Manila Standard - 2023 February 9 - Thursday

PH, Japan eye VFA-like pact

PBBM

By Vince Lopez

says both nations want to assure free passage in S. China Sea

TOKYO—Security and defense cooperation across the AsiaPacific region -- including more patrols in the South China Sea -- will be the key issues during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s five-day visit here as Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Philippines and Japan are “very close” to forging a pact similar to the Visiting Forces Agreement.

Deaths from massive quake rise above 11,200

By Joel E. Zurbano and Willie Casas

THE death toll from a massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria rose above 11,200 on Wednesday as rescuers raced to save survivors trapped under debris in the winter cold.

The Philippines on Wednesday deployed an 85-person response team, as 33 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines joined 33 health care workers from the Department of Health (DOH), 12 rescue personnel from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and eight firefighters from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority headed for Turkey.

A Filipino community leader in Turkey told ABS-CBN that three Filipinos were among those missing after Monday’s 7.8-magnitude tremor.

Turkish officials and medics said 8,574 people had died

DEADLIEST QUAKE IN

OVER A DECADE.

first-time overseas Filipino workers (OFW), particularly domestic helpers,

By Julito G. Rada

THE country’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.3 percent in December 2022, significantly lower than the 6.6 percent registered a year ago, the Philippine Sta-

to Kuwait.

DMW Secretary Susan Ople said the suspension was to ensure the safety and welfare of OFWs following the murder of of household service worker Jullebee Ranara last month.

“The application of first-time migrant

tistics Authority (PSA) said Wednesday.

The latest jobless rate, however, was slightly higher compared to the all-time low of 4.2 percent in November 2022 as job losses were recorded in the agriculture

THE current Marcos Jr. government has received low satisfaction ratings in fighting inflation and corruption but received a high satisfaction rating “on the overall” after the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released its annual Survey Review summarizing reports from past administrations on Wednesday.

“Satisfaction with governance is generally high. However, net satisfaction ratings are ‘moderate’ (plus12) for fighting corruption and ‘neutral’ (plus-1) for fighting inflation,”

A man carries the body of a child pulled out from the rubble in the town of Harim, in Syria’s rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on the border with Turkey, on February 8, 2023, two days after a deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. Inset photo shows Philippine Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Stephen Parreño leading the sendoff ceremony for the PAF contingent to the country’s humanitarian team bound for Turkey. AFP, PAF

DTI lists higher SRP for 70 food products like noodles, milk, bread

Unemployment dropped to 4.3% in December from 6.6% a year ago

SC junks graft case vs. Enrile, others over coco funds misuse

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court has ordered the dismissal of the graft charges filed against former Senator and now chief presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce Enrile and several others in connection with the alleged misuse of coconut levy funds amounting to P840.7 million.

In a 52-page decision penned by Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, the SC’s First Division ruled that the Office of the Ombudsman violated the constitutional right to speedy disposition of cases of respondents Enrile, businessman Jose Concepcion, Rolando dela Cuesta, Narciso Pineda and Danila Ursua, warranting the dismissal of the graft charges against them.

The SC also ordered the dismissal of the graft case against Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., Jose Eleazar, Maria Clara Lobregat, and Augusto Orosa due to their supervening deaths.

The SC said criminal and civil liabili-

PH Constitution ‘dynamic,’ can adapt to times

By Vito Barcelo and Maricel V. Cruz

THE Philippine Constitution remains “dynamic” and “flexible” because it can adapt to the times, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday.

“It is indeed noteworthy that our Supreme Law remains a dynamic and flexible expression of our collective will, capable of adapting to the changing times and circumstances of our nation,” Marcos Jr. said in his speech on the celebration of Philippine Constitution Day in Malacanang.

Meanwhile, members of the House of Representatives who are pushing for constitutional amendments have reached a consensus to lift its overly protective economic provisions that restrict the inflow of foreign capital, Speaker Martin G. Romualdez said.

He said deliberations on the proposed constitutional amendments are focused now on the need to encourage investments that would further stimulate economic activities, create job opportunities, reduce poverty, and lower prices of goods and services.

The Chief Executive said the Philippine Constitution has undergone several amendments to keep abreast with the conditions needed for the country to survive challenges in both the local and international scenes.

“As we honor the Supreme Law of the land and perpetuate this milestone, it is important to remember that it is through the lessons of the past that we are able to establish a government that embodies our goals and creates a vision for a just and humane society,” the President said.

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Trade undersecretary Carol Sanchez assured consumers the DTI made sure to allow only minimal adjustments for commodities seeking price hikes, particularly for daily consumables.

“Generally, the highest increase on food items is about P2, thereabouts, and those are mostly canned meat products and a few milk items have also increased by an average of P3,” she said.

Based on the new SRP, the retail price of budget breads Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy pandesal went up by P2 for a retail price of P40.50 per loaf while a plastic pack of pandesal went up by P1.50 for a retail price of P25 per pack.

The DTI also confirmed price increases for 6 sardines brands of about P 1 to P1.50 per 155 gram-tin can.

A noodle brand and powdered milk brand have also increased their SRP by P0.50 and P2.25, respectively.

For canned milk, a condensed milk brand increased price by P1.75 to P41 per 300 milliliter can while an evaporated milk brand now sells at P41 per 300 ml can from P37.40. About 4 skus on canned milk products introduced new price increases.

ties are distinguished by Article 89 of the Revised Penal Code. For civil liability, the high court said the government may still file civil cases against the respective estates of Cojuangco Jr., Eleazar, Lobregat and Orosa, “as may be warranted by law and procedural rules.”

If a case has already been filed, the high tribunal said the civil action “shall survive notwithstanding the dismissal of the criminal case in view of their deaths.”

In the case of Enrile, Concepcion, Dela Cuesta, Pineda and Ursua, the SC noted that the preliminary investigation

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Galvez, who arrived in Japan along with the official delegation of Mr. Marcos, said “malapit na” (very close) in an ambush interview on the possibility of the military agreement.

Mr. Marcos, however, said there has been no formal discussion yet on the possible VFA equivalent.

“We haven’t formally discussed that,” the President said. “I don’t know if (Japanese) Prime Minister (Fumio) Kishida will take it up with me on this trip. But, so far, there have not been any formal proposals in that regard.”

A Visiting Forces Agreement paves the way for foreign troops to have wider access to military bases in the Philippines and to hold joint military drills and exercises with Filipino soldiers, as the United States has with the PH.

Mr. Marcos said Japan is supporting the improvements in the capacity of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) apart from donating patrol vessels because it

Unemployment...

on the case started on February 12, 1990 when the complaint was filed, and terminated on October 9, 1998 when the Ombudsman approved the order dated September 25, 1998 of the graft investigating officer recommending the dismissal of the complaint on the ground of prescription of offense.

The SC pointed out that under Administrative Order 1 of the Ombudsman, a fact-finding investigation should not exceed the period of 12 months to 24 months depending on the seriousness of the offense.

“Consequently, the burden of proof shifted to petitioner Republic. However, petitioner Republic failed to discharge this burden, as petitioner Republic did not establish that the delay was reasonable and justified,” the SC said.

“While this Court has no doubt that the Republic had all the resources to pursue cases of corruption and ill-gotten wealth , the inordinate delay in this

wants to assure free passage for ships in the South China Sea.

“Probably in their view, the next step is to do the improvements and rehabilitation of Subic Port for the Coast Guard, because, naturally, the reason behind all this is that they would like to have more patrols along and down the South China Sea so we can assure freedom of passage,” he said.

“That is a new area because our dealings with Japan has always been G2G (government to government), JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) aid grant level, and of course the commercial side. So, this is a new element in our relationship because we are now talking about the security of the region. We of course are interested in the same thing, eyeing security in the region. I think cooperation is not a bad thing,” the President added.

Mr. Marcos’ Japan visit, his ninth official overseas trip since he assumed office, came on the heels of the decision by Manila and Washington to designate four new sites in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation

vember 2022’s 67.5 percent but higher than the 65.1 percent in December 2021.

Government asks ICC to stop resumption of drug war probe

By Rey E. Requejo and Rio N. Araja

THE Philippine government has asked the International Criminal Court to overturn the January 26 Pre-Trial Chamber’s authorization to resume the probe on the abuses and deaths related to the drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte. The five-page appeal filed on February 3 stressed that the government under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “disagrees with and rejects the pretrial chamber’s conclusion” when it authorized the resumption of the drug war probe.

The ICC had said that the government “is not undertaking tangible, concrete steps to investigate abuses and deaths in the conduct of the drug war.”

The Marcos administration said it no longer offers any arguments to prop up its appeal, except to say that the “relief being sought is a reversal of the decision and the denial of the Office of the Prosecutor’s request to resume investigation regarding the Situation in the Republic of the Philippines.”

Agreement (EDCA).

In his pre-departure speech in Manila, the Chief Executive said his visit is part of a larger foreign policy agenda to forge closer political ties, stronger defense and security cooperation, and lasting economic partnerships with major countries in the region.

Mr. Marcos will be in Japan until February 12, where his series of activities include a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Kishida.

The President and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos will also be given an Imperial audience with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the Imperial Palace.

While in Tokyo, Mr. Marcos will work on the further strengthening of “the bonds of friendship with a close neighbor, likeminded and future-oriented like us in many ways and a most reliable partner in times of both crises and prosperity,” he said in a pre-departure speech at Villamor Air Base in Pasay.

The President and Kishida are set to sign seven key bilateral deals in the areas of humanitarian assistance and dis-

“The Philippine government thus hereby requests that the implementation of the PTC Decision be suspended pending final resolution of this Appeal,” it added.

The appeal was signed by Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra and Assistant Solicitor Generals-Myrna AgnoCanuto, Henry Angeles, Marissa Dela Cruz-Galandines, and Hermes Ocampo.

Sought for comment, Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher Carlos Conde said he is optimistic the appeal would not change anything to stop the resumption of the drug war probe.

Conde said it seems “the government is just going through the motions of exhausting the remedies available to it.”

He said it would be better if the Marcos administration would cooperate with the probe.

“Instead of undermining the ICC and its important work of accountability, the government should really just cooperate. Just because it’s no longer a state party to the Rome Statute does not mean it cannot cooperate,” Conde said.

aster relief, infrastructure, agriculture, and digital cooperation.

Mr. Marcos will also hold meetings with Japan’s business leaders to promote trade and investment opportunities in the Philippines.

“In these meetings, I will be joined by my economic team and key private sector representatives who have been and will continue to be our partners in growing the Philippine economy,” the President said.

Mr. Marcos will also deliver a keynote address during the Philippine Business Opportunity seminar to be attended by “hundreds of top Japanese businessmen.”

The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo earlier said President Marcos’ working trip to Japan is seen to generate P150 billion in investment pledges that can result in the employment of some 8,000 Filipinos.

Japan has been a major bilateral trade and official development partner, consistent in its commitment to uphold the same values aligned with Manila’s economic and development priorities.

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sector due to recent weather disturbances.

National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Dennis Mapa said on the average, the unemployment rate in 2022 stood at 5.4 percent, nearing the prepandemic level of 5.1 percent in 2019.

The unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in 2021 and 10.4 percent in 2020.

The employment rate in December 2022 was estimated at 95.7 percent, slightly lower than November’s 95.8 percent but higher than the 93.4 percent employment rate reported in December 2021. The employment rate of 95.7 percent in December 2022 translates to 49 million employed Filipinos 15 years old and over.

The labor force participation rate (LFPR) in December 2022 was at 66.4 percent, equivalent to 51.22 million individuals in the labor force. The LFPR in December 2022 was lower than No-

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The survey covers a total of 13 topics and showed how Filipinos responded to issues ranging from disaster preparedness and the COVID-19 pandemic to elections and satisfaction with government officials.

SWS classifies net satisfaction ratings of at least +70 as “excellent;” +50

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workers specifically for household services in Kuwait shall be deferred until after significant reforms have been made and more safeguards are in place for their protection and welfare,” she said.

A series of talks between the Philippine and the Kuwaiti governments were scheduled to discuss OFW welfare.

Ople said she is optimistic that significant changes can still be made to the existing bilateral labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait.

The death of 35-year-old Ranara at the hands of the 17-year-old son of her

The average weekly hours worked by an employed person in December 2022 increased to 40.3, from 39.3 and 39.7 hours per week in November 2022 and December 2021, respectively.

The underemployment rate in December 2022 declined to 12.6 percent from 14.4 percent in November 2022. This was lower than the reported rate in the same period in 2021 at 14.7 percent.

National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the labor market continued to record gains as more Filipinos pursued and attained high-quality jobs amid the now fully-opened economy.

“The government remains committed to providing more, better and green job opportunities to Filipinos and sustaining a vibrant labor market through the strategies articulated in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028,” Balisacan said.

Top employment contributors in De-

to +69 as “very good;” +30 to +49 as “good;” +10 to +29 as “moderate;” +9 to -9 as “neutral;” -10 to -29 as “poor;” -30 to -49 as “bad;” -50 to -69 as “very bad” and -70 and below as “execrable.”

Earlier this month, the head of the Philippine Statistics Authority said the inflation rate, or pace of price increases, soared to a fresh 14-year high in December at 8.1%.

On Wednesday, the PSA said inflation had risen to 8.7% in January -- the

employer sparked outrage in the Philippines and prompted officials to call for a deployment ban to Kuwait.

“Those who have never worked as domestic helpers abroad, including those who have worked as household helpers in other countries but not in Kuwait, would need to wait for their deployment because the department wants to ensure that there is a better monitoring system and a faster response system,” she said. She said that total deployment ban is not being considered since it would affect around 260,000 OFWs, around 195,000 of whom are household service workers, currently in Kuwait.

Instead of Kuwait, Ople said domestic workers have several countries to

cember 2022 include wholesale and retail trade, other service activities, and accommodation and food service activities, which were boosted by the full resumption of commercial activities, pent-up demand, and holiday spending. However, these were tempered by losses in agriculture due to weather disturbances and the spread of infectious diseases among livestock and poultry.

Balisacan said alongside providing high-quality jobs to the people, the government must ensure that their skills are not just aligned with current in-demand requirements but can also continuously keep up with the demands of evolving and emerging jobs.

By broad industry group, the services sector continued to lead all sectors, having the largest share of employed persons with 58.9 percent of the total employed persons in December 2022. The agriculture and industry sectors accounted for 24.0 percent and 17.1 percent of the total employed persons, respectively. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

fastest since November 2008.

Comparing past administrations from President Corazon Aquino to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., scores on fighting inflation and corruption were consistently rated low.

In his presentation, SWS vice president Jay Sandoval said survey respondents said the net satisfaction of Mr. Marcos in October and December 2022 was plus-68 or “very good” from their last survey conducted from Dec. 10 to 14.

choose from.

“Hong Kong remains a strong alternative and is much nearer to home, and we also have Singapore where we have very good relations with our counterpart ministry,” she said.

“We have also been informed through diplomatic channels of the willingness of the Kuwait government to engage in bilateral labor talks. We are preparing well in advance for these talks, bringing with us an accumulation of abuse done over the years, hence the need for significant changes,” she added. She cited the good relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Philippines after the bilateral talks in November 2022.

in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria from the powerful earthquake, bringing the total to 11,236.

Nearly 50,000 people were also injured in Turkey and another 5,000 in Syria, officials and rescuers on both sides said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave an update on the casualty figures during a visit to Kahramanmaras, a southern Turkish city at the epicentre of the initial quake.

Television images showed him hugging a weeping, elderly woman and walking through a large crowd towards a Red Crescent humanitarian relief tent.

Facing a tough May 14 re-election, Erdogan pledged to rebuild the damaged regions within a year.

He also appeared to push back against criticism that the government’s response to Turkey’s worst disaster in decades has been slow.

“Initially there were issues at airports and on the roads, but today things are getting easier and tomorrow it will be easier still,” he said in televised remarks.

“We have mobilized all our resources,” he added. “The state is doing its job.”

MMDA acting Chairman Romando Artes said the MMDA team was composed of well-trained disaster rescuers who were previously deployed to help in the rescue and retrieval operations in Bohol, Nepal, and Pampanga which were also hit by earthquakes in 2013, 2015, and 2019 respectively. With AFP

“As a result of our talks with Saudi Arabia, a joint technical working group was created to thresh out various problems and concerns, and that group meets every week through virtual means,” Ople said.

At a Senate hearing, DMW Undersecretary Anthonette Velasco-Allones said they will suspend the deployment of first-time domestic helpers bound for Kuwait, and said the ban would last until reforms are laid down following talks with Kuwait.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva pushed for a comprehensive review of the bilateral labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait amid rising cases of abuse against Filipino domestic helpers there.

DFA: No specs yet on rules of engagement in SCS

DISCUSSIONS on the general concept of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea (SCS) are going on, but details on the rules of engagement were unlikely to be crafted during the next round of talks in March, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

“It will continue where they left off. They have started on the main body but it’s quite technical,” DFA Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Daniel Espiritu said in a press briefing on Wednesday, referring to the just-concluded ASEANChina ministers meeting on the SCS issue. “So far, the discussions are centered on generalities. We don’t see talks the body of the COC which are the actual rules of engagement happening soon). We don’t know when,” he added.

Espiritu said the trajectory of the discussions had been “very dynamic” given that the parties—the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China—have differing positions, one of the reasons why the two-decade old agreement to establish the code progresses slowly.

At the close of the recent ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat, Indonesia vowed to lead efforts to “explore new approaches” to speed up the negotiations.

Indonesia, the current ASEAN chair, will host a series of negotiations on the COC, the first of which will be in March 2023.

China and the ASEAN agreed to create and adopt the COC upon signing the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea on Nov. 4, 2002.

The DFA said the COC would not resolve the maritime row, but merely provide measures or rules of engagement that nations could follow to avoid escalation of tensions or untoward incidents in SCS.

IN BRIEF

Customs intercepts fuel smuggling in Batangas

CUSTOMS Commissioner Yogi

Filemon Ruiz on Wednesday commended his men from the Intelligence Group who intercepted a shipment of unmarked fuel at a private port in Batangas.

“The reports that our intelligence officers generate show the people. They are not slowing down, but neither are we. This is a long and uphill battle, but the agency and our people are well-prepared to finish these activities off,” Ruiz said.

 Customs intelligence operatives se ized the shipment on Feb. 7 after receiving information about the presence of unmarked fuel in the tanker VOI MT Harmony Star.

Joel E. Zurbano

Forum on sexual abuse vs. minors unfolds today at DSWD office in QC

A ROUNDTABLE discussion on sexual abuse takes place today at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) office in Quezon City.

The talks will be a prelude to convention set nexth month to develop more effective services for sexually-abused kids in conjunction with the observance of the 27th National Awareness Week for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation.

The Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse (CPTCSA) Inc. will host today’s roundtable discussion with government officials and other concerned groups.

Jun David

Physicians rolls out walking advocacy

HEART doctors on Wednesday strongly advocated walking as an exercise to strengthen the heart.

The advocacy was raised during the Philippine Heart Association’s (PHA) Usapang Puso sa Puso conference with the theme “Bawas Kilo, Bawat Metro.”

Dr. Joanna Manalo underscored that “walking is a workout” that could help lower the incidence of heart attacks. She lamented however, that women were more physically inactive than men, making them susceptible to heart ailments.

Dr. Luigi Pierre Segundo said lack of exercise leads to obesity, which in turn causes cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Rio N. Araja

Tolentino says local holidays will fuel national economic growth

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

LOCAL holidays will play a key role in reviving and bolstering the country’s economic growth, three years after it was badly hit by the global COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Francis Tolentino said.

The senator issued his during Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate Committee on Local Government over several pending local holiday bills.

He spelled out the gains of a ‘non

working’ holiday scheme during a celebration or commemoration of specific local holiday especially in a postpandemic era.

“The reason being is that, there is really no detrimental effects to the local economy because the celebration of a holiday in an LGU (local government unit) would support two premises—one, it fosters local autonomy; and two, it bolsters economy,” Tolentino clarified.

According to him, reversing the economic trend on non-working holidays

is “needed in a post pandemic Philippines to further stimulate the tourism industry which is now heavily needed by every local economy.”

Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government during the 18th Congress, stressed that any effect that would be imposed on an employer by paying “double salary” to their personnel, “can be compensated by the upsurge of economic activities.”

“It can be countered by the presence of local tourists spending and spending,

Group slams bid to push tobacco amid agri-smuggling drive

A CONSUMER group on Wednesday urged the government to focus its efforts on curbing the smuggling of agricultural food staples rather than use rising food prices as a pretext to include tobacco among agricultural products covered by Republic Act 10845 or the “AntiAgricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.”

Malayang Konsumer spoke man lawyer

Simoun Salinas said “given the rising prices of pantry basics like onions, the Marcos administration is correct in taking steps to curb agri smuggling, but for some reasons, some of our legislators would rather champion tobacco and cigarettes.”

“Food security ang isyu. Pagkain para sa Pilipino ang prayoridad. Ito ang dapat na tutukan natin. Hindi

Air Asia introduces AI-powered ‘Bo’

By Joel E. Zurbano

KUALA Lumpur—Capital A Be had, the parent company of Asia’s lowcost carrier Air Asia, is terminating its chatbot AVA (Air Asia Virtual Allstar) and replacing it with the new Artificial Intelligence-powered “Ask Bo” in dealing with problems and other concerns of customers.

“Ask Bo is more human and relatable,” said Air Asia Philippines chief executive officer (CEO) Ricky Isla.

Isla said they came up with the new project as they are committed to transparent communications and better customer experience for all of its guests, as part of its vision to become the most communicative,

responsive and answerable brand in the region.

He explained that AVA encountered a lot of problems during the pandemic period. Most of the concerns raised by clients include flight delays and cancellation caused by the strict health protocols imposed during the pandemic.

“Our customers finds (AVA) very robotic. Now, Bo is more approachable, and very friendly,” Isla said.

“We have listened,” said Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A, and Air Asia Aviation Group CEO Bo Lingam, in terminating the service of AVA, who has been the first port of call for guests’ queries and complaints since her onboarding in 2019.

yosi,” Salinas stressed.

Senate Bill 1812, sponsored by Senator Lito Lapid, seeks to amend RA 10845 and include both unprocessed and processed tobacco products such as cigarettes in the same category as rice, sugar, vegetables, meat and other essential food products entitled to protection against smuggling.

NO TO MANILA BAY RECLAMATION AND QUARRYING.

Members of the militant Pangisda Pilipinas and Manila Bay Para sa Tao Network stage a protest action in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources main office in Quezon City to denounce reclamation and seabed quarrying at the scenic Manila Bay, claiming these activities drastically affected their livelihood. Manny Palmero

and it all goes well for the post-pandemic society that we are entering right now,” he said.

“For instance in Kalibo, there will be more boat operators, there will be more restaurant owners opening their shops, and there will be more waiters, there will be more souvenir craft vendors—these will all be compensated and the day the economic upsurge is not just on the day itself, but even three days before there will be pre-Kalibo,” Tolentino noted.

Group urges solons to speed up passage of e-governance bills

A CONSUMER advocacy group calls on lawmakers to act fast on the e-governance bills that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has committed to certify as urgent.

According to the CitizenWatch Philippines, the total digital transformation of national and local bureaucracies will boost the efficient and transparent delivery of government programs and services.

“The President has given his cue, and now it is the turn of legislators to take that cue,” said Orlando Oxales, co-convenor of CitizenWatch Philippines.

“These bills will fundamentally change the way public services are delivered to ordinary citizens, big and small businesses, and communities,” Oxales stressed.

The E-Government and E-Governance bills have been pending at the committee level in both the House of Representative and the Senate since August and September 2022. Sessions resumed January 23 of this year.

On January 12, the President met with the Digital Infrastructure Sector of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) and committed to certify the proposed E-Governance Act of 2022 as urgent.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Marcos told the international business community that the Philippines eyes recovery and development powered by digital technologies.

GIVING THE POEA A NEW LOOK. Hard hat workers precariously mounted on a scaffolding give a new coat of paint to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration building along Ortigas Ave. corner E. de los Santos Ave. in Mandaluyong City. The use of safety harnesses as a form of protective equipment is mandated under

SMARTING FROM THE TURKEY-SYRIA KILLER QUAKE. In light of the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that killed thousands in Turkey and Syria, members of the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) led by Director Arnel Angeles check out their disaster and rescue equipment to ensure that the tools are well maintained and functional in case of emergency situations. Norman Cruz

SC rejects plea on medical aid for Dengvaxia

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court (SC) has junked the petition for mandamus filed by 70 children through their parents and guardians together with Gabriela partylist group seeking to compel the government to provide free medical services and treatment to children inoculated with the controversial anti-dengue Dengvaxia vaccine.

In an en banc decision, the SC through Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, ruled that granting the petition for mandamus would violate the principle of separation of powers between the three branches of the government – the legislative, executive and judiciary.

“Mandamus does not lie unless the acts to be performed are enjoined by law. The duty of respondent-government agencies to perform the acts must be clearly provided for by law. Neither petitioners nor this Court can order respondent government owned agencies how to perform their functions with respect to any immunization program; otherwise, this Court will effectively usurp the power and prerogatives of the executive in their enactment of their programs,” the SC said.

The SC also stressed that it does not have supervisory powers over executive departments and agencies.

“These administrative agencies possess the competence, experience, and specialization in their respective fields. On the other hand, this Court does not have the expertise to resolve these technical issues,” it said.

Besides, the high court pointed out that a petition for a writ of mandamus is a remedy intended to compel a government agency to perform its obligation to protect and preserve the environment.

DOJ eyes probe on lawyers filing ‘contrived’ raps

By Rey E. Requejo

DEPARTMENT of Justice (DOJ)

Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Wednesday said that the DOJ will ask the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to investigate lawyers involved in filing “contrived” charges against fugitive foreigners to stop their deportation.

Remulla made the statement after the issue on “contrived” charges surfaced where some unscrupulous lawyers filed charges against fugitive Japanese nationals in the custody of the Bureau of Immigration to prevent their deportation.

Under the law, foreigners with cases filed in courts cannot be deported until the cases are resolved.

Thereafter, the findings and recommendations of the IBP would be forwarded to the Supreme Court (SC) which has the power to discipline lawyers, he said.

In particular, Remulla cited the cases of four Japanese nationals who were in BI custody and who had been charged in various courts in the country. The erstwhile pendency of the court cases had prevented their immediate deportation.

However, with the dismissal of their cases, two of them—Imamura Kiyoto and Fujita Toshiya—were deported to Japan last Tuesday, Feb. 7. The two others—Tomonobu Saito and Yuki Watanabe–are set for deportation tonight, February 8.

The DOJ said the four Japanese nationals had been “identified by Japanese police to be the leaders of a criminal organization in their home country and have been charged with robbery and theft” and are “considered fugitives from justice.” It also said the Japanese government had sought their deportation.

Prosecutors submit cases vs. Bantag for resolution

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) panel of prosecutors conducting a preliminary investigation into the complaints against suspended Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag in connection with the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid and alleged middleman Jun Villamor, has submitted the cases for resolution.

“The cases are now submitted for resolution,” Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Charlie Guhit said in an interview, adding that the camp of Bantag has submitted his counter affidavit.

Bantag and former BuCor deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta were tagged as the masterminds behind the killing of Lapid and Villamor. They are

both facing two complaints of murder.

“Respondent DG Bantag is represented by his counsel, Atty. Balisong. They submitted a counter affidavit ex abundanti ad cautelam, meaning they submitted their counter affidavit with caution,” Guhit said.

“For other respondents, no submission of counter affidavits, so similar to

respondent DG Bantag, the cases are submitted for resolution,” he added.

The DOJ prosecutor said Atty. Julieta Puday, a counsel of Zulueta, requested copies of the subpoena, complaints, and supporting documents during the hearing.

He said Zulueta was unable to submit his counter affidavit.

“By way of courtesy, we furnished her the complete set of the document for purposes of the preliminary investigation. So it’s up to them on how to act or proceed with their case,” he said.

Guhit said the persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who are respondents in the complaints submitted their affidavits as their counter affidavits.

Meanwhile, Christopher Bacoto, another alleged middleman in the killing, also submitted a counter affidavit, the investigating prosecutor said.

DBM: P5.268t budget will protect PH from ‘shocks’

THE P5.268 trillion national budget for 2023 contains allocations that will help protect the Philippine economy from the “negative” impact of internal and external shocks, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Wednesday.

The DBM issued the statement a day after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the country’s headline inflation rate in January climbed to 8.7 percent

from 8.1 percent in December 2022.

The budget department said this year’s national budget is composed of allocations intended for the implementation of the government’s social protection, economic development, and disaster preparedness programs.

The DBM assured that the government’s social protection programs would get “needed funds” for 2023. It noted that more than P151 billion has

DA allocates

been allocated for the continuation of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) major social protection service programs this year.

Under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the 4Ps or the government’s direct cash assistance to poor households will receive the biggest chunk of funds, which is P102.61 billion. Othel V. Campos and Macon Ramos-Araneta

P300m aid for onion industry

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday said it allocated over P300 million in aid to boost the onion industry.

In a statement, the DA said of the total amount, the highest allocation is set for the establishment of cold storage facilities.

“Seven onion cold storage facilities amounting to P240.575 million will also be established this year in key production areas,” the DA said. For a 20,000-bag capacity, five cold storage facilities shall be built in Hermosa, Bataan; Talavera and Bongabon in Nueva Ecija; as well as in Rizal and Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro. Two cold storage facilities with lower

capacity shall also be built in areas in Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya. The DA also allocated P69.949 million for the distribution of seedlings and other farm inputs.

Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo meanwhile questioned the discrepancies in data provided by the DA regarding the onion shortage.

During Wednesday’s motu proprio hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, Quimbo described said figures presented by DA’s Bureau of Plant and Industry was “incredible.”

In 2022, Quimbo said the total supply of onions stood at 338,354.2 metric tons while the demand reached 363,937.3 metric tons. Maricel Cruz

DUCKS FOR SALE.

A man carries a bunch of ducks he is selling for P500 each in Makati City on Wednesday. The unemployment rate in the country rose to 4.3% in December 2022 equivalent to 2.22 billion jobless Filipinos according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. This is higher than the 2.18 million unemployed Filipinos in November.

Danny Pata

IN BRIEF

Thinktank to regulators: Speed up SIM listup

AN infrastructure-oriented thinktank on Wednesday called on the National Telecommunications Commission and the Department of Information and Communications Technology to ensure that telecommunications firms will not undertake shortcuts to increase their registration numbers before the April 2023 deadline.

Former legislator and Infrawatch PH convenor Terry Ridon also lamented the current slow progress of SIM card registration in the country and appealed to the NTC and the DICT to address the concerns.

“With a little over a month since the start of the registration process last 27 December 2023, the percentage of registered SIMs remains low, with the country’s three mobile telecommunications companies managing to register only an average of 17.38 percent (DITO: 17.50 percent, Globe: 13.60 percent and PLDT: 22.26 percent) out of a total number of subscribers of 168.9 million as of 5 February 2023,” Ridon said.

Ridon said that the current registration pace is a cause for concern. “If this pace of registration continues until the April 2023 deadline, registered SIMs will only be a little more than 69.52 percentof the total number of subscribers in the Philippines. In other words, this means the removal of at least 51.5 million subscribers by the April 2023 deadline.” Maricel V. Cruz

GMA seeks CREATE, other tax laws review

SENIOR Deputy Speaker Gloria Mcapagal Arroyo has sought a congressional review of Republic Act 11534 or theCorporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Law and other tax laws to eliminate ambiguities in regard to these laws’ implementation in freeport zones and ecozones.

Arroyo, representative of Pampanga’s second district, filed House Resolution 490 urging the House of Representatives’ committee on ways and means to conduct the review.

HR 490 called for a congressional inquiry in aid of legislation on the inconsistencies among the CREATE Law; administrative issuances supporting this law; and RA 9400, the law that created the Bases Conversion Development Authority. Maricel V. Cruz

Robin: Use socmed responsibly

SEN. Robin Padilla said the cooperation of the state and the management of social media networks will be the key to protecting Filipino youths from the misleading and immoral content found on the internet.

He also stressed that the government must ensure the responsible use of social media and stop any abuse.

Padilla said social media networks should send representatives to Senate hearings so that lawmakers can craft laws not just to stop scammers on social media but also to protect youths from inappropriate content.

The chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, said social media platforms should be considerate of the government’s efforts in upholding morality and youths’ rights.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

MASS FOR NOYNOY. Families and relatives of the late President Benigno

Aquino III attend a mass celebrating the former president’s 63rd birthday at the Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque City on Wednesday. Danny Pata

CONSTITUTION DAY. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. speaks during the celebration of Philippine Constitution Day on February 8. The President cited the importance of the Constitution and the Filipinos’ ability to adapt to the changing times.

FIRST there was good news. The GDP rose by 7.6 percen, according to our PSA.

In Davos, the president was only expecting 7.1 percent, still higher year-onyear, but recall that we had a 9.5 percent contraction in the first year of the COVID-19 crisis. “Happy days are here again,” or so it seemed.

And then the other day, the PSA released bad news that rained on the economic managers and the president’s parade.

It announced a higher than high January inflation rate, at 8.7 percent, well beyond what our economic managers were predicting -- that prices have begun to taper down in 2023.

And what drove the new record 14-year high inflation rate?

Food, which now accounts for 29.9 percent of the basket of goods, went up by 10.7 percent.

Rentals too, because it is the start of a new year and the economy has re-opened.

Utilities too, but the bad news is these are expected to increase even further, and with the summer and heat wave approaching, the impact of high water and electric bills will be felt even more.

The president assures us that with their interventions, such as lower tariff rates on imported food, the January inflation rate will start decreasing in the months to come.

Sooner than later, our exasperated president will in the still of the night ask himself why he even aspired to the thankless job of being president at this time

DA officials of course know that with the entry of summer, the harvests will come in. Normally, that should give us a sigh of relief from the high prices of the past seven months.

What DA officials worry about, even if they are not saying it publicly (the Sebastian et al. syndrome), is how high fertilizer and fuel costs have affected the expected summer crop, whether staples such as rice and corn, or all other agricultural produce.

The world food market is likewise worrisome. Dairy products (we import almost all our milk requirements) are on the rise. Rice is inching upwards. Flour will remain unstable. Corn and soybeans as well.

NEDA Secretary Arsi Balisacan whistles in the dark, citing “measures meant to balance the interests among local food producers, consumers and the overall economy” while claiming that “a robust and resilient agriculture…(will) ensure enough food supply and keep prices stable.”

But our farmers are asking -- what measures? And when?

Verily, food inflation is an albatross weighing heavily on the economy’s neck.

The brouhaha about the highest-priced onions in the universe still bothers many, even if these have started to decrease, with new harvests and imports.

Still, government comes up with SRP’s which do not work and never do, especially

By Caroline Taix

THE town of Grays near London voted overwhelmingly in favor of Brexit.

But three years after severing ties with the EU, some are feeling remorse as the country lurches from one crisis to another.

“I did vote Brexit, but I regret it,” said 42-year-old Maria Yvars, arguing she felt cheated by politicians.

“They didn’t give us the full facts... they told us things that were not true,” said the counselor in the town 30 kilometers east of the British capital.

“Now, this country is like a ship without a captain,” she added after the ruling Conservative government deposed two prime ministers last year including Boris Johnson, who led the campaign to quit the European Union.

In the 2016 vote, 72.3 percent voted for Brexit in the Essex constituency of Thurrock, of which Grays is the largest town with around 75,000 people.

That was the fourth highest pro-Brexit vote out of 382 voting areas in Britain that backed the split.

Arch-eurosceptic Nigel Farage chose

in the wet markets. The Bangko Sentral will once again adjust interest rates, using this monetary tool to tame down inflation.

But this is a lack of supply, not a demandpull inflation. Increasing interest rates will affect real estate, construction, even manufacturing.

Farmers who rely on informal lending by the middlemen in the value chain do not even understand what impact BSP’s interest rate adjustments will make on their miserable lives.

Higher interest rates will instead impact on industry expansion, and therefore jobs.

But then again what else can the BSP do?

Inflation is the bigger problem.

***

In the third quarter of 2017, when NFA still had some teeth, its rice inventory was as low as 7 days of the national consumption.

By 2018, with neither NFA nor DA doing anything about government-held inventory, we had a rice supply crisis.

The calculations were wrong, aggravated by the cool relations between then DA Secretary Manny Pinol and then presidential adviser Leoncio Evasco under whom NFA was being supervised.

The president, in response to the preventable crisis, called one of the biggest rice traders in the country, and threatened him and his family with mayhem similar to Bato’s Tokhang. Did it work?

For a week or so, but the law of supply and demand is an immutable law of economics, that even the highly popular Ramon Magsaysay could not “repeal.” So rice prices continued to be a headache for government.

Maybe if then President Duterte called all the big rice traders, but he threatened only one. As for our current leader, can he do a Duterte credibly?

Sonny Dominguez and his economic team were unperturbed by the high rice prices in 2018.

Instead they saw it as opportunity to push Congress into passing the Rice Tariffication Law, domestic legislation that formalized our full accession to the World Trade Organization’s lapse of quantitative restrictions on rice.

Rice prices have stabilized (but no, they have not gone down), while our farmers have been crying ever since.

As we wrote in a previous article, it is all about balance and timing. ***

Sooner than later, our exasperated president will in the still of the night ask himself why he even aspired to the thankless job of being president at this time.

Inflation, a huge legacy debt, a lethargic bureaucracy, plus external developments where he has little control if any.

He moves from country to country, from conference to conference, hoping to generate investments we badly need. He reaps pledges.

When will the pledges materialize, in a world where the rich countries are drowning in their own economic problems?

In fairness to the unfairly demonized PNoy administration, Benigno Simeon Aquino III left his successor with ample financial resources and low indebtedness.

A reliance on then low interestdenominated foreign loans to finance the Build, Build, Build push, in itself a worthwhile undertaking, followed by a pandemic where social subsidies had to be rushed amid an economic lockdown, cost us billions upon billions which then pushed the debt upwards to P13.5 trillion.

That is what President Marcos Jr. inherited.

That gives him little elbow room, and with food inflation as albatross, things do not look too good, especially for the poor who have to bear the brunt in their seminal existence.

Taxing the rich

easier to enforce, while property taxes on immovable assets are difficult to evade.

That’s the proposal of Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda, an economist and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

The proposal is contained in a bill he filed seeking to expand the list of non-essential goods and increase the taxes on these goods.

The list is extensive, and perhaps makes the merely rich have second thoughts about buying them. But not the ultra rich, who will not mind spending their money on luxury goods. Here’s the list made by the lawmaker:

(1) wristwatches worth more than P50,000;

(2) bags, wallets, and belts worth more than P50,000; (3) sale of residential properties above P100,000 per square meter (provided that the threshold shall be adjusted annually based on the housing consumer price index);

(4) beverages above P20,000; (5) paintings above P1 million, sold by persons other than the artist; (6) antiques worth more than P100,000 per item; (7) automobiles whether brand new or second hand above P10,000,000; and (8) private aircraft and parts except those for use by the Philippine government or airlines and logistics companies.

According to House Bill 6993, the tax rate for these non-essential goods will increase

Moves to tax the super rich in this country proceed from the stark reality that there now exists a huge gap between the rich and the poor

from 20 to 25 percent. This measure, if approved, will amend Section 150 of the National Internal Revenue Code which imposes a tax rate of 20 percent on jewelry, perfumes, and yachts based on the wholesale price or the value of importation used by the Bureau of Customs in determining tariff and customs duties, net of excise tax and value-added tax.

Salceda believes his bill is the easiest way to tax wealth through conspicuous or luxurious consumption and through taxation of immovable assets, such as land.

Consumption taxes can be imposed at the point of importation or sale, making them

The ICC investigation

THE news the ICC is resuming its investigation on the alleged extrajudicial killings that occurred during part of the Duterte government’s anti-drug war is putting the country and some people on edge. On the flip side of the story, however, this was certainly good news to the families of those killed who have been clamoring for justice for some time.

DOJ Secretary Jesus Remulla reacted to the news by defiantly saying what the ICC is doing is an intrusion into the sovereignty of the country. Is it indeed an intrusion into our sovereign rights as a nation or is the ICC simply in search of justice because the government is taking so long to act?

For a while, many here thought the ICC already agreed the government would be allowed to conduct the investigation of all those suspicious police operations but it is apparent the ICC cannot wait any longer and is now determined to push thru with its own investigation.

One of the issues raised by the ICC is the Philippine government has only charged low level police personnel and never attempted to go higher, meaning those who planned and directed the anti-drug war.

If we look at one crime the ICC wants to be investigated, crimes against humanity would almost always include higher echelon people in government like what happened to Serbian officials during the chaos that followed the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

Right from the outset when the anti-drug war was launched, there were voices that cautioned the government of the negative consequences of an unrestricted campaign. This was because of the complicated nature of the problem.

Although the criminal aspect is real and serious, there is also a health issue involved which is drug addiction that needs rehabilitation.

But the health aspect of the problem as we

have seen was set aside and the right hand effort became the preferred avenue to solve the problem.

Unfortunately, the promise that it will only take six months to solve the problem stretched to six years and that was also not enough that even former President Duterte had to admit the problem was still very much around when he left office.

It would be much better if there is only one speaking on behalf of the government instead of many giving statements

One feature of that anti-drug campaign that attracted world attention was the sheer number of casualties and the rhetoric that went with it.

Up to now, there is really no agreed official figures on the number of people killed either as suspects or bystanders.

The PNP figure is about 6,200 but unofficial estimates go as high as 27,000 casualties.

If the latter figure is accurate, it makes us wonder whether the drug war was all worth it especially with this ICC recurring issue the country is now facing.

The number of questionable police operations where some were initiated appear to be about 366.

This number in the eyes of the ICC does not tally with the number of people who have complained. It also seems the witnesses the ICC have interviewed or are holding are not exactly the same as those interviewed by the PNP or DOJ.

Regret up, 3 years after UK severed ties with EU

Thurrock as the backdrop to unveil his anti-EU manifesto for the general election of May 2015.

The post-industrial area, which has taken in many migrants from eastern Europe, also includes Tilbury, one of the country’s main container ports.

AFP reported from there in 2017, finding Brexiteers had little regret about their vote a year later. But the departure only took full effect at the end of January 2020.

Johnson had promised “sunlit uplands” for Britain. Instead it got Covid, and now a crippling cost-of-living crisis resulting from sky-high inflation.

Thurrock Council, the local authority, effectively went bankrupt in December after a series of disastrous investments.

In Grays’ pedestrianized town center, one abandoned shop window reads “closed forever.”

Like many other high streets in Britain, the shops left are dominated by discount retailers offering £1 items, charity stores and bookmakers. ‘Ashamed’

While the government attributes

But neither Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government nor the opposition Labor party are promising any change of course, vowing instead to make Brexit work

Britain’s economic malaise to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Brexit is increasingly being blamed for setting the country back after it cut off access to Europe’s single market across the Channel from Essex.

“Yes I voted for Brexit and I wish I hadn’t,” said another woman in her 50s, who wished to remain anonymous.

“Look at the country, it’s a disaster isn’t it?” she added, explaining that most people she knows regret their Brexit vote.

Those who championed their Brexit vote were now “embarrassed,” even “ashamed,” added Yvars.

Support for Brexit across the nation has never been so low, according to a YouGov poll released in November.

Fewer than a third of Britons believe it was a good decision, with one in five Brexiteers changing their minds, according to the poll.

“What did the Brexiteers expect?” queried a Grays employee of the National Health Service who wanted to remain in the EU. “We lost EU funding.”

Saving the NHS was a hallmark of Johnson’s Brexit campaign. Emblazoned on his red campaign bus was the message:

“We send the EU £350 million a week.

Let’s fund the NHS instead.”

Today, NHS workers including for the first time nurses have been striking in protest at government pay offers.

‘It will take time’

But Elaine Read, a 73-year-old woman who worked in finance in London, is not

An increase in real property tax rates across the board will be painful and counterproductive, but the proper valuation of luxury real estate (such as those in gated subdivisions and golf courses) will help increase revenues and make the tax system more progressive.

In July last year, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, now chairman of the Senate Ways and Means committee, said he was looking at increasing or adding more taxes on wealthy individuals to generate more government income.

But as of now he has yet to file a bill on the issue.

Even earlier, in September 2021, the Makabayan bloc in Congress already filed House Bill 10253, which would require those with over P1 billion taxable assets, or the “super rich,” to pay one percent of the total amount, those with over P2 billion to pay two percent, and for above P3 billion, three percent.

This amendment to the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, they said, would provide the government over P236.7 billion by taxing just the 50 richest Filipinos. Moves to tax the super rich in this country proceed from the stark reality that there now exists a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Closing the gap will not be easy, but the first steps must be taken – and soon.

On this score alone, there is a lot of bridging to be done.

The ICC also, based on the statements of the rapporteur, considers the recorded statements of former President Duterte as part of its evidence.

It is therefore not hard to understand why the ICC and those investigating these alleged EJK in this country cannot see eye to eye.

My very little experience in working with the United Nations also is it has a long institutional memory.

Once a process is started, it is seldom it is discontinued.

It is, however, a very long process because the UN is a huge bureaucracy that moves slowly and this might take years before we see anything happening. Whoever is in the radar of the ICC with regard to these investigations might already be gone before any case gets to trial if at all. This on and off tussle with the ICC which has been going on for some time is not good for the country’s image.

Currently, the government is adamant it will not cooperate with the ICC investigation. From my vantage point, it would seem the reason for this is the ICC would want the government to venture further in its investigation but that is a direction the government appears to be unwilling to take.

Both sides should sit down to try to find a compromise solution.

And once an agreement is reached, both sides should stick by them.

In the meantime, my five-pound worth of advice is in this kind of fired up situation, silence is an important commodity.

Provocative and incendiary rhetoric will only worsen an already volatile situation. Lastly, it would be much better if there is only one speaking on behalf of the government instead of many giving statements.

among the regretful contingent.

“I would probably vote again Brexit,” she said.

“We are an island, we’re isolationist. I felt we weren’t in control anymore. So many laws were overturned by Brussels.

“So much has happened that we haven’t had the chance to see all the benefits” of Brexit, she added.

The UK is the only G7 economy that has not yet returned to its pre-pandemic size in gross domestic product.

The UK government’s own Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that leaving the EU will reduce the size of the British economy by about four percent in the long run.

But neither Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government nor the opposition Labor party are promising any change of course, vowing instead to make Brexit work.

Ray Yates, a 70-year-old former dockworker, said the situation in Thurrock was “terrible” while stressing: “I still support Brexit.

“But it will take time—at least 10 years. And a new government.” AFP

INSTEAD of a wealth tax, why not impose higher taxes on luxury goods frequently bought by the very rich?

Biden: US will act on China after ‘spy balloon’ downing

PRESIDENT Joe Biden vowed Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time) he would not hesitate to defend US interests against China after he ordered the downing of a suspected surveillance balloon but, delivering his State of the Union address, kept the door open to cooperation.

In the annual speech to assembled lawmakers, many of whom have pressed for a hard line on China, Biden called for US investment in the military, technology and alliances to take on the country widely viewed as the chief US competitor.

“I’m committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world,” Biden said.

IN BRIEF

Australian school principal stands trial on rape case

“But make no mistake about it— as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did,” he said to applause.

Biden said that “winning the competition” with China should unite Americans.

“I will make no apologies that we are investing to make America stronger –investing in American innovation, in

THE former principal of an ultra-orthodox Jewish school in Australia went on trial Wednesday over charges she sexually assaulted three female students.

Malka Leifer, 56, has been charged with 29 offences stemming from her time as the principal of the Adass Israel School in Melbourne, according to an indictment released by the court.

The school is part of an ultra-orthodox Jewish sect in Melbourne known for its reclusive nature.

The charges, stretching from 2003 to 2007, included raping a student during a school camp, and sexually assaulting another girl inside a school office.

She was also accused of sexually assaulting one of the students after asking her to come over and clean her house.

Leifer, a mother-of-eight who left Israel in 2001 to teach at the school, has pleaded not guilty to each charge.

According to the indictment, Leifer raped one student after inviting her home to “sleep over for kallah lessons” – a kind of pre-wedding etiquette class that includes sexual education. AFP

Sweden restricts gender treatments for trans minors

SWEDEN, the first country to introduce legal gender reassignment, has begun restricting gender reassignment hormone treatments for minors, as it, like many Western countries, grapples with the highly-sensitive issue.

With the number of diagnoses soaring, the medical community faces the dilemma of weighing precaution against the risks associated with not offering treatment to those suffering from “gender dysphoria.”

Sweden decided in February 2022 to halt hormone therapy for minors except in very rare cases, and in December, the National Board of Health and Welfare said mastectomies for teenage girls wanting to transition should be limited to a research setting.

“The uncertain state of knowledge calls for caution,” Board department head Thomas Linden said in a statement in December.

So-called puberty blockers have been used in young teens contemplating gender transition to delay the onset of unwanted physical changes. AFP

NZ leader woos voters with hike in minimum wage

RECENTLY installed New Zealand

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins unveiled a higher minimum wage Wednesday, as he seeks to court voters ahead of a tight October general election.

With New Zealand in the grip of a cost of living crisis, Hipkins said the minimum wage would rise by 95 cents to $14.22 an hour from April 1.

It is the first major policy announcement from Hipkins, who was sworn in as prime minister last month following Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation.

“Those on low incomes make impossible trade-offs between food and medical care, dry homes and a pair of shoes,” Hipkins said. “These families need our support now more than ever.

Hipkins is currently polling almost neckand-neck with conservative opposition leader Christopher Luxon. AFP

industries that will define the future that China intends to be dominating.”

But Biden steered clear of hawkish language as he mentioned by name his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, whom he met at length in November in Indonesia.

Biden said he told Xi that “we seek competition, not conflict.”

China was one of the few foreign policy issues mentioned by Biden in a more than one-hour speech that comes as he prepares for a likely run for a second term.

He also promised long-term support for Ukraine but made no mention of Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, North Korea or this week’s devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

A US fi ghter jet on Saturday shot

down what the Pentagon called a Chinese surveillance balloon after it crossed into the Atlantic Ocean, with the military saying it waited until a point when the debris could not hurt people on the ground.

The episode led US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a visit to Beijing aimed at reducing tensions as he accused China of violating US sovereignty.

Blinken said that he sought to maintain communication with China. But at the Pentagon, a spokesman said that China rebuffed a request to speak.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requested a secure call with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe immediately after the shootdown, Brigadier General Pat Ryder said. AFP

Informants, spies, hackers: How China snoops on US

AN alleged Chinese surveillance balloon over the United States last week sparked a diplomatic furor and renewed fears over how Beijing gathers intelligence on its largest strategic rival.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said in 2020 that Chinese spying poses “the greatest long-term threat to our nation’s information and intellectual property, and to our economic vitality.”

China’s foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP that it “resolutely opposed” spying operations and that American accusations are “based on false information and sinister political aims.”

The United States also has its own ways of spying on China, deploying surveillance and interception techniques as well as networks of informants.

Former US president Barack Obama said in 2015 that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had promised not to conduct commercial cyber spying. Subsequent statements by Washington have indicated the practice has continued.

Here are some of the ways Beijing has worked to spy on the United States in recent years: Cyber warfare

The United States warned in a major annual intelligence assessment in 2022 that the Asian giant represents “the broadest, most active, and persistent cyber espionage threat” to the government and private sector.

According to researchers and Western intelligence officials, China has become adept at hacking rival nations’ computer systems to make off with industrial and trade secrets.

In 2021, the United States, NATO and other allies said China had employed “contract hackers” to exploit a breach in Microsoft email systems, giving state security agents access to emails, corporate data and other sensitive information.

Chinese cyber spies have also hacked the US energy department, utility companies, telecommunications firms and universities, according to US government statements and media reports. AFP

Hundreds of Thai children facing charges for protests

MORE than 200 children in Thailand are facing serious criminal charges, including sedition, for their role in largely peaceful prodemocracy protests that shook the kingdom in 2020, Amnesty International said Wednesday.

Youth-led demonstrations calling for political change and reform to Thailand’s untouchable monarchy drew tens of thousands onto the streets of Bangkok at their peak in late 2020

Amnesty accused the Thai authorities of having “arrested, prosecuted, surveilled and intimidated” child protesters for taking part, in a report calling for charges to be dropped against under-18s.

“Children with their whole lives ahead of them now face severe repercussions merely for participating in peaceful protests,” Amnesty International Thailand researcher Chanatip Tatiyakaroonwong said.

Nearly 300 under-18s have faced criminal charges re-

200 cases are still active.

Most were accused of violating rules around public gatherings imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But at least 17 minors are facing accusations of insulting the monarchy, which can carry long prison terms.

Under the kingdom’s lese-majeste laws—among the harshest in the world —insulting the monarchy can carry a jail sentence of up to 15 years per charge.

The youngest child arrested during a protest was 11 years old, the report said, while in another case police reportedly used cable ties to restrain a 12-year-old in July 2021.

Minors told researchers that as well as following them, authorities had also put pressure on their teachers and parents to discourage them from participating in protests.

“In addition to charges, some child protesters risk facing the added penalty of being disowned or abused by their own parents, due to the pressure put on them by authorities,” Chanatip said. ily arguments and even physical

Ex-Sri Lanka prexy quizzed over cash stash

SRI Lankan police told AFP on Wednesday they are investigating ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa over a hidden cash stockpile uncovered when protesters stormed his former residence last year.

Rajapaksa presided over an unprecedented economic crisis that saw the island nation’s 22 million people suffer through months of food, fuel and pharmaceutical shortages.

He fled the country last July after an angry mob besieged his compound –tendering his resignation from abroad days later – but has since returned and is living under armed guard.

Protesters occupied his presidential palace for several days, discovering 17.5 million rupees ($48,000) hidden in Rajapaksa’s private quarters that they later turned over to police.

Police investigators on Monday “recorded a three-hour long statement from the former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the cash found in the president’s house,” police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa told AFP.

A court in the capital Colombo had

ordered police to take a statement on the cash stockpile last November.

Thalduwa said the interrogation was part of an ongoing investigation, without giving further details.

Rajapaksa is part of a powerful political clan that has dominated Sri Lankan politics for decades.

He won a landslide election in 2019 after promising “vistas of prosperity and splendor” but saw his popularity nosedive as the country’s crisis worsened.

Protesters set up camp in his residence after he fled the country, frolicking in his pool and strolling around the compound’s lush gardens until they were ordered to leave by police.

Several corruption cases lodged against Rajapaksa stalled after he was elected president in 2019, giving him immunity from prosecution that he has since lost.

He also faces charges in a US court for his alleged role in the 2009 assassination of prominent newspaper editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, and the torture of Tamil prisoners at the end of the island’s traumatic civil war in 2009 while he was defence chief. AFP

YELLOW BLACK

HOPE IS A RAINBOW. Residents search for victims and survivors amid the rubble of collapsed buildings following an earthquake in the village of Besnaya in Syria’s rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on the border with Turkey. AFP

STILL BLAZING. The silhouette of a person is seen against a forest re background in Rafael, Tome Comune, Bio Bio Region, Chile, on February 8, 2023. Forest res that have killed 26 people and left thousands homeless in south-central Chile in the past week threatened new regions as temperatures soared. AFP NOT IMPRESSED. US Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene gives a thumb down as US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, February 7, 2023. AFP

Video conferencing star Zoom lays off about 1,300 people amid spending cuts

SAN FRANCISCO, United States—

The company behind the Zoom video conferencing platform—which became a household name during the pandemic—announced Tuesday it is laying off about 15 percent of its staff.

Zoom Video Communications chief executive Eric Yuan is also taking a 98-percent cut in salary this year and forgoing his executive bonus, he said in a blog post about the job cuts.

He added that members of his executive leadership team are taking a 20-percent salary reduction and also forfeiting bonuses this year.

While people and businesses continue to rely on Zoom “as the world transitions to life post-pandemic,” the Silicon Valley-based firm is seeing customers cut back on spending, Yuan said in the post.

Zoom has made the “tough but necessary” decision to lay off about 1,300 people, or roughly 15 percent of its staff, according to Yuan.

“Our trajectory was forever changed during the pandemic when the world faced one of its toughest challenges, and I am proud of the way we mobilized as a company to keep people connected,” Yuan said.

Zoom tripled its ranks of employees during the pandemic, as people used the platform for remote work, court hear-

ings, social events and more while Covid-19 risks barred them from getting together in person, according to Yuan.

“We are seeing that people and businesses continue to rely on Zoom,” Yuan said.

“But the uncertainty of the global economy, and its effect on our customers, means we need to take a hard look inward to reset ourselves so we can weather the economic environment, deliver for our customers and achieve Zoom’s long-term vision.”

Zoom will continue to invest in strategic areas, the chief executive noted.

Zoom joined a growing list of US tech firms slashing jobs as years of high spending has given way to parsimony due to harsh economic conditions around the world.

American computer firm Dell said Monday that it will lay off some five percent of its global workforce, or around 6,650 employees.

The cuts follow similar steps by tech giants Microsoft, Facebook owner Meta, Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, and Twitter as the industry girds for an economic downturn.

They also come after a major hiring spree at the height of the coronavirus pandemic when companies scrambled to meet demand as people went online for work, school, and entertainment. AFP

Bobby Ongpin: A shrewd businessman and a patriot

THE few who have no dealings with investment banker Roberto “Bobby” V. Ongpin, both personal and professional, probably know him just based on what they read in the newspapers. These few may even hate his guts.

Bobby may be controversial but he was an astute businessman, a technocrat who had a vision for the Philippine economy, and an authoritative news source who had mellowed in his latter years after being known in the business and government circles for his fiery temper.

My first encounter with Bobby was back in the early 1980s when he was appointed by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos as the nation’s trade and industry minister. I was a business reporter with Manila Bulletin at that time and news coverages during the Martial Law years were difficult and a struggle for obvious reasons. But Bobby still found time, usually on a Friday, to brief regular beat reporters about the burning trade and industry issues at that time.

Bobby did not immediately leave the country when People Power led to a change in government in February of 1986. He had to man the fort (as any other Cabinet official) at his Board of Investments office, until his successor moved in. His term was about to end but he still found the time to join business reporters for a few drinks at a cheap bar just behind the BOI building. The reporters bade goodbye to Bobby after several rounds of beer and his favorite whisky—and his usual cigar.

Bobby soon moved to Hong Kong and shuttled between the crown colony and London to resume his investment banking career. He did not leave the Philippines after all―he busied himself inviting foreign investors to come to the Philippines and experience the new business climate.

I would later find out in the late 80s that some of the scoops I wrote with Philippine Daily Globe had the fingerprints of Bobby Ongpin all over them. For one, he had touched base with Hong Kong-based Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok Hock Nien and convinced the latter to put up the first two Shangri-La hotels in the Philippines―one in in Mandaluyong City and the other at the corner of Ayala Avenue and Makati Avenue.

Yes, Bobby did go back to the Philippines and hauled several foreign investors to his beloved country. He was instrumental in the sale of the shares held by Saudi Aramco in Petron Corp. to London -based Ashmore Group in early 2008. I personally asked Bobby if he brokered the deal. He confirmed it, which later became the subject of one of my column pieces.

He would acquire and transform penny ante stocks into a holding company engaged in internet gaming

and eventually property development.

With the Ashmore Group as partner, Bobby built up Alphaland Corp. and concentrated on high-end developments. I wrote on October 8, 2015 about Alphaland’s aggressive property projects and compared his company with Ayala Land Inc. of the Ayala Group.

Bobby appreciated the column but he showed humility and grace when the piece I wrote, in his words, effectively put Alphaland in the same league as Ayala Land.

“While I appreciate this compliment, I would like to point out that Alphaland is in no way in the same league as Ayala Land. Compared to Ayala Land’s market cap of about P530 billion, Alphaland will be but a fraction of this. I am also a great admirer of Ayala Land for their bold and aggressive moves in various niches in the property market in the Philippines,” Bobby told me in his letter.

Alphaland’s targets, said Bobby, “are quite a bit more modest and as we say, Alphaland is unique.” “We do only very high-end projects targeted to our niche market. Thus, we have the Alphaland Southgate Tower and Mall, which was the old derelict Silverio building at the entrance of EDSA, Balesin Island Club, the Alphaland City Club and Makati Place on Ayala Avenue Extension.”

“I do appreciate your kind words but we can never hope to be in the same league as Ayala Land.”

Bobby and Alphaland later developed the Alphaland Baguio Mountain Lodges, a master-planned development of 350 lodge-style log homes on a 100-hectare property just nine kilometers north of Baguio City on Ambuklao Road.

Bobby’s taste for high-end living property projects, in my opinion, reflects his taste for the good life. He earned his spurs and was never a crony nor an oligarch as he was unfairly described.

He once gifted me one Christmas season with a bottle of virgin olive oil that he proudly said was grown and refined from his grove in Tuscany, Italy. He waxed poetic in his personal note, taking pride in the produce of his 800-year-old Italian villa.

Bobby must be smoking his Tabacalera cigar now and holding a glass of Johnnie Walker Black. He could also be crooning Arthur “Dooley” Wilson’s “As Time Goes By.”

Requiescat in pace, Bobby Ongpin.

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

PSEi

TOP GAINERS

TOP LOSERS

MOST ACTIVE

FLOWER

INSPECTION.

US Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialist Ricardo De Jesus opens a box of flowers for inspection ahead of this year’s Valentine’s Day at JFK Airport on Feb. 7, 2023 in New York City. CBP inspects millions of cut flowers delivered to the US from various countries for insects, pests and diseases that could harm the agricultural and floral industries. AFP

Stock market, peso climb on Fed comment

LOCAL stocks and the peso rebounded Wednesday from a two-day slump, but traders remained on edge after Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell reiterated that inflation was coming down but interest rates might need to go higher than expected to get it under control.

The PSE index, the 30-company benchmark of the Philippine Stock Exchange, rose 41 points, or 0.61 percent, to close at 6,923.08, as five of the six subsectors advanced, led by mining and oil. It was also up 5.43 percent since the start of the year.

The broader all-share index also went up 19 points, or 0.53 percent, to settle at 3,675.01, on a value turnover of P6.28 billion. Gainers outnumbered losers, 115 to 66, while 53 issues were unchanged.

Eight of the 10 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Figaro Coffee Group Inc. which jumped 13.33 percent to P1.02 and Nickel Asia Corp. which climbed 4.35 percent to P7.44.

Meanwhile, the peso appreciated 0.52 percent Wednesday to close at 54.8 against the US dollar from 55.08 Tuesday. It rebounded from a 1.28-percent loss Tuesday with the release of inflation report showing a more than 14-year high of 8.7 percent.

Most Asian markets also traded higher. A run of key data in recent months has indicated a series of bumper hikes last year was beginning to pay off, fueling hopes that the central bank could pause its tightening cycle and even lower borrowing costs at the end of the year. But a forecast-busting jobs report on Friday—showing half a million

new jobs created in January—dealt traders a heavy blow and stoked speculation that more increases were on the way.

And on Tuesday, Powell confirmed those fears, telling The Economic Club of Washington, DC that he saw 2023 to be a year of “significant declines in inflation”, but it will only hit the Fed’s two percent target next year.

But he warned “we think we are going to need to do further rate increases”, adding that the “labor market is extraordinarily strong.”

“If the data were to continue to come in stronger than we expect, and we were to conclude that we needed to raise rates more... then we would certainly do that,” he said.

The remarks were echoed by Minneapolis Fed chief Neel Kashkari—considered a dovish member of the Fed board—who said rates might need to rise from the current 4.5-4.75 percent to 5.4 percent, higher than markets are currently pricing in “When you have the likes of Neel Kashkari reiterating his belief of a Fed Funds rate of 5.4 percent before a pause... it would appear that once again US markets are indulging in wishful thinking when it comes to where rates are likely to go over the next 12 months,” said CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson. With AFP

Japan rolls out delivery robots to tackle labor shortages

By Natsuko Fukue

Tomohiro Osaki

and

FUJISAWA, Japan--”Excuse me, coming through,” a four-wheeled robot chirps as it dodges pedestrians on a street outside Tokyo, part of an experiment businesses hope will tackle labor shortages and rural isolation.

From April, revised traffic laws will allow self-driving delivery robots to navigate streets across Japan.

Proponents hope the machines could eventually help elderly people in depopulated rural areas get access to goods, while also addressing a shortage of delivery workers in a country with chronic labor shortages.

There are challenges to overcome, acknowledges Hisashi Taniguchi, president of Tokyo-based robotics firm ZMP, including safety concerns.

“They are still newcomers in human society, so it’s natural they’re seen with a bit of discomfort,” he told AFP.

The robots won’t be operating entirely alone, with humans monitoring remotely and being able to intervene.

Taniguchi said it’s important the

robots “are humble and lovable” to inspire confidence.

ZMP has partnered with behemoths such as Japan Post Holdings in its trials of delivery robots in Tokyo. Its “DeliRo” robot aims for a charming look, featuring big, expressive eyes that can be made teary in sadness if pedestrians block its way.

“Every kid around here knows its name,” he said. ‘Some hot drinks?’

There is a serious purpose behind the cuteness. Japan has one of the world’s oldest

AFP

populations, with nearly 30 percent of its citizens aged over 65. Many live in depopulated rural areas that lack easy access to daily necessities.

Labor shortages in its cities and new rules limiting overtime for truck drivers also make it difficult for businesses to keep up with pandemic-fueled ecommerce and delivery demands.

“The shortage of workers in transport will be a challenge in the future,” said engineer Dai Fujikawa of electronics giant Panasonic, which is trialing delivery robots in Tokyo and nearby Fujisawa. AFP

This picture taken on Jan. 18, 2023 shows a DeliRo delivery robot developed by Tokyo-based robotics firm ZMP moving along a street in Tokyo.

Malampaya consortium remitted $13b to government since project’s inception

By Alena Mae S. Flores

PRIME Energy Resources Development

B.V. said Wednesday the Malampaya deepwater gas-to-power consortium remitted about $13 billion to the government since the project’s inception.

“The Service Contract 38 has generated and remitted to the Philippine government some $13 billion since its inception. Such a tremendous and strong source of government revenues and of course, we expect to continue this relationship,” Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. president and chief executive Guillaume Lucci said during the Powertrends 2023 Forum.

Prime Energy, a subsidiary of Prime Infra controlled by businessman Enrique Razon, is the operator of SC 38 or the Malampaya gas project. Other consortium members are UC38LLC owned by the Udenna Group and staterun Philippine National Oil CompanyExploration Corp.

Lucci said Prime Energy is committed to continuing gas production in Malampaya, the country’s lone gas-producing asset.

“We’re here to stay, we’re here to invest, we’re here to increase dramatically the gas production with the extended term of the service contract and resource available, and, more importantly, we are trying to make sure we produce the least cost to consumers,” he said.

The Malampaya project produces natural gas for power plants in Batangas City that account for around 20 percent of the Philippines’ total electricity requirements.

It started operations in 2001 and the Malampaya consortium’s license is set to expire in 2024.

Prime Energy, which acquired Shell Philippines Exploration B.V.’s 45-percent stake in the project, asked the Department of Energy for a 15-year license extension to improve Malampaya’s declining gas output and develop nearby gas fields.

SM AWARDS. SM companies are among the most awarded in the recently held Golden Arrow Awards by the Institute of Corporate Directors who recognized nine companies of the SM Group for excellence in performance in Corporate Governance. Attending the awarding ceremony are (from left) Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Emilio Aquino, Institute of Corporate Directors vice-chair and president Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia, SM Investments Corp. senior assistant vice president for governance risk and compliance Noel Ang, SM Investments senior vice president for governance, risk and compliance, chief risk and compliance officer Wellington Palmero, Philippine Stock Exchange president and chief executive Ramon Monzon and ICD chairman Cesar Villanueva.

GIR increased to nearly $100b in

By Julito G. Rada

THE country’s gross international reserves climbed to a six-month high of $99.72 billion in January from $96.1 billion in December 2022 on higher value of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ gold holdings and proceeds from the global bond issuance of the government.

Data showed it was the highest GIR level since it reached $99.83 billion in July 2022.

The BSP said in a statement Wednesday the January GIR represented a more than adequate external liquidity buffer equivalent to 7.5 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income. It was also about 6.0 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 4.0 times based on residual maturity.

Vehicle sales in ASEAN rise 27% to 3.42m units

AUTOMOTIVE sales in the ASEAN region rebounded 27 percent in 2022 to 3.42 million units from 2.79 million in 2021, with the Philippines posting the third fastest growth among six nations. Sales in the Philippines went up 31.3 percent to 352,596 from 268,488 units. Malaysia posted the fastest growth of 41.6 percent to 720,658 from 508,853 units, while Vietnam registered 33 percent increase to 404,635 from 304,149 units sold in 2021. Indonesia remained the region’s largest market with 1.048 million units sold in 2022, compared to 887,202 units in 2021. It ranked fourth in terms of sales growth.

Myanmar and Singapore registered slower sales of -24.4 percent and -27.8 percent, respectively. Myanmar sold 7,058 units, down from 9,350 units 2021, while Singapore sales slowed to 42,550 from 58,953 units.

Thailand continued to be the biggest producer among motor vehicle manufacturers in the region. The country’s production reached 1.88 million units in 2022, up 11.7 percent from 1.68 million units in 2021.

Othel V. Campos

Registered SIMs topped 30m as of Feb. 7—DICT

THE Department of Information and Technology said Wednesday registered SIMs reached 30.1 million as of Feb. 7, 2023.

Based on records provided by the public telecommunication entities, the total number represented 17.76 percent of the 168,977,773 million subscribers nationwide.

Smart Communications Inc. reported 15,475,120 SIMs registered, accounting for 22.76 percent of the company’s 67,995,734 subscribers. Globe Telecom Inc. recorded 12,203,967 registered — 13.8 percent of its 87,873,936 subscribers. DITO Telecommunity Corp. reported 2,331,607 SIMs registered or 17.79 percent of its 13,108,103 subscribers.

“We are seeing good progress in terms of the registered subscribers, and we look forward to how this will translate to a safer and more secure digital communications in the coming days,” said DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy. Darwin G. Amojelar

PH studying China’s offer for nuclear power tieup

THE Philippines is studying the offer of China for a possible nuclear energy partnership, which is an offshoot of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent visit to Beijing, an energy official said Wednesday.

“We received a cooperation for nuclear [from China] after PBBM’s state visit. In general, it’s a nuclear energy cooperation,” Department of Energy director for energy policy and planning bureau Michael Sinocruz said at the sidelines of Powertrends 2023 Energy forum. Sinocruz said the nuclear energy partnership would be under “government-to-government.”

“We have not discussed what will be the coverage of the energy cooperation,” he said.

Sinocruz said studies were ongoing for the inclusion of nuclear in the power generation mix under updated Philippine Energy Plan, which may be extended until 2050. The latest PEP covers the period 2020 to 2030. Alena Mae S. Flores

“The month-on-month increase in the GIR level reflected mainly the national government’s net foreign currency deposits with the BSP, which include proceeds from its issuance of ROP global bonds, the upward valuation adjustments in the value of the BSP’s gold holdings due to the increase in the price of gold in the international market and net income from the BSP’s investments abroad,” it said.

Net international reserves, which refer to the difference between the BSP’s

reserve assets and reserve liabilities, also went up by $3.6 billion to $99.7 billion as of end-January from $96.1 billion in the previous month.

Michael Ricafort, chief economist of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said the GIR could have picked up further after the seasonal increase in remittances, especially in view of increased holiday-related spending in December and as growth continued into the New Year.

Other factors that increased the reserves level, aside from OFW remittances, were business process outsourcing revenues, near record-high exports in recent months that led to the recent narrowing of the trade deficit and notable continued recovery in foreign tourism revenues that were almost not present in the past two years, he said.

“For the coming months, the country’s GIR could still be supported by the continued growth in the coun -

try’s structural inflows from OFW remittances, BPO revenues, exports, relatively fast recovery in foreign tourism revenues [resumed since February 10, 2022, group tours from China which resumed since the latter part of January 2023 as well as continued foreign investment inflows,” Ricafort said.

Data showed that in 2022, the GIR declined by 11.8 percent, or $12.8 billion, to $96 billion from $108.8 billion in 2021 on weaker peso against the US dollar in most part of the year.

The peso depreciated by 9.3 percent against the greenback in 2022, pulled down by global uncertainties that impacted financial markets, including the aggressive moves of the US Federal Reserve in raising interest rates that boosted the dollar compared to other currencies.

The GIR posted a record high of $110.1 billion in December 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

LOANS. Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. extends a total of P20.5 billion in loans to two strategic business units of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. Attending the loan signing ceremony are (from left) Aboitiz Power Corp.

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla is not ruling out the possibility of another “surprise supply shock” that may impact inflation that already hit a more than 14-year high of 8.7 percent in January.

“It was actually higher than the high end of our forecast [for the month]…

Of course, I can’t rule out another surprise,” Medalla said in a message to reporters on Wednesday.

When asked if this would mean a surprise policy move, Medalla clarified that it could be a “surprise supply shock.” He did not elaborate.

Headline inflation climbed to 8.7 percent year-on-year in January, faster than 8.1 percent in December. This was above the BSP’s forecast range of 7.5

By Jenniffer B. Austria

RL Commercial REIT Inc., the real estate investment trust company owned by Robinsons Land Corp., said Wednesday it recorded an unaudited net income of P4.4 billion in 2022, up 162 percent from P1.68 billion in 2021.

RCR said in a disclosure to the stock exchange last year’s net income also exceeded the REIT plan by 16 percent.

percent to 8.3 percent for the month.

Core inflation, which excludes selected volatile food and energy items to depict underlying demand-side price pressures, increased to 7.4 percent in January from 6.9 percent in December. On a month-on-month seasonally adjusted basis, inflation went up to 1.0 percent in January 2023 from 0.3 percent in the previous month.

The higher inflation was traced to non-food items, particularly the increase in housing and utilities inflation with higher electricity generation charges and the implementation of the approved water rate rebasing during the month. Food inflation also increased, particularly for vegetables and fruits due to agricultural damage from heavy rains

Revenues amounted to P5.5 billion.

The company attributed the group’s strong performance to stable operations as occupancy rate remained high at 98 percent.

“RCR’s strong full-year performance for 2022 and the consistently increasing dividends quarter-on-quarter solidifies our commitment to provide value to our shareholders. It attests to the quality and stability of our assets and also realized

during the month. Inflation for dairy products and eggs rose at double-digit rates, while fish inflation accelerated as the implementation of the closed fishing season and cold weather conditions limited the supply.

“The January 2023 inflation data points to the need for sustained efforts to combat price pressures, particularly non-monetary government measures to mitigate the impact of persistent supplyside constraints,” the BSP said.

“The BSP remains focused on restoring inflation to the government target and stands ready to adjust its monetary policy settings as necessary to anchor inflation expectations and safeguard the inflation target over the policy horizon,” it said.

Julito G. Rada

the benefits from the yield-accretive asset infusions that were completed ahead of our target,” said RCR president and chief executive Jericho Go. RCR had 16 assets spread across 10 key cities all over the country as of end-2022. Two of them—Cyberscape Gamma and Cybergate Bacolod with a combined gross leasable area of 55,000 square meters—were infused in 2022.

PROPERTY developer Century Properties Group Inc. plans to raise P3 billion from the issuance of fixed-rate bonds, the company said in a stock exchange filing Wednesday.

CPG said it would issue P2 billion in fixed-rate bonds, plus an oversubscription for another P1 billion as second and final tranche from its P6-billion debt securities program approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The bonds will be comprised of three-year Series A due 2026, five-year Series B due 2028 and seven-year Series C due 2030.

CPG said it would use the proceeds from the fund raising activity to redeem P1 billion worth of preferred shares to fund capital expenditures for new horizontal affordable housing projects and fund general corporate requirements.

Credit Rating and Investors Services Philippines Inc. assigned a credit score of “AA+” to the proposed bond offering.

CRISP said that in assigning the credit rating, it considered the company’s diversified market portfolio and a strong, growing presence in the affordable housing market.

“CPG’s entry into the horizontal affordable housing development market in 2017 provided opportunities for the company to capture a share in a traditionally reliable property market segment,” CRISP said.

CPG plans to launch new houseand-lot projects in Bulacan in 2023. Jenniffer B. Austria

The company said it continued to be on the look-out for yield accretive assets either from its sponsor or from third party.

RCR said following the company’s strong 2022 performance, its board of directors approved the declaration of dividends of P0.0976 per outstanding common share for the fourth quarter, bringing its total dividends for 2022 to P0.3887 per share.

METROBANK

chief finance officer Liza Montelibano, Aboitiz Group treasurer Veronica So, AEV outgoing chief finance officer Manuel Lozano, Metrobank head of institutional banking sector Mary Mylene Caparas and Metrobank head of large corporates division Rose Tiamson. Therma Luzon Inc., which is under the Aboitiz Power, tapped Metrobank for a P15-billion loan to support its refinancing and general corporate requirements, while LIMA Land Inc., which is part of the group’s infrastructure business subsidiary Aboitiz InfraCapital, was provided a P5.5 billion loan to bankroll the expansion of its real estate business in the LIMA Estate ecozone.

Jr. Archers stretch win streak to 3 UAAP ti s

RHYLE Melencio came through with 18 points and 20 rebounds as De La Salle-Zobel extended its winning streak to three games following an 81-67 romp of UP Integrated School in the UAAP Season 85 high school boys’ basketball tournament Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

Completing an elimination round head-to-head sweep of the Junior Fighting Maroons, the Junior Archers improved to 4-4 overall, very well within the Final Four range.

“Like what I said before, if you want to get to the Final Four, ito ang mga teams na kailangan naming talunin kasi our next game namin would be FEU,” said De La Salle-Zobel coach Boris Aldeguer.

“Had we lost this game, it would be a harder drive for us to get to the Final Four. This was an important win. A good win for us coming to our next game,” he added.

Extending his season-best doubledoubles to eight, Melencio is happy that the Junior Archers are getting better at this important stretch of the season.

“Feel ko each game, lumalakas kami. Natututo kami each game. ‘Yung Round 1, kinalimutan na namin so parang nagback to zero kami sa Round 2,” said Melencio, who also had four assists, three blocks and two steals.

Later, Kristian Porter had 18 points and 17 rebounds, while LeBron Nieto chipped in 17 points, seven boards, six assists, and four steals as Ateneo avenged its first round loss to University of the East with a 88-77 victory.

De La Salle-Zobel had a balanced offense, as Kieffer Alas and Justin San Agustin each scored 15 points, while Junjun Melecio and Charles Dimaano had 13 and 11 points, respectively.

The Blue Eagles, who dropped a 7984 decision to the Junior Warriors in the first round, rose to 3-5, just a game behind the Junior Archers.

Ateneo coach Reggie Varilla was happy with the way his troops, particularly the bigs led by Porter, delivered in the fourth period after battling tooth and nail with UE in the first 30 minutes.

Aguilar new no. 1 in PBA All-Star fan voting

AFTER a week of fan voting, the PBA All-Star lineup took a major twist.

Barangay Ginebra big man Japeth Aguilar dislodged San Miguel Beer counterpart June Mar Fajardo at no. 1 as he now leads the voting following the second wave of ballots cast by fans from Feb. 1 to 7.

The high-flying, 6’9” center surged on top from his previous spot at no. 3 after receiving 190,273 votes.

Teammate Scottie Thompson on the other hand, kept his hold on no. 2 with 186,187 votes, while Fajardo dipped at third spot with 183,903. Rain or Shine rookie Gian Mamuyac made a giant leap after barging in the Top 10 list at no. 6 with a total of 170,359 votes.

It was indeed, a huge turnaround for the young rookie out of Ateneo, who even didn’t make it to the Top 24 during the initial tally of votes last week.

Ginebra’s Jamie Malonzo and Calvin Abueva of Magnolia kept their respective slots at fourth and fifth with 174,112 and 172,383 votes, respectively.

Returning two-time MVP James Yap went a notch higher at no. 7 with 170,313, followed by Christian Standhardinger of Ginebra (169,718), San Miguel’s CJ Perez, who fell three spots below at no. 9 (169,036), and Ginebra’s LA Tenorio (166,317).

Voting online and onsite continues until Feb. 15. The All-Star weekend is slated March 9 to 12 in Passi City, Iloilo.

Fans’ choices for the two coaching slots remain in favor of veterans Tim Cone (224,430) and Yeng Guiao (208,429). PBA rookie coach Aldin Ayo is still at no. 3 with 142,155, while Magnolia’s Chito Victolero has overtaken Norman Black of Meralco at no. 4 with 129,590.

LeBron James crowned NBA’s

LOS ANGELES—LeBron James, blessed with unparalleled basketball skills, exceptional longevity and unafraid to use the platform of NBA superstardom, has forged a unique destiny in his quest to be the best player of all time.

For twenty years, more than half his life, the player dubbed The Chosen One by Sports Illustrated when he was still in high school has embraced excellence.

Now the top scorer in NBA history after passing the mark Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had held since April 5, 1984—more than eight months before James was born —James continues to write his legend.

It’s a tale of monumental achievements often built on harsh failures, that has placed him among sport’s towering figures.

The scoring record is the latest milestone on a career that has yielded four NBA championships, four NBA finals Most Valuable Player awards, four NBA season MVP awards, two Olympic gold medals and 19 NBA All-Star selections.

Yet James’ evolution into NBA royalty came after a precarious early life. His mother, Gloria, 16 when he was born, struggled as a single mother.

“I came from the projects, I saw the

drugs, the weapons, the murders,” James has said of his early childhood in Akron, Ohio, where he and Gloria once moved seven times in the same year.

Things changed when youth football coach Frank Walker spotted him. Impressed by James’s physical abilities, Walker pointed him toward basketball, and persuaded Gloria to allow him to move in with the Walker family.

By 12, James had caught the attention of high school recruiters impressed by his power and basketball IQ.

He opted for St. Vincent-St. Mary, a predominantly white school, over John Buchtel High School, where a cheerleader, Savannah Brinson, his future wife and mother of their three children, was studying.

The choice kept James with his friends, including Maverick Carter, who today remains his partner in projects ranging from cinema to sports club ownership and which, added to James’s salary and sponsorship contracts have made him the

NBA’s first active billionaire.

At 18 James became the youngest top pick in draft history when his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers took him number one in 2003.

He inked an unprecedented $90 million endorsement deal with Nike before he played his first professional game, and led the Cavaliers in scoring, steals and minutes played in his first season.

But he lost his first two Finals appearances—with the Cavs in 2007 and with Miami in 2011—after deciding the previous year to “take my talents to South Beach” in a highly scrutinized free agent move announced, to some derision, in an ESPN special.

In Miami, however, James would eventually find himself surrounded by a competitive team. He won his first NBA title in 2012 and added a second in 2013—when he garnered a fourth MVP award to go with those he won in 2009, 2010 and 2012.

His fourth straight Finals appearance ended in a heavy defeat against the San Antonio Spurs and James, vilified by Cavs fans after his departure, decided to return to Cleveland to address unfinished business.

Four more Finals appearances followed, all against Golden State. James and the Cavs lost three, the exception

the Cavs’ epic and unprecedented return from 3-1 down in the best-of-seven series to win the 2016 title.

James became the first player in NBA history to lead all players in a playoff series in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks as he delivered Cleveland’s first NBA title and the city’s first sports championship since the Browns won the 1964 NFL crown.

James’s soaring block of an Andre Iguodala shot in game seven remains an iconic image of his career.

“I thought I was the best player people had ever seen,” James would later confide, rekindling the debate over whether he or Michael Jordan deserved that status. Unapologetic activist

James, whose social media presence includes 143 million followers on Instagram, has been vocal in denouncing racial injustice and supporting Black Lives Matter.

He was an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, unfazed by a right wing media critic’s admonition to “shut up and dribble.”

The I Promise school founded by James in Akron is a groundbreaking public school aimed at serving not only at-risk students but also their entire families. AFP

Van der Valk grabs lead with 74; Bayron fades

STA. ROSA, Laguna—Guido

Van der Valk checked an impending skid with a brilliant windup, birdying the 18th to salvage a 74 and snare the lead as erstwhile coleader Jay Bayron wavered in a disastrous finish halfway through The Country Club Invitational here yesterday.

Van der Valk had already stepped out of the players’ tent ruing his day-long struggle on TCC’s tricky surface long before Bayron came in ruffled by the winds in the last flight with a 76, virtually unaware that he had taken control of the field at threeover 147 and 36 holes away from completing a back-to-back championship in the Philippine Golf Tour’s centerpiece event.

“I hit it pretty good today (yesterday) but didn’t really hole enough putts inside 8 feet,” said Van der Valk, whose flubbed par-saving putts on Nos. 9, 11, 13 and 16 put to naught his 20-foot birdie on the

par-5 second hole.

But he hit a good drive on the 18th then defied the wind and the menacing lake with a superb 5-wood approach from 205 yards to within five feet for birdie and a 36-38, virtually matching Bayron’s closing feat Tuesday that shoved the latter to the first round lead in this P6 million championship.

With Bayron blowing a gutsy even-par card with three straight bogeys from No. 13 and a mishap on the closing hole, Van der Valk took charge by one over Clyde Mondilla, the very player he nipped in winning this event, previously billed as the Don Pocholo Memorial, in 2020. Mondilla, who played in the threesome of Van der Valk and Michael Bibat in the first two days, also left early with 75, and like the Dutchman, the 2019 Philippine Open champion here struggled on the greens and believed he had dropped out of the shared lead.

He was right, but he was also right behind the new solo leader. “Mabigat ung 3-over pero pwede pa din, may two rounds pa,” said Mondilla, who assembled a 148. “I need some luck on putting.”

Despite his 75, the Del Monte ace stood just one stroke adrift of Van der Valk, setting the stage for a rematch of the 2020 championship with Zanieboy Gialon joining the featured threesome in today’s (Thursday) pivotal round.

Bayron’s fumbling finish and a four-over card dropped him to joint third at 149 with Gialon and Shin, whose even par 72s proved as the best in another punishing day and after 36 holes of the championship. Gialon, runaway winner at Caliraya Springs last year, missed joining Mondilla at second with a last-hole bogey, while Shin, the 2018 TCC champion, squandered his bid for joint lead with a double-bogey on the layout’s signature par-3 17th.

Swimming trials for SEAG extended to 4 days at New Clark City

THE trials for the selection of the members of the country’s aquatics team to the Cambodia 32nd Southeast Asian Games have been extended to a three-day event from February 16 to 19 at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac.

Valeriano “Bones” Floro, a member of the Stabilization Committee tasked to handle swimming in the country, said certified technical officials will supervise the trials that features 34 swimming events for men and women.

“We sought the help of the continental body, the Asian Swimming Federation, for these trials,” said Valeriano “Bones” Floro, also the deputy secretary general for international affairs of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Registration and inquiries could be made through official email address aquatics.stab.comm@gmail. com. The technical handbook for the trials could be requested through email.

Deadline for registration is on February 14.

“The information kit and selection criteria were released at the start of the week and we are impressed that we received quite a number of inquiries and intent to participate from our athletes, clubs and coaches,” said Floro, who’s joined in the Stabilization Committee by Philippine Olympic Committee legal head Atty. Wharton Chan and Bases Conversion and Development Authority Senior Vice President for Corporate Services Group Arrey Perez. Besides swimming, the Stabilization Com-

mittee will also select members of the men and women water polo teams and athletes for the individual 3-meter springboard and platform for men and women in diving.

The swimming events for men and women are the 50, 100, 200, 200, 800 and 1,500 meters for freestyle; 50, 100 and 200 meters butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke; and 200 and 400 individual medley. Members of the relay teams will be selected from the list of qualified athletes.

Qualified athletes will undergo a four-week training program under the direct supervision of the Stabilization Committee.

The Cambodia SEA Games are set May 5 to 17.

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

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates on court after breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all- time scoring record of 38,387 points during their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Guido Van der Valk wiggles out of a sand trap. Manny Marcelo

Kai Sotto hopes more PH cagers can play in NBL

By Randy Caluag

BEFORE packing his bags for Hiroshima, Japan, Kai Sotto made his Adelaide 76ers’ team and Filipino fans proud by bagging the Fans Most Valuable Players trophy for the second straight season.As he brings his acts to the Japan B-League, Sotto hopes that another Filipino also be given an opportunity to play in Australia’s National Basketball League.

“It’s a dream come true playing at this level. Playing for the 36ers is a dream come true and I just hope more Filipinos can come to this league,” said Sotto during his acceptance speech late Tuesday (PH time).

Sotto’s two-year stint with the 36ers may not have been MVP-like in its real sense, but it still showed his potential as a National Basketball Association material.

The FANS MVP award, which is decided by online fans’ voting, has nothing to do with the player’s statistical performance, but reflects the number of his online followers.

Obviously, Sotto’s bulk of voters were Filipino fans, who vowed to support him as he leaves the National Basketball League to play for two months for the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the Japan B-League.

P1.1m at stake in Metro Manila Open tennis tournament

By Peter Atencio

A TOURNAMENT matching the scope of the prestigious Philippine Columbian Association Open Tennis Championships is coming.

At stake in the netfest is P1.1 million when organizers of the PCA Open holds the Metro Manila Open this May.

The tournament will go on for three weeks, from May 6 to 28, at the PCA indoor shell court in Plaza Dilao, Paco.

Organizing Committee chairman and Mayor Jess Burahan of Panglima Tahil, Sulu, said they hope to attract potential players from the provinces and the countryside when they hold the tennis meet.

Categories include the men’s and women’s singles events, the age group levels, the men’s and women’s team age category events, the mixed doubles, the intercollegiates, and the men’s and women’s doubles.

“The thrust of this tournament is to hold another major tournament, and extend help to tennis potentials in the Philippines,” said Burahan during Tuesday’s press conference.

The competitions will be the second to be organized by the Philippine Columbian Association.

They hope to hold the Metro Manila Open yearly, aside from the PCA Open, which recently finished its 39th staging.

Like the PCA Open, the men’s singles champion and runner up will be pocketing P200,000 and P100,000, respectively. The women’s titlist will get P100,00 and the losing finalist will receive P50,000.

“We talked about having this as the Manila Open. But we looked at Metro Manila because we wanted it to be bigger in scale,” said Burahan.

Burahan said that the reach of the netfest will now extend to the neighboring cities and provinces, and will open competitions to the grassroots level.

He is set to make his B-League debut against fellow Filipino import Carl Tamayo and the Ryukyu Golden Kings, but not after seeing action with Gilas Pilipinas in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers’ window 6 on Feb. 26 to 29.

Sotto’s ultimate dream remains to make the NBA, after going undrafted in the Rookie Draft last year, making him an unrestricted free agent.

He went back to the NBL and showed what he can do in the NBA, when his NBL team faced the Phoenix Suns in an NBA pre-season in October last year.

Sotto scored 11 points in 18 minutes as Adelaide became the first Australian professional squad to beat an NBA team.

That could be one of the reasons why NBA teams are now looking at Sotto. Reportedly, six NBA teams are set to invite him to the NBA summer league.

Kai Sotto

Manila gears up for bigger ASICS Rock ‘n’ Roll Series

OVER 8,000 running enthusiasts are expected to show up when the second staging of the Asics Rock ‘n Roll Running Series Manila comes back at the stroke of midnight on Nov. 26, Saturday, at the historic Rizal Park.

Running at night under cooler weather, with the streets of Manila vibrating to the music of invited bands, is expected to make the experience more exciting.

Chief organizer Wilfred Steven Uytengsu said this during its launch on Tuesday at the Manila City Hall.

“First, it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s starting at midnight. It’s going to be in Manila, the weather will be cool, and the streets are going to be lit,” said Uytengsu, who was with Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, Asics Brand Communication executive Faith So and AIA Vitality’s Kats Cajucom.

A payment plan option is available for the 42km and 21 km participants with pre-allocated tiered slots per distance.

“The 42km run will not be an easy event. But I think it helps to have these done with music,” added Uytengsu. General registration will commence of Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. and it can be done via email, sai.mayol@ironman.com.

The turnout is expected to be even better when it was first held last year.

Uytengsu said there were a lot of restric-

Cool Smashers, Flying Titans seek No. 2 wins in Premier volley

SISTER teams Creamline and Choco Mucho hope to ride on a pair of straight-set romps in pursuit of a second straight win and a continued share of the lead as they tangle with rivals out to rebound from their opening-game setbacks in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil Ecooil Center in San Juan today (Thursday).

The Cool Smashers face the Cignal HD Spikers at 4 p.m. while the Flying Titans slug it out with the Petro Gazz Angels in the 6:30 p.m. main dish marking the third elims playdate of the season-opening conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.

The crowd favorites hardly missed the services of recuperating skipper and top hitter Alyssa Valdez in dismantling the Angels, 25-18, 25-20, 25-22, to kick off their title-retention drive at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Saturday. Michele Gumabao, back on the starting roster in the absence of Valdez and following the import-laced Reinforced Conference, and middle-blocker Ced Domingo matched 13-point outputs while the heavy-handed Tots Carlos added 11 markers and Pangs Panaga chipped in 10 points to lead the Cool Smashers’ assault.

Jema Galanza, a key figure in Creamline’s two-conference title run last year, took the backseat this time and settled for six points, leaving much of the scoring load for Gumabao and Carlos.`

But the former Adamson stalwart is expected to play a big role in their clash with the HD Spikers, who are reeling from a shutout loss to the resurgent Chery Tiggo Crossovers the other night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

But expect Cignal, third placer here last year, to strike back with seasoned campaigners Ces Molina, Riri Meneses, Rachel Anne Daquis, Chin Basas, Roselyn Doria and setter Gel Cayuna out to raise the level of their respective games a notch higher and avoid going 0-2 in a single round robin elims among nine teams.

The Flying Titans, on the other hand, proved too much for the Akari Chargers, scoring a 25-15, 25-20, 2520, despite the presence of Dindin Manabat, who joined the league’s newest team along with Joy Soyud, Camille Victoria and top libero Bang Pineda during the off-season.

NEXPLAY, a leading provider of esports and gaming entertainment, has announced its strategic partnership with top-tier amateur esports team Minana for the upcoming Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League.

The partnership will see the Minana team play as NXPE in the 11th season of the MPL, building on their dominant performance in the amateur circuit. All team operations will be based in the Philippines.

The roster will consist of Christian “GoyongDR” Martinez, Bien “BoyetDR” Chumecera, Danver “DingDR” Canja, Jeniel “YellyHaze” Bata-Anon, Borris “BruskoDR” James Parro, and Dominic “DomengDR” Delmundo.

They will be joined by head coach Joshua Alfaro and assistant head coach Jayson Navarro Casidsid.

Minana has been blazing a trail in the Mobile Legends amateur circuit with their consistent top-tier performances. Touted as one of the most successful amateur esports teams in Mobile Legends history, the squad has won an impressive 11 consecutive tournaments with a total of 19 Major

Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna (second from right) joins (from left) rock star-turnedtriathlete Reujen Lista, Faith So of ASICS Brand Communication, IRONMAN Philippines founder and Ambassador Fred Uytengsu, and Kats Cajucom, head of Health and Wellness of AIA Philippines, as they whoop it up on the stage of Bulwagang Gat. Antonio Villegas of the Manila City Hall for a hint at what to expect in the second ASICS Rock ‘n’ Roll Series Manila, presented by AIA Vitality on Nov. 26. tions when the initial races were done due to COVID-19. “People couldn’t train before. And that’s the big difference this year. And now people can exercise with no masks,”added Uytengsu. Bigger, louder and more amplified,

the global spectacle that combines running, music and community promises to be bigger and better in scope and in terms of participation and organization. It will dot Manila’s heritage sites with booming live music and runners in colorful costumes. Peter Atencio

Like the Cool Smashers, the Flying Titans brace for a big bounce-back by the Angels with coach Oliver Almadro hoping to draw a better showing from his wards made up of Nicole Tiamzon, Aiza Pontillas, Grethcel Soltones, Remy Palma and the power-hitting Jonah Sabete, who struggled for a solitary point in a two-set stint.

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

Nexplay partners with Minana for MPL Season 11

championships last year with all signs pointing towards taking the next step to the MPL.

Minana has been blazing a trail in the Mobile Legends amateur circuit with their strong play and consistent top-tier performance. Touted as one of the most successful amateur esports teams in Mobile Legends history, the squad has won an impressive 11 straight championships with all signs pointing towards taking the next step to the MPL.

“We’ve been very impressed with Minana and their dedication to the game. Their results speak for themselves, and we believe they are ready to make an even louder bang in the pro league,” said Gabriel Benito, CEO and Co-founder of Nexplay. Both Nexplay and Minana approach this as a long-term partnership, with both organizations sharing a commitment for the development of homegrown talent, especially in allowing the most promising amateur players to get a shot at the pro leagues. “We believe in the talent that these grassroots initiatives develop and we are ready to take it to the next level. Nex-

play is in the business of winning, and together with Minana, we have the chance to evolve, get stronger, and show the world what we’re all about,” added Gabriel Benito. Minana is equally excited about the partnership, and sees it as an opportunity to showcase their skills and reach new heights in the pro league.

“We are honored to be joining Nexplay and proud to represent the Philippines in the MPL. We are hungry and

determined to keep pushing ourselves to the limit and prove that we belong in the pro league,” said Julius Mariano, Minana Founder. Nexplay and Ampverse, Minana’s parent company, will be working together to bring in sponsorships for the team. The partnership not only hopes to bring in championships to Nexplay fans, but also growth opportunities for the players in terms of their esports careers.

Joey G. joins Icons Music, records new single

call it post-pandemic rejuvenation that fans are longing for.

“Never thought this could happen/ Things have changed since way back then,” said the opening line of his muchawaited return-to-the-scene song.

IF YOU’RE a big Side A fan saying that the band without Joey Generoso is like Journey without Steve Perry, then you are arguably making a significant point. Besides, there is no questioning the singer’s place in the band’s long and colorful history.

That is also why his move to sign with a new label, along with the upcoming release of an original single, is newsworthy. Simply put, Joey G., as he is fondly called by people who know him and his voice by heart, is a star himself outside of his famed group affiliation.

Counted among Philippine music scene’s first-rate singers, the former Side A frontman is taking his own journey to an interesting path by signing up with a music label with a name matching his industry status: Icons Music.

Apart from the formal signing, the release of Joey G.’s first digital single off the said label is something to be really excited about. The new song “Letting You Go” is projected to give his storied career another breakthrough. It is a kind of restart,

A lot has changed since Joey G. decided to part ways with the group that gave him his first taste of fame and numerous hit songs.

With all due respect to the brand that is Side A, it remained standing and strong in spite of Joey G.’s departure. While someone had to fill in the big shoes he left, the group ingeniously restructured the set-up and made the vocal spotlight be owned by anyone in the band at a given time. In essence, that works in sending the message that Side A is not about personalities, but the sum of its parts, though such fair thought can’t be easily digested by audiences who have come to embrace the trademark that is Joey G.

Interestingly, the latest lineup of Side A likewise signed up with Icons Music. A possible reunion project between the famous band and its beloved ex-singer is not in the works, but definitely not an impossibility. Fan clamor may likely play a big role in that to happen.

Icons Music is a division of Widescope Entertainment which is among the new labels aggressively producing records and carrying envelope-pushing artists like Sitti and Ebe Dancel who have made it as their new home.

Joey G. recently signed the contract in the presence of Vic de Vera and Neil Gregorio, the label’s two key men

Himig Handog songwriter releases own version of 2013 hit ditty

FORMER grand finalist of “Himig Handog P-Pop

Love Songs 2013” Jeff

Cifra drops his pop, R&B, and a crossover version of the OPM ballad “Pwede Bang Ako Na Lang Ulit” released under DNA Music.

Jeff wrote the song for ABS-CBN’s songwriting competition back in 2013 interpreted by Bugoy Drillon. The track depicts hope to get another chance at a failed romance, a perfect anthem for those who ask to be loved again for one last time.

With the help of music producers Wayne Perez Dandoy and Samuel Valdecantos and ABS-CBN Music

creative director Jonathan Manalo , Jeff brings back the nostalgia of the classic OPM song and innovates it with a modern pop touch.

Besides his stint as a vocalist of the pop-OPMnovelty group The Boxers Band, Jeff is also a vocal arranger, vocal coach, and songwriter who has written numerous OPM hits that have charted on major music charts nationwide and his song compositions have amassed over 40

who know the worth of a Joey G. and believe in the depth of the man’s talent and charm. For them, the voice behind Side A classics “Forevermore,” “Set You Free,” “So Many Questions,” and “Hold On,” has some more left in his tank.

Few in the biz has excelled in singing covers like he did with Joey Albert’s “Tell Me” and Labuyo’s “Ikaw Pa

Rin” where his voice took matters with so much conviction it is not surprising if listeners would consider his takes as more definitive. With Joey G. backed by music industry experts, listeners may be in for new original hits and delightful covers from a distinctive voice. “Letting Go,” for one, beautifully sounds as a reminder

that the singer as we know him remains in touch with his sentiments that made his singing relatable. The song’s composer and record producer Ian Tan ensured that Joey G.’s new tune to be released in this month of hearts will pull heartstrings only he can fabulously and fittingly deliver.

What Psalms David learned from Jeniffer Maravilla

By Patricia Taculao

THE Clash alumni Psalms David and Jeniffer Maravilla are undoubtedly leaving their mark on the local music and entertainment industries. As they continue on their journey, their paths will inevitably cross, allowing them to impart knowledge to each other.

“Sobrang dami kong natutunan diyan kay Ate Jeniffer. First of all, pinakatumatak sa akin nung nakilala ko siya is very curious siya at hindi siya natatakot magtanong. That’s one thing na natutunan ko sa kaniya, na it’s okay to ask questions,” Psalms said during an online interview.

He added that being inquisitive also prompts initiative because it encourages people to learn new things by themselves.

Moreover, Psalms added that he also learned the value of friendship that goes beyond a simple relationship. In other words, he considers Jeniffer a sister more than a friend.

“Ang dami na naming napagdaanan. Nagsimula kami sa workshops, though di kami magkasabay ng seasons sa The Clash. Kung hindi dahil matanong si Ate Jeniffer, di kami magiging close,” he said. Yet the one thing Psalms appreciates from their friendship is how it allows him to learn more about himself as an individual and an artist. He shared that throughout challenges, Jeniffer was a constant presence in his life. She would be the first to know and offer sound advice that the young singer takes to heart.

Now seeing the progress in their careers, Psalms can’t help but feel proud of Jeniffer and how she bloomed into a butterfly that belts out tunes or steals scenes.

On the other hand, Jeniffer admits that she would often ask Psalms what to do during

GMA Network reaches more

MEDIA giant GMA Network continued to widen its viewership and reach for Full Year 2022, while further strengthening its dominance across online platforms.

Based on Nielsen TV Audience Measurement

data from January to December 2022, GMA Network’s combined people net reach, including GTV and its other digital channels, was at 96 percent or 78 million viewers in Total Philippines.

GMA, GTV, and the Network’s digital channels I Heart Movies, Heart of Asia, and Hallypop registered a combined people audience share of 59.5 percent in Total Philippines.

GMA was the most watched channel in Total Philippines for the said period with 42.7 percent people audience share.

GTV, the Network’s second free-to-air channel, sustained its lead over counterparts TV5, A2Z, and Kapamilya Channel. GTV logged people audience share of 10.5 percent in Total Philippines against its closest rival TV5, which got 9.8 percent. Out of the top 30 programs in Total Philippines for 2022, 28 were from GMA. The Network swept the top 12 spots with hit series Lolong taking the number 1 spot. Completing the top 12 shows were 24 Oras; Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho; First Lady; Maria Clara at Ibarra; Running Man PH; Happy ToGetHer; Bolera; The World Between Us; I Left My Heart in Sorsogon; Magpakailanman; and Jose & Maria’s Bonggang Villa. GMA further widened its reach with a total of

their workshops. Although Psalms is focusing his time and energy on furthering his music career, Jeniffer attests that he’s also a talented actor.

Psalms has a new single, “Ride,” which he wrote himself during the pandemic. One of the reasons why he’s focusing on his music career is that he wants to establish himself as a good songwriter.

“The song is about ‘yung comfort na nabibigay ng road trips and stuff. ‘Pag pinakinggan n’yo ‘yung song na ‘to, masarap siyang pakinggan sa biyahe,” Psalms said. He added that his latest single draws inspiration from foreign artists like Troye Sivan and LANY. As Psalms progresses as a songwriter, he hopes to someday write for other artists, Jeniffer included.

Filipinos on-air

95 TV stations all over the country, including its new Ilocos Norte station. Alongside its analog broadcast stations are its digital TV broadcast stations, which include the Network’s Legazpi and Zamboanga stations. On radio, GMA’s flagship AM and FM stations remained unrivaled in Mega Manila for 2022.

Data from Nielsen’s Radio Audience Measurement show that from January to December 2022, Super Radyo DZBB recorded an audience share of 37.4 percent, beating its closest competitor DZRH’s 31.2 percent. DZBB likewise posted a total reach of 1.4 million listeners – way ahead of DZRH’s 755,840. Meanwhile, its FM counterpart, Barangay LS 97.1, tallied a 38.5 percent total audience share for 2022, which was more than double the 14.8 percent of its nearest competitor, DZMB. It also recorded a total reach of 6.6 million listeners, ahead of DZMB’s 4 million listeners. Outside Metro Manila, GMA Network also strengthened its dominance in key regional cities. Metro Cities TV Audience Measurement (MCTAM) 2022 data also cited that GMA reached 99 percent or an estimated 344,000 viewers in Metro Dagupan; 93 percent (2 million viewers) in Metro Cebu; and 96 percent (2 million viewers) in Metro Davao. Reaching Filipinos beyond television and radio, GMA Network has demonstrated its solid dominance across various digital platforms, outperforming rivals in just two weeks of 2023.

From January 1 to 15, the Network’s official YouTube channel (GMANetwork) has beaten ABS-CBN’s in

Jeniffer Maravilla has a new single that symbolizes hope after a struggle

In the meantime, Jeniffer also has a unique single titled “Alimuom.” Despite the title, a Filipino term for the vapor rising after the rain, Jeniffer describes it as an emotional piece that also resonates with hope.

“Ang pinakasimbolo sa akin ng alimuom kasi na despite all the hardships na ating pinagdaanan talaga, every time meron tayong pagkakataon. Every time were given the opportunity to rise again and begin a new chapter,” Jeniffer said.

She added that the song is among many others that GMA Playlist offered her. But with “Alimuom,” Jeniffer is happy to receive the creative freedom she needs as an artist and produce a new single according to her preference. The result is nothing short of relatable.

and online, leads in content in 2022

terms of views. GMA Network tallied a total of 167 million views against ABS-CBN Entertainment’s 158 million views.

GMA Integrated News on YouTube recorded 61.5 million views – way ahead of ABS-CBN News’ 35 million. GMA Public Affairs’ YouTube channel beat ABS-CBN News with 59.3 million views. The Network’s official website, GMANetwork.com, has generated an average of 3.7 million organic traffic for the first 15 days of the year according to SEO tool Semrush.

GMA Network’s official Facebook page continues to gain traction with 22,702,130 likes as of January 31. Based on data from Tubular Labs, the page has logged 218 million views from videos posted during the month of January.

On Tiktok, the network’s official handle now has 2,283,435 followers as of January 31. The network’s regional arm, GMA Regional TV, also brought back its series of regional on-ground shows and participated in various festivals with the return of physical events, bringing Kapuso programs and personalities closer to viewers in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Likewise, GMA Synergy led various Network initiatives, including multi-platform events and specials such as holding of the GMA Masterclass: Icons Series, airing of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 98 games, and producing ticketed events including the awardwinning “Limitless: A Musical Trilogy” and the hit concert “JulieVerse.”

Global Pinoys, meanwhile, continue to catch GMA shows through the Network’s international channels GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, and GMA News TV. 2022 was also a great year for GMA International as “Stronger Together: The GMA Pinoy TV Podcast” landed in the top 10 percent of the most followed (TV and Film Category) and top 5 percent most shared podcast globally according to Spotify Wrapped 2022 for Podcasts. GMA Pinoy TV was also ahead of the competition in terms of following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok all throughout 2022.

With the continued efforts in reaching out to Global Pinoys abroad, GMA International expects to get wider distribution on OTT/mobile platforms in the near term. GMAI has started to see improvement in subscription take-up in selected markets abroad that it intends to sustain through compelling programming, continuous engagement with viewers, and strengthened partnerships with carriers and other stakeholders.

This year, GMA Network is all set to bring the biggest and grandest roster of content on air and online. These also include cutting-edge primetime shows such as Voltes V: Legacy, Mga Lihim ni Urduja, Luv Is: Caught In His Arms, Luv Is: Love at First Read, Hearts on Ice, Lady Boxer, Royal Blood, and Love, Die, Repeat. GMA has also partnered with streaming platforms to bring its upcoming series The Write One, Love Before Sunrise, and Unbreak My Heart to more viewers beyond television.

Joey Generoso (second from right) during the contract signing with Icons Music

Psalms David is focusing on furthering his career as a singer-songwriter

Jeff Cifra’s rendition of ‘Pwede Bang Ako Na Lang Ulit’ is a pop, R&B, and crossover version of the OPM ballad

million combined streams across all major digital platforms worldwide.

Jeff’s version of “Pwede Bang Ako Na Lang Ulit” is available on various music platforms.

Nickie Wang, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com

Leading health and beauty retailer encourages consumers to practice refilling

AFTER the “1st Refill Station” was opened in the SM Megamall store in 2022, the leading health, wellness, and beauty retailer Watsons has recently launched its second refill station for Naturals by Watsons at The Block SM City North Edsa store to encourage more consumers to do good by reusing their plastic bottles, thereby reducing the use of plastic.

The refill stations are part of A.S. Watson Group’s global commitment to encourage its customers to lead more sustainable lifestyles by offering more options for them to do so. With two refill stations, customers can now conveniently refill their clean empty Naturals by Watsons bottles with their favorite variants: Aloe Vera Shampoo, Coffee Shampoo, Argan Shampoo, Olive Shampoo, and Aloe Vera Body Wash. Empty bottles with screw caps are also available for purchase in the store, and

customers can save up to 40 percent vs. regular bottles.

Refill station customers will also get a free sticker that they can customize.

Only clean, dry, and empty Naturals by Watsons bottles can be refilled at the refill stations.

If you cannot visit the refill stations, Watsons also offers refill packs of its Naturals by Watsons products as well as hundreds of refill packs from Safeguard, Dove, Johnson’s, Colgate, Gillette, Babyflo, Sunsilk, Luxe Organix, Head & Shoulders, and many others. Refill packs are 40 percent cheaper than regular packs and they also produce 75 percent less plastic waste as compared to regular bottles. These refill packs are available in all Watsons stores and online via the Watsons App.

“We hope our customers contribute to a more sustainable world by reusing the containers and hence, reducing plastic waste,” said Viki Encarnacion, PR and Sustainability director at Watsons.

Watsons is part of the Health and Beauty Store chain of A.S Watson, the largest health, beauty, cosmetics, and perfumery retailer in the world. Today, Watsons H&B Asia is the leading health and beauty chain in the continent with successful operations in 13 markets.

In 2002, A.S. Watson Group joined hands with SM Prime Holdings Inc., the Philippines; leading shopping mall developer. Today, Watsons operates more than 1000 stores in the Philippines serving more than 100,000 customers per day.

Meet Maris Tomas, a plant-based chef who advocates food sustainability

I’d sell whatever it is I thought would sell -- lanyards, t-shirts, et cetera. I have always loved cooking. The firstever food I prepared by myself was scrambled eggs drizzled with ketchup. I was five or six years old. Instead of watching cartoon shows, I’d watch cooking shows. When I graduated from college, I didn’t have a clear idea of how to marry these two interests of mine. You could say my dad’s health scare offered a break in the clouds and he became my inspiration.

MUCH has been said about the “plant-based diet” when talking about nutrition. But what exactly does it mean?

Essentially, all plantbased diets limit animalderived foods in favor of plants. Instead of a diet centered on meat and dairy, it is replaced with vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. This approach has been shown to have significant health benefits such as weight loss and disease prevention.

An article from everydayhealth. com states that the main idea of this diet is to make plant-based foods the central part of your meals. It doesn’t mean that meat and seafood are offlimits, one just needs to cut down on those choices.

Consider “plant-based” as a broad category of diets with more specific diets falling under it, including vegetarian, vegan, and Mediterranean diets – even though the latter incorporates fish and poultry, the emphasis is on plant-based choices.

Published studies link diets rich in healthy plant foods with a significantly lower risk of heart disease.

One study in the May 2017 Journal of Geriatric Cardiology found that following a plant-based diet can help prevent and treat type 2 diabetes, citing research that suggests plant-based diets help reduce the risk of other chronic illnesses, including cancer. A review published in the October 2018 BMJ Open Diabetes

Research & Care suggested that a plantbased diet can have a positive impact on emotional and physical well-being, quality of life, and general health for people living with type 2 diabetes, while also improving physical markers of the condition in this population.

I talked to my friend, Maris Tomas, a plant-based chef and entrepreneur who shared with me her journey towards this lifestyle, and how she discovered her path. I met Maris in 2017 when she worked at a now-gone vegan coffee shop in Poblacion, Makati called Kismet Cafe, which was located across from the apartment building I used to live in. Aside from being a chef, Maris is also an advocate of food sustainability being a chef consultant at Humane Society International (HSI) for its program in partnership with Kolekbibo, a social enterprise that brings together collaborative creators, to support the wellness needs of north Siargao, as well as a co-owner of two healthy juice brands called Juzu and Vegabooch.

J: When did you embrace the plant-based diet? What moved you to make the decision?

M: I have always been a conscious eater, but did not fully embrace the plant-based diet until 2011 when my dad was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. The doctors’ main advice was one, for him to of course completely stop smoking, and two, to change his rather unhealthy diet to a healthier one. A year later, it progressed to stage 4, and he had to undergo surgery. That was when all of us in our family decided to change our diet to plant-based not just for ourselves, but also to support dad. I got curious about vegan and vegetarian diets, and I love preparing food for my loved ones, but it was my dad who inspired me to fully embrace the plantbased diet. I started developing recipes that my family would love and enjoy eating. I had just graduated from college with a degree in Entrepreneurship, but I wanted to hone my skills in cooking, so I got myself a diploma in Culinary Arts & Technology Management from the Center for Culinary Arts. Then, I accepted a job offer from The Peninsula Manila, where I learned a lot from seasoned chefs. It was my deep interest to learn more about plant-based diets that led me to later on work at a vegan coffee shop, the Kismet cafe.

J: That’s where we met.

M: Yep, that’s where we met. I’ll always be grateful for my five-year stay at Kismet. I learned a lot from my stay there and met wonderful people who supported me in my career. It was a gateway for me as I started to navigate my way around the vegan world in Metro Manila; I discovered a huge community and followers, which opened doors to a lot of opportunities for me. That’s also when I found the courage to start my own business, offering Mexican street food in bazaars.

J: Is being a chef, and a plantbased one at that, something you’ve always known you wanted to do?

M: It came as a belated realization to me. My parents, before they retired, were in corporate so I thought I would follow in their steps. But I’ve always had this spirit of entrepreneurship. As a student,

J: Where are you now on the journey? When did you finally realize you have found your niche?

M: I would say I have pretty much found my niche. For some of us in the food business, the pandemic has brought with it some silver linings. In 2020, I started developing plantbased meal plans for small business owners, individuals who want to start their plant-based diet journey but don’t have time to prepare their own meals, diabetics, cancer patients, women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis, women preparing for pregnancy or to be a mom as well as people who advocate for a more sustainable lifestyle through a plant-based diet.

It’s been a fulfilling journey so far.

I partnered with a few other friends and we started developing our own kombucha recipes, and thus Vegabooch was born. And then recently, along with two nutritionist friends, we partnered with another friend in managing a flourishing business called Juzu; we offer healthy fruit juice and concentrate made from natural and local ingredients. We are looking at partnering with cafes in strategic locations in the country for this. Read full column story on manilastandard.net

Shedding light on mental health

both KonsultaMD and mental health advocacy in the country. It was attended by representatives from mental health organizations such as Juan for Mental Health and Silakbo, radio partners Wish 107.5, Magic 89.9, and 99.5, representatives from 917Ventures and the Ayala group, and other celebrities.

The night kicked off with a Q&A featuring the artists, KonsultaMD CEO Cholo Tagaysay, KonsultaMD Chief Business and Medical Affairs Officer Chelsea Elizabeth Samson, and the music video team led by Miko Reyes and Gian Fausto. They provided insights into the creative process behind the powerful song and their mission to normalize mental health conversations.

LEADING telehealth service provider KonsultaMD recently hosted a memorable celebration to launch the highly-anticipated mental health song “I Want To Be Here.” Performed by Kiana V. with Curtismith and Nix Damn P, the song aims to bring attention to the importance of mental health and encourage the younger generation to speak up and seek help.

The exclusive listening party held at The Island in BGC on January 26 was a significant moment for

“I wrote the song with my friend named Nieman, and we had a few hours of just catching up and making the song. That’s why it felt authentic to us because a lot of what’s in the song is what we talked about,” said Kiana V.

The song’s journey took about a month from writing to production, and the team faced challenges because of the different time zones between the artists.

Tagaysay shared the inspiration behind the

collaboration, saying: “Mental health should be as normal as going to the gym or the spa. Everyone talks about wellness, but mental health is part of wellness; it’s part of your overall health. ‘I Want To Be Here’ moves the conversation about mental health forward, and we are

thrilled to be collaborating with such creative forces.”

Nude Floor, the dance crew featured in the official music video, opened the live performances at the launch with a stunning interpretative freestyle. Kiana V. then took the stage to sing her hit song “Safe Space.” The crowd was on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the new mental health anthem.

When the time finally arrived, Kiana V., Curtismith, Nix Damn P, and Nude Floor lit up the stage. The audience was immediately hooked by the tight opening section of the song and her soulful vocals.

“I Want To Be Here” is a seamless fusion of personal lyrics from Kiana, tight mixing from Nix Damn P, and fluid rapping from Curtismith. Its structure is tailored towards younger audiences, making it an accessible and relatable message for mental health.

Quotable lines from the song, such as Kiana V’s “Catch my breath and then release” and Curtismith’s “I dial up when it gets too much” were repeated throughout the performance and are meditative reminders of mental health.

Patrick Yu at a Watsons Refill Station

Refill station customers will also get a free sticker that they can customize

The refill stations encourage customers to lead more sustainable lifestyles

Maris during one of the trainings she conducted for some women in Siargao in partnership with Kolekbibo social enterprise

Plant-based chef and entrepreneur Maris Tomas

Plant-based

Filipino favorites with a twist by Maris Tomas

Filipino singer Kiana Valenciano lends her voice to the mental health song ‘I Want To Be Here’

Guests are encouraged to share the song to help raise awareness for mental health