Manila Standard - 2023 January 30 - Monday

LPG to cost P9.50/k more

Leads projected oil price increases, gas at P1.40/l, diesel at P1/l

By Alena Mae S. Flores

COOKING gas or liquefied petroleum gas prices will likely go up by about P9.50 per kilo on February 1 due to the higher contract price of LPG, an industry source said.

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House bill allows PBBM to hold PhilHealth rate hike

By

Rio N. Araja

LEADERS of the House of Representatives, headed by Speaker Martin Romualdez, have filed an urgent bill

By Rio N. Araja

and Willie Casas

THE number of Philippine-educated nurses that took the US licensure exam for the first time in 2022 was the highest in 14 years, a lawmaker said Sunday.

A total of 18,617 nursing graduates from the Philippines took the US licen-

sure examination in hopes of practicing their profession in the United States, Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo, vice chairperson of the House committee on higher and technical education, said in a news release.

“In 2022, we had the highest number of Philippine-educated nurses taking the

By Rey E. Requejo

and

Macon Ramos-Araneta

JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Sunday denied suggestions that he was shielding former President Rodrigo Duterte from the reopened International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into his bloody war on drugs.

“We are not covering up for anyone here. If the ICC has evidence they want to share with us that would help in the investigation, why not? Why do they need to try it in their court? We have our own court here,” Remulla

PRICE CHANGE.

A gas station attendant swaps the tiles denoting the prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks in Manila in this file photo. An industry source said prices will likely go up by about P9.50 per kilo on February 1 due to the higher contract price of the cooking gas.

Jeepney drivers’ daily take home income drops to P300

FOLLOWING the streak of rising fuel prices, public utility jeepney drivers are only now able to take home from P300 to P400 of their daily income to their families, a transport group said Sunday.

Mody Floranda, national president of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON), expressed this in an interview on radio dzBB, saying their daily income is far from the estimated family living wage of around P1,100.

“Due to the series of fuel price increases, our earnings of P400 to P500 before are now decreasing even more. We are almost back to taking home

By Rio N. Araja

THE influx of smuggled frozen chicken meat is causing domestic farms to reduce poultry populations, resulting in lower supply levels and higher retail prices for eggs, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said. “The egg problem is partly an offspring of the chicken problem. Traders abusing prices appears to be the leading cause, but I cannot discount the fact that the decline in the population of chickens is also to

P300 to P400 to our families, which is far from the living wage of a family of five to survive,” he said.

Fuel pump prices are expected to go up starting Tuesday for the third week in a row. Unioil Petroleum Philippines said over the weekend diesel will likely go up by P0.80 to P1.00 per liter and gasoline by P1.20 to P1.40 per liter (see related story on A1 – Editors).

Floranda said that based on a study by the independent research group IBON Foundation, a family needs P1,133 per day.

“This is not to make their lives easier,

blame for this,” he said.

“There is definitely a connection between ensuring that imported chicken meat tariffs are imposed and keeping our domestic egg sector viable. We can import frozen chicken meat, but eggs are much harder to import, so we need a good domestic supply base. So, we really need to stamp down the abuses in the trading sector, and to ensure that we have enough egg supply,” he stressed.

PBBM, senators to talk economy

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will meet with senators Tuesday to discuss how to spur economic growth.

"After the Vin de Honor in the Malacanang, the President and the senators will have a dinner also to explain the priorities of the administration," said Zubiri, who met with Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Friday.

Zubiri said they tackled the government's priority bills aimed at hastening the growth of the economy and improving the living conditions of every Filipino. He said they also talked about the ratification of RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) that will widen the market for Philippine exports.

LPG...

From A1 prices are also expected to go up starting Tuesday.

Unioil Petroleum Philippines said over the weekend diesel will likely go up by P0.80 to P1.00 per liter and gasoline by P1.20 to P1.40 per liter.

The Department of Energy confirmed the possible increase in pump prices of more than P1 per liter for gasoline and kerosene and less than P1 for diesel.

"Hopefully the remaining day of trading Friday (last week) would help to lessen the increase," DOE director for

Smuggled...

From A1

Irwan Ambal, Philippine Egg Board president, earlier said there was a 20-percent drop in the population of chicken layers in Luzon since January last year due to the avian flu outbreak.

The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) earlier said the government has lost at least P15 billion in revenues in 2022 because of the entry of P25.4 billion worth of smuggled meat, of which frozen chicken meat accounted for P4 billion.

Sinag president Rosendo So urged the government to revive the pre-boarding inspection process for imported products

No...

From A1 said, in a TV interview.

“If they want to investigate something, they could provide us with the evidence, and we will investigate because we are responsible for our own country,” Remulla added.

In allowing the reopening of the investigation, the ICC said it was “not satisfied that the Philippines is undertaking relevant investigations that would warrant a deferral of the court's investigations.”

Remulla earlier said the reopening of the ICC probe was an “unwelcome”irritant, and that he would not stand for any antics that would tend to question the country's sovereignty.

The Justice secretary also denied coordinating his department's response with Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who led Duterte's bloody war on drugs when he was chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“I don't talk to them about those things. We are handling the justice system the way it should be handled,” Remulla said.

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NCLEX in 14 years, in terms of firsttime takers,” Rillo said, citing figures from the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. (USNCSBN).

The USNCSBN administers the National Council Licensure Examination, or the NCLEX, for registered nurses in America.

With this development, Rillo renewed his call for Congress to invest in more compensation funding to retain Filipino nurses in public hospitals and to discourage some of them from leaving the country.

Rillo has been batting for the passage of House Bill No. 5276, which seeks to boost by 75 percent – from P36,619 to P63,997 – the lowest base pay of nurses employed by the government.

Under his bill, the minimum base pay of nurses in public health institutions would be raised by six notches to Salary Grade 21 prescribed under the Salary Standardization Law of 2019.

The 18,617 represents a surge of 90 percent from the 9,788 Filipino nursing graduates that took the NCLEX for the first time in 2021, without counting re-

"We also talked about the Maharlika Investment Fund. I thanked the President for agreeing not to rush this proposed measure to ensure wecan come out with the best provisions [for the sovereign wealth fund bill]. We can also put enough safeguards to protect the funds… [from] corruption or mismanagement," he said.

"Our promise to the President is that we will work hard to pass thebills that will help make a big impact on our economy but most especially on all our countrymen so that the economic growth is being felt by them as well," he said.

the Oil Industry Management Bureau Rodela Romero said. Romero said increased economic recovery fueled demand recovery in China.

World oil prices have been going up in the past week on bullish sentiment about Chinese demand growth and easing US recession fears. On January 24, the oil companies implemented a per liter increase in gasoline by P2.80, diesel by P2.25, and kerosene by P2.40. These resulted in a total net increase this year to stand at P5.90 per liter for gasoline, P2.05 per liter for diesel, and P3.20 per liter for kerosene.

to address the smuggling of agricultural products.

Salceda, for his part, said the government must consider feed subsidies from tariff revenues from imported corn to support egg production.

He said the Department of Agriculture should also be more aggressive in its layer distribution programs.

“At any given time, you are looking at tariff revenues of P1.9 billion for corn imports. We could funnel that back to the egg and chicken meat production sector. I would say egg production is more important.

We can import chickens, but we can’t easily import eggs,” he emphasized.

To keep egg prices cheap would be

Over the weekend, Dela Rosa shot back at the ICC, saying it was trying to impose its standards on a country where the justice system is working.

Still, he said, it looked unlikely that the current administration would cooperate with an ICC investigation.

"Let us just see the results. Our government is very consistent on itsstand not to allow them (to conduct their own probe of the killings in the Philippines," he said.

Dela Rosa, who is a co-respondent of the former president, said it was Duterte's opponents who brought the cases before the ICC.

Remulla, however, said he had no problem discussing the issue with the former president's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.

“If we have a chance to talk, we will talk. I am always with her when the President leaves, we are the executive committee of the President... No problem, we can talk. We’ll talk about it,” he said.

In March 2019, Duterte had the Philippines withdraw from the Rome Statute that established the ICC, after it announced an interest in investigating human rights abuses in his drug war.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said

peaters, Rillo said. “The number of Philippine nursing graduates taking the NCLEX for the first time is a reliable indicator as to how many of them are eagerly looking for employment in America,” he said.

Meanwhile, the latest numbers from the USNCSBN show that a total of 4,318 nursing graduates from India also took the NCLEX for the first time in 2022, along with 1,816 graduates from South Korea.

A total of 1,326 nurses educated in Puerto Rico and 1,264 nurses schooled in Nigeria also took the NCLEX for the first time last year, along with 540 nurses trained in Kenya.

Earlier, the Filipino Nurses United (FNU) called on the International Labor Organization-High Level Tripartite Mission (ILO-HLTM) to investigate possible violations of work standards in the nursing profession in the country.

In a statement on Sunday, FNU said it consulted several nurse administrators from various healthcare facilities who told them that nurses suffer from understaffing, having to handle around 20 to 50 patients and work for 12 to 16 hours without overtime pay.

“This is in contrast to the Depart-

Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera on Sunday said the much-touted economic growth last year would have been more meaningful if its benefits were felt by all Filipinos.

“Economic growth must be inclusive and it must be felt all across the country for all Filipinos,” she said.

She reacted to reports that the Philippine economy grew 7.6 percent in 2022, the highest in more than 40 years, and surpassed the government's target as domestic consumption remained resilient despite soaring inflation.

But Herrera said many Filipinos have yet to feel the benefits of the strong GDP growth that the country achieved in 2022.

“Unfortunately, reports on the improving economy do not reflect the reality that millions of Filipinos remain poor and have to struggle daily to earn

Jeepney...

a living,” she said.

Pointing to the latest Social Weather Stations survey, the party-list lawmaker said Filipinos who called themselves poor rose to 51 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022 translating to an estimated 12.9 million Filipinos.

She said this was higher than the 12.6 million or 49 percent recorded in the previous quarter.

Herrera expressed disappointment that many people were saying they did not feel the economic growth because of high electricity rates, slow or unreliable internet connections, an inefficient public transportation system, rising food prices, and stagnating real wages.

“The challenge now for the present administration is to address these valid concerns of our people because economic growth is useless if its benefits do not redound to the entire population,” she said.

From A1 but only to meet their demands for the day,” he said.

As jeepney drivers in Manila feel the pinch of rising fuel prices, they have resorted to several ways to save their hard-earned money, Floranda noted.

Some of them only do half-day work, while others chose to just make their jeepneys their home, he said.

“Right now, the income of our public transport sector has decreased even more due to the continuous increase in the cost of petroleum products in the country,” Floranda said.

“We are worried about this because it is not only the transportation sector that will be mainly hit, but also the people. We know that whenthe price of petroleum increases, the prices of the basic needs and services also increase,” he added.

“critical to fighting malnutrition,” he said, adding that eggs, per gram, are “the cheapest available source of protein for Filipino families.”

“So, it is a matter of urgent national importance that we act now on egg prices before farm gate prices begin to rise. Right now, it’s still mostly a trader issue, but if domestic chicken supply worsens,farmgate egg prices will rise, and that will be much harder to fight,” he said.

Meanwhile, Surigao del Sur Rep Romeo Momo Sr. urged the government to tap the agricultural resources of Mindanao to ensure a steady supply of onions and even garlic.

“Our province of Surigao del Sur and

that the country had no intention of rejoining the ICC.

Government records showed that at least 6,200 drug suspects were killed in police operations from June 2016 until November 2021. But several human rights groups said the actual death toll was between 12,000 and 30,000—most of them poor.

Remulla said the new administration wants to put an end to small-time buybust operations and refocus on big-time drug suppliers.

Remulla said the country’s real problem with illegal drugs was the big drug players and multi-million-peso enterprises, which is why the government should concentrate on them.

“What we are saying is, let's stop with these piecemeal daily buy-busts….one gram and you send someone to jail for life. Let's stop this. Let’s be better enforcers. Let us look at the problem from the source... What's important is we are done with these small-change operations,” Remulla said.

“That's where we should concentrate-how to stop the entry of drugs and how to stop their distribution,” he added.

Remulla said President Marcos “wants a more compassionate form of

ment of Health (DOH) nurse-to-patient ratio standard of 1 nurse to 12 patients per duty shift in a general ward (patients requiring a minimum level of care),” the group said.

FNU also said about 36,000 government nurses are contractual workers.

With their contracts renewable only in six months to one year, the nurses are discouraged from being vocal about their grievances and from joining associations or unions for fear of not being rehired or arbitrarily terminated, the FNU said.

“Labor standards on work hours, nurse to patient ratio, and security of tenure are basic nurses’ rights that have been violated. This sad plight has led to further massive migration of nurses to other countries which offer better pay and work conditions,” FNU said.

“It is in this light that FNU is seeking the intervention of ILO-HLTM on freedom of association and protection of the right to organize Convention 87,” it added.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Nurses Association expressed concern over the pirating of Filipino nursing students by some European countries.

PNA president Melvin Miranda said some European nations were ag-

Marcos okays VAT refund for foreign tourists

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the Value-Added Tax Refund Program for foreign tourists by 2024 to boost tourist arrivals in the country.

M. Marcos also approved the rolling out of e-visa by 2023, prioritizing China and India, and the removal of One Health Pass (OHP) requirement for entry.

The Presidential Communications Office said Mr. Marcos made thedecision during his meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Tourism Sector Group. PSAC made several “Quick Wins” recommendations, including therevocation of outdated advisories and loudspeaker announcements in the country’s airports and the automatic inclusion of travel tax in all airline tickets.

The Quick Wins proposals, which were presented by PSAC to the chiefexecutive during a meeting in Malacañang last week, are aimed atfurther boosting the country’s tourism industry, managing the nationalbrand and image, as well as promoting tourism investments, among others.

PSAC officials also told Mr. Marcos that they are working on a mobile app called e-Travel, which integrates all of the information on immigration, customs, health and quarantine.

They said the app, which could be ready for use within the month or byFebruary at the latest, is being modified to allow groups or families to easily input data.

The database will also include tourist destinations, transport and hotel information, as well as traffic condition.

the large portion of Mindanao have very rich and fertile lands as well as good climate, which are greatly conducive to farming and other agri-production activities,” he said.

“I strongly believe that given due share on the national government'spriority in agriculture and rural development, Mindanao can address the shortage in onion and other farm products,” Momo said.

“With these, I would like to make an urgent appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is also the head of the agriculture department, to likewise give focus on the great potential the Mindanao region can give in terms of our muchneeded agri-production and food security measures,” he said.

justice,” in contrast to Duterte, who launched a bloody war on drugs in which thousands of drug suspects were killed.

The Justice chief also vowed that all reforms to the country’s criminal justice system would be completed before the 2028 elections.

“Everything that we are doing, we will finish before 2028. By 2027, all the changes in the pipeline that are needed for our criminal justice system will be finished,” he said.

In a separate development, the PNP said only 10 senior police officials have not yet submitted their courtesy resignations as part of the administration's campaign to clean house.

Of these, three are police generals and seven are colonels, said PNP Public Information Office chief Police Col. Red Maranan.

Earlier this month, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. asked police generals and full colonels to submit their courtesy resignation as part of the government's efforts to rid the police force of officers involved in the illegal drug trade.

PNP chief Police Gen. Rodolfo Azurin said he will wait until Jan. 31 for all officials to comply.

gressive in the recruitment of Filipino nursing students by offering scholarship grants.

"We truly support internationalization. However, we need to safeguard the implementing rules and regulations. That's why we are calling for a dialogue or certainly a discussion on this matter since this is very alarming," he told the ANC news channel.

Reports said foreign countries are offering "competitive" packages to second-year nursing students, which include tuition and lodging.

In the Philippines, private hospitals pay their nurses between P9,000 and P15,000, Miranda noted. Meanwhile, entry-level nurses in public hospitals start with a monthly salary of P33,000.

In a press briefing last week, Department of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the government could not prevent healthcare workers from leaving the country "because that’s their right to find more productive and bigger pay."

The agency has proposed to Congress to standardize the salaries of nurses in public and private hospitals.

The DOH also aims to improve the benefits for healthcare workers and provide more scholarships.

Tourists can complete the form through the app before boarding or while onboard the plane as long as they have internet connection.

Mr. Marcos has actively pushed for digitalization in government which he said would allow tourists to easily fill out forms while traveling.

The PSAC is composed of business leaders and industry experts providing technical advice to the President in achieving the government's economic objectives in six key sectors — agriculture, digital infrastructure, healthcare, infrastructure, jobs generation and tourism.

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self-employed, and other PhilHealth contributors who are still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. Under Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act, contributions would go up this year from 4 percent to 4.5 percent, or from the minimum monthly premium of P400 to P450. The rate shall further increase to 5 percent starting in 2025.

Aside from Romualdez, other co-authors of the bill that seeks to amend the Universal Health Care Act were Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe of Zamboanga City, Senior Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos of Ilocos Norte, and Tingog party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre.

“The President of the Philippines may, upon recommendation of the PhilHealth board, suspend and adjust the period of implementation of the scheduled increase of premium rates during national emergencies or calamities, or when public interest so requires,” the bill said.

If the bill is passed into law, the proposed provision would be a new paragraph under Section 10 of the UHC Act.

“While PhilHealth only aims to fulfill and remain faithful to its mandate, imposing a higher premium on Filipinos in these current conditions where most of them are grappling with the pandemic will definitely enforce a new round of financial burden to its members,” the bill further stated.

Counterpart measures have been filed in the Senate by Senators Grace Poe and JV Ejercito.

President Marcos earlier suspended the adjustment for premium rate and income ceiling from P80,000 to P90,000 scheduled for this year to 2024.

PhilHealth spokesman Rey Baleña said the suspension of the adjustmentwould not affect its operations but would have an impact on the new benefits under the UHC.

"It is only the new benefits packages that will have a possible adjustment in deployment, but the current benefits packages will not have any changes," he said.

Among the new benefit packages to be implemented this year are thesevere acute malnutrition package as well as the outpatient mental health package.

In 2021, Mr. Marcos’ predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, also postponed the increase in PhilHealth member contributions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BOOK LAUNCHING.

Pasay Mayor Imelda ‘Emi’ Calixto-Rubiano (2nd from right) and Rep. Antonio Calixto (right) receive a coffee table book from the Congregation del Nombre de Jesus before the start of the procession of the Santisimo Del Niño Jesus on Sunday in the streets of Pasay City. Danny Pata

PAO lauds SC ruling on five Lazada riders

By Rio N. Araja

THE Public Attorney’s Office on Sunday lauded the Supreme Court for its favorable ruling to reinstate five dismissed five contractual delivery riders and pay their back wages based on an employer-employee relationship.

Chief Persida Rueda-Acosta, in an interview, said the order of the High Court’s Second Division could set a good precedent that despite an “independent contractor agreement” between riders Chrisden Ditiangkin, Hendrix Molines, Harvey Juanio, Joselito Verde, and Brian Anthony Nabong, and online shopping site Lazada.

“PAO represented the petitioners who elevated the labor dispute after losing before the National Labor Relations Commission and Court of Appeals,” she told reporters.

Senior Citizen party-list solon praises pension

SENIOR Citizen Partylist Rep. Rodolfo “Ompong” Ordanes has praised the implementation of the additional P500 social pension for indigent senior citizens.

Ordanes said starting this month, indigent senior citizens would receive a total of P1,000 monthly social pension.

Earlier, Senate Finance Committee

Chairman Sonny Angara confirmed that around 4.1 million indigent senior citizens will each receive P12,000 in social pension this year with the full implementation of Republic Act 11916.

As the Chairman of the Committee on Finance that went over the 2023 national budget, Angara said a total P50 billion was provided under the P5.268 trillion General Appropriations Act for the social pension for indigent seniors.

Ordanes, chairman of the House Special Committee on Senior Citizens, pushed for the measure doubling the amount of social pension given to senior citizens.

The solon also stressed the need to allocate enough funds under the 2023 national budget for the implementation of RA 11916 o ang Social Pension Act which was signed into law last July 2022.

“Napapanahon ang karagdagang pensyon sa ating mahihirap na lolo at lola dahil makakatulong ito sa kanilang mga pangangailangan, lalo na sa kanilang mga gamot,” Ordanes said.

The solon stressed that the additional pension is a simple way to recognize the importance of senior citizens’ contribution to the country.

At present, the lawmaker is pushing for the enactment of ‘Universal Social Pension Program for All Senior Citizens’ aiming to give pensions to all 60 years old and up regardless of their social status.

Parañaque’s

Jinggoy pushes national sex offenders database

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

TO MONITOR and track sex offenders in the community, Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada has proposed the establishment of a national database of sex offenders.

He said the database is a piece of easily available and accessible information to local law enforcement agencies and their foreign counterparts.

The National Sex Offender Registry Database is under Estrada’s Senate Bill No. 1291 or the proposed National Sex Offender Registry Act to be handled by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The database, Estrada said, shall contain the names and other pertinent details of sex offenders who reside or travel to the country.

Olivarez to go

PARAÑAQUE City Mayor Eric L. Olivarez on Sunday said his administration will conduct a thorough review of the city government’s personnel records to weed out suspected “ghost” employees who have been eating a huge portion of the city’s budget. The mayor said he ordered the review after noticing discrepancies in the num-

By Rey E. Requejo

It will be available and accessible to the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and concerned law enforcement agencies. It can be shared between countries and respective law enforcement agencies if deemed necessary for the proper registration and identification of sex offenders. The proposed measure, Estrada said, aims to establish a national sex offender registration database that may be of use not only to the public but also to various non-government organizations working

after suspected ‘ghost’

ber of personnel being reported by the Human Resource Management Office and the different departments, as well as records from the City Budget Office, among others.

“We suspect that this racket has probably been going on for a long time, perhaps decades,” said Mayor Olivarez, who assumed the post only last July af-

ACCESS to justice is the “most important pillar” of the Supreme Court’s five-year Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (SPJI), Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen declared recently.

“Justice and our fight for what is lawful ultimately reflects our ideals. It must be impartial to our liberties and freedoms. It must be fair and hold fairly those who are accountable. It must treat all of us as equal,” Leonen said in a speech.

“Accessibility to justice, in this view, is understood as a fundamental pillar for any democracy,” he added during the inauguration of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)-Quezon City Chapter’s New Legal Aid Center at the Quezon City Justice Hall last Jan. 26.

The SPJI was launched by the SC in October

for the protection of women and children who often are the target victims of sex-related offenses.

“The many special penal laws against sex-related offenses so enacted of late shall be futile unless ample public protection and warning is provided for,” noted the senator.

“It’s unfortunate that a number of sex offenders who have been apprehended and convicted were still able to consummate their fiendish schemes against unsuspecting victims by relocating elsewhere,” he added. Included in the measure is the conduct of an information and education campaign to be spearheaded by the DOJ and the PNP to raise public awareness of the existence of the registry and ensure that law enforcement agencies are able to access and use it.

CHLORINE LEAK PROBE.

Malabon

Mayor Jeannie Sandoval and leaders of various departments of the local government visited the victims of the chlorine leak in Barangay Tinajeros over the weekend. The Bureau of Fire Protection said five children and three adults were affected by the leak, which caused headaches and vomiting among them. Andrew Rabulan

City Hall workers

ter serving nine years as congressman and, before that, as city councilor. The mayor said he became suspicious because when he assumed office, he was told there are more than 8,000 city hall employees. The number was later reduced to around 7,600, but no final number has been submitted to him up to now.

“We are also curious because after we

last year.

Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo said the SPJI is founded on four guiding principles, namely:

“The Filipino people deserve a judiciary possessed of competence, integrity, probity, and independence; The Judiciary must provide equal access to justice real time; Public confidence in the Judiciary is dependent on transparency and accountability;

(and) Technology must be the platform on which the basic court systems and processes run.”

During the event, the SC justices and members of the IBP re-affirmed their commitment to enhancing access to justice as part of the initiatives under the SPJI.

The legal aid center is located on the fourth floor of the Main Building, Quezon City Justice Hall. It is equipped with facilities and equipment for meetings and video conferencing hearings.

ordered the departments to submit the list of their employees who are physically working, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of supposed employees who have voluntarily dropped from the rolls,” he added.

The personnel review will be conducted by a select committee to be headed by City Administrator Voltaire dela Cruz.

The SC ruled in favor of the delivery riders on the ground that they were directly employed by respondent Lazada based on the contract they signed and were receiving their salaries from Lazada of P1,200 per day of service in 2016, and that the online shopping company had the power to dismiss the petitioners.

“We have recently received a copy of the order after years of legal battle,” Rueda-Acosta said.

In a 24-page unanimous decision,

Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen directed the company to reinstate the petitioners “to their former positions, and to pay their full back wages, overtime pay, 13th-month pay, cash bond deposit, and other benefits and privileges from the time they were dismissed on Jan. 16, 2017 up to their actual reinstatement.”

In 2017, Lazada removed the five riders from their usual routes and were not given any more work.

Abalos assures BARMM of PH nat’l gov’t aid

COTABATO CITY—The national government has reassured the Bangsamoro region of continuing support to succeed in “every step of the way” in developing a better autonomy. Interior and Local Governments Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. noted that the region had the “second-fastest growing economy of all the country’s 14 regions in 2021.”

“We converge for development on our own right; and we are with you every step of the way,” Abalos said.

Abalos addressed 154 award-winning local government units (LGUs) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at the opening Tuesday of the Governance Day, essentially marking the region’s Fourth Founding Anniversary, which ended January 29.

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim said the people of BARMM needed “to celebrate the gains of the peace process, from the organizing of the regional government to the milestone and level of accomplishments that we have reached during the last four years.

The BARMM region is now composed of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao Norte, Maguindanao Sur, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi as well as the cities of Cotabato, Marawi and Lamitan, and 63 barangays of Cotabato Province, now comprising a Special Geographical Area (SGA).

DANCE PROTEST.

A group of public school teachers perform a Zumba dance protest as they demand salary increases due to the constant increase in prices at the Manila Education Center, the Division City Schools Manila office in Arroceros Forest Park. Norman Cruz

‘Access to justice is most important pillar of SC’s 5-year strategic plan’

Stop sending Pinoy workers to Kuwait Tulfo

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SEN Raffy Tulfo yesterday proposed a total deployment ban of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Kuwait following the murder of Jullebee Ranara.

Tulfo said the government should instead send OFWs to “other safe places.”

Tulfo, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers suggested the government to gradually pull out OFWs in Kuwait and send them to places where OFWs are properly compensated and treated with respect like Guam.

He noted that Guam is a new market for OFWs which currently needs thousands of skilled workers. Tulfo said Guam, a United States Territory, reportedly prefers to hire more Filipino workers.

The senator related that aside from Guam, the government can also explore sending OFWs to Romania, Austria, and Hong Kong.

Tulfo was part of the group that waited for the arrival of the remains of Ranara at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Friday.

Ranara’s family meanwhile appealed for privacy as the wake for the slain OFW began Sunday at her home in Las Piñas City.

The wake was heavily guarded, with police officers, traffic enforcers and personnel from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) present at the scene, ABS-CBN reported.

Reports said Ranara’s burned body was found in a desert in Kuwait last week. Authorities arrested her employer’s son.

Tulfo further said that bilateral talks between the Philippines and Kuwait could push through after a deployment ban, but with consideration to the Philippines’ terms and conditions.

Among the conditions that Tulfo noted includes requiring tight screening process and psychiatric exam for employers on high-risk countries, as well as members of their households to ensure that they are fit to hire OFWs in their homes.

IN BRIEF

Gatchalian wants zero illiteracy in schools

SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing for a proposed measure that will mobilize local government units (LGUs) to achieve zero illiteracy.

In an education summit recently held in Baguio City, it was revealed that only four out of 10 kids in Grades 4 to 7 aged 9 to 12 can properly read or write in English.

This is based on the results of pretests and post-tests done from 2021 to 2022.

The same tests revealed that less than half of learners from Grades 3 to 7 in the city aged 8 to 9 could read or write in Filipino.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

NCR COVID positivity rate up slightly to 2.4%

News

Sulu sultan’s heirs to go after $15b deal on Sabah

THE descendants of the Sultan of Sulu will continue enforcing a $15-billion French arbitral award against Malaysia over a centuries-old deal on the territory of Sabah.

A Luxembourg court earlier ordered the release or cancellation of the seizure of two Luxembourg-based subsidiaries of the Malaysian state oil firm Petronas in July 2022, ABS-CBN News reported.

The seizure, the ABS-CBN report said, is based on a French arbitral ruling in March 2022 which ordered Malaysia to pay the descendants $14.9 billion (over P800 billion) as compensation over land in Sabah which the heirs said the Sultan of Sulu leased to the colonial British—a decision Malaysia has refused to recognize. Malaysia had also petitioned the

court to declare the seizure invalid, the report said. But district judge Frederic Mersch said another appropriate court should decide on invalidity and instead ruled only to release the seizure and transfer of assets, based on a machine-translated copy of the French-language ruling obtained by ABS-CBN News.

The court said the eight claimants were not justified in listing the address of their law firm in Makati City, Philippines as theirs instead of their actual residences, despite the heirs citing personal security due to the financial stakes of the dispute,

ABS-CBN News reported Malaysia had argued the lack of actual addresses would affect the service of documents and other actions in the case.

A lawyer meanwhile said the group or descendants are not asking for help from the Philippine government over the matter.

Malaysian law minister Azalina Othman Said, quoted by ABS-CBN, on Thursday called the Luxembourg court’s ruling a “significant victory”.

“This decision vindicates the Government’s policy to vigorously defend Malaysia in every forum to ensure that Malaysia’s interests, sovereign immunity and sovereignty are protected and preserved at all times. The Government will spare no effort to this end,” Said said in a statement.

Authorities say possible wreckage of missing Cessna spotted

AUTHORITIES said an object that could be part of the wreckage from a missing Cessna plane was spotted near Barangay Sapinit in Divilacan, Isabela.

Isabela Provincial Information Office

administrative officer Joshua Hapinat also said that a rescue team has already been dispatched to verify the information.

Quoted by a GMA News report, Hap -

inat said “Today, I received information as of 6:45 a.m., that people 25-kilometers near the Ilagan-Divilacan Road said they spotted an object that could be a wreckage of the plane on the mountainside near Sapinit.”

The official added that “the information was not detailed but it could be a wreckage.”

On Friday, the Provincial Disaster

Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said that a white object was sighted in Barangay Dicaruyan, Divilacan, Isabela during a search and rescue operation for the missing Cessna plane.

PDRRMO head Constante Foronda said the area where the object was sighted was consistent with the hints they have on the possible location of the

By Rio N. Araja

missing plane including an account of a farmer, a passenger’s phone, and a report of a sound allegedly coming from an aircraft, GMA News reported.

Hapinat said that the ground search for Cessna RPC 1174 and its six passengers would continue on Sunday and the focus would be on the mountainside near Barangay Sapinit.

THE COVID-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) slightly increased to 2.4 percent on Friday, independent monitoring OCTA Research Group said on Sunday.

OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said the NCR’s positivity rate, or the percentage of people who were found positive for COVID-19 among the total number of individuals tested, increased from 2 percent on January 26, to 2.4 percent on January 27.

The positivity rate in the region was at 2.5 percent on January 20.

“We will monitor this over the next few days to see if the trend continues upward,” David said in a tweet.

The Philippines logged 199 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, bringing the active tally down to 10,038. Willie Casas

Bato says celebrities can be ROTC instructors

CELEBRITY reservists can serve as instructors of the Reserve Officers’ Training Course (ROTC) to augment the lack of personnel.

Their presence will also inspire students who will take up the proposed mandatory ROTC, according to Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.

In a radio interview over the weekend, he said actors such as 2nd Lt. Matteo Guidicelli can undergo an Instructors Development Course (IDC).

Guidicelli is an Army reservist who trained with the Scout Rangers and the Presidential Security Group.

Beauty pageant titlists Winwyn Marquez and Beatrice Luigi Gomez also underwent basic military training and received recognitions for exemplary performances.

Minority solon explains talk with ‘Vinny’

By Rio N. Araja

4PS party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan on Sunday clarified he met with the youngest son of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vinny, because of an official business.

“The truth is, we were advised that Mr. Vincent ‘Vinny’ Marcos had been designated special assistant to the Speaker, and the Speaker merely asked us to brief the young man on the role and work of the House minority bloc,” he said.

“We must stress that even if the majority and minority blocs have differing views, we in the House can all agree to disagree without being disagreeable,” he added.

Vinny, 26, used to work as a software engineer in Singapore before he returned home to help his father in the 2022 presidential campaign.

He is a nephew of Speaker Martin Romualdez, a first-degree cousin of Marcos Jr. Romualdez of Leyte and Libanan both hail from Eastern Visayas.

should pick apolitical DSWD chief’

litical ambition could be easily distracted at work.

4PS party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan on Sunday appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to pick an “apolitical” Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) secretary who has no plans to run for any elective position.

“We would urge the President to appoint a DSWD secretary who is not interested or involved in politics, and who has a lot of compassion for the poor and marginalized,” he said.

“The country does not need a DSWD head who is keen on running for public office in the 2025 or 2028 elections,” he added.

He maintained that a DSWD chief with a po -

Libanan, who formerly represented Eastern Samar’s lone district, cited the need for a “fast acting” DSWD amid the recent widespread flooding in Eastern Visayas and other parts of the country.

Due to weather disturbances in the first two weeks of 2023, rains, floods and landslides claimed the lives of 17 people across the country and distressed a total of 523,991 individuals from 121,950 families.

The powerful Commission on Appointment bypassed ex-DSWD chief Erwin Tulfo’s appointment over his libel conviction and citizenship issues.

Undersecretary Edu Punay, a former journalist, was appointed as DSWD officer in charge.

‘PBBM

END OF THE JOURNEY.

The remains of Jullebee Ranara, the overseas Filipino worker who was killed by the 17-year-old son of her employer in Kuwait, arrives in the country on Jan. 27.

Norman Cruz

PHOTOWORLD. The Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc. (FPPF) held the 35th PHOTOWORLD ASIA 2023, the biggest photography convention and trade show in Asia on January 26-29 at the Glorietta in Makati City. Revoli Cortez

FOREST TRAIL.

A biker navigates the Pamulaklakin Forest Trail in Binictican, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA). The SBMA has other adventure offerings including forest trekking with an Aeta guide and a survival demonstration. Joseph Muego

Opinion

Deep and unjust inequality persists in our society despite the growth.

Our Gini coefficient is quite high, and the trite fact of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer persists, heightened by food inflation sweeping our economy like wildfire.

Joint maritime patrols in WPS

THAT 7.6 percent increase in our gross domestic product for 2022 was certainly better than good news for the country; more so for the seven-month old administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Spin masters did a good job at comparing it to the growth indicia of other neighboring countries, and gave many the impression that “happy days are here again” – to borrow that campaign ditty of Franklin Delano Roosevelt played at the 1932 Democratic convention amidst the gloom of the Great Depression.

To be fair, the lowering of restrictions caused by the pandemic and lockdown policies of the previous administration by President Marcos Jr. unleashed enough spending activity to reverse the two years of economic decline.

Revenge spending, revenge domestic travel, the return of face-to-face classes, and the balikbayan homecoming in the last quarter gave life to our services sector, whether retail, food and beverage outlets, resorts and hotels.

First there was sugar, followed by the ridiculous spiral of onions, and now eggs. Garlic to follow? What next -- rice and fish?

With prices of meat and poultry still unabated since pestilence struck, what could yet be the source of protein for our poor, with hard-boiled eggs sliced and partitioned for families who subsist on rice plus instant noodles for their carbohydrate fix?

As if food inflation was not bad enough, and our food security threatened by low production and high costs, there is the price of oil still hanging like Damocles’ sword upon our heads.

This week, the OPEC plus cartel will meet again, in the midst of the Chinese dragon awakened from COVID stupor, and the Russia-Ukraine war continuing to build up. The signs for oil prices indicate an upward trend.

Meanwhile, recession rules in Europe and Japan, just as it threatens America.

The impact of these on our exports, already saddled by high costs of production and logistics, hobbled as well by supply chain problems, will weigh down on our balance of trade.

Again, to paraphrase Frost, “the woods are … dark and deep” and we are not yet out of it.

***

Last Friday, fraudsters victimized several persons who went to Malacanang expecting to take their oath of office for several positions out of thousands the president has yet to appoint.

IF THE United States and the Philippines are now talking about joint maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea, what’s wrong with it?

Beijing would, of course, raise a howl and say that would be an escalation of the prevailing tension in the South China Sea that it claims almost wholly on the basis of historical right.

But the United States would, on the other hand, insist that the South China Sea cannot be claimed by China as the “ninedash-line” is pure fiction and should be open to all nations who want to navigate the route for global trade.

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

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

according to Ambassador Carlson.

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

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez says as much, with serious talks on the joint patrol concept are “on the table.”

This is part and parcel of our independent foreign policy under the 1987 Constitution

He revealed that “more activities as far as our defense cooperation with the US is concerned” will materialize in the next months, with enhanced patrols in the West Philippine Sea “as part of the program and we are going to have these fairly quickly…We have our joint exercises so joint patrols [are] also part and parcel of that

agreement that we have with the United States.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs is absolutely correct in declaring 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.

Ayungin Shoal is part of our Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf.

We are entitled to exercise sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the area without any intervention from another country.

It would appear that the DFA has yet to receive official reports from the military on the China Coast Guard’s actions to force Filipino fishers to leave the Ayungin Shoal last week.

The reports will serve as the basis for diplomatic action, including notes verbale to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Philippines and the United States have every right to conduct joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea under the terms of the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951 and succeeding security arrangements.

This is part and parcel of our independent foreign policy under the 1987 Constitution.

Only bad drivers don’t like NCAP

areas of the country.

The dollar-peso exchange also gave more bang for the bucks sent by OFWs and FilAms to their families especially during the holiday season, enough to compensate for the decline in agriculture and a tepid manufacturing sector.

The big dip was in 2020, the year COVID 19 was at its most virulent, when our economy shrunk by 9.5 percentage points.

Gradual recovery came in 2021, when we registered a 5.7 percent GDP increase, and 2022, which was an election year with heavy spending, and the birth of a new administration, brought up the salutary 7.6 percent.

Our economy in the last three years may be compared to a sick person hospitalized for so long, incurring in the process so much indebtedness, but is now out of sick bay and recovering.

Hopefully, that recovery will be sustained.

The poet Robert Frost concluded in his famous Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, “and miles to go before I sleep.”

That must be the reason why the president keeps stating he is “sleepless” in the face of problems both geopolitical and economic.

We certainly would not want to rain on our economic managers’ parade, but the headwinds keep us from uncorking the champagne bottle to celebrate.

We are recovering, but we have yet to recover. The government’s huge debt is like an albatross upon the neck, preventing a huge build-up of government spending on infrastructure and other pump-priming activities.

Though the PSA by its statistical measurement tells us that unemployment is down, largely the result of the opening up of the locked-down economy, underemployment is high.

By Melandrew T. Velasco

EARLY this year, the Department of Tourism reported 2.65 million international visitor arrivals for 2022 surpassing its 1.7 million target arrivals.

The 2022 record has nearly one million additional visitors entering the country than the year-end target.

This is good news for the tourism industry as the country is slowly recovering from the adverse effects of the pandemic.

Tourism is, after all, one of the drivers for economic recovery as it generates not only employment for Filipinos but also the muchneeded revenue for the government treasury.

Last year, revenue from tourism was recorded at P208.96 billion while an estimated 5.23 million tourism-related jobs were generated.

While the re-vitalization of the tourism industry is a welcome development with the Tourism Department targeting 4.8 million visitors this year, problems at the country’s premier airport do not augur well for a boom in the tourism sector.

A glitch at the NAIA system on New Year’s Day affected airport operations with flights delayed, diverted or canceled and affected around 65,000 passengers.

According to the victims, a certain Undersecretary Eduardo Diokno and Assistant Secretary Johnson See, supposedly from the Office of the Executive Secretary, instructed them to troop to the palace for their swearing in ceremony to be administered by the President himself.

Whether these names were merely misappropriated, and whether the claims of some of the victims about paying huge sums of money to secure their positions in government are true, we cannot verify as of now.

The NBI is investigating.

The positions for which oaths of office were to be administered include an ambassadorial post to the Netherlands, which is dubious, firstly because what we have is a tri-country diplomatic representation in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg; and secondly, ambassadors need an agreement by the host country plus confirmation by the Commission on Appointments before they can be sworn in.

High positions at the Department of Transportation, Tourism and GOCCs like Clark Development Corporation, its international airport, even the Port of Batangas were also mentioned, with suckers taken in.

Matters like these, including persistent rumors about positions for sale, or previously sold, speak volumes about the state of present governance. ***

Last week, over our usual members-only lunch meeting, a highly-placed legislator said they would soon open up the proposal to revise the Constitution for congressional debate.

Readers will recall how we have been proposing charter change, and enumerated our own wish list of suggested revisions to the present charter in several articles last year. Though it is a congressional initiative, and the presidential hand is yet to be seen, this is very welcome news.

On January 22, Lunar New Year, several flights were again affected.

It is not uncommon to hear from domestic air travelers their plane had to stay on air for a few minutes before finally touching ground at NAIA.

For a country that has so much to offer to both domestic and foreign visitors, there is a need to upgrade the airports, expand the runway capacity and develop new ones to cope with increasing demands.

This will also entice more foreign investors to the country.

NAIA has two runways being shared by four terminals.

Increasing runway capacity by expanding its runways may not be feasible, taking into consideration environmental and spatial concerns.

NAIA borders the cities of Pasay and Paranaque. Nearby are residential areas and other establishments which may be dislocated should structural expansion be undertaken.

According to the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, air traffic congestion is likely to persist, if not worsen, without the needed investments in developing, upgrading and improving airports. It said “Airport capacities in 2022 will be

THE traffic jams in Mega-Manila seems to be back to pre-pandemic levels as mobility restrictions have been lifted in what the world is hoping are the end days of the COVID 19 pandemic. Commuters and road users are back to fighting their way in the streets of the metropolis to get to their destinations on time and must allow at least a 30-minute lead plus actual travel time for unpredictable delays.

We’ve seen so many attempts by the MMDA and local governments to speed up the flow of traffic with all sorts of schemes but they just manage to divert the congestion somewhere else.

The real solution of a well-integrated and highly efficient mass transportation system that would at least approximate the transport systems of the urban centers of developed countries remains to be a vision fogged by conflicting interests that seem perpetually locked in issues that seem to resist innovative technologies already in use in many countries.

The ongoing temporary restraining order against the No Contact Apprehension Program is one such issue that has been attacked by some groups with allegations of violations of privacy and excessive fines. A charge representing the very traffic violators caught by the cameras of the NCAP system, this controversy got so much news coverage vilifying the NCAP and the LGUs implementing the program.

A petition from a transport group claims that motorists are subjected to “the constant threat of being arbitrarily apprehended remotely” and say penalties under the NCAP are “unreasonable.”

This only reveals that these criticisms are coming from habitual offenders captured in video by the NCAP who seem to prefer the toleration of bad traffic behavior.

As a consumer advocate and a road user, the TRO versus NCAP is a move being pushed to protect the interests of groups and exposes other motorists and the commuting public to safety risks.

In a Pulse Asia Survey commissioned by Stratbase, 8 out of 10 of nationwide respondents approve of the implementation of NCAP and majority of Filipinos agree that “NCAP will be effective in achieving its objective of disciplining motorists to improve road safety.”

Clearly, these data show the public does not share the sentiments of the TRO proponents. Last week, the Supreme Court concluded the debates on the legality of NCAP.

Also, no traffic enforcers were retrenched because of the NCAP and MMDA has even been hiring more.

The LGUs have complete control of the NCAP system with trained personnel to review and process violations and their data shows how effective the system is.

The City of Parañaque’s records from 2018 to 2022 showed an 84 percent reduction of traffic violations.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte stated in news reports that “The Quezon City NCAP program has significantly reduced the traffic violations in the affected areas by 75 percent.”

The MMDA’s Metro Manila Reporting and Analysis System 2021 Annual Report revealed a big drop in average daily violations per camera from 56 in December 2020 to only 3 in August 2022.

Most encouraging is the decrease in fatal and non-fatal injuries which fell by 917.

Valenzuela Mayor Wes Gatchalian said in interviews that approximately 200,000 violators were apprehended since NCAP was implemented in 2019.

These are great examples of how the public sector becomes responsive by partnering with the private sector for the right technology and expertise.

The oral arguments raised issues on due process, the right to privacy of the traffic violators, the potential retrenchment of traffic enforcers, and also questioned the participation of the private sector in the traffic law enforcement.

Though these points may seem valid, they should not undermine the main objective of the NCAP which is to instill and enforce discipline on all motorists.

The arguments of NCAP oppositors also disregard how the technology removes the discriminating human factor prone to bribery and the reality that the manpower of traffic enforcers is limited.

The ability of NCAP to record and process each traffic violator, no matter who the person is, on a 24 by 7 basis is a transformative innovation that should actually be implemented in all urbanized

As for the high fines, TRO proponents said they are hurting a jeepney driver’s ‘boundary.’

But even before the NCAP, there were already fines for violations but rampant disregard of traffic rules, especially by jeepney and taxi drivers, persisted because they could get away with more affordable ‘kotong’ pay offs. If they don’t want to suffer the consequences of their actions then obey the traffic rules, that’s it!

Resisting the obvious benefits of NCAP as an innovation to enforce order in our congested streets is counterproductive to the digital transformation of our country’s ecosystems.

Lifting the suspension and expanding the implementation of NCAP is consistent to our drive to become a prosperous digital economy.

will boost tourism industry’

Construction of the airport was an initiative of SMC and underwent necessary procedures for an unsolicited proposal. SMC subsidiary San Miguel Aerocity, Inc. was granted the franchise to construct and operate the new international airport.

The project covers the construction, operation and maintenance of the new modern airport with a capacity of 200 million passengers per year.

Unlike the existing Ninoy Aquino International Airport with only two runways, the new airport will have four runways.

Data from the websitehttps://data.aseanstats. org/visitors reveal that for the years 2019 and 2020, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam were the top countries of destination for globe travelers.

While marketing the country’s attractiveness to tourists is important, the existence of a world class tourism infrastructure like the New Manila International Airport will definitely help boost the tourism industry as the country competes with neighboring ASEAN countries to get a big chunk of visitor arrivals in the region.

inadequate to cater to domestic and international aviation demand, which is expected to recover by 2025.” Hopefully, by 2027 a new international airport in Bulacan will begin its operations, thanks to the leadership of San Miguel Corporation President and CEO Ramon S. Ang. The New Manila International Airport is a Public Private Partnership project between the government implementing agency Department of Transportation and San Miguel Corporation.

Thus, it will greatly ease the congestion at the NAIA. Aside from aviation-related facilities, the 2,500 hectare aerocity which was designed Architech Felino Palafox will have accessible public transport systems, landscaped walkways and promenades with ample open spaces.

It will utilize the latest digital infrastructure.

The P735.60 billion project, to be fully funded by SMC, is expected to generate at least 30 million jobs in tourism-related businesses.

The construction phase alone will already create jobs for many, including blue collar workers.

Currently, land development for the new airport is ongoing before civil works will be undertaken.

SMC has always been at the forefront in initiating projects without cost to the government to help grow the economy.

Under RSA, it has successfully rehabilitated the Tullahan River. It is also rehabilitating the Pasig River.

For RSA money should be invested to create opportunity and create jobs that will empower the Filipinos to improve their lives.

He has the vision and the leadership to turn this vision into reality.

(MTV is a book author who also serves as executive director of the Million Trees Foundation).

‘Bulacan airport

SMC has always been at the forefront in initiating projects without cost to the government to help grow the economy

Though it is a congressional initiative, and the presidential hand is yet to be seen, this is very welcome news

If they don’t want to suffer the consequences of their actions then obey the traffic rules, that’s it

Unit of Memphis policemen in fatal beating deactivated

MEMPHIS police on Saturday permanently deactivated the unit of the five officers who fatally beat a young Black man, the latest instance of police brutality to elicit nationwide calls for reform.

The shocking death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols has reopened anguished debate across the United States about officer violence, particularly after promises of reform swept the country following the death of another Black man, George Floyd, in 2020.

The five officers, who were also Black, had belonged to Memphis’ Scorpion unit, which was launched in November 2021 with the intent of reducing illegal activity in crime hotspots, including by blanketing those areas with more officers.

But on Saturday, the MPD said in a statement it was “in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the SCORPION Unit.”

“The officers currently assigned to the unit agree unreservedly with this next

step,” it added.

Nichols’s family welcomed the decision in a statement from their lawyers, calling it “both appropriate and proportional to the tragic death of Tyre Nichols, and also a decent and just decision for all citizens of Memphis.”

“We hope that other cities take similar action with their saturation police units in the near future to begin to create greater trust in their communities,” the family added.

Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, who created the unit, had previously told CNN it was at least initially successful, with reduced crime in 2022 following a record number of 345 homicides the prior year, a number which she said had prompted “an outcry from the community.”

The unit, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, had been intended “to reduce gun violence, to be visible in communities, and to also impact the rise in the crime,” she said. AFP

Trump: 2024 polls ‘one shot’ to save US

DONALD Trump warned Saturday that the next election would be America’s last chance for salvation as he attempted to revive a faltering third run for the White House in two US states that launched his winning 2016 presidential campaign.

Buffeted by political and legal headwinds, the 76-year-old Republican addressed a few hundred supporters at an intimate rally in South Carolina’s capital Columbia after speaking to grassroots activists in Salem, New Hampshire.

“The 2024 election is our one shot to save our country and we need a leader who’s ready to do that on day one,” Trump said from a podium beneath the Statehouse rotunda, flanked by American flags and

DANGEROUS TOY.

A boy holds an AR-15 toy gun while he looks at real assault weapons in a firearms shop booth at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show at the Convention Center in Ontario, California on January 28, 2023. The Gun Show is located 32 miles away from the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, the site of the mass shooting that took the lives of 11 people and injured 10 others during the Lunar New Year’s Eve in Monterey, California. AFP

some of his most loyal political allies.

The events were seen as a chance to revitalize a stuttering campaign amid criticism over Trump’s failure to make any public appearances since he announced his latest run in November.

But there was no discernible shift in his messaging as he launched into his debunked claims of a stolen 2020 election and reprised his litany of disparaging nicknames for his political rivals.

He touched on favorite culture war talking points, railing against critical race theory that he said was being taught in the military as well as gender ideology and windmills that he said were mainly Chinese-made bird-killers.

“There’s only one president who has ever challenged the entire establishment in Washington, and with your vote next year, we will do it again,” he said seeking to revive his 2016 image as an insurgent outsider. His most divisive remarks were reserved for the conservative critics he refers to as “RINOs” – Republicans in name only – whom he criticized at both events, arguing in New Hampshire that they were “even more dangerous than Democrats.”

During his address to party activists in Salem he had touted his record on law and

order, immigration, and “rebuilding” the US military as he vowed to save the country from “being destroyed by a selfish, radical, corrupt political establishment.”

“I’m more angry now and more committed now than I ever was,” Trump said. “We need a president who’s ready to hit the ground running on day one.”

New Hampshire and South Carolina hold outsize influence as two of the first states in every presidential election year to hold nominating contests.

They cemented Trump’s frontrunner status in 2016 after a lukewarm start in Iowa.

But he has reportedly struggled to hold together a support base in South Carolina amid simmering discontent over his endorsements of candidates who lost swing state races in November’s midterms. AFP

Indonesian leprosy survivor crafts new limbs for shunned villagers

WHEN Ali Saga visited a clinic in Jakarta four decades ago, he watched as patients and health workers scrambled to get away from him.

“The doctor suddenly shouted at the patients, ‘stand back! this person is a leper!” the 57-year-old said, recalling one of the most devastating moments after his diagnosis in the 1970s.

“They also roughly used a syringe to test my skin and I cried. My skin might not feel anything but my soul was hurt,” the former leprosy patient added, choking back tears.

Now he is using his pain to help other residents of a village on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital live a normal life after leprosy with hand-crafted prosthetic limbs.

After Brazil and India, Indonesia has the world’s third-highest cases of leprosy—a contagious bacterial disease transmitted by prolonged close contact with untreated cases.

Ahead of World Leprosy Day on Sunday, the health ministry said the country still has over 15,000 active cases, with more than 11,000 new cases recorded last year.

The ancient disease, which causes dis-

Women now drive fast train to Mecca

DRIVER Tharaa Ali takes her seat at the helm of a high-speed train ferrying pilgrims to Mecca, a beneficiary of conservative Saudi Arabia’s bid to employ its booming female workforce.

Saudi women only gained the right to drive in 2018, and until recently 25-yearold Ali’s transportation experience was limited to cruising around her native Jeddah in the family sedan.

But last year she joined some 28,000 applicants vying for just 32 slots for women drivers on the Haramain High Speed Railway, which plies the 450-kilometer (280-mile) route between the holy cities of Mecca and Medina at speeds of up to 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour.

To her astonishment, the former English teacher was among the lucky few selected, and she completed her first trip last month.

“The first day working here was like a dream for me—entering the train, entering the cabin,” she told AFP.

“When you are in the cabin, you see things heading towards you at a very high speed. A feeling of fear and dread came over me, but thank God, with time and intensive training, I became confident in myself.”

The proportion of Saudi women in the workforce has more than doubled since 2016, from 17 percent to 37 percent.

The statistic feeds a narrative of expanding women’s rights under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, even amid ramped-up repression of activists, making it a reliable applause line at events like the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Yet unemployment among Saudi women is high— 20.5 percent last year, compared to 4.3 percent for Saudi men. AFP

abilities and loss of feeling in reddish skin patches, is now diagnosed with a skin biopsy and easily treated with multidrug therapy.

But Saga and other residents of Sitanala village—where hundreds of former leprosy patients have relocated to find solace—have been treated as outcasts for years and dubbed a “leper colony” by local media.

They are heavily stigmatized by pervasive perceptions around leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, with some Indonesians believing the affliction is a curse sent by God that can be passed on by brief contact.

But in a small, dusty workshop surrounded by fake body parts hung on white walls, Saga is chipping away at that social cold shoulder, sculpting artificial limbs that have been improving residents’ lives since 2005.

One of the neighbors to receive Saga’s creations is 70-year-old tailor Cun San, who had a leg amputated in his teens and lost another in 2007.

“I once thought I would never be able to walk again... but now I am so grateful I can walk normally,” said San. AFP

IN BRIEF

At least 40 killed in Pakistan crash

AT LEAST 40 people died when a bus plunged off a bridge in southwestern Pakistan and burst into flames, a government official said on Sunday.

“The dead bodies...are beyond recognition,” Hamza Anjum, a senior official of Lasbela district in Balochistan province, said at the accident site.

Anjum said three survivors had been rescued and the bus was reportedly carrying 48 passengers when it hit a pillar on the bridge and careened off course earlier on Sunday.

It had been travelling overnight between Balochistan’s provincial capital of Quetta and the southern port city of Karachi.

“It is feared that the driver may have fallen asleep,” Anjum said, also mentioning the possibility the driver had been speeding during the long-distance trip.

“We will investigate the causes of the accident,” he said, adding that DNA tests would be used to determine the identity of the remains which had been “badly mutilated.”

Ramshackle highways, lax safety measures and reckless driving contribute to Pakistan’s dire road safety record.

Passenger buses are frequently crammed to capacity and seatbelts are not commonly worn, meaning high death tolls from single vehicle accidents are common.

In November, 20 people, including 11 children, were killed when a minibus crashed into a deep and water-logged ditch in southern Pakistan.

And last August, 20 people also perished on the outskirts of the city of Multan when a bus collided with an oil tanker.

According to World Health Organization estimates, more than 27,000 people were killed on Pakistan’s roads in 2018. AFP

South Korean soldier fires near border – report

A SOUTH Korean soldier mistakenly fired a machine gun near the border with North Korea, prompting the military to inform Pyongyang that the shooting was unintentional, a report said Sunday. Four live rounds were fired during a training along the border in Gangwon province on Saturday evening, Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korean military officials.

All of the bullets landed on the South’s side and no damage was reported.

The military unit immediately informed North Korea that the firings were not intentional and stepped up readiness posture, the officials said.

“No particular signs have been detected from the North’s side, and an investigation is under way over the exact circumstances of the incident,” an unnamed military official told Yonhap.

The two Koreas technically remain at war after fighting was halted by an armistice in 1953, and are separated by the four-kilometer-wide demilitarized zone (DMZ) that runs for 250 kilometers (160 miles) across the Korean peninsula.

China resumes issuing visas for Japanese citizens

THE Chinese embassy in Tokyo announced Sunday that it would resume issuing visas to Japanese citizens.

The move ends a retaliatory step against Japan’s decision to require Covid testing for travellers arriving from mainland China, where the number of infections were surging.

“Starting today, the Embassy and the Offices of Consulates-General of the People’s Republic of China will resume issuing or-

dinary visas for Japanese citizens,” said a short online notice issued by the embassy without elaborating.

China stopped issuing visas to Japanese nationals from January 10 after Tokyo started requiring people arriving from the mainland to test before travel and upon landing.

Beijing called Tokyo’s move “discriminatory,” while Japan argued it was necessary given the spread of infections in China. AFP

Despite its name, the DMZ is one of the most fortified places on earth, replete with minefields and barbed-wire fences.

The last time the two sides exchanged fire on the border was in May 2020, when at least four bullets from North Korea hit South Korea’s guard post at the central part of the DMZ, prompting Seoul’s troops to fire back.

North Korean soldiers also shot at a defector in 2017 but the South did not fire back. AFP

CATCH FOR THE DAY. Fishermen push their boat after a morning fishing trip at a beach in Banda Aceh, Indonesia on January 29, 2023. AFP

PHOTO OP. A woman poses with the newly set up logo of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as Indonesia o cially assumes the group’s chairmanship following a ceremony in Jakarta on January 29, 2023. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Stock market seen moving sideways

By Jenniffer B. Austria

THE local stock market is expected to maintain its sideways movement this week, as investors await more clarity on the US Federal Reserve’s next policy action.

The Fed is slated to meet Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, and analysts are expecting a rate hike downshift amid further cooling in US inflation.

US appeals 4 WTO verdicts on imposition of steel tariffs

GENEVA, Switzerland—Washington announced Friday that it had appealed against four World Trade Organization panel rulings faulting it for punitive tariffs imposed on steel imports from China and other countries.

It also appealed a ruling that it was flouting international trade rules by labeling imports from Hong Kong as being from China.

Former US president Donald Trump’s administration introduced the tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from China, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.

Marking a departure from a decades-long US-led drive for free trade, Trump justified the steep tariffs with claims that massive flows of imports to the United States threatened national security.

The administration of his successor, President Joe Biden, has taken a less combative tone but has stuck with the tariffs.

The expert panels the WTO set up in 2018 to settle complaints filed over the tariffs ruled last month that they were inconsistent with various articles of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

The panels also determined that these inconsistencies were not justified by the security exceptions provided for in the GATT, as they were not applied in a time of war or during a case of serious international tension. US Ambassador Maria Pagan criticized the rulings during a meeting of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on Friday.

“The United States will not cede decision-making over its essential security to WTO panels,” she said. AFP

“Investors are now preparing for the upcoming US Federal Reserve policy meeting and the kick-off of corporate earnings report early next month,” said equity research analyst Neil Andrew Maderaje. Analysts said despite the better-thanexpected gross domestic product growth in 2022, the market still failed to break the 7,150 resistance level last week. This could indicate that investors were still waiting for more catalysts to push the market forward, they said.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported last week that the GDP expanded by 7.6 percent in 2022, faster than the 5.7-percent growth in 2021. This also surpassed the government’s

growth target of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent for the year despite higher inflation and interest rates.

“We think it is best to stay on the sidelines for now,” Mercantile Securities said.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index closed flat at 7,052.16 on Friday as share prices traded mostly sideways, and the broader all-share index inched up by 0.40 percent to settle at 3.697.63.

Foreign investors were net buyers of P1.78 billion worth of stocks last week.

Meanwhile, Wall Street stocks finished off a positive week on an upbeat note Friday after data showed further ebbing of US inflation, while European

equities wobbled before ending the session with meager gains.

A benchmark of US inflation closelywatched by the Federal Reserve showed further moderation in December, according to official data.

The personal consumption expenditures price index rose 5.0 percent last month from a year ago, a smaller increase than in November but still above the Fed’s target rate.

Fed policymakers have hinted that the central bank could enact a quarter-point interest rate hike next week, smaller than a series of recent increases and enough of a shift to raise investor hopes of a policy pivot. With AFP

TOP GAINERS

Italy’s Eni signs $8-b gas deal as Meloni visits Libya

TRIPOLI—Italian energy giant Eni signed an $8-billion gas deal with Libya’s state-run National Oil Corp. Saturday as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited this city.

European governments have been scrambling to find alternatives to Russian gas since last year’s invasion of Ukraine saw deliveries slashed to less than half their pre-war levels, sending prices soaring to record highs and triggering costly state subsidies to protect consumers.

Eni said it was the first major project in Libya since early 2000 and involved the development of two offshore gas fields.

“The combined gas production from the two structures will start in 2026 and

reach a plateau of 750 million of standard gas cubic feet per day,” Eni said in a statement.

“Production will be ensured through two main platforms tied in to the existing treatment facilities at the Mellitah Complex,” 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of the capital, it added.

“The project also includes the construction of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility at Mellitah, allowing a significant reduction of the overall carbon footprint,” the company added.

“The overall estimated investment will amount to $8 billion, with significant impact on the industry and the associated supply chain, allowing a significant contribution to the Libyan economy.”

TOP LOSERS

MOST ACTIVE

Eni has an 80 percent share of Libya’s gas production. The agreement was signed in the presence of Meloni and her host Abdulhamid Dbeibah, who heads the UNbrokered Government of National Unity which is contested by a rival administration in the east.

Her visit is the first by a European leader to war-battered Libya since her predecessor Mario Draghi’s visit in April 2021.

Meloni also visited Algeria this week seeking supply deals from Africa’s top gas exporter.

During her trip to Libya, she was expected to discuss the issue of migration amid rising numbers of irregular migrants from Libya to Italy. AFP

US trade shifts away from China but no ‘decoupling’ yet

By Beiyi Seow and Erwan Lucas

WASHINGTON—US trade flows are realigning on the back of pandemic shocks and tensions with China, but efforts to reduce interdependence between the superpowers have not brought a swift decoupling.

While security concerns have escalated and US imports from China fell after Washington and Beijing imposed tit-for-tat tariffs, trade has since climbed again.

The numbers could rise further when 2022 trade data is released next month, pointing to how interlaced the world’s two biggest economies are.

But experts say tensions have left their mark in other ways.

“US imports from China are well below the trend that they were on before the trade war started,” said Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE).

“There is definitely a turn away from China in US imports, especially or primarily in those goods on which the US raised tariffs,” she told AFP. After the trade war started, the value of America’s goods imported from China dropped from $506 billion in 2017 to around $450 billion in 2019.

Bilateral relations are not the only factors affecting trade. The pandemic took a heavy toll as well.

Last November, China saw its sharpest drop in exports since the start of Covid-19, with business activity slammed by a strict zeroCovid policy.

Also weighing on imports is an “ongoing shift in the US away from spending on goods,” said Ryan Sweet of Oxford Economics.

Americans spent heavily on imported products during the pandemic, but “people are going back out and spending on services” as virus concerns ease, he said.

This cuts into demand for goods

can help explain why numbers have not surged more.

Diversification, not decoupling

For now, US government figures through to November show total US-China trade could approach or hit a high in 2022.

“Going forward, you’re going to see more diversification,” as opposed to a complete cut-off of shipments from China, said Sweet. Auto manufacturers, for example, experienced supply chain problems during the pandemic.

Increasing climate-related disruptions are also “raising the risks of overconcentrated supply chains in one firm or one geographic area,” said Robert Koopman, a lecturer at American University and a former World Trade Organization chief economist.

Tesla’s Musk, White House discuss EV push

WASHINGTON—Tesla head Elon Musk met with senior White House officials Friday to discuss the Biden administration’s push to grow the electric vehicle market, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

“That meeting did happen today,” she told reporters.

Musk, who has had sometimes openly prickly relations with President Joe Biden, met infrastructure development coordinator Mitch Landrieu and clean energy advisor John Podesta.

They discussed “electrification and how the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act can advance EVs and increase the electrification more broadly,” Jean-Pierre said, referring to two major pieces of legislation passed under Biden providing subsidies and incentives to bolster clean energy, electric vehicles, and general infrastructure.

Jean-Pierre said Biden did not meet with Musk, but “it’s important that senior members of his team had a meeting.”

Meanwhile, the US is trying to be more self-reliant in specific sectors like semiconductors.

“The recent (Inflation Reduction Act) and Chips Act, and related sanctions are clear indicators of the Biden administration’s efforts to decouple from China” in these areas, said Koopman.

Emily Benson, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), added: “As companies reassess risk and review the current state of their supply chains, one consistent outcome is movement... away from China to other countries.” These could be countries in Southeast Asia or closer to the United States.

“While this trend is growing, it resembles sand leaking out of a bag more than it does a tsunami,” she told AFP. AFP

The billionaire entrepreneur occupies an unusual place at the intersection of cuttingedge industry and politics with ownership of the country’s most famous EV brand, space projects, and Twitter.

He has often tangled with the Biden administration and has used Twitter to embrace right-wing talking points.

On Thursday, he said he met with Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries as Congress explores potential curbs on social media platforms.

Musk tweeted that he went to “discuss ensuring that this platform is fair to both parties.” AFP

GRASS

HARVEST. A woman places a bundle of grass for drying, which is later used to make brooms, at Zirikindeng village in Karbi Anglong district of Assam State on Jan. 28, 2023. AFP

US President Joe Biden (right) and China President Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa

Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022. AFP

and

Business

IN BRIEF

SEC warns investing public on ‘impersonation scams’

PH banks kept credit standards unchanged in Q4

By Julito G. Rada

BANKS in the Philippines kept credit standards mostly steady in the fourth quarter of 2022 and expect to continue the trend in the first quarter of 2023, results of the Fourth-Quarter 2022 Senior Bank Loan Officers’ Survey show.

Results of the survey indicated that a higher number of banks maintained their overall credit standards for lending to enterprises and households based on the modal approach.

The diffusion index method, meanwhile, showed a net tightening of credit standards for business loans and unchanged credit standards for consumer loans.

Results in the modal approach are analyzed by looking at the option with the highest share of responses. The three options for the modal approach are either tightening, easing or unchanged credit standards for loans to enterprises and for loans to households.

A positive DI for credit standards, in the diffusion index approach, indicates that the proportion of respondent banks that tightened their credit standards exceeds those that eased, while a negative DI for credit standards indicates that more respondent banks eased their credit standards compared to those that tightened.

A larger proportion of the surveyed banks (80.9 percent) have broadly unchanged lending standards for business loans. Meanwhile, the DI approach reflected a net tightening of overall credit standards across all borrower firm sizes.

Bank participants indicated that the overall tightening of credit standards was largely due to the deterioration of borrowers’ profiles and banks’ portfolios, reduced risk tolerance and a more uncertain economic outlook.

Specific lending standards which reflected the net tightening of overall credit standards include the increased use of interest rate floors, tighter collateral requirements and loan covenants and reduced size of credit lines.

Majority of the respondents expect generally steady credit standards for enterprises in the first quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, the DI-based results reflected an anticipation of net tightening credit standards mainly due to banks’ lower tolerance for risk and deterioration in borrowers’ profiles.

San Miguel set to bag P27-b Cavite-Batangas Expressway

By Darwin G. Amojelar

SAN Miguel Corp. is set to bag the P27-billion CaviteBatangas Expressway Project, after the provincial government of Cavite said it did not receive a competitive proposal from other parties to challenge the conglomerate’s offer.

The Cavite government, through its public-private partnership selection committee, declared a failure of the competitive selection process for the development of the CBEX project.

“Despite adequate information and time given to all prospective bidders, no

competitive proposal was received by the PPP-selection committee before the bid submission deadline, which was set on Jan. 24, “ the Cavite government said.

Cavite launched the competitive selection process for the CBEX project in November 2022 to seek comparative proposals for the selection of the province’s joint venture partner to develop the project. The joint venture partner will “finance, design, construct, operate and maintain the project under a 35-year concessional period.”

The provincial government earlier received and approved the unsolicited proposal of San Miguel Holdings Corp., the infrastructure unit of SMC, for the 27.06-kilometer Cavite-Batangas Expressway.

CBEX will traverse the municipalities of Silang, Amadeo, Tagaytay, Indang, Mendez and Alfonso in Cavite and Nasugbu in Batangas. It is shorter than the proposed toll road submitted by another group to the national

government.

Metro Pacific Tollway’s Corp. in 2018 proposed to the Department of Public Works and Highways a similar project that would also connect Cavite and Batangas through Tagaytay City.

The DPWH then granted the original proponent status to MPTC for CTBEX—a 50.4-kilometer toll road that will connect Cavite and Batangas, with a spur road to Tagaytay City and ultimately terminating in Nasugbu and another spur road to Tuy, Batangas.

MPTC confirmed that the P22.4billion Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway Project would overlap some portions of SMC’s Cavite-Batangas Expressway project.

CTBEX is expected to decongest about 23,000 vehicles daily from the nearby thoroughfares. Cavite and Batangas are rapidly-growing provinces that host major industrial parks, commercial districts and residential projects.

New DBP president vows to support infrastructure development

A PROMINENT and seasoned banker formally assumed the position as head of one of the largest government financial institutions in the country, vowing to strengthen and expand the bank’s role in infrastructure financing to sustain the country’s growth momentum.

Michael de Jesus, the new president and chief executive of state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines, said the bank would work closely with the national government to expand the infrastructure development program to raise the competitiveness of the local econo-

my.

“As I take the helm of DBP, it is with high hope and confidence that this bank will continue to boost and sustain our infrastructure push,” de Jesus said. “Together with our stakeholders, we will ensure that DBP fulfills its mandate of developmental financing especially infrastructure development, as this is a top priority of President Marcos Jr.” De Jesus, a US-educated and trained banker, has extensive experience in corporate banking and finance. Prior to his appointment as the ninth DBP president

Meralco, Panay Energy asked to justify supply deal termination

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Energy Regulatory Commission asked Panay Energy Development Corp., owner of two coal-fired power plants in Iloilo City, to explain its fuel losses amounting to P1.4 billion which prompted its decision to stop supplying electricity to Manila Electric Co. effective Dec. 5, 2022.

It issued an order on Jan. 25, 2023 directing PEDC and Meralco to file pertinent documents and explanation to support their application for the termination of their power supply agreement dated Nov. 29, 2021.

PEDC submitted the lowest bid for the supply of 70 MW to Meralco in a bidding held in November 2021. It offered the lowest total headline rate

of P2.9906 per kilowatt-hour and total levelized cost of electricity rate of PP2.948 per kWh.

PEDC owns and operates a 164-megawatt coal-fired facility and another 150-MW coal-fired power plant in Iloilo City that utilize circulating fluidized bed boiler technology.

PEDC said it suffered from losses amid the unprecedented increase in coal prices.

The ERC asked the parties to submit the documents on how the P962.2million fuel loss from April to September 2022 was derived. It asked PEDC for the computation and supporting documents of the alleged losses as contained in Meralco’s manifestation dated Dec. 9. 2022. The regulator also asked for a

and CEO, he was a senior executive of several top-tier universal banks in the country.

DBP is the eighth largest bank in the Philippines in terms of assets and provides credit support to four strategic sectors of the economy—infrastructure and logistics; micro, small and medium enterprises; the environment; and social services and community development. It has a network of 146 branches and branch-lite units, many of which are located in far-flung and underserved communities.

rate impact analysis of the blended generation rate of Meralco on the alleged fuel losses of PEDC and a rate impact analysis if Meralco would source from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market and other generation companies instead of PEDC.

It also ordered the parties to submit the proposed recovery scheme for the actual fuel losses.

The ERC said the parties should explain whether the assumed fuel cost of P2.4104 per kWh, as bidded out in the competitive selection process, included the freight costs and foreign exchange costs.

It directed PEDC to submit an audited financial statement showing the impact of the PSA and other documents showing the said impact.

THE Securities and Exchange Commission warned investors about the proliferation of “impersonation scams” which were defrauding the investment public of their hard-earned money.

It noted in an advisory posted on its website about increasing reports on impersonation scams which are entities that pose as legitimate and reputable financial institutions but are engaged in illegal investment activities.

“The public is advised to protect themselves from obvious investment scams by making sure that he or she has done enough research and has equipped themselves with enough information about the entity and their business,” the SEC said.

The corporate regulator also asked investors to always check if the company that was soliciting investments had prior registration with the commission and had secured secondary license to sell securities to the public.

“The mere fact that an entity has no secondary license granted by SEC make their investment taking activities illegal,” the SEC said. Jenniffer B. Austria

PH, UK agree to pursue

stronger partnership

THE Philippines pushed for a stronger partnership with the United Kingdom as the country sustains its recovery from the global health crisis despite the risks coming from external front.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, speaking at the Philippine Economic Briefing at the UBS Auditorium, in London on Jan. 26, announced that the gross domestic product growth last year beat expectations at 7.6 percent, the fastest in 46 years.

Alistair White, Deputy Ambassador to the British Embassy in Manila, regarded the Philippines’ 7.6-percent growth last year as a phenomenal indicator of the country’s trajectory.

The Philippines was identified as a priority country for British investment partnerships, and with that, the UK government will be one of the first partners to work on the Philippines’ New Clark City for a sustainable and inclusive design. Together with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, they will explore partnerships on how to make the city into a mega metropolis.

Richard Graham, member of parliament for Gloucester and Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy of the UK Department for International Trade, underscored the high level of trust between the Philippines and the UK when it comes to investment and trade.

Julito G. Rada

GCash expects more users after teaming up with Grab

GCash, the mobile wallet of Globe, expects its subscriber base to grow faster after it teamed up with Grab Philippines for direct cashless payment option, an executive said over the weekend.

“We think so. I think what we are seeing is there’s a continued momentum for the fintech industry. Digital e-wallets adoption continuous to grow even with the world opening up. People have really gotten used to the habit of transacting with e-wallet,” GCash chief marketing officer Neil Trinidad said.

Trinidad said Gcash ended 2022 with around 71 million registered users, representing about 80 percent of the country’s adult population.

“We really look forward to partnerships like with Grab to enable our users access to more services. So, we really see this as a way to help make e-wallet more seamless,” he said.

The partnership will give Grab users access to the easiest, most convenient and secure cashless transactions when they add GCash as a direct payment method on the Grab app starting next month. The partnership also enables users to avoid transfer fees which go as high as P50. “With this partnership, we once again realize our commitment to make the lives of Filipinos better each day by delivering a more convenient, secure, and cost-efficient way to pay for their rides and food and grocery deliveries,” said GCash president and chief executive Martha Sazon. Darwin G. Amojelar

DTI discloses P629-b investment leads in renewable energy projects

By Othel V. Campos

THE Department of Trade and Industry identified massive investments in the renewable energy sector in 2023 as more companies are transitioning to cleaner power sources. “As of Jan. 23, 2023, these leads are expected to generate investments worth P629 billion and generate 2,025 MW [megawatts] of power. To give you an idea, there are

Energy demand is expected to rise again as the economy recovers from the pandemic and the need for alternative energy sources is expected to further spike with the rise of the hyperscaler industry in the Philippines.

The BOI said building up of capacity and employment of energy-efficient technologies are necessary to ensure a stable and cleaner supply of electricity.

Jesus (right) addressing DBP officers

5-way fight for PSA Athlete of Year

PHILIPPINE sports’ cream of the crop who made 2022 a truly memorable one for the country crowd each other out in a tight race for the Athlete of the Year honor of the Philippine Sportswriters Association.

Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, world-ranked pole vaulter EJ Obiena, two-time world champion Carlos Yulo, and history makers Alex Eala and the Filipinas football team are all in the mix for the coveted individual award exclusively handed out by the country’s oldest media organization.

The traditional San Miguel Corporation (SMC)-PSA Awards Night is set on March 6 at the Ballroom of Diamond Hotel.

STARTING ‘EM YOUNG: Close to a hundred young golfers aged 9-17 and bracketed into four categories take the big step to their respective gol ng goals as they join the inaugural Junior Philippine Golf Tour at The Country Club yesterday. Top pros, led by Miguel Tabuena, Dottie Ardina and Princess Superal, share their expertise in driving, chipping and putting in the JPGT Skills Challenge, the rst of the 17 events aimed at harnessing the youngsters’ talent and skills. Top products could earn the chance to compete abroad and gain exposure in international competitions, including the PGT and the Ladies PGT. For details, contact tournament administrator Jhiue Castillo at +639283165678), or Event Captain, Inc.’s Joy Pangadlo at +639179222445 (WhatsApp), or email pilipinasgolftournamentsinc@gmail.com. Shown here are Superal (right) and LPGA Tour-bound Ardina sharing their expertise on putting.

Obiena secures 2nd gold for season in French meet

By Peter Atencio

FILIPINO pole vault star

Ernest John Obiena may have fallen below the expectations of fans in Europe.

But his 5.82-meter feat still gave him his second gold medal triumph in the European indoor athletics’ season when he took the top honors the Perche En Or indoor meet in Roubaix, France on Sunday.

Obiena, ranked No. 3 in the world, cleared 5.82 meters, a performance which was below the 6.02 meters of previous winners Renaud Lavillanie and Chris Nilsen in the first two seasons.

Fans were expecting that Obiena would at least breach six meters and even match the jumps of Lavillanie and Nilsen.

China’s Yao Jie settled for second (5.75m), while Ethan Cormont took third at 5.65m in the meet’s international men’s subgroup.

Former world no. 1 and currently unranked Sam Kendricks of the United States won over Obiena when they competed in the Internationales SpringerMeeting held in Cottbus, Germany on Wednesday.

Obiena settled for the silver at 5.77 meters on his first attempt, after committing errors in his bid to keep up with Kendricks at 5.82 meters during the German event.

The win in France was Obiena’s

20th medal since last year and his third podium this season.

Last week, Obiena ruled the 5-6 National Indoor Meeting in Padova, Italy when he won the gold medal with his jump of 5.56 meters.

Obiena has firmly held on to the no. 3 spot in the world rankings for the last 26 weeks, holding 1398 points.

Obiena is next preparing to participate in the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland on Feb. 8 and in the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Lievin, France on Feb. 15. These events have been calendared under the 2023 World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold, including the World Indoor Tour Madrid on Feb. 22.

Gan sisters, De Guzman, Macasaet lead JGFP winners

CAGAYAN DE ORO—Hometown bet Ralph Rian

Batican and Davao leg champions Nicole and Stephanie Gan, Lucas de Guzman and Brianna Macasaet led winners in this second Mindanao meet of the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines (JGFP) Pueblo de Oro Junior Open on Sunday, Jan. 28 at the Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country here.

Batican fired a five-under par 67 on the final round of the tournament, a stroke better from his opening round 68 for a total of 135 to win the 9-10 boys’ category by 18 strokes after Davao champion Jared Saban finished with 153 after rounds of 76 and 77.

The 10-year-old Grade 5 student at Little Me Academy home school mixed his final round with six birdies, on 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 10, had an eagle on 12, bogeyed on 4 and a double bogey on 18.

This CDO leg of the Mindanao meet was Batican’s sixth title of his young career.

“I’m very happy to win. It was tough, but I’m very happy with my game,” said Batican, who gets help from Filipino golf legend Frankie Minoza

Army Navy supports Club200 Endurance Race

FOOD chain giant Army Navy formalized its support to the Club200 200/50 Endurance Race—the Philippines’ biggest motorsports spectacle of 2023 set on Feb. 11 at the Clark International Speedway.

Army Navy CEO Eric Puno led the signing of the partnership with the organizing Club200, represented by founding members Miguel Bichara, Patrick De Leon and Bong Natividad, together with Club200 secretary Noah Ampil.

The thrilling novel motorcycle event, also conceptualized by Club200, features three riders sharing one transponder and riding duties in 50 laps of approximately 200 kilometers.

Registration is ongoing and will last until raceday.

The endurance race is also presented by BMW Motorrad Ducati, KTM BGC,

Pirelli, Angkas, Evo Helmets, APRILIA, Juan Life, Hotel 101 and Merry Mart, and powered by Wheeltek, Triumph, Harley Davidson of Manila and Motoworld, with Manila Bulletin and C! Magazine as media partners.

Club200 is excluding participants currently riding in the National Superbike Series to level the playing field among regular everyday riders and weekend enthusiasts,

“If you have been dreaming of racing in a racetrack of international standards in an actual competitive setting, then this is your chance of living your dream,” said Red Romero, past president and one of the founding members of the organizing Club200.

In order to register, interested riders may pay the entry fee (Individual P7,500 /Team P21,000) at the Club200 Riders Association Inc.’s Unionbank,

with the refinement of his overall game and has Noel Langamin as his coach.

A veteran of the 2022 IMG Academy Junior World Championships in the US, he was also accompanied by his parents Marian and Ralph.

On the other hand, the Gan sisters and De Guzman made it back-to-back titles following wins in the Davao leg held at Apo golf early this month and here in this part of the region.

Nicole Gan had a final round 78 for a total of 154 in the 11-12 girls to beat Isabella Tabanas, who finished with 169, while Stephanie Gan had 173 in the 6-under girls, besting Soleil Ianne Molde by two strokes as the latter had 175. De Guzman won by 33 strokes with 153 against Ethan Franco Lago’s 180 in the 6-under boys.

Macasaet, meantime, topped the 7-8 girls’ category with a final round 75 for a total of 156 to beat Davao champion Rafella Adrienne Batican, who had a two-day total of 176 in this event backed by John Gaisano, Gaisano Malls, Islandwide Distribution Corp. and Pueblo Golf.

Also to be given out in one of the biggest PSA Awards Night in recent years presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, ICTSI, 1Pacman, Rain or Shine, and OkBet are the President’s Award, Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement Award, National Sports Association of the Year, Executive of the Year, Mr. Basketball, Ms. Football, Major Awards, Tony Siddayao Awards, Pioneers/Founders Awards, Lifetime Award in Sports Journalism, and the usual Citations.

Diaz and Co. were at the forefront of one of the most remarkable periods in Philippine sports history.

The year that passed was on its final month when the 31-year-old Diaz vaulted her way to the limelight following a golden treble in the 88th IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Bogota, Colombia. The country’s first ever Olympic gold medalist swept the women’s 55 kg class by topping the snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift for a dominant win in the world meet for the very first time.

Team Filipinas actually, set in motion the country’s 2022 campaign on a high note, as it punched a historic ticket for a first ever stint in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Filipina booters did it by way of a best finish of third place in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup held in Pune, India last February.

In between those feats, Yulo, Obiena, and Eala also made their presence felt big time.

Yulo won three gold medals in the 9th Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha, Qatar, and later on, clinched a silver and a bronze in the 51st FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.

Injured Valdez still part of PH volley pool for SEA Games

CREAMLINE top spiker Alyssa Valdez will continue resting and undergoing rehabilitation for an injury suffered last November.

Despite her situation, the 29-year+old Valdez remains part of the 17-member national women’s pool listed to see action in the coming 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.

Valdez, who is recovering from a knee injury she sustained late in the Reinforced Conference during its semifinals, continues to attend practices and is doing rehab work whenever national team sessions are held at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

National team commission chairman Tonyboy Liao confirmed Valdez’s inclusion following his return from the United States.

Also listed are her Creamline teammates, Jia Morado, Tots Carlos, Ced Domingo, Kyle Atienza and Gemma Galanza.

“There are 17 members of the national women’s team. They train on Mondays and Tuesday. And this lineup will be cut to 14,” said Liao on Saturday during the launch of the The Premier Volleyball League, which starts its new season beginning Feb. 4.

All of the candidates for the national squad, which also includes Choco Mucho’s Kat Tolentino and Cherry Nunag, will continue to prepare during its kickoff tournament for the year, now called the All-Filipino Conference.

After the conference is done by March, the members of the national pool, which also has Cignal’s Angel Cayuna, PLDT’s Kath Arado, Mika Reyes, Del Palomata, Jules Samonte in the list, will begin training daily under national coach, Jorge Edson, who is handling the Akari Chargers. Peter Atencio

Ralph Rian Batican celebrates with (from left) his mother Marian, Filipino golf legend Frankie Minoza, his father Ralph and coach Noel Langamin after winning the 9-10 boys’ title in the second Mindanao meet of the JGFP Pueblo de Oro Junior Open on Sunday at the Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country. JGFP Photo

Ernest John Obiena

Baby Tams blast UPIS cagers for 2nd victory

JEDRIC Daa scored 16 points while VJ Pre produced a doubledouble outing of 13 points and 10 rebounds as Far Eastern University-Diliman overpowered UP Integrated School, 97-59, for its second straight victory Sunday in the UAAP Season 85 high s chool boys basketball tournament at the San Andres Sports Complex.

Coach Allan Albano is satisfied with the Baby Tamaraws’ ranking after five games.

“At least nasa Final Four position pa rin kami kahit sabihin nating maaga pang sabihin. Nasa maganda kaming position na 4-1,” said Albano, back after missing the previous match. “Kailangang mag-improve kami sa decision making at ‘yung mindset, kasi minsan, nagre-relax ang mga bata.”

Earlier, University of the East pulled off a stunning 84-79 upset of Ateneo High School to enter the win column after four straight defeats.

Ken Arcega scored the game’s biggest basket, a lay-up off a Justine Gatchalian assist to give the Junior Warriors the needed separation at 82-75, with 1:12 remaining.

The Blue Eagles loss, the third in five games, negated Kristian Porter’s 34-point explosion.

“Their perspective during the game, they are very positive to beat Ateneo,” said UE team official Gerry Venturina, speaking on behalf of coach Ronnie Dojillo. “Of course, the ball is round. We don’t know what will be the outcome of the game and we are grateful that we emerged as the winner of this game.”

Vhon Roldan led the Junior Warriors with 24 points, four rebounds, and two steals, Gatchalian had nine points, five steals, and two assists, while Andei De Leon contributed eight assists, eight points, and six rebounds to go with +15 efficiency.

Kobe Demisana had 23 points and 10 rebounds while Jonas Napalang and Daryl Valdeavilla each had 12 points for the Junior Fighting Maroons.

Fil-Aussie, pal rule Australian Open men’s doubles; POC chief pleased

MELBOURNE—Wildcard home duo Rinky Hijikata and Filipino-Australian Jason Kubler won a first Grand Slam crown with victory in the men’s doubles final at the Australian Open on Saturday.

The Australians did a celebratory chest bump and hugged tightly after defeating duo Hugo Nys of Monaco and Poland’s Jan Zielinski 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), to the delight of the home crowd at Rod Laver Arena.

It was Hijikata and Kubler’s first event as a doubles pairing and ensures that the trophy stays in home hands, having been won last year by Australians Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

“Rinky and I definitely didn’t think this was happening two weeks ago. Bit of a pleasant surprise,” said

Kubler on court.

“I’ve got to thank Rinky, he was the reason we teamed up for this tournament. Two weeks later we’ve got this trophy.”

Meanwhile, Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the feat should make Filipinos proud.

“It’s something that we Filipinos— and the POC—should be proud of and cherish,” said Tolentino of the 29-yearold Kubler, son of a Philippine-born mother and an Australian father.

“We know that a part of him is Filipi-

no and Jason showed that to the world,” Tolentino said. “We’re really proud of him for winning a grand slam title not only for Australians but also for his fellow Filipinos.”

The pair, playing for Australia, defeated Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski, 6-4, 7-6 (4), in the final at the Rod Laver Arena.

It was the first Grand Slam title for both Hijikata and Kubler—the third Australian team to win a men’s doubles title in the last five Grand Slams. They teamed up for the first time.

Kubler turned professional in 2008 but couldn’t pounce on a promising career because of a knee injury that forced him to play exclusively on clay.

Tolentino likened Kubler to Filipino-Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez, who made the final of the US Open final in 2021 as an 18-year-old. AFP

Homa grabs Torrey Pines win as Ryder, Rahm falter

LOS ANGELES—Max Homa fired seven birdies in a six-under par 66 on Saturday to grab the US PGA Tour title at Torrey Pines as overnight leader Sam Ryder and world number three Jon Rahm faded.

Homa, ranked 16th in the world, nabbed his sixth US PGA Tour title and his fourth in come-from-behind fashion.

He capped his round with a four-foot birdie putt at 18 -- where his second shot was a putt from just off the green. His 13-under par total of 275 put him two strokes in front of Keegan Bradley, who had six birdies in his six-under 66.

“I think it’s a ton of patience and a lot of confidence,” Homa, 32, said of his come-from-behind wins in a post-round television interview.

“Winning takes a lot of luck but it takes, I think, a lot of patience. Especially on these final rounds, 18 holes is a marathon and a lot of stuff goes on.”

Five off the lead to start the day, Homa chipped in for birdie at the third, and rolled in a 13-footer at the fifth. He added birdies at the sixth, ninth and 11th before his lone miscue of the day at 14.

He curled in a 15-foot birdie at the 16th to tie Ryder atop the leaderboard, but Homa was one in front when he reached 18 after Ryder fell back with a double-bogey at the 15th.

Ryder, a 33-year-old chasing his first PGA title in his 147th start, got off to a promising start with a 13-foot birdie at the first.

He rebounded from back-to-back bogeys at the seventh and eighth with a birdie at the 10th, where he stuck his 189-yard second shot three feet from the pin.

But at 15 he was in deep rough off the tee on the way to dropping two shots.

He made one more bogey at 17, where he was unable to get up and down from a greenside bunker and a three-over 75 left him tied for fourth on 279.

That was one stroke behind two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, who was in solo third after a 69.

“Just didn’t get it done,” Ryder said. “I battled hard, though ... battled a lot but hopefully there’s going to be more opportunities.” AFP

Jamaicans ask on Bolt fraud case: Where’s the money?

KINGSTON—It is the question on the lips of every Jamaican -- and none more so than the country’s most famous athlete, eight-time Olympic gold medal sprinter Usain Bolt.

“Where’s the money gone?”

The investigation into a multimillion dollar fraud at the Kingstonbased investment firm Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL), which has reportedly seen Bolt’s $12 million account left almost empty, is dominating discussion in the Caribbean nation.

So much so that one of the country’s top dance hall artists, Gage, quickly released a song “SSL,” whose chorus repeatedly asks the above question in Jamaican patois.

True to the traditions of Jamaica’s vibrant and straight-talking music scene, Gage’s lyrics highlight the di-

vision between Kingston’s affluent and influential “uptown” residents and the young people hustling in the city’s poorer areas.

The song points out government efforts to clamp down on telephone and lottery scams from what he calls “ghetto youth,” but notes those young people never engaged in such large-scale fraud as what is suspected in the SSL investigation.

Finance Minister Nigel Clarke appeared to acknowledge that sentiment when he said he wanted to see tough sanctions on the fraudsters.

“The discrepancy between sanctions for white-collar crime and other forms of crime must be erased. If you rob depositors, or you defraud investors and you put our financial system and our way of life at risk, the Jamaican society wants you put away for a long time

-- a long, long, time,” he told AFP.

Bolt is one of around 40 people whose accounts may have been impacted by the fraud. While his status as a national hero means his situation has dominated the news, there is concern that elderly investors may also have been left penniless.

Clarke said he will ask the FBI and other foreign agencies to help with the investigations after replacing members of the Financial Services Commission (FSC) board.

The FSC has taken over temporary management of SSL and appointed a special auditor.

Jamaican police raided the home of a former employee of the company and took away documents, but no suspect has yet been charged.

Those in the financial world are hoping that confi-

Strong Group picks up 2nd win with rout of Libya’s Al Nasr

STRONG Group, showing better chemistry and teamwork this time, routed Al Nasr of Libya, 93-76, to stay perfect in the 32nd Dubai International Basketball Championship at the Al-Nasr Club Hall early Sunday, Jan. 29 (Manila time).

Putting its “ugly win” over the United Arab Emirates behind, the country’s representative to the 9-team tournament used a strong a start and a better finish to win convincingly before another good-sized Filipino crowd.“We played much better this time and my locals also did well,” said Strong Group coach Charles Tiu. “BJ (Andrade) started it all.

Three early triples from Andrade sparked the massive opening frame onslaught be-

fore imports Renaldo Balkman and Shabazz Muhammad followed suit, erecting an early 19-point (35-16) lead for the team owned by Jacob Lao.

Al Nasr, refusing to go into the night silently, managed to cut the lead down to nine points multiple times in the second and third quarters but the team backed by Mighty Sports and Acrocity simply had answers to every run – the last of which an 11-0 blitz to close out the third frame and establish a 23 point lead, 81-58 heading into the final frame.

Muhammad dropped 13 of his 26 points in the first quarter alone to go along with his seven rebounds while Balkman finished

with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Sedrick Barefield added 14, Justine Baltazar wound up with 10 while Andrade and Kevin Quiambao chipped in nine apiece as the game was practically over at the end of the three quarters with Strong Group even stretching the lead to its largest at 26 midway through the payof period.

Donte Lammot paced Al Nasr with 22 points and five rebounds while Michael Babatond added 14. Strong Group, which currently leads the Group A standings, takes a one-day off before plunging back to action on Tuesday, Jan. 31 (Manila time) against Syrian team Al Wahda.

dence in the country’s banking and investment institutions will not be damaged.

Business executive Dennis Chung, also general secretary of the Jamaican Football Federation, is confident the country can withstand the shock.

“What we have seen initially is an emotional reaction, and that is understandable, given that it is people’s money and it shook the confidence in the financial systems, but... the government moved quickly to ensure that regulatory confidence is restored,” he said.

Chung believes that there will be “no long-term ramifications” from an isolated case.

“People will now continue to invest in stocks, bonds and securities and have confidence in the finanAFP

Filipino-Australian Jason Kubler (right) and Rinky Hijikata pose with their trophy. AFP

BJ Andrade

Photo courtesy of JON MADRIAGA

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt competes in the men’s 4x100m relay athletics event at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in London. The investigation into a multimillion dollar fraud at the Kingston-based investment rm Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL), which has reportedly seen Bolt’s $12 million account left almost empty, is dominating discussion in the Caribbean nation. AFP

Entertainment

Discover the inspiring story of ‘Lamborghini’

ALMOST every car enthusiast has dreamt of driving a Lamborghini at least once in their life.

But little did we know that winemaker Ferruccio Lamborghini – the inventor, mechanic, and car designer who created Automobili Lamborghini in 1963 – had a Cinderella-like story: he was a young Italian, born to grape farmers, with huge ambitions of competing with the already established supercar maker Ferrari. In fact, Lamborghini didn’t always make supercars; Ferruccio made tractors in the beginning – yes, big lumbering tractors, for farms.

Lamborghini’s fascinating story was recently made into the biographical drama Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend. Produced by Ambi Pictures, Grindstone Entertainment Group, and Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment and written and directed by Robert Moresco (Crash), the movie was released in select theaters in the United States back in November 2022.

It stars Frank Grillo (Captain America:

The Winter Soldier, Billions) as the Italian industrialist Ferruccio Lamborghini.

For the Philippine premiere of Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend, streaming platform Lionsgate Play is giving PLDT Home customers exclusive access to the movie.

The film is set after World War II, when Lamborghini began making tractors from reconfigured surplus military machines. He later went into manufacturing airconditioning and heating systems, contributing to his eventual success and wealth. His dream, however, was always to make a sports car that could compete with Ferrari, whose 250 GT coupe he bought in 1958. (He owned Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Jaguar and Mercedes Benz cars among others prior to his first Ferrari.) In the movie, when Ferruccio offers Enzo Ferrari a partnership to make the best car in the world (and a solution to Ferrari’s problematic clutch), Ferrari tells him, “Go back to your tractors, farmer.”

Adding insult to injury, the older man

says, “Do you know what they say about Lamborghini? He is too uneducated to understand what he doesn’t know.”

In real life, Ferruccio tells the story of what Ferrari also said: “’Lamborghini, you may be able to drive a tractor but you will never be able to handle a Ferrari properly.’ This was the point when I finally decided to make a perfect car.”

Once Ferruccio visited Eduardo Miura’s ranch in Seville where the latter raised bulls for bullfighting, he had an emblem for his supercar. He also named a lot of them after famous fighting bulls like the Lamborghini Gallardo (2003-2013), which was named after one of the five Spanish bull breed castes, and Huracan (2014 to present), after a famous bull that fought in 1879.

One of the earliest cars Lamborghini made was the Miura, which he named after his friend with whom he shared a fascination for bullfighting. Lamborghini manufactured fewer than 800 Miuras between 1966 and 1973.

Today, the car costs around $1.6 million (P87 million). The last scene of the film shows Ferruccio driving a classic yellow Miura and the end credit text reading, “When the Museum of Modern Art in New York exhibited the Lamborghini Miura, they declared it to be ‘the most beautiful car ever made.’” PLDT Home customers get front row

seats to Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend plus more premium content through Lionsgate Play, exclusively powered by their broadband subscription. By activating their free Lionsgate Play voucher on https:// pldthome.com/lionsgateplay, subscribers get to enjoy the ultimate entertainment experience at home thanks to PLDT Home’s fast internet speed.

Vivamax hits 6m subs, launches new platform for general audience

ABS-CBN was honored again for its good corporate governance alongside other top Philippine publicly-listed companies after it received an ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACGS) Golden Arrow from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) on January 20.

ABS-CBN was included for the third time as one of the outstanding domestic publicly-listed companies that are wellmanaged and compliant with government regulations based on the 2021 ACGS assessment results for 2020 operations. The company also received ACGS Golden Arrows for its 2018 and 2019 operations.

The ACGS is an assessment tool used in participating ASEAN nations like the Philippines to determine if an organization is being managed well and compliant with government regulations. Among the factors considered in the assessment are a company’s policies and practices on the rights of shareholders, responsibilities of the Board, and disclosure and transparency, among others.

A non-stock, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the professionalization of Philippine corporate directorship, the ICD aims to raise the level of corporate governance policy and practice to be at part with the best of the world.

ABS-CBN head of SSC Paul Michael Villanueva accepted the award of ABSCBN at the ACGS Golden Arrow Awards held at the Sheraton Manila Hotel.

ARIAS

BY ALWIN IGNACIO

TWO motion pictures that moved me of late are showing on different entertainment platforms: Mang Kanor, which streams on AQ Prime; and Latay that will be available in select cinemas on February 8.

In a nutshell, Mang Kanor, with seasoned actor Rez Cortez in the title role, tells the story of an abandoned kid, raised by a doting and loving adoptive mother, bullied because of how he looks. Growing up, despite being in the police force, the bullying continues and Kanor longs for acceptance, security, and love.

Fast forward to the present, Mang Kanor now is a restaurateur and the love of his life appears in the person of a young miss named Sandra (Nika Madrid). The mature man, giddy, and

DESCRIBED by Viva Entertainment as “the coolest, the edgiest, and the newest streaming platform,” it is now available to give viewers access to a wide range of catalogs from hit movies, to series, and from gameshows to concerts.

Exactly two years after the launch of Vivamax, another steaming platform kicks off under the banner of VivaPrime. An AVOD model, or simply a streaming site that allows subscribers to watch with or without the ads, therefore bringing the cost of subscription down courtesy of advertisers.

“With the presence of VivaPrime, Vivamax will be edgier and risque. VivaPrime will become a streaming platform for all,” said Valerie del Rosario, SVP for Content Creation and Development of TV Production and Creative Research, on the distinction between Vivamax and VivaPrime. It was not so long ago when the pandemic hit and no one was making movies, but Viva head honcho Vic del Rosario did not stop producing. Even through the toughest of times, his purpose of bringing premium entertainment to everyone survives.

Moving pictures

gullible at the same time, thought that the young woman’s love is for real. When the reveal happens, devastation and depression hit the protagonist.

With his ability to forget the situation, he helps ladies with financial necessities in exchange for sexual favors. The trysts, he videotapes for posterity and for his eyes only. However, when his mobile phone was lost, the sexual congresses became public and this led to his arrest.

What makes Mang Kanor a moving experience is the manner in how Cortez infused his character with child-like innocence, especially in how he deals with romance and sexual adventures giving him the sense of satisfaction of finally getting that feeling of being wanted which he was deprived of the longest time. The seasoned actor employs a lot of sincerity, eyes speaking his wants and despair, and though he is not a saint, one gets to understand his “ordeal” and “rites of passage” as a man as his story unfolds.

A noteworthy mention is the stellar presence of Miranda, the love interest of Kanor and Emelyn Cruz, the best friend

of Sandra, who knows what she wants, who she wants, and what to do to get him. Cruz has a comely presence and she fills the screen with her insouciance.

Mang Kanor reminds you of the earlier days of independent cinema. Brave, out-of-the-box storytelling, minimalist production values, timelines that make you wonder and quiver, but is anchored on the truthfulness of the performance of the stars who portrayed and gave life to their respective characters.

And yes, Rez Cortez truly deserves an above-the-title billing and a man/ character where he invested the feels and emotional truth.

Ralston Jover’s Latay, from BG Productions International, presents the love and life story of Lorie (Lovi Poe) and Olan (Allan Dizon), which started as sugar and spice and all that is nice and romantic. Eventually, reality bites, and the once rosy and happy relationship becomes bitter, filled with anger and turmoil. As the wife bares her fangs and wrath, the husband, on the other hand, accepts the changes in their relationship

Behind streaming giants that dominated the market both foreign and locally, in just two years, the mostly adult entertainment platform found its niche and finally brought in subscribers from all over the globe.

Now, Vivamax boasts of having close to six million registered subscription worldwide. At the same time, launching the careers of Vivamax stars like AJ Raval, Angeli Khang, Ayanna Misola, Christine Bermas, Janelle Tee, Azi Acosta, Angela Morena, Ava Mendez, and Frankie Russel just to name a few.

A consistent programming of one new movie every week and one solid series weekly makes a formidable block and creates a viewing habit for its loyal subscribers every Friday for new movies and Sunday for every series.

Now, following the same path but reaching out to an even wider audience by producing no less than 70 new titles just for 2023 alone.

Officially launched on Sunday, January, VivaPrime is available for P49 a month. Subscribers can access the platform ads free for just P99 a month.

because he clings to the feeling that he truly loves the woman and for him, the vow of “to love and to hold, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part” is a sacred vow.

A motion picture that highlights and shows a husband being battered, is not an easy watch. Trust the acting prowess of Poe and Dizon and you will feel and experience the power dynamics, the reasons for battery, and the slow decay and death of promises and romance.

Poe’s best scene in my book was the lengthy conversation with Dizon where she insults the very existence of Olan. Everything about her husband, she detests. The burning of pictures moment and the screen time she shares with her

mother (Snooky Serna) performing it with aplomb and “agaw eksena” realness. Dizon’s best scene was the screen time he had with Soliman Cruz as his father. He relates how much he wants to find his mother, the “pagsusumamo” moment with Lorie, and the boat ride that slowly reveals the sorry and dangerous state of Olan.

Latay is a morality tale that gives a crystal presentation of the Filipino saying “Ang pagmamahal hindi parang kanin na isusubo na pag mailuluwa pag napaso,” and that yes, love is always give and take, push and pull, up and down, and that too much of it, is never a good thing, and the gender of the person who has more power and control in a relationship, is immaterial.

Nickie Wang, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant

ABS-CBN cited for good governance, wins ACGS Golden Arrow Award anew

Frank Grillo as the Italian industrialist Ferruccio Lamborghini

The team behind Vivamax celebrates two successful years after finding its niche and bringing in viewers from across the globe

the

‘Mang Kanor’ reminds viewers of the earlier days of independent cinema

Lovi Poe (right) and Allan Dizon in ‘Latay,’ a film that shows domestic abuse from the male perspective

From left: SEC Chairman Emilio B. Aquino, ICD Vice Chair & President Ma. Aurora ‘Boots’ Geotina-Garcia, ABS-CBN Head of SSC Paul Michael Villanueva, PSE President and CEO Ramon S. Monzon, and ICD Chairman Attorney Cesar L. Villanu

Nickie Wang, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant

E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com

C4 MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2023

Life

Run your own milk tea shop with the new interactive Google Doodle

THERE’S a new Google Doodle in town and this one celebrates the almost universal popularity of milk tea (or bubble tea).

To say that Filipinos love milk tea is an understatement. With its cool, refreshing taste, coupled with fun, delightful sinkers such as chewy pearls, pudding, jelly, or even ice cream, the Philippines has officially embraced the beverage as an everyday feel-good staple.

One of the proponents of the craze in Metro Manila is Serenitea, which opened its first branch in San Juan in December 2008. Since then, many lo -

cal and international chains popped up including Chatime, Gong Cha, Tiger Sugar, and more, giving Filipinos their own spin on the beloved beverage.

In 2019, the Philippines ranked second among the countries with the most milk tea drinkers in Southeast Asia. A food delivery survey found that Filipinos consume an average of five cups of milk tea in a month. That’s significantly greater than Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam’s average of three cups in a month per drinker.

It’s not just the Philippines, the world

A Pinoy culinary heaven in Portland

IHAVE to admit that, in spite of my having been a world traveler for the past many decades, every time I am out of the country, I can’t last more than a week without having Filipino food…or, at the very least, something Asian. There is a magical element in our cuisine that makes me hanker for it, in spite of the juicy steaks, meltin-your-mouth salmon, or other French culinary delights that I can easily have access to.

Having been away from home for more than a week now, I have grown more fidgety with each passing hour. My taste buds are going crazy, as I mentally visualize the delectable Pinoy table fare that I’m used to at home. So, when my younger sister, who I’m visiting here in Portland, told me about this very popular Filipino restaurant in the city, I wanted to fly there right away.

In a quiet neighborhood in the Southeast part of town stands Magna Kusina, which has been featured many times on Portland’s lifestyle TV shows and newspapers because of its exquisite Filipino menu and its multi-awarded chef/owner. My sister and I arrived 30 minutes ahead of our appointed time, and preferred to wait inside the packed restaurant to protect ourselves from the nasty 1-degree Celsius cold outside.

Pancit Bihon, Fried Lumpia, and Chicken Barbecue The restaurant’s Menu also listed Lumpiang Ubod, Oxtail Kare-Kare, Hipon, Isaw, Bistek, and many more. In a matter of minutes, our orders were served and we were in culinary heaven. Every bite we took had that magical Filipino taste I have been craving for the past few days. It made me feel like I was back home!

YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE

RESTAURANT PATRON: Waiter, I’d like a bottle of wine.

WAITER:  What year, sir?

PATRON:  Well, I’d like it right now.

While waiting for our table, I noticed right away the restaurant’s logo…a fork and a spoon, and tables were set with only a fork and a spoon…no knife. Looking around the other tables occupied by Americans, I noticed that every one of them used a fork and spoon only, the way we, Filipinos, would while dining. I found out later on from our waiter that almost all the restaurant’s patrons are Americans, yet hardly anybody asks for a knife. And I was happy to see them enjoying Filipino food. The old couple at the table beside us was having Laing, while the youngsters across us feasted on Sisig

My sister and I wanted to try as many of the dishes as we could, so we ordered Sinigang,

Of course, my meal is never complete without the last course, so I ordered Biko and my sister went for the Leche Flan And there we were, in seventh heaven, as we savored every teaspoonful of our sweet indulgence. The Biko had a sprinkling of Polvoron on it and my sister’s Leche Flan was topped with a generous amount of pineapple chunks. After we settled our bill, I chatted with the 42-year-old chef/ owner, Carlo Lamagna, and found out that he was born in the US and lived in Detroit until he was 11, when he returned to Pangasinan to continue his high school and college education. It was at this time that his passion for cooking started to develop because everybody in his family is a good cook.

At the age of 20, he moved back to Michigan to be with his family and begin his culinary career. He worked at several restaurants while attending culinary school. He later armed himself with a diploma from the Culinary Institute of America and, thereafter, perfected his craft through the years until he decided to open Magna Kusina.

The restaurant opened in 2019 and was named

Portland’s Restaurant of the Year. In 2021, Food and Wine publication awarded him as the Best New Chef, and during last year’s Restaurant and Chefs Awards, he was nominated as Best Chef in the Northwest and Pacific.

What I like about Chef Carlo is that he keeps watch over every dish produced in his kitchen and checks on it closely before the waiters serve it to the customers. What is even more commendable is his goal to share the flavor of Filipino food with the rest of the world and kudos to him because he certainly is on his way to elevating our cuisine to international acclaim.

Pretty soon, it won’t be a surprise to have some of my American friends go crazy over Sisig, Sinigang, or Kare-Kare. Wouldn’t you be if it’s produced by Chef Carlo’s magic hands?

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com

has fallen in love with this Taiwanese concoction that the market is now worth $2.02 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $3.39 billion by 2027. Google is celebrating the beloved drink with a fun, interactive Doodle that allows you to create your own milk tea concoctions and run your own shop.

In this interactive Doodle, you are playing as a dog who runs a milk tea cart. It’s a rainy day and you’re pushing your milk tea cart and setting up shop. It’s the perfect day for a cup of milk tea as the sweet drink and the sinkers are sure to cheer you

up in such gloomy weather. Create yummy customized drinks for five different customers by combining the ingredients–black/white pearls, tea, and sweet syrup–in specific amounts. Tap on your mouse or screen until you fill along the dashed line. Once the cup is filled with all three ingredients, it’s ready to serve. This will be done four more times to serve the other customers. Your served drink is also given a star rating based on how precisely you fill the cup per ingredient. Celebrate your love for milk tea and check out the Doodle now on Google Search.

Disney-inspired desserts for all seasons

SUGARPLUM Pastries’ Chef Lovely

Jiao, known for her scene-stealing desserts, has unveiled her fairytalethemed collection – which consists of eight-foot dessert towers, lighted antigravity cakes, and twirly whirly rotating toppers.

With the philosophy “no to boring desserts!”, she transforms her passion for architectural works into tiers of personalized creations of dreamy castles.

The alluring Cinderella-inspired piece dons elements straight from the musical fantasy, from the pumpkin carriage supplemented with intricately handmade gum paste flowers and butterflies, the royal crown, all the way to the fabled glass slipper.

Specially made for those who love Disney’s classic, the Beauty and the Beast collection features the prince’s six-foot tower with lighted balconies and stained-glass windows. This series comes with toothsome treats, including cupcakes reminiscent of Lumiere and Cogsworth, sugar cookies in the shapes of the Enchanted Rose and Mirror, as well as Grey Stuff pavlova that gives a burst of airy marshmallow, whipped cream, and fruits in every bite.

The dessert innovator likewise encapsulates the perpetual winter in her illuminating and rotating sculpture of Arendelle, the Norwegian kingdom in Frozen. In this head-turning set, celebrants and guests alike are transported into the world of Elsa and Anna, which includes The North Mountain, the Ice Palace, the Frozen Lake, and the Valley of the Living Rock.

The fantasy-filled four-tier handpainted Tangled Cake, especially when set up with the glimmering floating lanterns in the background, invites spectators to reimagine the dreamy boat scene of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.

Meanwhile, those who wish to veer away from the traditional chiffon may go for the delectable pastel meringue tower evocative of The Little Mermaid

“We took the opportunity to highlight all the princesses and princes that didn’t get to celebrate with all of the

wonderful people in their lives due to the pandemic,” Chef Lovely shared. “Seeing the event industry slowly open its doors, we are just thrilled to see everyone again.”

For more intimate celebrations, Chef Lovely offers mini cakes, chocolate cakesicles, dainty lollicakes, and mouthwatering macarons inspired by Disney princesses, from the fearless warrior Mulan, the noble Pocahontas, the strong-willed ice queen Elsa, the gentle beauty Snow White, the loving daughter Belle to the mischievous mermaid Ariel and the adventurous Rapunzel.

Chef Lovely is armed with a culinary degree from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management (SHRIM) and was honed with experiences from Makati Shangri-La and F1 Hotel Taguig.

Instead of climbing the ladder in the hotel kitchen industry, she decided to become a hands-on mom for her growing son and, in 2011, established her very own brand, Sugarplum Pastries.

For inquiries, contact sugarplum_ pastries@yahoo.com or +63917 516 1411 via Viber or visit www.sugarplumpastries.com. They are also available on Facebook (@sugarplumpastriesph) and Instagram (@sugarplumpastries).

The Sinigang was served with a large and long slice of salmon, plenty of mussels, radish, turnips, and cilantro, all mixed in savory tamarind broth

The Leche Flan topped with pineapple chunks and the Biko sprinkled with Polvoron brought us to Seventh Heaven

Multi-awarded chef and owner Carlo Lamagna is a hero of sorts, for bringing Filipino cuisine to international acclaim

The very popular Magna Kusina’s logo tells what’s in store for the mostly American patrons, a spoon-and-fork dinner, the way we, Filipinos, eat

The Pancit Bihon is made even more flavorful with a generous amount of carrots, and cabbage and topped with fried garlic

Disney Princesses cakesicles by Benilde Culinary Alumna and Pastry Chef Lovely Jiao of Sugarplum Pastries