assured his constituents that the city government remained on top of the situation, and that he was focused

“We are thankful to all our barangay chairpersons for their full cooperation and support which enabled us to solve the problem in garbage collection,” Olivarez said.

“In fact, our barangay officials have

The other barangays registered between 70 percent to 90 percent efficiency, but the numbers are all expected to further improve in the coming days until everything has normalized.

“Of course, there are still some areas that we are working on, but these are mostly about collection schedules because our constituents have yet to adjust to the new time and date of garbage hauling,” he added.

According to BI-FSU chief Rendel Ryan Sy, Cummings was issued an arrested warrant by a court Aransas County, Texas in September 2019 after he was indicted on charges of aggravated sexual assault on a disabled person.

Cummings fled to the Philippines to evade arrest and prosecution for his crime.

Cummings is temporarily held at the BI’s facility inside Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig pending his deportation.

City plans to further expand the Lakeshore Complex in Bicutan to provide its people “safe and clean areas for family events and wellness activities.”

PARA ÑAQUE City Mayor Eric Olivarez thanked the city’s 16 barangay chairpersons for their “pivotal role” in solving the garbage pileup caused by the transition from the old to the new garbage hauling contractor.

on governance in collaboration with all stakeholders.

BARANGAY-BASED AGRI PROJECT. Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. (right) and Undersecretary Felicito Valmocina lead the ceremonial launch of a nationwide “Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay (HAPAG) sa Barangay Project” held at Barangay Holy Spirit in the Quezon City Circle, meant to drum up support to President Marcos’s food sufficiency program. Manny Palmero

RECORD CHINESE TOURIST ARRIVALS. Officials of the Department of Tourism led by Secretary Cristina Frasco, joined by Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian, welcome some 200 Chinese nationals from Xiamen City at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The group was deemed to be the largest ever batch of Chinese tourists to come to Manila in a post-pandemic era. Danny Pata

TOWARD A ZERO-WASTE ENVIRONMENT. Members of the Mother Earth Foundation, the Ecowaste Coalition, and the Ocean Conservancy conduct a waste assessment and brand audit at the Quezon City Circle to dramatize the hazards of plastic wastes and urge the government to support their crusade. Manny Palmero

Asia Philippines on Tuesday reminded its Manila-bound international passengers to fill out the required OneStop Electronic Travel Declaration or the eTravel card three days or 72 hours before departure for their own convenience in entering the country.

Lawmakers hail PBBM decision on MIF review

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday guaranteed that the Senate will carefully study the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) even before the same call was made by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. “That’s what I’ve been saying from the beginning-- to carefully study it,” Zubiri said.

He said the Senate will start with the House version of the MIF and propose perfecting amendments to it. “We will tackle this one step at a time but will not delay the process,” he also said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III also supports Mr. Marcos’ call on the MIF.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said what appeared to be a “soft launch” of the government’s sovereign wealth fund in Davos, Switzerland is “premature” and that she has “reservations” in the “reengineered” MIF Bill.

However, Hontiveros said she was “pleasantly surprised” with the President’s remark that he is yet to accept the “re-engineered version” of the MIF.

Independent Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay expressed elation over Mr. Marcos’s stand on the proposed use of dividends from government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) as seed money for the MIF.

“I am happy and thankful that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. agrees with my position that the GOCC dividends should not be utilized as seed money for funding the [MIF] because these dividends are traditionally and legally used as additional revenues to finance the GAA, more particularly basic socio-economic services on health, education, food security, employment generation, and infrastructure development,” Lagman said.

Call for lifestyle checks on BOC, DA execs pushed

By Maricel V. Cruz

REP. Ray Reyes of Anakalusugan on Tuesday called for a thorough lifestyle check on officials and personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) as recent house committee hearings bared that some of them own luxury cars and other assets.

“The Office of the Ombudsman should move and start a lifestyle check on these people. Since time immemorial, BoC had been known for unscrupulous transactions. Employees working as early as eight months could be seen owning luxury cars. How is that even possible?” Reyes said in a statement.

“Rising prices of agricultural commodities due to the complicity in the smuggling of some in DA also indicates that huge syndicates operate within and are behind all these. We, consumers, pay the price of their corruption,” he added.

Reyes made the comment as the House Committee on Ways and Means conducted an inquiry into the smuggling of basic commodities and agricultural products. The inquiry showed that the price of agricultural products such as onions and sugar in the country are significantly higher than in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Paraguay.

The inquiry also uncovered that almost P5 billion worth of revenue is uncollected due to rampant smuggling of agricultural products.

House supports poll body’s ‘register anywhere’ program

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House of Representatives has joined the Register Anywhere Project of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to increase the number of registered voters for the next future electoral exercises.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the House participation was signed Tuesday at the Batasan complex in Quezon City by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Comelec chair George Erwin Garcia.

Rep. Maximo Dalog Jr. of Mt. Province, who chairs the committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, delivered the opening remarks.

Other House and Comelec officials attended the MOU signing. “Our in-

PROTECTED WITNESS.

The

volvement in this laudable project is our modest contribution to the efforts of the Comelec to register as many voters as possible,” Romualdez said.

“We encourage our House members, personnel, and their dependents and relatives, as well as those of attached agencies, and our people in general to take advantage of this offsite or satellite listing project so they could exercise their right of suffrage in future elections,” he said.

House Secretary General (SG) Reginald Velasco has informed members of the chamber, employees, congressional staff and personnel of attached agencies of the registration at the Batasan.

In a memorandum, SG Velasco said registration for House members and employees and personnel of agencies will be on January 25 and 26, while that for their dependents will be on Jan. 27, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It will be conducted at the North Wing Lobby of the Batasan complex, he said.

He said those who will turn 15 years of age by October 30, 2023 may register.

Under the House-Comelec MOU, aside from the registration venue and similar requirements, the House would provide Covid-19 antigen test for 30 Comelec employees.

Villar: Hoarders manipulated onion prices

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Cynthia Villar has maintained that the onion shortage is just artificial and that hoarders manipulated the prices.

Told about the drop in the price of onions, Villar insisted there was really no shortage, adding that traders hoarded onions during the last harvest.

“There was no shortage...They kept onions in cold storage facilities and came out with them at very, very high prices,” she stressed.

It was reported that the cost of onions significantly declined from P700 per kilo to P200 per kilo or even lower. The Department of Agriculture (DA) said this was due to the arrival of imported onions.

However, Villar dismissed the DA claims and also emphasized that farmers have requested to stop the arrival of imported onions during the harvest season. With imported onions flooding the local market, farmers said traders will buy their products at low prices.

Since they have no cold storage facilities which were being rented by traders for keeping imported onions, farmers will be forced to sell their onions even at very low cost.

Villar further said she will push for amendments to the large Scale Agricultural Smuggling which will put provisions against cartels, profiteering, and hoarding.

The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) meanwhile said imported onions are expected to be released to the markets within the current week.

BPI office-in-charge (OIC) for information section Jose Diego Roxas confirmed the arrival of nearly 600 metric tons (MT) of fresh onions - 218 MT of yellow onions and 370 MT of red onions.

DICT says more than 20M SIMs now registered

Bantag camp files reconsideration of DOJ panel

By Rey E. Requejo

THE camp of

In

between

Balisong

PH, US to begin push for nuclear cooperation

THE Philippines and the United States will begin the preparation to push for civil nuclear cooperation, an offshoot of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s visit to the US in September 2022.

US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said in a Makati Business Club (MBC) event Tuesday that the two governments will kick off the first official consultations to prepare for 123 Agreement negotiations “in the coming weeks.”

“Completing a 123 Agreement will allow for greater civil nuclear cooperation –including the export of nuclear technology,” Carlson said. As of 2022, the US government has 23 civil nuclear agreements including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada,

China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vietnam and Taiwan as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).

The 123 Agreements establish a legal framework that only allows the transfer of US-origin special nuclear material as well as the export of nuclear fuel, reactors and equipment for peaceful use.

The civil nuclear cooperation also allows US partners to access sustainable and responsible nuclear programs of the US government.

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has recorded more than 20 million registered SIM card users barely a month after the release of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the SIM Card Registration Act signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last year.

“With regards to the SIM card registration, the recent report I received is that we have more than 20 million already registered SIM card users. So we are roughly one month from the implementation—from the release of the Implementing Rules and Regulations and we’ve already achieved more than 20 million registration,” DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said in a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday.

“So we are progressing very, very fast and I’d like to thank the public, the general public for being very responsive to our appeal to register as soon as possible,” the DICT chief said.

However, Uy said one of the challenges in SIM card registration is the lack of Wi-Fi connection in remote areas of the country.

To assist people in those areas, the DICT chief said the government launched a SIM card registration caravan that will serve the far-flung communities.

The first caravan went to Ifugao and Mountain Province last week, Uy said, adding in the next few days, there will be a three-day SIM card registration in other remote areas.

suspended Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag on Tuesday opted to seek for a reconsideration of its appeal on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) panel of prosecutors’ resolution denying Bantag’s plea for the panel’s inhibition from hearing his case.

Bantag’s lawyer Rocky Thomas

Balisong said a reconsideration will be filed instead of his counter-affidavit on his alleged involvement in the killing of veteran radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa and Bilibid inmate Cristito Palana Villamor, alias Jun Villamor.

a motion for reconsideration submitted during the resumption of the preliminary investigation, Balisong stressed the possible conflict of decision

the department and the Office of the Ombudsman where he filed murder raps against Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla in connection also with the same killings.

said there is significant new evidence and or development which is not prevailing at the time his motion for inhibition was dismissed by the prosecution panel headed by Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas.

PRU LIFE PARADE. Employees of Pru Life UK China Jade Brand participate in a parade to celebrate Chinese New Year in front of the Pru Life UK China Jade Brand building in Escolta Twin Towers in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Tuesday. Danny Pata

MOU SIGNING.

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair George Erwin Garcia led the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of understanding for the “Register Anywhere Project” of the Comelec in cooperation with the House of Representatives Tuesday morning. With them are House Secretary General Reginald Velasco and Comelec executive director Atty. Teofisto Elnas Jr. Ver Noveno

sister of Crisanto Villamor, the alleged middleman in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid is surrounded by operatives of the government’s Witness Protection Program upon her arrival at the Department of Justice in Manila to attend the preliminary hearing on the Lapid case on January 24.

Danny Pata

EVERY year the country celebrates National Autism Consciousness Week to raise awareness about autism and the need for the greater inclusion in society of people with autism.

On Jan. 4, 1996, President Fidel Ramos signed Proclamation 711 declaring the third week of January for the celebration.

In line with this, last week I wrote that some of our kababayan are having difficulty getting person-with-disability IDs for their children (“PWD ID snafu shows system inadequacies,” Jan. 18).

I wrote about the experience of “Beng,” a writer who had a bad experience at the Bacoor, Cavite Persons With Disability Assistance Office when she went to renew the ID of her son with autism.

“Kim,” who read that column, wrote to share her own experience that happened in 2015. Although it’s been eight years since then, she hasn’t gone back to have her son’s PWD ID renewed because she was afraid she would go through the same bad experience she had.

In 2015, Kim went to the Dasmariñas City (Dasma) Social Welfare and Development Office to renew her son’s PWD ID card.

Her son “Charlie,” now 28, was diagnosed in 1996 and 2014 to be in the autism spectrum by doctors from De La Salle University Medical Center in Dasmariñas and Bacoor Doctors Medical Center.

Charlie was first issued a PWD ID card in 2014, signed by Mayor Jenny Barzaga, who is still the city’s mayor. Back then, Kim says, “a kind young man with disability immediately processed our son’s application.”

However, things went haywire the following year, when Kim and her husband returned to renew their son’s card.

An “elder woman” at the office told the parents that because their son was of voting age, “he must vote to qualify for a PWD card.”

Kim’s husband explained that Charlie “has a lifelong learning disability, he cannot vote.”

The person at the office told them they must secure a new medical report and a barangay clearance that “explicitly indicates why [Charlie] cannot vote and state the reason why.”

When told again that Charlie has autism and cannot vote, the woman replied, “I-guide niyo bumoto.”

Kim and her husband were appalled at the –there is no other word for it – stupidity of this person.

Kim reiterated that her son has a severe case of autism and that they are at the end of their financial rope paying for his special education.

Again the woman said, “Kumuha kayo ng barangay clearance,” etc.

This despite a medical report from the doctor clearly stating that Charlie is diagnosed with severe autism.

I do not know of any law that requires someone to be a voter before they can avail themselves of government services.

I also live in the Dasma area, and was told by someone from our barangay that I needed to be a voter.

By Raphaëlle Picard and Janet McEvoy

A CENTURY before #MeToo, French author

Colette dumped a sleazy husband who took the credit for her work to throw herself into a life of free love that she fictionalized in groundbreaking novels about the lives of women.

France next week celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of the novelist whose uproarious life featured in the 2018 Hollywood biopic “Colette” starring Keira Knightley.

Plucked from the Burgundy countryside by her first husband – a literary agent 14 years her senior -- he put her to work writing about her schoolgirl fantasies in the wildly popular “Claudine” books that he published under his own name.

Colette went on to cause scandal after scandal writing about hitherto taboo subjects like domestic violence, anorexia and fake orgasms, before becoming a music hall dancer, mime artist and weightlifter.

She was also among the first women to wear trousers and have a facelift in a dizzying life that

I told her, show me the law that says that’s a requirement for you to help me. She quickly backpedaled and gave me my barangay certificate without further comment.

Why are some LGUs insisting that someone be a voter before they extend assistance?

This is unjust and unfair.

So many of our people who are less knowledgeable are compelled to register with Comelec before they are helped.

Kim ended her message to me by writing, “Sana po magtalaga si Mayor [Barzaga] at DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development] ng competent at compassionate na social worker.”

She added: “In fairness po kay Mayor Jenny Barzaga, napakahusay po ng COVID response ng kanyang tanggapan.”

Charlie, as someone with autism, was given priority in the vaccination drive and was done in five minutes when his parents took him to get his shots.

Kim and her husband are senior citizens, at 67 and 72 respectively. They are too dismayed to return to the office to renew Charlie’s PWD ID, and at their age, who can blame them from being discouraged?

What is autism spectrum disorder?

For those who do not have friends and family with this condition, they may be desensitized or insensitive to, or unaware of, the challenges this condition poses for those who have it and those who care for them.

ASD, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a “developmental disability caused by differences in the brain.”

The National Nutrition Council shared the following information about autism on their website in line with last year’s celebration of NACW.

This passage illustrates the challenge of caring for a person with autism: “[ASD] is a developmental disability characterized by social and communication deficits that impede optimal functioning…

“Some autistic people have difficulty in making eye contact, understanding or using spoken language and expressing emotions or feelings which sometimes lead to self-harming behavior, tantrums and aggression…

“They often have constricted preferences and usually dwell on established routines or repetitive behaviors.”

Clearly, it is not only difficult to live with ASD, it is also difficult to care for people with ASD.

So why are some personnel in government agencies and LGUs giving the parents and guardians of people with autism a hard time just to get their Ids?

I am calling again, as I did last week, on the National Council for Disability Affairs.

What is your response to this story, the story I told last week, and the many other similar narratives across the country of the difficulty of getting PWD IDs for people with autism and those with other disabilities?

I visited the NCDA website again yesterday.

It still has not improved since the last time I checked it (last week).

It still looks like carp.

It still looks like it was made in the early age of the internet, during the days of MySpace and dial-ups.

The latest news is from December 2022.

They don’t even have anything on the NACW.

I hope the NCDA and LGU officials will bear in mind that disabilities are not limited to those that can be seen; psychosocial disabilities such as ASD are very much a challenge to those that live with them and their caregivers.

I also ask the mayors of Bacoor and Dasmariñas, and other LGUs across the country, to make sure that the people handling your PWD affairs and managing your PDAOs are competent, kind, and compassionate.

It’s National Autism Consciousness Week: may we be mindful of the people with ASD and other disabilities, know and understand how they feel, and learn and practice empathy and compassion for them.

* * * Dr. Ortuoste is a board member of PEN Philippines, member of the Manila Critics Circle, and judge of the National Book Awards.

FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

It’s National Autism Consciousness Week ManilaStandard ONLINE

EDITORIAL

A positive note, despite

WHILE there are lines the domestic economic growth is calculated to weaken this year following the deterioration of the global economic environment, some remain optimistic while others think full growth will hit the upper end of the government’s target.

Former Finance secretary Roberto de Ocampo himself has voiced out cautious optimism—his term “guarded optimism” – as regards the country’s economic prospects for 2023.

“Partly because I’m hardly a pessimistic, since a lot of things can be taken calmly,” de Ocampo, now chairman of the Veterans Bank, said in a television interview.

This is a rebound, in his view, from minus 11 to plus seven.

His thesis: “One of the biggest challenges we will have to face in 2023 is how to keep inflation within bounds while the challenges that are coming externally continue to be there.

Some have suggested the domestic economy has likely reduced speed in the last quarter of 2022 but expected full-year growth would help hit the upper rung of the government’s target.

A recent study published by the state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies or PIDS has suggested the country’s economic growth is projected to weaken.

In last year’s issue of the PIDS Economic Policy Monitor, the authors projected a “rough recovery” from the COVID-19

The current administration has been urged to address pandemic scars and continue the policy momentum on investments

pandemic considering factors like intermittent quarantines and weak business and consumer confidence.

In their recent paper, the authors—Senior Research Fellow Margarita DebuqueGonzales, Supervising Research Specialist John Paul Corpus, and Research Analyst Ramona Maria Miral—“anticipate further rough sailing this year and the next, as the country faces a new set of headwinds, with inflation becoming a global issue and leading to widespread monetary tightening, which

presages a broad slowdown.”

But the GDP is projected to decelerate to 4.5 to 5.5 percent in 2023 due to the “gloomy and uncertain” outlook for the world economy —below the 6.5 percent target the current administration set for 2023.

The authors outlined key priorities that policymakers should consider to steer the economy through global headwinds. One is to control inflation without harming growth. The authors noted that taming rapid inflation can be “difficult and extremely costly;” thus, careful calibration is crucial to prevent stifling economic recovery.

Another is smoothening exchange rate volatility while maintaining flexibility. “Avoiding severe exchange rate fluctuations should be a priority.

They also urged the government to pursue fiscal sustainability but emphasized the need to protect those at risk from the lingering effects of the pandemic and rising inflation.

It is also critical to prepare for financial tightening and uncertainty. “In an uncertain environment, financial regulators will need to stay vigilant and guard against possible threats to financial stability that could set off an adverse macro-financial feedback loop,” they noted.

The authors urged the current administration to address pandemic scars and continue the policy momentum on investments.

IF WE go by the news reports we’ve been reading the past week on the participation of President Bongbong Marcos Jr. in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, it’s an unqualified success.

This year’s WEF Annual Meeting carried the theme “Cooperation in a Fragmented World.”

At the outset, Marcos Jr. told the big gathering of business leaders from all over the world that the Philippine economy is projected to grow by around 7.0 percent in 2023.

He cited strong macroeconomic fundamentals, fiscal discipline, structural reforms and liberalization of key sectors as factors that enabled the country to withstand the negative shocks caused by the pandemic and succeeding economic downturns and carve a route toward strong recovery.

Marcos also emphasized the Philippines’ development plan contains strategic measures to accelerate economic and social recovery toward inclusive and resilient development.

One of these is digitalization as a key driver for long-term economic growth and as a tool for economic transformation.

The task ahead, he emphasized, is for the Philippines to continue to focus on sustaining recovery, and to promote an environment that will nurture businesses by helping them maximize their competitiveness and facilitate their entry into the global market.

For House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the Philippine participation in the forum effectively showcased the country as a premier investment hub.

“I think the delegation that came to Davos actually impressed the Davos attendees. We actually demonstrated how the Philippines, the President, his official family, the economic managers, alongside the top businessmen and women, showed a united front to the entire world.”

“People took notice of it and said that it’s obvious the Philippines is back. We are open for business, we are here listening and we are inviting everyone to see why the Philippines would be the best destination to invest,” he added.

The House leader said multinational companies such as investment giants Morgan Stanley, BlackRock, Ferrovial, and Sequoia, among others, are already planning to set up shop in the Philippines because of the ideal investment climate aside from the

competencies of Filipino workers. Romualdez also observed keen interest on the part of forum participants in the Maharlika Investment Fund proposed in the measure that the House of Representatives recently passed on final reading. He said lawmakers in the Philippine delegation were “listening to the concerns and to the sensitivities” of potential investors to ensure the proposed sovereign wealth fund conforms with the best practices in the global investment environment.

An important achievement of the Philippine delegation, Balisacan said, is that they were able to answer questions from the other participants who asked “direct, pointed, quite frank questions on the economy, on our institutions and on policies.”

Trade Secretary Fred Pascual also pitched the Philippines as the perfect investment destination to foreign companies. He met with several business executives and presented the country as an ideal investment destination in Asia.

He emphasized the country’s improved business climate, fueled by economic policy reforms, that have made it easier to do business here.

For Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, the President’s participation in the WEF has opened doors for “more intensive” partnerships that will help revitalize the economy. He also pointed out that the administration’s infrastructure program will adopt the publicprivate partnership mechanism to encourage more investments on top of the government’s goal to spend at least 5 to 6 percent of GDP on infrastructure.

Amid the expected slowdown of the global economy, the Philippine economy is forecast to grow by around 6.5 percent in 2023, making this one of the highest if not the highest growth projection in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and concurrent Director General of the National Economic Development Authority Arsenio Balisacan welcomed the opportunity to take part in the forum as he said the challenge for the Philippines as an economy was articulating the good narrative about the country to key decision-makers abroad.

He explained: “I think the interaction will prove very useful because they want to hear whether the story that’s emerging in the Philippines is sustainable. It’s a long-term one because if they come in, it is a long-term decision.

“Investors are asking how the country is moving forward, what the policy concerns and issues are, the measures being undertaken to make the economy more attractive for investors.”

The many lives and loves of French writer Colette

included three marriages and a multitude of affairs with both men and women.

As the American novelist John Updike said, “In the prize ring of life few of us would have lasted 10 rounds with Colette.”

Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette was born in a Burgundy village in 1873 and was swept off to Paris at 20 when she married the womanising music critic Henry Gauthier-Villars, aka “Willy.”

He introduced her to high society salons frequented by novelist Marcel Proust and composer Claude Debussy, where she was gently mocked for her Burgundy accent and long blonde plaits.

Willy encouraged her to write about her life at school, telling her not to spare “the juicy details.”

Colette’s mother had instilled in her a love of nature that made her fiercely attuned to the senses, and she brought that to the page.

Lesbian kiss causes riot

First in 1900 came the homoerotic, comingof-age tale “Claudine at School,” followed by “Claudine and Annie”, “Claudine in Paris” and “Claudine Married”. All were instant bestsellers.

Colette went on to cause scandal after scandal writing about hitherto taboo subjects like domestic violence, anorexia and fake orgasms, before becoming a music hall dancer, mime artist and weightlifter

After spicing them up, Willy put the books out under his own name.

Colette eventually moved in with her lover, cross-dressing noblewoman Mathilde de Morny, nicknamed “Missy”, and filed for divorce after learning Willy had sold the rights to her books.

In between affairs with other women, Colette learned to dance and took to the stage in 1906, causing scandal wherever she appeared, once flashing her breasts and causing a riot when she

M.

Manager

kissed her lover Missy at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. Her semi-autobiographical novel “The Vagabond” about a divorced music hall dancer was hailed by critics in 1910 and “Cheri”, about an affair with a much younger man, followed in 1920. But her best known work abroad, “Gigi,” the tale of a young girl being groomed to become a courtesan, did not come until 1944, and later became a Hollywood musical.

The country’s bustling manufacturing sector, record-low unemployment, and stable banking system can act as buffers against external headwinds, Diokno said, adding that these show very clearly that the country has a “resilient economy.”

Diokno gave assurances that the proposed sovereign wealth fund, once passed by the legislature, will support the goals laid down in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and will adhere to the highest standards of accountability and sound fiscal management.

In the end, what those who attended the five-day World Economic Forum in Davos are saying is that Philippine participation will pay huge dividends for the domestic economy in the next five-and-a half years that succeeding administrations can very well build upon.

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

Affair with stepson

Colette’s second marriage was to a newspaper editor and in 1913 she gave birth to her only daughter, also named Colette, whom she promptly entrusted to a nanny.

Nearing her 50s, she seduced her 17-year-old stepson, with whom she had a five-year affair that ended her marriage.

Her third marriage to Maurice Goudeket, a businessman and journalist, was much happier but their bliss was shattered by World War II when he was among thousands of Jews rounded up in Paris for deportation to the Nazi death camps.

Colette used her connections to secure his release, but in one of the many contradictions of a life lived on her wits, she also wrote for collaborationist magazines.

Despite yearning for the freedom enjoyed by men, she was also scathing about feminists, declaring once: “You know what the suffragettes deserve? The whip and the harem.”

Bedridden in later years by arthritis, she was the first French woman to be given a state funeral when she died aged 81 in 1954. AFP

With the country’s sustained economic reopening, the gross domestic product may grow by about 7.1 percent in 2022, which is within the government’s target of 6.5 to 7.5 percent.

Myanmar military accused of war crimes in Germany

A GROUP of people from Myanmar have filed a criminal complaint in Germany accusing their country’s military of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, a rights organization said Tuesday.

The case was lodged with Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutor General under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows the prosecution of certain grave crimes regardless of where they took place, and has been used to try Syrians over atrocities committed during the civil war.

The 16 complainants live in several countries, including Myanmar, and are drawn from a cross-section of the country’s numerous ethnic groups – including Rohingya, the dominant Burman and minority Chin communities. Their accounts date from 2017, when the country was run by a civilian government, to 2021, after the coup that brought the current junta to power.

“They (the army) don’t think of us as people and treat us like animals”, said Thi Da, a 35-year-old ethnic Chin.

Her husband disappeared in September, following the 2021 army coup.

The 215-page complaint alleges the military “systematically killed, raped, tortured, imprisoned, disappeared, persecuted, and committed other acts that amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes,” the campaign group Fortify Rights, which is leading the legal case, said in a statement.

The complaint draws on more than 1,000 interviews conducted by Fortify Rights since 2013, as well as leaked documents and information from the Myanmar army and deserters, said the rights group.

It alleges that senior military officials “knew about their subordinates’ crimes, and failed to take any action to prevent the crimes from happening and to punish the perpetrators.” AFP

AS POLICE PROBE DANCE HALL KILLINGS

7 dead in new California shooting

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

Muntinlupa City, Philippines.

SHIGEO FUJISAWA

Resident Agent MS-(JAN. 11, 19 & 25, 2023)

AN ASIAN farm worker was in custody Monday after seven of his colleagues were killed in front of children at sites in California, days after a mass shooter killed 11 people at a Lunar New Year celebration near Los Angeles.

The latest bloodshed to hit Asian Americans in California occurred at two farms around Half Moon Bay, a coastal community near San Francisco.

San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said seven people were killed and one injured in the twin shootings, and that a 67-year-old Half Moon Bay resident named Chunli

VIGIL. People attend a candle light vigil for victims of a mass shooting outside the City Hall in Monterey Park, California. The 72-year-old Asian immigrant who killed 11 people on January 21, 2023 before shooting himself as police moved in on him was once a regular at the California dance club. AFP

In a verified Petition for Declaration of Nullity of Marriage filed on December 10, 2019, petitioner prays that after due hearing her marriage to the respondent which was solemnized on February 15, 2006, by Hon. Evelyn Arcaya-Chua, Presiding Judge, Makati City be declared NULL AND VOID AB INITIO, on the ground of being a bigamous marriage and lack of valid marriage license.

Summons was issued on October 15, 2020. The Process Server’s Return dated December 1, 2020 states that respondent is now living somewhere in Bulacan for almost six (6) years.

On July 14, 2021, petitioner filed a Motion for Leave of Court to Serve Summons by Publication praying that the service of summons be effected upon the respondent by publication which was granted, per Order dated July 19, 2021 of the court.

NOW THEREFORE respondent LOUIE B. VICENTE A.K.A. LOVIE B. VICENTE, whose last known address is at Blk. 6, Lot 5, Clove St., Treelane III, Bayanluma, Imus, Cavite, is hereby summoned and required to file with the Regional Trial Court, Branch 106, Quezon City, National Capital Judicial Region, Bulwagan ng Katarungan, Quezon City, his answer to the petition in the instant case within THIRTY (30) DAYS from the last date of publication of this summons. In the event of failure to do so, this court shall direct the Public Prosecutor to conduct an investigation to determine whether or not collusion exists between the parties in the filing of the instant petition; and if it is determined that there is no such collusion, the petitioner shall be allowed to present her evidence in support of the petition.

Let this Order be published once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in the “The Standard”, a newspaper of national circulation, pursuant to P.D. No. 1079, at the expense of the petitioner.

Likewise, let a copy of the summons as well as a copy of the petition be deposited in the Post Office, postage pre-paid and sent by registered mail to the respondent at his last known address also at the expense of the petitioner, and for petitioner to submit to this court proof of compliance herewith.

SO ORDERED.

Quezon City, February 21, 2022.

(Sgd.) NOEL L. PAREL Judge NLP/trc

Zhao had been taken into custody.

As the new tragedy unfolded, detectives at the southern end of the state were still probing what drove an elderly Asian immigrant to shoot dead 11 people gathered in celebration at a suburban dance hall – before taking his own life as police closed in.

Both suspects used semi-automatic handguns in their assaults, and both

appeared to have connections to at least some of their victims.

Corpus said deputies had been dispatched to two nurseries around Half Moon Bay, a rural spot south of San Francisco, mid-afternoon Monday.

Four people were dead at one of the nurseries and one critically wounded.

“Shortly thereafter three additional victims were also located deceased with gunshot wounds at a separate shooting scene,” she told reporters.

“There’s people that live at the location as well... it was in the afternoon when kids were out of school and for children to witness it is unspeakable,” she said.

Corpus said Zhou then drove to a

sheriff’s substation in Half Moon Bay where ABC7 crews captured dramatic footage of his arrest as he was pulled to the ground by armed officers.

“Zhao was taken into custody without incident and a semi-automatic handgun was located in his vehicle,” Corpus said.

Reports said the dead are Chinese farmworkers, and that Zhao had worked at one of the farms.

News of the fresh carnage came as detectives just a few hundred miles (kilometers) away in Monterey Park were trying to piece together why Huu Can Tran gunned down revellers gathered at a dance studio for Lunar New Year on Saturday night. AFP

FRANCE

“The minors were

tance and will be subject to medical and social monitoring,” the ministry said in a statement.

It added that “the adults have been handed over to the competent judicial authorities.”

IMF approves $105m emergency cash aid to Haiti

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday approved emergency aid of $105 million for Haiti, which has long been mired in a humanitarian crisis that has been exacerbated by recent global inflation.

The funds should enable the Caribbean country to “support those most affected by food price rises through feeding programs and cash and in-kind transfers to vulnerable households”

said Antoinette Sayeh, the IMF deputy managing director, in a statement.

The money was released through the IMF’s “Food Shock Window,” opened at the end of September for a period of one year.

The measure is used to provide rapid access to emergency funds to states facing food insecurity, particularly in the event of unexpected shocks in the import of grains or a sudden rise in prices.

NEW Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday she was grateful for her time in office, insisting that a sustained barrage of online abuse was not the reason for her shock resignation.

The 42-year-old said last week she no longer had “enough in the tank” after a turbulent five years, during which she steered the country through natural disasters, its worst-ever terror attack and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Her resignation, less than three years after an emphatic election victory, has ignited a national debate about the vitriol faced by women leaders, especially on social media.

Chris Hipkins, who will take over as prime minister, has said Ardern experienced “utterly abhorrent” abuse while leading the country.

Ardern however said she would not describe it that way. AFP

“With more than half the population already below the poverty line, Haiti faces a dire humanitarian crisis,” said the IMF, noting that the Caribbean nation also faces a “health crisis” in the form of a cholera epidemic and “serious security problems.”

“Haiti is facing a dire humanitarian crisis and was hit hard by the economic spillovers from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Sayeh. AFP

Over the past decade, thousands of extremists in Europe travelled to Syria to become fighters with the Islamic State group (IS), often taking their families to live in the self-declared “caliphate” it set up in territory seized in Iraq and Syria.

Since the “caliphate” fell in 2019, the return of family members of fighters who were captured or killed has been a thorny issue for European countries.

The return announced Tuesday –which was committed due to pressure from humanitarian organisations – is France’s third large-scale repatriation.

The previous one was in October last year, when Paris repatriated 15 women and 40 children, and in July, when 16 mothers and 35 minors were returned.

The women and children repatriated Tuesday were in the Roj camp in northeast Syria under Kurdish administration, located about 15 kilometres (9 miles) from the Iraqi and Turkish borders.

The French authorities thanked “the local administration in northeastern Syria for its cooperation, which made this operation possible.”

Tuesday’s operation comes shortly after the UN Committee against Torture condemned France for failing to repatriate French nationals from prison camps in northeastern Syria. AFP

‘Finland must consider joining NATO without Sweden’

FINLAND must consider joining NATO without Sweden, the Finnish foreign minister said Tuesday, after Turkey indicated it would not approve Sweden’s bid following a burning of the Koran outside its Stockholm embassy.

“We have to assess the situation, whether something has happened that in the longer term would prevent Sweden from going ahead,” Foreign Minister Pekka

Haavisto told broadcaster Yle.

He added that it was “too early to take a position on that now” and that a joint application remained the “first option.”

“My own assessment is that there will be a delay (in getting Turkey’s approval), which will certainly last until the Turkish elections in mid-May,” Haavisto added.

Danish-Swedish far-right politician

“Sweden

The

AFP

Grateful Ardern makes last bow as New Zealand PM

France repatriates 15 women, 32 kids from Syria

repatriated 15 women and 32 children held in jihadist prison camps in northeastern Syria, the French foreign ministry said Tuesday.

handed over to the services in charge of child assis-

Rasmus Paludan set fire to a copy of the Muslim holy book on Saturday in front of Turkey’s embassy in the Swedish capital.

should not expect support from us for NATO,” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday in his first official response to the act.

Swedish and Finnish NATO bids must be ratified by all members of the alliance, of which Turkey is a member.

STANDING HIS GROUND. A demonstrator confronts riot police during a protest demanding the resignation of Peru’s President Dina Boluarte in Lima. Civil unrest since the ouster of Boluarte’s predecessor, Pedro Castillo, in early December has left 46 people dead and prompted the government to impose a state of emergency in violence-hit areas. AFP

SHABU HAUL.Thai policemen display packages of crystal methamphetamine before a press conference at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau in Bangkok on January 24, 2023. More than a ton of crystal meth was seized in less than a week, Thai police said Tuesday. AFP

Stocks fall; Peso rises to 54.43 a dollar

were unchanged.

TOP GAINERS

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

1 CHP 1.02 0.16 18.60%

2 NI 0.88 0.08 10.00%

3 PRC 7 0.62 9.72%

4 MB 0.32 0.025 8.47%

5 MPI 4.35 0.28 6.88%

6 HOME 2.49 0.15 6.41%

7 PLC 0.55 0.03 5.77%

8 RLC 15.82 0.82 5.47%

9 EVER 0.29 0.015 5.45%

10 HTI 1.03 0.05 5.10%

TOP LOSERS

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

1 CAT 8.88 -0.93 -9.48%

2 PHA 0.38 -0.03 -7.32%

3 LCB 0.114 -0.007 -5.79%

4 UPM 0.0054 -0.0003 -5.26%

5 CEU 7.2 -0.35 -4.64%

6 TECHW 0.64 -0.03 -4.48%

7 AXLM 2.78 -0.12 -4.14%

8 WPI 0.465 -0.02 -4.12%

9 JGS 55.2 -2.2 -3.83%

10 SCC 33.5 -1.25 -3.60%

MOST ACTIVE

VOLUME VALUE (PHP)

1 MPI 94,998,000 410,006,120

2 ALI 11,780,000 388,770,685

3 RLC 22,610,600 351,761,058

4 BDO 1,802,160 221,394,198

5 TEL 146,155 219,349,790

6 SMPH 4,820,000 181,415,385

7 SCC 5,300,900 179,495,730

8 ACEN 23,296,000 169,401,683

9 GLO 79,235 167,569,720

10 URC 1,096,450 157,131,498

STOCKS retreated amid thin trading Tuesday, as other Asian markets remain in Lunar New Year break and investors wait for the release of gross domestic product data on Thursday.

The PSE index, the 30-company benchmark of the Philippine Stock Exchange, fell 28 points, or 0.40 percent, to close at 7,041.50 as five of the six subsectors declined.

The broader all-share index also lost 4 points, or 0.13 percent, to settle at 3,686.48 on a value turnover of P5.40 billion. Gainers outnumbered losers, 103 to 89, while 48 issues

BAKERS PROTEST.

A woman holds a loaf of bread up as she stands behind a sign that reads, ‘bakery’, during a protest organized by the collective for the survival of bakers and crafts artisans, at Bercy, in Paris on Jan. 23, 2023. Recently described as ‘250 grams of magic and perfection’ by French President Emmanuel Macron, the French baguette is at risk from surging energy prices, with some bakers warning they can no longer afford to fire up their ovens. AFP

Seven of the 10 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Metro Pacific Investments Corp. which climbed 6.88 percent to P4.35 and Robinsons Land Corp. which went up 5.47 percent to P15.82.

Meanwhile, the peso sustained its advance, closing at 54.43 per US dollar Tuesday, up from Monday’s 54.54.

In Asian markets, Tokyo led gains Tuesday, in another day thinned by the Lunar New Year break, with sentiment boosted once more by a surge on Wall Street.

Tech firms provided the support in New York as traders gear up for the release of earnings from big-ticket firms including Microsoft and Intel.

Hopes that the Federal Reserve will slow down its pace of interest rate hikes have also given investors optimism that

the US economy could avert a recession, or at least suffer only a mild contraction.

The gains come after markets suffered a wobble last week on worries about a downturn caused by a series of interest rate hikes last year aimed at bringing inflation down from decades highs.

“With little new news to guide sentiment, the overnight (on Wall Street) move could be a product of investors getting comfortable with the current macro backdrop while cleaning the slate of last week’s trepidation or simply positioning ahead on next week’s [Fed policy decision],” said SPI Asset Management’s Stephen Innes.

He added that inflation coming down suggested the days of large 75-basispoint hikes were in the past, with “most officials across the hawk-and-dove spectrum signalling a preference for a slower rate hike pace.”

After Wall Street’s rally, Asia picked up the baton on Tuesday, though most markets were shut for the holidays.

Tokyo added more than one percent for the second day in a row while Sydney, Manila, Mumbai, and Bangkok were also well up. Jakarta and Wellington dipped, however.

But while the year has started on a positive note, BlackRock Investment Institute strategists had a word of warning. With AFP

Ford announces plan to cut 3,200 jobs in Germany

BERLIN, Germany—US auto giant Ford is planning to axe 3,200 jobs in Germany, a union said Monday, adding it was extremely concerned about the future of the company’s sites in Europe’s top economy.

The news came amid fears in the EU that companies could shift their operations to the United States because of the recently passed landmark Inflation Reduction Act that offers tax cuts for US-made electric cars and batteries.

A spokesman for the IG Metall union told AFP the cuts will be mainly in Cologne, where Ford has a major plant, but all sites across Germany are threatened.

“We at IG Metall are extremely concerned about the future of the German development divisions and, as a whole, about the future of the German Ford sites,” said a statement from the union after an extraordinary meeting with management.

Microsoft discloses multibillion investment in OpenAI

In a company blog post tweeted by CEO Satya Nadella, the tech giant announced a “multiyear, multibilliondollar investment to accelerate AI breakthroughs” that would be “broadly shared with the world.”

OpenAI’s ChatGPT became an internet sensation when it was released without warning in November, allowing users to experiment with its ability to write essays, articles, and poems as well as computer code in just seconds.

With teachers alarmed by its ability, ChatGPT is banned in universities

California-based OpenAI is also the creator of DALL-E, a program that can swiftly draw up digital images and illustrations at a simple request.

Media reports have put Microsoft’s fresh investment in OpenAI at $10 billion, which would value the company at roughly $29 billion.

‘Aggressive’

The announcement comes less than a week after Microsoft said it would lay off 10,000 employees in the coming weeks and redeploy investment to new priorities such as AI.

Microsoft’s statement said that the company would deploy OpenAI’s models “across our consumer and en-

“With ChatGPT being one of the most innovative AI technologies seen in the industry, Microsoft is clearly being aggressive on this front and not going to be left behind on what could be a potential game-changing AI investment,” analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities said in a note.

Founded in late 2015 with Tesla tycoon Elon Musk an early investor, OpenAI is led by Sam Altman, a 37-year-old entrepreneur and former president of startup incubator Y Combinator. AFP

As well as the Cologne site, Ford has a development center in nearby Merkenich.

The carmaker did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The development center has “successfully designed models for the European market, which often brought global success for the company,” said IG Metall, which represents workers in the key electrical and metal sectors.

Ford’s German workers can continue to develop successful electric models for Europe if given the chance, the union said.

But the US company risks “taking the axe to its own future” with the planned cuts, IG Metall said, urging the carmaker to reconsider the move.

Just last year, Ford had said it would make a major investment in Germany in a bid to make all of its passenger vehicles sold in Europe electric by 2030. AFP

Revision of Masterplan and Architectural Design of Township Project in Brgy Sisiman

Our company, Bataan-BASECO Joint Venture, Inc. (BBJVI), a Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) Registered Enterprise, owns a 300.4-hectare property in Mariveles, Bataan and engaged in real estate activities, among others.

We desire to appoint an Engineering/ Architectural/Design Firm to revise the current masterplan and provide Architectural Design Services for a New Site Development Plan of the Master Planned Community for Relocation Site of Socialized and Economic Housing.

You may coordinate with Ms. Arlene G. Dacdac, 3F 06, The Bunker Building, Provincial Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan or email bbjvi2018@gmail. com for the details and submit your respective bids not later than February 1, 2023.

Security Services

Bataan-BASECO Joint Venture, Inc. (BBJVI), a Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) Registered Enterprise, owns a 300.4-hectare property in Mariveles, Bataan and engaged in real estate activities, among others.

We desire to appoint a Security services provider in order to ensure the safety and security of the Property, its assets and its occupants, to prevent the further influx of informal settlers and any construction of unauthorized/illegal structures, through a security services provider with security personnel who are trained to be professionally upright, healthy and alert, reasonably tolerant, honest and respectful and with proven ability to work effectively individually and with a team.

You may coordinate with Ms. Arlene G. Dacdac, 3F 06, The Bunker Building, Provincial Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan or email bbjvi2018@gmail.com for the details and submit your respective bids not later than February 1, 2023.

Per SEC Memorandum No. 06-2020, stockholders may attend and participate in the Special Stockholders’ Meeting through teleconferencing, videoconferencing and other remote or electronic means of communication. If you wish to attend through videoconferencing, kindly inform the Corporate Secretary not later than 6:00 p.m. on 26 January 2023 so that the proper link may be sent to you.

The Stock and Transfers Books of the Corporation shall be closed for transfer from 26 January 2023 to 2 February 2023.

. . . [A] sample of the ballot to be used for voting on the matters to be taken up during the meeting [is available upon request]. Stockholders participating in the meeting shall cast their votes by accomplishing and sending the ballots to the following email address during the 2 February 2023 Special Stockholders’ Meeting: chemicalindustriesphils@gmail.com

Thank you.

Sincerely, (sgd.) ATTY. ZHANIKA MARIE O. CARBONELL Corporate

P.S.

The Definitive Information Statement (“IS”) and pertinent documents may be accessed through any of the following:

1. Go to the CIP website via this link: http://www.chemphil.com.ph/ main_cip.htm; and 2. Go to PSE EDGE portal via https://edge.pse.com.ph/

Secretary

WASHINGTON, United States—Microsoft on Monday said it had extended its partnership with OpenAI, the research lab and creator of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot that has sparked widespread fears of cheating in schools and universities.

and school districts - including in New York City and Washington DC - and has sparked nervous debates about the future of office work.

terprise products.”

This indicated that Microsoft intended to include the technology behind ChatGPT and DALL-E into its own software products such as Bing, the search engine, or the company’s Office apps.

MaryKay Carlson said Tuesday bilateral trade with the Philippines likely reached over $33 billion in 2022.

“While the final numbers are not yet out, total trade in 2022 will top $33 billion, a record,” she said at the forum “Indo-Pacific Partners: Growth & Stability for US, PH and the Region” hosted by the Makati Business Club.

Carlson said Philippine exports to the United States would exceed $21 billion, making the US the Philippine top export market again.

“Government cooperation is moving forward as well. Last week, we held the 10th bilateral strategic dialog where representatives from our two governments discussed the full range of our relationship, economic development issues rule of law, defense and security, global and regional challenges,” she said.

“We made progress in a number of areas and I’d like to share just two of those notable deliverables from our discussions last week. One is in the area of civil nuclear cooperation,” Carlson said.

Both governments agreed to hold, in the coming weeks, the first official consultations to prepare for 123 agreement negotiations.

Completing the negotiations will allow for greater civil nuclear cooperation, including the export of nuclear technology. This will be the first step in bringing nuclear power to help address the Philippine energy needs, she said.

“Another significant deliverable was in the subject of trade missions,” she said.

The Philippines and the US also agreed to support multiple trade missions in 2023. The collaboration will bring US exporters involved in agriculture, energy, technology and other industries to the Philippines to explore business opportunities.

Wilcon expects to have 100 stores ahead of 2025 goal

HOME improvement and construction supplies retailer Wilcon Depot Inc. said it expects to achieve its goal of having 100 stores a year ahead of the end-2025 target amid rapid business expansion.

“It is looking like we are going to hit the target a year ahead, or several quarters ahead of end-2025 goal,” said Wilcon investor relations head Mary Jean Alger in a recent interview.

Wilcon ended 2022 with 83 stores.

“If we open 8 to 10 stores this year and in 2024 then, we could easily hit the 100 stores, barring unforeseen events,” Alger said.

Alger said the company already secured the sites for the company to achieve 100 stores.

She said there was a strong demand for new stores particularly in areas outside Metro Manila.

Bulk of Wilcon’s new stores are located outside Metro Manila and are mostly depots with average gross floor area of 9,000 square meters.

Wilcon has 18 branches in Metro Manila and 64 stores in key cities and municipalities outside the metropolis.

The company operates its business via two retail formats―the depot store format and the home essentials store format.

Each store offers a wide array of products which include local and international brands of tiles and flooring, plumbing and sanitary wares, electrical and lighting products, hardware and tools, furniture, furnishings and houseware, paints, appliances and building materials.

The share price of Wilcon recently hit a 52-week high of P34.45, on the back of the continued strong performance of the company despite the impact of the pandemic.

Wilcon registered a net income of P1.1 billion in the third quarter, up 77.5 percent from P482 million a year ago, as net sales jumped 32.6 percent year-on-year to P8.78 billion.

Business

Interest rate hikes bolstered peso, tamed inflation—BSP

By Julito G. Rada

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla said Tuesday monetary authorities successfully contained inflation and prevented the further depreciation of the peso against the US dollar through policy actions that included increases in interest rates.

Medalla said in a presentation during the Philippine Economic Briefing in Frankfurt, Germany the biggest challenge was the weakness of the peso which fell to an all-time low of 59.0 against the US dollar four times in October 2022.

The peso has recovered since then and closed at 54.43 against the greenback Tuesday.

“If you looked at the numbers from

October, the depreciation was 13 percent. This [depreciation] was strengthening very high inflation, and the fall in exchange rate is starting to disanchor inflationary expectations,” Medalla said.

“Faced with these developments, we had an increase in policy rate of 350 basis points. I don’t own all of the 350 bps; 25 bps of that came from [Finance] Secretary Diokno when he was still

[BSP] governor. The remaining 325 bps were all mine. So it [policy rate] is much higher than the neighbors,” he said.

“And as you can see, what happens later on is that depreciation [narrowed].

As the US dollar began to weaken, and as expectations of the Philippine central bank acting [to stem weakness in the peso] had its effect on the market, the peso actually began to appreciate,” he said.

Medalla also said BSP sold quite a bit of dollars from the reserves.

“As you can see, our reserves declined by $13.7 billion. It [the dollars sold] is about 12.6 percent of our reserves. The only countries that have bigger in relation to reserves [sold as a percentage of their gross international reserves] were India and Thailand,” he said.

NEW BPI-AIA

HEAD. Surendra Menon turns over the role of BPI AIA chief executive to Karen Custodia during the bancassurance firm’s sales kick-off event.

Custodia, who assumed the role on Jan. 9, 2023, takes on the responsibility of overseeing BPI AIA’s growing partnership distribution channel and managing its strategic relationship with BPI, while providing leadership to support a wide range of initiatives.

Custodia will work closely with and will directly report to Kelvin Ang, chief executive of AIA Philippines. Menon, who served six years as BPI AIA chief executive, was appointed as director of partnership distribution at AIA Indonesia.

DOE approves Kuwaiti firm’s withdrawal from Galoc oilfield

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Department of Energy approved the withdrawal of Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co. from Service Contract 14C1 or the Galoc block.

KUFPEC owns a 26.84-percent stake in the Galoc block after it acquired Risco Energy Petroleum Ltd. It withdrew its interest from SC 14C1 in September 2020.

The Philodrill Corp. said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Tuesday the DOE’s approval of KUFPEC’s withdrawal effectively increased its interest

CONRAD MANILA GM.

Conrad Manila welcomes the New Year with well-curated touches of luxury, inspired stays and culinary offers, led by general manager Fabio Berto. Since September 2022, Berto has been overseeing the day-to-day operations of the 347-room luxury hotel strategically located in the heart of the bustling Mall of Asia Complex adjacent the Manila Bay. With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Berto began his career as an F&B Commis de Rang in Switzerland which was soon followed by continued advancements in both hotel role and responsibility across several luxury properties in France and London. Berto joined Hilton London Metropole in 2003 as its director of sales before moving on to Hilton West London Cluster, Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria and Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund as a commercial director. Prior to his latest appointment, Berto served as the General Manager of Hilton Niseko Village in Japan.

Converge

to 10.17782 percent from 7.21495 percent.

“The additional 2.96287 percent represents the pro-rata PI received from Kufpec after its withdrawal from the consortium,” Philodrill said.

Other SC 14-C1 stakeholders are Nido Petroleum Galoc Pty. Ltd (78.82683 percent), Oriental Petroleum and Minerals Corp. (7.78505 percent) and Forum Energy Phils. Corp. (3.2103 percent).

Philodrill said the Galoc oilfield maintained a reliable production, with 99-percent uptime throughout 2021.

It said Galoc’s average daily production rate in 2021 was 1,727 barrels of oil per day, resulting in a year-end total of 629,964 barrels.

Three offtakes with a total cargo of 632,056 barrels were delivered in 2021. The total offtake volume forecasted for 2022 is about 480,000 barrels of oil.

The Galoc oilfield has been in production since 2008 and yielded nearly 20 million barrels of oil since then.

Crude oil production from the field has gone down in recent years, averaging 2,100 barrels of oil per day in 2019.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Tuesday, January

24, 2023 -28.18 PTS.

TOTAL VOLUME 1,958,687,805 TOTAL TRADES 66,581 TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) 5,397,161,658.27 ADVANCES 103

United

Hong

Kong

Switzerland Franc 1.084952 59.0084

Canada Dollar 0.748167 40.6913

Singapore Dollar 0.758438 41.2499

Australia Dollar 0.702800 38.2239

Bahrain Dinar 2.652801 144.2805

Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266347 14.4861

Brunei Dollar 0.755572 41.0940

Indonesia Rupiah 0.000066 0.0036

Thailand Baht 0.030567 1.6625

UAE Dirham 0.272279 14.8087

Euro Euro 1.087200 59.1306

Korea Won 0.000813 0.0442

China Yuan 0.147628 8.0292

India Rupee 0.012273 0.6675

Malaysia Ringgit 0.233481 12.6986

New Zealand Dollar 0.648500 35.2706

JTI PH named top employer for 2023

JTI Philippines, a global tobacco company with close to 40 branch offices across the country, was named as the Top Employer for 2023, marking the second time that it received the prestigious national accreditation.

JTI Philippines general manager John Freda said in a statement Tuesday this confirmed JTI’s status as an employer of choice where its people are its priority and showcases its commitment to building a business for the long term in the Philippines.

“Putting people at the heart of everything we do is what makes JTI Philippines a unique Top Employer. We truly care about all our employees and they in turn also care about the company. We will always continue to make progress in improving our people’s wellbeing, supporting greater diversity and inclusion and give all our colleagues the opportunity to develop a fulfilling career at JTI,” Freda said.

The award means that JTI Philippines was recognized for its excellence in people practices covering the entire employee lifecycle. JTI employees benefit from the high-standard conditions created for them. Julito G. Rada

DA asked to probe use of palm olein in biodiesel

THE Federation of Philippine Industries said Tuesday the Office of the President ordered the Department of Agriculture to look into the alleged illegal use of imported palm olein in biodiesel.

FPI chairman Jesus Arranza said this robbed the government of billions of pesos in revenues while hurting the domestic coconut industry.

The investigation stemmed from Arranza’s letter to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. discussing the “alleged modus operandi” of unscrupulous palm olein traders.

“The reality is that a big portion of the imported palm olein is being diverted for sale to either producers of biodiesel, an additive to diesel fuel, and to the retail market [public markets, groceries, supermarkets, and sari-sari stores] as cooking oil for eventual sale to the consuming public,” he said.

Arranza said that while pertinent Department of Energy regulations specifically provide that only coconut oil can be blended with diesel to produce biodiesel, some importers were delivering palm olein instead to substitute for coconut oil. Alena Mae S. Flores

Globe blocks record

2.72b spam messages

GLOBE, the country’s leading digital solutions platform, said Tuesday it blocked a record 2.72 billion scam and spam messages in 2022, more than double the 2021 total of 1.15 billion.

Globe said that as a result of its intensified crackdown against fraudsters, it also blocked 83.4 million bank-related spam messages last year.

The company teamed up with all major commercial banks and online retailers in the country to ensure quick and efficient information exchange for a more efficient response to spam and fraud SMS.

Blocking spam and scam messages continues to be a crucial component of Globe’s cybersecurity strategy, and it managed to spare customers from dangerous and disruptive SMS before the enforcement of the SIM Registration Act.

“Our customers are our top priority so we do our best to ensure that they are protected from scammers and fraudsters. We will continue to invest in cybersecurity systems and work tirelessly to provide them with a safe and enjoyable online experience as we also take part in the full implementation of the SIM Registration Act,” said Globe chief information security officer Anton Bonifacio.

ICT rolls out 2m fiber ports, cements status as largest FTTH network

By Darwin G. Amojelar

CONVERGE ICT Solutions Inc. said Tuesday it rolled out two million fiber ports nationwide as of end-2022, cementing its position as the largest fiberto-the-home network in the Philippines.

“Converge continues to expand its nationwide network reach to efficiently deliver consumer network demands and empower Filipinos across urban and rural areas,” Dennis Anthony Uy, Con-

verge co-founder and chief executive said.

“With this record deployment of ports, we are ensuring high availability in more areas around the country,” he added.

Converge said it bolstered its port deployment in the National Capital Region, Rizal, North and Central Luzon and Mindanao.

It also maintained its aggressive rollout in the Visayas as it continued to

seek growth opportunities in the region.

“Achieving our fiber rollout target is very much important for us to ensure that our resources are utilized effectively and to also support the growth of our residential subscriber base,” Uy said.

The company said that based on the end-November report of the National Telecommunications Commission, it had extended its fiber footprint to more than 613,000 kilometers, consisting of subsea, aerial and terrestrial fiber optic

cable network all over the country.

Uy said Converge was on track to reaching its accelerated target to cover about 55 percent of households in the Philippines by 2023, with its household coverage at 53 percent as of Sept. 30, 2022.

Converge said it allocated P21 billion to P23 billion in total capital expenditures for 2022.

Converge said its network reach had passed more than 14.3 million homes as of Sept. 30, 2022.

By Othel V. Campos US AMBASSADOR to the Philippines

By Jenniffer B. Austria

Lakers trade for Wizards, Japan star Hachimura

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Japanese international Rui Hachimura in a deal that sends guard Kendrick Nunn and multiple draft picks to the Washington Wizards, the Lakers said Monday.

The 6ft 8in (2.0m) Hachimura has made 30 appearances for the Wizards this season, averaging 13 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

In his four seasons in the NBA, the 24-year-old has averaged 13.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

“We are excited to welcome Rui and his family to the Los Angeles Lakers,” Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement.

“Adding both size and depth to the wing position has been a goal, and the chance to accomplish that by acquiring a player with Rui’s two-way skills and upside was an opportunity that doesn’t present itself often,” Pelinka added.

Hachimura was chosen as the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after a three-year collegiate career with Gonzaga University.

Hachimura’s move to California comes with the Lakers struggling to make an impression in the Western Conference.

The NBA giants are 12th in the standings with a losing 22-25 record. AFP

Cambodians, Thais brawl over kickboxing name at SEAG

BANGKOK—Thailand will boycott a kickboxing event at the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, officials confirmed Tuesday, in a bitter row with the hosts over what to call the sport: Muay Thai or Kun Khmer.

Thai officials are angry at plans by Cambodia to refer to the event— which they regard as their national sport—on the official programme as Kun Khmer instead of Muay Thai.

While the name Muay Thai may be better known around the world, Cambodian officials insist the sport originated from their Khmer culture.

The event is one of a series of combat sports at the 11-country regional games, alongside regular kickboxing, karate, taekwondo, kun bokator and vovinam.

The games are due to get underway in May, with Cambodia hosting for the first time in 60 years.

Charoen Wattanasin, vice-chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, said the International Olympic Committee had not endorsed the term Kun Khmer.

“They are violating international regulations for sports competitions,” he told AFP.

“The Thai Boxing Association won’t be sending athletes to compete.”

Cambodian sports officials are refusing to back down.

“We are the host country so we have the right to change it to Kun Khmer as the sport has its origin in Khmer and it is our culture,” Vath Chamroeun, secretary-general of the Cambodian Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee, told AFP.

“We have to satisfy our people.”

He said Cambodia would retaliate and not send fighters to Thailand when it hosts the 2025 games. The sport will be called Muay Thai at that event.

The two kingdoms have repeatedly clashed over their cultural heritage, with 2011 seeing several months of bloody military conflict over a disputed temple on the border. AFP

Hectic 6 months for Filipinas as Women’s World Cup nears

By Peter Atencio

THE next six months will be a hectic time for the Philippine national women’s football team as they get ready for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 later this year in Australia and New Zealand.

Three tournaments and a series of friendlies will get the Filipinas in shape for the biggest games of their lives this July.

Philippine Football Federation secretary general Edwin Gastanes talked about what is in store for the Filipinas during Tuesday’s weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Vito Cruz, Manila.

“This is good preparation for the team, because in May, there’s the Southeast Asian Games also,” said Gastanes.

The football executive bared that the big challenges for the Filipinas will

start by March, when they join a pocket tournament in Okinawa, Japan.

The Filipinas are among seven squads taking part in the invitationals.

After that, they will be in the first round of the Olympic qualifiers, to be done in a venue still to be announced from April 3 to 11.

“This campaign will allow them to be much more prepared for the grand stage which is the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” added Gastanes.

The world no. 53-ranked Filipinas have been bracketed in Group E with Hong Kong, Tajikistan and Pakistan.

Next up are the football competitions of the 32nd SEA Games in May at

Marcial returns to pro ring in February

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA—Eumir Felix Marcial, the Philippines’ 2021 middleweight Olympic Bronze medalist, is intent on making his 2023 return to the pro ranks a coming out party.

A native of Zamboanga, Philippines, Marcial (3-0, 1 KO), eschewed holiday celebrations to set up camp and train in Las Vegas with head coach Jorge Capetillo.

Marcial, 27, returns to the ring, in a six-round middleweight bout, Saturday, Feb. 11, in San Antonio’s Alamodome, on the undercard of the O’Shaquie Foster—Rey Vargas WBO world jr. lightweight title battle, which will be televised live on SHOWTIME.

Marcial’s opponent will be announced soon.

Since making his professional debut in 2020, Marcial has run the table, defeating Andrew Whitfield and Steven Pichardo by unanimous decision and stopping Isiah Hart in the fourth round, balancing those fights with his amateur career, which has included training for numerous tournaments

and the Tokyo Olympics.

In the Hart battle, which was Marcial’s second professional bout, the Filipino warrior displayed the composure of a seasoned veteran to score a TKO of Hart (6-3-1, 4 KOs), at the 47-second mark of the fourth-

round despite getting knocked down three times himself, once in the first round and twice in the second round, in a firefight bout scheduled for six rounds. That’s a lot of experience to get for a fighter in only his second professional fight.

Whitfield, Hart, and Pichardo boasted a combined record of 17-5-1, 8 KOs, when they fought Marcial.

“I look forward to focusing on my professional career and I am very excited to be fighting in San Antonio, which is not just a great fight town but also where my promoter Manny Pacquiao made ring history, said Marcial. I have learned a lot in my last three professional fights. I have had a very productive training camp and I cannot wait to show off what I have learned on February 11. My three goals are to work hard, to win, and to become a world champion. And thank you to all my fans for their continued support. I fight for them and to bring honor to the Philippines.”

“Eumir is a very special fighter.

Unless you are part of his inner circle, you have no idea how hard it has been to constantly shift training from amateur to professional styles every year,” said Sean Gibbons, President of MP Promotions.

“Yet Eumir does it without a complaint because in his heart, he’s spurred on by his need to bring honor to the Philippines and Filipinos around the world. Manny and I are so proud of how Eumir has handled the pressure. Now he can focus on his professional career, and I am confident his true talent will be on full display on February 11 at the Alamodome.”

After winning his pro debut -- a four-round unanimous decision over Andrew Whitfield in Los Angeles on Dec. 16, 2020 -- Marcial turned his attention to getting prepared for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.

In one of the most exciting bouts of the 2021 summer games, Marcial and top-seeded Oleksandr Khyzhniak, of Ukraine, battled tooth and nail in their semifinal battle.

Tiu: Strong Group needs help of OFWs in Dubai

STRONG Group is banking on its sixth man—the overseas Filipino workers in Dubai—to provide the much-needed boost as it takes on an expected tough field in the 32nd Dubai International Championship beginning Jan. 27.

All bags are packed and ready to go as the Jacob Lao-own Philippine basketball club flies to Dubai in two batches with the first leaving on Wednesday and the second Thursday.

Strong Group head coach Charles Tiu said they will need all the help from the Filipino crowd in the venue especially going up against the top Middle East teams including the Lebanese squads which accord-

ing to the youthful mentor pose huge threat to the country’s title aspirations for a second-straight title in the tournament.

“We definitely need the Filipino fans to come out and support us there. They’ve been our sixth man every time and we need every single one of them,” said Tiu, who guided Mighty Sports to title win three years ago.

“All the Lebanese teams will be tough. Al-Riyadi, of course, who we played in the championship the last time we joined, and in the semifinals the year before that.

Beirut Lebanon, Dynamo Lebanon are all tough. And then we have the teams from Tunisia, Morocco and

Iraq,” he added.

Strong Group is grouped with Dynamo-Lebanon in Group A, along with United Arab Emirates national team, Al-Wahda from Syria and AlNasr from Libya.

It also didn’t help that crew will be without Ange Kouame who had to be dropped out of the lineup after suffering from Dengue.

“It’s been tough without Ange. It changes everything for us. We built this team knowing we would have had him, and his absence is really a game changer,” said Tiu.

In Kouame’s place, Tiu said the team tried to tap the services of Justin Brownlee and Andray Blatche but both were not available due to

the conflict of schedules. They still got a big man though with La Salle forward Kevin Quiambao.

Still bannering the squads are former NBA stars Nick Young and Shabazz Mohammad along with FilAmerican guard Sedrick Barefield, Justine Baltazar, Will Gozum.

Also in the crew are Jerom Lastimosa and JD Cagulangan, Francis Lopez, BJ Andrade, Migs Oczon and Inand Fornillos.

Strong Group opens its campaign against the UAE national team on Friday, Jan. 27 before taking on AlNasr Libya and Al-Wahda on Sunday, Jan. 29. It wraps up the group stage against Dynamo-Lebanon on Wednesday next week.

Riera

Mallari,

Randy M. Caluag, Assistant

Rui Hachimura of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket against the Orlando Magic at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. The Los Angeles Lakers have signed the Japanese star in a deal that sends guard Kendrick Nunn and multiple draft picks to the Washington Wizards. AFP

Filipinas getting ready for biggest fight of their lives. the Morodok Techo National Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 60,000. By that time, the Filipinas will be in

their best shape ever, after they spent a year getting ready for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

Charles Tiu

Eumir Felix Marcial

Builders start title-retention drive against Volley Hitters

Rybakina’s serving ‘weapon’ blasts her into Aussie semis

“I’m trying to focus just on one match. For sure it’s close, that’s why everybody is now going to try even harder, fight for every ball. It’s going to be tough matches.”

Rybakina was quickest out of the blocks, breaking Ostapenko immediately and hammering down three aces to reach 3-1.

in a row and her 11th ace of the match propelled her through.

She said the experience of already having one major in her trophy cabinet was giving her the belief she could add another.

NATIONAL University will have a lot of proving to do in pursuit of a victory against one of the new teams eager to show its potential as the Archipelago Builders face off with the Vanguard Volley Hitters in the second eli ms playdate of the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference at the Paco Arena Wednesday.

But the defending champions, who also clinched the V-League Collegiate crown late last year, will be hard-pressed to dish out their best without their former stars as Nico Almendras, Ave Retamar, Kennry Malinis and Michaelo Buddin will instead anchor the school’s campaign in the UAAP, which fires off next month.

That leaves holdovers Mac Bandola, Joseph Bello, Marco Maclang and Ahmad Abdul to carry the cudgels for the Builders in their 6 p.m. match with the Volley Spikers, who will be led by Vince Abrot, Joven Camaganakan, John Diwa, Razzel Palisoc and Romeo Teodones.

Air Force, meanwhile, seeks to mark its return to the league organized by Sports Vision on a winning mode as it takes on another newcomer in D’Navigators Iloilo at 4 p.m.

Three-time best setter Jessie Lopez and two-time league MVP Ranran Abdilla look to run it back for the Jhim Merza-coached Jet Spikers, who skipped the last Spikers’ Turf edition for the first time since 2015.

But the D’Navigators side is going all out to spring an early surprise with former Santa Rosa City standout Jade Disquitado anchoring the Iloilobased rookie squad’s campaign in the 11-team tournament.

Games are telecast live on One Sports, One Sports+, Cignal Play, and SMART Live Stream.

Imus made a big league debut by beating Santa Rosa in four, while Army surprised Navy in a tough five-setter in Sunday’s inaugurals of the country’s first and only men’s volley league.

Musumeci

The Wimbledon champion sealed a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over the 2017 French Open winner with her 11th ace, her 190kph (120mph) serve proving her most potent weapon.

The Moscow-born Kazakh has delivered 35 aces in reaching the final four, more than any other woman at Melbourne Park.

It was a category she also led when she won her Wimbledon crown last year.

Ominously for her semi-final opponent, Jessica Pegula or Victoria Azarenka, Rybakina said her serve is better now than at Wimbledon.

“I would say that I always served big, but for sure when I started to work with my coach, we did a lot of changes on the technique,” the 22nd seed said after

taking 1hr 19min on Rod Laver Arena to dismiss Latvia’s Ostapenko.

“I gained even more power. It’s my weapon on the court and of course we are trying to work on it. Always a lot to improve.”

The 23-year-old Rybakina had declared “she could beat anyone” after knocking out top seed Iga Swiatek in straight sets.

Now she is eyeing a second major crown, with only two of the top 10 seeds left in the draw, Pegula (3) and Aryna Sabalenka (5).

“In the beginning it feels like it’s such a long tournament,” said Rybakina, asked if she thought the finish line was in sight.

“Of course if you keep on winning it seems already close.

She created another break point at 30-40 when a sudden cloudburst halted her momentum.

The players scurried off while the roof was closed and the water mopped up.

After a delay of almost half an hour, Ostapenko saw off the immediate danger.

But she was powerless to prevent the aggressive Rybakina capturing the game on a second break point and she closed out the set in 32 minutes.

‘Confident’

Ostapenko upped the power on her groundstrokes at the start of the second, breaking for 2-0 with a scream.

But Rybakina reeled off four games

“Here it’s different because, first of all, I already did it once, and of course I got confident that I can do it again,” said the world number 25, who would be inside the top 10 had she received points for her Wimbledon win, where Russian and Belarusian players were banned.

After knocking out seventh seed Coco Gauff in the fourth round, the 25-year-old Ostapenko said her confidence was back, but it will have taken a dent after running into Rybakina.

“I’ll just try to move forward and try to forget this match as soon as possible,” she told reporters.

“I can take only positive things out of here because I feel my game was really good all the matches, except maybe today it was not really there, and she had a good day.” AFP

Koponang Lakan downs Spicy Oragons; Emeralds back

SAN LEONARDO, Nueva Ecija—JL Delos Santos’ all-around effort powered Koponang Lakan ng Bulacan to a 94-80 whipping of Bicol last Monday night for its second straight win in the Manila Bankers Life-Pilipinas Super League Pro Division Second Conference Dumper Cup at the San Leonardo Gym here.

Delos Santos, a Jose Rizal University standout, scattered 21 points that he laced with seven rebounds and eight assists for Bulacan, while Jason Ballesteros had a double-double of 14 markers and 15 boards.

match

Ivan Santos, Mark Pangilinan, and Jeric Serrano added 14, 12, and 10 points, respectively for Bulacan, which did an encore to a 63-62 escape over Quezon City last week and improved to 5-3 for seventh in the meet presented by Winzir and copresented by Skin Care Depot, SCD Cosmetics and Dumper party-list, and supported by NET 25, Adcon, Wcube Solutions Inc., MDC, Unisol, Don Benitos, and Finn Cotton, with PBA and Gilas Pilipinas great Marc Pingris serving as Commissioner.The Spicy Oragons reeled off to their fifth loss in a row, counting a sorry 66-69 defeat to Sta. Rosa Laguna also last week for a 2-6 slate.

In the other game, 1Munti trounced Bagong Cauyao-Homelab Nation 88-79 to rediscover its winning ways.

you.

He might look like someone you would bump into at a comic book store, but when it comes to competition, he’s someone who gets things done. Just ask Gantumur Bayanduuren.

Bayanduuren found out the hard way after Musumeci tore the former’s ACL, MCL, and meniscus,

while also breaking his foe’s ankle, during a leg lock attempt during ONE Fight Night 6: Superbon vs. Allazov at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

No one thought Bayanduuren would survive the submission attempt on January 14, especially since Musumeci had it locked in, but the Mongolian didn’t submit. It came at a cost, however – his entire leg to be exact.

It’s not something that Musumeci is proud of, as he hoped his opponent

would’ve just tapped.

“I’m kind of nauseous right now. I’m really sick to my stomach. I never felt someone’s leg explode like that in a match,” Musumeci said.

“I’ve been training for 22 years. I never broke someone’s leg that much. I’ve broken a lot of legs, but that leg exploded. I didn’t know what to do, and it’s just disgusting and gross. I really wish he tapped.”

After all, Musumeci believes there’s no need to have ligaments

torn apart and joints dislocated in competition.

“When I compete, I don’t want to hurt anyone. I want them to train tomorrow. You know, I don’t want to hurt my opponent at all. So, I really didn’t like being put in that position where I had to break his leg,” he said.

For those who’ll challenge Musumeci in the future, this match should serve as a warning: Breaking bones isn’t something Musumeci wants to do, but he’s certainly capable of it.

John Catimbuhan fired 16 points, grabbed three caroms, and issued five dimes for the Emeralds, while Domark Matillano added 15 and two.

Francis Camacho had 10 markers as 1Munti cut short its six-game losing streak that included a 71-80 setback at the hands of San Juan last Jan. 16 and raised its card to 2-6.

Cabuyao, coming off a 56-59 loss to San Pedro Laguna-ARS last week, absorbed its seventh straight defeat for a 1-7 slate.

James Martinez totaled 22 points and four rebounds for Bicol, while Paulo Castro had 13 markers.

Hamilton opens up about pain of racial abuse at school

LONDON—Lewis Hamilton has spoken about how he had bananas thrown at him and was repeatedly called the N-word during a “traumatising” school career.

The seven-time Formula One world champion, who grew up in a town near London, detailed the racial abuse in the On Purpose podcast, released on Monday.

The 38-year-old, who is preparing for his 17th season in F1, said: “For me, school was the most traumatising and most difficult part of my life.

“I was already being bullied at the age of six. At that particular school I was one of three kids of colour and just bigger, stronger, bullying kids were throwing me around a lot of the time.

“And the constant jabs, the things that are either thrown at you, like bananas, or people that would use the N-word just so relaxed. People calling you half-caste and not knowing where

you fit in. That for me was difficult.

“In my (secondary) school there were six or seven black kids out of 1,200 kids and three of us were put outside the headmasters’ office all the time.”

The British driver said he felt the system was against him, adding that he suppressed “a lot of things”.

“I didn’t feel I could go home and tell my parents that these kids kept calling me the N-word, or I got bullied or beaten up at school today,” he said. “I didn’t want my dad to think I was not strong.”

Hamilton remains F1’s only black driver. He has established Mission 44, which aims to enhance the lives of people from underrepresented groups, and Ignite, a joint enterprise with his Mercedes team to improve diversity in motor racing.

The British driver, who finished sixth in the 2022 standings, is entering the final year

of his huge deal with Mercedes but it is anticipated that he will sign a new multi-year contract.

Looking ahead to life after F1, Hamilton added in the podcast, which was recorded in November: “It is going to be really, really hard when I stop racing. I have been doing it for 30 years. When you stop, what is going to match that?

“Nothing is going to match being in a stadium, being at a race, being at the pinnacle of the sport and being at the front of the grid or coming through the grid and that emotion that I get with that.

“When I do stop there will be a big hole so I am trying to focus and find things that can replace that and be just as rewarding.”

Hamilton will unveil his new Mercedes at the team’s launch at Silverstone on February 15 ahead of the first round of the new season in Bahrain on March 5. AFP

MELBOURNE—Elena Rybakina is on course for a second Grand Slam title after crushing Jelena Ostapenko to reach the Australian Open semi-fi nals on Tuesday with a brutal display of power-serving.

DON’T let ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci’s boyish looks fool

wishes Bayanduuren would’ve tapped instead of enduring ligament tear, broken ankle

Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina plays a point against Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko during their women’s singles quarter nal

on day nine of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. AFP

Lewis Hamilton

Cast of ‘Hello! Universe’ hits the red carpet at movie premiere

SINGER-COMEDIAN Janno Gibbs and actor-director Xian Lim led the red-carpet premiere of this year’s first comedy movie from Viva Films, Hello! Universe, screening in cinemas nationwide starting today.

Joining Gibbs and Lim were joined by the movie’s main cast members Anjo Yllana, Benjie Paras, Maui Taylor, and Sunshine Guimary Also on the red carpet were Majo Lingat, Gene Padilla, Madelaine Red, and MJ Cayabyab

A story about a man who can’t seem to move on from a failure, this fantasy comedy is also written by Lim, taking inspiration from his personal experience of dreaming to be a professional basketball player

before he entered show business. Gibbs plays Ariel who is married to his high school sweetheart ( Taylor), father to a sweet and hardworking young lady (Red), works as a quality inspector in a fertilizer company, and now experiencing midlife crisis.

Ariel feels that if only he had made that winning shot during a crucial basketball game back in high school, his life would have turned out way better. He is particularly envious of his former rival who is now a famous and wealthy basketball coach.

Luckily, Ariel’s best friend Rocky (Yllana), is always there to cheer him up every time his thoughts are filled with “should have, could have, would have”.

But as they say, repeated thoughts are a great magnet and the universe conspires to help you achieve your dreams. In the case of Ariel, it takes a magical figure named Jessie (Paras), with a futuristic jeepney, to let him live the life he’s always dreamed of – in an alternate universe.

In his new reality, Ariel finds himself with a new wife (Guimary), a new daughter ( Lingat), but still with the same old foes, Mac Morales (Padilla), his arch nemesis in basketball, and Leeroy (Cayabyab), the manager at the fertilizer company.

Join Ariel as the charmed life he has envisioned suddenly becomes chaotic. Expect lots of gags and laughs, and a touch of drama.

Senator Lito Lapid has nothing but praises for Coco Martin

Nadine Lustre, box office queen

By Patricia Taculao

FOR seven years, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano brought more than just a modern retelling of the action-packed classic by The King of Action Movies, Fernando Poe Jr. Even with Coco Martin as the show’s lead actor, he continuously and generously shared the spotlight with other veterans in the entertainment industry.

Most actors are grateful to Coco and the team behind Ang Probinsyano because the show gave them another chance to show their passion for acting and gain prominence among audiences from today’s generation. Among them is Senator Lito Lapid

During a quick catch-up with the press last January 23, Monday, he shared how Ang Probinsyano paved the way for millennials to know him as Romulo “Leon” Dumaguit, or simply Pinuno. He quipped that most Filipinos knew him before as Leon Guerrero early in his career as an action star.

In the seven-year stint, the esteemed senator saw how Coco’s mind worked and how he appealed to the general masses, making him a well-loved actor among the Filipinos.

script niya nasaulo niya ‘Yung timpla ng masa kayang-kaya niya ilabas sa TV,” Lapid said.

Lapid also recalled how Coco can adapt his dialogue to match the scene’s mood yet add a more relatable flair. Although it’s something the senator isn’t used to, he enjoyed working with Coco. So much so that he asked the actor to enter politics, but Coco declined because he already had his platform in showbiz. But that isn’t the end of their on-screen projects.

This year, Lapid will return to the small screen with Coco for the modern rendition of another FPJ classic, Batang Quiapo Batang Quiapo draws inspiration from the 1986 action-comedy film of the same title. It follows the story of Baldo (formerly played by the late Fernando Poe Jr.), a former pickpocket who becomes reformed after spending time behind bars.

He then meets a young female thief who wants to be his apprentice. But instead of fulfilling her wishes, Baldo will try to put her on the right path.

In the series, Lapid will play the head of the thieves, like his role as Pinuno in Ang Probinsyano. Joining them are FPJ’s daughter, Lovi Poe, veteran actress Charo Santos-Concio, and the senator’s son, Mark Lapid, with Christopher de Leon, Tommy Abuel, Cherry Pie Picache Pen Medina Susan Africa, and John Estrada

Yet there’s more to Batang Quiapo to Senator Lapid than just being another opportunity to seize the imagination and support viewers. For him, it’s an ideal use of the entertainment platform to highlight local culture.

Lapid proposed the Quiapo Heritage Zone Act, which would help restore and preserve the Quiapo district. The upcoming action-comedy teleserye is another way to showcase the heritage of Quiapo and its relevance to Filipino identity. Once enacted into law, the heritage zone will receive funding from the Department of Tourism, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and other cultural agencies.

Batang Quiapo, produced by Dreamscape Entertainment and Coco’s CCM Film Productions, will air early this 2023.

“Perhaps, I will just give an answer when it’s already there,” she averred. “At this point, I don’t want to expect.”

Talks are ripe that Viva is already preparing her next potboiler after Deleter Does she feel any pressure that her next projects is expected to as highly successful?

“Well, honestly, I’m not really that pressured. I guess, it’s more of excitement because at least now, there will be a variety of genres that can get presented to me.”

Nadine made it clear that doing horror thrillers doesn’t mean that she will no longer do rom-coms anymore.

“At least, not now. Perhaps, in the future. I just finished a horror project. A thriller can be a good follow-up.”

The dusky actress is happy that her previous legal tussle with her home studio is already ironed out.

“Yes, it’s relieving that everything is okay between me and Viva. I think, having a misunderstanding is just normal for any family. I’m glad that we’ve passed that stage already and are back working together. It’s good that this time around, they’re open to making projects that are out-of-the-box. There is variety. You have choices. At least, you’re not confined to doing just rom-coms. I’m really excited about the projects they will line up for me in the coming days!”

Nadine admitted her realization that it’s acting what she really wants to do or the career she really wants to excel in.

“I won’t deny that there are times when my passion for acting is waning because of getting burnt out. You get tired that you do the same things. That’s what I don’t like, especially when your health suffers. But I guess, the reason why I still continue is that I feel that there are still things I want to achieve in my craft. I still have lots of goals to fulfill. As I’ve mentioned earlier, it helps

* * * In a recent YouTube vlog, Liza Soberano revealed that she decided to move permanently to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career in Hollywood.

“I’ve never officially announced that I’m moving to L.A. I made that decision because it is much easier to build my career if I am there because they are always, constantly, looking for, like, in-person meetings,” the 25-year-old actress said.

“It’s hard to book the job when you’re meeting people over Zoom. They can’t really tell what your personality is like or they can’t really see what you actually look like. My dream is to become a world-class actress,” Liza added saying that she wants to explore her music career.

This move means she is breaking away from her love team with real-life boyfriend Enrique Gil

“My goal is to become my own person because for so many years, I was in a love team, and that’s what I was mainly known for, or, like, I was attached to so many different brands.

I never was able to build up my own personal branding. I feel like this year and the next few years is all about figuring out what I really want do with my career and personally finding out what excites me or what fuels my passion,” Liza stated.

Iconic ‘K-Love’ moments that live inside viewers’ minds rent-free

IT’S easy to know if a show is bingeworthy – it’ll elicit endless laughs, keep your heart fluttering, and give you the “feels” for days on end. These are just some of the reasons why Viu Original K-Love is gaining momentum among viewers.

The series follows five urbanites traversing their own paths, as they pursue their own K-drama-inspired happy endings. As the show nears its end, let’s round up K-Love’s best moments that are so sticky, they live in our minds rent-free.

Better yet, let’s hear some of these straight from the viewers, and know why you should not miss the coming episodes.

Be warned, spoilers ahead.

Judy, 19: “When David asked Shiela to “prove” her love after apologizing for forgetting their anniversary at the Tatler Ball!”

What is Shiela’s proven and tested way of making it up to her “fit, hot, and most perfect husband” after forgetting their anniversary? You go down in front of him… to fix your shoe straps. Shiela definitely trolled us in this scene, got us “shooketh” and doubled over in laughter for thinking that she’s gonna do it. Equally adorable David forgives her instantly and brushes off the issue, showing how secure his love is. This is why we’re forever shipping this wholesome couple – no toxicity, just fun vibes!

Paola, 24: “Whenever the women of K-Love show that giving it your all always pays off. Fighting!”

Who else rooted for Tish when she rose from the ashes and tried to woo the client again even after an epic rejection? She’s proven the girl boss that she is by not giving up and working smart. Wearing her

confidence and a killer OOTD, she’s done one of the most iconic power moves we’ve ever seen: winning the client over with a whatever-it-takes kind of attitude. Don’t we all need to have this energy if we want to chase after something we really want?

Tiara, 35: “Val’s Slay-counters with Bim-bim Velez. I’m always on the lookout for that!”

All of Bim-bim’s efforts to cancel Val are so “nakakagigil.” The audacity of that witch. From the moment he called Val hija” and treated her as a nobody, we knew the war has just started. Good thing, our girl knows how to play the game and shows that she’s not the kind of girl to be stepped on. She’s worked hard enough to not deserve that treatment from some bully like Bim-bim, or anyone else. We can’t wait for more face-offs where Val wins because, after all, Fran is right… That guy

is like Voldemort, he’s everywhere. Ynah, 27: “When Jay saw Tish and Pedro kissing.”

For Tish-ay shippers out there, that ending scene in ep 10 is definitely ouchworthy. Seeing the one you love kissing someone else right when you’ve mustered enough strength to confess your feelings? There’s nothing more heartbreaking than that. We felt Jay’s pain through our screens. Maybe it’s his fault for not saying it sooner, maybe Tish is just looking too far for love… or maybe fate has something better in store for these two…we’ll find out in the next episodes.

See? Just like these K-Lovers, whether it’s a funny, touching, or intriguing scene, you’ll surely have a favorite. The series is truly an entertaining watch filled with moments and even lessons that fans will savor by heart.

IN A recent press conference, Nadine Lustre was asked regarding the possibility that she will be crowned as the new Boxoffice Queen by the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Awards due to the phenomenal success of her movie Deleter, which became the official top-grosser in the recentlyconcluded Metro Manila Film Festival.

that at this point, I can do what I want and I can refuse projects which I don’t like to do,” she ended.

“‘Yung isip ni Coco ang bilis ‘Yung

The cast of ‘Hello! Universe’ on the red carpet during the comedy movie’s premiere at SM Megamall Cinemas

Lead star Janno Gibbs and director Xian Lim

Senator Lito Lapid with son Mark Lapid

Nadine Lustre

Liza Soberano

Sue Ramirez in ‘K-Love’

Coco Martin

Art for peace

MISSIONARY Visual Artist, Kristine Lim, recently visited Basilan for her first official mission under the Philippine Navy as a soldier.

The Naval Reserve Public Affairs Unit (NRPAU) Ambassadors visited Pilas Island, Hadji Muhtamad Municipality, Basilan Province for the conduct of the All-in-One Medical Mission. The activity was able to undertake and provide the services for residents of the isle: medical and dental assistance, giving of reading eyeglasses, cataract and cleft lip profiling, free haircut, gift giving including toys and grocery goods, art and craft lessons for children, musical ensemble, and symposium with the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Pilas Island together with private and public stakeholders from various sectors of society.

The event was graced by NRPAU Ambassadors, Miss Philippines World Beauty Queen 2016, IT1 Kristine Joy Ocampo Cruz PN(Res) and sister, Brand Ambassador, PO3 Ninna Ricci

PASINAYA is back, better and bigger

IN 2020, when the news about the spread of the virus from China hit the newsstand, the Cultural Center of the Philippines felt it prudent to cancel one of its biggest festivals, the Pasinaya Open House Festival.

With 25,000 attendees on average for its three-day event, the art institution put a premium on the safety of the artists, the production staff, and the audiences.

In 2021 and 2022, with the battle cry “Tuloy ang Palabas,” the Center held online editions of the festival. While there was nothing like live performances and face-to-face interactions, I would say the Pasinaya online editions were a success.

The largest multi-arts festival in the country organized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines returns bigger and better, slated on February 3 to 5 in various venues inside the CCP Complex, located along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.

“This year, Pasinaya follows the theme ‘Piglas Sining.’ We are breaking away from the notion that the CCP is just the building. We are emphasizing that CCP can be anywhere,” said CCP artistic director Dennis N. Marasigan

In 2023, CCP will be everywhere, especially when the institution partners with different performance venues around the metro and the regions.

For this year’s Pasinaya, the focus would be the outdoor venues such as the CCP Front Lawn, Liwasang Kalikasan (the forested area near MBC/ Aliw Theater), Tanghalang Ignacio B. Gimenez and its surrounding spaces, and the parade ground of Vicente Sotto Street.

Pasinaya retains its Palihan and Palabas components. Festival goers can try all the workshops in Palihan, while they can

enjoy the performances in Palabas, happening on February 4 and 5.

New this year is the Pagtitipon, a gathering of the Kaisa Sa Sining partners on February 3. There are 59 regional partners from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the KSS network, with three new partners joining. A program of the Cultural Exchange Department, the KSS aims to further strengthen the CCP linkages and cooperations with local organizations in the different regions of the country.

The art market, now dubbed Palitan, will have its online pitching and on-site booth space for performing arts organizations with Philippine embassies and consulates, on the same days at the TIG.

Of course, one shouldn’t miss the museum tours or the Paseo Museo. Pasinaya partners with the National Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Museum of Contemporary Art

and Design, Casa Manila, Museo de Intramuros, Fort Santiago, Museo Pambata, and Adamson University. This year, the CCP has four new partners—AIMS Museo Martimo, Manila City Hall Clock Tower Museum, PWU School of Finer Arts and Design, and GSIS Museum.

Aside from these components, what are the things you shouldn’t miss in this year’s Pasinaya?

If you are into Zumba and want to dance to the tune of the Pasinaya jingle, then head to the opening program on February 4.

If you are not a morning person like me, you can check out Saint Louis University’s annual Handog sa Baguio Lantern Parade, slated around 6:00 p.m. Since 2008, the lantern parade has served as the opening salvo for Baguio City’s holiday celebration. It showcases lanterns made by students, with festive performances.

Pasinaya continues its experience-allyou-can, pay-what-you-can scheme. For

Cruz PN(Res), Artist On A Mission Founder, CMO2 Kristine Lim PN(Res), and GMA Kapuso Celebrity, PO2 JC Tiuseco PN(Res).

Further, the children from the said barangay participated in the Art for Peace conducted by volunteers from MHVP together with, renowned Missionary Visual Artist, CMO2 Kristine Ann S Lim PN(Res).

Additionally, notable sponsors who supported the event namely Pediatrica Inc, Integrated Resource Development for Tri-People, Team Handog Aguila, MLhuiller, One World Foundation, JCI, and McDonald House Foundation from BGEN Rodylyn T. Manzano PN(M) (RES) and regular military personnel, doctors, nurses, and volunteers also took part in the mission who brought and transport food, equipment, medicines, hygiene kits, and other essential items for donation to the Mayor of Hadji Muhtamad Municipality, Hon Mayor Arsina Kahing-Nanoh and Basilan Governor Jim Hataman Salliman

Despite the remote location of the activity, NRPAU Ambassadors devoted their time, unwavering efforts, and initiative to participate and extend a helping hand to those who require relief efforts and medical attention for residents of Pilas Island. More or less 1,500 beneficiaries received assistance at the event that greatly boosted the morale and welfare of the residents coming from the ten barangays of Hadji Muhtamad Municipality.

The activity was made possible through the support of Acting Commander, Naval Forces Western Mindanao, Capt Dwight Steven M. Dulnoan PN; Commander, Naval Reserve Command, BGEN Joseph Ferrous S. Cuison PN(M), and Flag Officer In Command, Philippine Navy, Radm Toribio D. Adaci, Jr. PN. The Philippine Navy marks its presence at Pilas Island as an advocate to sustain and strengthen the maritime security of the area and promote socioeconomic development.

GLAZING LIFE

BY GLAIZA LEE

Family feasts at The Podium

ONE of the highlights of Chinese New Year is families getting together to celebrate. The “Nian Ye Fan” or Chinese New Year dinner, also called “Reunion Dinner,” is said to be the most important meal of the year as family members gather together to celebrate the coming year.

Considered the most loved aspect of the Spring Festival, the dinner is set to share food and time with each other.

The Podium restaurants join in the celebration with a variety of authentic and mouth-watering Chinese cuisines. Paradise Dynasty definitely sets the mood with its exquisite flavors from northern and southern China. These include Paradise Dynasty’s famous Specialty Xioa Long Bao as well as La Mian with Braised Pork Belly and Poached Beef in Szechuan Chili Oil.

a suggested donation price of P50, participants may go in and out of the different CCP venues to attend the workshops or watch the different performances, shows, screenings, and other activities as they can.

Registration starts at 6:30 a.m., on February 4 to 5, at the Bukaneg side of the Front Lawn and at Vicente Sotto Street.

Through the Pasinaya, the CCP aims to provide a platform for artists and cultural groups to showcase their talents while nurturing the broadest public and creating new audiences through interactions and performances.

Pasinaya is undoubtedly the biggest multi-arts festival in the country and is still getting bigger and better in its 18th year.

Follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for the latest updates.

All roads lead to Cebu for PLUS63 Music and Arts Festival

IF you are planning to visit Cebu soon, be sure to make it on the weekend of February 18. While the “Queen City of the South” captures a traveler’s gypsy heart with its beaches, unique dishes, getaways, and exciting activities, it is also the venue for the long-awaited comeback of PLUS63 Festival. An annual music and arts festival, it gathers international and local acts at the SM Seaside Complex.

Book a flight on a Friday morning and upon arriving in Cebu, visit the stunning beaches of Bantayan, Malapascua, or Mactan where you could swim, snorkel, dive, or islandhop. In the evening, visit Cebu’s street food markets—including those Carbon Night Market, Sugbo Mercado, The Market in Mandaue, and Tinda Locale. Have a taste of Ginabot, Tuslob buwa, and Lechon, among others which are perfect when paired with boiled young coconut rice called Pusô.

Saturday, February 18, is the date for PLUS63 Festival. After a two-year hiatus, it is back with a stellar line-up headlined by singer-producer-rappercomedian Joji (who boasts of over 5 billion streams to date) and R&B siren Kehlani (currently on a world tour promoting her latest album Blue Water Road, and will be capping off the said tour at PLUS63 Festival). They are two of this generation’s most accomplished artists.

Also in the line-up of performers are Davao’s rising electro-pop star Paul Pablo, Cebu-based pop-rock bands, The Sundown and Sansette, and

Cebu’s crowd favorite DJ Short Tickets are available at www.PLUS63Festival.com, www.SMTickets.com and www.InsigniaTickets.com for a three-month installment, zero interest option via Atome.

After that memorable Saturday Night at the PLUS63 Festival, continue the lively vibe at NUSTAR Resort and Casino, a premier five-star hotel offering world-class gaming, entertainment, events, and exclusive shopping.

The day after, you can go islandhopping or basking in the island’s sand bars which you probably thought never existed. If you are a self-confessed sun-worshipper, take a side trip to Oslob, Moalboal, or nearby Mactan.

From unique cuisine, beaches with crystal clear blue waters and powdery white sand, and the warm welcoming vibe of Cebuanos, Cebu has evolved into a destination for wanderlusts. Now, with the multicultural, multi-genre sonic PLUS63 Festival happening on February 18, this city meets the sea festival is a one-of-a-kind event where the curious and free-spirited, creative souls celebrate their passion for music and the arts.

PLUS63 Festival Cebu has previously

Experience modern China with Shanghai Saloon’s cosmopolitan cuisine. Indulge in their unlimited Yum Cha and specially curated set menus. Or dig into Mann Hann’s bestsellers Lechon Macau, dim sum Radish Cake, and Fried Noodles with Seafood. Tai Koo, a Hong Kong-inspired restaurant serves

roast meats, noodle soups, and dim sum. Try Tai Koo’s Soy Chicken Tai Koo Plate which has a bit of everything in one plate.

At Healthy Shabu Shabu, with fresh meat, vegetables, and spices, you can “cook your own” way of dining. Likewise, Shi Lin, a chain serving authentic Taiwanese epicurean delights offers a friendly and efficient service on top of reasonably priced, heartwarming dishes like Braised Beef Noodles and Sesame Peanut Noodles that warm the heart and soul.

For desserts, try healthy Taiwanese treats including Red Bean Soup from Hot Taro Ball Series of Meet Fresh. With the aim to give customers delicious treats filled with traditional and authentic tastes, Meet Fresh prioritizes serving healthy desserts without preservatives made fresh daily.

To find out more about The Podium stores and restaurants, follow The Podium’s social media accounts or visit The Podium website at thepodium.com.ph.

Nickie

Kristine Lim in Basilan for her rst o cial mission under the Philippine Navy as a soldier

A vibrant and festive sight during the 2019 Pasinaya Festival

been headlined by world-famous acts like Steve Angello, Steve Aoki, Showtek, Kid Ink, Dada Life, and LANY

Shi Lin o ers Taiwanese Bento Boxes with a choice of Chicken Chop, Porkchop, Spicy Spareribs, Salt and Pepper Squid, or Sweet and Sour Pork, all come with dim sum, bokchoy, and fried or steamed rice

Singer-producer-rapper-comedian Joji will headline the PLU63 Music and Arts Festival