Manila Standard - 2023 May 31 - Wednesday

‘Scam hubs hiding under POGOs’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday blasted the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) for failing to monitor companies operating under its authority that commit crimes such as human trafficking and online scams.

“What is Pagcor doing?” Hontiveros said in yesterday’s hearing of her Senate committee on women. “Pagcor, as the regulator of POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators), should be actively looking into companies that they allow to operate in the country.”

She referred to a May 4 police raid on Sunvalley Clark Hub Corp. (SVCHC) in Clark, Pampanga, where more than 1,000 nationals from the Philippines,

Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Nepal, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Taiwan, were allegedly forced to work on online scams.

Some 12 people were arrested in the raid, and the government is now repatriating the victims of human trafficking that were being forced to work there.

SVCHC has denied involvement in the illegal operations, saying it is a licensed locator inside the Clark Special

Economic Zone.

“SVCHC, as a real estate company, is not in any way connected or involved in operating online gaming or call center services,” it said.

SVCHC noted that the Colorful and Leap Group identified by authorities as the “love scam” operator, is one of the sub-lessees of CGC Technologies, Inc. whose lease agreement with SVCHC is duly registered with Clark Development Corp.

Sunvalley said they have no knowledge of what’s going on inside the leased premises since they have no access to them. CGC Technologies, Inc. said the company merely subleased its offices to Colorful and Leap Group, which originally presented itself as a gaming ser-

vice provider.

Hontiveros has been pushing to ban POGO in the country.

The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking confirmed during the Senate hearing that scam hubs do hide under a legal cover.

“It is appalling that this fraudulent cryptocurrency corporation, which has trafficked thousands of foreign nationals into the country to work as scammers, has been operating under a legal POGO,” Hontiveros said.

“The scam office, led by Chinese bosses, operates like a huge call center, with rows and rows of computer tables. This was where the victimsurvivors would set up their fake accounts using different

Envoy says Manila playing ‘huge role’ in sea exercises

protecting Filipinos abroad.

Thus, the Philippines will not apologize for taking care of and providing shelter for runaway Filipinos in Kuwait, even if the rich Gulf state has suspended issuing new entry visas for workers and travelers alike from the Philippines, the department said.

“The President said... that we will not apologize... why would we do that... should we apologize for the abused Filipinos maids or for Filipinos who were killed?” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Eduardo Jose de Vega stressed in a Laging Handa briefing.

“We’re just protecting our nationals,” de Vega added.

Meanwhile, Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople continues to hold out hope for relations to return to normal with Kuwait, noting that the emirate continues to assist in sending home hundreds of distressed Pinoys.

“That’s because we are able to, are in the process of bringing home, in batches, around 400 of our OFWs in the shelters. Personally, for me there’s always hope,” Ople said at an event in Taguig City (see related story on A1 – Editors).

Last week, Kuwait’s Ministry of the Interior said it would “continue halting [the] issuance of any types of visas for the Philippines nationals as Manila rejected Kuwait’s conditions aimed to prevent the recurrence of worker violations.

The Ministry affirmed “the rejection of any infringement on Kuwait’s sovereignty or the dignity of Kuwaiti nationals,” its statement said, adding that the violations were considered “a red line.”

According to the emirate’s Public Authority of Manpower, the Philippines Embassy asked recruitment offices to remove domestic helpers from Kuwaiti homes under the pretext that their work contracts ended. Rey E. Requejo

MANILA will play a huge role in this year’s Indo-Pacific Endeavor amid continuing tensions in the West Philippine Sea, the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines said Tuesday.

The program is an annual regional engagement activity organized by the Australian Defense Force to show its commitment to working with regional partners and ensure a secure Indo-Pacific through maritime exercises, said Ambassador HK Yu.

The Indo-Pacific Endeavor will take

Domingo: Lapses, not anomalies, in P6.4b shabu raid

THE former director of the police Drug Enforcement Group on Tuesday admitted lapses in the October 2022 drug bust in which P6.4 billion worth of shabu was seized but denied there was any cover-up.

Testifying before the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, the former director of the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG), Police Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo admitted he had not told the panel the whole truth about the drug raid.

“I admit that there are lapses in our entire operation, but such judgment calls and procedural lapses were done by me in good faith based on the reports of my men,” Domingo said.

“We are waiting for the Senate [version of the bill]...but we are very much eager, [to have it adopted once approved there],” Dalipe said at a news conference Tuesday.

Both chambers will skip the bicameral conference meeting to reconcile their versions of a bill once the House agrees with the Senate’s version of such. The measure will then be considered an enrolled bill awaiting the President’s signature.

The Senate is expected to have the MIF bill approved by June 2.

The purpose of the amendment, Tulfo said, is to ensure ownership of the Maharlika Investment Corp. to be created by the bill “shall be exclusively with the government including its GOCCs (government owned and controlled corporations).”

“This way, we can allow investment from private sectors,” said Tulfo, to which Sen. Mark Villar, the bill’s sponsor, agreed.

place in August 2023.

This developed as Amnerican, Japanese, Australian, and Philippine defense ministers are planning to hold their first-ever quadrilateral talks in Singapore next month, a diplomatic source said Tuesday, amid China’s growing maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

The meeting by the United States and its three security allies in the Pacific would take place on the sidelines of the annual Asia Security Conference,

In related developments:

* The Department of Finance (DOF) on Tuesday allayed fears the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund would bankrupt banking institutions, including Landbank, should it fail.

* Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno also said board members of state pension institutions should not be “precluded” from deciding on possible investments in the proposed sovereign wealth fund.

* Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said there should be an iron-clad provision that will guarantee that pension funds will not be touched or compromised in the MIF bill.

“If the Senate can finish it today.... maybe, if there is a need for a bicam [conference committee to reconcile different versions], we can do it tomorrow and pass it, ratify it before we go on sine die adjournment,” Dalipe said.

“We are waiting, we are keeping a close watch, and we hope it will turn out fine tonight and we can have it done by tomorrow,” he added.

The House approved on third and final reading its version of the MIF bill

known as Shangri-La Dialogue, scheduled for three days through June 4 in the Southeast Asian city-state.

The gathering would be held as Japan, the United States and Australia have been each bolstering their defense cooperation with the Philippines, while trying to showcase their collaboration as a group of four nations surrounding the Pacific.

“This year’s Indo-Pacific Endeavor is going to be, probably one of the biggest we’ve ever done, with the Philippines right at the center of it,” said Yu. Charles Dantes

last December.

It provides that “under no circumstance that the GOCCs providing for the social security of government employees, private sectors, workers and employees, and other sectors and subsectors, such as but not limited to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), and Home Development Mutual Fund, be requested or required to contribute to the MIF.”

The House version also states that no part of the funds of said GOCCs shall go to the MIF.

In the Senate, Pimentel said: “Our workers’ hard-earned pension should be shielded from any adverse implications that could arise from the establishment of MIF.”

“Unfortunately, the threat that MIF would dip its hands into retirees’ pension funds is still very much alive,” he added.

The earlier versions of the measure wanted to tap into the funds being managed by the country’s top social insurance institutions, namely the GSIS and the SSS as the source for the initial capital of Maharlika.

For example, there was a lapse when the operating team did not conduct an inventory on the scene after confiscating two kilos of shabu from then Police Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo.

However, Domingo said that if they had followed the rule, they might not have discovered the 990 kilos of shabu.

When the 990 kilograms of shabu was later seized, policemen committed a violation when they pilfered about 42 kilos of the contraband, Domingo said.

Domingo said there was also a procedural lapse when he submitted a sketchy report by PDEG Special Operations Unit Region 4A chief Police Col. Julian Olonan to then-PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. on Oct. 8.

That report did not implicate Mayo, Domingo was told, because they believed Mayo could point them to a bigger stash of shabu. Charles Dantes

NDRRMC:...

From A1

said in Filipino.

In the latest situational report released early Tuesday, the NDRRMC said 2,859 families or 11,264 individuals from Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Antique, Negros Occidental, and Apayao were evacuated.

Of these, 3,484 or 877 families were staying in evacuation centers.

NDRRMC said that a total of P1.8 million worth of assistance was prov ided across Region 2, Region 3, MIMAROPA, Region 6, and CAR. These consisted of bottled water, family food packs, hygiene kits, meals, cash, and relief goods. NDRRMC added that they are monitoring power interruptions in Abra, Mountain Province, and Ifugao.

Citing a World Bank study, he said the policy gap or the supposed tax to be collected and what is actually collected could reach as high as P539 billion.

“Meaning, maybe we find areas where we can recover those too many exemptions. For example: one exemption is really the cooperatives - that’s right, there are a lot of people who don’t pay VAT because of the cooperatives. So, the IMF study will tell us how do we recover because 0.4, that’s really poor … poor performance,” he said.

With VAT being the best tax in the world, with 90 percent of the countries around the world imposing such tax, Diokno said, “it is in our interest to improve on the efficiency of the VAT.”

Meanwhile, Diokno said the approval of the estate tax amnesty extension until 2025 by the Senate would mean stronger compliance by taxpayers and additional revenue collections for the government.

“The Department of Finance welcomes the renewed extension of the estate tax amnesty period. This will allow errant taxpayers to settle their estate tax liabilities affordably, enable the government to collect additional revenues, and strengthen tax compliance,” he said in a statement.

“The timely enactment of this measure is crucial, as it will provide much-needed relief to individuals and families facing extraordinary circumstances while supporting the national government’s efforts to spur development by incentivizing the regularization of assets,” he said.

holding a joint special hiring program was raised due to Saudi Arabia’s push to develop its tourism sector.

“They mentioned their hotel and restaurant sector, they are booming in terms of building cities,” the DMW chief said in a TV Patrol report.

European countries are also interested in hiring skilled Filipino workers, with Ople mentioning Austria, Portugal, Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

Demand for overseas Filipino workers was likewise high in Guam and Canada, she added.

Ople also called for a “bold discussion” to ensure the protection of all migrant workers through better migration governance.

During her speech, she encouraged stakeholders to have a bold discussion and collectively work together to be able to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and Global Contact on Migration (GCM) objectives.

Among the topics to be discussed include SDG Target 8.8 that “protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.” Also to be tackled is SDG Target 10.7 which refers to the facilitation of “orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.”

Included in the pipeline for discussion are GCM Objectives 8 and 23 which refer

by CTG-linked groups among students and even the out-of-school youth.

They said this practice promotes armed violence and a bloody overthrow of the government.

to the shared responsibility to “facilitate fair and ethical recruitment and safeguard conditions that ensure decent work.”

According to Ople, Objective 23 seeks to “Strengthen international cooperation and global partnerships for safe, orderly, and regular migration.”

“In shorthand, what all these means is how do we keep our workers safe as they cross borders, as they look for better opportunities for their families and how to balance the situation, with also the need to meet the needs of our foreign employers for skilled, responsible, and reliable foreign workers,” Ople explains.

With the Philippines hosting the discussions, she expressed hope that actual experiences by senior labor migration officials and resource persons from countries of origin in Asia and countries of destination in the GCC would help in achieving its goals.

Jimbo Gulle

bear arms, you are criminally liable. We will do anything to file charges against you,” Gonzales said.

Meanwhile, an island in Batanes has been suffering a total blackout according to the Provincial Administrator and Emergency Operations Center.

A report on ANC said Sabtang Island suffered a blackout when a tanker that was supposed to deliver fuel was stranded in Pangasinan due to heavy seas.

Elsewhere, a warehouse in Cagayan Economic Zone Authority collapsed due to strong rain and wind. Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba said the collapsed warehouse was the only reported damage in CEZA.

At least two houses in Central Luzon were reported damaged.

A total of 104 domestic flights and 17 international flights were canceled in the National Capital Region.

Cebu Pacific Air and its sister airline CebGo on Tuesday suspended 40 flights due to bad weather conditions brought on by typhoon Betty.

The officials did not say how they would verify a link between an election candidate and a would-be communist supporter.

Both Gonzales and NYC chair Undersecretary Ronald Cardema, who was also present at the event, said they were dismayed at what the former called “from books to armalite” brand of recruitment

They appealed to school administrators and teachers not to aid recruitment activities by groups like the Anakbayan, the Kabataang Makabayan (KM), Gabriela, and Anakpawis, among others, as” they too are not immune from legal suit.”

“To teachers, especially school administrators, who teach our students to

where net gainers fell from +10 to +6. It also decreased from “fair” to “mediocre” in Visayas from -4 to -14.

Cardema supported this and underscored the need to prevent these fronts from conducting recruitment activities among students to support SK candidates that will be bankrolled by the CTGs.

“All areas are being monitored through our regional NYC offices. Even the teachers’ ranks, they should be monitored. Teachers serve as advisers to these students. If we can stop all

among elementary graduates from net zero to +1, but fell from “very high” to “high” among junior high school graduates from +13 to +7.

these recruitment activities, the NPA will die down naturally. Why? Because they can’t recruit senior citizens to become terrorists,” the NYC chair said. Gonzales said the role of the Vice President is crucial to barring NPA recruitment in schools.

“They (fronts) will not succeed in our schools through the help of the Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte,” he said, adding that “critical thinking” should not be used as an excuse in allowing students to associate with CTG fronts.

in the past three months. This means they were hungry and had nothing to eat at all.

of very high +18 in December 2019,” SWS said of the survey conducted from March 26 to 29.

Compared to December 2022, net gainers declined from “very high” to “high” in Metro Manila from +18 to +2. The same happened in Mindanao,

On the other hand, it remained “very high” in Balance Luzon, up by 2 points from +10 to +12. Net gainers also rose from “very high” to “excellent” among college graduates from +18 in December 2022, to +20 in March 2023. It improved from “fair” to “high”

It stayed “fair” among non-elementary graduates, although down by 3 points from -2 to -5.

The March 2023 survey further revealed that 9.8% of Filipino families, or an estimated 2.7 million, experienced involuntary hunger at least once

Compared to December 2022, the net gainers score went down from “very high” to “high” among the non-hungry families from +10 to +5.

But it rose from “fair” to “high” among overall hungry families from -7 to +1; and among moderately hungry families from -4 to +4. Vito Barcelo

Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Makati resumes free movies on big screen for seniors, PWDs

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Makati City government has announced the resumption of free movies project for and senior citizens registered under the city’s Blu Card program.

Beginning June 1, senior citizens who are Blu Card holders can again enjoy the privilege of watching free movies in theaters at the Glorietta, Greenbelt, and Circuit Makati.

Mayor Abigail Binay will lead the relaunch of the free movie offering at 10 a.m. tomorrow in Glorietta 4 Cinema, with other local government officials and Ayala malls executives in attendance.

Binay said the elderly residents who are Blu Card members can again watch movies free of charge on the big screen in Glorietta, Greenbelt, and Circuit Makati cinemas three times a day for the first and second screenings.

The local government suspended the project in 2020 to protect the health of the elderly and ensure their safety at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The free movies benefit for the elderly started in 1997 with the passage of City Ordinance No. 97-085, appropriating P500,000 as the 25-percent share of the city in cinema admission costs for senior citizens.

The program was institutionalized three years later through City Ordinance No. 2001-035 granting the inclusion of appropriations in its annual budget for its continuous implementation in succeeding years.

In 2006, the perk was also granted to registered persons with disability (PWDs) of Makati through City Ordinance No. 2006-066.

City Ordinance No. 2012-099 also entitled Makati senior citizens who are Blu Card holders to a one-time P100,000 cash gift upon reaching 100 years old. The bonanza serves as a tribute for their signifi cant contributions and role in the history and development of the city.

DAR lawyers can act as counsels in just compensation litigations

By Rio N. Araja and Vince Lopez

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) will start deputizing its lawyers as counsels in litigations involving just compensation for agricultural lands placed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Meanwhile, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III reported a ‘historic accomplishment’ following the grant of land ownership to beneficiaries in Hacienda Tinang in Conception, Tarlac.

Undersecretary for Legal Affair Office

Napoleon Galit directed all designated DAR lawyers to observe proper protocol by entering an appearance in their respective areas of assignment when representing the DAR as counsel on matters involving just compensation for lands placed under the government’s

agrarian reform program.

Galit issued the order after receiving a favorable response from Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra about his request “to exercise authority and full and direct control” over all lawyers of the DAR in the handling of just compensation cases before regional trial courts sitting as Special Agrarian Courts.

“The subject representation by the DAR legal personnel is within the prerogative of the Honorable Secretary of

the Department,” he cited.

Guevarra pointed out that the DAR lawyers’ functions as requested by Galit “request does not fall within the coverage of an Office of the Solicitor General deputation.”

“The appointment of the good undersecretary as head of the legal sector of the DAR is exclusively within the powers of the Department Secretary, and is, therefore, external to the OSG’s mandate,” he said.

“The appointment of the good undersecretary as head of the legal sector of the DAR is exclusively within the powers of the Department Secretary, and is, therefore, external to the OSG’s mandate,” Guevarra explained.

“I’d like to inform everybody, most especially the public, of historic accomplishments. The President instructed us from the beginning of his term to address all pending agrarian reform cases because the President definitely subscribes to the adage that justice delayed is justice de-

Gov. Adiong tells his people to stand fast amid extremists’ threats

By Nash B. Maulana

MARAWI City—Unperturbed by rumors about extremists’ taking over the Marogong town, Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Bombit Alonto Adiong Jr. told his constituents to rise above the challenges of underdevelopment, terror, and criminalities.

Meanwhile, Adiong received farm equipment from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at the PEO grounds, New Capitol Complex here.

It may be recalled that amid rumors about threats by the extremist group Dawlia Islamia, some 259 families have fled Marogong for the safety of nearby Binidayan, Tubaran, Bayang and Masiu towns.

BARMM Interior and Local Government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo had visited Marogong to assess the projects

funded by his office.

BARMM police regional director Gen.

Allan Nobreza said the Philippine National Police was working closely with the BARMM, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the local government units to secure communities facing high-security risks.

Adiong said the agriculture support package from the BARMM consisted of one mega rice thresher, two corn shelling cones, and one corn feed miller.

The procurement of the implements by the BARMM Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) was funded by the office of former Member of Parliament Diamla Musa, officials said.

Adiong said the farm equipment will be utilized to help boost the economic condition of the province, improve the timeliness of agricultural operations, and enhance the

farmers’ access to the market.

Adiong accepted the equipment, underscoring the importance of ensuring the province’s food security. By empowering the farmers, he said, they would be able to contribute much to agricultural sustainability and development of the province.

Visitors who graced the turnover rites were welcomed by provincial agriculturist. agriculturist Rajiv Radia.

Amer Magarang, station superintendent of the MAFAR-LDS Research Outreach, said MAFAR is committed to making agricultural lands more productive with more crops to harvest on the part of the farmers.

Diamla said the recipient-beneficiaries ought to use the machines prudently to ensure that they are handled, managed, and maintained well.

Also on Tuesday, Adiong laid the corner-

TODAYURC to move CADPI Sugar Milling Equipment to Balayan Mill

In line with its expansion plan to provide better service to local sugarcane farmers, Universal Robina Corporation (URC) will be purchasing the idle sugar milling machineries and equipment of Central Azucarera Don Pedro, Inc. (CADPI).

The CADPI sugar milling machineries and equipment will be transferred to URC’s Balayan sugar mill for the expansion of Balayan’s milling capacity and improvement of its sugar recovery process. With increased capacity from additional equipment, URC aims to accommodate more local sugarcane farmers and to contribute to more sustainable growth of local supply of sugar in the market.

stone for the mounting of photovoltaic plates to generate solar energy to help power the Tamparan District Hospital

The 22KW-solar energy project in the Tamparan District Hospital (TDH) is funded by the United Nations Development Program and the Department of Energy.

The system will be installed to energize energize primarily the hospital’s blood bank, laboratory, emergency room, and hospital corridors, among others, said Provincial Information Officer Salma Jayne Alonto Tamano.

TDH relies heavily on diesoline for electricity during the past 60 years because of erratic power supply distribution to the community, residents said.

Vice Mayor Haroun-al-Rashid Disomimba Lucman, III welcomed the development, saying the project will address the issue of inadequate power supply in Tamparan.

nied.” Estrella said in a press briefing at Malacañang.

“We are happy to inform everybody that our formula of multiple shuttle diplomacy and constantly holding dialogues with stakeholders finally we were able to resolve the case and we have issued a decision here in Hacienda Tinang. We thank God for this accomplishment because here, we have finally resolved this problem.” he added.

Estrella said conflicts between warring farmer groups in the plantation has been resolved following the awarding of land titles to the beneficiaries.

“This case started less than three decades ago, and this is about the land ownership struggle here in Hacienda Tinang. There have been many incidents here both in the barangay and also in the courts and in fact this is it. It would have been only farmers versus land owner. It would have been easy to resolve, but it became a farmer group versus another famer group.” Estrella noted.

PNP gears up for PBBM’s second SONA

By Jun David

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has started mapping out its security plan for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July, PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. disclosed. Acorda said the PNP will collate available intelligence reports in their possession, including those from other law enforcement agencies, to assess all potential security threats during the event.

“Preparations on the ground are in full swing for us to ensure that the staging of this event will be peaceful and orderly. All information relevant to security matters are being seriously evaluated,” the PNP chief said.

Acorda said security measures will cover all possible scenarios, including the PNP’s contingency moves, that could take place inside and outside the Batasan Pambansa complex in Quezon City, where President Marcos will address members of Congress during the SONA.

He also said they are still finalizing the exact number of PNP personnel who will be deployed in the SONA venue and in some parts of Metro Manila to handle the peace and order situation.

“Expect the PNP to maximize the utilization of all its available resources to ensure the peaceful and orderly staging of this event,” he said.

Demonstrators will not be barred from staging protest rallies during the President’s SONA, Acorda said.

However, he explained that protest actions should be staged only in designated freedom parks as provided by law.

Acorda said the PNP will exercise “maximum tolerance” in dealing with demonstrators during the SONA.

“We will also reach out to representatives of all groups who are planning to stage protest rallies during the event. I am hopeful that we can arrive at a consensus, where they can exercise their freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, but without prejudice to the security measures we intend to adopt,” he added.

Villar invokes importance of marine hatcheries

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Cynthia Villar has underscored the importance of establishing local marine hatcheries in towns and rural areas to produce fingerlings to be given to small fishermen.

“It is also necessary for the propagation of certain marine species to address the country’s dependence on imported fingerlings, like bangus, tilapia, mangrove crabs, pampano, shrimp, lapulapu, danggit and other high-value marine species,” Villar said.

“It will provide seeds to be utilized for aquaculture,” she added. Villa is chairperson of the Senate agriculture and food committee.

In yesterday’s hearing on bills establishing local hatcheries, Villar noted that the aquaculture sector plays a vital role in ensuring the country’s food security, generating employment opportunities, and contributing to foreign exchange earnings. In recent times, she said aquaculture has experienced substantial growth, surpassing the captured fisheries. “By providing support to the aquaculture industry, will lead to the development of our

fisheries industry in general.”

She cited the latest report of the Philippines Statistics Authority, in 2022, which shows that aquaculture contributed 2.246 million metric tons (MT) out of 4.248M MT total fishery production or 54.15 percent. For the first quarter of 2023, the contribution of aquaculture further increased to 55 percent, or 545,640 MT out of the 991,140 MT total fishery production. Due to this, Villar said it was critical for the government to give importance to the industry of aquaculture farming.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

RIVER WARRIORS. Elements of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) River Warrior conduct cleaning operation along the shores of Manila Bay at the Baseco complex in Tondo, Manila. Inset shows workers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority also clearing the Talayan creek along Araneta Ave, Quezon City of silts and debris. Norman Cruz and Manny Palmero

LULL BEFORE THE STORM? Seaside residents of Barangay Balaring in Boac, Marinduque watch strong waves of the Tablas Strait, unmindful of Typhoon Betty moving toward east of the Batanes archipelago in northernmost Luzon mainland. Danny Pata

Sen. Padilla quits PDP-Laban post, vows to remain active member

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SAYING he would like to focus on his job in the Senate, Senator Robin Padilla has resigned as executive vice president (EVP) of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) bloc led by former Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi.

Padilla submitted his resignation to Cusi but said that he intends to remain a member of the party and continue to participate actively in its advocacies.

“Today, May 29, I tender my irrevocable resignation as EVP of PDP-Laban. That said, I intend to remain a member of the party),” Padilla said. “I believe my decision is for the good of the party and its members – and more importantly, for the Filipino people.”

In his resignation, Padilla noted the PDP-Laban has much to achieve, and thus needs an EVP who can devote more time to the party’s affairs.

He emphasized that because he has “heavy responsibilities” as an elected official, it would be better if someone else fills his shoes.

As an incumbent senator with a mandate, Padilla said he is aware that other duties-including his position as EVP of the party–must give way to his ability to fulfill his sworn duty to the people.

Padilla is the chairperson of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes. He had conducted Senate hearings on bills to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution.

He also filed his own proposed measure which seeks to make changes in seven provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

However, the neophyte senator conceded in his ultimate goal to amend economic provisions and instead shifted to make amendments in its political provisions.

Teves: ‘Powerless’ vs. House leaders’ bid for his ouster

NEGROS Oriental Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. said he is “powerless” over officials who may push for his expulsion from the House of Representatives.

“It’s not that I am ready or I am considering.

It’s that I am powerless over these people, right?

Who am I to fight back against the Speaker and the Chairman,” Teves said, in an interview with CNN Philippines.

Teves was apparently referring to House Speaker Martin Romualdez and House ethics panel chairperson Felimon Espares, GMA News reported.

“If it’s another kind of fight, I will fight back. But if the fight only involves rules that they made up, how can I fight back?” Teves, in the said interview, also said.

On Monday, the House ethics panel unanimously recommended stiffer disciplinary action against Teves due to his continued absence amid expired travel authority in violation of House rules.

Reports also said House ethics panel vice chairperson Raul Bongalon said stiffer sanctions would include expulsion and any other penalty that the committee may determine.

In the same interview, Teves’ lawyer Atty. Ferdinand Topacio said some lawmakers were being pressured to vote according to the will of the House leadership.

The lawyer also expressed alarm over the presence of Commission on Elections chairperson George Garcia during a House hearing.

DOJ prosecutors appeal de Lima case acquittal

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) said a prosecution panel is asking a Muntinlupa court to reconsider its ruling earlier this month acquitting former Sen. Leila de Lima in one of her drug cases.

In a 91-page motion for reconsideration, DOJ prosecutors led by Provincial Prosecutor Ramoncito Bienvenido Ocampo, Jr. urged Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204 to instead render a new ruling declaring De Lima and co-accused Ronnie Dayan “guilty” of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading.

Muntinlupa Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara acquitted the former lawmaker on the basis of the recantation of former Bureau of Corrections OIC Rafael Ragos.

Ragos initially claimed he personally delivered 2 tranches of P5 million in drug money to De Lima’s house in Parañaque in November and December 2012, supposedly to aid De Lima’s senatorial bid.

But De Lima did not run in the 2013 elections.

Ragos, in April 2022, would execute an affidavit recanting all his allegations against De Lima, accusing instead former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aquirre II of coercing him to testify against her. Aguirre denied the allegations. Rey E. Requejo

DOH warns public of illnesses due to El Niño season

THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday warned the public against certain illnesses that may arise due to the El Niño season.

The DOH reminded the public to take precautionary measures, saying that extreme weather heat, scarcity of clean water, and frequent rains could cause diseases like asthma, cholera, dengue, diarrhea, fatigue, food poisoning, heat cramp, heat stroke, nausea, sunburn, typhoid fever, and other diseases due to consumption of food affected by red tide.

Batangas sugar farmers get cash aid

By Maricel V. Cruz

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Tuesday led the distribution of aid to some 800 sugar farmers in Batangas whose livelihood were adversely affected by the closure of the largest sugar mill in the province as he also vowed to help find a long-term solution to the plight of all affected sectors.

concerns last February.

It could be recalled that following the closure of Central Azucarera de Don Pedro, Inc.

(CADPI) in Nasugbu, Batangas, the Sugar Folks Unity for Genuine Agricultural Reform together with Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas sought the assistance of Romualdez who listened to their

Acting on this initiative, the House Speaker coordinated with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and secured through the department’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program

P10,000 worth of assistance for every affected sugar farmers. Nang makausap ko ang mga magsasakang naapektuhan ng pagsasara ng sugar mill sa Speaker’s Office, nalungkot ako sa dala nilang balita. Alam ko ang epekto ng pagsasara ng sugar mill. Kagutuman at kalituhan ang tiyak na resulta nito,” Romualdez, in his brief message during the AICS distribution held at Balayan, Batangas, said.

He noted that the closure of CADPI, also the largest sugar mill in the whole Region IV and the 2nd largest in Luzon, had stripped 12,000 farm workers of regular jobs; placed the farms of more than 8,772 farmers at risk, and displaced 125 mill workers.

Romualdez stressed that in times of crisis and

FIREARMS

SURRENDER. Anti Organized Crime Commission General (Retired) Gilbertp DC Cruz (second from right) and National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Regional Director PMGen Edgar  Alan Okubo present different high-caliber firearms surrendered to the government by former communists. San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora attended the event held at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. Joseph Muego

adversity, it is everyone’s duty to stand together and extend a helping hand to those in need.

“That is why I am immensely proud to share with you today the collaborative efforts of the Sugar Folks Unity for Genuine Agricultural Reform, Gabriela Representative Arlene Brosas, and the House Speaker’s Office,” the Speaker said.

“Today, as we distribute these much-needed resources, we are not just providing financial support; we are also offering a glimmer of hope, a symbol of solidarity, and a reminder that no one is alone in their struggles. It is my firm belief that by working together and supporting one another, we can overcome any challenge that comes our way,” he added.

By Maricel V. Cruz

FORMER Social Welfare Secretary Erwin

Tulfo will take his oath as the nominee of the Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) party-list group.

But Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe said Tulfo cannot assume office just yet until the House of Representatives receives official notice from the Commission on Elections upholding his nomination.

Tulfo was the fourth nominee in the list submitted to Comelec ahead of last year’s polls, with the first three nominees assuming office on June 30, 2022.

However, the third nominee, Jeffrey Soriano, resigned from the House of Representatives on February 22, 2023.

“To avoid heat stroke and exhaustion, hydrate yourself and drink water always, and refrain from going out during 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,” the DOH said. “Wear sunglasses, sunscreen, and light clothes. Bring an umbrella whenever you have to get exposed to the sun.”

To prevent dengue, the DOH reminded the school administrations and the public to observe the 5S strategy of search and destroy mosquito breeding sites; uphold self-protection like using insect repellents; seek early consultation at the nearest health care facility; support fogging, spraying, and misting in hot spot areas; and sustain hydration.

“The implementation of the 5S strategy calls for everyone to become prime movers in controlling mosquito population and avoiding any possible dengue deaths within the community,” the DOH said.

Immigration agents halt Singapore-bound Pinays

TWO female overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were illegally recruited to work as entertainers in Singapore were intercepted by immigration officers at the Clark International Airport.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the two victims attempted to depart as tourists via a Scoot Airlines flight at the Clark International Airport (CIA) last May 27. The two denied knowing each other, and each claimed to be traveling alone for a vacation.

However, upon verification, they were both found to have active work permits in Singapore as entertainers. They eventually admitted that they applied for work online and were instructed to pose as tourists to conceal their actual purpose of travel. They each paid P30,000 and P15,000 for the processing of their documents.

“In many cases, these victims are made to believe that they will be working as entertainers, but many end up forced to work in sex trade,” said Tansingco.

“This is a clear case of human trafficking, wherein the victims areinstructed to pretend to be tourists,” he added. Vito Barcelo

Oil siphoning of Oriental Mindoro spill now on its last phase — PCG

THE last phase of siphoning operations for the remaining oil off the waters of Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro began Sunday, three months after the massive spill from the sunken M/T Princess Empress, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

PCG Incident Management TeamOriental Mindoro head Commodore Geronimo Tuvilla said the operations would last from 20-30 days, depending on the weather conditions and subsea progress.

“Once the oil removal is completed, we hope that the process will pave the way for the rehabilitation of affected areas and

MIME ARTIST. A

finally transition to the normalcy of lives of affected Mindoreños,” Tuvilla said.

The Dynamic Support Vessel Fire Opal was chartered by Malayan Towage and Salvage Corporation. It left Singapore on May 19 and arrived at Subic Freeport Zone on May 26 before starting operations in Oriental Mindoro.

M/T Princess Empress was loaded with 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank off Naujan on Feb. 28.

PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said about 120,000 to 240,000 liters of oil is expected to be extracted by DSV Fire Opal.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said Tulfo is already considered a House member after the poll body dismissed for lack of jurisdiction the disqualification case filed against him.

“The oath of office is a formality, one of the requirements that we need,” Velasco said.

“We (the House leadership) were already assured that the letter is forthcoming and we were furnished a copy of the notice of dismissal of the case against him. So we will go ahead with the oath-taking, but of course for the actual occupation of the office, we will await the formal letter from Comelec,” he added.

The disqualification case against Tulfo has been elevated to the Comelec Second Division en banc after petitioner Atty. Moises Tolentino Jr. filed on May 29 a motion for reconsideration to overturn the dismissal of the case.

BUTTERFLY DANCE. High school students clad in colorful costumes perform a butterfly dance during a street dance parade celebrating the Bila-Bila festival in Boac, Marinduque on Tuesday. The festival is held in conjunction with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the town’s patron saint. Danny Pata

GOLDEN

mime depicting a golden statue named Donya Marites entertains shoppers and children in Farmers Plaza in Cubao Quezon City. Manny Marcelo

Pat on NBDB’s back

created a space where the entire family can enjoy all genres — from children’s books to comics, textbooks, non-fiction books, and everything in between.

That’s what the Philippine Book Festival is all about.”

More than 150 exhibitors, over 50 seminars and events, and a ton of fun activities are all scheduled at the PBF.

KUDOS to the National Book Development Board on their latest major activity for this summer – the first Philippine Book Festival that runs from June 2 to 4 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Entrance to the venue is free, and this is definitely a family-friendly event because it has activities for all ages.

The PBF provides a platform for publishers, writers, illustrators, and readers to come together and showcase their works, share ideas, and have a conversation.

The event is organized by the NBDB and supported by various government agencies and private organizations and is free for the public.

The festival will feature various booths from hundreds of publishers, and activities such as book launches, book signings, panel discussions, workshops, and exhibits.

It aims to promote literacy and reading, encourage the development of the Philippine publishing industry, and showcase the richness and diversity of Philippine literature and culture.

For the ardent fan, there will be meetand-greet events with celebrated writers such as award-winning author and historian Ambeth R. Ocampo (who wrote popular history hits such as Rizal Without the Overcoat) and rising star Gwy Saludes (famous for the “University Series” of novels on Wattpad and in print).

The NBDB is broadening its reach and making Filipino-authored and -published books available to more readers

There will also be a talk with actress and writer Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio about her latest book on marriage, Eleven Eleven: Painting the Challenge and Beauty of Marriage.

The PBF will also feature talks and workshops on creating webtoon stories, visual storytelling, illustrating books for children, and more.

Attendees can participate in literary discussions and debates, watch live performances and storytelling, and enjoy the Book Nook with its curated selection of books and comfortable lounge areas.

According to NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade, the PBF is all about giving Filipino publishers and creators a platform to showcase their work.

“How come we know about Shakespeare? How come we know about all of these global authors, but we don’t even know the works of our own?” Aquino-Tugade said.

“We have amazing Filipino-authored content yet we lack access. [So] we’ve

The trilateral maritime exercise

INTEREST is building up this week as the Philippine Coast Guard will conduct its week-long first trilateral maritime exercise with its counterparts from the United States and Japan starting tomorrow.

Japan, Australia and the United States have frequently condemned China’s militarization in the South China Sea and have sought to engage closer with US ally the Philippines since Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took over as president last year.

* * *

The PBF has many exciting and interesting events that the public will enjoy.

Are you a Noranian, or a cinephile?

Here’s your chance to meet National Artist for Cinema Nora Aunor in person! She’ll be at the PBF on June 2, 4:00 p.m.

Together with actress Sue Prado and novelists Genevieve Asenjo and Luna Sicat-Cleto, she will pay tribute to the late novelist Lualhati Bautista whose literary works have reframed the story of the Filipina.

Jose Dalisay, PhD, will be at the Anvil booth to sign copies of his books, as will Maryanne Moll (author of The Maps of Camarines, published by Penguin Random House SEA) Norman Wilwayco (writer of Migrantik, published by Penguin Random House SEA), Wilfredo Liangco (author of Even Ducks Get Liver Cancer, released by Milflores Publishing), and many other writers.

* * *

What’s the NBDB’s goal in conducting the PBF and its other activities?

The agency, said Aquino-Tugade, is working to ensure that the publishing industry is robust, and to build a culture of readership and authorship.

Over the last few years, the NBDB has focused on providing solutions to learning poverty and low-functioning literacy in the country.

The agency began its mission to educate children and their families about the wide range of Filipino-authored and published books through the Book Nook in 2021.

The program provides access to books and learning materials through the establishment of reading and storytelling centers in libraries, schools, and other locations, even buses, in remote areas.

“The Philippine Book Festival is here to educate the Pinoys about our books and spaces like this that provide access points where they can see, touch, read, and be exposed to these types of literary work,” adds Aquino-Tugade.

“It’s also our chance to show everyone that we have quality materials for libraries and educational institutions.”

The NBDB also funds and supports regional book fairs in the country such as the Bikol Book Festival.

It participates in international book fairs such as the Sharjah International Book Fair, Frankfurt Buchmesse, and London Book Fair as a means to promote Filipino literature globally. Register for free at www.philippinebookfest.com. Follow the NBDB and PBF on Facebook, and @bookfestph on Instagram and TikTok to stay updated

With the PBF, the NBDB is broadening its reach and making Filipino-authored and -published books available to more readers.

Described as the “largest traveling book festival” in the country, the PBF’s next leg will be held at SMX Davao from August 18 to 20.

* * * FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO / Email: writerjennyo@gmail.com

The coast guards will be holding communication and photo exercises, maneuvering drills, maritime law enforcement training, search and rescue operations, and passing exercises in waters off Mariveles in Bataan.

An arrival ceremony welcoming the US and Japanese contingents is set on tomorrow at the Pier 15 of Manila’s South Harbor.

The June 1 to 7 exercise was as initiative of the United States and Japan, while Australia would join as an observer, said Philippine coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo.

US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, Japanese Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Kenichi Matsuda, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista, and Japan International Cooperation Agency Chief Philippine Representative Takema Sakamoto have been invited to attend the ceremony, PCG added. The exercises will be held amid continuing tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea, some parts of which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Rolando Lizor Punzalan Jr. said the US Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard have been assisting the

These ‘trilateral modes of cooperation’ will be explored with countries such as Japan and Australia

Philippines “in our human resource development program, particularly in law enforcement training.” While some observers may put off-track meaning to the exercise, it is analeptic, as Balilo told media on Monday, since the exercises do not target any adversary, but are really more for the participating countries’ interoperability. He added this will allow PCG personnel to also showcase what they have learned from the mobile training units sent by the US and Japan.

“There is nothing wrong with holding exercises with your counterparts,” Balilo said.

Caught in the crossfire

WE CAN only commiserate with the lady executive who is serving as consultant and interpreter of a low-key businessman who, in turn, is highly esteemed by his peers in the local Chinese community. The lady executive is now the object of the outpouring of sympathy from members of the said community as she is embroiled in a legal battle initiated by the family of her principal.

It appears she is facing charges of concubinage filed by the family before the prosecutor’s office in a city in Metro Manila. She has appealed the resolution by the prosecutor before the Department of Justice recently.

That resolution has supposedly fueled a further outpouring of sympathy for the lady executive.

The local Chinese business community is abuzz with talk that the resolution is allegedly “one for the books,” quoting the lady executive’s petition for review before the DOJ.

It appears the prosecutor came out with the resolution finding “probable cause” to charge the lady executive and her coaccused within record time: 11 days.

We can understand the outpouring of sympathy. Based on what we gathered from partiesin-the-know in the local Chinese community, the lady executive must have been merely caught in the crossfire. She should learn important lessons here. Lesson one: physical proximity can be mistaken for intimacy. The parties-in-theknow say the lady executive has to spend time at the home of her principal since that is where the latter holds office most of the time.

Interestingly, it is not just the lady executive who has to be present at the principal’s house for extended periods of time.

It appears all of her principal’s immediate staff have to do the same because of the limitations in mobility on his part.

Our sources say it is during one of those working sessions at the house of her principal that she was allegedly accosted by members of her principal’s family.

While we are in no position to determine the veracity of the allegation, we can only point to

another lesson that must be learned here.

If the allegation is true that physical harm was inflicted on the lady executive, then she must now understand that jealousy is a dangerous emotion.

The lady executive has already filed the appropriate charges in the aftermath of the alleged incident.

There are also allegations made by the family of the lady executive’s principal that she has been lavished with costly gifts including a house and post-graduate study at a prestigious university somewhere in Europe.

The story of a brilliant and successful lady executive caught in the crossfire of a family feud is definitely worth watching, episode by episode

She was apparently quick to belie the allegations, asserting the said “gifts” were paid for by her and drawn from her own family’s savings.

Again, here, she draws a lot of sympathy since she is known in the business and professional circles where she moves around as really being well-educated with international certifications attesting to her specializations.

She is also an established businesswoman who can speak several languages.

So, there is another lesson to learn here: one’s credentials do not make one immune from being an object of jealousy.

In fact, they could merely serve as fuel that fans the flames of this powerful emotion.

The lady executive should expect her principal’s family to move heaven and earth in order to “make her pay.”

As to the lady executive’s lamentation that the prosecutor was in a hurry to find probable cause for charges to be filed against her and her principal, the matter is now in

One of their exercises will simulate a situation with a vessel suspected to be involved in piracy or have weapons of mass destruction onboard, where participants will conduct a boarding inspection and a SAR operation.

In the global context, SAR is an operation to render assistance to persons in distress at sea regardless of the nationality or status of such a person or the circumstances in which that person is found in accordance with the applicable Maritime Law and Conventions

For the maritime exercises, the PCG will deploy BRP Melchora Aquino, BRP Gabriela Silang, BRP Boracay, as well as one of its 44-meter multi-role response vessels, with 200 PCG personnel participating.

The US Coast Guard will send the 127-meter cutter USCGC Stratton -- among the largest patrol craft in the US Coast Guard – while Japan’s Coast Guard will send the 150-meter patrol vessel JCG Akitsushima.

President Marcos earlier said he and US President Joe Biden agreed to work with countries that have a similar “commitment to international law and mutual respect.” These “trilateral modes of cooperation” will be explored with countries such as Japan and Australia.

the hands of the Department of Justice. The justice department may or may not reverse the prosecutor’s finding of probable cause.

Regardless, it would be good for the lady executive and her principal to simply welcome the filing of charges against them so they can have a better venue to prove that the allegations against them are baseless, and that is the proper court of law.

The alleged “haste” with which the resolution finding probable cause has put the prosecutor’s office on the radar screen. Legal observers as well as the local Chinese community are reportedly “closely watching” developments in the lady executive’s case to find out whether or not they will get a fair hearing, given the way the prosecutor’s office had allegedly handled the case.

We agree that coming up with a resolution within 11 days could possibly look “hasty,” given that our justice system is not known for efficiency.

However, we caution the public and parties concerned not to succumb to a similar temptation to be hasty in forming their own conclusion.

It is possible that the case fell in the hands of an exceptionally efficient prosecutor. He or she must be given the benefit of the doubt. The final verdict on the matter of “haste” should be left to the justice department.

Meanwhile, we can only expect that the public’s interest in the saga of the lady executive will continue to grow. We love telenovelas, particularly those that are played out in the arena of real life.

The story of a brilliant and successful lady executive caught in the crossfire of a family feud is definitely worth watching, episode by episode. We hope that, aside from the drama, the public would also focus on how the wheels of justice will grind in this particular case.

The quality with which justice is dispensed is something that we all have a valid interest in.

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

No glory for bullies: South Korea’s school violence epidemic

national discussion about bullying.

BUSAN, South Korea—Pins hidden in her shoes, head forced down a toilet, kicked in the stomach: Korean hairdresser Pyo Ye-rim suffered a litany of abuse from school bullies, but now she’s speaking out.

The 26-year-old is part of a phenomenon sweeping South Korea known as “Hakpok #MeToo,” where people who were bullied publicly name and shame the perpetrators of school violence—“hakpok” in Korean— decades after the alleged crimes.

Made famous globally by Netflix’s gory revenge series “The Glory,” the movement has ensnared everyone from K-pop stars to baseball players, and accusations -- often anonymous— can be career-ending, with widespread public sympathy for victims.

As a schoolgirl, Pyo says she suffered alone.

Teachers told her “to be friendlier” to her bullies and the abuse went unchecked for years, eventually forcing her to give up her dreams of higher education and quit school for vocational training.

“There was only one thing I wished for. I wished someone could help me,” she told AFP, adding that no one came to her aid and

eventually she “escaped and struggled to survive on my own.”

In education-obsessed South Korea, where children can spend up to 16 hours a day studying at schools and in private academies, bullying is widespread, experts say, despite official efforts to stamp it out.

The problem, activists say, is that bullying often goes unpunished in real-time at schools, and the statute of limitations on such crimes makes it hard for victims to bring charges years later.

Pyo said she suffered from years of insomnia and depression as a result of her treatment at school, before deciding to stop hiding and go public with her accusations -- resulting in one of her bullies being fired from their job.

But Pyo is lobbying for real legal change, demanding South Korea suspend the statute of limitations affecting school violence and change the defamation law to better protect victims.

Hakpok #MeToo

Netflix’s “The Glory”—which follows a woman’s meticulously planned revenge scheme after suffering years of brutal abuse from high school bullies—helped amplify South Korea’s

In an ironic sign of how pervasive the issue is, after the show became a hit, the director Ahn Gil-ho was himself accused of teenage bullying and forced to apologise.

Even South Korea’s presidential office was recently forced to withdraw a top police appointment after it emerged the candidate’s son had bullied classmates, sparking public backlash.

School violence is endemic in South Korean schools, Noh Yoon-ho, a Seoul-based attorney

who specialises in bullying cases told AFP, adding it is a “collective trauma” the country needs to process.

“Any South Korean who has gone to school has been a victim or witnessed other students being bullied and not helped—we all have memories of this,” Noh said.

The “Hakpok #MeToo” movement has helped many victims to shed the shame of their experience, and realize they were not bullied “because they were lacking something”, she added.

But the problem is that there is still no system in place at school level where victims can “approach without hesitation for an immediate and adequate response when incidents occur,” Jihoon Kim, a criminology professor who has researched bullying in South Korea, told AFP.

Punish the bullies?

Pyo and other victims say South Korea should remove the statute of limitations on school violence so bullies can be held accountable even decades later.

But there are huge practical issues with legally punishing adults for crimes committed as a juvenile, Noh said, which could give people

lasting criminal records for teenage misdeeds.

Pyo is also calling for an overhaul of South Korea’s criminal defamation laws, which currently allow bullies to sue their accusers for damages and win—even if their victims are telling the truth.

Most accusations are anonymous but have resulted in bullies being fired or, in the case of one of South Korea’s most successful baseball players, excluded from the national team.

Despite widespread public support for victims, some have questioned the fairness of such punishments. It would be far better to work with schools— where such crimes have typically been ignored —to ensure that bullying is addressed as it happens, experts say.

Unless this is done, the public naming and shaming will continue.

“It’s gotten this bad because no victims have done it before now,” said Pyo, adding that unless the defamation law changes, bullies can still threaten victims with lawsuits.

“This is why no one is able to talk,” except anonymously, she said. “If this law disappears, countless victims will start speaking out.” AFP

Despite widespread public support for victims, some have questioned the fairness of such punishments

Russia fires missiles on Kyiv in rare daytime attack on Ukraine’s capital

KYIV—Russia fired a barrage of missiles at Kyiv on Monday, sending panicked residents running for shelter in an unusual daytime attack on the Ukrainian capital following overnight strikes.

A series of explosions rang out in Kyiv as Russia targeted the city for the second time in 24 hours.

The latest barrages landed as the Ukrainian capital was still recovering from an overnight Saturday drone attack, the biggest since Russia’s invasion began in February last year.

AFP journalists heard at least 10 explosions from around 11:10 am local time (0810 GMT) in Kyiv, starting just a few minutes after an air raid warning sounded.

Authorities later said Ukrainian air defenses had downed all the Russian missiles launched against the Kyiv region.

One injured man was hospitalized, they said.

“A total of 11 missiles were fired: ‘Iskander-M’ and ‘Iskander-K’ from a

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

northerly direction,” Ukraine’s armed forces chief Valery Zaluzhny said, adding: “All the targets were destroyed by air defences.”

On Tuesday morning, Moscow’s mayor said Russia’s capital had been targeted by a rare drone attack, but only “minor” damage had been caused and no casualties were reported.

“This morning, at dawn, a drone attack caused minor damage to several buildings. All the city’s emergency services are on the scene ... no one has been seriously injured so far,” Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Kyiv’s parliament adopted on Monday a sanctions package against Russian ally Tehran, a day after Ukraine said Moscow used Iranian Shahed drones in the largest UAV attack on the capital since the start of the invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called Monday “a very long day” in an evening address to Ukrainians, saying

“Russia wants to go to the end on the path of evil” with its attacks. AFP

Notice is hereby given that a Deed of Extrajudicial Partition of the Estates of the late Israel L. Racelis and Bernard D. Racelis, who both died intestate, was executed by their heirs namely, Florita D. Racelis, widow, and the remaining children of Israel and Florita who are also Bernard’s siblings, Noel D. Racelis, Erica RacelisGascon, Aliza D. Racelis and Glen D. Racelis, as per Doc. No. 170 ; Page No.: 36 ; Book No.: V ; Series of 2023 before Notary Public Atty. Chiles Megan M. Areño.

(MS-MAY 17/24/31, 2023)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT

Over 30 peacekeepers hurt in northern Kosovo clashes

ZVECAN, Kosovo—Over 30 peacekeepers deployed in a NATO-led mission in Kosovo were injured Monday in clashes with Serb protesters who demanded the removal of recently elected ethnic Albanian mayors, as tensions flare in the Balkan nation.

NATO’S Kosovo Force (KFOR) said it had faced “unprovoked attacks” while countering a hostile crowd after demonstrators clashed with police and tried to force their way into a government building in the northern town of Zvecan.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said 52 Serbs were hurt, three seriously, while one was “wounded with two gunshots by (ethnic) Albanian special forces.”

Hungary’s defense minister said on Facebook that “more than 20 Hungarian soldiers” were among the wounded, with seven in serious but stable condition.

Italy’s foreign minister said three of its soldiers were seriously wounded, and the country’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, joined NATO in calling for “all parties to take a step back to lower tensions”.

Kosovo’s Serbs boycotted last month’s elections in northern towns, which allowed ethnic Albanians to take control of local councils despite a minuscule turnout of under 3.5 percent of voters.

Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s government officially installed the mayors last week, defying calls to ease the tensions by the European Union and the United States, which have both championed the territory’s 2008 independence from Serbia.

Many Serbs are demanding the withdrawal of Kosovo police forces—whose presence in northern Kosovo has long sparked resistance—as well as the ethnic Albanian mayors they do not consider their true representatives.

Fractures and burns

Early Monday, groups of Serbs clashed with Kosovo police in front of the municipal building in Serbmajority Zvecan and tried to enter, after which law enforcers responded by firing tear gas, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.

NATO-led peacekeepers in the KFOR mission at first tried to separate protesters from the police, but later started to disperse the crowd using shields and batons, an AFP journalist saw.

Several protesters responded by hurling rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails at the soldiers, but were quickly repelled a few hundred meters away from the Zvecan municipal building.

“While countering the most active fringes of the crowd, several soldiers of the Italian and Hungarian KFOR contingent were the subject of unprovoked attacks and sustained trauma wounds with fractures and burns due to the explosion of incendiary devices,” the NATO force said in a statement. AFP

China declines meeting with US defense chief—Pentagon

WASHINGTON—Beijing has declined a US invitation for a meeting in Singapore between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu, the Pentagon said Monday.

“Overnight, the PRC informed the US that they have declined our early May invitation for Secretary Austin to meet with PRC Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu in Singapore this week,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement, referring to the People’s Republic of China.

“The PRC’s concerning unwillingness to engage in meaningful militaryto-military discussions will not diminish (the Defense Department’s) commitment to seeking open lines of communication with the People’s Liberation Army,” Ry-

der said.

A senior US defense official described the declined invitation as “just the latest in a litany of excuses,” saying that since 2021, China has “declined or failed to respond to over a dozen requests from the Department of Defense for key leader engagements, multiple requests for standing dialogues, and nearly ten workinglevel engagements.”

Li was sanctioned by the US government in 2018 for buying Russian weapons, but the Pentagon says that does not prevent Austin from conducting official business with him.

Austin is due to travel to Singapore later this week to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, a defense summit where he met Li’s predecessor Wei Fenghe last June. AFP

Malaysia searches Chinese ship suspected of looting WWII wrecks

KUALA LUMPUR—Malaysia’s coastguard said Tuesday that authorities were questioning the crew of a Chinese vessel detained on suspicion of looting two British World War II shipwrecks.

Officers discovered unexploded cannon shells upon boarding the Chinese-registered vessel, which was detained for illegal anchorage over the weekend, said Nurul Hizam Zakaria, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement

Agency chief in Johor state.

“Our investigation is now directed to where these cannon shells originated from. Right now, we have officers from multi-agencies searching the big ship,” he told AFP.

Nurul Hizam said the vessel from the city of Fuzhou had a crew of 32 comprising 21 Chinese nationals, 10 Bangladeshis and one Malaysian—some of which were in police custody for questioning.

“This case also involves the discovery of explosives,” he added. A senior maritime official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the pieces of metal and cannon shells could have originated from two sunken British warships. Photos and a video shared by the coastguard showed large pieces of corroded metal and shells as well as a large crane and gas torches used to cut metal on board the ship.AFP

Colombia searches for 4 lost kids in Amazon

BOGOTÁ, Colombia—Four Indigenous chil-

dren lost in the Colombian Amazon since a plane crash almost a month ago are believed to still be alive, the military said as the search continued Monday in treacherous terrain.

The children—who were aged 13, 9, 4 and 11 months when they went missing— have wandered in the jungle since a light aircraft crash in Colombia’s southeast on May 1 claimed the lives of the three adults on board: their mother Magdalena Mucutui Valencia, the pilot, and an Indigenous leader.

Of the kids, there was no sign.

Satellite images have since revealed a path the kids took from the plane wreck, and rescuers have come across some of their belongings, a makeshift shelter and a half-eaten fruit.

Last week, they found a pair of shoes and a diaper.

“Based on the evidence, we concluded that the children are alive,” rescue team leader General Pedro Sanchez told W Radio on Monday.

“If they were dead, it would be easy to find them because they would be still” and the sniffer dogs would find them, he added.

1,

On

ROCKET SHELTER. Residents take shelter in a metro station in the center of Kyiv during a Russian missile strike on May 29. Russia fired a barrage of missiles at Kyiv on Monday, sending panicked residents running for shelter in an unusual daytime attack on the Ukrainian capital following overnight strikes. AFP

GARLAND KING. John Turner, the ‘King’ of Castleton Garland Day, on horseback, covered to the waist in a heavy, bell-shaped floral Garland, prepares to parade through the village of Castleton in the Peak District, northern England on May 29. The date of the custom coincides with Oak Apple Day and it is said to commemorate the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. The Garland is meant to represent the oak tree in which he hid after the Battle of Worcester. AFP

KIDS MISSING. This handout picture released by the Colombian Army shows soldiers searching for the missing children at the Colombian Amazon forest in the municipality of Solano, department of Caqueta, Colombia on May 23. AFP

the morning of May

a Cessna 206 airplane left a jungle area known as Araracuara heading for the town of San Jose del Guaviare in the Colombian Amazon.AFP

Stocks, peso tumble ahead of US debt vote

THE stocks market and the peso tumbled Tuesday as investors traded nervously while watching Washington, where lawmakers are expected to vote this week on a deal to hike the US debt ceiling and avoid a painful default.

The PSE index, the 30-company benchmark of the Philippine Stock Exchange, shed 82 points, or 1.25 percent, to close at 6,510.67 as all six subsectors declined.

The index representing all shares also lost 35 points, or 1.01 percent, to settle at 3,475.05 on a value turnover of P4.46 billion. Losers outmatched gainers 127 to 42, while 43 shares were unchanged.

Only one of the 10 most active stocks ended in the green. Figaro Coffee Group Inc. rose 1.47 percent to P0.69.

The peso also fell Tuesday to close at 56.31 against the US dollar compared to Monday’s 56.12.

Most Asian markets finished lower.

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hammered out an agreement at the weekend that saw both sides give ground, a week before a June 5 deadline when the government is ex-

US lawmakers race against time to avert debt crisis

WASHINGTON, USA—The bill hammered out by US leaders to prevent the country from a catastrophic default on its debts will face one final and potentially perilous hurdle this week: Passing a divided Congress.

Lawmakers return Tuesday from a holiday weekend with precious few days to review, debate, and ultimately greenlight a measure intended to extend US borrowing authority in exchange for White House policy concessions, notably caps on federal spending.

Top Republicans and Democrats have scrambled to secure congressional support for the measure, with President Joe Biden saying Monday he feels “very good” about its pros-

pects despite having just days left before the government starts running out of money.

The weekend deal, reached by Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after weeks of frantic negotiations, faces opposition from the progressive and hard-right wings of their respective parties.

Ultra-conservative Republicans feel McCarthy should have secured far deeper spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling and allowing the government to keep borrowing money.

The left wing of the Democratic Party is equally unhappy that Biden agreed to any spending limits at all.

The House Rules Committee meets Tuesday, a crucial test to see whether

McCarthy’s own party, which controls the panel, can agree on a full chamber vote on the bill, now anticipated on Wednesday. Delay tactics Biden and McCarthy both say they believe the bill will pass the House and then move swiftly to the Senate.

“I never say I’m confident what the Congress is going to do. But I feel very good about it,” Biden said Monday, adding that he had spoken to lawmakers. Any organized dissent could force some nerve-shredding delays.

The key deadline is June 5 -- when, according to Treasury estimates, the government will no longer have the funds required to pay all its debts and bills. AFP

pected to run out of cash to pay its bills.

The news provided some much-needed relief to markets, but now the two leaders must convince waverers on both sides to back the deal, with the House expected to vote Wednesday followed by the Senate.

Ultra-conservative Republicans feel McCarthy should have secured far deeper spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling and allowing the government to keep borrowing.

The left wing of the Democratic Party is equally unhappy that Biden agreed to any spending limits at all. Still, the pair said they were confident.

“I never say I’m confident what the Congress is going to do. But I feel very good about it,” Biden said Monday, adding that he had spoken to lawmakers.

There were no catalysts from Wall Street owing to the Memorial Day break, and Asian markets were mixed Tuesday. With AFP

GIGAFACTORY. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire (right) visits the gigafactory of Automotive Cells Company, a joint venture of Stellantis, TotalEnergies and Mercedes during its inauguration in Billy-Berclau-Douvrin, northern France, on May 30, 2023. AFP

BUSINESS

Genting exiting Newport World Resorts

By Jennifer Austria

GENTING HongKong Ltd. is selling its stake in integrated entertainment and casino Newport World Resorts, formerly known as Resorts World Manila, to long-time joint venture partner Alliance Global Group Inc. of businessman Andrew Tan.

AGI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Tuesday subsidiary Newport World Resorts Properties Inc. signed a share purchase agreement for the acquisition of the shares of Star Cruises Philippines Holdings B.V., Asian Travellers Ltd. and Premium Travellers Ltd. in Travellers International Hotel Group Inc.

IN BRIEF

PSE incurred P189-m tax deficiency in 2019—BIR

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue assessed the Philippine Stock Exchange with P189.2-million tax deficiency incurred in 2017.

The PSE said in a stock exchange filing Tuesday the assessed unpaid taxes stemmed from the alleged deficiencies in various taxes in the calendar year 2017 including income tax, value-added tax, expanded withholding tax, among others. It also includes compromise penalty and interests up to Sept. 30, 2023.

It said it would dispute the BIR findings and would take appropriate legal action for the cancellation of the assessment. No other details were provided.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said in a briefing the BIR “is just doing their job”.

Diokno said the government was putting pressure on the collecting agencies to achieve the programmed revenue collections. Jenniffer B. Austria

Maynilad replacing 477 km of old pipes over 5 years

WEST zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is replacing 477.2 kilometers of old, leaky pipes over the next five years in line with its program to upgrade the distribution system and reduce water losses.

The water company is allotting over P10 billion from 2023 to 2027 to replace damaged pipes in various portions of its concession area.

“When we took over Maynilad in 2007, the pipe network we inherited included the oldest water system in Asia. We are committed to upgrading our network for the benefit of our customers,” said Maynilad chief operating officer Randolph Estrellado.

Once completed, Maynilad would have replaced up to 3,643 kilometers of leaky pipes in its service area, which is 78 percent of the distribution system that the company inherited from the government upon reprivatization in 2007.

The company said that from January to April 2023, it replaced pipes in North and South Caloocan, Quezon City, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Manila, Pasay, Paranaque, Imus and Muntinlupa.

Othel V. Campos

Producer price index posted slower growth of 2.3% in April

THE producer price index for manufacturing, which measures the average change over time in selling prices received by domestic producers of goods and services, posted a slower annual growth of 2.3 percent in April compared to 2.5 percent in March and 6.3 percent a year ago, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Tuesday.

It said the slowdown was mainly due to the slower annual increase in the manufacture of food products industry division at 4.4 percent in April than 5.5 percent in March.

“The manufacture of food products contributed 44.6 percent to the slower annual growth rate of the PPI for manufacturing in April 2023. Out of the 22 industry divisions for manufacturing, manufacture of food products industry division has the highest weight in the computation of PPI,” the PSA said.

Other main contributors to the slower annual growth of PPI in April were the faster annual decrease in the manufacture of chemical and chemical products at -1.7 percent during the period from -0.05 percent in March 2023, and manufacture of basic metals at -4.9 percent in April 2023 from -3.4 percent in the previous month. Julito G. Rada

TIHGI owns and operates Newport World Resorts in Pasay City. The ultimate parent entity of the sellers is Genting HongKong which is a holding company that operates cruise and resort businesses.

Upon completion of the transactions, Genting HongKong Ltd. will cease to hold a stake in TIHGI, Westside City Inc.

and Adams Properties Inc., AGI said.

The Genting HongKong group owns a 40-percent stake in TIHGI, while AGI holds the remaining 60 percent.

No other details were provided including the acquisition cost and timetable for the closing of the transactions.

TIHGI rebranded Resorts World Manila to Newport World Resorts last year as the company aggressively expands the complex with the addition of new hotels, gaming spaces, dining and retail establishments.

Newport World Resorts is a pioneer in integrated resorts development as it started operations in 2009. The property is strategically located right across Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. AGI, which has interests in property

development, liquor manufacturing and quick service restaurant, aside from resorts and casino development, saw profit rise 20 percent in the first quarter to P4.7 billion from P3.9 billion a year ago as consolidated revenues climbed 34 percent to P50.3 billion from P37.5 billion, with all major business segments delivering creditable results.

TIHGI saw revenues soar 63 percent in the first quarter to P7.9 billion as operations normalized to pre-pandemic state.

Gross gaming revenues improved 36 percent year-on-year, while promotional allowance rose 7 percent. This resulted in net gaming revenue growth of 56 percent to P6.1 billion in the first quarter, AGI said.

Non-gaming core revenues from ho-

tels, food, beverage and other operating income nearly doubled to P1.8 billion from P900 million a year earlier, following the increase in number of mall goers, hotel occupancy, corporate events and MICE activities.

Hotel occupancy rates at the five hotels in Newport ranged from 66 percent to 85 percent in the first quarter, according to AGI.

TIHGI earlier announced that it is moving its 2023 annual stockholders meeting originally scheduled on the second Friday of June to a later date within the year.

It said the postponement would afford the company sufficient time to finalize its agenda and prepare all reportorial requirements, including its annual report.

By Othel V. Campos

UNIVERSAL Robina Corp. said

Tuesday it is acquiring the idle sugar milling machinery and equipment of Central Azucarera Don Pedro Inc.

The assets will be used to expand the capacity and improve the sugar recovery process at URC’s sugar mill in Balayan, Batangas, the company said in a statement.

POWER SUPPLY DEAL. Officers of TeaM (Philippines) Energy Corp., a subsidiary of TeaM Energy Corp., and Kratos RES Inc. sign a two-year energy supply deal at the TeaM Energy corporate office in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Under the agreement, TPEC will provide the power requirements of several establishments under the Villar group of companies including ALLHome, VistaMall, Starmall and AllBuilders. Leading the contract signing are TPEC president Gen Takahashi (six from left) and KRI operations head Jose Rommel Orillaza (first from left). Takahashi thanked KRI for the trust and underscored TPEC’s commitment to providing reliable, cost effective energy to support the continued success of KRI and the Villar group.

New transmission line to avert power outages this year

By Alena Mae S. Flores

POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. said

Tuesday the completion of the HermosaSan Jose transmission line and the onset of the rainy season will help avert power outages this year.

Meralco first vice president and head of networks Ronnie Aperocho said the power outages on May 8 that affected close to 322,000 customers were due to the tripping of transmission facilities that isolated two major power plants in the north with a combined capacity of 680 megawatts.

Aperocho said Meralco is in close coordination with the system operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines in the monitoring of the Luzon grid.

“But as the supply-demand situation normalizes with the onset of the rainy season, we may not expect the same power outages to happen this year,” he said.

DIGITAL

Aperocho said NGCP completed and energized the new Hermosa –San Jose 500kV line, a major transmission backbone that will address the N-1 transmission constraints in the area.

The project, which spans the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan, will strengthen transmission services and accommodate new bulk power generation from the Bataan area.

Meanwhile, Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan said the power generation business would boost the company’s profitability this year after some of its power plants suffered losses in the last year.

“Management has been tasked to look for ways to turn around those losing plants and indeed starting this year, GBP [Global Business Power Corp.] as a whole, and MGen [Meralco PowerGen Corp.] as a whole have already turned positive and are now contributing to Meralco’s bottom line

with the end of the fixed-rate contracts,”

Pangilinan said during the company’s annual stockholders meeting.

Pangilinan took over as Meralco chairman, president and chief executive effective May 30 with the retirement of Ray Espinosa who served the company since 2019. Espinosa will stay on as part of the Meralco board.

“We should see a significant update in the profits of the generation part of the business. And we saw that in this morning’s board meeting when the results of the generation business were reported to the board. So it will be a good year for the generation business, so I think we need to allay your concerns, and I think in general a good year for Meralco as a whole,” Pangilinan said. He said the expansion of Meralco subsidiaries both in power and non-power alike is one of the growth pillars of the company’s business prospects.

PSE INDEX CLOSING

URC, one of the Philippines’ largest food manufacturers, is seeking to accommodate more sugarcane farmers at its Balayan mill to help secure a source of livelihood for them. Raising the mill’s capacity will ensure ample sugar supply for consumers, it said.

The new machinery and equipment from CADPI, a subsidiary of listed Roxas Holdings Inc. that permanently shut down its milling operations, will increase the Balayan mill’s capacity from about 5,000 tons to 8,000 tons a day.

URC said farmers were suffering from low sugar recovery on their sugarcane deliveries due to long waiting time in the truck yard. Some farmers say they may either stop farming or shift to planting lowvalue crops.

“The situation, if not immediately addressed, poses a grave threat to the livelihood of the farmers, as well as the entire sugarcane industry in Batangas, and will aggravate the current sugar shortage in the country,” the company said.

URC sugar and renewables general manager Rene Cabati earlier said URC will mill as much sugarcane as possible from planters displaced by CADPI’s permanent shutdown.

Apart from acquiring CADPI’s machinery and equipment, URC’s Balayan mill is also extending its milling season which normally ends in April until the month of June.

URC said its decision to acquire CADPI’s machinery and equipment has cut the time needed to expand the Balayan mill to two years from four years.

CADPI decided to permanently close its milling operations due to dwindling supply of sugarcane from farmers that undermines the total capacity of the mill.

The 2nd Digital Financial Inclusion Awards is set to recognize the country’s outstanding microfinance institutions and microentrepreneurs for their achievements in digitalization. The DFIA is a financial inclusion program funded by Citi Foundation, in partnership with the Microfinance Council of the Philippines Inc. and supported by the Bangko ng Sentral ng Pilipinas. Attending the virtual launch of the program are (from left) MCPI chairperson Gilbert Maramba, Citi Philippines chief executive Paul Favila, 1st DFIA MFI winner Rural Bank of Guinobatan president Paulo Honrado, 1st DFIA microentrepreneur digital champion Lorie Jane Almazora, BSP Governor Felipe Medalla and MCPI executive director Allan Sicat.

MOVE IT discloses plan to increase Metro Manila riders to 15,000

By Darwin G. Amojelar

MOVE IT, a homegrown Filipino motorcycle taxi provider, said Tuesday it plans to hire more driver partners in the next two months as part of its aggressive expansion in Metro Manila.

MOVE IT general manager Wayne Jacinto told reporters the company would increase its riders to 15,000 in Metro Manila within the next two months from 6,600 to address the rising demand.

“We are also expanding our operations in Cebu. We currently have a thousand riders and the cap is 3,000. In Cagayan de Oro, we are just awaiting the approval of the local government, hopefully, within next month,” he said.

Jacinto said the company is optimistic about its operations with the launching of its upgraded mobile app. The MOVE IT app sets a new benchmark for motorcycle taxi services, catering to the needs of Filipino commuters like never before.

“We are thrilled to unveil the enhanced MOVE IT app—an expression of our utmost commitment to our kababayans. As we strive to always provide the lowest fares, transparent practices and highest bar of safety, our upgraded app provides a seamless journey that brings our key commitments to life— providing Filipinos with a clean, honest and reliable MC Taxi service they can trust,” Jacitnto said.

“Our enhanced app is a timely re-

sponse to the evolving needs of passengers and rider-partners. Through our enhanced app, our rider-partners will benefit from improved efficiency, enabling them to earn more, while our passengers will enjoy a user-friendly and more intuitive interface, ensuring seamless and convenient MC Taxi experiences,” he said. The app, with a focus on reliability and efficiency, guarantees an impressive 99.95-percent uptime—ensuring seamless booking experience especially during peak hours. MOVE IT’s commitment to efficient transportation solutions is aimed at providing uninterrupted service to both passengers and rider-partners.

A GROUP of Filipino entrepreneurs formed a company to harness the country’s vast precious rare earth elements and pave the way for becoming a major supplier of processed metals and critical minerals to advanced economies and industrial nations.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, president and chief executive of Philippine General Minerals Project Inc. said the firm’s vision was to align closely with the government’s program to promote industrialization and capitalize on the nation’s rich mineral reserves.

“The Philippines has vast mineral reserves containing rare earth elements with hidden properties that can make

CADPI said it plans to focus on sugar refining operations which are the remaining viable part of the mill’s operations.

CADPI is one of the largest sugar mills in the Philippines with a capacity of 13,000 tons of cane a day.

modern technology possible,” he said.

Following President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s announcement in Davos, Switzerland earlier this year, Parlade said the PGMPI took proactive steps to align its efforts with the government’s program, showcasing its commitment to sustainable development and responsible practices.

He said PGMPI officials met with DBP director Maria Lourdes Arcenas and DBP president and chief executive Michael de Jesus in April 2023. The DBP, through Arcenas, has supported PGMPI since its inception during the Duterte administration and was ready to finance the project until the Covid-19 pandemic happened.

CHAMPIONS.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz Gar a eyes the ball as he plays against Italy’s Flavio Cobolli during their men’s singles match on Day 2 of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Suzanne-Lenglen in Paris. AFP

Alcaraz felt ‘invincible’ in French Open net triumph

PARIS—World number one Carlos Alcaraz admitted he felt “invincible” at times during his straight-sets win over Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli in the French Open first round on Monday.

The 20-year-old, the youngest top seed at Roland Garros since Bjorn Borg in 1976, swept to a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win over his 159th-ranked opponent.

US Open champion Alcaraz won the first eight games of Monday’s match and was comfortably two sets up in just 52 minutes.

In the first set alone, he allowed his overwhelmed opponent a meagre 10 points.

Bachmann: PSC more than a fund-giving body

By Peter Atencio

HAVING a better understanding of what athletes and coaches went through during the recent 32nd Southeast Asian Games will help the Philippine Sports Commission get a better grasp of its plans and programs.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann said this following a series of meetings and strategic planning sessions with the agency’s four board members over the last few days.

The discussions came following the end of the country’s participation in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Bachmann felt at the presence of commissioners Bong Coo, Walter Torres and Matthew Gaston in Cambodia gave them an insight and understanding on how the agency should addresses the needs of every athlete, coach and national sports association.

“They key here is for the commissioners to understand the sport (that they are involved in). Because I don’t want the PSC to be just known for giving out funds. I want the PSC to understand the sport (that it is supposed to help), and be

able to work with the NSAs (national sports association) and help improve sports,” said Bachmann.

Bachmann discussed his thoughts during Tuesday’s weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Vito Cruz, Manila.

The PSC chief urged the commissioners to get more involved and walk it through with the NSAs with their plans and programs.

And as preparations for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China begin, the agency needs to improve on the support that it provides to the NSAs.

“There is room for improvement in the Asian Games,” added Bachmann, who explained that the agency will address the requirements of the athletes better.

During the planning session in the last few days, Coo said there is a need to upgrade facilities for female athletes

in honing their skills so that they can perform better.

Commissioner Edward Hayco, who is more involved in the grassroots’ level, cited the importance of having sustainable programs, something similar to his involvement in the development of danc-

esport in Cebu City, which he started with his wife back in 1996.

Gaston vowed to focus on the development of amateur sports activities, and on the 17 disciplines that have been assigned to him and see what actions can be done in their development programs.

Youngsters back in hunt in IRONKIDS Subic

BACK as a tri-race, the IRONKIDS reeling off on June 10 promises to be another huge hit among the future of Philippine triathlon—all ready and eager to mix it up for top honors in various age-group categories at Subic Bay Boardwalk.

The event, which traditionally ushers in the big IRONMAN races of each triathlon season, was held as a swim and run race the last time out in Davao as the organizing The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc. introduced new distances to encourage more participation. It also added an extra year in the premier side that saw those in the 15-year-old bracket compete as part of their buildup for bigger competitions ahead.

But the upcoming IRONKIDS will again be a swimbike-run race, guaranteeing a spirited battle in a com-

petitive but friendlier setting in four age-group classes in the individual competition and two in relay category.

The 6-8 years old bracket will be staged over the 100-m swim, 2-km bike and 1-km run distance, the 9-10 crown will be contested over the 150-m swim, 4-km bike and 1.5-km run stretch, and hostilities in the 11-12 division will be held over the 200-m, 4-km bike and 1.5-km span.

The centerpiece 13-15 age class will be staged over 250-m swim, 6-km bike and 2-km run distance with participants already winners in more ways than just emerging victorious from the event kicking off a weekend of top-notch endurance racing culminating in the Century Tuna full IRONMAN and Subic IRONMAN 70.3 on June 11.

The IRONKIDS relay category will feature the mixed team for 6-10 age bracket set over the 100-m swim, 2-km bike and 1-km run distance while the 1115 division is a 200-m swim, 4-km bike and 1.5-km run competition. Registration is ongoing. For details, log on to ironkidsphil.com.

The IRONKIDS has been a constant partner of the IRONMAN races, contributing to the growth of the sport while guaranteeing the steady flow of talents. It has also helped develop values like discipline, sportsmanship and respect for others and at the same time preventing gadget addiction among them while encouraging the children to live an active, healthy lifestyle.

Batangas dumps Parañaque; Bacolod, Sarangani win

BATANGAS went on a rampage and drubbed Paranaque, 92-58, on Monday in the OKBet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Fifth Season at the Batangas City Coliseum.

With Levi Hernandez and Juneric Baloria hitting the target, the Batangas City Embassy Chill Athletics pounded the Patriots till the end to raise their record to 9-2 in the elimination round of the two-division, 29team tournament. Hernandez fired a game-high 22 points, including four triples, while Baloria added 21, also with four triples, for the Athletics, who sped away from a 14-14 count after the first quarter.

Other Athletics who delivered were Jeckster Apinan with 9 points and 9 rebounds; Mark Justine Dela Virgen with 9 points, all from rainbow terri-

tory; and Mark Cruz and CJ Isit with 8 points each.

Clobbered off the boards, 31-56, the Patriots dropped to 6-7 as only Joshua Gallano and Jayboy Solis were able to counter offensively with 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Earlier, Valandre Chauca completed a three-point play with six seconds left to lift Bacolod City of Smiles past Muntinlupa, 73-72, and a 4-8 record.

It was Domark Matillano, however, who earned best player honors following a 20-point, 5-rebound output for Bacolod, which wasted a 42-25 spread but squeaked past Muntinlupa, which fell to 6-5.

Chauca, a former Adamson Falcon, wound up with 10 points and so did James Mangahas.

Paranaque got 19 points and 5 rebounds from Ian Melencio and 12 points from John Cedric Abis.

Sarangani dumped Quezon City Gaz N Go, 94-68, in the opener to level its slate at 6-6.

Led by Jeff Viernes, who tallied 19 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, Sarangani moved beyond reach at 88-59 and pulled down Quezon City to 3-10.

Viernes was supported by JC Escalambre with 16 points plus 5 rebounds, Alex Desoyo with 14 points, John Paul Cauilan with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Jefferson Comia with 11 points plus 5 rebounds.

Quezon City got 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block from Andrei Duremdes, son of MPBL Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes.

The MPBL goes to the Bataan People’s Center on May 30 with Valenzuela battling Makati at 4 p.m., Pasay tackling Manila at 6 p.m., and Pampanga colliding with Bataan at 8 p.m.

“I felt I couldn’t lose a game. I thought that I was able to win easier than I did, but a match can turn around in each game. But at the start of the match, I felt invincible,” he said.

Cobolli, making his Grand Slam debut, rallied briefly in the third set but was unable to take advantage of two break points in the sixth game.

Alcaraz then saw four match points slip away as the Italian hung on to level at 5-5.

However, the Spaniard wrapped up the tie on a fifth match point in the 12th game.

Next up for Alcaraz is a clash with Japan’s Taro Daniel for a place in the last 32.

New York-born Daniel, ranked 112, enjoyed his best Slam at the Australian Open in 2022 where he went to the third round from qualifying and defeated former world number one Andy Murray in the round of 64. His best run in Paris was a second round appearance in 2017.

Daniel has flourished on hard courts this year—reaching the quarter-finals in Acapulco and second round from qualifying at Indian Wells and Miami.

“I know the level of Taro, so it’s going to be a really tough second round, really tough match,” added Alcaraz.

“So I have to be ready for that, and I have to be prepared for a really tough one.” AFP

Abando adapts to Korean style of play

FOR former collegiate standout Rhenz Abando, adjusting to a different style of play helped him understand the culture of playing professional basketball in South Korea.

The 25-yearold Abando said this after returning home to Manila following an eight-month stint in the Korean Basketball League. “Iba ang kultura ng basketball doon. Sobrang hirap. Pero nakapag-adjust naman ako,” said the 6’2” Abando, three weeks after his team, Anyang KGC won in overtime, 100-97, over the Seoul SK Knights in Game 7 of their best-ofseven finals series. Anyang KGC went on to capture the 2022-2023 Korean Basketball League crown at the Anyang Indoor Gymnasium last May 7.

The title conquest gave Abando a chance to be back in the Philippines and join former Ateneo Blue Eagles Thirdy Ravena and Ange Koaume in receiving their awards as Collegiate Basketball Press Corps Players of the Year in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively.

The awards were previously not handed down to them after the ceremonies weren’t held during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Abando, who was given a lot of ballhandling responsibilities during his time with the Letran Knights in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, was given a different role with Anyang.

And that was to do defensive activities and execute off-ball movement whenever he was fielded in.

This meant he had to move well without the ball effectively, to understand spacing and court positioning and know when and where to cut past an attacking player. Peter Atencio

PSC commissioners Fritz Gaston and Bong Coo, chairman Richard Bachmann and commissioner Edward Hayco link hands as a sign of unity during the PSA Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Manila. Rudy Esperas

Rhenz Abando

IM Concio retains National Jrs crown

INTERNATIONAL Master Michael Concio, Jr. retained the title he was expected to win, while Ma. Elayza Villa came out of nowhere to crown herself girls’ champion in the National Juniors and Kiddies Chess Championships in Alicia, Isabela on Tuesday.

Concio, a World Cup veteran, needed to draw his ninth and final-round game with Christian Olaybal and watched conqueror Jan Clifford Labog fall to Chester Neil Reyes to snare the juniors’ title with 7.5 points.

Reyes wound up second with seven points, while Labog edged Oscar Joseph Cantela via tiebreak to settle for third with 6.5 points apiece in this event backed by host Mayor Jose Alejandro.

For Villa, she needed to hurdle Shiela Mer Donoga to finish tied for first with Ruelle Canino, a winner over Rinoa Mariel Sadey, with 7.5 points before eventually claiming the title with a higher tiebreak.

Topping the kiddies’ side were Deandra Castronuevo in the girls’ division and Phil Martin Casiguran in the boys’ category.

PH’s biggest gymnastics’ tilt lures 200 bets, 20 countries

THE curtain rises Wednesday for the biggest gymnastics’ event in the country this year—the 19th Junior and 14th Senior Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships—at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

It will be the first time the twin events will be staged in the country behind the partnership between the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Close to 200 gymnasts from 20 countries will vie in the event that runs until May 3 and serves as qualifier for the 40th FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Valencia, Spain in August.

Competition manager Anna Lou Carreon and GAP deputy secretarygeneral Rowena Bautista graced the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex yesterday.

According to Carreon, the competing countries are China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taipei, Uzbekistan and Vietnam then Australia and New Zealand from the Asia-Oceania Zone.

World champion Carlos Yulo is not vying in the event that offers 16 gold medals but the GAP assured that the country will field bets, who may be the next Carlos Yulo.

“In this event we might see the future of Philippine gymnastics,” said Carreon in the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, POC, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Cor poration (PAGCOR).

Bautista said gymnasts to watch out for include those from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, China, Japan and Korea, including last year’s all-around champion from Uzbekistan, Takhimina Ikromova.

MANDALUYONG Namayan scored a massive upset on Sunday at the San Andres Gymnasium in Manila, handing Taytay its first loss in the National Capital Region Leg of the Manila Bankers Life-Pilipinas Super League 18-Under tournament by way of a 101-89 decision.

The Tigre, who were coming off a crushing 63-86 loss to Mapua-521 Trading just the other day, leaned on the duo of James Corpuz and Joseph Catome to rise to 3-2 in this tournament co-presented by SCD and Dumper party-list, and supported by J Project Clothings, MDC, Bluesky Advertising, NET 25, Wcube Solutions Inc., Hotel SOGO, and Converge. Corpuz tallied 27 points on

Heat’s Butler not satisfied: We’ve got one more to get

BOSTON—Jimmy Butler played a starring role as the Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals by routing Boston 103-84 on Monday, denying the Celtics a historic comeback after trailing the playoff series 3-0.

Butler had 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Caleb Martin added 26 points and 10 rebounds to spark Miami, which will visit Denver on Thursday to begin the best-of-seven championship final.

Miami recovered from a gut-punch of a game-six defeat, where they fell on a lastsecond tip-in, to win the Eastern Conference final 4-3, silencing a loud Boston crowd.

Taking full advantage of an injury to Boston star Jayson Tatum in the opening seconds and a cold-shooting Celtics start, the Heat avoided becoming the first team in 151 attempts to lose a playoff series after leading 3-0.

“We stayed together as a group,” Butler said. “We talked about going to get a

tough one on the road and we did just that.

“But we’re not satisfied. We’re happy. We’re ecstatic. But we’ve got one more to get.”

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said he never doubted his resilient squad could win game seven.

“Sometimes you have to suffer for the things you really want,” he said. “This group has shown fortitude when there are inevitable let-downs and failures, but had that perseverance to pick yourself up, that collective spirit to keep on forging ahead.”

The Heat, seeking a fourth NBA title and first since 2013, last reached the NBA Finals in 2020, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Nuggets, into the NBA Finals for

the first time, swept the Lakers in the Western Conference final.

It was a determined effort by a Miami squad that lost to Boston in seven games in last year’s East finals. Miami also lacked any momentum after squandering their 3-0 edge to set up a winner-takes-all road game.

“When the ship gets rocky, just stay together and keep believing in one another,” said Miami’s Bam Adebayo, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Spoelstra said last year’s loss had weighed on the team. “They made us get better. We thought about it all season long,” he said.

Butler said his teammates enabled him to sink key shots and shut down Boston comeback bids.

“They give me so much confidence to hoop at a high level,” he said. “They’re the reason we’re here. I know how good a team we are and we made it happen.”

‘A shell of myself’

Tatum, who finished with 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting, turned his left ankle landing awkwardly after a baseline jumper in the opening seconds. He gri-

AMID allegations that the Converge FiberXers is forming a breakaway basketball league, Converge ICT Solutions Inc. CEO Dennis Anthony Uy has emphasized that the company is not in the business of basketball and that he is not interested in participating in such histrionics.

“Converge joined the PBA with the genuine intention of bringing vigor to the league for the greater entertainment of basketball fans across the country as our fiber internet services reached nationwide presence,” said Uy who is currently traveling on business ahead of his participation at the World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Monte Carlo, Monaco to represent the Philippines.

Uy was named Entrepreneur of the Year and Master Entrepreneur at the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines (EOYP) 2022 Awards last November for his pivotal role in bringing digital connectivity to more Filipinos across the country.

The EOYP Awards was organized by EY Philippines through the SGV Foundation.

“We believe that having a PBA basketball team would bring us closer to more Filipino homes that we want to serve. We are aiming to become a household name when it comes to world-class connectivity,” Uy said. He stressed that he is currently focused on making that happen so that majority of Filipinos will receive the benefits of having best quality, reliable, and affordable internet connectivity. Thus, he wanted to appoint people who are knowledgeable and passionate about basketball to represent and manage the Converge FiberXers team.

“I deeply regret the decision of the PBA Board to decline our appointment of Pampanga Governor Delta Pineda as our representative to the Board of Governors. We truly believe that his presence at the PBA Board will only bring more energy and dynamism to the PBA and

maced often and took only one shot in the first 17 minutes.

“It swelled up,” Tatum said. “I was like a shell of myself. It was tough to move. It was frustrating especially that it should happen on the first play.” Miami stretched the lead as high as 17 points in the second quarter but Boston pulled within 59-51 early in the third.

Caleb Martin sank a baseline jumper to put Miami ahead 76-66 entering the fourth. Martin sank a three-pointer to ignite a 7-0 Miami run to open the fourth quarter for an 83-66 edge.

“Not shooting the ball well had an effect on us,” Tatum said. “And it kind of snowballed.”

The Celtics went nearly four minutes without scoring and never again threatened, finishing a woeful 9-of-42 from three-point range.

“They gave it everything they had,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “That’s the most important thing to take from this. We failed, but it’s not because the guys didn’t have a sense of togetherness and character.” AFP

help the league re-energize its popularity among sports fans,” Uy noted.

It may be recalled that Gov. Pineda had offered his province during the 2020 and 2021 PBA tournaments under a bubble setup at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrating his love for the game. He was also behind the development of some of PBA’s superstars such as Calvin Abueva and Ian Sangalang.

Many sports observers have indicated the dampening luster of the PBA with its fan base getting alienated by the SMC-MVP duopoly resulting in declining live gates, with the UAAP getting more ticket sales, and new talents snubbing the PBA draft to play overseas.

“It’s about time that we level the playing field at the PBA. Fairness is a core virtue of sportsmanship. We need to respect our viewers - the Filipino basketball fans. We should give them the sports entertainment that they deserve,” Uy concluded.

8-of-14 shooting from the field, 5-of-9 from deep, while Catome produced a stellar line of 25 points, three rebounds, two steals, and two assists to snap Mandaluyong’s two-game skid.

With their starters not clicking, the Builders relied on their off-thebench duo of Jashlie De Leon and debuting Keith Bencalo, who got 18 points apiece. However, their efforts were not enough as Taytay fell to 2-1 -- half-a-game behind leg leaders Farm Fresh-Letran and NBS Kris.

In the other NCR leg game, USTcommits Mark Llemit and James Jumao-as, along with incoming Adamson freshman Peter Rosillo, joined hands in carrying Fin & Claw Grill to an 87-84 escape of

Magnificent Manila. Rosillo tallied 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists; Jumao-as got 13 points and three rebounds; while Llemit added 12 points and eight rebounds, pushing Fin & Claw to a 2-1 record while dropping Manila to a 0-3 slate.

In the sole Luzon leg of the day also had at the same Manila venue, Datzluv Sta. Cruz earned its third straight win to remain on pace with Pampanga Pradera after eking out an 84-77 win over Calamba City. Four players scored in doublefigures for the team that also has Builders as monicker with Geo Argonza scoring 14, Jasper Matienzo finishing with 13, Amiel Lopez chipping in 11, and Skyler Glen adding 10.

Edrian Palma (19 points) was the high point man for Calamba, who fell to 2-3. Over at the Cebu City Sports Institute, Dea’s Bakeshop X RAD racked up its third straight win after beating hapless Sidlak Danao, 82-71.

Ateneo-commit Michael Asoro tallied the first triple-double of the season for the 3-2 DBxR with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists while also notching seven steals.

Jose Marie Tumabang also produced a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

In the other game, Basak Where I Belong knotted Consolacion Black Sharma in the standings at 2-3 after a 97-86 victory. Sidlak Danao fell to 0-6.

The Miami Heat pose for a photo after winning Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. AFP

The Tigre’s James Corpus scores with

Dingdong Dantes redefines coolness in Italian brand’s new global campaign

Police’s digital billboard in Times Square, New York, featuring Dingdong Dantes as the brand ambassador

acknowledged the eager fans who had gathered around the shop, he even accommodated a few selfies.

As the brand ambassador, the Kapuso actor strongly believes in challenging conventions and leaving a mark

DINGDONG Dantes

strolled into a bustling shop located in the Mall of Asia. Casually dressed in jeans and a sleek black shirt, the 42-year-old actor and TV host exuded effortless coolness.

The moment he stepped foot inside, the room seemed to buzz with anticipation as he was officially introduced as the first and only global brand ambassador of a renowned Italian brand.

Surrounded by a tight circle of dedicated security personnel, Dingdong’s magnetic presence couldn’t be contained. With an infectious smile gracing his face, he warmly

Hands down, Dingdong is the epitome of a celebrity who leaves a lasting impression.

Alongside legendary F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton, Dingdong proudly stands as one of Police’s esteemed brand ambassadors. Their dynamic presence was recently showcased on a digital billboard in the iconic Times Square, New York City, as part of Police’s grand celebration for its 40th Anniversary.

“It felt bold. It felt very, very big. Because when you presented the idea, you said it’s in celebration of Police’s 40th year. And I said, ‘Wow.’ What better way to do this than what we have done. It was exactly what audacity really means. So, I said I’m very honored and thankful for the trust. And now, we’re celebrating Police’s 40th year and it is a very, very important milestone for me,” the Family Feud host said on being chosen as Police Lifestyle’s first and only Filipino global ambassador.

In sync with this momentous milestone, the brand has unveiled its global campaign,

#AudacityWanted, which aims to redefine coolness by breaking free from stereotypes. The campaign highlights that true masculinity transcends traditional norms and embraces an Evolved Style while maintaining a Timeless Look. This sentiment is reflected in the latest collection of Police Eyewear and Watches.

Valentina Olivier, the Asia Pacific Regional Marketing Head of De Rigo Vision, expressed her thoughts on the campaign, stating, “Audacity Wanted perfectly embodies the soul and essence of Police, which has been a pioneer in the industry for the past 40 years. The brand has always been at the forefront, anchored in its timeless contemporary look. We hope this campaign inspires consumers to be daring and forge their own path.”

Dingdong, known for his unwavering belief in defying norms and making a difference, enthusiastically embraced the #AudacityWanted Movement with Police Lifestyle.

He shared, “I am honored to join the #AudacityWanted Movement with Police Lifestyle, as I strongly believe in challenging conventions and leaving a mark.”

Police Eyewear and Watches can be found

LJ Reyes surprises fans with engagement announcement to non-showbiz partner

By Angelica Villanueva

IN a heartfelt revelation on Tuesday morning, LJ Reyes delighted her fans and followers as she announced her engagement to her nonshowbiz boyfriend, Philip Evangelista, who is based in New York.

Taking to Instagram, the actress marks a new chapter in her life sharing a series of photos capturing the emotional moment. In one image, LJ can be seen in tears as Philip

Philip Evangelista getting down on one knee to pop the question to LJ Reyes

the comment, “Awwww, happiness.”

The actress marks a new chapter in her life and is taking the next steps with Evangelista

TV5 brings to life the captivating love story of Kalix and Luna in The Rain in España, adapted from the popular web novel with over 140 million reads and trending at the #1 spot on Twitter.

This 10-part series that premiered on May 14 follows the journey of Kalix (Marco Gallo) and Luna (Heaven Peralejo) as they navigate the challenges of young love. Despite the pressures of academics, family, and personal aspirations, these college freshmen find themselves deeply enamored with each other. However, when Luna discovers Kalix’s betrayal, their relationship takes a bitter turn.

A decade later, fate reunites them as Kalix becomes Luna’s company’s Head Legal Counsel. As they work together, old emotions resurface, leaving them

kneels down, holding a ring. Other pictures show the couple embracing each other with pure happiness radiating from their faces.

LJ accompanied the post with a quote from the Bible: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”

Friends and colleagues of the actress flooded the comments section with messages of joy, celebrating this special milestone with her.

Marian Rivera expressed her excitement with

to question if they can reignite their love and find their happily ever after.

The Rain in España held the #1 spot on Viva One for weeks, captivating audiences with its engaging storyline crafted by Gwy Saludes, who also serves as the series’ creative consultant.

With the direction of Theodore Boborol, known for his successful films like Vince, Kath and James and top-rating series like Forevermore and Make it With You, this series promises an unforgettable viewing experience.

Completing the cast are Gab Lagman, Bea Binene, Krissha Viaje, Nicole Omillo, Aubrey Caraan, Gabby Padilla, Andre Yllana, Frost Sandoval, and Leo Francis Magundayao.

Camille Prats also chimed in, saying, “Maaaaars!!!! So happy for you!!!! No wonder you’ve been quiet there!!!!” Meanwhile, fellow Starstruck Avenger Ryza Cenon wrote, “Awww, gf!!!!!!! I’m so happy for you!”

Following a painful breakup with actor Paolo Contis after a six-year relationship, LJ, along with her children Aki and Summer, relocated to New York, USA, in September 2021.

nationwide at Ideal Vision, Watch Republic, and The SM Store. The collection is also available for purchase online at https://policelifestyle. com/ww-en/dingdong-dantes-x-police-lp, allowing enthusiasts to explore and embrace the audacious style exemplified by Dingdong and

the Police brand. With Dingdong as their esteemed global brand ambassador, Police continues to captivate fashion enthusiasts and trendsetters around the world, reinforcing their position as a timeless symbol of audacity and style.

‘The Glory’ sparks national discussion on bullying in South Korea

IN South Korea, a widespread phenomenon known as “Hakpok #MeToo” has emerged, whereby individuals who experienced bullying in the past publicly expose and condemn their former tormentors, even years or decades later. The term “hakpok” refers to school violence in Korean.

Netflix’s The Glory, which follows a woman’s meticulously planned revenge scheme after suffering years of brutal abuse from high school bullies, helped amplify South Korea’s national discussion about bullying.

In an ironic sign of how pervasive the issue is, after the show became a hit, the director Ahn Gil-ho was himself accused of teenage bullying and forced to apologize.

Even South Korea’s presidential office was recently forced to withdraw a top police appointment after it emerged the candidate’s son had bullied classmates, sparking public backlash.

QUEEN P MAKES A SURPRISE APPEARANCE

Attendees of the Suy Sing Suki Day 2023 event were pleasantly surprised by the presence of Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncey, who joined the festivities as the host for Downy. Pia shared her secret to staying fresh all-day while exuding her queenly charm at the World Trade Center in Pasay City on May 7. Pia, radiating confidence and beauty, graced the stage wearing a striking red power suit that carried the delightful scent of Downy. She interacted with both the online and on-site audience, participated in enjoyable games, and discussed how Downy enhances the lives of every Filipino family member.

School violence is endemic in South Korean schools, Noh Yoon-ho, a Seoul-based attorney who specializes in bullying cases told AFP adding it is a “collective trauma” the country needs to process.

“Any South Korean who has gone to school has been a victim or witnessed other students being bullied and not helped – we all have memories of this,” Noh said.

The “Hakpok #MeToo” movement has helped many victims to shed the shame of their experience, and realize they were not bullied “because they were lacking something”, she added.

But the problem is that there is still no system in place at school level where victims can “approach without hesitation for an immediate and adequate response when incidents occur”, Jihoon Kim, a criminology professor who has researched bullying in South Korea, told AFP. AFP

True love defies the test of time with TV5’s latest hit ‘The Rain in España’

Song Hye Kyo as Moon Dong Eun in ‘The Glory’

NOT sure about other people, but whenever I see a flagpole with a flag at half-mast, my first thought is always, “Who died?”

I have always associated flags flown at half-mast with death, even though it can signify various other things such as calamities, grave national adversity, and international solemnity.

However, one thing is certain: you cannot fly the Philippine flag, whether it is at half-mast or not, without adhering to proper etiquette, just as people cannot wear the UP sablay without following traditions and rules.

There are specific guidelines for the usage of the Philippine flag, and it goes beyond simply placing the blue part on top during times of peace.

When displayed vertically, the triangle should be positioned at the top, with the blue part on the left as seen by the viewer. Placing the red stripe on the left would indicate that we are at war. If the flag is hung without any indication of which side is left, the blue part should point to the north or east.

The flag must be raised briskly at sunrise and lowered ceremoniously at sunset. Although it can be displayed after sunset, it should be properly illuminated throughout the night.

LIFE

Salute to the F LA G

No matter the circumstances, the flag must never touch the ground or become wet. It cannot be used for any other purpose, such as a tablecloth, drapery, or covering. The law strictly prohibits any commercial use of the flag, and it is also illegal to deface it. Additionally, there is a proper protocol for disposing of a worn-out flag.

While the Philippine flag can be displayed on any day, there are specific occasions when it is mandatory to do so. These include April 9 (Araw ng Kagitingan), May 1 (Labor Day), the period from May 28 (National Flag Day) to June 12 (Independence Day), the last Sunday of August (National Heroes Day), November 30 (Bonifacio Day), and December 30 (Rizal Day).

TOYM alumni, Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation mount first TOYM Impact Summit

ALUMNI of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM), led by TOYM Chairman Bienvenido “Donnie” Tantoco III

TOYM Foundation, Inc. President Chaye Cabal-Revilla and Usec. Ma. Anthonette Velasco-Allones from the Department of Migrant Workers, along with the Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation, Inc. (CLFI), held the inaugural TOYM Impact Summit at Lakehall in Nena’s Sanctuary, located at the Sta. Elena Golf & Country Estate in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

The one-day summit provided a platform for past TOYM honorees to convene and collaborate on potential projects to be undertaken collectively within the next six to 12 months. Guided by the summit’s theme, “Impact Begins With I,” and its subthemes “Imagine, Inspire, and Ignite,” the TOYM honorees explored how their diverse fields of expertise, for which they were recognized in previous years, can be harnessed to maximize the impact of these projects.

Among the distinguished TOYM honorees in attendance were Ryan Cayabyab (1978), Dr. Carmencita Padilla (1994), Menardo “Butch” Jimenez (1998), Dr. Jonas del Rosario (2004), Hon. Alfred Vargas (2019), Samira Gutoc (2019), and Manix Abrera (2022). Additionally, Gawad Kalinga Founder Antonio Meloto and 1992 TOYM honoree Senator Loren Legarda graced the event and delivered their significant messages. “I was inspired by each awardee’s outstanding work and contribution in their respective fields when I was one of the judges during the latest TOYM awards. I decided to hold this summit because I believed that events like these provide a unique opportunity for us to work collectively towards a common goal and create something truly impactful,” Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier said.

Lhuillier also added that this summit will continue and evolve into something bigger and better. “There is a lot that we can do together. Together as one, we heal and multiply –multiply ideas, projects, leaders, mentors, and entrepreneurs.”

TOYM Chairman Bienvenido “Donnie” Tantoco III expressed his excitement and gratitude during the summit. “It really means so much to us that the previous TOYM awardees are here at the first-ever summit of its kind. There is such a diversity of amazing men and women that are present in this room,” he said.

“We feel your giftedness. We are inspired by your track record. We feel your enthusiasm and patriotism. We feel your individual excellence, and we believe that collectively, we are even more special and even more powerful.” Lhuillier also emphasized the importance of working together. “We are all interconnected, and our collective efforts can have a much greater impact than our individual ones. We are here to ignite our collective initiative and develop ideas or projects that we can work on together as a community,” he continued.

“We have to do something together as a TOYM tribe and family. If we were able to be amazing together and do it for God’s purpose, for the greater glory, and for the good of others, then TOYM will actually have an impact,” TOYM Foundation, Inc. President Chaye Cabal-Revilla added.

The summit was made possible with the collaborative efforts of the CLFI, Total Exhibit & Expo Solutions, Inc., and Lakehall at Nena’s Sanctuary.

* * *

Speaking of National Flag Day, it has now become an annual tradition for the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to illuminate the facade of its main building to commemorate this occasion.

As in previous years, shades of blue, red, and yellow envelop the main building from May 28 to June 13 (except on Mondays), from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The light show symbolically represents the Philippine flag and showcases the country’s vibrant culture and rich history.

This year, the CCP Production Design and Technical Services Division has created an astonishing facade light show featuring vibrant visuals in blue,

yellow, and red—the colors of the Philippine flag. To achieve a sense of depth, a multi-layered wavy pattern of gobos is projected.

Shoutout to Camille Balistoy and her team, under the supervision of Eric Cruz, for their outstanding work on the light show. Every year, they consistently come up with remarkable designs that celebrate our rich history. As Ariel Yonzon, the head of the Production and Exhibition Department, aptly puts it, the pressure is on.

As the country’s leading art institution mandated to promote and preserve Philippine arts, culture, and history, the CCP remains dedicated to enriching the Filipino story and identity. The promotion of Filipino artistic excellence, cultural values, and aesthetics is a commitment made possible by the freedom bestowed upon us 125 years ago.

The light show will run until Philippine Independence Day. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence. A grand celebration will take place at the Quirino Grandstand, with the theme “Kalayaan, Kinabukasan, Kasaysayan” (Freedom, Future, History).

On May 28, 1898, the Philippine revolutionary army proudly unfurled the National Flag for the first time, following their victory over the Spanish forces in the Battle of Alapan in Imus, Cavite. Fifteen days later, the same flag was hoisted in Kawit, Cavite, as the Philippine forces, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, declared Philippine Independence.

* * *

I hope we have a deep appreciation for the sacrifices made by our heroes who valiantly fought and gave their lives for the freedom we enjoy today. It is my hope that we never take this freedom for granted, and that we remain vigilant to ensure that it is never curtailed by anyone or anything.

Happy National Flag Day!

Fascinating lives of Filipino ‘parloristas’ showcased at international exhibition in China

TSUPET , a documentary series on Filipino parloristas was featured at the 2nd Quanzhou International Image Biennial in China.

The exhibition showcased entries from 40 international institutions, exploring artists’ perspectives under different conditions. Organized by photography educators worldwide, it offered a broader perspective on diverse communities.

Young photographer Lou Russell Fajardo captures vibrant lives of Filipino parloristas, shedding light on their inspiring stories and advocating for recognition and LGBTQIA+ rights.

public city markets are people who have the

“Behind these individuals who are often found in public city markets are people who have had difficult childhoods full of abuse and discrimination,” he stated. “With the dream that one day the SOGIE Bill will be passed into law, they look forward to its success and the protection it can provide to the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Born and raised in Pangasinan, the aspiring photojournalist believes in the power of images to shed light on the struggles of the marginalized.

“Through my works, I wish people will see parloristas not as ordinary workers but also human beings molded by

‘Tsupet’ by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Photography student Lou Russell Fajardo is a documentary series on Filipino parloristas

experiences,” he expressed.

The 2nd Quanzhou International Image Biennial likewise featured the works of fellow Photography students Jyllan Sydrey Bitalac, Macee Tingson, and Toni Rose Guinto, whose thoughtprovoking monochromatic works grace the exhibition catalog.

Participating institutions include prestigious art schools from around the world such as Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, Bandung Institute of Technology, Chiang Mai University, Columbia College Chicago, and more. The lineup also features renowned universities like University College London, Tokyo Polytechnic University, and Lomonosov Moscow State University, among others.

Under the spotlight: The best fan art of Ang Huling El Bimbo

THE acclaimed all-Filipino musical, Ang Huling El Bimbo (AHEB), transcends its powerful on-stage performances to leave a lasting impact on the minds and hearts of both artists and fans long after leaving the theater.

Since its premiere in 2018 and its recent contemporary restaging in April, AHEB has ignited the creativity and passion of fellow artists, inspiring them to create and share their art with the world.

Located at Newport World Resorts’ The Grove 2F Newport Mall, the AHEB Fan Art Exhibit showcases an impressive collection of artworks created by devoted fans. These artworks beautifully depict the significance that the musical has carved into their lives.

From traditional paintings to digital and mixed media, Newport World Resorts presents over a dozen captivating works that captivate the eye. The iconic sedan, the same one used on stage and illuminated by vibrant lights, beckons passersby and enthusiasts to delve into the world of AHEB art.

On the gallery walls, artist Jairo Panglinawan expertly plays with shadows and light, crafting symbolic moments from the musical through precise silhouette cutouts. Jamie Dela Cruz brings Joy, Anthony, Hector, and Emman to life with vivid pixel art, capturing their youthful spirit. Meanwhile, Jelli Marie Marcos uses watercolor and gouache to create expressive snapshots of the characters in a captivating portrait series, among other talented artists.

In the same way that Full House Theater Company (FHTC), the production outfit behind Newport World Resorts, envisions artistic authenticity, the diverse artists who contributed to the AHEB Fan Art Exhibit infuse their work with individuality and genuine storytelling, whether inspired by the musical or original in nature.

Likewise, the lyrics of Eraserheads’ “Paraluman” convey a heartwrenching story of friendship and falling out, witnessed by over 100,000 Filipinos through live performances and over seven million views online.

AHEB The Musical, skillfully assembled by artists determined to stay true to their craft amidst change, now serves as further evidence that art begets art. Visit the AHEB Fan Art Exhibit at The Grove, 2F Newport Mall to experience this artistic celebration. Immerse yourself in Filipino creativity and pride, and catch AHEB as

The lighting on the facade of the Cultural Center of the Philippines reflects the colors of the Philippine flag

From left: Department of Migrant Workers Usec. Ma. Anthonette Velasco-Allones, TOYM Chairman Bienvenido Tantoco III, Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier, TOYM Foundation, Inc. President Chaye CabalRevilla, Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation, Inc. Executive Director Jonathan Batangan

A fanmade poster by Albert Raqueño

‘Art’ by Anne Gabriella Ancheta

Marlon Ramirez uses the power of visuals and words to create a fan art of ‘Ang Huling El Bimbo’ ‘Ginto’ by Jay Pineda

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Photography student Lou Russell Fajardo