Manila Standard - 2023 February 13 - Monday

Taiwan conflict to drag PH in

By Jimbo Gulle

IT’S “very hard” to imagine that the Philippines would not be pulled into a possible conflict between China and Taiwan, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told a Japanese business magazine as he came home Sunday from Tokyo following a five-day official visit.

"When we look at the situation in the area, especially the tensions in the Taiwan Strait, we can see that just by our geographical location, should there, in fact, be conflict in that area ... it's very hard to imagine a scenario where the Philippines will not somehow getinvolved," Mr. Marcos told Nikkei Asia in an exclusive interview, which was published on its website.

"We will be brought into the conflict because of whoever is... whichever sides are at work," the President added. Despite warmer ties with China, especially under his predecessor President Rodrigo Duterte, Mr. Marcos met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with security and defense as key topics.

Defense officials from both countries have also said they were closer to signing a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA)-type pact that the Philippines currently has with the United States, which wants to

President’s Tokyo trip yields

worth of agreements

TOKYO—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday praised Filipino workers in Japan for their work ethic, saying he hardly needed to convince potential investors that they were skillful, hardworking, and honest.

“Everyone we talk with says you don't need to convince us on how skillful Fili-

pinos are because we have employees, we have someone who we knew, we have friends and we know that Filipinos are kind, hardworking… honest—and also English-speaking,” the President said at a meeting with the Filipino community in Japan at the Belle Salle Tokyo Nihonbashi.

killed in quake would likely double—UN

KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkey— Rescuers on Sunday pulled a sevenmonth-old baby and a teenage girl from the rubble nearly a week after a powerful earthquake devastated huge areas of Turkey and Syria, killing more than

33,000 people. UN relief chief Martin Griffiths warned that the death toll was likely to at least double while denouncing a failure to provide sufficient aid for victims in war-torn northwestern Syria.

By Rio N. Araja and Rey E. Requejo

THE House of Representatives said it would extend $100,000 in financial assistance as humanitarian aid to thousands of earthquake victims in Turkey, one of the first countries to come to the aid of the Philippines when super typhoon “Yolanda” flattened Leyte and many parts of

"We have so far failed the people in northwest Syria. They rightly feel abandoned. Looking for international help that hasn't arrived," Griffiths said on Twitter.

Army probes causes of CdO slays

THE Philippine Army (PA) will look at possible gaps in its recruitment and training processes after a shooting at Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro killed five soldiers.

Army spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad told dzBB radio on Sunday the PA Board of Inquiry (BOI) would conduct an internal probe to determine what triggered the shooting. He said the Army also wants to im-

Taiwan...

From A1 preserve the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, areas of which are wholly claimed by China.

Mr. Marcos on Friday also said the Philippines would review a “tripartite agreement” with its two close allies, the US and Japan.

The President told Nikkei Asia that his home province of Ilocos Norte is just a 40-minute flight away from the southern Taiwan city of Kaohsiung.

"We feel that we're very much on the front line," he said, adding thatdifferences between the Chinese and Taiwanese should be solved diplomatically rather than militarily.

"I sincerely believe that nobody wants to go to war... But we havecontinued to advise and to counsel all the parties involved to show restraint," Mr. Marcos said.

The President and Japanese Prime Minister on Thursday agreed to find ways to bolster their countries' defense ties, Nikkei Asia reported.

The possible VFA would make it easier for Japanese troops to be deployed in the Philippines for disaster response and military drills.

Manila has an existing troop deploy-

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the Japanese government and businesses will “benefit our people or create approximately 24,000 jobs, and further solidify the foundations of our economic environment,” the President said in his arrival speech.

Flight PR 001 carrying Mr. Marcos and the Philippine delegation touched down at the Villamor Airbase at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Early in the President’s visit to Tokyo, the Japanese government announced over 600 billion yen (P250 billion) in pledges and contracts for the country, which seeks to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a forum in Quezon City on Saturday, Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said the President's working visit to Japan had already yielded about $10 billion worth of investments.

The President said Japan pledged to provide development loans for theNorth South Commuter Railway for the Malolos-Tutuban line and the North South Commuter Railway Project Extension totaling 377 billion yen, (about

LPG,...

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stay steady or increase by as much as P0.30 per liter.

This is the second straight week that fuel prices will slide, after weeks of price hikes that totaled as much as P7 per liter overall for gasoline, sources told the Standard.

On Feb. 7, local oil companies implemented a P2.10 per liter price rollback for gasoline, cutting diesel by P3 and kerosene by P2.30. This resulted in a total net increase this year at P5.10 per liter for gasoline, P0.05 per liter for diesel, and P2.25 per liter for kerosene.

As early as last Friday, Filipinos received news of some relief from the high prices of fuel and electricity this month.

Government officials said consumers can expect a price rollback for petroleum products of as much as P2 per liter by tomorrow as it reflects the movement of prices in the world oil market.

Rodela Romero, Department of Energy director for the Oil IndustryManagement Bureau, said that based on the fourday trading period, diesel and kerosene will go down by more than P2 per liter,

Marcos...

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"All who we can talk with, they say that 'you don't need to convince us on how skillful the Filipinos are because we have employees, we have someone who we knew, we have friends, and we know that Filipinos are kind, hardworking, they're honest, and also English speaking." the President said.

prove its recruitment process to avoid a repeat of the shooting.

“We really want to determine what happened in this case, what really triggered that incident, and what are the gaps in our recruitment and training

ment deal with Washington, while Japan participates in their annual war games as an observer.

"The temperature in the region has slowly ratcheted up. We have to also, as a response, be more judicious in making sure that we are defending properly our sovereign territory," Mr. Marcos said.

Asked if he was concerned about Manila's new security deals with the US and Japan potentially derailing Chinese investments, Marcos told Nikkei Asia: "None of these actions are directed against China."

"Now, the coordination, the joint exercises now that we are doing with other countries such as Japan, such as South Korea, such as Australia, is really a response by all of us to what we see as a heightening of tensions in the region," he said.

"The primordial interest is to have continuing safe passage through the South China Sea," where around $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually, Mr. Marcos added.

"Many of our economies depend on it. Japan, including China even," he said.

"That is something that's very, very important to all of us around the region."

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday welcomed the plan to allow Japanese troops to hold exercises and exchanges with Filipino soldiers through an agreement like the country’s

$3 billion).

Mr. Marcos said the completion of these projects, along with other ongoing largescale Official Development Assistance (ODA) projectssuch as the Metro Manila Subway Project and many more across the country, "is expected to translate to better lives for Filipinosthrough improved facilitation of the movement of people, goods and services."

The President also cited his historic bilateral meeting with JapanesePrime Minister Fumio Kishida, which he described as something “bound by shared values and common aspirations for our peoples."

“We committed to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the Philippines and Japan and mapped out a transformative, future-oriented partnership that is responsive to new developments,” he said.

The Philippines and Japan also cemented their defense and security relations, agriculture and information and communications technology (ICT) cooperation, with the signing of bilateral agreements that "provide the framework for enhanced mutually beneficial collaborations in many areas" (see related story on A1 – Editors).

The President also had the honor of

but gasoline by less than P0.10 per liter.

An industry source also told the Standard diesel may go down by P2 toP2.20 per liter, while gasoline is expected to go down by P0.05 per liter or no price change.

Meanwhile, customers of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) will see lower bills as the power distributor slashed its household electricity rate for February.

In an advisory, Meralco said its overall household rate was cut by P0.0106 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to P10.8895 per kWh, from January’s P10.9001 per kWh.

The reduction translates to a decrease of P2.12 in the electricity bill of a typical household consuming 200 kWh.

On the oil price rollback, Romero said:

"Yes (there’s a rollback) though it's only for the four-day trading (estimate), so the level of the rollback would still depend on Friday [trading results]."

She said world oil prices declined after the US Energy Information Agency recorded an inventory build of 2.4 million barrels.

Fears of a tighter US monetary policy like further interest rate hikes also affected world prices.

“These reasons outweighed the signs of demand recovery in China,” Romero said.

"What

to do for our partners with who we're planning new things." Mr. Marcos added.

The President told the attendees about the importance of fostering partnerships and alliances amid global turbulence and the threat of climate change.

"All of these are needed to be discussed and need further study so that our plans would be accurate and also for new businesses,” Mr. Marcos pointed out.

process,” he said.

“We are looking at the aspect of how the new privates and all the recruits undergo examination and screening, including their entire medical and screening, and physical [exam]. We will also look at their training to see how we can improve their resilience,” Trinidad added.

On Saturday, a soldier attacked and opened fire on his fellow servicemen who were asleep in their room at the Service

VFA with the US.

During Mr. Marcos’s visit to Japan, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said that Manila and Tokyo were in the “general direction” of drafting an agreement similar to the VFA.

“It will be to the advantage of the AFP,” Col. Medel Aguilar, spokesperson of the AFP told ABS-CBN News. “We will know more about their technology, hopefully acquire some of it, and be able to establish that capability that we need to protect what rightfully belongs to us.”

The plan to forge closer defense ties with Japan was in line with the President's policy to be a “friend to all and enemy to no one,” he said.

Enhanced security and defense cooperation between Japan and the Philippines could ease tensions in the West Philippine Sea, which overlaps with the South China Sea, a political analyst said Saturday.

Froilan Calilung, a political science professor at the University of Santo Tomas, made this observation after the two countries agreed todiscuss “in-depth” issues concerning regional and international situations, including collaboration toward realizing a "free and openIndoPacific."

The plan, he said, sends a message to countries like the United States and China that the security dimension is "not being monopolized by the regional or the world

having an imperial audience with Their Majesties Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan, where said he was able to reaffirm his commitment to enhancing the close friendship and cultural ties between Filipinos and the Japanese people.

A total of 35 investment agreements on various areas of cooperation were sealed between the Philippines and Japan on Friday, witnessed by the President and his official delegation.

Apart from the 35 investment deals, the Philippines also signedbilateral agreements with Japan to boost cooperation in infrastructure development, defense, agriculture, and information and communications technology.

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, part of the President's delegation, encouraged Japanese companies to invest in the Philippines after highlighting several government initiatives in strategic and high-impact areas such as manufacturing, infrastructure, services, energy, and agriculture.

“As we forge commitments in our priority industries, we want to assure foreign investors and businesses that the Philippines will continue to nurture an enabling environment,” he said at the Philippine-led business forum Friday

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"My duty and our obligation are to correct this failure as fast as we can."

Officials and medics said 24,617 people had died in Turkey and 3,574 in Syria. The confirmed total now stands at 28,191.

Griffiths arrived in southern Turkey Saturday to assess the quake's damage, telling Sky News he expected the death toll to "double or more" as the chances of finding survivors dim with each passing day.

Tens of thousands of rescue workers continued to scour flattenedneighborhoods in freezing weather that has deepened the misery of millions now in desperate need of aid.

Security concerns led some aid operations to be suspended, and dozensof people have been arrested for looting or trying to defraud victims in the aftermath of the quake in Turkey, according to state media.

But miraculous tales of survival still emerged.

"Is the world there?" asked 70-yearold Menekse Tabak as she waspulled out from the concrete in the southern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, the epicentre of Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor, to ap-

The Chief Executive also assured them of continued support through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) led by Secretary Susan Ople. Mr. Marcos was on the final day of his official trip to Japan to strengthen Manila and Tokyo’s collaboration in a wide range of areas, including agriculture, renewable energy, digital transformation, defense, and infrastructure. He arrived back in Manila at 8 p.m. A total of 35 investment agreements

Center Battalion Headquarters in Camp Evangelista. The suspect was among the five soldiers killed, and another soldier was injured.

“This soldier was a private. He suddenly shot the sleeping soldiers. Two of his comrades, both privates, tried to subdue him. During that event, the suspect was also killed,” Trinidad explained. He said families of the killed soldiers were already informed of the incident.

superpowers themselves."

Calilung said the leaders from both countries agreed on how to attain a free and open Indo-Pacific, which could defuse some of the tension over the West Philippine Sea.

“These cooperative patterns are good. The President we have right now definitely is more statesman-like," he added.

In a joint statement, Mr. Marcos and Kishida vowed to strengthen the two nations' defense and security cooperation through "strategic reciprocal port calls and aircraft visits, transfer of more defense equipment and technology, continuous cooperation previously-transferred defense equipment and capacity building."

The professor said the Philippines would reap the benefits of Marcos' fiveday working visit to Japan, given the "very positive" response from the Japanese government and private leaders.

In an interview with Japan’s Kyodo News, the President said one of the “many other issues” raised by the Philippine delegation in Tokyo is fostering alliances with its long-time partners.

“It is something that we certainly are going to be studying upon my return to the Philippines. I think just part of the continuing process of strengthening our alliances because in this rather confusing, and I dare say dangerous situation that we have,” he said.

during the presidential visit to Japan.

The Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act offers more attractive and rationalized incentives to foreign investors, including those from Japan, Pascual noted.

“We have also amended our Public Service Act, Foreign Investments Act, and Retail Trade Liberalization Act. The changes ease restrictions on foreign ownership of certain businesses in the country,” the Trade chief said.

He also discussed the recent economic reforms adopted by the country aimed at promoting ease of doing business and providing a favorable business environment where foreign businesses can thrive.

The forum targeted foreign direct investors and portfolio investors from Japan. Potential investments from Japan will generate higher quality, more stable, and better-paying jobs for Filipinos.

Pascual said the Philippines is on a path towards industrialization driven by science, technology, and innovation, enabling improved efficiency, new industries, and new goods and services. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

plause and cries praising God, according to a video on state broadcaster TRT Haber.

A seven-month-old baby named Hamza was rescued in southern Hatay province more than 140 hours after the quake, while Esma Sultan, 13, was also saved in Gaziantep, state media reported.

Families were racing against time to find their missing relatives' bodies in southern Turkey.

"We hear (the authorities) will no longer keep the bodies waiting after a certain period of time, they say they will take them and bury them," Tuba Yolcu said in Kahramanmaras.

Another family clutched each other in grief at a cotton fieldtransformed into a cemetery, where a seemingly endless stream of bodies arrived for swift burials.

26 million people affected

The United Nations has warned that at least 870,000 people urgently need hot meals across Turkey and Syria. In Syria alone, up to 5.3 million people may have been made homeless.

Almost 26 million people have been affected by the earthquake, the World Health Organization (WHO) said as it appealed Saturday for $42.8million to cope with immediate health needs as dozens of hospitals have been damaged. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

on various areas of cooperation have been sealed between the Philippines and Japan on Friday, witnessed by President Marcos and his official delegation.

Apart from these deals, the Philippines also sealed bilateral agreements with Japan to boost cooperation in various fields,including infrastructure development, defense, agriculture, and information and communications technology. Vince Lopez

Novelist, activist Lualhati Bautista passes away, 77

LUALHATI Bautista, the noted writer, novelist, and activist who authored "Dekada 70", "Bata, Bata, Pa'no Ka Ginawa?" “Bulaklak ng City Jail,” and "GAPÔ," passed away on Sunday morning. She was 77.

Bautista's first cousins, Maria Rosario and Sonny Ross Samonte, confirmed sad news through Facebook posts on Sunday.

Her grandson Xyril Salazar also told ABS-CBN News she died at her residence in Quezon City at around 6 a.m. He declined to disclose details about the cause of her death.

The Bautista family has yet to finalize funeral arrangements.

"My first cousin, Ms. Lualhati Baustita[,] [well-known] writer, novelist, a feminist, known for her advocacy on women's rights, passed away this morning," Rosario wrote on FB.

Samonte remembered Lualhati by posting a portrait of her.

"Sad [news] for our Torres Clan, our first cousin [Lualhati Bautista] died at 77 [years] old this morning," Samonte wrote. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

PH Environment Summit to tackle climate solutions

CLIMATE issues require solutions – and concerted efforts among all sectors could help address these.

The 4th Philippine Environment Summit, with the theme “Caring for Earth: Scaling up Solutions to the Climate Emergency,” will be heldFebruary 21-23 at Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay City and seeks to deliver this.

According to Sr. Elizabeth Corranza, newly elected President of Green Convergence, the conference targets to make known breakthroughs and innovations in the areas of food safety, environment and natural resources protection and sustainable economy.

“This summit aims to highlight and formulate recommendations in the arena of climate issues,” explained Corranza.

Dr. Angelina P. Galang, Green Convergence Program Committee Head, emphasized that solutions to environmental problems likewise address climate change and vice-versa.

“Transitioning to renewable clean energy avoids emitting greenhouse gases as well as health hazards,” Galang shared. Rex Arcadio San Diego II (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

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Akyol and his wife Inddri Puspitarasi today (Monday) at his office at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City.

The Speaker said he was sincerely grateful to Turkey for helping Leyte and many parts of Eastern Samar in November 2013 when “Yolanda” flattened the region. The typhoon’s death toll was placed at over 6,000, with many more missing, and thousands of families were dislocated.

“The assistance extended by Turkey, the United States, and our allies and friends abroad helped ease the pain and suffering of our people,” Romualdez said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, meanwhile, said more than 50Filipino families were evacuated to a shelter in the Turkish capital of Ankara, following the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake. DFA Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said 53 Filipinos, including their husbands and children, are sheltering in a dormitory in the Turkish capital, while 25 Filipinos have already received relief goods as of Feb. 11.

The Philippine Embassy in Ankara said “the number of Filipino families sheltered in Ankara” while kind-hearted Filipinos continue to share their own resources and time to augment the embassy efforts amid the disaster.

It also reiterated the embassy will continue to accommodate evacuees.

“We acknowledge that several intrepid Filipinos were able to escape danger on their own accord, through sheer will and the kindness of their Turkish friends and family. We reiterate that the doors of the embassy shelter are open for them,” the embassy said in a statement.

It also said that a Filipino and her children remain missing and were “feared to be still under the rubble” in Hatay City.

The embassy has sought assistance from search and rescue teams to find her and her children.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Humanitarian Contingent, through the direction of Turkish authorities, was assigned to conduct structure assessment on collapsed buildings and establish a satellite field hospital.

A team from the embassy is in Mersin, less than 100 kilometers to Adana and roughly 250 km to Hatay, to respond to the needs of Filipinos there.

we are discussing is what we need

SC: Father who rapes daughter has no place in PH society

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court has upheld a trial court’s conviction of a father who was found guilty of sexually assaulting his own daughter in 2014 and 2016.

“A father who rapes his own daughter, whom he is supposed to protect, descends to a level lower than the lowly animal,” the SC declared in its February 9 resolution, which sustained the ruling of the trial court and Court of Appeals on the two life imprisonments imposed on the father who raped his own daughter.

“Such a ‘father’ deserves no place in Philippine society, whose fundamental law considers the family as a basic autonomous social institution and the foundation of the nation, recognizes the sanctity of family life, and cloaks with special protection the right of children against all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development,” the SC added.

Aside from the jail terms, the High Court also ordered the father to pay P100,000 in civil indemnity, P100,000 in moral damages and P100,000 in exemplary damages in each of the two cases.

As mandated by existing laws, the identities of the father, his daughter, the mother, and other persons as well as the place where the crime was committed were redacted in the resolution.

“The identity of the victim or any information which could establish or compromise her identity, as well as those of her immediate family or household members, shall be withheld,” the High Court said.

Case records showed the victim’s parents separated when she was still young. Her father was detained when she was five years old while her mother started a new family. The victim stayed with her aunt.

Bantag told: Reply to criminal raps

By Rey Requejo

THE Department of Justice has ordered former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag to submit on February 14 and 21 his counter-affidavits on two criminal complaints against him for torture and other charges.

Prosecutor General Benedicto

Malcontento said the separate complaints filed by New Bilibid Prison inmates Ronald Usman and Jonathan Escopete in Muntinlupa City and the jail guards at the Iwahig Penal and Prison Farm (IPPF) in Pala -

wan have been assigned to Assistant State Prosecutor Michael Humarang for preliminary investigation.

Usman and Escopete charged Bantag with violations of Section 5 of the AntiTorture Act of 2019, and two counts of serious physical injuries under the Re -

vised Penal Code.

They alleged that they were stabbed by Bantag on Feb. 1, 2022 inside the latter’s office during a meeting of Bilibid gang leaders who were summoned.

The second complaint was filed by jail guards Lazaro Rafols Jr., Jer Sahid Mojado, Eddie Jimenez Jr., Richie Canja, Roy Gacasa, and Asher Labrador.

The guards alleged they were beaten up by Bantag on March 2, 2020 after being accused by his men of “burning” or unmasking the identity of an illegal drugs informant. They accused Bantag and other re -

TREE HUGGERS. Susan Santos de Cardenas, vice chairperson of the Asian Ecotourism Network and president of the Society of Sustainable Tourism; Masaru Takuyama, president of the ASEAN Tourism Network; and Dr. Mina Gabor, chairperson and president of the Silangbased International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST), hug the centuryold Peruvian Parasol tree during a visit in Silang, Cavite. The province will host the first International Ecotourism Travel Mart with participants from 22 countries from March 29 to April 2,2023. Norman Cruz

Modernization boosts Customs collection in 2022

By Butch Gunio

MODERNIZATION efforts at the Bureau of Customs have boosted the agency’s revenue collection last year.

Customs Port of Limay District Collector William Balayo said the modernization program helped collection districts surpass

their respective revenue targets in 2022.

The BOC exceeded last year its annual target with a collection of more than P862 billion, which is 34 percent higher than the P643 billion collected in 2021.

The BOC Port of Limay recorded a collection of P78 billion for 2022, surpassing by 48 percent its original target

of P53 billion.

He said the establishment of the Customs Operation Center has helped in curbing illicit trade.

The facility is designed to house the different intelligence, enforcement, risk management, and scanning systems of the bureau.

spondents with slander or oral defamation, grave threats and grave coercion under the Revised Penal Code, violation of the Anti-Torture Act, and obstruction of justice under Presidential Decree 1829.

Malcontento said the jail guards’ complaint was assigned to Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Roldan Parrocha and Prosecution Attorney Victor Dalanao.

Bantag has also been charged with plunder before the DOJ in connection with three projects for the construction of prison facilities worth P900 million.

Comelec backs early voting for elderly, PWDs

THE Commission on Elections has asked Congress to pass a law to allow early voting for the vulnerable sector such as the elderly and PWDs as well as internet voting for overseas polls.

Comelec chair George Erwin Garcia said the nation’s vulnerable sector can be allowed to vote at least a week earlier than the general population during election season, similar to absentee voting.

Garcia said while measures to ease the challenges faced by the vulnerable sector in previous elections have been implemented by the poll body, these are not enough.

“This is the reason why Comelec is really pushing that for our elderly voters, those belonging to the vulnerable sectors like our PWDs – if Congress can pass a law allowing early voting for senior citizens and PWDs,” he said.

Citing low voter turnout among Filipinos abroad, Garcia also expressed support for internet voting for overseas voters.

Kuwait official disappointed on OFW deferment

AKuwaiti government official expressed disappointment with the decision of the Philippine government to defer action on the contracts of first-time Filipino domestic workers.

The Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) earlier suspended the deployment of first-time overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), particularly domestic helpers, to Kuwait.

Kuwait Assistant Foreign Minister

IN BRIEF

Belmonte to jumpstart new market system in QC

QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte will jumpstart this month the country’s first Market One-Stop-Shop (MOSS) system at the Murphy Public Market.

“Inconvenience and inefficiency caused by the traditional manual market management system affects the productivity of market vendors. Thus, the city has initiated MOSS which digitalizes all these processes, shortens waiting time and eliminates the hassle of going physically to city hall,” she said.

MOSS, a project of the Market Development and Administration Department, shall initially cover the digital and simplified process of market registration and permit application for QCitizen market owners, vendors and stall owners in its eight city-owned public markets.

Aspiring stall holders and existing market vendors can easily view what market stalls are still available, the documentary requirements needed, and thereafter pay the corresponding fees, thus avoiding the long lines and inconvenient paperwork required in the old manual process. Belmonte recently led launching ceremony of the project. Rio N. Araja

Solon seeks to promote Mandarin in local schools

4PS party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan wants the Mandarin language to be promoted at all school levels to boost the competitiveness of Filipino workers in the overseas labor market.

“If we are going to continue to rely on the export of labor to help drive our economic growth, we might as well equip our future workers with Mandarin and other foreign language skills to further build up their competitiveness,” he said.

“In foreign labor markets, we already have the edge because our workers can speak English. We should now aspire to double that advantage by encouraging more Filipinos to learn Mandarin at an early age,” he added.

Mandarin language skills would enable the country’s future workers to capture new lucrative labor markets in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, he cited. Rio N. Araja

BSP urged to impose cap on late credit card fees

ALBAY Rep. Joey Salceda, House ways and means committee chairperson, is requesting the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to impose a cap on late credit card fees, citing the accumulation of such debt as “dangerous” for the economy and for consumers.

“I believe that such action will improve consumer outcomes without adversely affecting monetary policy,” he said.

In a Feb. 11 letter to BSP Governor Felipe Medalla, the lawmaker asked “that the BSP consider imposing a cap on late credit card fees, especially accumulated late fees, to a certain fraction of total credit card debt.”

Saying that banks would probably keep earning more from fees despite, such a cap, he said “in 2022, bank earnings from fees and commissions went up by an annual 13.6 percent to P121.851 billion, outpacing earnings growth from actual interest income (12.8 percent).”

“This suggests that increasingly, banks are profiting from activities such as fee-charging that do not directly increase credit availability in the market. Late credit card fees do not create additional consumer welfare, and merely increase nonproductive debt,” he said.

Rio N. Araja

of Asia Affairs at the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador

Sameeh Essa Johar Hayat conveyed his disappointment to Philippine Charge d’ Affaires to Kuwait Jose Cabrera III during their meeting on Thursday at the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Hayat also expressed Kuwait's desire that the matter is resolved as soon as possible, ABS-CBN News reported. The deferment came after Jullebee Ranara, a 35-year-old domestic worker, was found murdered and her body burned in a Kuwaiti desert on Jan. 21. A suspect was arrested less than a day after Ranara's body was found and the suspect was her former employer's

Escudero

17-year-old son.

Cabrera meanwhile explained to Hayat that the DMW advisory on the deferment applies only to domestic workers who have not yet been previously employed in Kuwait and are being deployed to Kuwait for the first time, ABS-CBNS News further reported.

Cabrera, quoted by ABS-CBN, said the DMW is studying reforms to strengthen measures and mechanisms to ensure the welfare and safety of domestic workers, particularly those working in Kuwait for the first time.

DMW Secretary Susan Ople earlier said the suspension was to ensure the

safety and welfare of OFWs following the murder of Ranara last month.

“The application of first-time migrant 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 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.

JV seeks heavier sanctions vs. agri products smugglers, cartels

SENATOR Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito has proposed amendments to Republic Act No. (RA) 10845 or the AntiAgricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, citing the rising prices of agricultural staples like onions.

Ejercito said the amendments will make RA 10845 more effective against the smuggling of agricultural goods.

In the explanatory note of the said bill, Ejercito stressed that “our ultimate goal is safeguarding our farmers, consumers, and the agricultural sector, and attaining the goal of food security for the country.”

The senator lamented that “the country has been experiencing the highest price of onion in history: an all-time high of P700 per kilogram.”

“This was made worse by reports of smuggling and price manipulations by unscrupulous people.”

Under the proposed measure, smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, and establishing

cartels of sugar, corn, pork, poultry, garlic, onion, carrots, fish and cruciferous vegetables will be considered economic sabotage, especially if the amount reaches millions of pesos.

Ejercito’s SB 1688 now also punishes hoarding, profiteering, and the cartels involved in agricultural products with imprisonment of not less than 17 years. Those found guilty of the said offenses will also be fined twice the fair value of the hoarded agricultural products.

The aggregate amount of the taxes, duties and other charges avoided, on the other hand, shall be imposed on the officers of dummy corporations, nongovernment organizations, associations, cooperatives, or single proprietorships who knowingly sell, lend, lease, assign, consent or allow the unauthorized use of their import permits for purposes of profiteering, hoarding, and cartelling.

says gov’t needs to end agriculture deficit disorder

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Chiz Escudero has urged the Executive and the Legislative to end the government’s agriculture deficit disorder as reflected in the flat farm sector growth inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Escudero said in 2022, the value of crop, livestock, poultry, and fisheries production was P1.756 trillion, computed in 2018 constant prices, which was lower than the P1.086 trillion production in 2018.

"This resulted in a 28% increase in the price of vegetables, 25% in fish, and 30% in meat within four years,” he said.

Escudero also said proof of a food crisis is when a kilo of onions is more expensive than the minimum daily wage.

At the same time, he renewed his call to hasten the much-needed help in the country's agricultural sector to make it truly resilient and competitive internationally “with

or without” the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement.

“I have been calling the government doe a long time to prioritize the agricultural sector," he said.

Even with or without RCEP in mind, he cited the need doe the government to ensure that our agricultural sector is resilient to any internal and external shocks.

“After all, we are an agricultural country,” he said.

As the Senate continues to conduct hearings on the RCEP treaty for ratification, the legislator said the trade deal needs careful review to guarantee that stakeholders in the country’s agricultural sector, especially farmers and fisherfolks, are protected. Escudero said the country should urgently address the weakness in the agricultural sector primarily caused by the

meager investment that the government has given to it.

He renewed his call on the government to channel financing to the beleaguered farm sector.

He also pressed Congress to expedite the passage of the bill creating the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF).

On Monday, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has told a media briefing that the Senate expects to ratify the trade agreement within the first quarter of 2023.

Ratification of the RCEP agreement was stalled in the previous Congress because of opposition from groups within the agricultural sector.

At present, there are some 100 groups from various sectors that are against the ratification of the international agreement.

The RCEP, signed by the Philippines in November 2020 and ratified by then

‘GWAPITONG PAPITO AND GANDANG MAMITA.’

Paranaque Mayor Eric Olivarez (left) presents Raphael Eleazar of Barangay Don Galo and Trina Roces of Barangay Merville, the winners of “Gwapitong Papito and Gandang Mamita 2023,” a beauty and talent pageant for senior citizens. The coronation night was held at the city’s Sports Center on Saturday. Joseph Muego

PAO chief clarifies false claims on testimony vs. De Lima

By Rio N. Araja

Acosta on Sunday clarified that the claims made by one Mike Navallo on his Twitter account last Feb. 10 that she was among those who pressured ex-officer in charge Rafael Ragos of the Bureau of Correction to testify against exsenator Leila de Lima were "proven false and misleading in a court hearing."

“Mr. Ragos never made such statement against Chief Acosta when he was presented on court on Feb. 10, and previously in other hearings – as a witness in one of the cases filed against former Sen.

De Lima,” her statement read. “Such false claim, which is not based on the official records of the case, is but a vain and desperate attempt to disparage the reputation of the PAO and to muddle the issues involved in the subject criminal cases. We appeal to everyone to prevent any further spread of this misinformation,” she stressed. She took a swipe at Ragos for his accusations that PAO lawyers Rigel Salvador and Demiteer Huerta pressured him to make an affidavit and “put words into his mouth” were merely fabricated and a figment of Ragos’ imagination, geared toward making his recantation appear to

be convincing and credible. The only participation of Salvador and Huerta in the execution of Ragos’ two affidavits dated Sept. 5, 2016 and Sept. 26, 2016 was “limited to merely reducing his statements verbatim in writing and administering his oath after confirming the truthfulness and veracity of his allegations against Sen. De Lima, and the voluntariness of his act as evidenced by more or less onehour video presented in court,” Acosta said. Ragos earlier recanted his testimony before the Muntinlupa City court on the involvement of De Lima in the illegal drug trade during her stint as justice secretary.

FOR ENTERTAINMENT WORKERS.

Quezon City District 1 Rep. Arjo Atayde thanked Congress for approving the third and final reading of a bill that establishes a safer working environment for workers in the movie and television industry.

President Rodrigo Duterte in September 2021, entered into force for other signatory countries on January 1, 2022. But because it has yet to be ratified by the Philippine Senate, the RCEP remains unimplementable in the country.

The RCEP is a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific nations of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In June 2020, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released its 2018 study showing that poverty incidence was highest among farmers (31.6%), fisherfolk (26.2%) and individuals living in rural areas (24.5%). In 2015, the same sectors were also the poorest, with poverty incidences at 40.8% among farmers, 36.9% among fisherfolk, and 34% among rural-based individuals.

P10.8b eyed for public school feeding program

By Rio N. Araja

CONGRESS has earmarked P10.8 billion this year to help feed undernourished children in public schools and daycare centers, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., House appropriations committee vice chairperson, said on Sunday. In the 2023 General Appropriations Law, Campos said the sums of P5.6 billion and P5.2 billion have been set aside for the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) and the Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP), respectively.

The Department of Education (DepEd) handles the SBFP while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) runs the SFP.

“The aggregate funding for the SBFP and the SFP this year is 46 percent greater than their combined P7.4 billion budget in 2022,” Campos said.

“We are counting on the twin targeted feeding programs to boost the nutritional condition of children from poverty-stricken households and improve classroom attendance,” Campos said.

Some 11.8 percent of Filipino families, or an estimated 3 million households, experienced involuntary hunger – being hungry and not having anything to eat –in the last quarter of 2022, according to a previous Social Weather Stations survey. The SBFP provides nutritious food over a period of 120 feedings days to incoming kindergarten and grades one to six learners who are wasted or stunted.

Wasted children have low weight-forage while stunted ones have low heightfor-age.

The SBFP also targets pupils-at-risk of dropping out, indigenous people learners, and those from indigent families.

Meanwhile, the SFP feeds preschoolers in public child development centers and supervised neighborhood play, including those from households covered by the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The SFP supplies fortified meals and milk, including vitamin-enriched nutribun, five days a week for 120 days.

MEETING WITH TOKYO OFWS. House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez waves a Philippine flag to thousands of overseas Filipino workers in Tokyo, Japan during a meeting with the Filipino community in the country on Sunday morning. Ver Noveno

PUBLIC Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida

(First of two parts)

WHILE many observers, and the public at large welcome the further enhancement of the Enhanced Defense Capability Agreement, to include additional strategically situated locations for non-permanent bases in our country, I take a guarded view.

There is an immutable given that we need to factor in, and that is: China will always want to “re-unify” Taiwan into their mainland.

It has always considered the island, once called Ilha Formosa by Portuguese colonizers, as part of China.

“Face” will not permit a change of that aspiration, which is why when Nixon met Mao and the US of A decided to recognize the One China principle, they had to let their long-held ally Taiwan float into the shoals of a policy of “strategic ambiguity.”

Now the Marcos Junior administration has decided to shift what his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte described as an “independent” foreign policy lined with epithets against the practices of what most Filipinos consider their “most trusted” ally, into entrusting our defense capabilities into the ambit of America once more.

Xi Jin-ping has just won another five years as supreme leader of China. As early as 2017, when he got his second term, he has unsparingly premised his leadership on what he calls the “great rejuvenation” of his race, an unswerving cornerstone of which is the “reunification” of Taiwan with the mainland.

Our Taiwanese friends chafe at this and understandably so. They have a different system, one that is open and democratic, as against the communist regime of the mainland.

Yet less than a tenth of their current population of 23.4 million are of indigenous Austronesian racial origins.

The overwhelming majority came from the mainland, whether under Koxinga and the Ming dynasty loyalists who defied the Manchus of the Qing dynasty, or those who followed Chiang Kai-shek and his Kuomintang after his defeat in the mainland by Mao’s communists.

It is a sentimental reality that makes Han Chinese from both sides of the Taiwan Strait discard the possibilities of a hostile take-over. They are after all -“cousins.”

The senior citizens in Taiwan hope so.

The business taipans hope so too, and recall that when Deng Xiao-ping opened China’s economy, he invited more prosperous Taiwanese businessmen to invest in his special economic zones in the eastern seaboard, especially Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

To this day, Taiwanese money fuels these successful economic zones.

Those economic ties persist even now. Almost half of total Taiwanese trade is with the mainland.

But the present Taiwanese government balks at being subsumed by the mainland “communists,” having become an open and democratic society since the death of Chiang Ching-kuo, the late dictator Chiang’s son.

And the youth, having experienced the easier life under a free society, are troubled by the prospects of a restrained, even regimented society under Xi and his Politburo.

The ideal of a “One China-Two Systems” compromise has foundered after the Hong Kong experience of 2018-19.

Now back to our situation.

Huge yield from Japan visit

HOUSE Speaker Martin Romualdez described as “warm” the reception that President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. received from his five-day official visit to Japan from February 8-12.

Just how warm are the over-all bilateral relations between our two countries at present?

Red-hot, it would appear, as Japan has pledged 600 billion yen (about P250 billion) in official development assistance (ODA) and private sector investments in the course of the visit.

That amount would no doubt help in no small measure in attaining our goal of attaining upper middle-income status within the next few years.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made the announcement on February 9 in a joint press conference with President Marcos.

The two leaders reaffirmed their continued commitment to the steady implementation of ongoing and future economic cooperation projects through the High-Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation.

After his meeting with Kishida, President Marcos said the Strategic Partnership between the Philippines and Japan has become “stronger than ever” and “full

of promise” as the two sides “continue to deepen and expand our engagements across a wide range of mutually beneficial cooperation.”

The investment pledges, the president’s economic team said, would translate to more than 10,000 jobs for Filipinos.

That’s not all.

Tokyo has also vowed to contribute to the development of quality transport infrastructure in the Philippines, including railway systems in the main island of Luzon, and to help spur equitable regional development especially in Mindanao.

The Japanese premier likewise expressed support for Philippine efforts to maintain the competitiveness of agriculture and to achieve food security through increased farm productivity, efficiency, and farmers’ income.

Other agreements signed with Tokyo involve cooperation in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and information and communications technology.

Before he left for Japan on February 8, the President said his visit is an “essential part” of the country’s “larger foreign policy agenda to forge closer political ties, stronger defense and security cooperation, as well as lasting economic partnerships with major countries in the region amid a challenging global environment.”

As the results of the Japan visit indicate, our strategic partnership is proceeding at a brisk pace, with even greater potential to flourish in the years ahead.

Motorcycles excluded in EO12?

sustain even one EV factory.

Hence, encouraging fore affordable EV imports is the faster strategy that will hopefully attract consumers to invest in EVs to replace their petrol guzzlers.

There is some historical perplexity to this shift, considering the experiences of the Marcos family, who were shanghaied, or so they claim, by the US of A, then with their biggest foreign bases in our island of Luzon, at the height of the EDSA uprising in 1986.

Since Ferdinand II has held, and publicly acknowledges his politics aspires to vindicate his family name, the latest as a seeming Freudian slip, where he thanked Japan “on behalf of my family” before stating “on behalf of my countrymen,” one would surmise a certain degree of animosity towards the American government which in the past hailed his father for “adherence to democratic principles” only to dump him and his family when the going got rough.

But no. Marcos Junior, unlike Duterte, has embraced America as his most trusted ally (“I cannot imagine a future of the Philippines without America as its partner”) and allows it now to use the country’s territory as potential staging ground, or at least a support base, for its designs against an emerged China.

There is to be fair a practical basis for this.

We are after all a victim of Chinese intrusion into what we consider our West Philippine Sea domain, one that Ferdinand I defined in his time, and our fishermen are continually harassed by the vessels of once dormant China.

With our sore lack of defense capabilities in that large body of water that separates us from the Asian mainland, we thus gravitate towards a military superpower who wants to protect a most vital sea lane from presumed Chinese hegemony.

Which I suppose makes the big shift from Duterte’s policy even more acceptable to the Filipino people.

But foreign policy is not all about what is popular. Rather it is about what protects the population best. It is about national interest, which means weighing advantages against threats to its people.

By Fulya Ozerkan

TUBA Yolcu is desperate for news of her missing aunt and scours a sports hall where victims of a powerful earthquake that hit her hometown in Turkey lie in body bags.

"We hear (the authorities) will no longer keep the bodies waiting after a certain period of time, they say they will take them and bury them," she said.

"God willing we will find her," Yolcu said, with worry etched on her face.

Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor struck Kahramanmaras in the country's southeast, unleashing catastrophe in the region and Syria, killing at least 28,000 people.

Anguished families flock to sports halls, hospital morgues or cemeteries in the severely hit city -- where bodies are

Our president visited Beijing in early January and came back with investment and loan pledges, but more significantly, with assurances that our maritime dispute could be settled peacefully and our fishing rights mutually respected. The mechanisms on both sides that will operationalize these assurances have yet to be ironed out.

But before the saliva from the Beijing side dried up, we went back into the “loving” embrace of our former colonial master, and enhanced the EDCA even more.

First, before US Vice President Kamala Harris late last year where vague military and mutual security cooperation were highlighted.

Then these were cemented during the recent visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin where we openly declared the enhancement of the EDCA.

How do we suppose the mainland will feel about this?

Giving Sta. Ana, Fuga and Palaui in Cagayan province, 30 minutes distant by air from Taiwan’s Kaohsiung, and more of Palawan apart from Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, a yet undisclosed location in Isabela, and more of Subic apart from what Cerberus took over from bankrupt Hanjin Shipyards (funded by Landbank, theoretically established for the farmers by Ferdinand I), is like sticking a knife to the Chinese throat.

Meanwhile, in Tokyo a month after Beijing, our president and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to “strengthen” defense ties, and will soon discuss the details of a possible visiting forces agreement that would make it easier for Japan to send troops to the Philippines for disaster response (nothing wrong with that, as the same was mouthed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and our Carlito Galvez) and “military drills.”

Now what are the downsides of this shift? (To be continued)

NEW developments in electric batteries and the global clamor to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avert a planetary climate change catastrophe has accelerated innovations to transition from fossil burning modes of transportation to hybrid and purely electric powered vehicles or “Evs.”

We now see big motor vehicle manufacturers marketing more EV models with load and range capacities comparable to what an expensive full tank of petrol can deliver.

Pre-pandemic data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources –Environment Management Bureau from 2002 to 2018, vehicles spewed out over half of total nationwide emissions.

This is attributed to the rising number of new vehicles being registered. The disruption by the pandemic evidently improved air quality when the lockdowns kept everybody indoors, but now that we have opened up the economy again, the smoke belchers are back out on the streets.

As the transportation sector is a highly regulated industry, change starts with policy.

To encourage millions of motorists to shift to EVs, considering that current prices are still at the early adaptor (expensive) level, President Marcos Jr. recently signed Executive Order 12 which suspends EV import duties to zero for five years. While this policy is in effect, EV importers will be able to offer more accessible prices to the local market to start reducing the carbon emitting vehicles on the road.

EO 12 complements the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (Republic Act 11697) which became law in April 2022 but did not really motivate investments from manufacturers because the current EV market cannot

As published in the government’s official gazette, EO 12 lists the kinds of vehicles that will have zero tariff rates for five years most of which we use or see in the daily traffic jams of MegaManila.

with or without side-cars; side cars”. Under this is listed tariff code number 8711.60 described “with electric motor for propulsion” followed by the XXX and the corresponding import tax column is blank which according to the provision in Section is “exempt” from the EO’s coverage. The other items that followed such as 871160.92 (Kick scooters…) and 8711.60.94 (Bicycles, with auxiliary electric motor…) is clearly specified at zero rate for 5 years.

According to December 2020 data disclosed by the Land Transportation during a recent Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, there were a total 7,328,116 registered motorcycles which include those with or without sidecar and three-wheeled vehicles.

Add to that over 47 thousand unregistered motorcycles.

However, it seems to have exempted, or needs to clarify on motorcycles which is now the dominant transportation mode of the masses because of its low cost of ownership.

Players in the motorized 2-wheel industry are feeling discriminated by their perceived exclusion from the tax breaks of EO 12.

Section 1 of the order on states that the articles specifically listed in its “Annex A” with the corresponding import tax rate as prescribed, which is zero for five years. The last paragraph of the section further states that:

“The rates of import duty on tariff headings and subheadings which are not listed in Annex A hereof, and those listed but represented by the symbol XXX shall remain in full force and effect.”

From the list of items with the heading number 87.11 described as “Motorcycles (including mopeds) and cycles fitted with an auxiliary motor,

Race to identify Turkey quake victims

piling up – in a bid to find their missing relatives.

"Every unidentified body will eventually be returned to their family," a prosecutor said, trying to soothe the families.

"Don't worry, blood samples are taken from each and every missing body," he assured.

Families -- who cannot reach their loved ones during the rescue work -check one by one bodies either in bags or wrapped in blankets.

"We show the faces to their immediate relatives," a crime scene investigator in a hazmat suit told AFP at a large grave outside the city.

Funeral cars deliver a stream of bodies, burying them one by one.

"If the identity is unknown, we take fingerprints and tooth samples and

compare them with their relatives," said the investigator, who carries a camera around his neck.

About 2,000 bodies have been iden -

Even without knowing this data, we can see how streets all over the country are swarming with motorcycles used for daily commutes, courier services, and motorcycle taxis. This is an obvious environment by which EO12 must be responsive and inclusive for the wide majority of the working class and not just for the rich individuals and enterprises that can afford to fork out millions to buy a few or even fleets of 4-wheeled vehicles I am hoping this is not a deliberate exclusion and may just be an unclear policy that can be rectified quickly.

After some consultation with tax experts, there is a need for clarity EO 12 which may be remedied by either a memorandum circular from the Bureau of Customs, an amending law from Congress, or the President amending EO12, Congress, which would be the fastest solution.

Motorcycles are proven to be a valuable enabler during the pandemic as a last mile connector for deliveries of goods, for livelihood, and alternative mode of commute in lieu of an efficient mass transport system.

Add the high price of air polluting petroleum and the environmental benefits of EVs, there is more than enough impetus to incentivize the importation, production, and user support of all types of electric powered transportation.

identification.

tified at the cemetery, which is filled with freshly dug graves.

'Let's go back'

Next to the wooden headstones at the makeshift cemetery, where some are wrapped by scarves, people mourn their relatives. One woman sits near the grave, unable to stop crying. Missing bodies are stored lower down, where investigators take pictures and notes.

Yusuf Sekman, from the religious affairs directorate, said the unidentified bodies are also divided according to where their collapsed building was located.

This allows relatives to "also look, based on the recovered body's address," he said.

"Their samples are taken, and noted down on body bags" to help with

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Friday he hoped the missing bodies would be identified and said the government was doing everything it could.

"We upload unidentified patients' photographs to a special software in order to match," Koca said.

Unfortunately for Yolcu, her aunt was not at the sports hall since an official said all the bodies have been identified.

When the quake struck, her aunt was in the city but Yolcu was in a village.

"We cannot find her body," she said, adding that she won't stop looking.

As she stepped out of the hall, she turned back to her husband and said: "Let's return to the rubble", hoping that perhaps her aunt had yet to be pulled out.

As the results of the Japan visit indicate, our strategic partnership is proceeding at a brisk pace, with even greater potential to flourish in the years ahead

Health Minister

Fahrettin Koca said on Friday he hoped the missing bodies would be identified and said the government was doing everything it could

There is an immutable given that we need to factor in, and that is: China will always want to ‘re-unify’ Taiwan into their mainland

Add the high price of air polluting petroleum and the environmental benefits of EVs, there is more than enough impetus to incentivize the importation, production, and user support of all types of electric powered transportation

Earlier in the day, Marcos managed to secure billions of pesos worth of investment pledges from leading Japanese semiconductor and electronics companies.

MYSTERY CYLINDRICAL ITEM FLYING OVER CANADA

US jet shoots down new ‘object’

AUS fighter jet shot down an unidentified object over Canada on Saturday, the second such incident in North American skies since the dramatic downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon a week ago.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a joint US-Canadian military operation led to the takedown of the object, the latest in a series of mysterious air intrusions.

“Canadian and US aircraft were scrambled, and a US F-22 successfully fired at the object,” Trudeau tweeted Saturday.

Shortly after the 3:41 p.m. (2041 GMT) downing of the object, avia-

British crime boss nabbed in Thailand

A BRITISH crime boss has been arrested in Thailand after five years on the run, Thai police said Sunday.

Richard Wakeling fled Britain in 2018 after he attempted to smuggle £8 million ($9.6 million) of liquid amphetamine into the country in 2016.

The 55-year-old was sentenced in absentia to 11 years and placed on the British National Crime Agency’s (NCA) “most wanted” watch list.

Originally from Essex county in southeast England, Wakeling was caught on Friday in the Thai capital Bangkok by the Central Investigation Bureau working with the NCA.

“Since 1993 he regularly traveled to Thailand but after being charged, he changed his name and his passport’s nationality to Irish, that’s why it didn’t show up on the system,” a senior Thai police officer involved with the arrest told AFP.

“We arrested him and asked whether he was Richard as on the warrant, and he confirmed he was,” the officer said.

Wakeling will be taken to court on Monday to begin the extradition process, he added.

He had been living in the seaside resort town of Hua Hin for several years, according to police.

The NCA had previously issued appeals for information on his whereabouts. AFP

tion authorities shut down part of the airspace over the northwest US state of Montana after detecting what they called a “radar anomaly,” the US Northern Command said.

In a sign of jitters over possible intrusions, Northern Command said the US fighter jets took to the skies but “did not identify any object to correlate to the

radar hits.” Skies were then reopened to commercial air traffic.

The object shot down in the Yukon was “small, cylindrical” in shape, said Canada’s defense minister, Anita Anand.

“The object was flying at an altitude of approximately 40,000 feet, had unlawfully entered Canadian airspace, and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight,” Anand told reporters.

Trudeau said Canadian forces in the Yukon “will now recover and analyze the wreckage of the object.”

He said he spoke with US President Joe Biden over the latest incursion,

while Anand also said she spoke with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The new incursions into Alaska and the Yukon came after the United States said Wednesday that suspected Chinese spy balloons like the one it shot down February 4 were part of a “fleet” that has spanned five continents. NATO also voiced concern.

Anand, however, said “it would not be prudent for me to speculate on the origins of the object at this time.”

US and Canadian planes flew together to take on the object Saturday, the US Department of Defense and Anand said. AFP

New Zealand hunkers down as cyclone hits northern areas

NEW Zealand’s prime minister on Sunday warned residents to hunker down and prepare an evacuation plan as a cyclone began pummeling the northern tip of the country.

Cyclone Gabrielle is forecast to envelop the upper half of the North Island over a 48-hour period from Sunday evening, two weeks after parts of the same region experienced devastating flooding.

Auckland remains under a state of emergency after flash floods swamped the city on January 27, resulting in four deaths and forcing thousands from their homes.

Debris from that deluge remains on the streets of the country’s biggest city, which now faces another bout of heavy rainfall and severe winds.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said everyone should be ready to face the threats posed by flooding, huge ocean swells and strong winds.

“Our main message to people across the country is to please take the severe weather warning seriously and to make sure you’re prepared,” he told journalists.

“Make sure you’ve got your graband-go kits, make sure you know where you need to go in the event you need to evacuate your homes.”

The MetService weather bureau measured wind gusts of up to 140 kilometers per hour (86 miles per hour) in northern New Zealand on Sunday morning.

“This system poses a very high risk of extreme, impactful, and unprecedented weather over many regions of the North Island from Sunday to Tuesday,” the MetService said. AFP

Sexting chatbot ban points to looming battle over AI rules

USERS of the Replika “virtual companion” just wanted company. Some of them wanted romantic relationships, sex chat, or even racy pictures of their chatbot.

But late last year users started to complain that the bot was coming on too strong with explicit texts and images – sexual harassment, some alleged. Regulators in Italy did not like what

they saw and last week barred the firm from gathering data after finding breaches of Europe’s massive data protection law, the GDPR.

The company behind Replika has not publicly commented and did not reply to AFP’s messages. The General Data Protection Regulation is the bane of big tech firms, whose repeated rule breaches have

Russians claim capture of area near Bakhmut

THE leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner said Sunday that his troops had taken an eastern Ukrainian village a few kilometers from the key city of Bakhmut which Moscow has been trying to capture for months.

“Today, Wagner’s assault units took the town of Krasna Hora,” Wagner’s chief

Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a statement.

AFP was unable to independently confirm the claims.

Experts have debated the strategic importance of Bakhmut, but the city has turned into a key political and symbolic prize as the battle has dragged on.

Rivalry between the paramilitary

Wagner group and the Russian army have come to the surface during the fight for Bakhmut – though the Kremlin denies any rift.

On January 11 Prigozhin claimed his fighters had taken control of the city of Soledar, a salt-mining town with a pre-war population of around 10,000 near Bakhmut. AFP

Iranian President Raisi to visit China—state media

IRANIAN President Ebrahim Raisi will head to China within days for a three-day visit aimed at strengthening economic cooperation, state media reported on Sunday.

Raisi will set out for Beijing on Monday evening in response to an official invitation by Chinese President

Xi Jinping, Iran’s state news agency IRNA said.

Both presidents met for the first time last September in Uzbekistan at a summit for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, where the Iranian president called for expanded ties.

On his upcoming trip, Raisi is ex-

pected to hold private talks with Xi, and delegations from both countries are due to sign “cooperation documents,” according to IRNA.

The agency added that Raisi will also take part in meetings with Chinese businessmen and Iranians living in the country. AFP

landed them with billions of dollars in fines, and the Italian decision suggests it could still be a potent foe for the latest generation of chatbots.

Replika was trained on an in-house version of a GPT-3 model borrowed from OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT bot, which uses vast troves of data from the internet in algorithms that then generate unique

responses to user queries. These bots and the so-called generative AI that underpins them promise to revolutionize internet search and much more. But experts warn that there is plenty for regulators to be worried about, particularly when the bots get so good that it becomes impossible to tell them apart from humans. AFP

Greek foreign minister visits quake-hit Turkey

GREECE’S foreign minister arrived in Turkey on Sunday in a show of support after the country was hit by a devastating earthquake seven days ago, the ministry said, despite a longstanding rivalry between the two NATO countries.

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias was met by his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, according to footage on state-run ERT TV, before they boarded helicopters to quake-hit regions. His arrival marks the first visit by a European minister to Turkey since the earthquake.

The two ministers are travelling to Antakya, where Greek rescuers are helping with search and rescue operations.

The ministry said he will also visit members of the Greek Aid Mission in the country. Greece – despite a history of rivalry with Turkey that goes back centuries – was among the first European countries to send rescue workers and humanitarian aid on Monday, a few hours after the disaster.

The regional rivalry has been exacerbated by territorial and energy disputes and by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent bombastic threats of invasion.

But the two neighbors, which lie on seismic fault lines, also have a tradition of helping each other in natural disasters. AFP

YOUNG DEMONSTRATOR. A child wearing a statement shirt and carrying a placard joins a protest in Houston against a bill that would forbid Chinese nationals from buying properties in Texas. Lawmakers in Texas, Florida, Arkansas and in the US Congress have introduced laws to ban citizens of China from purchasing land, homes, and other buildings in the US. AFP

OUTPOURING OF GRIEF. People mourn by their relative’s coffin during the funeral of Cypriot students killed in an earthquake that hit Turkey. AFP

IMF warns El Salvador against risks of adopting bitcoin as legal currency

WASHINGTON, United States—

The International Monetary Fund has warned El Salvador—the only country to adopt bitcoin as a legal currency— against the risks involved in expanding its reliance on the cryptocurrency.

The warning came in a report Friday that followed an experts’ mission to the Central American country.

It found that Salvadoran growth had been “robust” last year but that vulnerabilities, including the linkage to bitcoin, remained.

El Salvador in September 2021 adopted bitcoin as a legal currency, alongside the US dollar.

Tech-savvy president Nayib Bukele advocated the move as a way to bring more Salvadorans, many of them lacking bank accounts, into the formal economy.

The change meant that every Salvadoran business—even neighborhood shopkeepers—had to accept cryptocurrency as payment.

But the IMF and World Bank warned that doing so could leave the country more vulnerable to money laundering and other illicit activity that could affect underlying stability.

“While risks have not materialized due to the limited bitcoin use so far,” the report said, its use could grow, due partly to “new legislative reforms to encourage the use of crypto assets.”

In this context, it added, “underlying risks to financial integrity and stability, fiscal sustainability, and consumer protection persist.”

The IMF experts said it was “essential” that Salvadoran authorities provide “greater transparency over the government’s transactions in bitcoin and the financial situation of the state-owned bitcoin wallet” known as Chivo.

“Given the legal risks, fiscal fragility and largely speculative nature of crypto markets, the authorities should reconsider their plans to expand government exposures to Bitcoin,” the report said.

The Salvadoran economy grew 2.8 percent in 2022, the report said, crediting an effective government response to the Covid-19 pandemic, “the unprecedented reduction in crime, and strong remittances and tourism revenues.”

But the IMF cautioned that a pronounced slowdown in the US could undermine exports and remittances. AFP

Market consolidation likely to continue

By Jenni er B. Austria

STOCKS are expected to remain on a consolidation mode as investors await the outcome of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas policy meeting this week following the higher-than-expected inflation rate in January.

Analysts said a minimum of 25-basis-point increase in interest rates would be on the table for the BSP rate-setting meeting on Feb. 16.

Investors are also not ruling out a possible 50-bps rate increase as inflation rate hit a fresh 14year high of 8.7 percent in January, higher than 8.1 percent in December.

Manulife head of equities Mark Canizares said inflation rate and interest rates would continue to

affect market trading.

“We believe that the Philippine stocks have largely priced-in the prospective rate actions of the US Fed and BSP for this year,” Canizares said.

“As long as prospective indications are not for an uptick in rates more than what is expected, it is likely that the local stock market will re-focus its view to domestic factors this quarter,” he said.

BSP Governor Felipe Medalla said last week he was not ruling out the possibility of another “surprise supply shock” as January infl ation rate was above BSP’s forecast range of 7.5 percent to 8.3 percent.

Canizares said the fourth-quarter earnings results of listed companies would also be another area of interest for investors.

The PSE index, the 30-company benchmark, fell 2.1 percent last week to close at 6,876.79 on Friday amid the lack of buying pressure.

The broader all-share index also went down by 1.4 percent to settle at 3,653.11. Foreign investors turned into net sellers of P1.8 billion worth of stocks last week.

Meanwhile, US stocks closed out a lackluster week with a mixed

session on Friday.

The gains by oil producers like Chevron and Halliburton, as well as other oil services companies, came after Russia announced it would trim production by 500,000 barrels per day in March after Western countries imposed a price cap over the Ukraine conflict.

The rally in energy stocks helped lift both the Dow and S&P 500 to positive sessions even as higher Treasury bond yields weighed on the Nasdaq.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fi nished at 33,869.27, up 0.5 percent.

The broad-based S&P 500 climbed 0.2 percent to 4,090.46, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index declined 0.6 percent to 11,718.12.

Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare said investors are in “wait and see” mode ahead of next week’s consumer price index report, which will influence the outlook for future Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.

All three major indices finished with losses for the week in a pullback after a torrid January as Treasury yields advanced. With AFP

Integral human development in Blessings Seminary Bakeshop

GREEN LIGHT

Part 2

MOTIVATED by his dream for the Seminary to achieve a certain degree of self-reliance, Bishop Perez spearheaded a livelihood project destined to become part of his legacy, one that eloquently speaks of and reflects his heart and mind. With the desire for maximum productivity, a decision was made to convert a portion of the lot into a bakeshop. Realizing that everything the community enjoys is graces, the name “Blessings” was adopted, reflective of what the project is, God’s blessing, thus, capturing the community members’ day-to-day experience of being recipients of God’s providential care and guidance. Because of the commitment and hard work invested by the bakers, Blessings was able to respond and satisfy the people’s need for quality bread. The vision was simple: “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” The vision is not to make the community dependent on the help and support of the Seminary. They were taught not to rely on dole-out and one-time-big-time programs. The goal is to help them stand on their own two feet. The Church’s role is to assist them and give them opportunities. But after some time, they must be able to stand on their own.

There is an important emphasis on the strategy of the Seminary. While emphasizing hard work and diligence, the community was constantly reminded that the Lord always blesses all efforts. No one can claim that they are the ultimate source. God is the source. And so, the name of the Bakeshop is a constant reminder that it is not our sweat and blood that will improve lives. It is always God’s blessings that pour out abundantly.

“From the start, the project was envisioned not only to provide fi nancial assistance to the seminary community but also to help jobless members augment their family income. As a system and in its orientation, the Blessings Seminary Bakeshop is structured to be a potent venue for values formation for workers and seminarians. It is desired that each person involved learn to work as a community of brothers and sisters in the spirit of justice, equality, active participation and charity.”

My first week as the general manager involved getting to know the bakeshop community. Most of them were familiar faces. I have known them since I was a seminarian more than a decade ago. I was surprised that when I reviewed their fi les, some had been there from the beginning. And after all these years, they learned to love Blessings Bakeshop and treated it not just as their place of employment but as their own. They told me stories like: “Ang bakeshop ang nagpatapos ng mga anak ko. Ang bakeshop ang nagpa ospital sa tatay ko. Dahil sa bakeshop nakabili kami ng lupa.”

What struck me the most was not the economic improvements in their lives but the recognition that God loved and blessed them. At present, BSB provides housing for our loyal employees who still do not have a home of their own. Proving employee housing may not be a popular business strategy, especially for a small venture like ours, but this is our way of taking care of our employees.

The story is clear to me. You take care of the people, and they will take care of the business. Allow them to understand the purpose of business, and they will surely participate in its apostolate. Share with them God’s love and blessings, and they will love and bless the company. And this is how I can prove that love is a crucial business strategy!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

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

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

SCN FORM NO. 1 (R.A. NO. 9139) 001748

or sovereignty, and, particularly, to P.R.O.C of which at this time I am a citizen or subject. I will reside continuously in the Philippines from the date of the filing of this petition up to the time of my admission to Philippine citizenship.

14. My character witnesses are CHRISTOPHER LEE GO and EDUARDO C. MOLATO both Filipino citizens, of legal age, and residing at No. 707 Ongpin St., Brgy. 288, Binondo, Manila and BLK 31 LOT 11 Phase 1A, Kaunlaran Village, Navotas City respectively, who have executed sworn statements attached hereto in support of my instant petition, together with: (a) brief biographical data about themselves; (b) detailed statements on the dates they first came to know me, the circumstances of our initial acquaintance and the reasons and extent of our continuing familiarity; and (c) the number of times they have acted as character witnesses in other petitions for naturalization.

2.

3. I was born on August 6, 1998, in Manila Philippines. I have been a resident of the Philippines since birth. At present, I am a citizen or subject of People’s Republic of China (P.R.O.C.)

4. My father's name is TAN KIAN TING A.K.A. JAMES B. TY and he was born on January 26, 1960, in Manila. He is a citizen or subject of People’s Republic of China. My mother's name is ZHUANG WEIXUAN and she was born on March 11, 1978 in Fujian, China. She is a

5.

6.

7. I am legally separated from my spouse; my marriage was annulled, per decree of legal separation/annulment dated N/A granted by N/A (please indicate the particular court which granted the same). I am a widower/widow and my spouse died on N/A in

9. I received my primary and secondary education from the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philippine history, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or

10. I am able to read, write and speak Filipino and/or any of the following dialects of the

only.

11. I have enrolled my minor children of school age in the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philipine History, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or

12. I shall never be a public charge. I am of good moral character. I believe in the principles underlying the Philippine Constitution. I have conducted myself in a proper and irreproachable manner during the entire period of my residence in the Philippines in my relations with the constituted government as well as with the community in which I am living. I mingled socially with Filipinos and have evinced a sincere desire to learn and embrace the customs, traditions and ideals of the Filipino people. I have all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications under Republic Act No. 9139. I am not opposed to organized government or affiliated with any association or group of persons who uphold and teach doctrines opposing all organized governments. I am not defending or teaching the necessity or propriety of violence, personal assault or assassination for the success and predominance of one's ideas. I am not a polygamist nor a believer in the practice of polygamy. I have not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude. I am not suffering from mental alienation or from any incurable contagious disease. The country of which I am a citizen or subject is not at war with the Philippines and grants to Filipinos the right to be naturalized citizens or subjects thereof.

13. It is my true and honest intention to become a citizen of the Philippines and to renounce absolutely and forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state

FR. REINIER R. DUMAOP

GUATEMALA ROSES. An indigenous woman prepares roses for export at the Rosas Maya Kotzij Cooperative in Loma Alta village, San Juan Sacatepequez, Guatemala, on Feb. 11, 2023. In view of Valentine’s Day, around 8 million roses are expected to be exported from Guatemala to the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador and other countries. AFP

BSP expected to increase policy rate by at least 25 basis points this week

By Julito G. Rada

A BANK economist said over the weekend the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas would likely increase the policy rate by at least 25 basis points this week.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said in a report the BSP was also expected to match future policy rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve beyond this week’s meeting to support the peso and rein in inflation.

“The markets are anticipating the next local policy rate-setting meeting on Feb. 16, 2023, when local policy rates are expected to go up by at least +0.25 [from the current 5.50 percent], matching the +0.25 latest Fed rate hike on Feb. 1, 2023,” Ricafort said.

Ricafort said the BSP “could also still match any future Fed rate hikes after recent Fed signals of about two more hikes on the next Fed/FOMC rate-setting meetings on March 22 and May 2, 2023.”

The peso closed at 54.42 against the US dollar on Friday, which was among the strongest in 7.5 months. The peso recovered from an all-time low of 59 a dollar in October 2022.

“It is important to note that local policy makers have a good track record in managing the peso exchange rate,” said Ricafort.

Ricafort said a recent policy signal was the statement by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the government might have to defend the peso in the coming months and use interest rates to mitigate inflation.

Economists from the First Metro Investment Corp. and University of Asia & the Pacific said in a joint report the Fed “will continue to raise policy rates, by at least 75 basis points in 2023, to bring inflation back to its target 2 percent in the light of unrelenting job creation in the US economy.”

“This should constitute another upward pressure on the US dollar-Philippine peso rate,” they said.

DOTr awards P37-b rail deal to Mitsubishi

By Darwin G. Amojelar

THE Department of Transportation awarded a P37-billion contract to Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. for the electrical and mechanical systems and track works of the Malolos-Clark Railway Project and the North-South Railway Project.

DOTr Undersecretary for administration and finance Kim Robert De Leon notified Mitsubishi that the agency accepted the contract amount of P37 billion for the electrical, mechanical and rail components.

De Leon asked Mitsubishi to submit performance security within 28 days in accordance with the condi-

Meralco, Aboitiz unit sign another emergency power supply agreement

By Alena Mae S. Flores

POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. said over the weekend it executed another emergency power supply agreement with Aboitiz-controlled GNPower Dinginin Ltd. for 300 megawatts of baseload capacity.

This followed the expiration of its contract with GNPD on Jan. 25. The new EPSA is effective from Feb. 3 to Feb. 25, 2023.

Meralco said the EPSA would lessen the company’s exposure to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market—the trading floor of electricity.

“The contract forms part of Meralco’s efforts to ensure sufficient supply and manage its rates as a result of the cessation of 670-MW supply covered by its power supply agreement with South Premiere Power Corp., which was subjected to a writ of preliminary injunction issued by the Court of Appeals,” the company said.

Meralco sources said, however, the new contract would not carry the fixed price of P5.95 per kilowatt-hour under the previous agreement.

Meralco’s previous ESPA with GNPD from the 1,336-MW GNPower Dinginin Plant in Mariveles, Bataan carried a fixed price which covered Dec. 15, 2022 to Jan. 25, 2023.

The EPSA partially replaced the 670 MW capacity under Meralco’s 2019 power supply agreement with SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. subsidiary South Premiere Power Corp. SPPC’s contract was at P4.30 per kWh under the 2019 PSA.

SPPC stopped supplying to Meralco on Dec. 7, 2022, following the CA’s issuance of the TRO, prompting the distributor to look for other suppliers or tap the WESM.

CITICORE Renewable Energy Corp. is increasing its solar project pipeline to 5,000 megawatts from 1.5 gigawatts over the next five years, a top executive said over the weekend.

CREC president Oliver Tan said of the target, about 1,000 MW of solar projects would be constructed this year which would require about $800 million in capital expenditures.

“We are building our pipeline proj-

tions of the contract.

Funded by the Asian Development Bank, the Malolos-Clark Railway Project or the PNR Clark Phase 2 is the second leg of the North-South Commuter Rail Project (Calamba-Clark) which aims to link cities and municipalities in Southern Luzon, Metro Manila and Central Luzon and help spur economic

activities in the provinces.

Once completed, the 53-kilometer PNR Clark Phase 2 is expected to cut travel time between Malolos, Bulacan and Clark, Pampanga from 1.5 hours to just 30 minutes. It will also feature the country’s fi rst Airport Railway Express Service which will connect Makati to Clark International Airport in just 55 minutes.

The PNR Clark Phase 2, which is expected to be completed by June 2025, will have six train stations in Calumpit, Apalit, San Fernando, Angeles, Clark and Clark Airport. The rail stations will include multimodal facilities that will allow seamless transfer of commuters from public utility vehicles to trains.

The DOTr said that apart from the

7,000 direct jobs that opened during the construction phase of the PNR Clark Phase 2, the project would open 3,000 more job opportunities once it becomes operational.

The 38-km. phase 1 of PNR Clark (Tutuban-Malolos) will have 10 stations and will traverse the cities of Manila, Caloocan, Valenzuela and Meycauayan and the municipalities of Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas and Guiguinto and Malolos City.

Meanwhile, the whole 147-km. NSCR line will have 35 stations from Calamba, Laguna to Clark and operate 464 train cars, with 58 eight-car train set configuration.

The P777.55-billion NSCR System is the single largest infrastructure project

PSE INDEX CLOSING

Friday,

Robinsons Retail

By Jenni er B. Austria

ROBINSONS Retail Holdings Inc. of the Gokongwei Group plans to spend between P5 billion and P7 billion in capital expenditures to expand its store network this year.

RRHI said in a recent investor presentation it aimed to add 180 to 200 stores across its brands as it expected sales to remain strong as the economy reopened.

RRHI was operating 2,310 stores, excluding 2,151 pharmacy stores under The Generic Pharmacy brand as of end2022. These stores occupied 1.5 million square meters of gross floor area.

This year’s programmed capex is higher than P4.7 billion it spent in 2022.

RRHI expects same-store sales growth of 4 percent to six percent this

ects from originally 1.5 gigawatts to 5,000 MW. The target is to break ground 1 GW of projects this year, so meaning by early next year, we will have almost 1.25 GW of installed capacity that would be approximately P7 billion to P8 billion top line of our generation revenue,” Tan said.

Most solar projects would be constructed this year in Batangas province (600 MW), while the remaining 400

year, compared to 11.8 percent blended SSSG in 2022.

RRHI’s core retail operations cover six business segments including supermarkets, department stores, Do-It-Yourself stores, convenience stores, drug stores and specialty stores.

RRHI reported a 26.7-percent increase in 2022 net income to P5.7 billion from P4.53 billion in 2021, on the back of a double-digit growth in sales.

Consolidated net sales reached P178.8 billion in 2022, or 16.6 percent better than the previous year’s and higher than pre-pandemic levels, driven by gradual return to normalcy, including the reopening of face-toface classes in schools and increased travel and tourism.

“We are pleased with our operating performance in 2022. Building on the

MW would rise in Pampanga and Tarlac provinces. CREC expects these solar projects to start operations by early 2024.

Tan said the new projects would “increase our lease revenue by 30 percent from that additional portfolio.”

He said CREC was focusing on solar projects for the near-term as they are faster to construct. “Short-term would be solar because

momentum last year, our company will continue to take advantage of the economy’s return to normal. We will focus on improving store efficiency and increasing market coverage with more stores in the pipeline for 2023,” said RRHI president and chief executive Robina Gokongwei Pe.

RRHI completed the acquisition of another 4.4 percent stake in Bank of Philippine Islands in January 2023.

RRHI said the acquisition would enable it to tap into the extensive consumer customer base of BPI to cross-sell products and services. It said this would also allow the company’s suppliers tap into BPI’s financial products to help fund their working capital requirements as they expand their business.

of the fast turnaround, and we will diversify or mix it with hydro and wind, such that so we can expand our market reach,” he said.

Tan said they also planned to conduct an initial public offering for CREC this year to fi nance projects lined up for 2023.

He said the IPO was going to be a “blockbuster”, but he did not provide additional details. Alena Mae S. Flores

funded by the ADB and is the longest greenfield commuter railway project to be financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The DOTr estimated that the whole NSCR line would generate over 25,000 direct jobs during construction and another 10,000 jobs upon operation.

Mitsubishi is one of the Japanese companies that signed letters of intent on investment projects in the Philippines during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Japan last week. The conglomerate expressed its intention to participate in infrastructure activities, transportation, commercial and residential real estate development and mass housing projects in the Philippines.

Marcos lauds investment of Tokyo Gas in PH energy President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lauded the investment made by Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd. to boost the energy requirement of the Philippines. “And so we are encouraged that in view of Tokyo Gas that it is worth the investment then we feel that we are going down the right path for our country’s energy mix and we are grateful for that vote of confidence that you have shown by your investment in the future of the Philippine economy, the future especially of our energy supply from liquefied natural gas,” the president said. Tokyo Gas is an investor in the Philippines’ emerging LNG industry. It signed a joint development agreement with First Gen Corp. in December 2018 to jointly pursue the development of a liquefied natural gas terminal project in Batangas province. The LNG project is due for completion this year.

Marcos, along with other government officials and business leaders including First Gen chairman Federico Lopez went to Japan for a five-day working visit last week.

SPNEC streamlines joint ventures with Prime Infra SP New Energy Corp. said over the weekend the move to streamline its various joint venture partnerships with Prime Infrastructure Inc. will enable it to proceed with the proposed share swap agreement with parent firm Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc. SPNEC said in a statement that as Solar Philippines’ shares in some of the joint venture partnerships with Prime Infra are part of SPNEC’s share swap, the amendments to the agreements would help make the decisionmaking process more efficient.

SPNEC on Friday reported the parties agreed to continue their 50-50 joint venture in Terra Solar Philippines Inc. In Solar Tanauan Corp, the parties agreed that SP would sell its common shares to Prime Infra for P1 billion, which would result in Prime owning 100 percent of Solar Tanauan.

The parties also agreed that SP would redeem or purchase Prime Infra’s preferred shares in Solar Philippines Tarlac Corp. by or before March 31, 2024. This would result in SP owning 100 percent of SPTC. “With these agreements, SP and Prime have agreed to focus the efforts of their JV on TSPI, in recognition of the value in working together for the success of the Terra Solar project,” SPNEC said. Jenniffer B. Austria

Megawide unit eyes

Caloocan transport hub

MWM Terminals Inc., a subsidiary of Megawide Construction Corp., plans to submit an unsolicited proposal to the Department of Transportation to build a transport terminal in Caloocan City, an executive said.

“We’re trying to look one in the north. We are trying to develop something there. It’s in discussion stage,” said Jason Salvador, head corporate affairs and government relations at Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange. Salvador said the company was looking at Monumento as the location of the new transport terminal in the north. “It could be an unsolicited proposal,” he said.

MWM Terminals earlier said it allotted P5 billion over the next five years to build more transport terminals similar to the PITX.

Megawide also plans to build PITX Lot 2 which would include four levels, with commercial leasing assets occupying the floors above the bus staging area. Darwin G. Amojelar

WWII EXHIBIT. Manila Mayor Maria Sheilah Lacuna (left) and Philippine Veterans Bank chairman Roberto De Ocampo view the PVB Exhibit ‘War of our Fathers’ at the 2nd Floor of the Bulwagang Rodriguez of the Manila City Hall. PVB continues to honor the legacy of Filipino World War II veterans with the display of its multi-awarded traveling exhibit as part of Manila’s commemoration activities for the 78th anniversary of the Battle for Manila during World War II. The WWII Exhibit is open to the public free-of-charge until Feb. 15, 2023.

VISITORS FROM MOSCOW. City of Santa Rosa Mayor Arlene Arcillas

(third from left) and the management of Laguna Technopark welcome the delegation of the Moscow City government on Feb. 2. The parties discussed possibilities of localization of Moscow and Russian high-tech products such as electrobuses. Roy Tomandao

SPORTS

Marcial scores TKO win against Argentinian

SAYING his preparations have paid off, Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Marcial overcame a very experienced rival in Argentinian Ricardo Villalba via technical knockout in the second round of their eight-round middleweight encounter on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

A powerful left to the body later in the first round floored Villalba, giving Marcial the confidence the rest of the way to score his fourth straight victory as a pro.

The Zamboanga City-born Marcial, who had two knockouts to his credit, dropped Villalba for the second time, with a right hook to the forehead, as the contest was halted on the 48-second mark of the second round.

Smith proves Guiao wrong, powers Painters past Elite

By Peter Atencio

NOT much was expected from newly acquired import Greg Smith II, who was coming off an almost three-year layoff.

But the 6’7” Smith played better than expected as he and the Elasto Painters lifted Rain or Shine to a 122-117 win over Blackwater Elite on Sunday night in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Smith’s 38-point output, to go with six rebounds, five assists and a steal, eased coach Yeng Guiao’s worries about his condition.

“I was kinda worried. He just came from a long flight. He has not been competing in the last few months and is not 100% shape. I guess he proved me wrong today,” said Guiao.

Smith made his presence felt during a decisive 11-0 run in the fourth period, with his three free throws and assist helping the Elasto Painters

move away from a 95-100 deficit and into a 106100 advantage in the last 7:12.

The 32-year-old Smith went on to finish the period with 11 points as he led the Painters to their first win after four straight losses.

“It’s a good feeling,” said Smith, who played his last game in 2020, when he last saw action for the Mineros de Zacateas in the Mexican league.

Leonardo Santillan added 16 points, shooting seven of them in the last period.

Santillan’s floater in the final 2:40 handed ROS its biggest lead, 115-106.

The Elasto Painters had four of their 15 triples in the fourth, with Nick Demusis putting ROS ahead by six, 106-100, off one of his threes in the game in the final 7:12.

The Scores:

RAIN OR SHINE 122 – Smith 38, Santillan 16, Demusis 12, Belga 12, Ildefonso 12, Nambatac 9, Asistio 7, Clarito 5, Ponferrada 4, Norwood 4, Caracut 3, Torres 0, Yap 0 BLACKWATER 117 – Williams 40, Sena 15, Hill 14, McCarthy 10, Ilagan 8, Ular 7, Casio 5, Amer 5, Ayonayon 4, Banal 3, Suerte 3, Taha 2, Torralba 0

QUARTERS: 34-31, 66-67, 87-95, 122-117

Rain or Shine’s Greg Smith eludes Blackwater’s Tyrus Hill for a basket in a PBA Governors’ Cup game won by the Elasto Painters, 122-117.

De Vega to be enshrined in PSA Hall of Fame

THE life and times of legendary sprint queen Lydia De Vega will be celebrated in the coming San Miguel CorporationPhilippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night three weeks from now at the grand ballroom of the Diamond Hotel.

The late track superstar is going to be elevated in the PSA Hall of Fame in recognition of her astounding achievements in Philippine track and field history.

The special honor and tribute to one of the greatest Filipino athletes ever will be bestowed by the country’s oldest media organization during its March 6 gala night presented by the Philippine Sports Commission and Cignal TV, and with able support from the Philippine Olympic Committee, Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino, MILO, Smart, MVP Sports Foundation, Rain or Shine, 1Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero, Philippine Basketball Association, OKBet, and ICTSI.

De Vega, who twice reigned as Asia’s sprint queen, passed away last August

following her long battle with the Big C.

During her prime though, De Vega, who went by the nickname Diay, was almost unbeatable.

The charming runner from Meycauayan, Bulacan was acknowledged as the fastest woman in Asia in the 80s following her golden run in the women’s 100-meter event of the 1982 and 1986 Asian Games in New Delhi, India, and Seoul, South Korea, respectively.

Long legged and wearing her signature pony-tailed hair, De Vega blasted her way to the finish line ahead of India’s PT Usha both times in dominant performances.

Among the prominent discoveries of the Palarong Pambansa, De Vega was a proud product of Project Gintong Alay. She shot to prominence as a 17-year-old lass, who bagged back-to-back gold medals in the 200-meter and 400-meter events of the 1981 Southeast Asian Games in Manila.

Her legend grew from there as the Far Eastern University alumna

Australian ace banners IM 70.3 Davao pro cast

DIMITY-LEE Duke provides the early drawing power to IRONMAN’s muchawaited return to Davao next month with the multi-titled Australian all geared up for another crack at IM 70.3 pro glory at the posh Azuela Cove.

Duke, who dominated the country’s top 5150 races before the pandemic, placed third when the premier city in the south first hosted the highly popular endurance race in 2018, which Czech Radka Kahlefeldt ruled via an 11-minute romp over Naomi Washizu of Japan.

Kahlefeldt also topped the 2019 IM 70.3 Davao edition with Duke settling for fourth.

But the 39-year-old seasoned campaigner, who trains and hones up in

Phuket, Thailand, is eager and ready to go for the jugular in the March 26 event, the only 1.9k swim-90k bike-21k run distance pro race offered in this year’s series of triathlon races under The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc. banner. Listup is ongoing. For details, log on to ironman.com/im703-davao-philippinesathletes.

Spicing up the IM 70.3 Davao is the Girls’ Run on March 24 and the IronKids on March 25.

Also in the early women’s pro roster are compatriot Sarah Crowley and Lottie Lucas of United Arab Emirates. Crowley, who turned 40 last Feb. 4, topped the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Champi-

onships and finished third in the IRONMAN World Championship, both in 2017. She matched her third-place effort in the world tilt in 2019.

Lucas, meanwhile, packs a lot of promise after the 30-year-old Dubai-based runner marked her first pro race with a third-place finish in IRONMAN Dubai in March last year.

But a host of others are also expected to join the hunt in the blue-ribbon event, sponsored by Alveo and backed by Lanang, Davao City, Davao del Sur, Active, Breitling, Fulgaz, Gatorade, Hyperice, Qatar Airways, ROKA, Santini, Vinfast and Wahoo, which will also serve as a qualifying race to the World Championship in Finland on Aug. 26-27, 2023.

stamped her class in the SEA Games, the Asian Athletics Championships, and the Asiad.

In all, De Vega won nine SEA Games gold medals, including her memorable run before a jampacked, wildly-cheering crowd at the Rizal Memorial Track and Field Stadium in the 1991 Manila edition of the biennial meet.

She also owns four golds in the Asian trackfest. aside from the two golds she won in the Asiad.

De Vega was likewise a two-time Olympian as part of the Philippine team to the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Games, respectively.

She entered public service after hanging her running shoes in 1994, winning as counc ilor in her province of Bulacan.

Until her death, De Vega had been based in Singapore for more than a decade where she taught athletics and physical education in a private school.

“Glory to God! We are still undefeated! Humbled to have won the fight against a tough veteran, Argentinian Ricardo Ruben Villalba via KO after the 2nd round,” said Marcial.

It was the fourth loss by knockout of the 33-year-old Villalba, who went up in weight for the first time at 162 pounds.

“All my trainings have paid off and my hard work bore fruit of our labor.

Like I said during interviews, I have learned a lot in my last three professional fights. I am most grateful to have had a very productive training with my camp and I am just happy to have showed the fans what I’ve improved on and prepared for over the last few months,” said Marcial.

Marcial said he is also grateful to businessman-sportsman Ronald Mascarinas and Chooks to Go Pilipinas for their support, along with Crown Royale Dental Center.

“More than our goal of winning this match, we are also going one step closer to our dream (of a world title), thanks to my team,” added Marcial.

The bout was the undercard of the main event, which saw O’Shaquie Foster claiming his first world title by beating Rey Vargas by unanimous decision for the previously vacant World Boxing Council junior lightweight (130 lbs) title.

Judges scored the fight at 116112, 117-111, and 119-109, in favor of Foster. Peter Atencio

Platinum Karaoke edges Cavitex for 3x3 crown

PLATINUM Karaoke brought down Cavitex in a come-from-behind win, 17-15, and claimed Leg 5 of the PBA 3x3 Third Conference Season 2 at Robinsons Place Las Piñas.

Yves Sazon was the man of the hour for Platinum, draining back-toback deuces as the team clinched the title and completed a tough journey to the top.

Sazon finished with eight points and four rebounds to lead the charge of coach Anton Altamirano in bagging the top prize of P100,000. Terrence Tumalip finished with four points, while Brandon Bates and Nico Salva three and two points each as Platinum finally won a leg title this conference after a runnerup finish behind Barangay Ginebra in Leg 4 two weeks ago.

The loss was a heartbreaker for Cavitex, which led for the most part and held a 15-13 lead with 60 seconds left to play.

But Dominick Fajardo’s jump shot proved to be the Braves’ final basket for the game as Sazon took matters into his own hands and willed Platinum Karaoke for the win.

The runner-up finish was worth P50,000 for Cavitex, whose bid for a back-to-back title was likewise spoiled.

Cavitex was the third leg winner this conference, Platinum first disposed of Leg 1 winner San Miguel Beermen, 21-20, in the quarterfinals, before sending off Leg 2 champion TNT Tropang Giga as well in their semis encounter, 21-18. Cavitex, on the other hand, went through NorthPort, 15-11, and Meralco 16-13, to reach the finals.

Filipino Eumir Marcial (right) trades punches with Argentinian veteran Ricardo Villalba during their middleweight clash at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Lydia de Vega

Dimity-Lee Duke

NU Bullpups boost bid for higher Final 4 rank

THREE-PEAT SEEKING Nazareth School of National University reasserted its mastery of Ateneo, 86-78, to bolster its chances for a higher Final Four ranking Sunday in the UAAP Season 85 high school boys’ basketball tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

RJ Colonia had 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, Reinhard Jumamoy flirted with a triple-double of 19 points, 10 boards, and eight assists, while Macmac Alfanta scored six of his 10 points in the Bullpups’ 28-point fourth period that frustrated the Blue Eagles.

“Statement win sa amin,” said firstyear mentor Kevin de Castro as NSNU moved up to 8-1. “’Yung second round, ang gusto namin, ‘yung goal namin is to win as many games as possible.”

“Tough one ‘yung next game namin against Adamson. Alam ninyo naman ‘yung Adamson gustong bumawi sa amin kasi tinalo namin noong first round. Crucial ang game namin kasi sila ang isa sa mga contenders,” he added.

The Bullpups nipped the Baby Falcons, 79-76, on opening day.

Later, Adamson primed up its Wednesday showdown with NSNU with an 81-70 romp of UP Integrated School.

Despite winning their eighth consecutive game, coach Mike Fermin was not satisfied with the way his Baby Falcons played which they cannot afford against the Bullpups.

“It was a good game but it was a sloppy win for us. Ang dami naming turnovers, mga miscues sa defense. It means na marami pang kailangang ayusin going into that game against a very strong team,” said Fermin.

Surigao native Peter Rosillo led Adamson with 23 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals while Justine Garcia chipped in 16 points.

“We had a bad practice yesterday (Saturday). Malaking epekto ‘yung bad practice namin pero dahil sa sistema, nagawan namin ng paraan ma-correct ‘yung mistakes namin sa defense. Still, nakuha pa namin ang panalo,” said Rosillo.

Wu shocks Fritz to become 1st Chinese ATP finalist of open era

LOS ANGELES—Wu

Yibing stunned topseeded Taylor Fritz 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 6-4 at the Dallas Open on Saturday to become the first Chinese man to reach an ATP final in the Open Era.

The 23-year-old followed up victories over third-seeded Denis Shapovalov and eighth-seeded Adrian Mannarino, and was already just the second Chinese man to reach a tour-level semifinal in the Open Era, joining Pan Bing who made the last four in Seoul in 1995.

Moscow: Calls to ban Russians from Olympics unacceptable

Wu said that kind of history wasn’t on his mind against Fritz, nor was he even thinking ahead to a victory that lined up a title clash with fifth-seeded American John Isner.

“When I played today I wasn’t thinking about any score or winning. I just tried to perform my best,” he said in his on-court interview after closing out the match with two of his 34 winners.

After Fritz managed to pull out a first set that lasted 58 minutes, Wu had to fight off five break points in the fourth game, and was down 0-30 in the 10th game.

He managed to hold serve, break Fritz and hold again to pocket the set, and made a break in the fifth game of the

third set stand up for his first career win over a top-10 player.

Wu, who reached a career-high 97 in the world rankings on Monday, is poised to become the highest-ranked Chinese player in the history of the world rankings, passing Zhang Zhizhen, who currently sits at 91st.

On Sunday he’ll face an experienced opponent in Isner, who advanced to his 31st ATP final with a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory over fellow American J.J. Wolf.

Isner’s big serve helped him overcome an otherwise sluggish performance.

“I saved a lot of break points with unreturnable serves. Without that I would have been dusted off the court 6-3, 6-4,” Isner said.

PNG institutionalization gets boost from congress

THE consolidated House Bills aiming to institutionalize the Philippine National Games got the needed boost as the Commission of Appropriation approved its proposed P200 million budget.

1st District Representative Eric Buhain,

vice chairman of the House Committee on Youth and Sports Development, announced that the commission during last Wednesday’s hearing with the Department of Budget in attendance, approved to fund the PNG as the government’s centerpiece national sports competition.

“Ako po ang naatasan ng ating House chairman on Youth and Sports Cong. Michael Dy na sponsoran ‘yung House Bills sa Committee on Appropriation and I’m happy to announce na nakapasa na po ito. Kailangan na lang itong pumasa sa third reading at iaakyat na namin sa Senado,” said Buhain.

“Napakaimportante nitong PNG, ito talaga ang magiging showcase ng ating mga mahuhusay na atleta. Sariling version ng Olympics, lahat ng mga National Sports Association puwede nang isabay ‘yung kanikanilang national selection. Lahat puwedeng sumali,” added Buhain, a two-time Olympian and Southeast Asian Games swimming record holder.

Buhain said the said fund will be included in the budget to be received by the Philippine Sports Commission from the General Appropriation’s Act.

“Subsequently, doon namin ilalagay sa budget ng PSC sa GA. Multi-department ang involvement sa PNG dahil nandiyan ang AFP at DepEd among others, but still ang workforce pa rin sa Philippine Sports Commission with the help of the Philippine Olympic Committee and the National Sports Associations.

“Ang maganda nito, permanente na ang PNG, hindi

tulad sa kasalukuyan magkakaroon tapos mawawala.

Besides, mako-compel ang mga Local Government Units na gamitin ang kanilang resources dahil magiging regular na ito sa kanilang sports program,” said Buhain.

He added the institutionalization of the PNG will have a big effect on the NSAs as support to sports will increase.

“Mas magkakaroon ng malalim na pool of talent ang mga NSA dahil matibay na na ‘yung grassroots program,” said Buhain.

The former sports chairman from both the amateur and professional agencies said he is confident that the bill will turn to law as the Senate, led by Senator Bong Go, already has pending version of the said bill.

“Maraming supporters ang sports sa Senate, nandiyan din sina Senator Tol Tolentino, Migs Zubiri, Joel Villanueva and Sonny Angara,” added Buhain.

The House decided to consolidate House Bills 934, 1954, 2986 at 4881, which propose measures and plans to institutionalize the Philippine National Games.

Leyte Fourth District Rep. and HB 934 author Richard Gomez said that the consolidated bill, which will be titled the Philippine National Games Act of 2022 underscores the role of LGUs in the promotion of sports, where Filipino athletes excel, such as billiards, bowling, fencing, weightlifting, shooting, rowing.cycling, gymnastics, track and field, volleyball, archery, badminton, boxing, football, taekwondo, karate, jujitsu, judo, golf, table tennis, tennis, baseball, and softball.

Salvador, Nakajima head PGT Q-School cast

A MIX of aces, including a comebacking former Order of Merit champion and former leg winners, makes up one of the strongest casts ever to vie in the Philippine Golf Tour Qualifying School, which begins Tuesday at Splendido Taal Golf Club in Tagaytay City.

Multi-titled Elmer Salvador, back in the hunt after a long absence on the tour where he reigned as OOM champ in its inaugural staging in 2009, heads the 86 other bidders chasing the 35 slots to this year’s Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized circuit, which kicks off its busy season in Bacolod next month. This marks the return of the PGT Q-School after it was suspended over growing concerns related to Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. The PGT held two tournaments at Riviera under the bubble setup late in the year and staged one in 2021 before holding a seven-leg circuit last year. With everything else back in normal,

the country’s premier tour put up by ICTSI is all set for another banner season with the Negros Occidental Classic set on March 15-18 to be followed by the Iloilo Golf Challenge on March 22-25 and the second ICTSI Caliraya Springs Championship on April 18-21 in Cavinti, Laguna.

The 2023 PGT season actually kicked off last week with its flagship championship, the Don Pocholo Razon Memorial Cup, with Dutch Guido van der Valk keeping the crown via a fiveshot victory over Asian Tour-bound Lloyd Go.

That makes this year’s Q-School worth watching and interesting with Rene Menor, a surprised PGT Asia winner, also at Splendido, in 2017 likewise all geared up to regain his card along with many-time Philippine Masters champion and PGT leg winner Robert Pactolerin and former amateur standouts Ferdie Aunzo,

MOSCOW—The Russian sports minister said Saturday that Ukraine’s call to ban Russian athletes from the 2024 Paris Olympics, which gathered support from several countries, was “unacceptable”.

“The attempt to dictate the conditions of athletes’ participatio n in international competitions is absolutely unacceptable,” sports minister Oleg Matytsin was cited as saying by Russian state-run news agencies.

“We see a blatant desire to destroy the unity of international sport and the international Olympic movement.”

Ukraine has reacted furiously to the International Olympic Committee’s announcement last month that it was exploring a “pathway” to allow Russian and Belarusian competitors to take part in the Paris Games, under a neutral flag.

The International Olympic Committee’s President Thomas Bach has described Ukraine’s calls for a boycott of the Games as contrary to the “principles we stand for”.

On Friday president Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his calls, saying that “the mere presence of representatives of the terrorist state is a manifestation of violence and lawlessness.”

“It would be better to organise sport within countries and do everything necessary to make sport an ambassador of peace and build bridges between nations,” Matytsin answered Saturday.

Nordic and some eastern European countries have indicated they would join a boycott. AFP

Wack in 2013 to become the first foreign PGT winner, is also in the field, along with Korean Lee Song and Gen Nagai, the Cebu-based Japanese who won the Philippine Junior championship in 2014. Sixty-five locals and 22 foreign bets are slugging it out for the coveted PGT cards in the 72-hole elims at the rolling, wind-raked Splendido Taal layout with the top 50 and ties after 36 holes advancing to the final two rounds. The top 35 will then be included in Category 6 while the next 35 will earn Category 7 status of the 2023 PGT starting fields.

Others tipped to contend for PGT cards are Rey Pagunsan, Ramil Bisera, Johnel Bulawit, Danilo delos Santos, Omar Dungca, Nico Evangelista, Rolando Marabe, Jr., Paul Miñoza, Miko Pactolerin, Elmer Saban, Nilo Salahog, Peter Villaber and Brent Sumampong.

Batangas

Nazareth School of National University’s Reinhard Jumamoy irts with a triple-double with 19 points, 10 boards, and eight assists.

Wu Yibing

Elmer Salvador Mhark Fernando and Rufino Bayron, still in search for a follow-up to his breakthrough pro victory at ICTSI

Orchard Championship in 2014. Japanese Toru Nakajima, who edged Jay Bayron in sudden death at Wack

Rep. Eric Buhain

WHETHER on television or on social media, viewers and netizens can’t get enough of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS).

The award-winning public affairs show hosted by Jessica Soho wrapped up 2022 as one of the most-watched Kapuso shows in Total Philippines (Nielsen TV Audience Measurement data from January to December 2022).

In this digital era, KMJS continues to successfully capture the interest of the viewers – even beyond television. Stories produced by KMJS go beyond buzz-worthy. Every Sunday, the show features a variety of compelling content that resonates with viewers and netizens of all ages and demographics.

“We’re grateful that KMJS still is, the favorite storyteller of Filipinos across all demographics and across all platforms on TV and social media. Thank you to all our viewers and followers. We promise to continue sharing stories that not only reflect who we are as a people but also inspire and help as many people in need, as possible,” Soho said.

A multi-platform leader, KMJS amassed over 4.7 billion views on various social media accounts in 2022. On Facebook, the show recorded over 2.3 billion views. On YouTube, where it is one of the main drivers of traffic to GMA Public Affairs’ YouTube channel, the show generated over 1.1 billion views. While on Tiktok, KMJS raked in over 1.3 billion views.

KMJS is also one of the most followed local TV programs across various social media platforms with over 37.2 million followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. It is still the most-followed Philippine TV program on Facebook with more than 29 million followers to date.

This 2023, KMJS opens the year on a high note by further flexing its online dominance. For three consecutive weeks, KMJS’s uploaded segments, “Boy Tapang Loves Girl Tapang”, “Pulis Kabit Ni Misis” and “Jopay, Kumuta Ka Na?” all reached 10 million views within 24 hours.

On top of these social media numbers, KMJS remains one of the most awarded shows in the country. As early as January, the show took home three Best Magazine Show trophies –from the PMPC Star Awards, Gawad Lasallianetta, and Platinum Stallion National Media Awards. Soho was also recognized as Most Outstanding Magazine Show Host (Gawad Lasallianetta) and Best News Magazine Program Host (Platinum Stallion).

Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho airs everty Sunday after The Clash on GMA Network, GTV, and Pinoy Hits.

The next global pop group

AFTER weeks of challenging Dream Chasers to become world-class performers, the country’s first idol survival competition Dream Maker has trimmed the Top 16 down to the “Dream 7” who will fly to Korea and become the next global pop group.

The Top 16 Dream Chasers had their last chance to make their K-Pop idol dreams come true at the series finale happening live at the Caloocan City Sports Complex. Their final mission was to showcase group performances

ARIAS

BY ALWIN IGNACIO

NO, this is not about Prince Wilhelm and Simon, with Edvin Ryding and Omar Rudberg, and their you and me love story versus the Swedish monarchy in Young Royals. It is also not about Lee Min Ho and his portrayal of Lee Gon in the fantastical parallel universe tale of The King Eternal Monarch

Today, in Arias, we hail the new king of Philippine show business, Coco Martin. Heir to the late, great Queen of Philippine Movies Susan Roces’s brand ambassador of RiteMed. He steps into the shoes of another iconic persona played by the King of Philippine movies, Fernando Poe Jr., in the television reincarnation of Batang Quiapo

It is a no-brainer why Rodel Nacianceno (Martin’s birth and legal name) became the actor chosen to continue the legacy of Jesusa Purificacion SonoraPoe in promoting the affordable and quality medicines of the pharmaceutical brand. The two played grandmother and apo in the longest-running action drama series FPJ’s Ang Probinsiyano. Their relationship as co-actors performing the lola and the grandchild roles transcended and became real.

Also, it must be pointed out that despite Martin’s tremendous success, he remains humble, with feet firmly on the ground, unassuming, with no airs of entitlement and superiority, the sincerity is not put on,

featuring the original compositions of Korean mentors Seo Won Jin and Bullseye. The “Dream 7” were determined purely through public voting. Prior to the finale last night, Vinci

Theheir

and love for what he does and his public, comes from his heart.

Thus, the majority of the public, adores, loves, respects, and trusts not just the actor, but the man who made his dreams come true, with a lot of blood, sweat, tears, passion, talent, and prayers. Yes, he is one of the people. He is with the people. He is their new king.

During the Ritemed launch, the newest ambassador, explains in the vernacular, the best learning Roces left him: “Siyempre po ‘yung pag-respeto sa sarili. Kasi yun po ang palaging pangaral sa akin ni Tita Susan. Sa sobrang pagkakakilala ko sa Lola ko hinding hindi niya iko-kompromiso o isa-sacrifice ‘yung mahabang pinaghirapan niya para marating kung ano ung pagtingin sa kanila ng mga tao.” “Kasi, ang pinaka-importante ay ‘yung respeto sa sarili. Meron tayong nagagawa na hindi nagugustuhan ng mga tao o sa mga mata ng tao. Pero para po maprotektahan ang aking sarili, mas pinili ko na lang po sa sarili ko ang mamahimik. Kung mabibigyan po ako ng pagkakataon na makapaginspire sa mga tao, gagawin ko. Lalabas ako. Pero pag alam ko na hindi ako sigurado at alam ko na maaari ako’ng magkamali, mas pinipili ko na lang po ang manahimik sa aking buhay,” the actor emphasizes. The modern day hero’s ultimate dream is: “Mas hinahangad ko makapagbigay inspirasyon ako lalunglalo na sa mga kabataan. Kaya every time po na gumagawa ako ng pelikula at teleserye lagi ko pong iniisip ang mga

Malizon finally claimed the Top 1 spot after placing 2nd in the last two rankings. Completing the Top 7 were Marcus Cabais, Kyler Chua, Reyster Yton, Jeromy Batac, Winston Pineda, and Wilson Budoy

On the other hand, Dream Chasers Kim Ng, Drei Amahan, Jom Aceron, Thad Sune, Jay-r Albino, Josh Labing-isa, Matt Cruz, Macky Tuason, and Prince Encelanstill had the chance to steal their current spots in their final mission.

ABS-CBN, in partnership with Korea’s MLD Entertainment, and Kamp

Korea Inc., will continue to train the chosen “Dream 7” with various industry icons and mentors, and then debut the group to spotlight Filipino talent on the global stage.

Since it premiered, the international collaboration project Dream Maker has been trending nationwide for its top-notch production, set design, and camera work plus its impressive lineup of Korean and Pinoy mentors, and the Dream Chasers. Their YouTube channel even garnered more than 100,000 subscribers as of this writing.

manonood. Kasi alam ko po na ang laki ng obligasyon namin bilang artista

The things he misses the most about the movie queen and brand ambassadress of Ritemed, the actors enumerates in Filipino: “Yung pagdala niya ng maraming-maraming pagkain sa amin.

Kasi napaka-generous po talaga ni Tita Susan. At sinisigurado niya na hindi lang mga artista kundi lahat ng cast and crew, lahat kami kumakain. Kasi ang buong sasakyan puro laman, puro pagkain.

Kaya talagang sobrang nakaka-miss po ‘yung presence niya.

“Nu’ng nawala po si Tita Susan para po kaming nag-iba,” Martin reveals. “Nasa Ilocos kame, nagshushooting. Lahat po kami natulala. Para kaming natigalgal. Hindi namin alam kung ano

ang reaksyon. Kaya ‘pag ka sabi po sa amin noon, naglakad kami, walang usapusap, nag-uwian po kami ng Maynila para puntahan si Tita Susan. Ayun po.” He beams with pride, as he talks about his latest TV show that was formerly headlined by The King: “Sobra akong proud, ibang-iba siya sa ‘Probinsyano.’ Ibang-iba ‘yung treatment, ‘yung camera works.” “Kailangan nating makipagsabayan sa international. Lalo na ngayon, ‘yung mga telenobela natin, kinukuha ng Netflix and kung ano-ano pang streaming service. Ihanda na natin, in case mapansin tayo or magustuhan nila.” What more can we say except, hail to the heir and the new King, Coco Martin.

GB Sampedro shares insights on ‘La Querida’ leads casting

By Patricia Taculao

SEVERAL elements make a film

compelling for viewers. Besides the script, setting, cinematography, and music, directors and producers should also invest in finding the right people to play the given roles. When all these aspects work together, the result is nothing short of a masterpiece.

When it comes to Vivamax’s latest offering, La Querida, director GB Sampedro wanted to work with those who can play the lead characters efficiently, especially since the plot interweaves two different love stories in one film.

“Medyo binusisi namin ‘yan ‘nung time na nag-casting kami kasi I wanted someone na fit or perfect doon sa role ng kanyakanyang characters. Medyo nagtagal kami ng pag-iisip diyan sa casting na ‘yan ng La Querida,” Sampedro said during an online media conference for the Vivamax film last January 27, Friday. Despite the tedious process, Sampedro

Jay and Mercedes was his preference for putting out new tandems to explore the actors’ dynamics with each other as they navigate

Sampedro shared that he saw Arron fit for the role of Joel and Angela as Maria. He had worked with the two actors on separate projects before. Although La Querida marks their first time working together as an on-screen pair, Angela and Arron found it easy.

“Light lang ‘yung mga shoots namin.

Hindi talaga kami na-stress ng bongga kasi todo alalay ‘yung production sa amin, especially that this is a love story,” Angela said.

On the other hand, Arron said that every day was a challenge because La Querida is diverse from his previous projects. After all, the love story is in tune with the feelings of the people involved in a relationship. It also allowed him to mellow down from his earlier roles, which got a little intense.

Meanwhile, the director felt Jay was more suitable to play the more mature role of Leo and decided on Mercedes as Connie because he has always wanted to work with the actress even before.

Gusto ko ‘yang makatrabaho. Hindi lang kami nagkatiempuhan ng proyekto at sa schedule. Eto, nagkaroon ng chance. Kinailangan ko ‘yung pangtapat ko kay Jay so si Mercedes ‘yung pumasok sa isip ko na ipa-cast,” Sampedro said. Thanks to the meticulous picking of the cast, Sampedro got the result he wanted for La Querida. During the Zoom conference, Sampedro shared that the movie was in its final editing stage before its release in February, with only the finishing touches left.

Aside from using La Querida to show audiences the different facets and complications of love from different standpoints and ages, Sampedro also hopes to teach viewers about the true meaning of the word “querida.”

He explained that in Filipino society, people associate the word with negativity because it means a mistress or third party. But in Spanish, where the term hails from, it means beloved or dear. La Querida now streams on Vivamax.

‘KMJS’ reigns supreme with over 4.7b views on social media

is happy to have Angela Morena Aaron Villaflor, Jay Manalo, and Mercedes Cabral as the leads for La Querida

One of the factors that influenced his pairings with Angela and Arron and with

their way through complicated relationships.

The Top 16 Dream Chasers who now have their chance to turn their K-Pop idol dreams into reality

Coco Martin in the much anticipated TV series 'Batang Quiapo,' which premieres today

Award-winning broadcast journalist and ‘KMJS’ host Jessica Soho

Angela Morena (right) and Arron Villaflor on the set of ‘La Querida’

Thanks to GB Sampedro, Arron (left) and Angela are exploring their onscreen dynamics as an on-screen pair

LIFE

Washington State’s Capital

IHAVE often wondered why Olympia, the capital of the state of Washington, is seldom talked about by Filipino tourists to the US. In my mind, there has to be something there that is Instagrammable or worth checking out. So when my sister mentioned that this capital city was along the way when we were driving from Seattle to Portland, I asked her to make a stopover so I could see for myself what the city has to offer.

Olympia is a medium-sized city 60 miles southwest of Seattle, in the southern Puget Sound region. It has an estimated population of only approximately 60,000. For thousands of years, the area was originally occupied by Native Americans belonging to the Squaxin Island Tribe.

They thrived on the abundant shellfish in the area and on the many salmon-spawning streams. It was only in 1792 that the Europeans settled in the area. The city got its name from the magnificent view of the Olympic Mountains located to the northwest.

brewery closed in 2003 after encountering several legal tussles and a devastating fire.

Our first stop brought us to the city’s most popular landmark, the Washington State Capitol Building. I braved the zero-degree Celsius outside temperature and got off the car just to take a photo of it. I have to admit it was difficult to focus my camera on the building while I was shivering in my shoes. The building houses the Washington State Legislature and the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and the treasurer. It is also part of a campus consisting of several buildings, including the Supreme Court and the Governor’s Mansion.

YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE

One day in early fall, a class of second-graders was discussing “What I want to be when I grow up.”  The teacher received the usual replies—a fireman, a nurse, etc.  Then she asked a boy deep in thought.  He looked up with a frown and replied, “I don’t even know what I want to be for Halloween!”

As my sister and I drove through downtown, we had the feeling we were in a small US town because there are no high-

The usually very busy Farmers Market is closed on Sundays and is the only vendorowned-andoperated farmers market in the state of Washington

rise buildings in the city center. Instead, what we saw were small specialty shops and grocery stores lined up along the main road, none of the massive commercial and corporate establishments you would see in big cities of the US.

It is interesting to note that the once-popular Olympia Beer was produced in Tumwater near the city, but the

Our next stop was the area where three popular tourist attractions are located. The Port of Olympia, a deep-water marine terminal, includes the Port Plaza, which has a big seafood restaurant offering a panoramic view of the sea and the sailing vessels moored alongside. It also has a wide-open promenade for visitors to further enjoy the scenery. A tall Observation Tower dominates the scene and would have been a nice vantage point to go up to, but the freezing temperature, being beside the sea, prevented me from staying in the area longer than necessary.

The Farmers Market is the only vendorowner-and-operated market in the state of Washington. The bustling venue has over 100 vendors and attracts close to half-a-million visitors per year. It is open on selected days, throughout the year, depending on the season. Unfortunately, it was closed when we went there yesterday, a Sunday.

The Hands On Children’s Museum is open every day of the week. It is labeled “hands on” because it has interactive exhibits for children from 1 to 11 and is designed to stimulate their curiosity and creativity. My sister and I didn’t go in anymore as we could see from outside that it was full of school groups, and getting out of the car would also mean having to brave the zerodegree temperature again.

But, what I found interesting about Olympia is the presence of 90 artesian springs all over the city. Most of them have been recon-

Embark on a couple’s wellness journey this love month

NÜWA Spa and Nobu Spa at City of Dreams

Manila are the destinations to be in this season of love for couples who wish to achieve harmony of the mind, body, and spirit and luxuriate in a wellness journey curated by the two spas for a month-long celebration of Valentine’s Day.

Nüwa Spa

Nüwa Spa, the first and only Forbes

Travel Guide (FTG) Five Star-rated spa in the country, tempts with two rejuvenating packages for couples.

The “Soul Mate” package (P14,800 net) is a combination of a bespoke body scrub for 30 minutes, followed by a 90-minute Nüwa signature massage treatment that restores the body and invigorates the mind, leaving a feeling of ultimate relaxation. The “Better Half” package (P 18,800 net) takes couples on a two-hour and 45-minute soothing journey that starts with a 30-minute flower bath. It continues with a 90-minute inten-

sive muscle release session for the relief of tense and tired muscles and ends with a calming 45-minute OM express facial. A complimentary red wine with a flower box makes the relaxing affair exceptional.

Nüwa Spa is known for its bespoke selection of treatments, highly trained staff and opulently designed therapy rooms and spa suites, providing its guests with the ultimate pampering experience.

Nobu Spa

Nobu Spa also invites couples to a welldeserved pampering massage journey with a choice of either the “Romantic Indulgence I” (P10,800 net) and “Romantic Indulgence II” (P15,800 net) packages.

The first treatment, which comes with a thoughtful box of flowers, indulges couples with a 30-minute coffee scrub followed by a 60-minute Renewal Massage that improves the overall feeling of wellbeing. The second

SNAPSHOT

PHILTOA, HSMA join forces for domestic tourism, slates Travex 2023

The Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) and the Philippine Tour Operators Association, Inc. (PHILTOA) inked a historical partnership on January 30, at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City to kick off preparations for the upcoming PHILTOAHSMA Travel Exchange 2023 (or TravEX), scheduled on March 28 to 29. This event promises to be the biggest business-to-business (B2B) platform for hotels, resorts, tour operators, and travel agencies this year.

With revenge travel in full swing among Filipinos, the event opens opportunities for HSMA and PHILTOA members to create the synergies they need to boost tourism in their respective localities and develop exciting new experiences for the domestic market.

In the photo are (from left to right): Jay Joseph Serrano (PHILTOA Trustee), Emy Malate (PHILTOA Secretary General and

the association’s

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option spoils couples with the same regimen of 30-minute coffee scrub and an hour of massage but with additional 30-minute Express Relief Facial, which endearingly comes with a free glass of red wine and a box of flowers.

A contemporary Zen haven, Nobu Spa offers a fully immersive rejuvenation within an elegant and contemporary Japanese oasis. Luxe Japanese interiors envelop the treatment areas and modern facilities, creating a space conducive to ultimate relaxation and wellness.

Guests of Nüwa Spa and Nobu Spa can book appointments from 12:00 nn to 9:00 p.m.

For inquiries and reservations call 88008080 or e-mail guestservices@cod-manila. com. For more information, visit www.cityofdreamsmanila.com. Explore more of City of Dreams Manila’s promotional offers, rewards, or instantly check Melco Club points with the new Melco Club App.

structed and designed to be part of the landscape. Artesian water is free-flowing, spring water that comes from underground wells and flows to the surface without requiring a pump. Water from these wells may or may not be potable, depending on how deep the well is. Those from much deeper wells may pose a health hazard due to the expected arsenic content of the bedrock. But it’s fascinating to know of this concentration of artesian wells in Olympia, something other cities in the state cannot lay claim to. So, why is Olympia seldom talked about?

Filipino tourists usually go for big cities with many entertainment options and a wide array of large commercial enterprises. Olympia is more laid back and may not be able to offer these options. However, I don’t mind some peace and quiet in a destination, as long as it offers me all the basic things I need to exist comfortably. But then again, this zero-degree temperature in winter is something I may not want to contend with. For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com

Celebrating the season of love

CONRAD Manila welcomes the month of romance with epicurean feasts, live music, and more in a weeklong Valentine’s Day celebration. These dining offers are available at the hotel’s awardwinning restaurants including Brasserie on 3 and China Blue by Jereme Leung, running until February 19.

“We are delighted to celebrate this year’s Valentine’s Day with our esteemed guests and patrons who are looking for romantic experiences to share with their loved ones.

Our culinary team, headed by Executive Chef Warren Brown, has specially curated an exquisite dining experience to make ‘Season of Love’ a culinary affair to remember,” says Fabio Berto, hotel general manager.

Brasserie on 3 invites couples and families to celebrate romance with an indulgent dinner feast. To set the mood right, guests are treated to welcome canapés upon arrival, while the Living Kitchen offers a rich ensemble of gastronomic creations including Slow-Roasted Rib Eye, Seafood Platter, Whole Fish Salted Crusted Salmon, among many others. Price starts at P3,500 per person.

Love is on the menu at China Blue by Jereme Leung as they treat lovebirds to a memorable feast specially prepared by Executive Chinese Chef Eng Yew Khor

Guests are swept off their feet over a luxuriously scrumptious five-course Valentine’s set menu with premium highlights such as:

Wok-fried lobster with salted egg pumpkin sauce, Sautéed U.S. premium beef and stuffed mushroom with black olive red bell pepper sauce, Pan-fried scallop green ginger spring onion sauce and served with onion rice mushroom truffle broth, among others.

Price starts at P4,888++ per person.

For only P3,800, C Lounge invites couples to share a seafood tower highlighting the freshest clams, oysters, prawns, and scallops paired with two glasses of spar-

kling wine while enjoying the captivating views of the bay. As an added treat, the special lady will receive a rose stem courtesy of C Lounge. Available nightly from 5:00 p.m. until February 16.

At Bru Coffee Bar, discover love at first bite with its signature cakes and chocolates meant to be the ideal Valentine’s gift for your special someone. Bring home crowdfavorites such as Strawberry Shortcake, Coffee and Caramel Cake, and Baked Cheesecake with Raspberry Jelly and Mouse, among other romantic surprises. Prices start at P2,900 and are available for the whole month of February.

For those looking to pamper the body and soul, award-winning Conrad Spa treats patrons with their Wellness Rendezvous, a Valentine’s package that includes foot ritual with exfoliation, body scrub, Espa Facial, and a 60-minute healing massage treatment. Couples get to enjoy an Artisan Cheese Board from C Lounge paired with a bottle of red wine. Price starts at P14,800 for two, available until February 28. For reservations and inquiries, please call +63 2 8833 9999 or email conradmanila@ conradhotels.com. To learn more about Conrad Manila’s promotions and offers follow us on Facebook (ConradManilaPH) and on Instagram (@conradmanila).

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the Travel Exchange 2023), Mary Ann Ong (PHILTOA First Vice President), Loleth So (HSMA President), Cristina Carreon (HSMA Vice President), and Amie Villena (HSMA Secretary and HSMA lead for the Travel Exchange 2023).

Relax with your significant other with Conrad Spa’s Valentine package

The Brasserie on 3 will bring the perfect mood and food for a Valentine’s Day meal

Couples can experience a pampering massage journey at Nobu SpaNüwa Spa is offering two rejuvenating packages for couples they can indulge in to achieve ultimate relaxation

The Washington State Capitol Building is the most visible landmark in the city

The Observation Tower of the Port of Olympia gives visitors a commanding view of the area

A section of the Promenade in Port Plaza offers visitors wide open space to enjoy the view