Manila Standard - 2023 May 25 - Thursday

AGRI DEPARTMENT FAILS TO INK ORDER FOR ONIONS SRP

GCASH BREACH PART OF PHISHING SCHEME – NPC

Maharlika bill ‘high priority’

PBBM marks it as urgent so Senate can pass it before ‘sine die’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vince Lopez

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. certified as urgent the Senate version of the Maharlika Investment Fund Bill to ensure its passage before Congress adjourns sine die next week.

In his letter to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri dated May 22, Mr. Marcos tagged as high-priority Senate Bill 2020 or the proposed MIF bill.

“We will pass it next week,” Zubiri said in a text message.

Certifying the bill as urgent will allow the Senate to forgo the three-day rule as mandated by the 1987 Constitution between the proposed measure’s second and third reading.

Over the past few days, there have been daily session deliberations on the proposed MIF in the Senate.

The House of Representatives earlier passed its own version of the bill, which the President also certified as urgent.

The President cited in his letter “the downgrade of the global growth projection this year on account of debilitating inflation, fluctuating and unstable prices of crude oil and other fuels due to the protracted conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and continuing interest rate hikes in the international financial sector.”

“There is a compelling need for a sustainable national investment fund as a new growth catalyst to accelerate the

‘Mawar’ lashes Guam, on track to PAR

MEAN STORM. This satellite image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Typhoon Mawar as it approached Guam on May 23. Mawar is bearing down on the Pacific island packing ferocious winds (inset) -- and will be in the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Friday, the state weather bureau said. AFP

By Charles Dantes, Vince Lopez, Joel E. Zurbano and Rio N. Araja

DISASTER officials on Wednesday warned the public to brace for Typhoon “Mawar” as it may enter the Philippine areas of responsibility on Friday evening or Saturday morning.

As of Wednesday Morning, “Ma-

China deploys 3 beacons around Spratlys; PH, Japan crafting treaty

By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

CHINA has ordered the deployment of three navigation beacons around the

Spratly Islands in the South China Sea after the Philippines earlier placed similar markers.

According to China’s Transport Ministry, its South China Sea mari-

Teves denies hand in 4 suspects recanting testimonies on killing

By Maricel V. Cruz

SUSPENDED Negros Oriental Rep.

Arnolfo Teves Jr. on Wednesday denied any involvement in the recent recantation of testimonies of suspects in the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.

Teves, who is the suspected mastermind of the Degamo assassination, said in a radio interview: “Again... I don’t have [any involvement in such]. I didn’t [do] anything [wrong]. Anything legal, just refer to my lawyer, please.”

The lawmaker maintained his innocence, adding: “How can I be involved in that when I am far? I’m not updated with the news. Let’s stick with the truth.”

Teves was responding to Osmundo Rivero’s recantation of testimony and denied knowledge of the governor’s assassination.

Rivero was one of the suspects in the killing. He also denied knowing Teves and the solon’s former bodyguard Marvin Miranda, another alleged mastermind.

time security center positioned three beacons close to Irving Reef (Balagtas Reef), Whitsun Reef (Julian Felipe Reef), and Gaven Reefs (Burgos Reefs) of the Spratlys.

The agency said the beacon placement aimed to “ensure the safety of ships’ navigation and operations.”

The Philippines earlier this month

UN cultural body tags Bohol Island country’s first-ever Global Geopark

THE United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has recognized Bohol as the Philippines’ first Global Geopark, the agency said on Wednesday.

According to UNESCO, Global Geoparks are “single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic

A MANILA court has found whistleblower Peter Joemel Advincula, who goes by the alias “Bikoy,” guilty of perjury in connection with claims he made against three lawyers in 2019. The Manila Metropolitan Trial Court

concept of protection, education, and sustainable development.”

The island province thus joins 195 UNESCO-recognized geoparks in 48 countries.

“Two UNESCO Member States join the network: New Zealand and the Philippines,” UNESCO said in a statement shared by one of the agency’s

war” was spotted 2,305 kilometers east of the Visayas with maximum sustained winds of 175 km per hour and gustiness of up to 215 km/h. The eye of Typhoon Mawar passed just north of Guam late Wednesday, but the eyewall –the strongest part of the storm –

5

Pinoy sailors confirmed dead in Indian Ocean

FIVE Filipino crew members who went missing after their Chinese vessel sank in the Indian Ocean have been found dead after a week of search and rescue operations, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.

Ma. Teresita Daza, DFA spokesperson, said the agency is coordinating with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on the repatriation of the victims and the benefits due to their families.

She added there were also other nationalities whose remains were recovered.

On May 17, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian reported that the Chinese fishing vessel Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 (LPY28) capsized in the Indian Ocean. A total of 39 people, including 17 Chinese and five Filipinos, were part of its crew.

Citing information it received from the Chinese government, the DFA said an Indian maritime patrol located the capsized fishing vessel about 1,000 kilometers south of Sri Lanka on May 18. No survivors were found.

The governments of Australia, China, India, and Sri Lanka, among others, deployed a total of 12 vessels and six aircraft to conduct search and rescue operations, which were eventually hindered by bad weather, the DFA said.

On May 23, efforts were shifted to search and recovery given the length of time from the capsizing of the vessel.

ISLAND GEOPARK. This photo posted by the Provincial Government of Bohol on its Facebook page shows the island province’s unique attractions after it was named as the country’s first UNESCO Global Geopark. Bohol FB Page

‘Bikoy’ guilty of perjury, faces up to 3 years in jail

BEAUTY QUEENS IN THE HOUSE. Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez welcomes to the House of Representatives newly-crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee, Miss Supranational 2023 Pauline Amelinckx, Miss Charm Philippines Krishnah Gravidez, Miss Universe Philippines 1st Runner Up Christine Juliane Opiaza, and Miss Universe Philippines 2nd Runner Up Angelique Manto during their courtesy call on Wednesday. Ver Noveno

Agri Dept. shelves SRP for onions

By Othel V. Campos

THE Department of Agriculture has indefinitely suspended the proposed suggested retail price for onions after Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban failed to sign the necessary documents that will authorize the imposition of a lower SRP for the commodity.

Despite this, there were several wet market retailers that immediately adjusted their prices in compliance with the DA directive. According to Bantay Presyo, the daily price monitoring of basic agricultural produce by the DA, some retailers have dropped their selling price to P150 per kilogram while there are those who have set the retail price to as low as P100/kg.

Agriculture spokesperson Rex Estoperez said there must be a reason why Panganiban has not signed the SRP authorization.

“Looks like he is not convinced with the cost structure presented to set the SRP. For now, we’re not announcing any SRP for onions,” he said.

While the SRP is on hold, the DA said it will focus on the inspection of more cold storage areas to give traders a chance to

release more onions to the supply chain and allow prices to stabilize.

An aggrupation of farmers and agriculture stakeholders have wondered why the DA would delay the enforcement of the SRP.

“We don’t know if there is pressure to hold or to not implement, at all, the planned SRP but for us, we saw that after the consultations, there were retailers who were quick to comply with the SRP,” said Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) executive director Jayson Cainglet.

The DA has subjected onions to SRP twice since prices ran haywire in 2022.

Retailers are hard-pressed to comply with the SRP since the wholesale price for which they acquired the commod-

ity is higher than the proposed SRP by the DA.

Since retailers are having difficulties complying with the DA directive, the Senate proposed to introduce a Suggested Wholesale Price (SWSP) instead of SRP.

However, the DTI said that under the Price Act, the only allowable price monitoring measure is the SRP.

“Maybe there should be a provision of law (under the Price Act) that may authorize such action,“ said Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.

Meanwhile, the DA is also assessing if they can simplify the importation of sugar without the sugar order which under the Price Act is an allowable action if sanctioned by the President using his executive power.

GCash breach part of phishing scheme—NPC

brought powerful winds and heavy rain to the US territory.

The strongest storm to impact Guam in decades, Mawar pelted the entire 30-mile-wide island with hurricane-force winds.

The Guam International Airport recorded sustained winds of 71 mph with a gust of 105 mph Wednesday evening. An extreme wind warning was in effect for the northern part of Guam until 10:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m. ET) for winds that could create tornado-like damage.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) downgraded “Mawar” to a typhoon after initially categorizing it as a super typhoon.

It said it could remain a typhoon for the next 12 hours before intensifying again into a super typhoon.

Once “Mawar” enters the PAR, it will be given the local name of “Betty,” the state weather bureau said.

PAGASA said the western portions of MIMAROPA, Visayas, and Mindanao are expected to be hit by enhanced monsoon rains, as will the western portions of Southern Luzon and Visayas from Sunday onward.

Government agencies are now implementing measures based on emergency preparedness and response protocols of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) which include the dissemination of warnings, and the preparation of relief assistance for distribution and rescue teams for deployment.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said a total of 797,051 family food packs (FFP) worth P565.78 million have been stockpiled in its regional offices.

There are also 110,667 FFPs available in disaster response centers in Metro Manila and the Visayas.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) directed all its regional directors to coordinate with their respective regional disaster risk reduction and management councils and to remind all local government units to prepare for the coming storm.

EU to Speaker: PH ‘attractive’ to investors

By Maricel V. Cruz

and Vince Lopez

A BIG business delegation from the European Union (EU) said the Philippines was the most attractive investment destination in the world for their group, Speaker Ferdinand G. Romualdez said Wednesday.

During their meeting with Romualdez, six representatives from the visiting EU-ASEAN Business Council (EUABC) composed of 70 delegates from 36 European multinational companies expressed their interest in expanding EU business and trade relations with the Philippines, as they praised the country’s strong economic performance.

press officers, Clare O’Hagan.

Bohol Island’s Global Geopark status was announced during the 216th session of UNESCO’s executive board, which was held in Paris, France.

The Bohol Island Geopark will soon join 17 other new geoparks in the Global Geoparks Network, the cultural agency said in a Facebook post.

“The network provides a platform for international cooperation, allowing global geoparks and aspiring geoparks to share best practices and enhance the UNESCO Global Geopark brand,” the group added.

In Bohol’s nomination, UNESCO described the Philippine area as having “scenic and varied landforms and structural features.”

“The Geopark features one of the six double barrier reefs in the world and the only barrier reef in Southeast Asia,” it said.

“Bohol also boasts of highly diverse flora and fauna due to its dynamic geologic and tectonic history conserving endemic species through protected areas for the Dipterocarpacea family rainforest trees and animal sanctuaries.”

In 2013, a group of researchers from the University of the Philippines conducted fieldwork on potential geoparks in the Philippines, according to the provincial government of Bohol.

A “METICULOUS” phishing scheme through online gambling websites caused the security breach that led to unauthorized fund transfers from mobile wallet GCash to several private bank accounts earlier this month.

“Upon our thorough investigation, we have determined that the unauthorized transactions in GCash accounts were a result of a meticulous phishing scheme,” said Privacy commissioner John Henry Naga.

“Unknown threat actors took advantage of vulnerable GCash users, trigger-

ing the phishing scheme through online gambling websites such as ‘Philwin’ and ‘tapwin1.com,’” he added.

The NPC’s Complaints and Investigation Division (CID) conducted an independent probe to ascertain the extent of the alleged unauthorized transactions and determine if personal data were compromised, among other potential violations of the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

On May 12, the NPC held a clarificatory meeting with G-Xchange Inc. (GXI).

“We have ordered GXI to intensify its education and awareness campaign to

zation of government assets.

its clients to prevent similar incidents in the future. We assure the public that the National Privacy Commission remains resolute in its mandate to safeguard the rights of data subjects and protect personal information. We will employ the full extent of our powers under the law to penalize those who violate the Data Privacy Act of 2012,” Naga said.

Last week, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla said only 80 percent of the unauthorized fund transfers from mobile wallet GCash to several private bank accounts were recovered. Othel V. Campos

Romualdez informed them of the initiatives of Congress, in line with the policies of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to “make the Philippines a more inviting host for business investments and economic activities.”

“We’re here to see how we can help. We would like to support, we would like to assist. We’d like to be aware of the challenges so we could address them together,” Romualdez told the EU delegation representatives.

Noel Clehane, Global Head of Regulatory & Public Policy for BDO and board member of EU-ABC, informed Romualdez that they have been engaging with EU lawmakers to push for a free trade agreement with the Philippines.

implementation of strategic and highimpact large infrastructure projects that will stimulate activity and development,” he said.

In the Senate version of the bill, the fund’s initial capital will come from the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines, dividends from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, and from the privati-

The proposed Maharlika Investment Corporation will also be allowed to issue bonds. There will also be limitations in relation to investments in real estate, which shall be limited to major capital projects, as endorsed by the National Economic and Development Authority Board, to ensure that these are in line with the socio-economic development programs of the government.

Other changes are new provisions with the forms of joint ventures and coinvestments on the issuance of bonds as

Australia had sent three planes and four ships to help in the international search-and-rescue efforts.

well as to the Board of Directors to reflect nine permanent members, instead of the original 15.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, however, insisted he is not convinced of the need for an MIF.

“I have studied it for a long time and have tried to dig what’s really on their minds, but still I’m not convinced,” he said.

While it is a state-initiated investment, Pimentel said it can no longer be considered a “sovereign wealth fund’ or state investment fund because it will be open to the private sector.

“We have been highlighting to them that this region (ASEAN), particularly the Philippines, is the most attractive in the world for European businesses,” said Clehane.

He said their excitement about business prospects in the Philippines is borne by an annual survey that they have been doing for the past eight years. As a result, he said EU lawmakers are now “becoming more alert” to exploring expanded trade relations with the Philippines.

China...

From A1

The Chinese vessel overturned on May 16, with 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesians, and five Filipinos on board.

“From an analysis of the ship’s capsizing... it is preliminarily judged that there are no survivors from the ship,” Beijing’s transport ministry said in an official social media post.

The boat capsized within Australia’s vast search-and-rescue region, 5,000 kilometers (2,700 nautical miles) to the west of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia.

Chinese state media reported on Monday that seven bodies had been found by Chinese and Sri Lankan rescue vessels, without specifying the nationalities of the dead.

Rescuers had trawled an area of around 64,000 square kilometers and “did not find any sign of survivors,” the ministry said.

The fishing vessel’s distress beacon was first detected last week as Cyclone Fabian drove waves as high as seven meters and winds as strong as 120 kilometers per hour through the area.

Rough weather conditions held back rescue efforts, with the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Canberra warning of “challenging” survival conditions.

The Chinese transport ministry said rescue boats had sounded their horns for one minute of mourning in the early hours of Tuesday, with only seven vessels remaining on the scene by noon.

Diokno and Tañada said their presence at Ateneo was to attend a forum for senatorial candidates. They also denied meeting Advincula.

“The shipwreck’s condition shows no obvious change from the previous day, and is gradually drifting northeast,” the ministry said.

The capsized vessel was owned by Penglai Jinglu Fishery Company, one of China’s major state-run fishing firms.

It was authorized to fish for neon flying squid and Pacific saury, according to the North Pacific Fisheries Commission.

It left Cape Town in South Africa on May 5 for Busan in South Korea, according to the MarineTraffic tracking website, which last located the vessel on May 10 southeast of Reunion, a tiny French island in the Indian Ocean.

Penglai Jinglu Fishery also runs squid and tuna fishing operations in international waters, including the Indian Ocean and seas surrounding Latin America. Rey E. Requejo with AFP

noting that it was Advincula who was probably guilty of the crime of conspiracy to commit sedition.

deployed navigational buoys carrying the country’s flag within its exclusive economic zone, including at Balagtas Reef and Julian Felipe Reef, where hundreds of Chinese ships were moored in 2021 and again in 2022.

As this developed, Sen. Francis Tolentino said the potential defense agreement between the Philippine and Japanese governments may need the concurrence of the Senate.

Tolentino, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, made the remarks as the two Asian countries are reportedly preparing to begin their preliminary consultations before commencing the formal negotiations for a “Reciprocal Access Agreement” or RAA—basically the proposed Visiting Forces Agreement between Manila and Tokyo.

He noted that the primary nature of the agreement will be through a treaty.

“Then, it must be done precisely in accordance with the 1987 Constitution, and thus, must be ratified by members of the Senate,” the senator said.

group known as “Project Sodoma.”

The group, Advincula claimed, plotted to commit sedition, libel, and cyber libel, among others. Bikoy also claimed there was a meeting at the Ateneo de Manila University among the conspirators.

The statements became the basis for charges of sedition filed against members of the opposition, including the lawyers, at that time.

The criminal charges, however, were dismissed by the Department of Justice on January 27, 2020, with prosecutors

en after their arrest last March 5.

Copies of their affidavits of recantation were not available.

“In this case, the totality of the prosecution evidence, when put under severe testing, amounts to proof beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of perjury. The witnesses who testified for the prosecution were able to sufficiently establish the falsehood of the accused’s statements,” the court said.

Earlier, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa said Manila and Tokyo are “just about to start the consultation for negotiations.”

Once approved, he said the proposed agreement would allow Filipino and Japanese forces to deploy troops on each other’s territory for training and other operations.

This developed as the Department of Justice on Wednesday said Rivero should present evidence to prove he was forced and tortured to admit his participation in the slaying of Degamo and nine others and the involvement of Teves in the murders on March 4, 2023.

Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon stressed the DOJ’s panel of prosecutors has received the affidavit of recantation of Rivero.

“The matter of having to prove it is now with Rivero because it does not follow that just because he recanted what he is saying now is the absolute truth,” Fadullon said.

Besides Rivero, three other detained suspects in the March 4 killings -- Dahniel P. Lora, Romel A. Pattaguan, and Rogelio C. Antipolo Jr. – have also retracted their supposed testimonies giv-

Teves reiterated there are threats to his life, thus giving him a reason not to return home. He also refused to comment on his reported application for political asylum in Timor-Leste.

“I’ll keep that to myself. I don’t need to make things public all the time,” he said.

On Rivero’s recantation, Fadullon said: “If it is true, then anybody who may have been responsible for it, if proven to be correct, may be held responsible or may be held accountable.”

“However, if for example, it turns out these allegations cannot be supported, something which cannot be backed up by evidence, then the one who makes the recantation should likewise face the full force of the law,” he added.

“It is incumbent upon the person to now present proofs of the facts he is now alleging in his affidavit of recantation,” Fadullon added.

On the lament of Danny Villanueva, the lawyer of the four suspects, that the DOJ panel of prosecutors required the submission of documents to support the affidavits of recantation, Fadullon said: “I think it is only correct for the panel to require the submission of documents to support whatever allegations are contained in the affidavit of recantation.”

Since Rivero alleged he got tortured, Fadullon said the detainee should show, for example, “medico-legal reports, affidavits of examinations by doctors and probably record of the injuries and any complaint that he may have filed as a consequence thereof is something will have to be submitted if only to justify or if only to lend credence or support to the contents of his affidavit of recantation.”

After his arrest in Negros Oriental last March, Rivero and his co-suspects were turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last March 7.

Fadullon said that Rivero, immediately on the day of his arrival at the NBI,

was “subjected to medical examination as a standard operating procedure in receiving detainees and complaint would have been raised already there.”

“There were lawyers who assisted him from the Public Attorney’s Office during the taking of his statements and right off they were given the opportunity to talk and there would have been the opportunity for him to ask for examination if he felt that the first one was something that was questionable,” he said.

The DOJ official said the participation of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) could have been raised “to check if there is any proof of torture that was committed.”

“All these are being brought forward only now practically a month and a half after they were brought to Manila,” he said.

But the Justice official expressed the belief that the more truthful statements were the first ones done by Rivero. With Rey E. Requejo

Honor Blanco Cabie, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com OPINION A4 THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2023

After

the weeping

IT WAS a shockingly tragic event which will haunt many. A national treasure, an iconic building, has been lost, save only for the classical columns that served as its imposing façade.

Those of us who had intimate relations with the nation’s post office could not help but weep at its destruction.

I need answers as to how the flames engulfed the entire structure so quickly, when all the floors are separated by concrete slabs, vintage 1946.

If indeed it started in the basement which houses the mail sorting section, one can readily understand that there are plenty of combustible materials there, from the letters and parcels, to the wooden pigeon holes and desks that postal employees utilize.

Sadly, no fire sprinkler system had been innovated into the building which was built when no such contraptions existed.

And on its two half-moon shaped structures flanking the east and west of the building, one can understand how the flames may have gone up, and through the stairwells that lead to the grand lobby of the central post office.

But for the flames to have gone up so fast and destroyed the entire inside parts of the building in a matter of hours remains a mystery to those of us who do not have scientific knowledge of how fires spread.

This writer was postmaster-general from 1986 to 1988, and on Tuesday night, I had a long-scheduled dinner with another former postmaster-general and a past president of the defunct Postal Savings Bank, whose separate building flanks the now beautified Jones Bridge.

should move forward with a renewed sense of history, a love of nation, and a pride of place

Aside from collective sadness at what transpired from Sunday night till Monday morning, there were several questions that we hope, in quick time, the Bureau of Fire Protection and other pertinent investigators can shed light upon.

The initial estimate of damage by the Manila fire officials was 300 million pesos.

That was dead wrong.

There can be no price tag on a national heritage treasure that was originally built in 1926, by some of our greatest architects— Juan Arellano and Tomas Mapua, on a site planned by Daniel Burnham.

The Bureau of Posts and Telecommunications Building was destroyed by American bombs that rained upon the second most devastated city in the Second World War, our beloved Manila.

Its reconstruction in 1946 was done following the original design, with the father of the late Don Alfonso Yuchengco as main contractor.

Lost too are priceless philatelic collections ranging from colonial days to every milestone in the life of the nation that stamps commemorated.

During FVR’s time, a fire gutted the fourth floor which housed the records and accounting offices, and the suspicion was that it was intentionally done to destroy evidence of corruption during the early days of the Philippine Postal Corporation, which was legislation we initiated in 1987, passed by the House of Representatives the following year, but tarried in the Senate until 1991, when it finally passed.

The post office has had several

BAGHDAD, Iraq—Young Iraqis row a flotilla of traditional wooden boats down the Tigris river in Baghdad, celebrating an ancient nautical heritage in the now drought-stricken country. Once a common sight across Iraq’s southern streams and marshlands, the elongated boats with tapered bows and sterns known as meshhouf have been around “since the time of the Sumerians”, said event organizer Rashad Salim.

But the elegant water craft have long been vastly outnumbered by modern, motorised vessels and are threatened further as Iraq’s waterways suffer from droughts linked to climate change. Iraq must save “from extinction an essential facet of our civilization which has existed for four or five millenia,, said Salim, co-founder of Safina Projects, which works to preserve Iraq’s traditional boating culture.

Salim, 62, is a painter, sculptor and ecoartist with a taste for adventure who in his youth joined the famed Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl on a long sea voyage in a traditional Iraqi reed vessel.

Five years ago, Salim set out to find Iraq’s last meshhouf makers, locating them in Huweir

mutations, from the Bureau of Posts and Telecommunications in the Third Republic, placed under the Department of Public Works and Communications, and during PFM’s martial law administration, supervised by the newly created Department of Transportation and Communications, during which telecommunications was also separated into the BuTel.

The Bureau of Posts during President Cory’s second year in office was subsumed as a mere postal office now under the DOTC.

Then in PFVR’s time, it became a GOCC, known as the Philippine Postal Corporation, which it is up to the present.

From the pictures we have all seen, it is now clear that only the façade with its imposing columns can be saved, and we need to construct an entirely new structure, either to house the post office, or convert the building into part of the National Museum complex, an idea which we think quite appropriate.

The postal service has seen its operations and relevance diminished considerably by the internet and the technological improvements that has wrought changes to people’s ways of communicating.

Even love letters are now sent via electronic mail, and greeting cards like Hallmark have increasingly faded into obsolescence.

Romance through well-written letters from the heart have even mutated into short messages texted quite often.

There was a time, when then tourism secretary Dick Gordon proposed converting the central post office building into a fivestar hotel, a la Fullerton in Singapore.

Properly designed, where the architectural icon could have served as a grand lobby with fine dining restaurants, ballrooms and function rooms, and two high-rise towers beside it, with the defunct postal bank building and the money order section beside the Jones and MacArthur bridges as hotel suites, the idea was very good.

Now, we submit it is best re-created and made part of the National Museum Complex, to house artistic treasures of the Filipino race.

The central post office can be rebuilt on one side of the museum, along a similarly designed structure, and the other side a multi-level parking building for visitors.

GSIS is ready to pay the postal corporation some 600 million pesos based on the insurance policy. LandBank still holds the net cash assets of the postal bank, amounting to more than 100 million pesos.

But these are insufficient to recreate the old glory.

A good proposal is to tap idle funds held by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) which is partly funded by travel tax collections. Pagcor and PCSO can also contribute.

Likewise, a fund drive can be launched, in the same way that the French government raised hundreds of millions of euros from the private sector to rebuild the burnt Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

Bernard Arnault, currently the world’s richest man, contributed 200 million euros, or, at the time, 240 million dollars (13.2 billion pesos more or less) for Notre Dame. The guy has a net worth of 230 billion dollars. Maybe the country’s richest tycoons listed by Forbes can take the lead, as even ordinary citizens with what sums they can spare, similar to the French effort for the iconic cathedral.

After the weeping over heritage treasures lost, we should move forward with a renewed sense of history, a love of nation, and a pride of place.

on the edge of Iraq’s famed Mesopotamian marshes, where eventually he would place orders for the construction of new vessels.

Salim then went to nautical clubs and helped create teams that would teach young people how to navigate the gondola-like vessels.

The flotilla on the Tigris in Baghdad was a landmark event in Salim’s efforts -- 18 of the boats took to the water on a spring afternoon as part of a cultural festival.

‘Connect with environment’

The youthful pilots alternated paddle strokes on the left and right. Some, with only a few weeks’ practice in the lead-up to the event, struggled to hold the course.

The meshhouf is part of “the history and heritage of the country,” said one of them, Omar Youssef, 21, who has previous experience with sailing and windsurfing.

Those sports “depend on the wind, you have to keep the balance with your body,, he said, whereas powering the meshhouf works the “shoulders and arms.”

Seven meshhouf clubs have been founded in Baghdad, the central province of Babylon and parts of southern Iraq, with funding from Britain and the Aliph Foundation, which

A working Congress S

PEAKER Martin Romualdez is on the right track in urging the House of Representatives to focus on their job of lawmaking.

“Rather than engaging in politicking, I would rather that we, in the House of Representatives, remain focused on more urgent matters. The Uniteam, which the House leadership has always been a part of, must continue to focus on finding immediate solutions to problems of ordinary Filipinos.”

Speaker Romualdez has issued a timely and appropriate reminder to the leaders and members of the House to adhere to the same performance level that allowed them to approve on third and final reading at least 29 of the 42 bills that comprise the Marcos administration’s legislative agenda.

Among the bills already approved by the House are those condoning the debts of our agrarian reform beneficiaries, the establishment of specialty centers in the provinces similar to the Lung and Heart Centers in Metro Manila, and the Magna Carta bills that seek to protect the rights and promote the welfare of barangay health workers and seafarers.

In fact, the legislature has to work on a number of priority bills.

Among these is the National Government

AMIDST the debate about military pension benefits, some quarters wished the government reconsidered the plan of the last administration to resurrect the Philippine Constabulary.

In the middle of former President Duterte’s term, he expressed an interest in bringing back the PC.

I never found out why he did not push thru with it.

But I remember one of his reasons was his belief the peace and order problems in the country needed an organization with the capability of the old PC to better deal with the kind of internal security situation we continue to experience to this day.

Indeed, the PC had that unique capability of being military and police at the same time, depending on the demands of the operational situation due to the training PC personnel underwent.

It was an ideal force to do battle with an insurgency war which by its very nature was a low intensity conflict.

Combat in such a scenario was mostly composed of small unit actions which the Constabulary excelled at, combined with police operations like applying for search and arrest warrants and the subsequent filing of cases in court.

Whether this type of capability is still what is needed at this time to finally solve our more than 50-year insurgency should be carefully studied.

We must also remember there are critics of the PC who are still around who have many things to say about the role played by the PC during the turbulent years of martial law. They seem to forget the PC played a major role in the country’s return to democratic role. We also do not know whether such an idea can attract enough support from Malacanang and Congress because a law will have to be passed to make the idea a reality.

Another stumbling block is the Constitution which mandates the formation of a national police force that must be civilian in character. This Constitutional provision will have to be amended and I do not think there is an appetite to change that provision any time soon.

Rightsizing Program, which would enhance the government’s institutional capacity to perform its mandate and provide better services, while ensuring optimal and efficient use of resources.

The E-Government Act provides for the

But there are perhaps two very good reasons why resurrecting the PC should indeed be considered.

One is changing strategic priorities not only in the country but in the region.

Our AFP must now move away from internal stability operations and concentrate on external defense because of the WPS and Taiwan issues.

It is not advisable for the AFP to be concentrating on both internal and external defense.

The bulk of internal stability operations should now be given to a force well suited to handle low intensity conflicts.

The PC can do this, freeing the AFP to modernize, reorganize and adjust doctrines to handle territorial defense.

Meanwhile, the creation of a Department of Water Resources had been proposed as early as 2019 to address concerns over water shortages.

The proposed bill would adopt the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) as the strategic framework for national water management, policy-making and planning.

The Internet Transaction Act or E-Commerce Law will establish an effective regulation of commercial activities through the internet or electronic means to ensure that consumer rights and data privacy are protected, innovation is encouraged, fair advertising practices and competition are promoted, online transactions are secured, intellectual property rights are protected, and product standards and safety are observed.

The National Land Use Act will provide for a rational and holistic management and development of country’s land and water resources and compel land owners and local government units to ensure sustainable development on their land.

All this tells us one thing: Lawmakers should now work double-time to discuss pending measures that will enhance economic growth as well as accelerate social and political reforms in the years ahead.

works to protect cultural heritage in conflict zones. Iraq is still recovering from decades of dictatorship and war, but it faces an additional peril.

The United Nations ranks it as one of the world’s five countries most impacted by some effects of climate change.

Iraq endures blistering summer heat and frequent dust storms.

Another reason which might attract the support of the Executive Branch and Congress, which is something totally unrelated to counter insurgency work, is that bringing back the PC could just be what is needed to provide a solution to the ticklish problem of pension benefits.

Before the PNP Law of 1992, the PC was part of the AFP and, at its zenith, it numbered about 33,000.

The local police units – although under the PC -- belonged to and were paid by Local Government Units to include the fire departments and jail management personnel.

After 1992, these people were paid by the national government.

Currently, the PNP strength is about 220,000, not counting the fire and jail personnel. This will continue to increase because the

Declining rain as well as upstream dams have reduced the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers where ancient civilizations flourished.

Salim bemoaned the “terrifying” state of the rivers which suffer from rising “water salinity and pollution.”

A major aim for him, he said, is to enable young Iraqis to “connect with the environment.”

‘Revive the heritage’

Salim hails from a prominent family of artists and diplomats -- being the son of artist Nazar Salim and the nephew of famous sculptor and painter Jawad Salim.

His love for traditional Iraqi boats dates back to 1977, when he was the youngest crew member aboard the Tigris, a ship constructed of river reeds by Heyerdahl, the Norwegian adventurer.

To prove that the ancient civilisations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley were in contact across the seas, they embarked on a 143-day voyage spanning 6,800 kilometers, from Iraq through the Gulf and the Arabian Sea to Pakistan and on to Djibouti.

In 2013, Salim took part in another expedition of traditional boats, organized by the group Nature Iraq, that sailed 1,200

strength has to satisfy the population ratio of one is to 500 people. If the PC is resurrected and the strength is pegged to not more than 45,000, the savings would be enormous.

It is not, however, as simple as that because, naturally, the pay and retirement benefits of the civilian police may have to go back to the local government units and this must have to be properly rationalized. One thing that will probably happen is the police, fire and jail personnel will revert to the GSIS like the way it was before their incorporation to the PNP.

But there will be no danger of their salaries and other allowances being cut.

All that will happen is the indexation of pensions to active duty uniformed personnel will no longer be the same. The pension indexation will then only be to inflation which should be good enough.

The other issue to resolve is: will a resurrected PC go back as part of the AFP or will it stand alone under a new Department? Still another is where will be the source of the officers come from?

From the Philippine Military Academy or a newly established Philippine Constabulary School?

On this score, the government should look at the Italian Carabinieri, Spanish Guardia Civil or the National Gendarmerie of France to see what is suited for the country. These three organizations have very interesting histories and have similarities to the PC.

After all is said and done, everything will depend on what the priorities of the government are at this time.

If national security issues are at the upper echelon of its programs, then perhaps it is worth considering.

But if it is a low priority, then there is no chance at all and people wishing this thing to happen should just forget it.

kilometers along the Tigris from southern Turkey to Iraq’s far south.

Salim would also love to revive Iraq’s traditional round boat made of woven reeds, the guffa, which resembles a wicker basket that spans more than two meters.

But his ambition is also to find a “business plan” to make his challenging project financially viable and create jobs.

One of Iraq’s traditional boat builders is Zouheir Raisan, 40, who lives by the marshes in Huweir, 400 kilometers south of Baghdad.

Business had stopped in the 1990s but was slowly revived four years ago, a change the father of eight welcomes to supplement his main job as a truck driver.

Under the shade of a mudhif reed structure, he was sawing boards and helping his cousin nail them to a boat frame.

He said he remembers helping his father and brothers make meshhoufs, some measuring up to 11 metres long.

Other countries, he said, are sending experts “in search of this heritage, to encourage its rebirth,” he said.

“Why don’t we bring it back to life ourselves?” AFP

Iraq artist battles

Acorda: Trust in PNP’s discipline of bad cops

PHILIPPINE National Police Chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. has urged the public to trust the PNP’s built-in mechanisms in disciplining its erring personnel.

Acorda made the appeal following the recent involvement of certain police officers in criminal activities that have put the institution’s integrity in a bad light.

“The PNP, as an organization founded on professionalism, is more than equipped to undertake administrative investigation and if the circumstances warrant, render punitive actions against its personnel involved in criminal activities,” Acorda said.

These mechanisms are designed to ferret out the truth first and foremost, and according to Acorda, the same process would also give the opportunity for PNP officers under probe a venue to defend themselves against charges.

Meanwhile, the PNP challenged barangay officials to undergo drug testing as the national police reinforced its intelligence monitoring against village officials linked to illegal drugs.

PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said the beefing up of police monitoring efforts is part of the national police’s preparations to secure a safe and peaceful Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on October 30.

“Included in our monitoring are a number of barangay officials that are involved in illegal drugs,” Maranan said.

“Once we have strong evidence, we will conduct joint police operations or what we call intelligence-driven operations to arrest those involved in illegal drugs,” he added.

Acorda assured the public that in all its internal investigations involving its personnel, the PNP will be transparent and impartial.

Jun David and Charles Dantes

IN BRIEF

PAGCOR cancels CGC accreditation

THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has canceled the accreditation of offshore gaming customer relations service provider CGC Technologies Inc. (CGC).

The cancellation of CGC’s accreditation came barely a week after PAGCOR issued a stern warning to its offshore gaming licensees and its accredited service providers who are involved in illegal activities.

Investigations confirm that CGC, an accredited service provider operating under offshore gaming licensee Oriental Game Limited, was involved in criminal activities thus warranting the cancellation of its accreditation. It was also found that CGC violated some of the conditions attached to its accreditation.

Review EPIRA Act, Ejercito tells solons

SENATOR Joseph Victor “JV”

Ejercito on Wednesday has called for a review of Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), citing its failure to bring down electricity rates across the country.

He said the privatization of energy companies failed to promote competition, which was expected to push down the price of electricity across the board.

“The intention was really to encourage competition and bring down the prices of electricity,” he said.

“What happened, the Napocor privatization of power plants, including the transmission, proceeded,” the senator said.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

Vargas pushes CDC measure passage

QUEZON City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas on Wednesday called for the immediate passage into law the Creation of the Philippine Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, emphasizing the lurking threat of Covid strains and other human viruses.

Vargas, one of the legislators who has been very active in extending help since day one of Covid-19, said, “Together with my brother, former Congressman Alfred Vargas, we serve as witnesses to the pain and suffering of our people during the height of pandemic. Filipinos will really find it hard to afford yet another wave of incalculable impacts in our health systems and economies. We cannot be caught off guard this time and better be prepared to protect our communities against communicable and non-communicable diseases.”

Maricel V. Cruz

Palace taps Enrile daughter Katrina as new CEZA administrator

By Vince Lopez

KATRINA Gloria C. Ponce Enrile is the new Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), leading the latest batch of appointees to the government announced by Malacañan Palace on Wednesday.

The daughter of Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile takes the CEZA post that has a Cabinet rank and

is under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Before being appointed, Katrina Enrile ran the family-owned JAKA Investments Corp. and holds executive positions in Philcomsat Holdings Corp. and Montemar Resort & Development Corp, among other companies.

Also appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was Dr. Diana Rose Cajipe as Undersecretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Devel-

opment (DSWD).

Prior to the DSWD, Cajipe specialized in obstetrics and gynecology since 2006 and served as the Public Information Officer of the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, and later was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Social Welfare Department.

Clarissa Lara Duran and Dianne Joie Ruiz were also appointed as Directors IV of the DSWD.

Ronnie Ong, meanwhile, was tapped

AFP to clear 300 villages from rebels before BSKE polls

By Charles Dantes

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines on Wednesday said they were looking to clear about 300 barangays from the presence of armed insurgents as its troops prepare for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in October.

“When asked about how many (election) hot spots there will be, because that really is where the activities will be, we’re looking first at the areas which the CPP-NPA are trying to recover, or

those areas where they have presence,” AFP spokesperson Medel Aguilar told reporters. “We are also looking at areas where there are active (communist) guerilla fronts like the Samar area,” he added.

Last Monday, the Philippine National Police said they are monitoring 48 private armed groups ahead of the BSKE this year.

In previous reports from the AFP, it said there are at least 22 remaining guerilla fronts and only two of them are still active.

House readies for PBBM’s second SONA

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House of Representatives has begun its preparations for the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

This was revealed in a five-page memorandum dated Monday and signed by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco. The 1987 Constitution provides that the President’s SONA happens on the 4th Monday of July. This year, Mr. Marcos will address Congress on July 24.

“Pursuant to the 1987 Constitution and following established traditions, the second regular session of the 19th Congress will convene on 24 July 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at the plenary hall of the House of Representatives (HRep),” the memoran-

dum read.

“At 4 p.m. the same day, the joint session of Congress will be held to hear the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.,” added the memo, which was addressed to House members, secretariat officials and personnel, and congressional staff.

The Batasan Complex in Quezon City is the traditional site of the President’s annual speech.

A one-kilometer no-fly zone over the House complex shall be imposed from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on July 24, the memo added.

“All non-SONA transactions are suspended from 20-24 July 2023,” it said. Per tradition, everyone is encouraged to wear Barong or Filipiniana-inspired attire on SONA day.

Aguilar said the AFP is beefing up its counterintelligence capabilities to monitor former military members turned gun-for-hire.

“We strengthen our counterintelligence capabilities to make sure that we can still monitor those who have special skills so they don’t get hired for illegal activities,” he added.

The spokesman claimed that as of now, AFP has not monitored any groups of ex-military officers who are linked for illegal activities during past elections.

as the new Chairman of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), which promotes and oversees the development of water supply systems in provincial cities and municipalities outside of Metro Manila.

The former lawmaker served in the 18th Congress from 2019 to 2022, where he was vice chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development, and a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Senators rip NGCP for huge dividends, unfinished projects

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATORS on Wednesday chided the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for allocating to its shareholders a whooping P15 billion from the agency’s P20-billion earnings, saying this should have been used for their projects that will redound to the benefit of their consumers.

During the Senate Energy Committee hearing chaired by Sen. Raffy Tulfo, NCGP said it posted a net income of P20 billion in 2019.

Tulfo noted that 75 percent of NCGP’s earnings went to the dividendsof shareholders instead of going to development or re-investing for its growth.

“The profit for transmission is only in the Philippines,” the senator pointed out, adding the private firm’s owners are “of amazing wealth.”

But lawyer Ronald Dylan Concepcion, NGCP Assistant Corporate Secretary, stressed the power firm has a budget allocation for their projects.

He related the firm has P39 billion in capital outlays, which came from different sources.

“We also have bank loans that we poured into our projects,” said Concepcion.

But Tulfo emphasized NGCP had given even higher dividends to their shareholders during the past years.

In 2017, he said NGCP’s net income was P20.6 billion, with P19 billion going to dividends. In 2015, its net income was P22.5 billion – with P21 billion going to dividends.

MASKED LEARNING. Students at Rafael Palma Elementary School in Manila continue to wear face masks inside their classroom as a precaution against the surging cases of COVID-19. Norman Cruz

SPEAKER’S MEETINGS. Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez (third from left) and other lawmakers meet with representatives of the EU-ASEAN Business Council delegation led by Jens Ruebbert (3rd right) on Wednesday. Earlier, the Leyte solon delivers his message during the Regional Development Council (RDC) VIII meeting, with Tingog Party-list Rep.Jude Acidre (inset, right) beside him. Ver Noveno

PROUD AUTHOR AND MOM. Brian Poe (left) Llamanzares and his mother, Senator Grace Poe (right), show his first book ‘A Sustainable Future’ on Wednesday at the National Bookstore in SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. Students from different schools had the chance to have their copies signed by Llamanzares. Danny Pata

Victims of Marawi siege may now claim state compensation

By Julito Rada

VICTIMS of the 2017 the Marawi siege may claim from the government a compensation of P18,000 per square meter for totally damaged structures, and P13,500 per square meter for those partially damaged, the Marawi Compensation Board (MCB) announced on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman approved the release of P5 billion for the rehabilitation of conflict-affected communities in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

MCB chairperson Maisara Dandamun-Latiph said valuation was based on the post-conflict needs assessment conducted by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) this year.

‘Pag total damaged po, ibig sabihin, ‘yung structural integrity niya ay unsound na at declared na siya na totally destroyed,” Latiph said

For structures that needed partial repair, Latiph said the claimants may get monetary compensation based on the assessment by the MCB.

Some 17,800 families affected by the months-long siege of Marawi City in 2017 stand to receive financial aid.

In September 2022, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the Marcos administration had earmarked  P1 billion for Marawi other properties in Marawi’s main affected areas or other affected areas destroyed or damaged, either totally or partially due to the siege.

Owners of private properties demolished pursuant to the implementation of the Marawi recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction program, in accordance with R.A. No. 11696 and guidelines to be promulgated by the MCB were also entitled to compensations.

Dandamun-Latiph said the MCB would announce this week on their official Facebook page where and when the affected residents could file their claims.

“Under the law, merong one year na prescriptive period… Kapag Marawi suffered severe damage due to the clashes between the extremist forces and government troops that lasted five months.

Minority bloc cites Congress passage of Immigration bill

By Maricel V. Cruz and Vito Barcelo

THE minority bloc in the House of Representatives has welcomed the second reading approval of the measure that would enable the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to embark on an aggressive plan to modernize its systems and professionalize its staff.

This developed as four Japanese fugitives were deported by the BI to face charges for committing numerous crimes in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, the BI launched an intensive manhunt for amissing South Korean fugitive since early morning Sunday.

The House approved unanimously approved House Bill 8203, or the proposed BI Modernization Act, which was among the priority measuresadopted by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

“We are counting on the full automation and digitization of the BI’sprocesses and services to reinforce border security and improve travel experience,” said the bloc’s leader, 4Ps Rep. Marcelino Libanan, one of the bill’s principal authors.

Libanan originally introduced the BI modernization bill in 2004, when he was representative of the lone district of Eastern Samar inCongress. He refiled the bill last year upon his election as 4Ps partylist representative.

The bill authorizes the BI to retain in a trust fund “no more than P1.2 billion” of its annual income from fees, fines, and penalties.

Solons eye probe on MCPO fire; scrounge for restoration funds

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Joel Zurbano

THE Senate eyes the creation of a special committee that will oversee the rehabilitation of the Manila Central Post Office (MCPO) which was gutted by a massive 30-hour fire that broke out Sunday evening, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, at least 42 members of the House of Representatives have sought an inquiry into the MCPO fire.

In a related development, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday ordered the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to prioritize the investigation of the MCPO blaze.

“We are thinking of coming up with a special Senate committee to look after the rehabilitation of the Central Post Office building, restoration and reha-

GRADUATES IN A BUBBLE.

bilitation. So hopefully we’ll be able to have that (measure) filed and we can approve it, maybe by next week,” Zubiri said during the Senate session. Sen. Robinhood Padilla has filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the MCPO fire with a view to preserving and protecting the country’s “cultural properties.”

In a social media post, Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said he was told by Zubiri to work with the Department of Budget and Management to source out

funds to help restore the MCPO.

Sen. Francis Escudero proposed however, that the funds for the rehabilitation of the MCPO building must come from proceeds of fire insurance claims

The fire that burned the iconic old neoclassical building was believedto have started in the basement and immediately spread to the top floors.

The 42 lawmakers sought the inquiry under House Resolution 1019, saying the fire has caused extensive damage to the MCPO largely revered as a historic architectural structure and an invaluable cultural artifact.

The House members said the preservation, restoration, and protection of the country’s heritage sites are of utmost importance as these contribute to the promotion of cultural tourism, the enhancement of national pride, and the turning over of history to future generations.

LAS PIÑAS

IN BRIEF

Bill seeks 20% discount for needy PUV drivers

A GROUP of legislators has proposed the grant of an across-the-board 20 percent discount to indigent public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers on the payment of fees and other requirements needed in securing a professional driver’s license.

House Bill (HB) 8070 filed by Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, Benguet Rep. Eric Yap and ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Edvic Yap seeks discounts on examination fees, certificates, clearances and enrollment in accredited driving schools for poor drivers.

On top of the implementation of the PUV Modernization Program, Duterte said the numerous requirements imposed by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in applying for a professional drivers’ license would add to the financial woes of PUV drivers, especially those living in poverty.

Under LTO Memorandum Circular 2021-2284, applying for a professional driver’s license would require an applicant to be at least 18 years old, a non-professional driver’s license holder for at least one year, and able to pass a written exam and practical driving test.

CHR ensures kids’ welfare in QC school

THE Commission on Human Rights (CHR) through its investigation office and the National Capital Region office has dispatched a quick response operation team to an orphanage in Quezon City that was ordered closed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development for supposed violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination.

BoC set to adopt cross-border electronic invoicing

THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) will adopt the cross border electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) in its digital transformation program targeted to simplify and speed up trading and eliminate technical smuggling.

Customs Assistant Commissioner and concurrent spokesman Philip Maronilla said the bureau does not stop from improving its system, and cross border einvoicing is something that caught the

BoC’s interest. Based on the recent experience of Indonesia, which lost $12 billion in duties and taxes on gold imports, it could have beenprevented by cross border e-invoicing which prevents the tampering of goods description and HS codes, a standardized numerical method of classifying traded products used by customs authorities around the world to identify products when

assessing duties and taxes and for gathering statistics.

“Tampering of the HS Code is very rampant. It is done by unscrupulous importers in connivance with some corrupt customs personnel,”according to Rosendo, president of the Samahang Agrikultura ng Pilipinas (Sinag), adding that tampering of HS code is common in the importation of meat and steel products. Vito Barcelo

Poe favors legalizing motorcycle taxis

NOTING that motorcycles are a safe and convenient mode of public transportation in the country, Sen. Grace Poe believes it is about time to legalize these two-wheeled vehicles.

Poe said the Department of Transportation pilot study on the viability of motorcycle taxis which started in 2019 can be used as a basis for legislation.

“After more than four years of continuous studies by the technical working group (TWG), it now appears, without a doubt, that commuters are overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing motorcycles taxis,” Poe noted. She said the TWG survey reports 96 percent of motorcycle taxi passengers believed that government should allow motorcycle taxis.

The study also showed that commuters favor motorcycle taxis’ affordability and quicker conveyance time in the clogged streets of urban centers where motorcycle taxis were allowed to operate. Grab senior executive vice president Lim Yew Heng said the passage of a motorcycle taxi law will be a boon for commuters. “This will encourage the entry of motorcycle taxi companies that will provide Filipino commuters with more transportation options.

Earlier, Lim participated in the hearing convened to tackle proposals seeking to regulate and legalize motorcycles-for-hire and ensure that it is safe, convenient and affordable mode of public transportation. Macon Ramos-Araneta

“As the country’s independent national human rights institution, we underscore the importance of putting primacy on the best interestof children. While we affirm that the serious concerns raised must be acted upon expeditiously, we also stress that it must be dealt with in a manner that is conscious and sensitive to the needs of the children,” the CHR said. Rio N. Araja

Broadcasters-CCC climate change accord

GROUP of online broadcasters has partnered with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) under the Office of the President to help mitigate the adverse impact of global warming.

Dr. Michael Raymond Aragon, Kapisanan ng Social Media Broadcasters ng Pilipinas Inc. chairman, said he and CCC Commissioner Albert dela Cruz yesterday inked a memorandum of agreement in Malacanang, Manila to push for a private-public partnership to use the social media platform, and to inform and educate the people about climate change as the result of global warming and its effects on the Earth’s climate system.

“I am truly elated of this privilege that the government recognizes the importance of online broadcast to help fight climate change and to promote our group’s advocacy for a cleaner and greener environment,” he said.

“We intend to sustain this collaboration with the CCC for the greater interest of our beloved country and people,” he added. Rio N. Araja

EDUCATIONAL ROBOTICS. Nullspace Robotics based in Singapore, known for its robots for education solutions, launches its first ever branch in the Philippines at the Bonifacio Global City. In photo during the opening are Nullspace Philippines owner Bennieson Co., Department of Information and Communications Technology assistant secretary Jeffrey Ian Dy, Valenzuela Mayor Wes Gatchalian, and Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano. Danny Pata

School girls still in their graduation togas have fun with colorful balloons inside a huge plastic bubble currently on display at the Summer Maze of SM East Ortigas in Pasig City. Norman Cruz

COOKFEST. Senators Cynthia and Mark Villar, along with Rep. Camille Villar admire the culinary creations of 200 chefs from various barangays in Las Piñas who are competing in the 8th Las Piñas gardening and food festival with the theme “Nutrisyon mula sa Gulay para sa Malusog na Pamayanan.” Danny Pata

Russia hails China ties amid West pressure

BEIJING—Russia’s prime minister hailed “unprecedented” relations with China despite “sensational pressure” from the West on Wednesday, as he met with his counterpart in Beijing.

China and Russia have in recent years ramped up economic and diplomatic cooperation, growing even closer since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine despite Beijing’s insistence that it is neutral in that conflict.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin arrived in China on Monday, attending a business forum in Shanghai on Tuesday before traveling to Beijing to meet Premier Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping.

It is the highest-level visit by a Russian official to China since last year’s invasion.

China’s new solon to US arrives in NY

NEW YORK—China’s new ambassador to the United States has arrived in the country, vowing to shoulder the “heavy responsibility” of a superpower relationship that is “facing severe challenges”.

Xie Feng, a career diplomat with extensive experience in Washington, arrived in New York on Tuesday, Beijing’s embassy in the US said in a statement.

He replaces Qin Gang, who left his post earlier this year to serve as China’s foreign minister.

“At present, Sino-US relations are encountering serious difficulties and facing severe challenges,” Xie told reporters at the airport, according to a statement on the embassy’s website.

“I feel both a glorious sense of mission and a heavy responsibility. My colleagues and I will face up to difficulties, fulfil our responsibilities and live up to our mission.”

The US ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, said Wednesday he had held a “farewell dinner” with Xie “as we manage the ever-challenging US-China relationship”.

“I look forward to working with him in his new role,” Burns said on Twitter.

According to an official government biography, 59-year-old Xie hails from the wealthy eastern province of Jiangsu and holds a master’s degree in management. He has worked in the foreign service since at least 1986, and spent much of the 1990s rising through the ranks of the ministry’s bureau for North American affairs.

He served two stints in China’s outpost in Washington during the following decade, before becoming ambassador to Indonesia.

Most recently, Xie worked as commissioner of Beijing’s foreign ministry in Hong Kong, and as vice minister of foreign affairs. Relations between China and the US have become fraught in recent years, with tensions flaring over trade, technology, human rights and other issues. AFP

“Today, relations between Russia and China are at an unprecedented high level,” Mishustin told Li after a grand welcoming ceremony outside Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Wednesday.

“They are characterized by mutual respect of each other’s interests, the desire to jointly respond to challenges, which is associated with increased turbulence in the international arena and the pattern of sensational pressure from the collective West,” he said.

Li, in turn, hailed the “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between

China and Russia in the new era”.

“I believe your trip to China this time will definitely leave a deep impression,” he said.

China is Russia’s largest trading partner, with trade between the nations reaching a record $190 billion last year, according to Chinese customs data.

Li noted Wednesday that bilateral trade had already reached $70 billion so far this year.

“This is a year-on-year increase of more than 40 percent,” he said.

“The scale of investment between the two countries is also continuously upgrading,” Li added. “Strategic largescale projects are steadily advancing.” Following the talks, ministers from the two countries signed a series of agreements on service trade cooperation

and sports, as well as on patents and Russian millet exports to China.

China’s upper hand

Mishustin is accompanied by top offi cials, including Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who handles energy policy.

China last year became Russia’s top energy customer as Moscow’s gas exports otherwise plummeted due to a flurry of Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.

According to Russian state media, Novak told Tuesday’s forum in Shanghai that Russian energy supplies to China would increase by 40 percent yearon-year in 2023.

Analysts say China holds the upper hand in the relationship with Russia, and that its sway is growing as Mos-

cow’s international isolation deepens.

The leaders of both countries are “brought together more by shared grievances and insecurities than by shared goals”, Ryan Hass, a senior fellow at Washington’s Brookings Institution and a former White House official, told AFP.

“They both resent and feel threatened by Western leadership in the international system and believe their countries should be given greater deference on issues implicating their own interests.”

In February, Beijing released a paper calling for a “political settlement” to the Ukraine conflict, but Western countries said it could enable Russia to hold much of the territory it has seized.

During their March summit in Moscow, Xi invited Putin to visit Beijing. AFP

IN BRIEF

Controversial cash for ultra-Orthodox

JERUSALEM—Israeli lawmakers passed an annual budget Wednesday with controversial allocations for ultra-Orthodox Jews, in a concession to a religious party in the governing coalition that drew protests from the opposition.

Thousands of Israelis marched through Jerusalem on Tuesday to demonstrate against the government’s plans to hand more cash to the ultra-Orthodox minority, accusing the coalition of “looting” state funds.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the state would grant married ultra-Orthodox Jewish men engaged in religious study rather than work a total of 250 million shekels ($67.5 million).

The grant was part of an agreement with United Torah Judaism, one of the ultra-Orthodox parties in the coalition, to ensure its support for the budget.

The extra funds are in addition to other budget allocations traditionally made to the ultra-Orthodox through various government ministries.

volcano as seen from the San Nicolas de los Ranchos community, state of Puebla, Mexico, on May 23. Authorities raised the warning level for the volcano to one step below red alert, as smoke, ash, and molten rock spewed into the sky posing risks to aviation and far- ung communities below. AFP

DeSantis to enter race; bitter face-off with Trump

WASHINGTON—Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is set to launch his 2024 presidential campaign Wednesday, signaling 18 months of acrimony ahead as he and Donald Trump lock horns in what is expected to be an attritional contest for the Republican nomination.

DeSantis was considered a rising Republican star, but has been caught flat-footed by months of relentless attacks from the former president, who has surged into a commanding lead despite being engulfed in a firestorm of criminal investigations.

The 44-year-old governor will make his announcement in a live-streamed chat with billionaire Twitter owner Elon Musk on the network’s audio platform as he bids to co-opt some of the tech mogul’s star power to upstage Trump.

Typhoon Mawar set for direct hit on Guam with catastrophic winds

LOS ANGELES—Typhoon Mawar was expected to pass directly over the US territory of Guam on Wednesday, bringing potentially catastrophic winds to the Pacific military outpost.

The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (225 kilometers per hour), making it a dangerous Category Four typhoon, forecasters said.

Local authorities issued evacuation orders and opened temporary shelters, and US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency on the island of 170,000 people, paving the way for federal aid.

“I am in a concrete-reinforced house and my windows are shuttered. I did go outside briefly and winds are getting very gusty with intermittent rains,” Beckie Merrill, a 46-year-old middle school teacher, told AFP

from a southern area of the island.

As of 1:31 pm Wednesday local time (0331 GMT), the storm was 45 miles (70 kilometers) southeast of the island, the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Guam said in an advisory.

“The current track of Mawar shows a high probability of the eye passing over Guam,” the NWS said, adding that conditions were gradually deteriorating across the island.

A flash flood warning had been issued for the island and winds of 74 miles per hour had already been recorded, forecasters said.

“I am worried for the safety of our people. This is the first storm of this magnitude for 20 years,” Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero said. AFP

“I’m endorsing Governor DeSantis— he doesn’t hold back and he’s trying to make changes,” one backer said in a video compilation of messages of support posted on Twitter by the Never Back Down political organization. Musk teased the 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) Twitter Spaces event in remarks to a conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal, promising it would be live and unscripted, with “real-time questions and answers.” The announcement will come with a campaign launch video and the start of a three-day retreat in Miami for some of DeSantis’s wealthiest donors, who will be briefed on the campaign before the governor hits several early-voting states next week.

National profile

Long viewed as the most viable chal-

lenger to twice-impeached Trump, DeSantis is better known than most of the hopefuls in the chasing pack for the Republican nomination—but still lacks the frontrunner’s national profile.

The launch format offers him a dual advantage—giving him precious access to Musk’s 140 million followers, many of whom are in Trump’s base, and, if he wins the nomination, the attention of a chunk of younger, less conservative voters he will likely need for a shot at the White House.

DeSantis has used his platform as Florida’s chief executive to burnish his conservative credentials, signing off on some 80 new state laws this spring, many targeting “woke indoctrination” in schools and other public institutions. AFP

The 2023-2024 budget was ultimately passed early Wednesday with the support of all 64 coalition lawmakers in the 120seat parliament. Netanyahu and his allies—who took office in December—stood and clapped as the outcome of the vote was announced.

“We won the elections, we passed the budget, we’ll continue for four more years,” Netanyahu wrote on Facebook. ‘Endless extortion’

The premier spent recent weeks cutting deals with his ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right coalition partners, to meet a May 29 deadline to pass the budget or face fresh elections. AFP

Drone hits halted at Russian border

MOSCOW—A Russian official in the southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine said Wednesday that the territory was targeted by numerous drones overnight, following an armed incursion into the territory from Ukraine.

“The night was not entirely calm. There were a large number of drone attacks. Air defense systems handled most of them,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a post on social media.

“The most important thing is that there are no casualties,” he added.

The statement came a day after Moscow announced it had deployed jets and artillery to destroy the armed group that penetrated its border from Ukraine and the Kremlin ordered its military to prevent any repeat attack.

Members of two anti-Kremlin groups, the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps, claimed responsibility while Kyiv denied official Ukrainian involvement.

The border region of Belgorod has been targeted by attacks since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but the days-long skirmish was the most significant since Russian began large-scale hostilities in Ukraine last year.

Gladkov said the drone barrage overnight had damaged several private homes, offices, and vehicles but that the full extent of the damage was still being assessed.

He added that a gas pipeline was damaged in the Graivoron district and that “a small fire is burning”.

Gladkov said that several settlements that lost power as a result of fighting between the armed incursion group and the Russian security forces, would be reconnected by the end of Wednesday. AFP

BEIJING—A scammer in China used artificial intelligence (AI) to pose as a businessman’s trusted friend and convince him to hand over millions of yuan, authorities have said.

The victim, surnamed Guo, received a video call last month from a person who looked and sounded like a close friend.

But the caller was actually a con artist “using smart AI technology to change their face” and voice, according to an article published Monday by a media portal associated with the government in the southern city of Fuzhou.

The scammer was “masquerading as (Guo’s) good friend and perpetrating fraud,” the article said.

Guo was persuaded to transfer 4.3 million yuan ($609,000) after the fraudster claimed another friend needed the money to come from a company bank account to pay the guarantee on a public tender.

The con artist asked for Guo’s personal bank account number and then claimed an equivalent sum had been wired to that account, sending him a screenshot of a fraudulent payment record. Without checking that he had received the money, Guo sent two payments from his company account totaling the amount requested.

“At the time, I verified the face and voice of the person video-calling me, so I let down my guard,” the article quoted

Guo as saying. He only realised his mistake after messaging the friend whose identity had been stolen, who had no knowledge of the transaction.

Guo alerted police, who notified a bank in another city not to proceed with the transfers, and he managed to recover 3.4 million yuan, the article said.

It added that efforts to claw back the remaining funds were ongoing but it did not identify the perpetrators of the scheme.

The potential pitfalls of groundbreaking AI technology have received heightened attention since US-based company OpenAI in November launched ChatGPT, a chatbot that mimics human speech. AFP

RED-HOT FURY. Incandescent materials, ash, and smoke are spewed from the Popocatepetl

Scammer uses AI to pose as man’s friend, steal millions

THERE SHE BLOWS. This video grab from the Twitter page of James Reynolds @EarthUncutTV shows tropical storm force winds blowing across Tumon Bay, Guam on May 24. Packing potentially catastrophic winds, Typhoon Mawar was heading for a direct hit on Guam on Wednesday. AFP

REFRESHMENTS. A farmer selling toddy palm fruit waits for customers on a hot summer day on the outskirts of Hyderabad, India on May 24. AFP

SPORTS

2 eagles, birdie spree lift Rates to 4-shot lead

JOENARD Rates produced a rare twoeagle feat in a round in varying fashions and spiked a fiery seven-under 65 with a three birdie-binge from No. 12 to seize a four-stroke lead over Jhonnel Ababa and young Korean Rho Hyun Ho at the start of the ICTSI Villamor Philippine Masters at the Villamor Golf Club yesterday.

He actually missed tying the course record set by Vic Santia in the late 1990s with a flubbed downhill putt from 12 feet on the par-5 18th but his brilliant 34-31 highlighted by eagles on the par-5 No. 8 and on the par-4 15th in sweltering heat proved enough to net him a big cushion in pursuit of a first Philippine Golf Tour crown since 2018.

Kai OKs Japan extension, but with option to cancel

By Randy Caluag

WITHOUT abandoning his National Basketball Association dream, Kai Sotto has agreed to a contract extension with the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the Japan B.League.

According to the Japan B/League website, Sotto agreed to continue his playing contract until the 2023 to 2024 season with an option to cancel if Sotto makes it to the NBA.

The 7’3” Filipino center is set to join the NBA Summer League in a bid to make it to the world’s top basketball league via the backdoor after he failed to make the draft last year.

“I am so grateful to the club for giving me this opportunity, and I am happy to have the chance to play in Japan next season. The NBA is my biggest dream, so I will continue to work hard in the United States this summer,” said Sotto in an official statement.

Baisa eyes 6th straight PPS romp

STREAKING Brice Baisa sets out for another two-title romp in the Palawan Pawnshop junior tennis circuit even as Sandra Bautista seeks to dominate the girls’ side in the Zentro National Championships unfolding today (Thursday) at the Zentro Recreational Event courts in Apalit, Pampanga.

Baisa gets the top seeding the boys’ premier category following a sweep of the 18- and 16-and-under titles in the Iloilo, Roxas City, Bacolod, Imus and Cainta, Rizal stops of the country’s longest talent-search presented by Dunlop.

But the rising Puerto Princesa star faces a formidable challenge in pursuit of a sixth “double” as siblings Frank and France Dilao, along with Kianfrederick Sulit, Cyrus Javier, Teddy del Rosario, Jr. and Seth Torrecampo go all-out to halt his streak and fuel their respective title bids in the Group I tournament held under the PPS-PEPP program put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Frank and France Dilao, however, take the 1-2 rankings in 16-U play with Baisa settling for No. 3 followed by Zachary Morales, Torrecampo, Arthur Joson, Albert Manigque and Sulit, respectively.

Bautista, meanwhile, eyes a strong start coming off a break as she banners the 16-U field that includes Erynne Ong, Cadee Dagoon, Ronielle Oliveros and Ayl Gonzaga. The Imus, Cavite lass also top-bills the 18-U division that also features No. 2 Jean Silva, Estela Frias, Shiloh Cruz, Angelica de Jesus, Glydel Guevarra, Son de Lee Escanilla and Althea Liwag.

“To all the Dragonflies fans, I know there may be some irregularities next season, but I will do my best in the given environment so that I can give you good news. See you soon,” Sotto added.

While the team is looking forward to a better campaign in the coming season, Hiroshima fully supports Sotto’s bid to make it to the NBA. Sotto is reportedly joining the Utah Jazz minicamp on May 30 and 31.

“There is an option to sign with an NBA team in his contract, so if he signs with an NBA team this summer, there is a possibility that his contract with Hiroshima will be cancelled. In that situation, we as a club

are prepared with another option,” said Hiroshima General Manager Shuji Okazaki.

In any case, Okazaki said the team will make further announcement in September, especially since Sotto is also expected to see action for the Gilas Pilipinas squad in the FIBA World Cub Slated for August-September in Manila.

“Around September, we are scheduled to officially announce the contract situation of Kai Sotto. Not just the workouts in the United this summer, but the World Cup is also coming up this August and let’s all look forward to Kai Sotto’s performance and growth,” Okazaki added.

Sotto played 24 games with the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian NBL before joining Hiroshima, where he averaged 8.92 points, 6.08 boards, 1.38 assists, and 1.29 blocks, helping the team reach the playoffs before bowing to the Chiba Jets.

Kai Sotto Japan B. League

Ababa also shot an eagle on the par-5 No. 2 but fumbled with three frontside birdies although he recovered in time with a four-birdie binge at the back to shoot a 69 and match flightmate Ho’s three-under card for joint second in the P2.5 million championship which used to be part of the country’s version of four majors.

Comebacking Toru Nakajima also hit two late backside birdies to card a 70 for a share of fourth with Reymon Jaraula, Nilo Salahog and back-to-back The Country Club Invitational champion Guido van der Valk, while Keanu Jahns, runner-up to absentee Tony Lascuña in the inaugural Villamor Match Play Invitational last November, bucked a twoover 38 card with a birdie-eagle feat from No. 12 to lead the 71 scorers, who included pro-am winner Jay Bayron, Marvin Dumandan, Rolando Marabe, Jr. and Gerald Rosales.

But the day belonged to Rates, who flourished despite lack of competitive play in the first five legs of this year’s circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

“I really didn’t expect to score this low. I just tried to relax and hit as many fairways and greens,” said Rates, who battled back from six shots down in regulation then edged Finland’s Janne Kaske on the second playoff hole to snatch the PGT Asia Summit Crown in Lipa City, Batangas five years ago.

But he has struggled since, going winless in 2019 and in bubble tournaments during the pandemic. The diminutive shotmaker from Mt. Malarayat skipped the Visayan swing of this year’s circuit due to illness, wound up 26th at Caliraya Springs and didn’t see action again in the recent Luisita Championship.

Uy grabs 2-shot lead on hot finish

DANIELLA Uy put up the kind of finish missing in her previous Ladies Philippine Golf Tour campaigns, closing out with back-to-back birdies to break off a three-way tie and wrest a two-stroke lead over Chihiro Ikeda and Marvi Monsalve in the ICTSI Villamor Philippine Masters at the Villamor Golf Club yesterday. Bucking a shaky stint off the mound all day, Uy banked on her big recovery shots to get going, birdying the tight No. 1 and the par-3 No. 4 then overcoming a couple of mishaps with scrambling pars before gaining strokes on the last two holes.

“I saved a lot of pars, laging stymie ang drive,” said Uy, who had previously squandered a couple of

chances for a second LPGT win on late-hole struggles, including in the recent Luisita Championship which she yielded to Harmie Constantino in sudden death after leading by three in one stretch in regulation.

Her strong finish at the start of this week’s 54-hole, P1 million championship, however, should augur well for her drive for a follow-up to her breakthrough win at Riviera-Langer in bubble setup in 2021.

“But I have to hit more fairways and greens tomorrow (today),” said the former Junior World champion, who will be slugging it out with two hungry aces in Day 2 of the fifth leg of this year’s circuit put up by ICTSI.

Ikeda, the reigning Order of Merit champion who has never seriously contended for the championship after four

legs, mixed three birdies against the same number of bogeys to match Monsalve’s even-par card in hot conditions.

Monsalve, toughened up by stints in the Thai LPGA, holed out with a birdie on the ninth, her closing hole, to line herself up for a crack at a first LPGT diadem.

“It was a pretty wild round. Actually, I made a lot of bogeys – five,” said Monsalve, who actually sizzled on a backside start with three birdies against a bogey after six holes. But she bogeyed Nos. 16 and 18 and put to naught her fourth birdie on the first hole with back-to-back bogeys from No. 4.

But a last-hole feat saved Monsalve a share of second place with the veteran campaigner vowing to minimize her mistakes in the second round while hoping to draw the breaks off the tee.

Defense/Sporting Arms Show promotes responsible gun ownership

THE 29th Defense and Sporting Arms Show – the country’s longest-running arms show that promotes responsible gun ownership – opens its first edition this year on Thursday at its new home, the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

The organizing Association of Firearms and Ammunition Dealers Inc., headed by resident Alaric Topacio, welcomes all gun enthusiasts, hobbyists and sportsmen in the five-day event showcasing the latest imported and locally manufactured firearms, ammunition and accessories.

“With the continuous growth of the defense industry, we made the decision to move to a bigger venue to accommodate our growing list of exhibitors. So, expect a grandiose display of sporting firearms from both local and international manufacturers and companies,” said Topacio.

Former Philippine National Police chief and now Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa has confirmed his attendance in the 10 a.m. opening ceremony. He will be joined by several top officials of the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Topacio said aside from the usual activities on renewal of licenses and application for new, registered gun owners, participants will have a chance to attend

seminars regarding gun safety, self defense, security, and responsible gun ownership.

“Education and the promotion of responsible gun ownership is AFAD’s main mission. We must continue to promote responsible gun ownership not just to boost the industry, but to help further the development of the sport of shooting,” said Topacio.

Members of the AFAD on Sunday hosted a media day fun shoot – one of sidelights of the show – at the Armscor facility in Marikina City, where participants got a rare privilege to test some of the new firearms, all available on display at the show.

Also, Topacio said that aside from helping buyers in gun licensing, participating companies and members will also give huge product discounts.

This year’s event will feature exhibitors such as Stronghand Incorporated, Final Option Trading Corporation, Force Site Inc, Lynx Firearms and Ammunition; Tactical Precision Trading, Armscor Shooting Center, Defensive Armament Resource Corp., Topspot Guns and Ammo, Lordman Leathercraft Guns and Ammo, True Weight, Tactics SOG Industries Inc., Trust Trade, and PB Dionisio and Co., Inc.

Joenard Rates seizes a four-stroke lead over Jhonnel Ababa and Korean Rho Hyun Ho. Manny Marcelo

Strong nish for Daniella Uy Manny Marcelo

PSE announces delisting of Unioil, PICOP Resources

By Jenniffer B. Austria

THE Philippine Stock Exchange said Wednesday it is delisting Unioil Resources & Holdings Co. Inc. and PICOP Resources Inc. from the local bourse over the companies’ continuing non-filing of reportorial requirements and non-payment of penalties for disclosure violations.

Unioil and PICOP will be removed from the exchange’s office registry on June 23 this year, the PSE said in separate advisories posted on its website.

PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon said the exchange resolved to delist Unioil and PICOP after conducting involuntary delisting proceedings.

The PSE said Unioil had not filed its annual financial statements for the years 2017 to 2022 and quarterly reports from March 2018 to September 2022.

Unioil also has had negative stockholders’ equity since the year ending December 2000, it said.

Unioil, chaired by businessman Exequiel Robles, was previously involved in oil exploration and mineral development projects. Trading of Unioil shares was suspended on May 17, 2018 when it closed at P2.46 apiece.

The PSE will also boot out PICOP from the exchange over the latter’s non-filing of annual reports from 2008 to 2022 and quarterly reports from March 2009 to September 2022.

It also failed to file other reportorial requirements such as foreign ownership reports, list of top 100 stockholders, public ownership requirements, among others, it said.

PICOP also failed to pay the penalties for disclosure violations and the annual listing maintenance fees, the PSE said.

PICOP is an integrated forest and paper company. It serves the local market for newsprints, telephone directory paper and kraft linerboards.

Trading of PICOP’s stocks has been suspended since June 4, 2008 when it closed at P0.205 apiece. Under the PSE’s delisting rules, a company that has been kicked out from the local bourse is prohibited from applying for relisting within a period of five years from the effective date of delisting.

The PSE also delisted Primetown Property Group Inc. and Export & Industry Bank in 2021.

It reported plans to delist companies that have been suspended and have not been trading for some time.

The PSE suspended last week the trading of six companies over the non-filing of 2022 annual financial statements. These companies included TKC Metals Corp., Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Corp., Manila Jockey Club Inc., MJC Investments Corp., IPM Holdings and DFNN Inc.

The PSE earlier gave listed companies until May 18 to file their respective annual reports. Under the PSE’s consolidated listing and disclosure rules, the companies’ failure to comply with the requirements of the exchange within the prescribed period will result in the automatic suspension of the trading of their respective shares.

AboitizPower’s Hedcor celebrates 45th anniversary

ABOITIZ Power Corporation’s (AboitizPower) subsidiary Hedcor Inc. (Hedcor) marks today, May 25, 2023, its 45th anniversary. Since 1978, Hedcor has harnessed indigenous and renewable sources of energy in service to business and communities. In the process, it has become one of the country’s top renewable energy (RE) companies that specializes in generating electricity from run-ofriver hydropower systems.

To date, Hedcor has 22 hydropower facilities in Luzon and Mindanao and a solar farm in the Visayas. These 22 hydropower plants—with a cumulative installed capacity of over 280 megawatts (MW) — are spread out in Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province, Benguet, Davao City, Davao Del Sur, and Bukidnon. Since 2021, Hedcor also operates San Carlos Sun Power, Inc. (SacaSun) in Negros Occidental with a peak capacity of 59-MW.

Hedcor started when Ernesto Aboitiz found interest in hydro power plants during a visit to Baguio City. This eventually led to Hedcor entering into a 20-year contract to operate the four American-built Asin Hydro Power Plants in Tuba, Benguet, which were fully operational by 1986. The following year, Hedcor also took advantage of Executive Order 215—which encouraged private entities to venture into power projects —becoming one of the first to explore potential areas for hydropower generation.

The name “Hedcor” is derived from Hydro Electric Development Corporation (HEDCOR).

HEDCOR was the name given to the initial Davao Light and Power Company team who handled Hedcor’s first hydropower plants.

In 2005, generating companies North Mini Hydro Corporation and HEDCOR entered into a de facto merger with nonasset company Benguet Hydro Corporation, which was later renamed to Hedcor, Inc. In 2009, Hedcor became a wholly-owned subsidiary of AboitizPower.

Hydro

Hedcor aspires to become the largest RE asset manager in the country and in the ASEAN region by growing its clean energy facilities to at least 40 by 2030. This includes more hydro and solar, as well as having wind power plants.

In 2022, Hedcor launched the country’s first National Operations Control Center (NOCC). It allows for the operation, monitoring, and controlling of 21 Hedcor run-of-river plants and SacaSun all in one location. This results in more efficient operations with less chance of technical errors through centralized real-time data monitoring and analysis, operation and control of equipment, management of the alarm system, and delivery of notifications and plant operation reports.

“To remain competitive, we optimize our current assets, people, and resources. Adopting new technologies will ensure efficiency, helping to implement operational excellence strategies necessary for future business growth,” Hedcor President and Chief Operating Officer Rolando Pacquiao said.

Hedcor also celebrates the rich culture and tradition of the indigenous peoples (IP) groups in the communities

one

22

it operates in. Earlier this year, Hedcor helped renovate the tribal halls of IPs in the province of Bukidnon. It also turned over P10 million worth of infrastructure to IPs in La Trinidad, Benguet. Both

projects support the IP groups’ need for venues to host tribe gatherings and meetings, among many other functions.

“We know that we are only as strong as the bond we have with our

community. We draw our strength from the homes and businesses we’ve sustained with the energy we provide,” Pacquiao shared. Since 2000, Hedcor has also planted over 3.5 million trees with an 85% survival rate. Moreover, the company is now in its fifth consecutive year of implementing its #NoToSingleUsePlastics campaign, banning the use of single-use plastics in all company events. Segregation and recycling is also observed within Hedcor’s premises.

“Building on its 45 years of experience and now as part of the Aboitiz Techglomerate, Hedcor will continue to be integral in AboitizPower’s efforts to service the country’s growing need for sustainable, affordable, and reliable electricity,” said AboitizPower President and CEO Emmanuel Rubio.

“As the Philippines sets its sights to integrate 35% and 50% RE in its energy mix by 2030 and 2040, respectively, AboitizPower and Hedcor support it by growing its own diverse clean energy portfolio and investments in innovation and technology,” he added.

Ampohaw

in Sablan, Benguet is

of

run-of-river hydropower facilities by Hedcor. It is also the first automated plant, having undergone automation in 1997.

At Hedcor’s NOCC, engineers are able to operate, monitor, and control over 20 renewable energy facilities spread across the country in one location.

Netflix expands password-sharing crackdown globally

SAN FRANCISCO, USA—Netflix on Tuesday expanded its crackdown on users sharing passwords with people beyond their immediate family as it seeks to shore up revenue at the leading streaming television service.

“A Netflix account is for use by one household,” the company said in a statement.

Netflix said early this year that more than 100 million households were sharing accounts at the service, “impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films.”

Netflix has experimented in a few markets with “borrower” or “shared” accounts, in which subscribers can add extra users for a higher price or transfer viewing profiles to separate accounts.

On Tuesday, it announced it was expanding the policy to more than 100 countries. As growth at Netflix cooled last year, the Silicon Valley-based streaming giant set out to nudge people watching for free with shared passwords to begin paying for the service without alienating subscribers.

“This account sharing initiative helps us have a larger base of potential paying members and grow Netflix long term,” co-chief executive Ted Sarandos said on an earnings call.

The company told financial analysts recently that it had delayed a broad crackdown on password sharing “to improve the experience for members.” Netflix said it made sure subscribers have seamless access to the service away from home or on various devices such as tablets, TVs or smartphones.

“They are just trying to reduce theft of their service,” independent tech analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group said.

He reasoned that Netflix likely pays royalties when subscribers watch some shows or films on the platform, so non-paying viewers could add to the service’s expenses while not contributing to revenue.

“In theory, Netflix loses money because they are paying royalties and people are getting the shows for free,” Enderle said. AFP

MERALCO’S NEW SUBSTATION. Manila Electric Co. commissions its new Real 115 kV-34.5 kV Substation along Real Road in Calamba City, Laguna to relieve the neighboring Calamba Substation and boost available capacity that will benefit customers in the city and those in portions of Tanauan and Sto. Tomas in Batangas. The project involves the energization of two 34.5-kV distribution feeders serving enterprise customers, housing complexes and subdivisions and key establishments such as the Calamba City Hall and Sto. Tomas Doctors Hospital and Medical Center. Meralco is continuously working to improve its distribution system to deliver safe, sufficient and reliable power service to customers as part of its commitment to supporting the government’s thrust to improve infrastructure and achieve energy security.

Stocks recover slightly; Ayala, BPI lead gainers

STOCKS slightly rose Wednesday even as investors grow increasingly concerned about stalled US debt ceiling talks aimed at averting a painful default.

The PSE index, the 30-company bellwether of the Philippine Stock Exchange, picked up 12 points, or 0.19 percent, to close at 6,615.95 as two of the six subsectors advanced.

The broader all-shares index lost 2 points, or 0.06 percent, to settle at 3,525.36 on a value turnover of P3.80 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 101 to 68, while 50 shares were unchanged.

Six of the 10 most active stocks ended

in the green, led by Ayala Corp. which climbed 2.64 percent to P699.50 and Bank of the Philippine Islands which rose 1.94 percent to P105.00.

The peso barely moved to finish at 55.77 against the US dollar. Meanwhile, most Asian markets traded lower Wednesday. The optimism that flowed through trading floors at the start of the week has given way to trepidation, with several Republicans questioning an early June deadline, and some even saying the country is nowhere near running out of cash anyway.

All eyes are now on Washington, where President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have had a number of meetings to find a path to lifting the borrowing limit from the current $31.8 trillion.

The two men said Monday that talks had been “productive” and they were

IN BRIEF

ACEN plans to sell P25b worth of preferred shares

ACEN Corp., the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group, said Wednesday it plans a public offering of 25 million preferred shares at P1,000 apiece for a total of P25 billion to support its renewable energy expansion. ACEN said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange it filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the shelf-registration of up to 50 million preferred shares and the proposed public offer and sale of 25 million of such preferred shares. The company said the preferred shares with a par value of P1 would be offered in tranches, which may be comprised of one or more series per tranche, at the discretion of ACEN, under the securities program. The proposed public offer and sale will comprise 25 million preferred shares comprising of up to 12.5 million preferred shares, with an oversubscription option for another 12.5 million preferred shares at an offer price of P1,000 apiece in up to two series at the discretion of the company. Alena Mae S. Flores

Insular Life’s profit rose 35% to P5.2b in 2022

INSULAR Life, the first and largest Filipino-owned life insurer in the country, said Wednesday it posted a consolidated net income of P5.2 billion in 2022, up 35 percent from P3.87 billion in 2021 on robust consumer spending as the economy continues to reopen.

InLife president and chief executive Raoul Antonio Littaua attributed the significant improvement in sales to the commitment of the agency and its bancassurance and group business. “The men and women behind our distribution channels champion the noble mission of helping Filipinos achieve their financial goals and secure the best future for their families,” he said.

confident a deal would be coming.

Republicans have set cutting spending next year to 2022 levels as a “red line”, but Democrats have so far refused to commit to that.

On Tuesday, Republican Representative Ralph Norman warned that McCarthy had said the two sides were “not anywhere near close” to an agreement.

The Speaker also tweeted: “With just 9 days left to go, Republicans remain the only ones in Washington who have actually done anything to lift the debt limit and avoid default.”

However, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre struck a more upbeat tone, saying: “We are seeing movement.”

“Both sides have to understand that they’re not going to get everything that they want.” With AFP

Pag-IBIG Fund members saved all-time high of P27.51b in four months

PAG-IBIG Fund members saved a record P27.51 billion in the first four months of 2023, up by 10 percent year-on-year.

“We are happy that Filipino workers are saving more with Pag-IBIG Fund. Their trust and confidence in our savings programs continue to grow as proven by our record-high members’ savings collections for January to April,” said Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, who leads the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund

board of trustees.

“This is good news because the increase in the savings collected shall allow us to finance the increasing demand for our home loans, in line with our objectives under the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing or 4PH Program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,” said Acuzar.

Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive Marilene Acosta said the increase in savings was not confined to the mandated Pag-IBIG regular savings of its members. She also attributed the record-high collections to

the continued popularity of the agency’s Modified Pag-IBIG 2 Savings Program.

The amount voluntary saved by members under MP2 Savings in the first four months reached an all-time high of P13.89 billion, or 14 percent higher than P12.14 billion in the same period last year.

The MP2 Savings is Pag-IBIG Fund’s voluntary savings program that yields higher dividends compared to the agency’s regular savings program. The program has a five-year maturity period and a minimum savings requirement of only P500.

Consolidated total revenues climbed 12 percent to P25.9 billion from P23.2 billion in 2021, and consolidated members’ equity also went up by 18 percent to P50.6 billion from P42.8 billion.

InLife also posted a 43-percent increase in its new business annualized premium equivalent to P1.9 billion. This represents the highest growth in the 10 largest life insurers and an improvement in its ranking from 12th to 9th place. Julito G. Rada

PH, UK agree to explore

preferential trade deal

THE Philippines and the UK agreed to grow bilateral trade and explore the mutual benefits of the Developing Countries Trading Scheme—a preferential trade agreement similar to the EU’s Generalized System of Preferences as they concluded the fourth round of bilateral economic dialog on May 19, 2023.

Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo underscored DCTS as a solid framework that ensures the Philippines trade relations with the UK and the British Investment Partnerships. The UK aims to launch the DCTS in the Philippines this year.

“We thank the UK government for the partnership and collaboration over the years. The Philippines will continue to work with the UK government to realize concrete opportunities and foster more synergies in areas of mutual interest—in trade, investment, renewable energy, to name a few,” Rodolfo said. The partnership statement signed by both parties showed they agreed to continue to address market access concerns to promote a level playing field and eliminate trade barriers; drive investment opportunities, including through the BIP which can help mobilize private and public finance as well as technical expertise to support sustainable infrastructure development; and promote an enabling business environment through ease of doing business, regulatory excellence and digitalization. Othel V. Campos

JACKSTONES, INC. (“Corporation”) will be held on 19 June 2023 at 9:00 A.M. through remote communication to discuss the following agenda:

1. Call to Order;

2. Determination of Existence of Quorum;

3. Approval of Minutes of the 13 June 2022 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting;

4. Report of the President;

5. Approval of Audited Financial Statements for Calendar Year (“CY”) 2022;

6. Ratification of All Acts and Resolutions of the Board of Directors and Management Adopted from 13 June 2022 to 19 June 2023;

7. Election of Directors (including the Independent Directors);

8. Appointment of External Auditor;

9. Reaffirmation of the validity of the Stockholders’ Resolution ratifying the Amendment of the Corporation’s By-Laws;

10. Consideration of Such Other Business as May Properly Come Before the Meeting; and

11. Adjournment

A brief explanation of each agenda item, the detailed Definitive Information Statement for CY2022, the procedures for the registration for the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting and the voting in absentia, and the procedure for attendance by proxy can be accessed in Jackstones, Inc.’s website at http://jackstonesinc.com/ wp-content/uploads/2023/05/JAS-2023_Definitive-InformationStatement.pdf, or in the Philippine Stock Exchange Electronic Disclosure Generation Technology at https://edge.pse.com.ph/ openDiscViewer.do?edge_no=419ec643fa57e7bc9e4dc6f6c

9b65995

The Organizational Meeting of the Board of Directors will follow soon after the Annual Stockholders’

all stockholders who registered through the link sent to their emails starting 8:00 AM of 04 June

until the adjournment of the

June 2023 Meeting. The requirements and procedure of the Online Voting and Election can be found on our website at https://www. apmcbacolod.com/governance/ Stockholders who cannot attend via remote communication or vote in absentia may participate in the meeting by executing a PROXY in favor of another person or the Chairman which proxy must be notarized. For corporations, the submission must be accompanied by a Certification from its Corporate Secretary stating the authority of the representative/corporate officer to represent and sign on behalf of the Corporation. The suggested Proxy Form in PDF may be downloaded from https://www.apmcbacolod. com/governance/. The Proxy Form must be received and validated by the Corporate Secretary not later than 5:00 PM of 04 June 2023 through email at businessoffice@ apmcbacolod.com and hard copies at Asia Pacific Medical Center Bacolod, Inc.

Allied Care Experts Medical Center Bacolod Inc.), Room 4, Ground Floor, MC Metroplex Bldg., BS Aquino Drive,

NEW LANDBANK PRESIDENT. Seasoned banker Lynette Ortiz takes her oath as the 11th president and chief executive of Land Bank of the Philippines before Finance Secretary and LandBank chairman Benjamin Diokno at the DOF Building in Manila. This follows her recent appointment by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Ortiz brings with her over 30 years of extensive experience in local and international banking. Prior to her appointment, Ortiz served as the first Filipino CEO of the Standard Chartered Bank Philippines, a post she held since October 2016. She led strategies to grow the local franchise across the various client segments and deliver sustainable financial performance. She also held various senior posts in risk management, treasury, corporate finance and capital markets in foreign and local institutions.

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Energy Regulatory Commission said Wednesday 72 of the 348 approved projects of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines suffered delays, which the company attributed mostly to right-ofway issues and the COVID-pandemic.

ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta said the completion of six backbone national projects or those of national significance and 66 others was delayed. Dimalanta said during the Senate committee on energy hearing 33 delayed projects are in Luzon, 19 in the Visayas and 14 in Mindanao.

She said the ERC was still studying if it could impose penalties over the project delays.

NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Perez-Alabanza apologized for the delays, but said there were factors beyond the company’s control.

“I would like to clarify and express our apologies for the delayed projects. We admit there are delayed projects, but we do something about it... It’s normal for some disturbance on a day to day,” Alabanza said.

Right-of-way issues, COVID-19 problems delay 72 NGCP projects

Director JP Habac with the cast of iWantTFC’s latest offering, ‘Drag You and

By Nickie Wang

KALADKAREN , Ice

Seguerra , and Jon Santos , each in their own unique way, emphasize the importance of having a show that allows them to portray characters they can personally relate to. They are part of iWantTFC’s Pride Month offering, Drag You and Me , a modern family rom-com drama about drag culture that celebrates love in all its forms.

Highlighting the importance of

own identity.

“I think it’s about time that the young members of the community have their own role model whom they resonate within many aspects of their life,” she said.

Santos, meanwhile, sees Drag You and Me as a means of social commentary, using humor to address sensitive topics and challenge prevailing attitudes. By portraying characters that resonate with him, Jon aims to highlight the human experience, expose societal biases, and create moments of reflection and introspection.

“I feel so blessed to be part of a show that tells this kind of story. It’s a love letter to the community and it’s nice to be seen. As a televiewer it’s so nice to know that you are seen and somebody knows your heart, somebody knows your story and knows how you feel,” Santos enthused. The latest iWantTFC original series star Andrea Brillantes with JC Alcantara and Christian Bables. It highlights self-expression and a sense of belonging within one’s chosen family.

Real-life drag queens Brigiding, Viñas Deluxe, Xilhouete, and Precious Paula Nicole will help bring the colorful story to life. Drag You and Me revolves around the life of the fearless and fabulous Betty (Andrea), also known by her drag name ‘Valentine Royale,’ a cisgender woman and the ultimate LGBTQIA+ ally. Betty ends up joining Manila Queen Supreme, the grandest drag competition in the country, in order to earn money and save her family’s gay comedy bar. However, her fellow competitors are unaware that she is a woman and not a real drag queen. Her drag queen dreams get complicated when her friendship with Jason/Shania (JC),

relatableportrayingcharacters

series.

“It feels so good. It’s my first time taking on the role of a transgender man in a television series. Growing up we didn’t have any role models who are part of the community, now we aim to show the public who we are and how normal we live our lives,” Seguerra told Manila Standard Entertainment during the series’ media conference held in BGC last week.

The singer believes that these shows provide a platform for self-expression and empowerment, enabling performers to challenge societal norms and celebrate their authentic selves. By portraying characters they can relate to, Ice sees an opportunity to break down barriers, educate audiences, and foster empathy and acceptance for different experiences and identities.

KaladKaren, on the other hand, understands the significance of representation and the power of storytelling. Being part of the landmark series allows her to embody a character that reflects her

‘Here Comes The Sun’ is a song released as an album track on ‘Abbey Road’

Here comes a Beatles song on Spotify’s Billions Club

IF you’re into the classics, then going through Spotify’s Billions Club must be a ridiculous ride as you can hardly find songs coming from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and even ‘90s.

The list of tracks that have been streamed over the billion mark is a 21st-century turf, a territory propelled by the current listening youth calling themselves Gen Zs. Count in the younger millennials, and a handful of adolescents from Generation Alpha, then you have a bunch of music fans solid enough to dictate what songs should make the elite playlist.

You’d probably be scratching your head to come across lady singers from the current era appearing more than once while legends like Madonna and Whitney Houston are nowhere on the list. And by the way, the current most streamed song on Spotify is “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd

Having said that, the milestone achieved by The Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun,” was the first from the Fab Four to achieve the feat. The oldest release, so far, to garner a billion streams, says so much about its power to touch listeners from various age brackets, significantly including those whose parents may not have been born yet in 1969, the year it came out.

The point when it became official made the news a couple of weeks back. It’s fitting that the current classic of all classics that has joined the Spotify billion pool is a Beatles song. Queen, also an English quartet (once fronted by Freddie Mercury) has multiple entries (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Another One Bites The Dust,” and “Under Pressure” – co-credited with David Bowie), but The Beatles is no doubt the greatest band, the best-selling artist of all time, the GOAT for that matter.

What’s even more interesting is the underdog tag surrounding “Here Comes The Sun,” a composition by Beatle George Harrison who lead-sung and played key instruments on its recording. It is a song released as an album track on “Abbey Road,” with the double A-side single comprising “Something,” traditionally the most heralded Harrison composition, and “Come Together,” the John Lennon-sung gem that’s arguably the most covered Beatle track by show bands.

Many of us know that in The Beatles, your compositions could only be accommodated as mere tokens if they’re not written by Lennon or Paul McCartney. That’s why Harrison had to put up with an average of two songs of his own per album. Yes, he was given four spots on the sprawling White Album including “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” which debaters can bet on as the best song among its 30 tracks.

Somebody wrote that “Here Comes The Sun,” is “testament to the enduring popularity and influence of Harrison’s songwriting.”

As of this writing, its streams of

1,009,061,611 is ahead of all other Beatles classics that the streaming world embraces. It’s not even close. On the updated ranking dated May 21, the next four, which all reached past the 500 million streams, are “Come Together” (606, 699, 656), “Let It Be” (559,397,591), “Yesterday” (508,205,290), and “Hey Jude” (507,046,099). Other songs in the top 10 are “Twist And Shout” (their early cover hit), “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Blackbird,” “In My Life,” and “Help.” Long before digital music changed the way we listen, “Yesterday” had been Guinnessdeclared the most covered song, while “Hey Jude” was the longest-charting Beatles single on Billboard Hot 100 (19 weeks). The power to uplift spirits regardless of age, gender, race, and perhaps even religion – both in lyrics and sound – makes

“Here Comes The Sun” a super standout. Its effective simplicity, by way of its patterned verses, George’s seamless guitar work, and the thrilled performances of Beatley voices, Paul’s bass, and Ringo Starr’s drums, carried the track all throughout, topped by George’s clever use of moog synthesizer which beautifully paints the breaking of a new dawn. There’s no doubt about Harrison being the band’s dark horse. And I say it’s all right.

a male-bisexual drag queen and her fiercest competitor, blossoms into something more. Their journey as young individuals will become even more interesting because of their drag sister and Jason’s mentor, Charlie (Christian), and his indifference towards Betty. Despite the complexities surrounding their relationships, the three of them are bound by their unconditional love for their families. Betty was raised by an out and proud queer family who loves and supports her dearly, while Jason found a family in Charlie as he still struggles to come out to his biological family out of fear that they won’t accept who he truly is.

Drag You and Me is directed by JP Habac and also stars Romnick Sarmenta, Cris Villanueva, Albie Casiño, Lance Carr, PJ Endrinal, Jeric Raval, Amy Nobleza, Noel Comia Jr., and Yves Flores, with special guests from ‘Home from the Golden Gays’ - Flor Bien Jr. and Rico Reyes Stream Drag You and Me on June 2 on the iWantTFC app (iOS and Android) and website.

Viral SIM Registration video wins Best TV Ad in world’s biggest ad website

AFTER racking up millions of views and drawing praises from netizens for its wit and creativity, the viral video of mobile brand TNT entitled Tattoo has been recognized as Best TV material by Bestads, the world’s best global ad industry website. Bestads selects the best advertisements in every medium each week from submissions all over the world, as judged by a top creative director or team.

The first Filipino video to top the Bestads list within the past three years, Tattoo, is part of TNT’s “Mag-SIM Reg Para Hindi SIM Dead” campaign and is one of three videos aimed at encouraging subscribers to register their SIMs to avoid permanent SIM deactivation and all its hassles.

Tattoo was handpicked by guest judge Maria Devereux, Head of Innovation and Executive Creative Director at Accenture Song, North America.

“This film reminded me how good it feels to laugh,” noted the multi-awarded Los Angelesbased creative. “A simple idea that touched on a relatable pain point for anyone who hates the complexity of life admin, which as far as I can tell, is pretty much everyone,” she added.

“We are honored with this recognition from Bestads, which proves the power of creative storytelling to touch people and move them to action - while eliciting a good laugh,” said Francis E. Flores, SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless Business – Individual at Smart.

“This is a result of all the creativity, hard work, and collaboration among the TNT and Smart teams as well as our partner agency, who are all committed to informing our subscribers about the importance of SIM Registration,” he added.

In the clever and creative film, TNT sticks

‘Tattoo’ is part of TNT’s ‘Mag-SIM Reg Para Hindi SIM Dead’ campaign to its brand promise of delivering ‘saya’ or fun – even in a public service reminder that shows the universal pain points of dealing with administrative processes.

The video features a man visiting a remittance center to claim his cash but failing to provide his One-Time Password (OTP) for lack of a registered SIM. To prove his identity, he resorts to showing his graduation photo, driver’s license, SSS ID, and birth certificate—all tattooed on his body! Watch the film here: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6tCbApNWvA

The video has garnered over 40 million views across social media channels like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, with netizens praising it for being “unique,” “funny,” and “unskippable, effectively urging them to finally register their SIM.

The character having his birth certificate tattooed on his behind photocopied

Leader in SIM registration

As of May 8, Smart and TNT continue to lead SIM Registration in the country with 44.9 million registered subscribers, which is 67.75 percent of their declared subscriber base.

With the recent announcement of the deadline extension of the SIM Registration Act, Smart continues to encourage subscribers to register their SIMs before July 25, 2023.

To register, TNT and Smart Prepaid subscribers can visit the https://simreg.smart.com. ph portal, while Smart Bro subscribers can refer to http://www.smart.com.ph/viewbroadbandsms for instructions on getting their OTP. Smart Postpaid users, on the other hand, are already considered registered based on the latest advice of DICT.

Cast rallies behind controversial ‘The Idol’ series

THE cast of new HBO series The Idol on Tuesday defended its overtly sexual scenes and rejected rumors of onset turmoil, after the show scandalized critics at Cannes.

“We know we are making a show that is provocative, it’s not lost on us,” director Sam Levinson told journalists the day after the series premiered at the film festival on the French Riviera.

The show depicts Lily-Rose Depp as a pop star struggling to get back on track after a breakdown, surrounded by heartless handlers, when she meets the manipulative leader of a modern-day cult, played by musician Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye

While Depp’s performance was praised as “riveting”, many critics felt a

plethora of sexual scenes – including nudity, kinky masturbation, and graphic dirty talk – went too far.

“I think that sometimes things that might be revolutionary are taken a bit too far,” said “Euphoria” creator Levinson, commenting on the “very sexualized world” we live in, the influence of pornography, and the underbelly of the internet.

The series – which gives a nod to Britney Spears and toxic fame that engulfed ‘90s pop stars – brings yet another complex female character to Cannes, which has served up plenty of films exploring the dark side of women.

“The bareness of the character physically mirrors the bareness we get to see emotionally. I have never felt more involved in those kinds of conversations,” Depp said of her character’s nudity.

Tesfaye – who also produced the show and announced earlier this month he was scrapping his stage name The Weeknd – describes his character who tries to lure the popstar in as “Dracula”.

The series received a modest five-minute ovation, but most critics were put off by the excessive sexuality.

Variety slammed its “tawdry cliches” and said the show “plays like a sordid male fantasy. Meanwhile, Deadline wrote: “Until we know more, it’s hard to make value judgments about morality and ethics, or, more substantively, the arguments about the male gaze and female body rights.”

The Idol – which will be released in June – had been plagued by rumors of onset turmoil and graphic sex scenes before its release.

Depp said the accusations were “not reflective at all of my experience shooting the show,” while actress Jane Adams said it was “one of the best creative experiences I have ever had.” AFP

Me’

Valentine Royale

JC Alcantara

A scene from ‘The Idol’ starring Lily-Rose Depp

Andrea Brillantes in her drag persona, Joining the cast are Christian Bables (left) and

MAUREEN Estrada champions the cause of empowering women to feel beautiful and confident through informed choices.

Estrada, the CEO of Oxina Nutricosmetics Inc. and Founder of Nuwhite, reflected on her personal journey of skin transformation in an interview with Manila Standard Life

She described herself as having a darker complexion in the past, using the term “morena” to indicate

Embracing beauty and confidence through informed choices

her skin tone. She emphasized that she never saw anything wrong with having a darker complexion, but she personally had a preference for a lighter skin tone.

“Genuine beauty lies in feeling at ease with your own skin complexion. Whether one feels beautiful as a morena or with a fairer complexion, the individual themselves is the sole arbiter of their beauty,” Estrada shared. She emphasized that undergoing a skin-lightening process was not about conforming to societal standards of beauty or succumbing to external pressures. Instead, it was a decision driven by her own desire to enhance her self-confidence She believed that beauty should not be dictated by arbitrary standards imposed by others, but rather should be defined by the individual’s own perception and self-assurance.

By choosing to lighten her skin, Estrada took control of her appearance in a way that made her feel more confident and comfortable. She recognized that beauty is a subjective concept, and that each person should define it for themselves based on what makes them feel confident and empowered.

Estrada firmly also believes that beauty comes from within, and she recognizes the transformative power of self-care and self-expression. With Nuwhite, she aims to provide women with a reliable and effective solution to unlock their inner radiance and boost their self-esteem. By offering a carefully formulated glutathione product, Estrada empowers women to take control of their beauty journey. She ensures that Nuwhite stands out in the market as a potent and beneficial option, backed by science and research. Through her dedication to quality and innovation, she enables consumers to make informed choices when it comes to their beauty supplements. Beyond physical transformation, Estrada’s advocacy extends to holistic well-being. She understands that beauty is not just about external appearances but also encompasses mental and emotional health. By incorporating components like collagen, vitamin E, and sodium ascorbate into Nuwhite, she provides a comprehensive approach to beauty that supports overall vitality and wellness. Estrada’s advocacy is driven by her own personal experiences and expertise as a professional nurse. Her journey in the beauty industry began with a genuine passion for helping others achieve their beauty goals. With Nuwhite, she goes beyond surface-level beauty,

Unlock your natural beauty with a perfect partner

By Glaiza Lee

FOR Dr. Mary Jane “MJ” Torres, wellness doesn’t have a quick fix. To be healthy and look natural, it has to come from within, literally and figuratively.

“Beauty created from within is achieved through a lifestyle shift and lasting effect through regenerative therapy at the cellular level,” said the founder of Vietura by The Zen Institute, a beauty and wellness company known for its aesthetic, integrative medicine, lifestyle, and pampering treatments.

Coined from the French words vie (life) and natura (nature), Vietura recently celebrated its 10 years of making wellness a journey, and a continuous experience for Filipino women. In 2013, Dr. Torres partnered with Sofitel Philippine Plaza to establish Vietura, with the aim to promote wellness tourism.

Through the years, Vietura promotes wellness while in staycation mode. As the first aesthetic institute of its kind in Asia, the beauty clinic pioneers the country’s wellness tourism by introducing the Philippines to various internationallyrenowned best practices, innovations, and

aiming to create a positive impact on women’s lives by empowering them to embrace their unique beauty and feel confident in their own skin.

According to Estrada, their latest offering sets itself apart as the only S-Acetyl Glutathione available in the market. It represents the in-body form of glutathione, which means it is readily absorbed and utilized by the human body as a powerful antioxidant.

“Drawing from my experience as a nurse, I gained the confidence to create my own line of glutathione products. I continuously pursued knowledge and kept myself updated on the latest advancements in the field, including laboratory studies and technological breakthroughs. When it comes to anything related to glutathione, I remain well-informed and engaged,” Estrada said.

The product is now readily accessible, offering 30 capsules per bottle, equivalent to a month’s supply. Consumers need only take a single pill daily. Nuwhite assures users that visible results will manifest within 28 days, delivering on its promise of efficacy and effectiveness.

Nuwhite takes pride in being a product that caters to all genders and is safe for consumption, regardless of age, from 13-year-olds to individuals in their 60s.

Since its initial launch in 2019, Nuwhite has gained significant momentum, driven by Estrada’s passion and vision to create a more potent and beneficial glutathione product for the local market and beauty industry.

In addition to promoting a healthy glow, Nuwhite has shown positive effects in reducing stress, improving sleep quality, enhancing mental focus and clarity, and boosting energy levels.

Estrada’s leap into entrepreneurship proved fruitful, with Nuwhite becoming a best-selling brand in 2019. Now, in 2023, Nuwhite is determined to continue its success story, helping consumers achieve a vibrant and healthy glow from the inside out.

Estrada proudly states that her company, despite using expensive imported ingredients, has priced NuWhite lower than leading gluta supplement brands as a way to give back to consumers. She believes that her journey with NuWhite has been guided by a higher power, citing the serendipitous connection with Marian Rivera, who readily endorsed the product.

“We presented the product to her and I was really surprised when she said yes. I felt honored to have a trusted celebrity on board,” Estrada said. The entrepreneur views Rivera’s endorsement as a testament to the credibility of NuWhite and its active ingredient, S-Acetyl Glutathione.

technology in aesthetic medicine.

“We have synergized all our programs with non-invasive aesthetic procedures, integrative medicine, and one-on-one lifestyle coaching; hence, a combination of science, medicine, nature, and personal connection,” said Dr. Torres, who graduated from the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.

With a passion for aesthetics and wellness, Dr. Torress underwent postgraduate internship training under the country’s leading dermatologists and surgeons at St. Luke’s. She specialized in botox in Istanbul, Turkey, and lipotherapy in Athens, Greece.

A member of the International Society of Mesotherapy, the French Society of Mesotherapy, and the Italian Society of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery, she introduced Resonax, the latest technology in body sculpting, the first of its kind in Asia and Europe. She had advanced training with Dr. Teguh Teta, founder of double fix thread for face and body sculpting and lifting, the latest innovation in non-surgical procedures for face and body lift.

True to its philosophy and core values, Vietura brings beauty and vigor to life through a combination of science, stateof-the-art medical technology, and natural methods. Clients can expect to receive no less than world-class care and treatment from its medical team and well-trained staff. It would be a wellness experience especially suited to the client’s specific needs.

For a decade, Vietura by The Zen Institute has been changing and improving lives through holistic, personalized, and tailored-fit beauty and wellness programs. These programs focus on anti-aging therapy, cosmetic dentistry, natural lift and contour, body sculpting, acne, and scar treatments, laser hair removal and detoxification, and weight management. Moreover, it offers the most technologically advanced colonics hydrotherapy in the country.

Vietura is located at the ground floor of Sofitel Philippine Plaza, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd, Pasay, 1300 Metro Manila. Check out their website for their services: https://wellness.sofitelmanila.com/ wellness-center-programs/vietura.

The Body Shop’s Skin Defence Multi-Protection Light Essence is your ultimate summer essential for everyday sun protection from damaging UV rays

Combat daily UV damage with lightweight moisturizing formula

WITH rising temperatures and summer definitely, on the horizon, protect your skin with The Body Shop’s new daily essential – the Skin Defence Multi-Protection Light Essence. And promise us you won’t leave the house without it.

The Body Shop’s new Skin Defence Multi-Protection Light Essence is an ultra-lightweight, moisturizing formula that helps protect your skin with SPF 50 PA+++ protection. This super-fluid essence uses cleverly optimized broad-spectrum UVA/UVB filters to help protect daily against damaging UV rays, as well as help protect from indoor and outdoor pollution. The fast-absorbing formula looks invisible, feels breathable, and is comfortable on the skin. It’s non-greasy, won’t leave a white sheen, and doesn’t transfer onto your top. Skin is simply left looking glowy, more even, and ready for makeup (if that’s your thing). The Body Shop’s Skin Defence Multi-Protection Light Essence can be found at Body Shop stores and online at www.thebodyshop.com.ph.

CEO of Oxina Nutricosmetics Inc. and Founder of Nuwhite Maureen Estrada

Estrada (left) with Kapuso actress Marian Rivera

Kapuso actress Marian Rivera looking stunning as always

Estrada’s journey into the beauty industry stems from her personal experience and knowledge as a professional nurse

Doctor Mary Jane “MJ” Torres, founder of Vietura by The Zen Institute, performing a non-invasive beauty treatment on a client