Manila Standard - 2023 April 27 - Thursday

Power bills to rise with ‘strong, drier’ El Nino as DSWD vows to provide aid

THE expected El Niño weather phenomenon could reach “strong” intensity by the end of the year, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Wednesday.

The country may expect a “drier” El

Niño, the weather agency said, adding that the El Niño will possibly develop in July, August, and September and might last until 2024.

Making things worse is the projected spike in Filipinos’ electricity bills as

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DOH: No MM mask mandate

Still up to public to use covering despite uptick in COVID cases

HE Department of Health denied Wednesday that Metro Manila, where nearly 13 million people live, would bring back the mandatory use of anti-COVID masks following an

The DOH said a viral social media post on the supposed return of the mask mandate was “false.”

It also clarified that Metro Manila would remain under Alert Level 1, the

lowest and most relaxed in the government’s COVID-19 alert level system (ALS), until April 30.

Earlier, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said they were not considering making face mask-wearing mandatory despite the recorded rise in COVID-19 cases.

She said the public should assess and know when to wear face masks especially when they belong to the A1 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with comorbidities) populations.

Use SIM card listup extension ASAP—DICT

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology on Wednesday said the 90 more days given to those who have not yet registered their Subscriber Identity Module or SIM cards would be the final extension and urged them to avail themselves of it right away.

FIELD DEMONSTRATION. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. admires a HIMARS precision rocket system up close, then chats with US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson (inset) as they witness the Combined Joint Littoral Live Fire Exercise of the Philippines-US Armed Forces Balikatan exercises in San Antonio, Zambales on April 26. Alfred Frias and Rolando Mailo

Imee prods President to ask US for more EDCA benefits, payments

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Vince Lopez, and Charles Dantes

SENATOR Imee Marcos has asked her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to push for better terms and conditions

before extending the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which gives US troops access to Philippine military bases, when he meets with US President Joe Biden next month.

The senator, who heads the Senate

foreign relations committee, said the President could use the meeting with Biden as an opportunity to talk about the possible renewal of EDCA. Although she has yet to talk to Mr. Marcos about his official trip to meet

Speaker paves way for PBBM US visit by meeting American solons

By Maricel V. Cruz

SPEAKER Martin G. Romualdez has laid the groundwork for the historic visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. this weekend to the United States to meet with President Joe Biden and other US officials.

Just days before President Marcos’ visit, the Speaker embarked on a two-week trip to the US to meet with American lawmakers to discuss defense and security cooperation and economic partnership between the Philippines and the US.

“I think the conditions are right for the meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and

President Joe Biden. We have high hopes for the exchange of ideas between the two leaders and its outcome,” Romualdez said.

The House leader is still in the US, following up on his earlier interactions with his US counterpart, Speaker Kevin McArthy, and other American lawmakers and officials.

Romualdez and his delegation also had meetings with US House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Representatives Young Kim, Mike Rogers, Darrell Issa, Ami Bera, and Chris Stewart.

He has described his meeting with the Speaker of the US House of Representatives and other

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Biden, Sen. Marcos said it is but proper to talk about EDCA, which was signed in 2014, as the 10-year effectivity of the agreement will soon expire.

The President’s older sister said Mr.

DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy stressed in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB that the law did not give them another extension.

SIM is a removable card inside a cell phone that stores data unique to the user as an identification number, passwords, phone numbers, and messages.

On Tuesday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the 90-day extension of the SIM registration period or until July 25 from the original deadline of April 26.

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Pinoys scramble to exit Sudan, French come to help

By Rey E. Requejo, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

A FILIPINO was wounded by a stray bullet in Sudan, while a Philippine ambassador figured in a car accident on his way to oversee evacuation efforts in the war-torn African country,

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the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.

The unidentified Filipino was “wounded in the hand by a stray bullet but he has received treatment,” DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said, adding that no Filipinos were reported killed.

Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador

to Egypt Ezzedin Tago was on his way to the border between Egypt and Sudan when his vehicle was involved in an accident, Daza said.

He was unharmed and returned to Cairo to facilitate the entry of Filipino evacuees to Egypt, Daza said.

workers to demand wage hike on Labor Day

By Vito Barcelo and Joel Zurbano

MORE than 10,000 workers from various labor groups will troop to Mendiola near Malacanang on Monday, Labor Day, in what they said was

a display of solidarity.

This is intended to demand an increase in wages, an end to contractualization and the full recognition of the right to freely unionize, according to the All Philippine Trade Un -

ions (APTU).

It said it would gather more than 10,000 workers to march from España to Mendiola in the morning of May 1 to collectively air their demands.

BIRTHDAY BOY AND GUESTS. Former presidential spiritual adviser Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy (right) welcomes two of his guests -- Senator Christopher Go and former President Rodrigo Duterte -- to his birthday party at his church compound in Davao City on Tuesday night. Also present were Senators Robin Padilla, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Francis Tolentino, Mark Villar, Ramon Revilla, Jr., former Senate President Manny Villar, and Cabinet officials under the Duterte administration. Sen. Bong Go

SUMMER COOLERS.

Solons baffled over missing shabu

By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

LEGISLATORS on Wednesday said they were baffled over the failure of the Philippine National Police to trace the source of nearly one ton of shabu confiscated from Police Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr. in October 2022.

At a hearing of the House committee on dangerous drugs, Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop noted that the P6.7 billion worth of shabu was seized from an office in Tondo, Manila, operated by Mayo.

“I do not know if the PNP or the authorities in charge of these are alarmed by the fact that a non-commissioned officer of the PNP had in his possession one ton of illegal drugs…. It was

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lawmakers as “historic and fruitful.”

It was the first meeting between two House Speakers of the two countries in recent years.

“Our meeting proved fruitful as the Philippine delegation managed to impress on Speaker McCarthy the need for the legislative representatives of the two countries to ramp up discussions on how to further boost US-Philippine relations,” Romualdez said.

“Relations between our two countries remain strong. Our security alliance under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty is ironclad. Our economic partnership is robust. And the friendship between our two peoples is solid,” he said.

The other members of Romualdez’s delegation include Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco, Agusan del Norte 1st District Rep. Jose Aquino II, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, and House Sergeant-at-Arms PMGEN Napoleon Taas.

The Speaker said his group and their US peers also agreed on improving communication, synergy, coordination, and sharing of best practices between their institutions.

“We were thankful that Speaker McCarthy shared our ideals and agreed to continue similar discussions in the future,” he said.

The House leader invited his counterpart, the third highest-ranking US official, to visit the Philippines soon and attend the country’s hosting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF).

“Our message to the US legislators was clear. The US-Philippine ties are strong and are reaching new heights and levels of understanding under the administrations of President Marcos and US President Joe Biden. Our defense and security arrangements are solid, and our bilateral strategic partnership is working,” he said.

“However, we also pointed out the need to step up bilateral discussions on economic issues to make the benefits of this dynamic relationship more tangible tenfold for our people. We need to strengthen not only our defense cooperation but also our economic partnership,” he said.

He said the Philippines under President Marcos “has reintegrated relations with the United States not only to provide peace and stability in our region but also prosperity for our people.”

in the possession of just a police officer.

Didn’t they wonder about this?” Acop said in a mix of English and Filipino. Acop said Chinese nationals were usually involved in cases where significant quantities of shabu are confiscated, but this was not the case with Mayo.

“He had in his possession one ton of illegal drugs. Where did it come from?

I don’t know if the PNP investigated this,” he said.

DOH:...

Earlier in the hearing, the newly appointed chief of the PNP told congressmen that under his leadership, the force will not tolerate crooked cops.

“The PNP, especially under my leadership, does not and will not tolerate any wrongdoings, misconduct, and violation of laws of erring personnel,” Police Chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda told members of the Barbers committee.

He said the PNP would conduct an impartial and thorough investigation into the personnel involved in the seizure of 990 kilos of street-grade methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu in 2022.

Barbers summoned Acorda and other senior PNP officials to shed light on

the alleged pilferage of 42 kilos of the seized 990 kilos of shabu.

Congressmen suspect that there was a cover-up of the incident as well as an attempt to recycle the large haul of seized drugs.

Acorda, who was named PNP chief on Monday, said Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) 990 had already been formed to look into the issue.

Meanwhile, Acop expressed disgust over the claim of Police Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo that Mayo could walk out of jail as a result of the congressional inquiry into the Oct. 8, 2022 drug bust.

Acop, the former director of the PNPDrug Enforcement Group (PDEG), objected to Domingo’s statement.

DOJ: Process to tag Teves a terrorist started

THE Department of Justice has begun the process to designate Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves as a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council, possibly with three others implicated in the assassination of Governor Roel Degamo last March.

“This morning the Anti-Terror Council met already and I’ve made a case already for the designation,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in an interview.

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Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) vowed to assist people who would be directly affected by the protracted dry spell.

In another development, the Department of Health reminded the public to cut down on hot coffee and alcoholic beverages to prevent dehydration during the El Niño months.

In the PAGASA’s climate outlook forum on Wednesday, weather specialist Rusy Abastillas said there is a 41-percent chance that the El Niño phenomenon this year may be more intensive.

“For the strength of this El Niño event, shows that the probability for a weak to moderate El Niño is more than 50 percent, 87 percent that it would be weak, and 67 percent it would be moderate,” Abastillas said.

“But there is also a 41 percent chance that it may be strong by NovemberDecember-January. So there is still a chance it will be strong, but as of now, the probability is weak to moderate,” Abastilllas said. Maricel V. Cruz

“The ALS continues to provide guidance for every Filipino through the IATF recommendations sent to the Office of the President... so that each may equip themselves with better layers of protection against COVID-19,” the DOH said.

“The Department clarifies that the current Alert Level System is still being discussed through the IATF, and the DOH has previously recommended that these alert levels be similar to typhoon warnings and a guidance system in the future,” it added.

The DOH earlier clarified an April 14 resolution made by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), which listed 26 areas under Alert Level 2.

The said areas were not escalated from Alert Level 1, as they have been under the second alert level since June last year.

“While these areas have reached low risk classifications for cases and utilization rates, these have vaccination rates lower than 70 percent of the target total and population,” the DOH said in a statement on Sunday.

1 since January 2023,” it added. While it was approved on April 14, the IATF-EID resolution was only published on the government’s Official Gazette eight days later.

message to reporters.

“We started the process of designating Congressman Arnie Teves as a terrorist and a technical working group has been formed to recommend the action of the ATC as to the designation of Arnie Teves and with that, I just made a case out of it,” he added.

The Health Department advised the public to be mindful of information being shared on social media, particularly on the COVID-19 alert level status of several areas in the Philippines. It urged the public to obtain information from reputable sources such as its official platforms, other national government agencies and institutions, and known news outlets.

In the past week, the Philippines saw a 32-percent increase in the daily average of coronavirus infections.

As of April 25, the country has 4,255 active COVID-19 cases, the DOH’s COVID-19 Tracker showed.

Of some 4 million infections logged since the start of the pandemic, 66,444 led to death.

In related developments, the World Health Organization has yet to confirm “sticky eyes” or conjunctivitis as a symptom of the XBB.1.1.6 Omicron or Arcturus subvariant, the DOH said Wednesday.

Other symptoms may vary from case to case aside from the known flu-like symptoms, the DOH said.

“Studies are continuously ongoing of what effects the virus may entail. What is important is that cases remain manageable,” it said.

On Tuesday, the DOH logged the country’s first case of XBB.1.1.6 Omicron subvariant in its latest surveillance report.

The case is from Iloilo province and was asymptomatic and was already recovered.

Along with it, the DOH detected 85 additional variants of COVID-19.

Of the tally, about 39 were identified as XBB subvariant (14 were XBB.1.9.1, 13 were XBB.1.5, one was the XBB.1.16, the rest were other XBB sublineages).

Twenty-eight cases were identified as BA.2.3.20; 12 cases were BA.5, and three cases belonged to XBC.

The remaining cases belonged to “other Omicron sublineages.”

The XBB subvariant remains the most dominant strain nationwide with 1,861 cases recorded to date. It is followed by the XBC with a total of 764 cases.

Asked why Teves had to be tagged as a terrorist, Remulla pointed to his alleged involvement in the killing of the Negros Oriental Governor, who was shot by several gunmen inside his residence.

Remulla said Marvin Miranda, an alleged associate of Teves, had been included in the ATC case.

Miranda had been indicted for nine counts of murder, 13 counts of frustrated murder, and four counts of attempted murder in connection with the attack on Degamo’s residence.

“We call it the Teves criminal group and Teves criminal organization. There are at least four people that will be pointed out already as part of the terrorist organization,” Remulla said.

“Certainly, there are three others, including Marvin Miranda or (the alleged) casting director,” he added.

Eight others were killed in the attack, which happened while Degamo was leading the distribution of cash assistance at his home in Pamplona town.

“In general, COVID-19 exhibits flulike symptoms such as fever, cough, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, headache, body pain, and diarrhea, among others,” the DOH said in a Viber

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“Also, no province or city has been escalated to alert level 2 from alert level

The DOH advised the public to consult a physician or to head to the nearest health facility for proper diagnosis of symptoms. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Imee...

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Marcos should ask Biden for better terms and conditions – such as payment from the US government for using the Philippines’ military facilities under the agreement.

The goal of EDCA, Sen. Marcos noted, is for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to obtain earnings to help modernize its equipment. At present, she said the US government does not pay the Armed Forces of the Philippines any rent, nor for their electricity and water consumption while in the country.

“Our soldiers have also volunteered to work for them free of charge in case they need additional staff,” Sen. Marcos said.

The senator also questioned why the government is so generous to foreigners “while they (government) still owe our teachers, health workers, and the poor.”

So that the Philippine economy and communities can benefit from the EDCA sites, the senator proposed to press a commitment from US forces that they will buy food from local farmers.

disputed South China Sea on Wednesday, in the final exercise of the allies’ largest-ever military drills.

It was the first time the countries had conducted a joint live-fire exercise in the hotly contested waters, which China claims almost entirely.

President Marcos, who has sought stronger defense ties with the United States, sat in an observation tower with US and Philippine officials watching the event in Zambales province north of Manila.

“No Hollywood effects this morning, this is an old-fashioned training,” said Lt. Col. Nick Mannweiler, a US Marine Corps public affairs officer.

The live-fire drill kicked off with the US HIMARS precision rocket system launching a series of rounds at a decommissioned Philippine Navy corvette anchored about 22 kilometers off the coast.

The objective was to sink the decadesold ship, which represented an enemy vessel approaching the Philippine shore.

which involved detecting, identifying, targeting, and engaging a target ship using a variety of ground and air-based weapons systems.

The sinking of the ship served as the highlight of the 38th iteration of the Balikatan exercises.

“This training increased the exercise’s realism and complexity, a key priority shared between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US military,” said Lt. Gen. William Jurney, commander of US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, and the US director for the exercise.

“Together we are strengthening our capabilities in full-spectrum military operations across all domains,” he added.

The drills aim to boost Manila’s military capability while serving as a US show of support for its Asian ally as China’s assertiveness in the region grows stronger.

Nearly 18,000 troops have taken part in the annual exercises dubbed Balikatan, or “shoulder to shoulder” in Filipino.

A total of 87,442,982 or 52.04 percent of the total 168,016,400 subscriber base nationwide have registered their SIMs as of April 24, 2023, officials said.

Uy reiterated the government was looking to register 70 percent of the total subscriber base to capture the “legitimate” SIM users.

“At 70 percent, we’re looking at 100 million to 110 million legitimate SIM users. We’re now at 82 million registered,” Uy said.

The DICT chief said telcos have upgraded their systems so it would not be difficult for the public to register.

He also reminded the public that barangay IDs could be used to register SIM cards as some individuals do not possess any government IDs.

Uy warned that scammers might take advantage of the 90-day SIM registration extension.

He said the DICT would gradually deactivate some SIM services such as access to social media accounts and loss of ability to make outgoing calls as the 90-day additional registration period moves forward.

Earlier on, Uy defended the gradual deactivation of unregistered SIMs.

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That was followed by artillery units lined up along a grassy field firing rockets at floating drums 10 kilometers offshore.

This developed as US and Philippine troops fired a salvo of rockets at a warship representing an enemy vessel in the

Wednesday’s event “demonstrated new potential and revitalized the strength of our militaries while we continuously forge an ironclad alliance,” the Balikatan director for the Philippine military, Maj. Gen. Marvin Licudine, said in a statement. With AFP people use more power for their airconditioning and cooling devices, an industry spokesman said.

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As of Wednesday morning, the DFA has deployed seven buses carrying around 300 repatriates from Sudan to Egypt, said Undersecretary Ed de Vega, who said processing at the Egyptian border was taking over a day.

“Our Embassy is sending teams to try to fix it,” he said.

The DFA said there were 740 registered Filipinos in Sudan.

The evacuation buses took Filipinos

About 1,400 marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and coast guardsmen from both countries took part in the live-fire exercise in San Antonio, Zambales,

to Cairo, over 2,000 kilometers north of Khartoum.

Daza said getting buses to transport Filipinos out of Sudan was also challenging, given their scarcity and high rental rates.

So far, 80 Filipinos have left Sudan, while 270 others are requesting repatriation, data from the DFA showed.

Most are professionals, while some work on farms or are students, Daza said.

“Philippine Honorary Consul Tariq has distributed welfare assistance to priority groups including senior citizens and families with small children in

tion on May 1.

Khartoum,” she said.

Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, who is also expected to be in Egypt, earlier said that the Philippine government would provide $200 for each Filipino evacuee from Sudan.

The fighting in Sudan, which has left some neighborhoods of its capital in ruins, broke out on April 15 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

At least 459 people have been killed and more than 4,000 have been wound-

next week’s celebration.

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Also, the Department of the Interior and Local Government tapped local chief executives in Metro Manila and the Philippine National Police to begin preparations to ensure peace and order during the Labor Day celebra -

“While we support all lawful and peaceful activities in commemoration of Labor Day, we must ensure public safety and peace and order,” said DILG secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr.

The DILG chief called on the Regional Peace and Order Council - National Capital Region (RPOC-NCR) and PNP to discuss the security preparations for

“Let us make sure that a sizable security contingent will be fielded particularly in known convergence areas while the policy of maximum tolerance will be strictly observed by police security forces,” said Abalos.

The APTU, composed of the Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Trade Union Congress of the Phil-

At the sidelines of a DICT event, Uy said there was a need to slowly reduce the services of SIM cards that have not been registered during the 90-day extension of the SIM registration which begins today, Thursday. Vince Lopez

ed across Africa’s third-biggest country, according to UN agencies.

A US-brokered ceasefire between the two generals entered its second day on Wednesday but remained fragile after witnesses reported fresh air strikes and paramilitaries claimed to have seized a major oil refinery and power plant.

Security fears were compounded when the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Tuesday of a “huge biological risk” after fighters occupied a Khartoum laboratory holding samples of cholera, measles, polio, and other infectious diseases.

ippines, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and other trade union centers and confederations.

It was established in January 2023 as workers submitted its report on the state of freedom of association in the Philippines to ILO High Level Tripartite Mission that looked into the killings of trade union leaders and other FOA violations since 2016.

Tingog hands out subsidies to fire victims, students

TINGOG party-list group led by Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre, along with Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, has extended assistance to 295 fire victims in Taytay, Rizal and 1,141 student-beneficiaries in Mindanao.

“Tingog party-list in collaboration with the Marcos administration is always committed to helping our people who need assistance. That’s is our (Tingog party-list) brand of service,” Yedda Romualdez said after handing out financial assistance to individuals in crisis situation (AICS) program to the target beneficiaries.

“We hope that our assistance will make a difference in their lives. Giving back to our people is a long-standing tradition of the Tingog party list,” Acidre said.

“We hope this act of kindness will inspire positive change,” Speaker Romualdez said. “The Marcos government is committed to working together with us to help alleviate the plight of our people.”

On Wednesday, each of the 295 fire victims in barangays Dolores, Muzon, and San Juan in Taytay received P3,000 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) AICS program.

The payout ceremony attended by Mayor Allan De Leon and councilors Elaine Boknay Leonardo and Patrick Alcantara was held at the San Juan Gym. De Leon and Alcantara expressed gratitude to the Tingog party list and to the Speaker for their unwavering commitment to the financial assistance of Taytay’s residents. Maricel V. Cruz

200 boys undergo circumcision during QC medical mission

SOME 200 boys underwent circumcision operation during a multi-sector medical mission last April 22 in Fairview, Quezon City under the auspices of a local chapter of the Knights of Columbus (K of C).

Operation Tuli, organized by the Knights of Columbus Council 7178 Cathedral Parish of the Good Shepherd in Fairview was spearheaded by Jerome P. Juanengo and was carried out in cooperation with the Fairview barangay officials headed by Jonel Quebal and the Barangay Council and Cathedral Shrine and Parish of the Good Shepherd under Rev. Fr. Antonio Labiao, Jr.

The K of C Council 7178 also partnered with Philippine CollectiveMedia Corporation and Tingog party-list, through Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Rep. Jude Acidre, as part of their community service.

Operation Tuli is an annual program of the K of C Council 7178 which aims to address the health needs of young men whose families cannot afford to send them to private clinics for medically conducted circumcision. According to GK Juanengo, circumcision does not only mark the transition of a boy to being a man but more importantly, it is also part of good hygiene.

The operations were handled by volunteer medical professionals from UST Hospital, Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, FEU Hospital and East Avenue Medical Center.

Said undertaking was also a joint collaboration between and among Daughters of Mary Immaculate, Int’l (DMI) and Social Action Ministry Tugon ng Pastol of the Parish of the Good Shepherd and the Brgy. Public Safety Office (BPSO) of Brgy. Fairview.

Post operation medications were also provided to all those who underwent circumcision, like vitamins, pain relievers and antibiotics from Unilab.

Manila set to implement single-ticket traffic tack

THE City of Manila is ready for the full implementation of the single ticketing system, which is set on May 2.

According to Mayor Honey Lacuna, they are prepared to implement the system next week.

With this, she directed Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau (MTPB) head Zenaida Viaje to ensure that the personnel are already familiar with the said system.

The Manila local chief executive added that the city council has enacted the necessary ordinance that will adopt standardized fines on the identified common traffic violations and another ordinance for traffic-related offenses not stated in the traffic code.

IN BRIEF

Risa favors NFA plan to stock up on rice

Manila is one of seven cities that will pilot-test the new system since they already have an existing system for the project.

Metro Manila cities have adopted the single ticketing system through the establishment of the Metro Manila Traffic Code of 2023, which provides for a system of interconnectivity among government instrumentalities involved in the transport and traffic management in the metropolis with harmonized fines and penalties.

Under Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Resolution No. 23-02,

the single ticketing system will harmonize the existing national and local laws on traffic enforcement to establish effective transport and traffic management in the metropolis.

Lacuna said the new system is also expected to help address different procedures of apprehension, payment of fines, the redemption of licenses and plates, and uncoordinated implementation of traffic laws resulting in confusion of the driving public, loss of money, and productive hours.

She added that the single ticketing system provides convenience for apprehended motorists since they can now pay for their traffic-related violations wherever or regardless of the city where they have been caught and issued tickets.

MEDICAL MISSION.

Some 200 boys undergo circumcision during an Operation Tuli organized by the Knights of Columbus Council 7178 Cathedral Parish of the Good Shepherd, Fairview, Quezon City, with Grand Knight Jerome Juanengo and Barangay Fairview chairman Jonel Quebal.

DA to reassess anti-ASF measures as disease persists

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agencies will “reevaluate” the country’s African Swine Fever (ASF) control and prevention program as the disease continues to affect the industry across the country.

As of March 2023, 11 regions, 21 provinces, 54 municipalities and 137 barangays still have active ASF cases across the country, according to the latest DA data.

The data suggests “there is something wrong” with the current pro-

tocols, said DA National Livestock Program and International Training Center on Pig Husbandry director Ruth Miclat-Sonaco during the Animal Nutrition Summit briefing on Wednesday. “We have to reevaluate how we do our ASF control and prevention... So we will have a meeting anytime soon to talk about this prevention and control, among other things. And what should we do more because apparently, something is wrong,” Sonaco said.

The DA confirmed last month more

ASF cases in several parts of the country including Cebu and Bohol.

Bohol province intensified its border control efforts against African swine fever DA confirms cases of African swine fever in parts of Cebu.

The DA and its attached agencies have programs to control the spread of ASF such as the ‘Barangay Bantay ASF’ as well as a repopulation effort called Integrated National Swine Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE).

House bill criminalizes malpractice by vets

A BILL filed at the House of Representatives seeks to impose the penalties of imprisonment, fines, cancellation of license to practice and revocation of permit to operate against veterinarians found guilty of malpractice.

House Bill 7896, or the Anti-Veterinary Malpractice Act of 2023 authored by Rep. Paolo Duterte of Davao City, also requires veterinarians to avail themselves of malpractice insurance to answer for any claims of damages arising from wrongful acts or omissions resulting to injury or death of any animal.

“The state recognizes the role of veterinary medicine in the country as a practice dedicated for the protection of the animal population through safe and proper diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of these animals. The regulation in the practice of veterinary medicine is

enshrined in Republic Act No. 9268 or The Philippine Veterinary Medicine Act of 2004, which in addition, institutionalizes the mandate of the Professional Regulatory Board of Veterinary Medicine,” Duterte said.

But the board, Duterte added, has always relied on the Code of Ethics and Code of Technical Standards for Doctors of Veterinary Medicines, including its other policies issued pursuant to RA 9268 in order to regulate the said profession, and yet the practice remains unregulated and unbridled, resulting to a number of malpractice cases against veterinarians which remained unpenalized due to lack of an enabling legislation that will hold a veterinarian criminally liable for gross negligence and ignorance in exercise of their profession.Maricel V. Cruz

SENATOR Risa Hontiveros says the country’s economic managers should justify the increase in rice inventory of the National Food Authority (NFA). Hontiveros expressed belief however that stocking up in the country’s staple was more reasonable than other economy-related programs of the government, particularly those than address livelihood and hunger.

The senator said the government should ensure adequate supply of food for the people, notably the poor.

She recounted that during the 2016 El Niño, there were substantial stocks of rice in the NFA warehouses, but the problem was the poor had no money to buy the cereal.

“The violence in Kidapawan with the refusal to open the warehouses for the poor should not happen again,” Hontiveros stressed.

She said there were also reports that sanitary and phytosanitary clearances have already been issued for more than three million metric tons of rice to be imported by the private sector and nearly one-third of this allocation has already arrived.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

DSWD to set up more AICS processing offices

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will open new satellite offices for the processing of its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program in Metro Manila and Bulacan province as part of its commitment to bring its services and interventions closer to the people particularly during difficult times.

“This initiative is one way to decongest our existing AICS payout areas, and to deliver services under AICS directly to our clients from different parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces,” DSWD Assistant Secretary for Community Engagement Uly Aguilar said.

At present, there are two existing AICS processing areas: the DSWD Central Office in Batasan Road, which services the entire Quezon City and Northern Caloocan areas, and the DSWD Field Office – National Capital Region in Gastambide, Sampaloc, Manila, which covers clients from the cities of Manila, San Juan, Mandaluyong and Makati. Maricel V. Cruz

CEB launches ClarkGeneral Santos route

CEBU Pacific Air (CEB) on Wednesday launched its General Santos City-Clark, Pampanga route, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced on Wednesday.

CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said airport and aviation officials in General Santos welcomed 132 passengers who arrived on board the inaugural CEB flight 5J 1095 from Clark.

Apolonio said the aircraft departed General Santos for Clark that same morning with 136 passengers on board.

According to Area Center 11 manager Rex Obcena and GSA manager Joel Gavina, an Airbus A320 will fly the Clark-General Santos route three times a week, or every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

RIVER CLEANUP. Workers from the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of Malabon conduct a vigorous clean-up drive along Catmon River to prevent a possible dengue outbreak in the city. Andrew Rabulan

AICS PAYOUT. Tingog party-list, in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, holds an offsite Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) payout event for fire victims in three barangays of Taytay, Rizal, as well as for over 1,000 impoverished students in Mindanao.

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BF homeowners have ax to grind, says Sen. Villar

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Cynthia A. Villar yesterday said that officials of the BF Resort Village Homeowners Association (BFRVHOA) have ‘an ax to grind’ against her when they barricaded her composting facility inside the said village.

A video of Villar went viral, wherein she was seen ordering village security guards to remove the barriers in front of her composting facilty where wastes were being transformed into organic fertilizers.

These fertilizers from kitchen and garden wastes were being distributed for free to farmers and urban gardeners. Villar said this has been one of her advocacies as chairperson of the Senate agriculture and food committee.

IN BRIEF

Bill filed to address airport congestion

A RESOLUTION has been filed at the House of Representatives urging the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to address the persistent delays and congestion in passenger terminals in the country’s airports.

In House Resolution 921, Reps. Paolo Duterte of Davao City and Eric Yap of Benguet cited the need for the DOTr to check the status of, and upgrade, the security facilities in the country’s airports to lessen congestion in passenger terminals and heighten measures on ensuring public safety.

“The consistent congestion in these airports necessitates an increase and advancement in airport security facilities and equipment, particularly full body scanners and baggage scanners, in order to serve a larger number of people as well as ensure public safety in the exercise of every citizen’s right to travel,” HR 921 stated.

In pressing the DOTr to address the congestion and delays in airports, Yap and Duterte asserted the oversight function of Congress, specifically the House of Representatives” “to revisit and scrutinize existing laws, regulations, and circumstances that affect the country’s passengers as well as public order and safety.” Maricel V. Cruz

BI welcomes Viado as

new deputy commissioner

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) welcomed the appointment of Deputy Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, who officially reported to the office on Monday.

Viado was welcomed by BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco and the employees of the BI.

He holds a degree in Political Science from the University of the Philippines, and graduated law from the same university. He entered the Philippine Bar in 1999.

Prior to his appointment, Viado was the partner of a law firm, in charge of its overall administration and operation.

He began his career in law as a legal counsel of multinational corporations engaged in construction operations all over Asia, Europe, and the United States. Vito Barcelo

Agents arrest South Korean wanted for fraud

BUREAU of Immigration (BI) authorities arrested a South Korean woman wanted in her country for fraud.

The Korean, identified as Kim Yerum, is now in BI custody following her arrest in Angeles City, Pampanga by members of the bureau’s fugitive search unit (FSU).

Kim was arrested on the strength of a deportation warrant issued by Tansingco based on a summary deportation order which the BI board of commissioners issued against the Korean in October 2021.

She was ordered deported after South Korean authorities informed the BI about her presence in the country and her record as a wanted fugitive in Korea.

Kim is presently detained at the BI warden facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City while awaiting deportation. Vito Barcelo

DOJ: Oil spill claims in areas affected may reach $284m

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday said people affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro may receive only a total payment of $284 million from the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds.

“The maximum coverage for the oil spill based on the IOPC would only be up to 203 million SDR (special drawing rights) or in United States dollars it would be $284 million,” said Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said, during an interview with ANC.

Vasquez stressed the recoverable amount is pursuant to the Protocol of the International Convention for Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage where the Philippines is a state party.

According to the official, the IOPC has “some kind of mutual fund” that is “par-

FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS.

Members of various unions and labor federations came together for a press conference at Maria Orosa Ermita Manila to discuss the upcoming Joint Labor Day Mobilization on May 1 to urge the government to uphold workers’ rights, raise wages, and create jobs.

Norman Cruz

ticipated in by all maritime industry member states.”

“Everybody contributes and the fund would be the source of the payment for all the claims in respect to oil pollution,” he said.

The DOJ has been leading the interagency dialogue over the oil spill caused by MT Princess Empress which sank off the waters of Oriental Mindoro last Feb. 28 after allegedly ignoring gale warnings.

The latest dialogue was held Tuesday, April 25, at the DOJ which was attended for the first time by IOPC Director Gaute

Sivertsen. Vasquez noted there is an ongoing compensation caravan at the affected areas in Oriental Mindoro.

“They would then bring all these claims to the United Kingdom where the IOPC holds office for the vetting, assessment and verification of all the claims,” the DOJ official added.

Various national government agencies headed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) meanwhile have started drawing up a harmonized recovery plan for areas affected by the oil spill

The DENR spearheaded an activity held at its central office in Quezon City recently to coordinate the recovery plans of different national government agencies with the overall goal of addressing the oil spill’s intersecting impacts to the people, environment, tourism, and the local economy, a statement said.

Croatian ambassador visits Arroyo in QC residence

By Maricel V. Cruz

AMBASSADOR of the Republic of Cro-

atia to the Philippines Nebojša Koharović has paid a courtesy visit to former President and currently House Senior Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at her residence in Quezon City.

Arroyo said both countries can do a

lot of things together bilaterally on the back of 30 years of Philippine-Croatia relations.

She mentioned that the Philippines is seeking to maintain its GSP-Plus (Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus) or GSP+, which is one of the specialized incentive arrangements of the Europena Union (EU) for sustainable development

and good governance in the form of zero duties. Croatia is a member of the EU.

Arroyo also relayed the Philippines’ pursuit of Croatia’s support for the former’s bid to the United Nations Security Council as a non-government member. This will be for the term 2027 to 2028 at elections to be held in 2026 in New York.

HIV

The lawmaker is reportedly mulling legal action against the person who took a video of her during the “confrontation” in the said subdivision in Las Piñas. She said she believes the person had “bad intent” after the video went viral online.

In a media briefing on Wednesday, Villar also disclosed that association officials have been taking it personal against her since she filed a complaint before a Las Pinas City court over their refusal to honor the “friendship sticker” issued by the local government.

Villar said the court had issued a temporary restraining order against the homeowners association’s decision not to allow those from Las Piñas to pass through the roads inside the BF Resort Village.

Pope appoints new archbishop for Zamboanga

POPE Francis has appointed 66-yearold Ipil Bishop Julius Tonel as the new archbishop of Zamboanga.

According to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news website, the Vatican announced the appointment on Tuesday.

The archbishop-elect will succeed the late Archbishop Romulo de la Cruz, who died on Dec. 10, 2021. He was 74.

Zamboanga Auxiliary Bishop Moises Cuevas has been the apostolic administrator of the archdiocese

For his part, the Catholic prelate urged the faithful to pray for the new head of the archdiocese.

“Let us come together as one Body of Christ with the archdiocese to pray for our new archbishop as he begins his new ministry among us. May the Holy Spirit guide and strengthen him as he leads us on the path of faith and spiritual growth,” Cuevas said in a statement.

“May God bless our new archbishop and our local Church of Zamboanga. May we continue to grow in faith, hope and love under his spiritual guidance,” he added.

Tonel was born on Aug. 31, 1956 in Davao City. He studied Philosophy at the San Francis Xavier Regio al Major Seminary of Mindanao (SFX-REMASE) and Theology at the University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary in Manila.

He was ordained priest on April 12, 1980 for the Archdiocese of Davao, where he served as its Vicar General and Rector of SFX-REMASE.

The archbishop-elect also holds a licentiate degree in Liturgical Theology from the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Liturgy in Rome.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as prelate of then Prelature of Ipil on June 30, 2007. His ordination to the episcopate was held on August 20.

patient seeks to revive case vs. dentists

By Rio Araja

AN HIV patient from Makati City is asking the Supreme Court (SC) to review the dismissal of a six-year-old “dental discrimination” case filed against two dentists in 2017 and to revive the lawsuit.

The male patient of Barangay Bangkal through the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) filed a 45-page petition for review on certiorari under Rule 45 of the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedures, assailing a decision of the Court of Appeals promulgated on June 28, 2022 and its subsequent resolution dated Feb. 9, 2023 denying the Office of the Solicitor General’s motion for reconsideration.

“I conclude that we should and may use state power to reduce discrimination by dentists against people with HIV.

Discrimination can reasonably be seen as an evil, the hurtful exercise of arbitrary market power by misguided individuals against an emotionally and physically vulnerable group of people…,” the petition read.

“This is the first HIV/AIDS violation case under Republic Act 8504. PAO and the Office of the Solicitor General have joined together in this ‘novice’ case,” PAO chief Persida Acosta told the Manila Standard.

The OSG representing the HIV patient also filed a 45-page petition for review on certiorari with the High Court, questioning the acquittal of Dr. Sarah Jane Mugar and Dr. Mylene Igrubay at the Taguig City Metropolitan Trial Court and the denial of the petitioner’s motion for reconsideration at the appellate court.

‘LOVE NATURE.’ People walk past the newly-painted mural at the QC Elliptical Underpass along Elliptical Road in Quezon City. The mural highlights endangered species and calls for the public to protect and love nature. Manny Palmero

AN AUSTRIAN delegation came to town recently and met with our migrant worker department officials.

They are in need of many medical workers, particularly nurses, and are offering top price, about four times what our private hospitals pay their health workers.

Surely, there will be a long line of applicants willing to learn the German language which is a requirement for them to work in Austria and though German is rather difficult to learn for Filipinos, try our hopeful nurses certainly will.

We are all happy that more OFW’s will mean more dollars coming in to prop up an economy whose agriculture is fading and whose manufacturing sector is dependent on raw material and factory supply imports.

But our health system, already burdened by lack of infrastructure and vanishing personnel resources on top of the high cost of medical care and pharmaceutical remedies, will be more and more challenged by the migration

We wish our president a successful visit to the US of A just as we hope the American government will treat its former colony as an equal partner in their Far East

to other countries.

North America, the UK and Europe also want our nurses and physical therapists.

Soon, our hospitals will have fewer and fewer medical professionals to care for the health needs of our 114 million population, and more. Today’s solutions, tomorrow’s problems.

* * *

Even war-threatened Taiwan wants more Filipino workers. They are in a demographic winter, with fewer Taiwanese entrants to the labor force, and the few who are of working age prefer cushy office jobs to factory work.

Three ASEAN countries constitute the bulk of migrant workers in Taiwan: Vietnamese who find some facility in learning Mandarin; Filipinos who are conversant in English; and Indonesians who constitute the bulk of the caregivers for their many senior citizens.

When I left Taipei in the middle of 2021, there were around 180,000 kababayans working mostly in factories, and some caregivers and fishermen.

Now, MECO Chairman Silvestre Bello III said in a recent interview we have some 200,000 OFWs in the island.

Because the Taiwanese government wants its students to learn English, they are now hiring more and more Filipino teachers, and offering salaries thrice what they earn in our country.

Soon we will have a dearth of qualified teachers in our country, while our population continues to grow by 1.3 pervcent annually, or about a million and a half more each year who will go to school six years thereafter.

Again, today’s solutions; tomorrow’s problems.

* * *

The AFP spokesman, brimming with enthusiasm at the site of 17,000 joint American and Filipino soldiers doing their Balikatan, and after the government’s announcement that four new sites will be accorded EDCA accreditation, proudly declares there is a possibility that more and more locations in the Philippines will be lent to the US.

We need a full security cover, something like a 360-degree or all-around security umbrella to protect our sovereignty and maritime resources, he stated.

Soon, our officials may resurrect the “ardent” desire of many to be incorporated into the Union, as the 51st state of mighty and mightily-failing America.

Which of course, the Trumpian supporters and the WASPs will reject forcefully.

Imagine 65 million voters coming from

Elderly

WASHINGTON, DC—If Joe Biden wins a second term, Kamala Harris will again find herself a heartbeat away from the presidency. The only difference: this time it will be an 82-year-old heart.

Vice presidents are often an afterthought in Washington, but with Biden smashing previous age records in the Oval Office, the three-decades-younger Harris will go into the election under searing scrutiny.

If anyone needed a reminder how much Harris could matter one day, they got it in November 2021, when Biden went under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy.

The procedure was quick but for those

the Philippines, which has a land area smaller than California?

With that number, we can elect Manny Pacquiao president of the US of A, where he after all maintains some kind of domicile.

* * * Reading between the lines of statements issued after Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, a good personal friend of our Philippine Ambassador to Beijing, Jimmy Flor Cruz, met with the president and before that, Secretary Enrique Manalo and DFA officials, it seems that testy relations of late have been cooled.

“Chill lang,” as we stated in our previous article last week, or better yet, chill muna.

No sooner had Minister Qin left Manila than the AFP spokesman enthusiastically foresaw more EDCA sites all over the archipelago, some kind of 360-degree security blanket.

Okay then, why not another EDCA site in Burgos, Ilocos Norte or Laoag City where there is an international airport?

After all, if Puerto Princesa and Mactan’s international airports are now EDCA sites, should Senator Imee object to Laoag?

Or maybe add Davao International Airport, if we want 360-degree cover. Over former President Duterte’s dead body though.

* * *

Despite statements the relations between China and the Philippines are now hunkydory, watch how the promised investments and bilateral aid will grind exceedingly slow in the following months and years.

Watch too how tourists from China, and never mind the dwindled POGO workers, dash the hopes of Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco for a renaissance of the 2018-2019 numbers when a million and more came to the country from the mainland.

As for American tourists, well, they are mostly balikbayans who will come every Christmas season anyway, or during their hometown fiestas.

Ah, but we can count the American soldiers coming in for Balikatan and to construct temporary facilities in the EDCA sites as tourists, ne c’est pas?

For Olongapo, it will be “happy days are here again”!

And Harry Roque will have more rape and sexual assault victims to lawyer for.

* * *

Meanwhile Chinese ambassador to France Lu Shaye, in a televised interview last Friday, said countries which emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union “don’t have effective status under international law because there is not an international agreement confirming their status as sovereign nations.”

What school of international relations did this guy graduate from?

The furor was so great all over that the French foreign ministry summoned Lu for a rebuke, while the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, once also annexed by the Soviets would likewise summon him to explain.

Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign minister, the durable Sergei Lavrov spoke before the United Nations where he warned the world faces extremely dangerous times, and faced a boycott of US, UK and EU representatives.

Qin Gang has a lot of work to do polishing China’s international image with guys like Lu and Huang under his supervision.

Never since the Cold War has the whole world been so polarized.

* *

*

President Marcos Jr. hies off to the US for a four-day working visit where he will meet his counterpart in the White House, who this week played host to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol who will be on a state visit till Friday.

Yoon also addressed a joint session of the US Congress and today will deliver a speech at Harvard after visiting the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The US and South Korea are commemorating 70 years of alliance at a time when the North and South were shooting at each other, and the Philippines sent a military contingent where one of our great presidents, Fidel V. Ramos, soldiered, with one of our contemporary heroes, then just 17-year old Ninoy Aquino reported for the Manila Times.

At the time, barely a decade after the end of the Pacific War, we were economically better off than South Korea, considered a beacon of democracy in Asia.

Now South Korea, despite its continuing conflict with its North. is a First World country despite a paucity of natural resources.

We wish our president a successful visit to the US of A just as we hope the American government will treat its former colony as an equal partner in their Far East.

Can the new top cop redeem the PNP image?

THE Philippine National Police has a new chief in General Benjamin Acorda Jr.

He was chosen by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to lead the 228,000-strong law enforcement agency on the basis of his credentials, track record and experience as a police official in various capacities after graduating from the Philippine Military Academy in 1991, or 32 years ago.

More than this, however, as the Chief Executive himself has said, he has full trust in Acorda, with whom he is familiar, as they come from the same province of Ilocos Norte.

But quite apart from this, the President emphasized, he is well aware of the abilities and reputation of Acorda as a dependable police commander at the provincial, regional and national levels, and that Acorda’s name was “always part of the shortlist for PNP chief” and reports about him were “good” and therefore he is “the one most fit to be the PNP chief now.” General Acorda’s acceptance speech during the change-of-command ceremony last Monday (April 24) at Camp Crame

WE DO not know whether the latest statement by DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo that no refueling, reloading and repairing can be done by the United States in any EDCA military base in case China invades Taiwan was a unilateral decision by the Philippines or was a result of discussions with the US government.

Instead of simply saying EDCA is for defensive purposes only, Secretary Manalo seem to have gone out of his way to respond to the Chinese Ambassador’s remonstrations.

Are we now getting rattled every time the Chinese Ambassador opens his mouth and issues a warning? We would hope not.

Anyway, PBBM is about to visit the US for talks with President Joe Biden and, hopefully, this Taiwan issue will be tackled and clarified.

The four additional joint EDCA bases, three of which are in Region 2, have certainly riled China and given more ammunition to the critics of the administration to become more vociferous.

To China, Taiwan is a renegade province although China never governed Taiwan throughout its history.

The whole world, however, knows that China wants Taiwan because it will provide an unimpeded access to the vast Pacific Ocean.

This matters very much to Japan and the United States.

But should this also matter to us?

Filipinos are understandably wary in getting involved in any military conflict between China and the US concerning Taiwan.

Why indeed should a small poor country like us get involved in a conflict that has no or very little strategic value to us.

To many among us, it does not matter if China acquires an unimpeded access to the Pacific Ocean so long as it plays by the rules and respects the territorial integrity of small countries like us.

But that is precisely the issue as far as we are concerned.

China has reclaimed four small islands in our exclusive economic zone in the WPS, militarized them then stationed so-called

that trailblazing achievement, Harris has polarized Americans.

Glass ceiling

In 2020, Harris wanted the presidency herself.

After a strong campaign launch, notable for a stinging attack on Biden during a debate, she floundered in the polls. As Biden’s running mate, however, she consolidated a coalition leaning heavily on Black voters and so helped defeat the disgraced incumbent Donald Trump.

Already having served as California’s first Black attorney general and the first woman of South Asian heritage elected to the US Senate, she sports a dizzying CV.

Critics say she has been underwhelming in the White House.

Eight months at the helm of a problematic but essential law enforcement agency may be too short to really make an impact in the

gives us an indication of what would be his priorities during his tenure.

The former chief of the PNP Directorate for Intelligence promised to continue his predecessor’s campaign to cleanse the police organization of scalawags.

“My stand on [illegal] drugs is clear— no police should be involved in (whatever form) in the illegal drug trade…You will be charged and removed from the service. This is my warning to each and everyone of you, our fight will be holistic in prevention and aggressive in operations,” he pointed out. He also gave assurances his leadership “shall be fair and impartial…due process shall be observed…and rewards and punishment will be quick and decisive.”

militia ships to prohibit our fishermen from fishing in our own traditional fishing grounds.

China with its military base at Scarborough Shoal is actually now nearer to us than those three joint bases in the Provinces of Cagayan and Isabela to Taiwan.

Yet, China is furious with our Balikatan military exercises and our revitalized military alliance with the US.

Acorda, who holds a Master’s Degree in Management from the Philippine Christian University, assumes the PNP leadership without having been involved in any major controversy in a career spanning more than three decades.

He has also earned numerous accolades, including the Bronze Cross Medal, a prestigious single-grade military decoration of the AFP awarded for heroism involving risk of life, and several presidential citations, awards and decorations.

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. has welcomed Acorda’s appointment and assured him of the support of the Department of Interior and Local Government.

What is important at this point is whether General Acorda will be able to redeem the image of the PNP, cleanse its ranks of the incompetents and the scalawags, and restore the trust and confidence of the citizenry in the institution within the next eight months.

Eight months at the helm of a problematic but essential law enforcement agency may be too short to really make an impact in the PNP.

But Acorda must demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities within this short period to make a difference amid persistent reports of corruption and wrongdoing by those who should not be there in the first place and give the entire institution a bad name.

retaliatory actions from the Chinese in case that country does decide to invade Taiwan.

On the other hand, not strengthening our defense capability there and leaving the area devoid of any military resources would be foolhardy in case hostilities do erupt in the Taiwan Strait.

In fact, many would argue strengthening our military bases is exactly the right thing to do if we do not want to be caught flatfooted. Besides the government has stated very clearly all these nine selected shared bases are for the defense of the country and are not directed on any particular country. The joint bases are essentially for deterrence and selfdefense only.

PBBM himself also said the four additional bases shared with the Americans will not be used for any offensive military action.

With the visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister, Secretary Manalo said the WPS issue with China does not define our overall relationship with China.

True enough, but when it comes to territorial disputes it actually is the whole issue. So, we have to make up our minds and decide exactly what it is that we want.

And once we have made that decision, we must stick with it come what may.

Many might also be wondering that unlike the other countries in the region who are trying their best to position themselves so they will not be caught in the middle in case hell will break loose, we seem to be doing the opposite.

This is at least the view of some who do not agree with what the government is doing especially in the selection of the four additional Philippine military facilities that will be shared with the United States military.

A naval base and two airports just a short distance from Taiwan do appear to indicate the probable purposes of these bases.

Those who are against the additional EDCA bases see the selection as inviting possible

It is not clear, however, what the President means by the word offensive in relation to a possible US-Chinese conflict because of Taiwan.

If China will indeed keep its word and invade Taiwan in the coming years and the US will go to the defense of Taiwan by using some of the EDCA shared bases in Northern Luzon, would this be considered offensive military actions as stated by PBBM?

Perhaps, PBBM should clarify this during his trip to Washington DC.

There is no question that EDCA caught the Chinese by surprise and did not expect the developments to move so fast.

Nonetheless, the rhetoric should cool down to pave the way for meaningful talks.

We cannot afford to let things get out of hand because the stakes are simply too high.

For us, this issue is not going away anytime soon and will occupy PBBM’s attention for the remaining five years of his administration. Let us just hope he navigates it right for the sake of the people and country.

fortified DMZ border that the United States valued its alliance with the communist North, instead of the South.

By the middle of Biden’s first term, Harris was gradually finding her feet.

A spate of high-profile foreign trips, including meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping and representing the United States at a regional Asia-Pacific summit, gave her valuable exposure in case she should find herself in the main job one day.

85 minutes, the United States had its first female acting president.

Biden, 80, is broadly in good health, according to his doctor, and eager to remain commander in chief. However, if he wins reelection in 2024, he will be 82 by the time he swears the oath of office and 86 when he steps down.

Harris, 58, has already brought a wind of change to the White House.

She’s not only the first woman ever in the job but the second person after Barack Obama to hold either of the top two executive spots who was not white.

But despite—or some say because of—

The vice presidency has been known to flummox many office holders – perhaps most famously Franklin D. Roosevelt’s deputy, John Garner, who summarized the job as “not worth a bucket of warm piss.”

A rare vice presidential task -- acting as tie breaker for the president’s party when the Senate is split 50-50 -- became a core part of Harris’ existence in the two years where the upper chamber was evenly divided.

So although her role was essentially a formality, all those 51st votes she cast put her at the center of what even opponents had to concede was Biden’s startlingly productive first term.

Finding her feet

An unusually high staff turnover fed rumors

of discontent in the vice presidential office.

A December 2021 Washington Post article quoted anonymous sources complaining of a “soul destroying” atmosphere.

Harris was also struggling to win the public relations battle in her policy work.

Tasked by Biden with getting to the roots of the illegal migration problem on the Mexico border, she visited Central America.

However, she was powerless to address the immediate problem of what the administration conceded was a “broken” immigration system – something Congress would need to tackle.

As press coverage soured, supporters argued that Harris was being held to unfair standards as a woman and an ethnic minority member.

It didn’t help that she had a penchant for word salads and the occasional gaffe —including accidentally saying during a 2022 visit to the Korean peninsula’s heavily

In February this year, it was Harris whom the administration sent to the Munich Security Conference and for the first time declare that Russia had committed “crimes against humanity” in Ukraine.

She got positive headlines for a March trip to Africa where she showed her emotional side while visiting a former slaving center in Ghana.

Back home, she also became a prominent voice in the administration’s pushback after the Supreme Court scrapped federal protections for abortion rights.

The issue ended up helping Democrats to stun the Republicans and keep losses to a minimum in the November 2022 midterm elections.

Win or lose in 2024, Harris will be remembered for having broken the second highest glass ceiling in US politics.

There’ll also be her husband, Doug Emhoff. He’ll forever have the honor of being the first Second Gentleman of the United States—or as the slightly awkward acronym goes: SGOTUS. AFP

Biden’s reelection bid renews spotlight on VP Harris

There is no question that EDCA caught the Chinese by surprise and did not expect the developments to move so fast

Ceasefire shaky as Sudanese, foreigners flee from skirmishes

KHARTOUM, Sudan – A US-brokered ceasefire between Sudan’s warring generals entered its second day Wednesday but remained fragile after witnesses reported fresh air strikes and paramilitaries claimed to have seized a major oil refinery and power plant.

“The pause was not fully upheld, with attacks on headquarters, attempts to gain ground, air strikes, and explosions in different areas of the capital,” UN Special Representative Volker Perthes told the Security Council Tuesday.

Perthes said he maintained contact with both generals: army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the heavily armed paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“There is yet no unequivocal sign that either is ready to seriously negotiate,” Perthes said.

Security fears were compounded when the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Tuesday of a “huge biological risk” after fighters occupied a Khartoum laboratory holding samples of cholera, measles, polio and other infectious diseases.

The fighting has killed hundreds of people and left some neighborhoods of

greater Khartoum in ruins, prompting thousands of foreigners and Sudanese to flee.

- ‘Children horrified’As combat eased in the city of five million, foreign governments have been organizing road convoys, aircraft and ships to get thousands of their nationals out.

A boat carrying nearly 1,700 civilians from more than 50 countries arrived in Saudi Arabia early Wednesday, the kingdom’s foreign ministry said.

It added that it has evacuated 2,148 people, including more than 2,000 foreigners.

Other evacuation efforts continued, with a British military transport plane landing in Cyprus.

“The most difficult thing was the sounds of the bombing and the jet fighters while flying above our home.

That horrified the children,” said Safa Abu Taher, who landed with her family at a military airport in Jordan Tuesday night.

Bewildered civilians were seen walking down one street in Khartoum North where almost all buildings were blasted out and smoke rose from scorched ruins, in unverified video posted on social media.AFP

China pushes expansion of nuclear arsenal

warheads by 2035, according to a Pentagon estimate published in November.

that China has a stockpile of around 350 nuclear warheads – small fry when compared with the United States and Russia. But it is growing fast and could have 1,500

"China appears to no longer be satisfied with just a few hundred nuclear weapons to ensure its security," Matt Korda, of the Federation of American Scientists, told AFP. Since its first nuclear test in 1964, China has been content to maintain a comparatively modest arsenal and has maintained that it will never be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.

But in recent years, under President Xi Jinping, it has begun a massive military

modernization drive that includes upgrading its nuclear weapons to not only deter foes but also be able to counter-attack if deterrence fails.

"China is undertaking the most significant expansion and modernization of its nuclear forces in the country's history," David Logan, an assistant professor at the US Naval War College, told AFP. This involves not only ramping up the production of warheads but also upgrading the ability to deliver them with a nuclear triad: missiles, aircraft, and submarines.

"The changes that are taking place or

ISRAEL INDEPENDENCE

DAY. A girl holds an Israeli flag next to another boy playing with sand along a beach during an air show in Tel Aviv on April 26 as Israel marks Independence Day (Yom Ha’Atzmaut), 75 years since the establishment of the Jewish state. AFP

‘Trump raped, destroyed ex-columnist’

NEW YORK – Donald Trump raped a prominent former American columnist then "ridiculed" her with defamatory comments, a US civil trial hearing a lawsuit against the ex-president was told Tuesday.

A lawyer for Trump, who denies the allegations, said the plaintiff E. Jean Carroll was motivated by money and fame as opening arguments kicked off the muchanticipated proceedings.

Carroll, 79, says Trump sexually assaulted her in a changing room at the luxury Bergdorf Goodman department store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in the mid-1990s.

She says the attack came after Trump playfully asked her for advice on buying a women's lingerie gift.

"The moment they were inside (the dressing room) everything changed. Suddenly nothing was fun.

Trump was almost twice her size," Carroll's lawyer Shawn Crowley told the Manhattan court.

The trial, which is not criminal in nature, is part of a barrage of legal woes that threaten to derail Trump's 2024 run for a second presidential term.

It comes just weeks after Trump's historic arraignment on criminal charges related to a

hush-money payment made to a porn star.

Carroll, who was in court Tuesday, first made the allegation in an excerpt from her book published by New York Magazine in 2019.

Trump responded then by saying he has never met her, that she was "not my type" and that she was "totally lying."

Carroll initially sued Trump for defamation in 2019 but was unable to include the rape claim because the statute of limitations for the alleged offense had expired.

But a new law took effect in November last year in New York that gave victims of sexual assault a oneyear window to sue their alleged abusers decades after attacks may have occurred.

Lawyers for Carroll filed a new suit that accused Trump of battery, "when he forcibly raped and groped" her.

It also included defamation for a post that Trump made on his Truth Social platform in October where he denied the alleged rape and referred to Carroll as a "complete con job."

"He went on the attack. He ridiculed her. He destroyed her," Crowley said. Joe Tacopina, representing Trump, said there was no evidence of the assault and that Carroll was "abusing the system for money, for political reasons, and for status."

- 'Psychological harm' -

Her suit seeks unspecified damages for "significant pain and suffering, lasting psychological and pecuniary harms, loss of dignity and self-esteem, and invasion of her privacy."

It also asks that Trump retract his comments.

Around a dozen women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. He has denied all the allegations and has never been prosecuted over any of them. AFP

underway are very significant" and "will turn China from a state that has a nuclear retaliatory capability to one that is the world's third major nuclear power", Eric Heginbotham, Principal Research Scientist at MIT's Center for International Studies, told AFP.

"This will mark the first time in history that the big nuclear powers will need to consider not one potential nuclear competitor, but two, and it will have implications for nuclear planning and stability everywhere."

China is "rapidly" building launch facilities for intercontinental ballistic missiles, with more than 300 silos in total, according to

the Pentagon last year.

- 'Lowest level required'China has stressed that it keeps "its nuclear force at the lowest level required for national security".

And Xi said in a joint statement with Russian leader Vladimir Putin last month that nuclear war "must never be unleashed".

Data is not publicly available, but the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons has estimated that China spent $11.7 billion on its nuclear programme in 2021 – less than a third of what the United States was believed to have spent.AFP

Taiwan to prepare for Chinese blockade in annual war drills

TAIPEI – Taiwan's military will practice intercepting warships and combating a Chinese blockade of the island during annual war game simulations in July, the defense ministry said Wednesday.

Democratic Taiwan lives under constant threat of an attack by Beijing, which views the island as part of its territory that must be reunified.

The annual "Han Kuang" (Han Glory) drills will be divided into computer war games in May tackling "various possible actions of the enemy's invasion of Taiwan" and partial live-fire exercises in July, the ministry said.

"Our scenarios are based on the enemy's current threats to invade Taiwan and its recent military exercises harassing Taiwan," Major General Lin Wen-huang told reporters when asked whether China's Shandong aircraft carrier would factor into this year's scenarios.

The Shandong was used by Beijing during military exercises this month simulating targeted strikes and a blockade of Taiwan.

The five-day exercises in July will help

bolster Taiwan's ability to intercept China's naval and amphibious fleets, Lin said. The military will also practice "joint antiblockade on the main external waterways to maintain the safety of marine transportation routes and counter the enemy's blockade", he said.

Taiwan also incorporated lessons from Russia's invasion of Ukraine into last year's Han Kuang drills and planned to do so again, the ministry said.

Beijing's saber-rattling has intensified in recent years.

Its most recent war games were a response to a meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California. On the last day of the drills, Beijing sent 54 aircraft into the island's southwestern and southeastern air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the highest number recorded in a single day since October 2021.

Beijing launched its largest-ever military exercises around the island last August, following a visit to Taiwan by McCarthy's predecessor Nancy Pelosi. AFP

BRUSSELS, Belgium – The EU will unveil an overhaul of its fiscal rules on Wednesday, a long-awaited reform that has bitterly divided member states over how to encourage investment while strengthening scrutiny of government spending.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, wants to reform the rules, known as the Stability and Growth Pact, that limit how much the bloc's 27 member states can borrow.

But the proposals have split the bloc between the more frugal northern countries, including Germany, and the southern states like Italy. Germany, a staunch defender of fiscal discipline, fears Brussels will overly relax the EU's budgetary straitjacket and undermine fairness within the bloc. Italy and others argue the rules constrain their ability to invest.

The pact currently stipulates that states' public deficits should not go above three percent of gross domestic product, and debt

Taliban kill IS 'mastermind' of Kabul airport attack – US

WASHINGTON – Taliban government forces have killed the Islamic State mastermind of a devastating suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport during the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in 2021, the White House said Tuesday.

The bomber detonated a device among packed crowds at the airport's perimeter as they tried to flee Afghanistan on August 26, 2021. The blast killed some 170 Afghans and 13 US troops who were securing the airport for the traumatic exit.

It was one of the deadliest bombings in Afghanistan and prompted a wave of criticism of President Joe Biden for his decision to pull American forces out of the country nearly 20 years after the US invasion. AFP

should stay below 60 percent of GDP. The European Union suspended the rules in 2020 to allow member states to pour money into their economies during the coronavirus pandemic. That was extended last year to let states raise spending to protect households and businesses from sky-high energy prices from Russia's war in Ukraine, and to avoid recession.

EU member states' debts have since rocketed, and the only thing every country agrees on is the need to reform the pact. The rules were due to come back into force again next year but last month, Brussels said there would be a gradual return as it told members to rein in spending in 2024.

When the commission first announced plans for reform in November 2022, it said the three-percent deficit and 60-percent debt targets would stay, but there would be more flexibility through individual plans for debt reduction tailor-made for each country. AFP

Singapore hangs prisoner over

kilogram of cannabis

SINGAPORE – Singapore hanged a prisoner on Wednesday after he was convicted of conspiracy to smuggle one kilogram of cannabis, despite rights groups decrying "many flaws" in the case.

Tangaraju Suppiah was hanged in defiance of a plea by the United Nations Human Rights Office for Singapore to "urgently reconsider" and calls by British tycoon Richard Branson to halt it.

The Asian financial hub has some of the world's toughest anti-narcotics laws and insists the death penalty remains an effective deterrent against trafficking.

"Singaporean Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, had his capital sentence carried out today at Changi Prison Complex," a spokesman for the Singapore Prison Service told AFP. AFP

EU to revamp budget rules, limit members’ loans to spur growth

FLEEING SUDAN. A boat with 1,687 civilians from more than 50 countries fleeing violence in Sudan arrives at King Faisal navy base in Jeddah on April 26 following a rescue operation amid a US-brokered ceasefire between the country’s warring generals. AFP

PROOF OF LIFE. Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is seen on a screen via a video link from his penal colony before a hearing over the new extremism criminal case against him at the Basmanny district court in Moscow on April 26. AFP

Stock market extends losses; MPIC and ICTSI lead gainers

EV demand rises, to impact energy industry, IEA says

PARIS, France—Sales of electric vehicles are booming and are expected to account for nearly one in five cars sold this year, according to a report released Wednesday.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said the rapid electrification of road transportation will have big implications for the energy industry as it will eliminate the need for five million barrels of oil per day by the end of the decade. World oil consumption averages just over 100 million barrels per day.

“Electric vehicles are one of the driving forces in the new global energy economy that is rapidly emerging—and they are bringing about a historic transformation of the car manufacturing industry worldwide,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a statement.

In its annual report on electric vehicles, the IEA said it expects annual sales to rise 35 percent this year to reach 14 million.

It projected that to be a market share of 18 percent, up from four percent in 2020.

The IEA said the overwhelming majority of electric car sales are concentrated in three markets: China, Europe and the United States.

China is in pole position, accounting for 60 percent of global electric vehicle sales last year, the IEA said.

It said measures such as the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States, which offers generous subsidies to consumers to switch to electric vehicles, would further boost sales in the coming years.

The IEA forecasts that the average share of electric cars in total sales across China, the EU and the United States is set to rise to around 60 percent by 2030. AFP

By Glenn Chapman

FRANCISCO,

United

STOCKS fell for a second day, tracking the movement of Asian markets which followed plunges on Wall Street fueled by concerns for the banking sector and broader fears of recession.

The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange index shed 53 points, or 0.81 percent, to close at 6,540.24, as four of the six subsectors incurred losses.

The broader all-share index retreated 14 points, or 0.41 percent, to settle at 3,492.26 on a value turnover of P5.45 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 101 to 95, while 47 issues were unchanged.

Only three of the 10 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Metro Pacific Investments Corp. which climbed 4.41 percent to P4.26. International Container Terminal Services Inc. rose 0.37 percent to P218.80, while Ayala Land Inc. inched up 0.19 percent to P26.40.

The peso dropped 0.14 percent Wednesday to close at 55.62 against the US dollar to end a three-day advance.

Meanwhile, Lackluster consumer

data and mixed earnings reports fed fears in US trade, but American equities futures moved well into the green on Wednesday after promising earnings results from Microsoft and Google parent Alphabet came in after markets closed.

The operator of Hong Kong’s stock exchange on Wednesday announced profits of $434 million -- a 28 percent surge year on year, and its second best quarterly revenue results ever, the bourse said in a statement.

Standard Chartered, meanwhile, reported revenues of $4.4 billion, a yearon-year increase of 8 percent or 11 percent at constant currency.

Both it and the stock exchange saw share price bumps in generally positive Hong Kong trade, which was also bolstered by healthy gains by Tencent. “The markets are very much focused

US lawmakers lock horns over debt limit amid default threat

on some of the earning story, but possibly overlooking the weight of economic deceleration that is playing through right now, particularly in the United States,” John Woods, Asia Pacific chief investment officer at Credit Suisse, told Bloomberg Television.

“I’m looking at a whole range of technical signals, which seem to be suggesting a risk-off environment.”

Wednesday’s gains in Hong Kong offset some of the losses incurred the day before, when a selloff in Chinese firms dragged the Hang Seng down almost two percent.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, which tracks such firms, appeared to have stabilized Wednesday, though it was still down from where it started the previous morning.

In addition to Hong Kong, Jakarta, Mumbai and Bangkok were up, while Shanghai and Taipei were more or less fl at. Tokyo, Sydney, Wellington, Seoul, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were all down. With AFP

WASHINGTON—US representatives were set to vote as early as Wednesday on Republican proposals combining steep spending cuts with a hike in the country’s borrowing limit to head of a potentially catastrophic credit default.

The government is expecting to hit the debt ceiling within weeks, raising the possibility of the world’s largest economy defaulting on its repayments and igniting a firestorm that could engulf international markets.

The Limit, Save, Grow Act—opposed by the Democrats—has no chance of becoming law but Republicans are trying to muscle it through the House of Representatives as an opening salvo in negotiations with President Joe Biden.

The high-stakes standoff is the first major test for America’s divided government after Republicans and Democrats assumed joint control of Congress this year.

Crucially, it is being touted as a measure of Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership after he secured the gavel in January by pledging to his party’s hard-right that he would rein in federal spending.

“I know President Biden might be focused on his own political future today, but he should be focused on the future of America,” McCarthy said Tuesday after the Democratic leader announced he was running for re-election.

“Biden should have announced he will finally come to the table and negotiate a responsible debt limit increase to avoid the first default in our history.” Charm offensive

The United States is almost $32 trillion in debt—a figure that has been accumulated under both parties over decades.

Congress has voted to allow greater debt limits more than 150 times in the past century or so and in most cases the process has been routine.

The 320-page Republican bill would raise the ceiling through March 2024 — or until the debt grows to $32.9 trillion— but it demands drastic belt-tightening in federal programs that the Congressional Budget Office estimates would save $4.8 trillion over a decade. AFP

SAN

States—Google parent company Alphabet beat market expectations in the first quarter of 2023 with a net profit of $15 billion, the company said on Tuesday, in a sign that the search engine behemoth is regaining its footing.

The tech titan has found itself under pressure due to a general slowdown in advertising spending, over-hiring during a Covid-era boom and a major challenge by Microsoft on artificial intelligence.

Its quarterly revenue came in at nearly $70 billion, a billion better than expected by analysts, and in the same threemonth period that the company said it would lay off 12,000 staff, or six percent of its workforce.

Microsoft’s results for the first three months of the year also pleased investors on Tuesday, lifted by its industry-leading business cloud products.

The company founded by Bill Gates reported profi t of $18.3 billion on revenue of $52.9 billion as Cloud and AI more than offset drops in revenue from licensing Windows software to computer makers, as sales suffer in that market.

Most market attention was on Google, which became a focus of worry when Microsoftbacked ChatGPT was released and quickly went viral late last year. The Windows maker has added the technology to its Bing search engine and office software.

The search giant has since rushed out Bard, its own version of the language-based AI, but the release was seen as clumsy and has so far disappointed observers and company insiders, according to media reports.

“We’ll continue to incorporate generative AI advances to make search better in a thoughtful and deliberate way,” Google chief Sundar Pichai said during an earnings call.

“And we will test and iterate as we go because we know that billions of people trust Google to provide the right information.”

An arms race over AI is expected to play out

for several years and could prove to be expensive for the tech giants.

To get itself battle ready for the AI wars ahead, Google has reorganized its AI division, putting the independently run Deep Mind subsidiary inside the company in a division called Google Brain.

‘Serious challenges’

The threat from an AI-augmented Bing sent Pichai on a rare US media tour recently to reassure that the company remained an industry leader on everything from search to maps to AI pioneering.

Despite headwinds, Pichai received a total compensation package worth more than $225 million in 2022, according to a regulatory filing posted last week.

Google-owned YouTube’s advertising revenue dropped for the third quarter in a row. However, there was “strong watchtime growth” at a YouTube Shorts section added to counter TikTok .

During the quarter, YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki stepped down after nine years, replaced by longtime executive Neal Mohan.

“Google exceeded both revenue and earnings expectations this quarter, but reasons for investor optimism are modest,” said Insider Intelligence senior analyst Max Willens.

“Google’s core business is facing the most serious challenges it has encountered in quite some time.” AFP

Google, Microsoft top expectations in first quarter as AI rivalry heats up

NEW JOBS. US President Joe Biden speaks about the creation of new manufacturing jobs at the Washington Hilton in Washington DC on April 25, 2023. Biden announced Tuesday his bid ‘to nish the job’ with re-election in 2024. AFP

A visitor walks past Google Cloud logo at the Mobile World Congress, the telecom industry’s biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on Feb. 28, 2023. AFP

Meralco seeks to recover P7.98b from customers over 12 months

By Alena Mae S. Flores

POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. is seeking to recover P7.98 billion from customers over a 12-month period which would translate into an increase in power rate of P0.22 per kilowatt-hour.

The amount represents under-recoveries from 2020 to 2022, according to Meralco.

Meralco head of regulatory management office Jose Ronald Valles said the company would file an under-recovery application with the Energy Regulatory Commission by the end of April.

“The period is end of April. Our proposal is to recover it over a period of 12 months,” Valles said.

“We have an estimated impact to customers of around P0.22 per kilowatt-hour but still dependent on ERC approval with respect to the term if approved for a longer or shorter period,” Valles said. Valles said that under ERC rules, Luzon distribution utilities were supposed

to file their respective over/under-recovery applications by March 31, 2023.

“Due to the voluminous documents that need to be prepared and validated, Meralco requested for an extension to file until April 30, 2023,” he said.

Meralco said the amount consists of under-recovery for generation costs at P6.413 billion, transmission at P607.38 million, system loss at P764.17 million and real property tax at P228.88 million.

Meralco, however, computed an overrecovery for subsidies amounting to P3.28 million and local franchise tax at P27.32 million.

Valles said distribution utilities register over and under-recoveries “primarily because of the lag between payment to generation companies and billing to customers.”

Meralco’s consolidated core net income rose 40 percent to P9 billion in the first three months from P6.4 billion in the same quarter in 2022.

they pay a courtesy call on Pangandaman at the DBM O ce in San Miguel, Manila. With Pangandaman are (from left) Dean Cindy Fetalvero Soliman, Director Ruby Muro of DBM, Prof. Pascualito Gatan, ECOP president Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr., PUP president Manuel Muhi, PUP vice president Emanuel de Guzman and head executive assistant Anne Clarisse De Leon.

SM Group, Radisson to put up 14 new hotels

By Jenni er B. Austria

SM Hotels & Conventions Corp., a unit of SM

Prime Holdings Inc. and Radisson Hotel Group on Wednesday disclosed a plan to develop 14 new hotels in the Philippines over the next five years.

RHG said during the signing of master development agreement the partnership would expand the group’s hotel portfolio in the Philippines to 20 by 2028.

Under the agreement, SMHCC will have the exclusive development rights for a five-year term to expand RHG’s Park Inn Radisson brand across the country.

SMHCC executive vice president Peggy Angeles said the company would

DBP supports Congress inquiry on bank merger

THE Development Bank of the Philippines said Wednesday it is prepared to work with Congress, participate and provide unequivocal support to any legislative inquiry that may be undertaken concerning the proposed merger with Landbank of the Philippines.

“We share the sentiments of our legislators on the need to undertake a rigorous and meticulous analysis of the proposal as the planned merger would entail a significant impact not only to the future of the two largest financial institutions of the government but also to the wider banking industry and to the Philippine economy in general,” the state-run bank said in a statement.

DBP and its employees expressed concern on the ramifications of the merger on their livelihood and employment, their financial security and their current status as government employees. “We stand by our DBP union leaders in seeking alternative and viable platforms where their collective voices may be properly heard and their legitimate concerns may be effectively addressed,” it said.

DBP said any congressional inquiry, in aid of legislation, would serve as a pivotal venue to facilitate healthy, dynamic and robust discourses and enable all stakeholders to thresh out the myriad of issues surrounding the merger to arrive at the best possible approach that would redound to the best interests of the Filipino people.

Digital economy in PH exceeded P2t in 2022

THE Philippine Statistics Authority said the digital economy contributed significantly to the gross domestic product in 2022.

Latest PSA data showed that the digital economy amounted to P2.08 trillion last year, an increase of 11 percent from P1.87 trillion in 2021. This also accounted for 9.4 percent of GDP.

The digital economy is composed of digital transactions covering digital-enabling infrastructure, e-commerce and digital media/content.

The PSA said of the total amount of digital transactions in 2022, digital-enabling infrastructure made up the largest share at P1.60 trillion or 77.2 percent. The total amount of transactions on digital-enabling infrastructure in 2022 was higher by 7.5 percent than P1.49 trillion in 2021.

The top two contributors under digital-enabling infrastructure were telecommunication services and professional and business services with 30.7-percent and 27.0-percent shares, respectively. Julito G. Rada

Renewable capacity rose

4%

to 8,255 MW in 2022

THE Department of Energy said Wednesday total installed renewable energy capacity increased 4 percent to 8,255 megawatts in 2022 from 7,914 megawatts in 2021, with the entry of new solar, biomass and hydro plants.

Under the DOE’s 2022 Renewable Energy Act

Implementation Status Report, hydropower plants had the biggest installed capacity at 3,745 MW, followed by geothermal at 1,932 MW, solar at 1,548 MW, biomass at 603 MW and wind at 427 MW.

Coal captured bulk of the installed capacity at 44 percent, followed by RE at 29 percent, oil at 14 percent and natural gas at 13 percent.

The DOE targets to achieve 35-percent RE share in the country’s power generation mix by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.

RE comprised 22 percent or 24,056 gigawatthours of the gross power generation last year. Alena Mae S. Flores

invest less than P15 billion to develop the 14 hotels.

Angeles said the partnership comes at a very opportune time as the domestic hotel industry started to recover from the impact of the pandemic.

She said hotel occupancy across its portfolio in 2022 surpassed the prepandemic levels of 2019.

“Year-to-date, we are also ahead of our budget. With flights increasing in the country and more regional flights

coming in, our hotels not only in National Capital Region but also in various destinations continue to receive increased tourist arrivals,” Angeles said.

RHG and SMHCC started their partnership in 2010 with the launch of Radisson Blue in Cebu and opening of five Park Inn by Radisson hotels in Bacolod, Clark, Davao, Iloilo and Quezon City.

“We are grateful to extend this landmark partnership with SMHCC today, which underscores our shared vision to offer relevant products by delivering innovative brands that cater to the everevolving needs of travelers in the Philippines,” RHG executive vice president and global chief development officer Elie Younes said.

The first hotel to be built under the new partnership is a 516-room dual-

brand property in Cebu City which is scheduled to open in 2027.

Other potential sites for expansion include Isabela, Olongapo, Laoag, Fairview, Dasmarinas and Sta Rosa.

Park Inn by Radisson is RHG’s midscale to upper midscale brand that offers good quality accommodations to travelers.

Meanwhile, Premium Leisure Corp., an affiliate of SM Investments Corp., may consider participating in the planned privatization of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s self-operated casinos, an executive said Wednesday.

PLC president and chief executive Armin Antonio Santos said in a news briefing following the annual stockholders meeting of SMIC the company might consider the assets of Pagcor as part of its overall expansion plans.

-53.15 PTS.

6,540.24

“If and when Pagcor decides to privatize its assets, we will look into the terms and conditions if we can participate,” Santos said.

Santos said that aside from Pagcor’s assets, PLC was also looking at expansion opportunities within the Pagcorsponsored Entertainment City and other properties outside Metro Manila.

“We are looking at various investment opportunities in gaming space, within Entertainment City outside Metro Manila where a wide range of assets are being offered,” Santos said.

PLC is a co-licensee in City of Dreams Manila, the integrated resort and casino in Entertainment City. City of Dreams was built in partnership with Hong Kong-based Melco

DTI, IBPAP commit to implement 5-year plan on outsourcing

By Othel V. Campos

THE IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines and the Department of Trade and Industry on Wednesday signed a statement of commitment to implement a five-year national development program for the IT-BPM Industry.

LNG-POWERED SHIP. Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana, International Container Terminal Services Inc.’s Honduran business unit that operates in Puerto Cortés, welcomes the inaugural call of Seaboard Blue—the first container vessel in the world to be converted from conventional diesel to liquefied natural gas propulsion. Seaboard Blue docked at Honduras under the North and Central America service of Seaboard Marine, a premiere ocean transport company providing direct, regular service between North America, the Caribbean Basin, Central and South America. The vessel was refitted in 2017 to run on LNG. Shown are OPC personnel presenting a token to the Seaboard Blue vessel master.

SMC, Oriental Mindoro in talks over 15-km. ‘super bridge’

By Darwin G. Amojelar

SAN Miguel Corp. and the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro are in talks to build a 15-kilometer “super bridge” that will link Mindoro Island and Batangas province.

Oriental Mindoro Second District Rep. Alfonso Umali proposed the project in 2015, and it is now included in the ten programs of the Marcos administration for public-private partnership.

Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor is also pushing the construction of the super bridge project to help spur growth and development in Oriental Mindoro and other provinces in the MIMAROPA region such as Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.

“We have started bringing together global experts across disciplines, including a European architectural and

engineering firm to do a technical feasibility study on how the bridge can be built sustainably to benefit both people and the environment,” said SMC president and chief executive Ramon Ang.

Ang said that since his last meeting with Dolor late last year, SMC’s team had engaged the services of a local company to initially do a bathymetric survey to measure water depth.

The bridge will start from Barangay Ilijan in Batangas, pass through Verde Island, and land in Barangay Sinandigan in Puerto Galera.

“We thank Gov. Dolor for pursuing this game-changing project and considering our company to be able to deliver a world-class bridge. It has faced a series of setbacks over the years, but we hope that together, we can finally bring the vision to fruition,” Ang said.

The bridge is expected to result in faster and more efficient transport of

people and goods and spur local economic growth through job generation, higher investments and optimization of basic services such as water, power and telecommunications, among others.

San Miguel earlier secured a 35-year concession to design, build, operate and maintain the four-lane, 61-kilometer Nasugbu-Bauan Expressway project for P44.77 billion.

NBEX, which begins in Barangay Kaylaway, Nasugbu town, runs parallel to Tagaytay-Nasugbu and Palico-Balayan highways. The terminus of NBEX in Kaylaway connects the expressway to another SMC Infrastructure project—the Cavite-Batangas Expressway which leads to Tagaytay City and Silang, Cavite.

The company also sealed a 35 -year tollway concession agreement with the provincial government of Cavite for the construction and operations of the P27-billion Cavite-Batangas Expressway project.

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said strengthening the country’s IT-BPM sector requires a multi-stakeholder partnership with the government, the academe and the industry.

“The signing of the statement of commitment serves as a testament to the Philippine government’s unwavering support and dedication to the growth and expansion of the IT-BPM industry. With the concerted efforts of all of us here and other stakeholders, we can develop a skilled, globally competitive workforce that will propel our IT-BPM industry to greater heights,” he said.

Anchored on the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028, the statement of commitment outlines specific activities under four key areas of focus—talent development through upskilling and reskilling of potential and existing workforce, marketing and promotion, talent hub and policy and regulatory support.

The collaboration also designates which of the involved parties is responsible for certain initiatives and programs to ensure that goals are met within the set timeline.

Under the Philippine IT-BPM Industry Roadmap 2028, the industry is well-positioned to become a $59-billion sector, with 2.5 million full-time employees and an 8.9-percent contribution to the gross domestic product.

House of Investments’ board clears sale of 20% stake in construction arm for P1.25b

HOUSE of Investments of the Yuchengco Group said Wednesday its board of directors approved the sale of a 20-percent stake in listed construction subsidiary EEI Corp. to RYM Business Management Corp. for P1.25 billion.

HI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it would sell 207,256 million shares in EEI to RYM at roughly P6 apiece. The sale will reduce HI’s stake in EEI to 35.346 percent from 55.346 percent.

The company said it would use the pro-

ceeds from the partial divestment to reduce its debt and increase investments in environmental, social and governance initiatives.

EEI is one the leading construction companies in the country with investments overseas. The share price of EEI has been going up in the past few days. From its closing price of P2.85 on April 17, its share price jumped to as high as P5.27 Tuesday, a day before the disclosure was made.

The Yuchengco Group of Companies

also reported plans to put its insurance and property business under HI.

HI has investments in construction, education and renewable energy businesses.

The group said to implement the restructuring, HI would issue new shares to YGC in exchange for 77.32 percent of MICO Equities Inc., 51 percent of Sun Life Grepa Financial Inc. and 49 percent of Grepa Realty Holdings Inc. for a total of P15.74 billion. MICO Equities is the holding com-

pany of YGC that holds the investments in non-life insurance through Malayan Insurance Co. Inc., while SLGFI is a bancassurance venture between YGC and Sun Life Financial (Philippines). HI said the acquisition of GRHI would expand its property portfolio, as the latter owns 5,000 square meters of land along Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue in Makati City and properties in Cebu, Antipolo, Tacloban and Manila. Jenniffer B. Austria

Resorts & Entertainment Corp.

TANGLAW NG BAYAN. Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman ( fth from left) receives the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Tanglaw ng Bayan Award, the highest recognition the university gives to government o cials during the PUP’s commencement exercises for graduate students on April 21, 2023. Shown are o cials from PUP and the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, the school’s job creation partner, as

NU Bulldogs close in on volleyball elims sweep

NATIONAL University moved on the cusp of sweeping the UAAP Season 85 men’s volleyball elimination round after trouncing University of Santo Tomas, 25-19, 22-25, 25-18, 25-21, Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

The 13-0 Bulldogs will go for the outright Finals berth and their 32nd straight win on Saturday, 9 a.m., against the 7-6 Ateneo de Manila University.

“Naging labanan ito ng service receive, kung sino ang mas mataas ang percentage doon ‘yun ang naging barometer ng game,” said NU head coach Dante Alinsunurin. “Thankful kami sa naging performance ng players namin kahit may konting lapses namin hindi sila bumibigay.

“Kailangan namin paghandaan (ang Ateneo) kasi doon nakasalalay ang magiging ranking nila so alam namin magiging agresibo sila kaya kailangan pang pag-aralan ulit,” he said on the Blue Eagles.

The Bulldogs clawed all the way back from being down seven early in the second set to tie it at 20-all but returning Jayrack Dela Noche punched in backto-back hits for the 22-20 Golden Spikers’ lead. Gboy de Vega then capped the equalizer with an off-the-block kill and a service ace, 25-22.

Fajardo expects to heal in time for FIBA world tilt

By Randy Caluag

SAN Miguel Beer center June Mar Fajardo on Tuesday gave assurance that he will be healed and ready for the FIBA World Cup the Philippines is co-hosting with Japan and Indonesia in August.

The six-time PBA Most Valuable Player said he will not let go of the chance to be part of history.

“Paghahandaan ko ‘yan. Hindi ko palalampasin ang pagkakataon,” said Fajardo during the partnership ceremony between San Miguel Corporation and the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas for the FIBA World Cup.

(See related FIBA photo on C2)

Fajardo, who is recuperating from an MCL injury that caused him to

miss most part of the PBA Governors’ Cup playoffs, said his rehabilitation is in the final phase and he sees himself practicing on the court in a few weeks.

At that time, the Gilas Team will have already arrived from the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.

Gilas and coach Chot Reyes are aching to get back at Indonesia and regain basketball supremacy in Southeast Asia, although he emphasized that the World Cup

POC taps chef Bruce Lim for Team PH in Cambodia

RENOWNED international chef Bruce Lim will cater to the nutritional needs of members of Team Philippines in the Cambodia 32nd Southeast Asian Games, according to Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

“In as much as we cater to the needs of our athletes and coaches in the competition arena, the POC is also putting premium on their nutritional needs,” Tolentino said. “And we tapped chef Bruce for that purpose.”

Lim was tapped as executive chef by the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee

when the country hosted the event in 2019. He will be serving the 804 athletes seeing action in the Cambodia Games that start on May 5 and end on May 17.

He is already in Cambodia with Team Philippines deputy chefs de mission Leonora “Len” Escollante and Paolo Tancontian, who coordinated his function with the Cambodia SEA Games Organizing Committee. Tolentino said that food and other nutritional needs of athletes who don’t have access to the Games Mess Hall could be delivered to their hotels or competition venues.

remains his bigger focus.

He’s currently having concerns in forming the SEAG-bound squad with the absence of marquee players Jamie Malonzo of Ginebra and TNT’s Mikey Williams, the best player of the recent PBA Governors’ Cup.

Reyes may also consider Japeth Aguilar, who is also recovering from an injury.

“We’d love to have Japeth (Aguilar) but I don’t think he’s anywhere 100 percent. We don’t want to risk it because remember, our big-picture [goal] here is the World Cup (in August),” said Reyes. He added there are no shooins in Gilas’ lineup for the FIBA World Cup, but Aguilar and Fajardo are prime candidates to make the team.

Karting sensation Go cited at AAP’s 27th Annual Motorsport Awards

WILLIAM John Riley Tiu Go, a 15-year-old Cebuano karting sensation, was recognized for his remarkable achievements, led by his conquest of the 2022 ROK Super Finals in Italy at The Automobile Association Philippines’ 27th Annual Motorsport Awards on April 13 at the World Trade Center Manila International Auto Show.

At a young age, Go was the first Filipino with podium finishes in three European competitions.

In 2022, he made history by winning the world championship at the ROK Super Finals in Lonato, Italy where he also received the Pole Position and Fastest Lap awards. He finished second at the FIA Karting Academy in Genk, Belgium, and third at the WSK Euro Series

in Lombardia, Italy. Guided by his personal mantra “The Will to Win”, he emphasized the importance of hard work and determination.

“Winning this award is a testament to the countless hours of practice and our team’s unwavering commitment to the sport. It is a privilege to be able to wave the Philippine flag on a global stage. “

Just recently, Go was awarded The Tony Siddayao Award by the Philippine Sportswriters Association for his achievements in karting, and given a Junior Athlete of the Year medal by Milo at the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night last March 6. He was also awarded one of the “Outstanding Individuals” by the Cebu City Govern-

ment at the 86th Cebu City Charter Day last February 24. He will be heading back to Europe to compete in 10 races this year for the following competitions: WSK Super Masters Series, RGMMC, CIK FIA Euro Champs, CIK FIA, WSK Euro Series and CIK FIA World Champ.

The 27th Annual Motorsport Awards was hosted by The Automobile Association Philippines, the leading organization dedicated to promoting road safety and advancing the Philippine motorsport industry. It is an annual event that celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to the Philippine motorsport industry.

Follow William John Riley Tiu Go’s journey on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram at @williamgo.23.

But NU regained control in the third with a strong start before preserving that advantage for good for the lopsided third salvo, 25-18.

With the score knotted at 17 in the fourth, captain setter Joshua Retamar utilized Obed Mukaba, Nico Almendras, and Ken Malinis while UST also shot itself with three errors to give the Bulldogs their 31st consecutive triumph.

Retamar steered NU’s balanced attack with 19 excellent sets to go with eight digs and six points, including two blocks.

Malinis led four Bulldogs in double digits with 16 points, while Almendras and Michaelo Buddin went for 13 points apiece with the latter also making 16 excellent receptions.

Congo’s Mukaba also tallied 12 points including a match-high eight blocks of NU’s 15 rejections.

It was the Golden Spikers’ first losing streak of the season, dropping their second straight game to fall at 10-3.

Josh Ybañez got 19 points and five digs, De Vega added 14 points and 22 receptions, while Dela Noche had 10 points for the Golden Spikers.

UST, which has already clinched the No. 2 ranking in the semifinals, will cap the elims against also-ran University of the Philippines on Sunday, 5 p.m. Watch the UAAP Season 85 Collegiate Volleyball Tournament on the UAAP Varsity Channel (Ch. 263 HD). Available on Prepaid Loads 300 & up (valid for 30 days).

PH coaches modify Petecio’s training

By Peter Atencio

NESTHY Petecio has adjusted her training schemes in accordance with the wishes of her three new coaches.

The 31-year-old Petecio said this as she gets ready to compete in the 57kg action of the women’s events of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games boxing competitions in Cambodia.

Petecio, along with fellow Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam and a 12-member squad will plunge into action when matches are held from May 6 to 14 at the Chroy Changvar Convention Center.

She has lost weight after settling for the silver medal in the 60-kg category in the Vietnam SEA Games last year.

“Unti-unti na pong bumabalik ang power ko sa laro. Kasi, after the Olympics, nagpahinga po ako. In-enjoy ko lang po iyung sa Olympics, “ said the 5’2” Petecio.

The Davao del Sur-born Petecio made history when she became the first female boxer from the Philippines to bag a silver medal in the Olympics. She is now coached by fellow boxer Rogin Ladon, Mitchell Martinez and Reynaldo Galido.

The three took over after her former mentor Nolito “Boy” Velasco retired after the Olympics in 2020.

NU’s Nico Almendras screams his heart out after scoring a point against UST.

Chef Bruce Lim ( fth from left) poses with deputy chefs de mission Leonora “Len” Escollante (third from left) and Paolo Tancontian (sixth from left) and local chefs at the Athletes’ Mess Hall in Phnom Penh.

JuneMar Fajardo ( ba. basketball)

Star’s Beltran elected new PSA president

THE Philippine STAR sports editor Nelson Beltran has been elected as new president of the Philippine Sportswriters Association.

Beltran, from Valenzuela City and a sportswriter for over three decades, succeeded Tempo sports editor Rey Lachica as head of the country’s oldest media organization.

The PSA election of officers was held during its general assembly Tuesday at the conference hall of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Named as part of Beltran’s set of officers were Francis Ochoa of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (vice president), Jasmine Payo of Rappler (secretary), Gerry Ramos of SPIN.ph (treasurer), and Abac Cordero of The Philippine STAR (auditor).

Lachica, as the immediate past president, heads the PSA Board whose members include Jimmy Cantor (Malaya), Dodo Catacutan (SPIN.ph), Lorenzo Lomibao Jr. (Business Mirror), Riera Mallari (Manila Standard ), Ed Andaya (People’s Tonight), Ramon Bonilla (Manila Bulletin), Beth Repizo (PSN ), Ramil Cruz (Abante Tonite), Emil Noguera (Manila Times), Julius Manicad (Daily Tribune), and Ferdz Delos Santos (Abante). lnduction of officers will be during the first PSA Forum after the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.

Young stars as Hawks rip Celtics; Nuggets, Suns win

LOS ANGELES—Trae Young nailed a last-gasp three-pointer as the Atlanta Hawks stunned the Boston Celtics 119-117 to keep their Eastern Conference postseason campaign alive on Tuesday, while Denver and Phoenix booked their places in the next round with series-clinching victories.

A nerve-jangling game in Boston was settled when Young drained a 29-footer with 1.8 seconds remaining to silence the Celtics’ TD Garden crowd and set up a game six in Atlanta on Thursday.

Young, who finished with 38 points, 13 assists and four rebounds, said the Hawks had been determined to extend the series following the suspension of key guard Dejounte Murray.

Murray was suspended for one game after a clash with a referee after game four on Sunday.

“We were missing a big piece of ours and we want him to play game six, so we want to go back home and have him with us,” Young said of Murray.

“I didn’t feel there was any pressure on me. Obviously we were without (Murray) but we all had to step our game up another level—not just me, we all did tonight. Total team win.”

Hawks coach Quin Snyder praised his team’s refusal to buckle in a game that the Celtics had controlled for long periods.

“We were tough-minded,” Snyder said. “It’s tough to be down through the whole game. We were hanging in there and hanging in there. We just didn’t capitulate.”

The Celtics, leading the series 3-1, had looked to be cruising to victory after dominating for most of the second half to lead by 13 points midway through the fourth quarter.

But with Boston poised to wrap up a 4-1 series victory, Young and the Hawks took over with a startling late rally in the closing minutes that whittled away the Celtics lead.

Young nailed back-to-back three-pointers to level the scores at 111-111 with 2:42 remaining and then hit three free throws to help Atlanta take a 114-113 lead.

Robert Williams handed Boston a onepoint advantage to make it 115-114 to the Celtics with 25.6 seconds left on the clock.

But a rash foul by Boston’s Marcus Smart presented Young with two more free throws to edge the Hawks into a 116-115 lead. Young then had a nervous moment af-

Baluyot, Jones triumph in URCC 84 Rage

JIU-JITSU expert Eros Baluyot survived a grueling bloody bout against fellow black belt Elouie Federic Sevilla, while Mariano Jones did what he promised during the Universal Reality Combat Championship 84 Rage on Tuesday night at the Xylo at the Palace in BGC in Taguig.

Baluyot of Parañaque City displayed great striking skills — never expected by the MMA fans — and great wrestling prowess to score a unanimous decision win over Sevilla in a flyweight match that improved his win-loss record to 2-0.

“I learned how to face and conquer myself first before and during the fight. Good thing I learned how to execute well with my striking and wrestling skills,” said the 30-year-old Baluyot, who worked in a month-long training camp in Baguio City to enhance his striking skills.

Sevilla, also bloodied after the fight, dropped to a 6-4 record.

Jones, meanwhile, put an end to Arvin Chan’s 12year MMA career by crushing him with a kimura submission lock in three minutes and 45 seconds of the second round of their welterweight battle witnessed by URCC president Alvin Aguilar and vice president Aleks Sofronov.

Chan (8-10) showed his striking skills, trying to land solid blows, but the 26-year-old Costa Rican fighter also known as the “Hitman”, overpowered him with powerful takedowns before catching him with the deadly submission to hike his win-loss record to 2-0.

“This victory is for everybody, for those people who are always being put down. So always believe in yourselves, fight for what’s right, and not only to the LGBTQ+ community, but I dedicated this fight to the other individuals as well,” Jones said.

The fight cards, watched closely by Games and Amusement Board chairman Atty. Richard Clarin,

Zamboanga subdues Batangas in MPBL

ZAMBOANGA Family’s Brand Sardines bunched nine points midway through the fourth quarter and subdued Batangas City Embassy Chill, 81-74, on Tuesday in a battle between strong teams in the OKBet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay.

Other games saw General Santos thwart Marikina, 85-80, and Pasay beat Laguna Krah Asia, 88-78.

With the count tied at 67, Dexter Maiquez sparked that Zamboanga blitz with a layup and capped it with a triple that pushed the 2023 MPBL Preseason Invitational champion ahead for good, 76-67, with 2 minutes and 26 seconds left.

All Batangas, the MPBL Anta Rajah Cup titlist, could do was narrow the gap on triples by Mark Justine Dela Virgen and Rhaffy Octobre that sandwiched a drive by Zamboanga’s king Caralipio, time down to 1:22.

ter conceding a foul on Derrick White, who shot two free throws to put the Celtics 117-116 ahead with 7.3 seconds left on the clock. Young however responded superbly, calmly bringing the ball up court before launching a pullup three-pointer to give Atlanta a 119-117 lead before Boston’s final desperate

Jaycee Marcelino led Zamboanga to its fifth win in six outings with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals, followed by Letran recruit Caralipio, who ended up with 18 points and 4 rebounds.

Maiquez, formerly of San Juan, finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds as Zamboanga snapped Batangas’ winning streak at five.

Batangas got 18 points and 5 rebounds from Rhaffy Octobre, 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists from Juneric Baloria and 12 points from Levi Hernandez.

The GenSan Warriors drew 26 points, including 3 triples, and 6 rebounds from John Wilson to climb to 5-0 and keep pacesetters Nueva Ecija and Quezon Province, both with 6-0 records.

Kyt Jimenez also delivered for GenSan with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, and so did Nico Elorde and Larry Rodriguez with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Marikina, which fell to 3-3, got 18 points from Kyle Tolentino, 15 points and 15 rebounds from Jason Opiso and 15 points and 6 rebounds from Marwin Dionisio.

Pasay banked on a balanced attack to post its fourth straight win after dropping its first two.

NBA, Titan to open biggest NBA store in PH on May 4

THE National Basketball Association and Titanomachy International, Inc. (Titan), the Philippines’ leading basketball specialty concept store, today announced that the second and largest NBA Store in Metro Manila will open on Thursday, May 4 at 5 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. Located on the second floor of the South Wing Entertainment Mall facing Seaside Boulevard, the 500+ square-meter interactive retail and community space operated by Titan will feature an extensive range of official NBA merchandise and memorabilia, including current and former player jerseys, fan apparel, headwear, footwear, basketballs, and accessories from major brands such as Nike, Mitchell & Ness, New Era and Wilson. The store will also carry NBA Philippines-branded apparel, including a limited-edition shirt for the store launch.

atmosphere in our largest store,” said Titan Managing Director Mike Ignacio. “Building on the success of our first brick-and-mortar store and e-commerce platform, we’re committed to leveraging our interactive space as we inspire Filipino fans to celebrate their love for the game and express their NBA fandom in style.”

Beginning May 4, the NBA Store in SM Mall of Asia will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Fans in the Philippines can also visit the NBA Store in SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City and the official online NBA Store at NBAStore.com. ph, both of which are operated by Titan. Fans can sign up for the newsletter to gain access to exclusive offers on official NBA merchandise and follow NBAStore.com.ph on Facebook and Instagram for more information on NBA product launches and brand highlights.

are supported by Nuebe Gaming and Vietnamese Highlands Coffee.

Marianne Mariano escaped Jomary Torres’ wrestling and grappling skills via a split-decision triumph in the lone women’s strawweight bout.

Mariano got 29-28 and 30-28 scores from the judges, while Torres received a 29-28 score from the other judge.

For inquiries about future fight events, please check www.urcc.online and download at https:// apps.wix.com/place-invites/join-lp/b4e05b90-55a040a8-8fac17ccf4a2c074?ref=pre_banner_top, which is available for iOS and Google.

In the preliminary bouts, Denzel Dimaguila beat Marvin Dela Cruz via a rear-naked choke with 1:14 to go in first round of a flyweight bout, while Rhino Casipe also submitted Jeffrey Subla at 3:06, also via a rear-naked choke.

Rex De Lara also caught Leonard Fornia with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their featherweight bout.

In the amateur bouts, AJ Castellano defeated John Ilarde via a second-round technical knockout win of a heavyweight bout, while Chuckie Ruiz beat Gerald Galangue via split decision in a strawweight match.

In the first ever slap rap battle, Tazz Wiggins bested Closa Mafia via first-round knockout, while Sirdeo needed two rounds to knockout South Piezze.

Additionally, the store will offer a number of interactive fan elements, including an NBA 2K gaming corner, footprints of notable NBA players and legends, and a half-court with a viewing area featuring a 2.5-meter LED screen across a locally designed mural inspired by basketball’s influence in the country. The Larry O’Brien Trophy will also be on display during the store launch and for a limited time throughout May.

“We’re incredibly excited for Titan to open the largest NBA Store in the Philippines in one of the largest shopping malls in Asia,” said NBA Asia Head of Global Merchandising Lesley Rulloda. “Our second NBA Store in Metro Manila will be designed as a destination for our passionate fans to come together and experience a premium retail environment that showcases the most comprehensive selection of official NBA products in the country.”

“Elevating the experience of every Filipino basketball consumer is an objective that we’re focused on achieving as we recreate an authentic NBA retail

For the latest NBA news and updates, fans in the Philippines can visit www.nba.com, download the NBA App, and follow the NBA on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. The 2023 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel are airing in the Philippines on national free-to-air channels TV5 and ONE Sports and premium television channel NBA TV Philippines. NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service, is available through leading digital services and telecommunications providers including Globe, Smart, and PLDT.

SMC BACKS FIBA WORLD CUP. San Miguel Pale Pilsen formalized its support to the SBP and 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The agship event will have its draw this Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum. Shown here are (from left) FIBA WC Deputy Event Director Erika Dy, SBP President Al Panlilio, SMC Sports Director Alfrancis Chua, 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Executive Director David Crocker, MediaQuest & Cignal TV President & CEO Jane Basas, and JMC Philippines Head of Operations John Lucas.

Nelson Beltran

Trae Young AFP

Mariano Jones is declared URCC 84 Rage winner.

BEFORE the Eraserheads changed the Filipino band scene essentially to how it is today, there was the Introvoys which for a time in the early ‘90s lorded the local charts in tremendous fashion that, at the conclusion of a Campus radio 97.1 WLSFM OPM year-end countdown, which at the time was a key source for real, big hits, the top 1 and 2 spots were occupied by their songs “Di Na ‘Ko Aasa Pa” and “Will I Survive,” respectively.

I was in high school dealing with puberty and crushes when the riff on their breakthrough hit “However Which Way” became a must-play for us boys learning how to play the guitar, even if on record it is played on a keyboard. It’s a pity that their greatest hits are somewhat now relegated by the younger generation to what may be labeled as forgotten classics. Well, I tell you, it’s a band whose music significantly served as a backdrop to my young years.

While watching one of their first gigs with my late brother Kuya Boygic (or when few people would clap at their still-unknown repertoire of originals, Kuya told me, “sisikat ‘tong banda na ‘to. (This band would be famous).” No doubt he was right. He especially liked “Calling All Nations” because it sounded like a pure New Wave joy.

At one point the chord pattern D-A-G-A is a catchword because of “Line To Heaven” and Paco Arespacochaga was the coolest drummer

Introvoys

Still breaking new grounds

sounds stiff when he sings in Tagalog.

in town. I can’t think of a more famous Filipino associated with electronic drums.

Jonathan Buencamino’s singing may sometimes be criticized for its ‘slang’ that

ABS-CBN Media giants make another andGMA

historic collaboration

via iWantTFC

ABS-CBN and GMA make history with the collaboration of ABSCBN International and GMA Network, Inc. to offer outside of the Philippines GMA’s international channels GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, and GMA News TV, as well as certain GMA ondemand programs, on iWantTFC starting May 1.

The collaboration benefits iWantTFC viewers in Asia Pacific (APAC), specifically in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Macau, Brunei, Vietnam, India, Laos, Myanmar, and Pakistan; in Europe, covering Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom; in Middle East namely, Afghanistan, Cyprus, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Palestine, Turkey and Yemen; in North Africa covering Algeria, Chad, Djibouti, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, and Tunisia; and in certain territories in the South Pacific/Caribbean Islands where the three GMA channels and certain GMA on-demand programs will be available on iWantTFC.

GMA is the Philippines’ leading broadcasting company, while its overseas arm, GMA International, provides premium Filipino content distributed across multiple platforms globally. GMA International offers a diverse selection of linear and ondemand programming designed to serve the needs of the global Filipino audience.

ABS-CBN’s iWantTFC is the world’s leading Filipino streaming platform. Distributed by ABS-CBN International and its affiliates in their respective countries and territories, iWantTFC continues to solidify its position in the global video

streaming industry as the primary home of Filipino stories. Available in 247 countries and territories, iWantTFC is accessible via multiple viewing devices, and has the largest library of Filipino content, whether original movies or series, classic or restored, news, sports, live channels and on-demand shows.

With the agreement, viewers of iWantTFC in select countries and territories in APAC, MENA, Europe, and the South Pacific/Caribbean Islands can enjoy watching GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, GMA News TV, and GMA programs on demand on iWantTFC, including Maria Clara at Ibarra, Abot Kamay na Pangarap, Apoy sa Langit, First Yaya, and The World Between Us, among others starting May 1.

As GMA Network’s flagship international channel, GMA Pinoy TV delivers exceptional Filipino entertainment and news programming since its inception in 2005.

GMA Life TV, on the other hand, was launched in 2008 and delivers a diverse range of program genres that include lifestyle, travel, food, health and beauty, talk and infotainment, blockbuster movies, and top-rated Englishdubbed drama series, all available in English and Filipino.

Backed by the most trusted and multi-awarded Philippine news and public affairs teams, GMA News TV has been providing global Filipinos with the latest, most comprehensive, and most credible news from the Philippines since 2011. GMA On Demand is the go-to source for the most premium content from GMA with its unparalleled selection of catch-up, subscription, and transactional VOD content.

“GMA Network remains true to our vision of enriching the lives of Filipinos with superior entertainment and the responsible, unbiased, and timely delivery of accurate news and

‘Maria Clara at Ibarra’ is one of the GMA shows to be shown on ABS-CBN's international streaming platform iWantTFC

youth: “Stay,” “Tell Me Why,” “Lullabye,” and the one that gets better as you hear it over and over: “Living My Life.”

Having said these things, I’m glad the band has kept its run and is doing well in the US, now being given the credit they deserve. They will be headlining the Mayfest 2023 free admission-event happening at the Carson Civic Center, California. A press release says that Wish USA is bringing the band to the event’s main stage.

Introvoys is currently composed of Buencamino (vocals), Arespacochaga (drums), JJ Buencamino (keyboard), and Vic Carpio (guitar).

A fund-raising annual event, Mayfest will feature other Fil-Am acts making a name for themselves. Its producers are recognizing caregiving agencies and the caregivers who are “exceptional leaders in care and whose services are valuable to the community.”

To benefit from Mayfest 2023 is CA Care Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering and enriching the lives of California residents through person-centered homes and community-based programs. For event sponsorships and donations, people can contact W Foundation at (818) 4479374 and Mic Diaz Presents at (213) 6779768.

CA Care Association executive director Mark Alipio said, “Proceeds of the event will improve the delivery of care for individuals and increase the skills of direct care workers.”

I met Mark in person and I could see his sincerity in doing what he can to help people regardless of nationality. His touching story, and that of his family, is an example of what the American Dream provides to people with pure intention coupled by hard work and determination, very much like what the Introvoys did when they gave up their reign during the ‘90s, saw “the world in one day” and “walk the world” to become arguably the biggest Filipino band in America.

information,” shared GMA Network Senior Vice President for Finance and ICT Ronaldo Mastrili. “This collaboration with ABS-CBN is another validation of this commitment as we make our world-class content available to a wider audience. At the end of the day, the Filipino viewers – our boss – will greatly benefit from this,” he added.

“GMA International takes another bold step in bringing world-class content to our global Filipino audience with this historic collaboration with iWantTFC in selected territories,” said GMA Network First Vice President and Head of International Operations Joseph Francia. “GMA has always welcomed collaborations, especially those that

Donny Pangilinan takes the spotlight

THERE’S no question about it, it’s Donny

Pangilinan’s time to shine. The young star has projects left and right, numerous billboards that sport his charming smile, and a fandom that is incredibly supportive of his engagements.

Donny is making the most of the opportunities coming his way. However, the glitz and glamor of showbiz can easily distract from the reality that it all comes with hard work, commitment, and even sacrifices. The busy schedule and daily pressures can take a toll on one’s health, both physical and mental, and Donny knows this all too well.

It’s a good thing that he grew up knowing just how important it is to take care of his body and mind, having been an athlete from a young age. He has raced in triathlons and competed in basketball tournaments, among others.

“Health has always been a top priority for me,” he says. “One important thing I’ve learned is to plot not just your work schedule but also your workout schedule. Don’t just revolve your work around your workouts. They must revolve around each other.”

He also makes it a point to protect his mental health. “It’s essential that we find a safe space to express ourselves,” he muses.

“At the same time, we must also listen to others and be present for them when our capacity allows it.”

Donny reaps the fruits of good health in more ways than one. Apart from being physically and mentally well, the discipline

savings and investments.”

Donny recognizes that others, especially those from his generation, may not have the capacity to secure their finances just yet and are still working hard for it. “I encourage them to avoid comparing their journey with others because everyone is on their own different road. Instead, find a group that will motivate and inspire you. Surround yourself with people who will help you reach those goals,” he advises.

It is this levelheadedness about building his own brighter future that Donny was selected by Sun Life Philippines to be its health ambassador specifically for the younger generation.

“We’re excited to have Donny on board because we share the same advocacies,” said Sun Life Chief Client Experience and Marketing Officer Carla GonzalezChong. “Moreover, he is both a credible and inspiring model for the youth. We look forward to working with him as we strive to help the Gen Z secure their future.”

involve bringing Filipinos closer together. We remain grateful for the continued trust of ABS-CBN, this time around through iWantTFC.” “ABS-CBN has always focused on being in the service of the Filipino. Our iWantTFC platform is committed to providing the widest spectrum of Filipino content appreciated and enjoyed by our countrymen worldwide. We are delighted to add a slate of live streaming channels and popular shows from GMA to our ever-growing news and entertainment offerings. As the home of Filipino stories, we will continue to give our audience easy access to content they trust us to deliver,” said ABS-CBN International Managing Director Jun Del Rosario

Warner Bros. unveils

100th anniversary lineup at CinemaCon

CELEBRATING its 100th year, Warner Bros unveiled a packed lineup of new big-screen films at CinemaCon on Tuesday, from a live-action Barbie comedy to Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg’s remake of The Color Purple The historic Hollywood studio also used its presentation at the annual Las Vegas gathering to tease a “10-year plan” to relaunch its DC superhero films, which include beloved characters such as Batman and Superman.

David Zaslav, who spearheaded last year’s corporate merger of Warner and Discovery, took to the stage personally to court an audience predominantly made up of theater owners.

Wizard of Oz and disco culture for the movie, which sees Barbie questioning her too-perfect reality before travelling to Los Angeles.

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey takes the stage at CinemaCon to introduce her and Steven Spielberg's new version of 'The Color Purple' and drive he has developed also extends to his finances. At only 25 years old, he has already invested in real estate and recently secured a health insurance plan.

“I don’t splurge anymore,” he shares.

“I’m very hands-on now with my savings. I do still have moments when I treat myself and invest in memories through traveling or experiences, but I make sure that a big percentage of my money goes to

Donny is currently at the forefront of the digital activities for Sun Life’s new health campaign, where participants will not only get to learn how they can protect their health but also have a chance to win exciting prizes. He will also be a part of the Sun Life Cycle PH, which will be held on April 23 at the Vermosa Sports Hub in Cavite.

To learn more about the #SunLifeWheelOfLife campaign, please visit www.sunlife.co/WheelOfLife.

“We don’t want to do directto-streaming movies,” said Zaslav, whose predecessor was slammed for releasing Warner films directly onto its streaming platform HBO Max –recently rebranded as Max. Across a two-and-a-half-hour presentation, Zaslav and fellow Warner bosses brought out A-list stars including Margot Robbie Ryan Gosling Timothee Chalamet, and Zendaya Robbie and Gosling co-star in Barbie, out July 21, which finds the ubiquitous blonde doll living in a dreamlike, pink-hued world, before one day starting to question her too-perfect reality and travelling to real-life Los Angeles. Director Greta Gerwig drew inspiration from The

Oprah Winfrey introduced her and Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple remake, which features magical realism and dynamic musical numbers. Timothee Chalamet also presented footage from two upcoming films, Wonka and Dune: Part Two Warner’s DC Universe of superhero films wrapped up the presentation. Despite being popular, recent DC movies have faced various production issues and casting changes, and have been overshadowed by Marvel films. James Gunn and Peter Safran were recently appointed as new heads of the division. The studio is set to release The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom this year, and Gunn said they will lead into the DCU slate starting in 2024.

Superman: Legacy, directed by Gunn, is already scheduled for July 2025. Safran promised that future DC movies would be vast, interconnected, and filled with promise and possibility. Zaslav, a self-proclaimed DC lover, announced Warner’s new 10-year plan for the titles.

CinemaCon, which takes place at Caesars Palace and runs until Thursday, provides Hollywood studios with an opportunity to showcase their upcoming films to movie theater executives, while also featuring some of the industry’s biggest stars to generate excitement. AFP

Young star Donny Pangilinan

F you want to learn [how] to swim, jump into the water.”

That’s one of the few quotes that struck my mind when I attended JCI Manila Cerebral Palsy Awareness Symposium and book launch.

The speaker was talking about how his family started their journey by strengthening their kid’s physical motion through therapy. The speaker said it was “a journey of a thousand miles that began with a single step.”

Groundbreaking move toward awareness CEREBRAL

While his child’s progress was being shown through a collection of

PALSY

were Dr. Pablo Beleen, a renowned international specialist in treating cerebral palsy and pediatric rehabilitation; and Dr. Alexis De Leon Reyes, a pioneering developmental and behavioral pediatrician.

JCI Manila is launching the easy-read three-series book in collaboration with Dr. Pablo Beleen, a renowned international specialist in the treatment of cerebral palsy and pediatric rehabilitation, and CP Cares, an empowered CP community composed of patients (CP Warriors) and their families.

The first book, Ang Kapa ni Rafa, focuses on raising awareness about cerebral palsy and showcases the daily life of a patient. The second book Bakit Mahilig sa Dagat si Nanay? is told from the perspective of the families of patients while the third one, Pupunta sa Dagat si Rafa, narrates how it takes a village and a lot of compassion to help provide the best life cerebral palsy patients could have.

video clips, he added that embarking on a journey through physical therapy can be an effective way to address the challenges of living with cerebral palsy – a condition that affects the ability to control movement and can cause muscle stiffness, weakness, and coordination difficulties.

Through his speech, I learned that physical therapy can help improve muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination, as well as reduce pain and improve overall function. His speech was one of the things that

explains how challenging it is to deal with the condition and how the entire family’s support is essential for the patient’s development.

JCI Manila, the premier development leadership organization, is strengthening its support for cerebral palsy awareness by launching a three-series book that would help more people understand the condition and provide support for families of those born with it.

The three books, written by Kimberly Pauig and illustrated by Yvan Limson, were launched during a symposium hosted by JCI Manila at the San Andres Sports Complex. During the event, speakers discussed the Bobath method, developmental pediatrics, and the rights of Persons with Disabilities

(PWD).

JCI Manila has supported the advocacy for increased cerebral palsy awareness through its own Project-CPAG (Cerebral Palsy Awareness Group) since 2015.

“The main objectives of this event are for CP warriors (patients) and their families to have access to relevant medical practices and practitioners through the publication of a book highlighting the Bobath Approach,” said Bobbit Castro, JCI-Manila CPAG Chairman.

The event attendees included 100 CP warriors and their families, Manila’s local city health office,

What I learned in Bali

WANTING To feel that “lightness of being” I often hear from people who visited Bali, I spent some days on this paradise island. Whenever I visit a place for the first time, I am curious and excited to see and feel whatever it has to offer.

Perhaps the most unforgettable experience this place has given me –aside from the peaceful environment, the beauty all around, not to mention the good coffee I thoroughly enjoyed – was my interactions with the Balinese people. They are deeply religious and spiritual, warm, welcoming, and peace-loving. They know how to enjoy life and appreciate the little things in life. They know how to pause and just be grateful. Of course, I didn’t meet all

of them, but this is my experience with the ones who crossed my path.

I was taken by the many places I visited – the temples, beach, marketplaces, cafes in the middle of a rice field, and waterfalls at the foot of verdant mountains. My guide, Kadek, sees beauty and abundance everywhere, and reveling in it, he relates what he feels with enthusiasm. Viewed from his lens, I took it all in.

Though I was traveling solo, I felt safe. The place and the people also made me feel safe. On the sidewalks, it was common to see offerings to the gods, a small array of beautiful flowers.

“You might wonder why we have many temples here,” Kadek shared.

“There is one for every household, one for the community, and one that is open to everyone.”

“We do our best to preserve our culture and traditions. At home and in school, children are taught at a young age our ways and how we ought to live our lives, and in time, they will pass it on to the next generation,” he adds.

There are many things to love in Bali apart from what I have mentioned. The food was also superb. Commodities are relatively affordable. It is generally safe to walk around even at night. I’m sure one will see something unpleasant that needs to be improved on, and had I stayed longer I would have.

I told Kadek it’s a different mindset when you are there as a visitor or versus living there. In a way, Bali taught me to appreciate more what I have been enjoying back home – our beautiful beaches, the ease of communication with everyone, the local produce, the warm, vibrant, and fun-loving Pinoys, the sense of belongingness, and the familiarity of it all. I can point out numerous flaws in my country and its people. Regardless, I love it with all my heart. And really, it’s always nice to come home To reach me, I’m at joba. botana@gmail.com.

representatives from local government hospitals, and JCI Manila officers and members.

The symposium was a Discussion on Bobath Method approach, Developmental Pediatrics, and the rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWD). Bobath is a physiotherapy treatment that aims to improve movement and mobility in patients with damage to their central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Many physiotherapists use Bobath in the rehabilitation of patients with cerebral palsy.

For the symposium, the panelists

DO you always feel pleasure during sex? If you’re a woman, there’s a high chance that the answer is no. And it’s only partly because your partner comes up, well, short. While men can openly share details about sexual proclivities, Filipino women remain apprehensive when it comes to talking about sexual desires and pleasures.

The result: the misconception that female pleasure is elusive, undefinable, and taboo.

How has it come to this? And how can Filipino men and women come together towards fun and pleasure for all?

Condom brand Durex recently celebrated Women’s Month with LOL for All, Pleasure for All a stand-up comedy show headlined by women that aimed to open up conversation about exploring female pleasure for all via comedy. After all, if men can’t rise up for female pleasure, who better get the job done than women themselves?

Held at SELTSAM in Makati City on March 30, LOL for All, Pleasure for All featured some of the best female stand-up comedians in the country today: Comedy Manila’s Issa Villaverde and Jeannie Laccay, and TV and movie actress Donna Cariaga

The three “Ladies of Laughter” shared personal and intimate experiences about sex, pleasure, and what it’s like to be a woman exploring her sexuality (in a healthy and responsible way, of course) in the Philippines – using their signature comedic stylings.

Villaverde, who openly identifies as a bisexual woman, put the spotlight on machismo. Male pride can sometimes hinder men from providing pleasure to their partners, she said.

“I find that straight men are very ma-pride when it comes to sex. Ang daming mayayabang na, ‘Babe, hindi ko kailangan ng lube.’ ‘Pare, walang nagfafake ng orgasm sa akin, pare.’ Kaya I appreciate that the girls I am dating know what pleasure is. So guys, please don’t hesitate to use lube. Like, that’s how we come together,” she quipped.

Meanwhile, Laccay pointed out the similarities of comedy and sex. In both comedy and sex, men al-

The CP Warriors and their families got to listen to experts talk about CP, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, and meet other families who are going through the same situation. They also took part in a book reading and were entertained by a short and fun program. After that, they visited the Manila Zoo.

“We’d like to thank JCI Manila and our panelist doctors for doing this in the City of Manila. Increased awareness about cerebral palsy is very important because it helps improve the quality of life of our CP warriors,” said Manila Vice Mayor Yul Servo Nieto

The event was presented by JCI Manila with the City of Manila, Palawan Pawnshop Group, Ricoh Philippines, and Jollibee Food Corporation, as major sponsors.

ways come first – in more ways than one. But women are just as capable as men, she explained.

“We’re used to having men doing stand-up, right? So medyo effort sa amin dito na magpatawa But it’s okay because I always challenge myself. Like, I really want a job that most men are good at and I’m proud to tell you that I’ve finally made it. Isa na po akong tambay,” she said in jest.

Laccay also noted the importance of protection in exploring pleasure: “Yung gusto ko sa Durex, hindi ka na mage-effort for cosplay. Kapag suotin mo yung condom, feeling mo may superpower ka na Kapag suot mo, ‘I am Pleasuremax Man! Ililgitas kita sa STD. Masaya ka, safe ka pa.’ O di ba, ang saya?”

Cariaga poked fun at how men are celebrated for their sexuality, but women are sometimes shamed for it.

“Sa Pilipinas, ang sex ay mas advantage rin ng mga lalaki. Tignan ninyo, ang lalaki, kapag may bakat, ang sikip ng pantalon niya, badge of honor niya yun, di ba? Pero bakit ang babae kapag may camel toe, hindi pwedeng masikip lang ang underwear namin today?” she shared. “Dahil sa mga ganitong programa, nabibigyan ng boses ang mga babae. Dahil sa totoo lang, meron pa rin tayong social construct na kailangang basagin sa usapang sex ng babae at lalaki. Kailangan na natin siyang basagin.”

“More than providing rib-tickling funny jokes for pleasure, LOL for All, Pleasure for All gave women an avenue to talk about what makes them feel good, allowing them to champion self-acceptance and feel empowered to enjoy and explore what makes them a woman and how they feel pleasure. Everyone, after all, deserves to have fun and pleasure, said Camille Taguba, Durex Philippines Brand Manager.

“I’m very happy to close Women’s Month with this very sexy, pleasurable, and fun night with our funny ladies. Whenever with our condoms, lubricants, or toys, we want to equip you to explore your pleasure and we want to open up the conversation with sex and pleasure,” Taguba ended.

Manila City Vice Mayor Yul Servo Nieto (center) with JCI Manila group officers

Opening up conversation about female pleasure and desire

by Kimberly Pauig, illustrated by Yvan Limson

Medical experts talking about cerebral palsy and how to address the condition

One of the scenic temples in Bali, which the author visited