Manila Standard - 2023 June 14 - Wednesday

50 cops, including 2 generals, face graft raps over

P6.7-b shabu haul

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday announced that 50 police officials have been charged with graft and other criminal cases in connection with the

Marcos expands food stamp aid

Now covers solo parents, pregnant women

By Vince Lopez

alleged cover-up bid in the P6.7-billion drug bust in October last year.

“Last Friday, the National Police Commission and the Philippine National Police (PNP) filed the criminal cases with the Office of the

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program to address the problem

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is including single parents, pregnant women, and lactating mothers among the beneficiaries of the government’s food stamp program to address the problem of malnourished and stunted children born in the country.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rexlon “Rex” Gatchalian said this on Tuesday during a Palace press briefing as the President approved the pilot run and the implementation

YOUNG ADVOCATES.

Mayon Volcano unrest can last for ‘a few months,’ says Phivolcs

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La Paz Elementary School pupils form a human ribbon during a school-based immunization of the vaccine against HPV in Makati City on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. A girl who is vaccinated against HPV can avoid contracting cervical cancer. Danny Pata

can remain restive for “a few months.”

DOH chief open to allowing foreign doctors in PH

FOREIGN doctors may soon be allowed to practice locally for a limited period amid a push for the Department of Health to give the greenlight as it would benefit the country not only with the exchange of ideas, but also on the transfer of technology.

In response, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa told Sen. Francis Tolen-

tino he will talk to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to possibly relax the current licensing rules to allow foreign doctors to temporarily practice their profession in the country.

The PRC, under Republic Act No. 8981, has the power to supervise foreign nationals who are authorized by existing laws to practice their professions,

‘LGUs

either as holders of a certificate of reg istration and a professional identification card or a temporary special permit in the Philippines.

In a statement, Tolentino said there are plenty of doctors abroad signifying to conduct medical practice in the country, but the current protective Philippine

DNA matched four Degamo slay suspects

By Rey E. Requejo

DNA testing has confirmed that four of the suspects in the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others last March 4 were at the crime scene, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed Tuesday.

The DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) testing conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed the involvement of some of the suspects, Remulla said.

By Charles Dantes

DISASTER officials said on Tuesday that local government units near Taal and Kanlaon are ready to evacuate residents if the two volcanoes contin-

ue showing dangerous activity.

But in a briefing, the deputy spokesperson of the National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Diego Mariano said that evacuation was

Senators seek suspension of ‘unfair, unjustifiable’ hike in NLEX toll rates

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATORS on Tuesday called on government regulators to suspend the provisional increase in toll rates at the

North Luzon Expressway due to worsening traffic conditions and the burden of inflation borne by Filipinos. “In behalf of the hundreds of thousands

PRELIMINARY PROBE. Suspects in the killing of former Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo arrive at the Department of Justice to attend the preliminary investigation on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Norman Cruz

Lawyer Levito Baligod, the counsel of the Degamo family, also revealed that the DNA analysis confirmed the participation of four of the detained suspects: Rogelio C. Antipolo Jr., Winrich B. Isturis, John Louie L. Gonyon,

‘Final Beatles record’ out this year with AI help

A “FINAL Beatles record,” created with the help of artificial intelligence, will be released later this year, Paul McCartney told the BBC in an interview broadcast Tuesday.

“It was a demo that John (Lennon) had, and that we worked on, and we just finished it up,” said McCartney, who

turns 81 next week.

The Beatles – Lennon, McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – split in 1970, with each going on to have solo careers, but they never reunited.

Lennon was shot dead in New York in 1980 aged 40 while Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001, aged 58.

CHAMPIONS AT LAST. Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets smiles after winning Game Five of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat on June 12, 2023 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, securing the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship. 2023 NBAE Nathaniel S. Butler / AFP

McCartney did not name the song that has been recorded but according to the BBC it is likely to be a 1978 Lennon composition called “Now And Then”.

The track – one of several on a cassette that Lennon had recorded for McCartney a year before his death – was

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By Rio N. Araja, Maricel V. Cruz, Charles Dantes and Vince Lopez LAVA from Mayon Volcano flowed down its south and southeast gullies to about one kilometer from the crater as scientists warned Tuesday the volcano

near Taal, Kanlaon ready to evacuate residents if needed’

Luy: Gigi raised missing P500k

PROSECUTION witness Benhur Luy claimed former lawyer Jessica “Gigi” Reyes made a “verbal” complaint that the money allegedly intended for then Senator Juan Ponce Enrile was short by P500,000.

Luy said the same concern was raised by Ruby Tuason, a socialite turned state witness in the graft case for the alleged

misuse of the former senator’s pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Mayon...

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“Unless we lower the alert level, we are left with no option but to have those within the permanent danger zone to remain at the evacuation centers,” he said.

“What we are seeing right now, it’s following the template of the 2014 eruption, which was a quiet eruption, effusive eruption. Based on our previous experiences, this activity may persist for a few months,” Bacolcol added.

The Albay provincial government said it is ready should evacuation reach 90 days.

Eugene Escobar, officer-in-charge of Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office, told the news station ANC that in the past, the longest evacuation period lasted five months.

“We were able to sustain that not alone, but with the help of the national government and then many of the international organizations that came in. It was a concerted effort,” Escobar said.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda called for “patience and stamina” from national government agencies extending disaster relief and evacuation support to those affected by recent Mayon Volcano activity, as “evacuation efforts and the wait for an actual eruption could take weeks or months.”

“Historically, the scenarios are 45, 90, or 110 days. It could, of course, get even longer than that. This will be a waiting game. Until an explosive eruption happens, or the alert level goes down, we can’t really do much other than evacuate and wait,” Salceda, chair of the House committee on ways and means, said.

“So, this will really require stamina and patience. I am sure President Marcos and the national government will have the patience to see this through. But the economic disruption will also be significant,” Salceda added.

Some 5,000 farmers are already affected by ongoing evacuation efforts and volcanic activity.

On Tuesday, Phivolcs said it detected one dome collapse pyroclastic density current (PDC) that lasted two minutes.

In the past 24 hours, Mayon Volcano had one volcanic earthquake and 221 rockfall events, based on Phivolcs’ seismic and visual observations.

Thin ash from rockfalls was observed as well as continuous moderate degassing from the summit crater, which produced steam-laden plumes that bent and crept downslope before drifting northeast.

of the food stamp program.

“The President also wants to bring in pregnant, lactating mothers because we have to start looking at stunting in this country and the first 1,000 days program (for infants) is very important,” Gatchalian said.

“The marching order of the President is to fight stunting and hunger, joint efforts of other programs of the government,” he added, referring to the order to effectively implement the First 1,000 Days Law or Republic Act 11148.

The government also wants to avoid wasteful spending and ensure that when the program is expanded for its regular run, the government is doing it correctly, according to the DSWD chief.

“The President approved the run of the pilot, which is fully funded through grants... from the ADB (Asian Development Bank), JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), and the French Development Agency. So that will be $3 million (about P168 million) all in all,” Gatchalian said.

“There is a provision to expand it. ADB is still working on other trust funds so that we could expand the pilot.

Luy, during the cross examination on him conducted by Reyes’ lawyer, Christian Diaz, admitted he has no documentary evidence to support his claim.

Luy said it was only made verbally since it was an “illegal” transaction.

“Complaint documents saying the kickback is lacking P500,000? Ilegal nga po iyong ginagawa namin e. Verbal

But other than that, it’s all green lights go for the pilot, which will take place shortly,” he added.

For his part, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the food in this program should be of nutritional value.

“It actually jives, the poorest one million... to be able to give them food stamps so that they will have nutritious food,” Herbosa said.

“The President wanted a more cohesive approach (for) this problem of hunger and addressing the poor...We’re trying to now put them all together in one unified ‘life stages’ approach that starts from pregnancy,” he added.

Based on figures from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, stunting rates for ages 0 to 23 months old is 21.6 percent or one in five children while for children under five years old, the stunting rate is 28.7 percent.

For malnutrition rate, Herbosa said the children in daycare facilities, which is handled and supervised by DepEd, it is pegged at 20 percent.

“So one in five kids, I need to feed properly with correct nutrients,” the DOH Secretary said.

The DSWD said the project aims to assist targeted households suffering from involuntary hunger.

Earlier, the agency explained that it

some 28 volcanic earthquakes, including seven tremors, were observed from Taal Volcano.

lang,” Luy said. Diaz argued that Luy’s answer should be stricken off court records, but Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Ronald Moreno did not allow it.

“That’s his answer,” Moreno said.

The trial on the graft charges against Enrile and other co-accused will resume on June 20.

would provide electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards that will be loaded with food credits amounting to P3,000 per month to purchase a select list of food commodities from DSWD-registered or accredited local retailers.

Through the pilot testing, Gatchalian said the DSWD and other involved agencies will see its nuances and determine what needs to be improved and enhanced, and what items must be discontinued.

The food stamp program or the “Walang Gutom 2027” aims to provide electronic benefit transfers that will be loaded with food credits amounting to P3,000 to purchase a select list of food commodities from DSWD-accredited local retailers.

It intends to target the bottom one million households from Listahanan 3 who belong to the food-poor criteria as defined by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The DSWD has identified five pilot sites coming from different geopolitical characteristics: an area in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), what used to be a former conflict area; one in geographically isolated regions or provinces; one in urban poor settings; one in calamity-stricken areas; and one in a rural poor area.

Marcos hails ‘distinguished’ career of late Sen. Biazon

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday joined Filipinos in mourning former Senator and Armed Forces chief Rodolfo Biazon, who died on Monday -- the country’s 125th Independence Day -- at age 88.

“I join the entire nation in expressing my deepest condolences to the bereaved family of former Senator Rodolfo ‘Pong’ Biazon,” Marcos said in a statement posted on his social media pages.

“We mourn the loss of a distinguished public servant, a former Armed Forces Chief of Staff, and legislator who dedicated his life to serving the country and the Filipino people,” he added.

The President reminisced the days when Biazon was in public service as a soldier and as a senator and congressman, representing the lone district of Muntinlupa City.

“During his many years of government service, Senator Biazon distinguished himself among his peers by his brand of leadership and statesmanship, both as a military man and as a veteran lawmaker. He was highly respected by his colleagues and by the public for being opinionated, conscientious, and virtuous as he fought for his mission and advocacies,” Mr. Marcos said.

“The thoughts and prayers of a grateful nation are with his family as we remember his remarkable service to the nation,” Mr. Marcos said. “On behalf of the loving Filipinos, we pay our respects, honor the memory, and pray for the eternal repose of the soul of former Senator Pong Biazon.” Vince Lopez

50 cops,...

still unnecessary, given the low level of unrest in the two volcanoes.

“Our resources are ready. Our evacuation centers are ready because the restiveness of these volcanoes is not new,” Mariano said in Filipino.

“Our LGUs are prepared for whatever happens -- in case the situation worsens for these two volcanoes,” he added.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that as of 5 a.m. on June 13,

Taal also emitted some 5,024 tons of sulfur dioxide and showed moderate 900-meter-tall plumes.

Entry to Taal Volcano Island, which is under the Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ), and flying any aircraft close to the volcano are still restricted.

Phivolcs also warned that hazards such as steam-driven or phreatic or gas-driven explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas may occur at Taal.

mentary series “The Beatles: Get Back,” AI was used to separate Lennon’s voice and a piano.

In Negros Island, Kanlaon emitted 200-meter tall plumes and had three volcanic quakes. On June 5, it generated 1,089 tons of sulfur dioxide.

Phivolcs said on Monday that the current activities between Mayon Volcano, Taal Volcano, and Kanlaon Volcano are isolated and had nothing to do with each other.

Taal Volcano has been on Alert Level 1 since July 11, 2022, while Kanlaon Volcano has been placed on Alert Level 1 since 2020.

Mayon Volcano remained on Alert Level 3 status due to its magmatic unrest.

Lennon of the song “I’ve Got a Feeling,” from the Beatles’ last album “Let It Be.”

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Ombudsman or what we call MOLEO (Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices) against 50 respondents,” said DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. The respondents were charged with violation of Republic Act (RA) 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; RA 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act as amended; Revised Penal Code, in particular, Article 171 on falsification, Article 183 on perjury, Article 184 on false testimony and Article 217 for malversation of public property; and Presidential Decree No. 1829 or obstruction of justice.

and Jhudiel R. Rivero.

DNA samples were among the evidence submitted by the NBI to the panel of prosecutors conducting the preliminary investigation on the criminal charges it filed against alleged mastermind Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” A. Teves Jr. and several others.

The DNA testing was conducted based on the blood samples taken from the crime scenes, according to Remulla.

“The DNA analysis showed that there are other pieces of evidence apart from statements. Even if they said they were not in the crime scene, their blood was there,” he said.

Since Teves is still abroad, he was not present during the preliminary investigation of the charges for multiple murder, multiple frustrated murder, and multiple attempted murder filed against him in connection with the Degamo killing.

Remulla earlier tagged Teves as the “executive producer” of the plot to kill Degamo.

Teves has refused to return to the country after he was implicated by investigating authorities in the gruesome crime. The congressman is reportedly still in Timor-Leste, hoping for political asylum.

given to him by Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono in 1994.

Two of the songs, “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” were cleaned up by the producer Jeff Lynne, and released in 1995 and 1996.

An attempt was made to do the same with “Now And Then” but the project was abandoned because of background noise on the demo.

McCartney, who has previously talked about wanting to finish the song, said AI had given him a new chance to do so.

Working with Peter Jackson, the film director behind the 2021 docu -

“They tell the machine, ‘That’s the voice. This is a guitar. Lose the guitar,’” he explained.

“So when we came to make what will be the last Beatles’ record, it was a demo that John had (and) we were able to take John’s voice and get it pure through this AI.

“Then we can mix the record, as you would normally do. So it gives you some sort of leeway.”

McCartney performed a two-hour set at last year’s Glastonbury festival in England, playing Beatles’ classics to the 100,000-strong crowd.

The set included a virtual duet with

the United States who Tolentino said want to serve in the Philippines, not only in medical missions but for a longer term since they have an affinity for the country.

policy prevents them from doing so.

“There are doctors and specialists registered in other countries who want to practice here in our country for a brief period, not to compete. This will result in the transfer of technology,” he said.

There are also specialists, especially fellow Filipinos practicing abroad, in

Tolentino also made the suggestion during his regular radio program on DZRH where the DOH Secretary was present as a guest.

Herbosa agreed with the senator, sharing his previous experience when he worked in Malaysia as a visiting professor

ness of the increase.

“Is the expressway really providing express service? Is the convenience provided equal to what is being charged?” she asked.

of motorists plying the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), I appeal for some consideration and reprieve on the proposed increased toll rates,” said Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III. Given that people were grappling with the effects of inflation, he said a toll increase would exacerbate their economic hardships.

Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, said the TRB must explain in detail the reason for the drastic hike in toll rates. She also questioned the reasonable -

The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) recently approved a provisional increase at NLEX in which Class 1 vehicles (car, jeepney, van or pickup) will have to pay an additional P7, Class 2 (bus and light truck), P17, and Class 3 (heavy and trailer truck) P19 on the expressway’s open system which covers Balintawak in Caloocan, Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City and Marilao in Bulacan.

In the NLEX closed system, starting in Marilao to Sta. Ines in Mabalacat City, motorists will pay an additional

Last month, Sting warned that “defending our human capital against AI” would be a major battle for musicians in the coming years.

The use of AI in music is the subject of debate in the industry, with some denouncing copyright abuses and others praising its prowess.

McCartney said the use of the technology was “kind of scary but exciting because it’s the future,” adding: “We’ll just have to see where that leads.”

After the Beatles, the singer-songwriter went on to have hits with his band Wings, but also dabbled in painting and photography as well as animal rights campaigning. AFP

in a medical university where the Philippine medical license and his accreditation with the Philippine Medical Association were enough to practice medicine there.

“I only submitted my license here in the Philippines, my membership in the PMA, my curriculum vitae which they reviewed. After an interview, they gave me a temporary license in the hospital there in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia [National University of Malaysia],” he recalled.

P26 for Class 1, P65 for Class 2, and P11 for Class 3.

The new rates take effect on June 15.

“Any increase at this point would be unjustifiable and unfair to the motorists who have to deal with sometimes EDSA-like traffic on the expressway, specifically from Balintawak to Meycauayan,” Pimentel said.

“Before they ask for an increase, they should first fix the traffic at NLEX,” Pimentel said, pointing to the perennial traffic buildup on the major expressway.

Pimentel noted that based on the data of NLEX, there are at least 280,000 vehicles plying through NLEX on a daily basis.

“It has come to our attention that traffic congestion on NLEX has become

Abalos, who also chairs the Napolcom, explained that the filing of the cases stemmed from the investigation by the Commisision and the PNP’s Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) on the 990-kilograms shabu haul worth P6.7 billion confiscated in Manila last year.

Last April, Abalos made public a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing police officers allegedly attempting to pilfer 42 kilograms of the seized 990 kilograms of shabu.

“Of these 50 respondents, 48 appeared on the CCTV video and an additional two officers have been charged on the basis of conspiracy,” he said.

Two of the 50 respondents were generals: Lt. Gen. Benjamin Santos Jr. and Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo, Abalos said.

During the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, Tolentino remembered that a group of French and Spanish physicians from “Doctors Without Borders” talked to him when he was in Tacloban City.

The lawmaker said those foreign doctors wanted to treat critical patients but were only allowed to administer first aid procedures, since they don’t have licenses to practice in the Philippines.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

a recurring problem that causes delays and inconvenience for motorists,” Pimentel said.

He called on the TRB to prioritize the interests of the public and ensure that the toll rates remain fair and reasonable.

“To approve a provisional increase in light of these serious traffic concerns and the worsening inflation in the country is a disservice to the Filipino people,” Pimentel said.

“It is time that the government provides some relief to our motorists,” he added.

Poe said the government should not be charging high rates if customer satisfaction is low or performance benchmarks are not met.

Build large water facilities outside

NCR—Marcos

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday bared his administration’s plan to build “large” water impounding facilities in areas outside of Metro Manila in an effort to control flooding in the country’s metropolis.

Mr. Marcos made the pronouncement in a video message after his sectoral meeting with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) at Malacañan Palace in Manila to discuss the flood control programs.

He said the proposal will not just focus on flood mitigation as the impounded water could also be used for agricultural purposes.

“Let us not waste the water because we will need that. That’s why we are also looking for a way to impound the water. We are now looking for areas outside Metro Manila where we can build large impounding areas,” Mr. Marcos said.

“We will control the flow of water and stop that from submerging Metro Manila. We would also be able to collect the water and use that for other purposes such as agricultural purposes,” he added.

During the sectoral meeting, Mr. Marcos also directed the Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to come up with a “comprehensive” plan to protect coastal communities and Metro Manila from flooding, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a statement.

This as Mr. Marcos noted that the DPWH’s flood control projects in Metro Manila and its surrounding areas have an estimated cost of P351 billion.

“President Marcos underscored the need for a comprehensive plan to control where the floodwaters should go and what should be done,” Garafil said.

Aside from the flood control initiatives, Mr. Marcos said the government is also monitoring the climate crisis because of its devastating effects to various sectors.

Makati-Taguig land dispute still sizzling

By Rey E. Requejo and Joel E. Zurbano

THE Taguig City government is eyeing the takeover of the 729-hectare Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation from Makati City’s jurisdiction, including the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) complex and several barangays which the Supreme Court (SC) earlier declared as part of Taguig.

Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano made the disclosure as she officially asked SC to direct Makati City Mayor Abigail “Abby” Binay to show cause why she should not be sanctioned for her “improper conduct” in connection with her recent pronouncements about their territorial dispute.

Meanwhile, Makati City administrator Claro Certeza, speaking on behalf of his boss who is currently in London, said they have not seen a copy of the Taguig mayor’s manifestation...

Cayetano personally led the filing of an extremely urgent manifestation with motion ad cautelam against Binay.

“Wherefore, respondent City of Taguig most respectfully prays that the Honorable Court grant leave and admit this manifestation with motion and, after due consideration, require petitioner City of Makati and Mayor Abigail Binay to show cause why they should not be sanctioned,” the manifestation read.

The Taguig government was referring to Binay’s “troubling” claim in media interviews that they received an order setting the case involving the Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation areas for a hearing or oral arguments.

Following Binay’s claim, Cayetano said Taguig’s legal team went to the SC last June 8 to inquire on the existence of an order or document setting the case for hearing or oral arguments.

Herbosa: Bivalent jabs expiring Nov., must be administered soon

By Mervin Lopez

HEALTH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Tuesday said the newly delivered bivalent COVID-19 vaccines should be administered immediately as the medicines were set to expire this coming November 23.

Herbosa said the responsibility is now in the hands of the local government units (LGUs) since the vaccines have been already distributed to them.

“Its shelf life is only six months. So if you buy that out of the shelf, like this one, this donation, they end on November 23, that’s the expiry date. So, I need to start vaccinating people immediately.” Herbosa said at a Malacañang press briefing.

“That should push through with the LGUs. Once it’s there, they can already do that in the center. So, I will check after this meeting, that’s a very important

question. I will check if the distribution has been done.” he added More than 390,000 doses of bivalent vaccines donated by Lithuania have already been rolled out, mostly in the National Capital Region (NCR), the Department of Health (DOH) earlier said. Herbosa said identified the priorities for the bivalent vaccines as the elderlies, people with comorbidities, and the health care workers.

Currently, only adults belonging to A1 (healthcare workers) and A2 (senior citizens) categories are allowed to receive the

NO

CERVICAL

TO

Female students of the La Paz Elementary School in Makati City are administered vaccines meant to insulate them against cervical cancer in the future. The immunization drive dubbed “Sa Aking Paglaki, Walang HPV” is launched to ward off human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer among women. Danny Pata

IN BRIEF

BI bags Chinese fugitive at NAIA

Pfizer bivalent vaccine as third booster dose.

They need to wait at least four months after receiving their second booster shot before they are administered the next one.

Herbosa also said the vaccines roll-out would provide protection for the medical frontliners.

During the same briefing, Herbosa said he would work on the long-delayed compensation for the health workers during the pandemic

“I will get on top of this because I feel the nurses are our real priority. And I’m going to tell this on national TV; I really love the nurses because they are our healthcare system.” He said.

“They are the ones taking care of all hospitalized (people). They are at your side 24/7; we doctors, we are not. So, I really think that if nurses need to be paid, they should be paid.” he stressed.

IMMIGRATION agents have arrested a Chinese woman wanted by the authorities in Beijing for alleged involvement in human trafficking.

BI intelligence chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. identified the suspect as 39-year-old Zheng Yuyu, who was intercepted as she was about to leave for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia through the NAIA Terminal 2.

Manahan said members of the BI’s border control and intelligence unit (BCIU) arrested Zheng before she could board a Philippine Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur..

BI chief Norman Tansingco ordered the woman’s commitment to the BI warden facility at Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City where she would remain while undergoing deportation proceedings.

The BI board of commissioners, which Tansingco chairs, is expected to issue an order for Zheng’s summary deportation and her inclusion in the bureau’s blacklist of undesirable aliens. Vito Barcelo

Borongan Airport up for enhancement

THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Tuesday sealed an agreement with the Borongan City government for the maintenance and development of Borongan Airport in Eastern Samar.

CAAP director general Capt. Manuel Antonio Tamayo and Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the project at the agency’s central office in Pasay City.

DREAM HOMES FOR OVERSEAS WORKERS. Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, Housing Secretary Jose

Rizalino Acuzar , and Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive officer Marilene Acosta show copies of an accord they have signed, meant to enable overseas Filipino workers realize their dream homes for the family. The partnership paves the way for the inclusion of eligible OFWs in the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development’s (DHSUD) Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH), a flagship housing program of the Marcos administration. Manny Palmero

Gabriela picks up cudgels for Pinoy millennials, Gen Zs taking odd jobs

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE Gabriela Women’s Party on Tuesday voiced concern over the increase of Filipino millennials and Gen Zs taking on additional jobs just to make ends meet, as indicated by the Deloitte 2023 Millennial and Gen Z survey.

The group’s nominee in Congress, Rep. Arlene Brosas, made the statement in response to the survey showing that more

than half of Filipino millennials and Gen Zs “live paycheck to paycheck and worry about not being able to cover their expenses.”

“The results of the survey highlight the economic uncertainty that Filipino youth face, especially during this period of economic crisis. It is imperative that the government and employers address this issue by providing higher wages and job security for all workers, includ-

ing millennials and Gen Zs,” Brosas said.

On March 13, 2022, the Gabriela filed House Bill 7568 which proposes a ₱750 across-the-board and nationwide wage increase for employees and workers in the private sector to address the longstanding call of Filipino workers. Several bills which seeks to impose wage increase were also filed and still pending in both Congress and Senate.

BOC-Clark seizes P2.5-m high-grade cannabis from US

By Vito Barcelo

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized at the Port of Clark in Pampanga more than 1.5 grams of smuggled kush or high-grade marijuana worth P2.5 million.

Clark district collector Elvira Cruz said that Customs agents discovered the kush in a shipment declared as “men’s t-shirts, men’s trousers, men’s windbreaker” from Kentucky, USA.

“We received tips that the shipment contains illegal drugs and we conducted X-ray Inspection Project (XIP), including K9 sniffing by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) K9 Unit, which indicated the presence of dangerous drugs,” Cruz said.

A physical examination was immediately conducted by the assigned customs examiner in the presence of the media, a barangay kagawad, and representatives from the Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force, Enforcement and Security Service, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, XIP, and PDEA.

It was later discovered three jogsealed bags concealed dried marijuana leaves and dried fruit tops.

“A Warrant of Seizure and Detention against the shipment was issued after finding probable cause for violation of Section 118 (g), 119 (d), and 1113 par. (f), (I), and (l)-(3) and (4) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act in relation to R.A. No. 9165,” the BOC official said.

Recognizing the increasing demand for air travel in the region, the local government of Borongan initiated the partnership with CAAP and air carriers as the airport launched commercial flights last year.

The city government proposed a comprehensive plan to undertake and finance various development and maintenance projects at the Airport, including the construction of a new passenger terminal building (PTB) and other essential infrastructure.

Tamayo said the partnership is a significant milestone in the partnership between CAAP and the Borongan City government, adding that it is a “testament to our dedication and joint efforts to improve and develop the airport and would hopefully serve as a blueprint for our continuous cooperation going forward.”

Joel E. Zurbano

LONG-LOST MASTERPIECE.

Visitors view Juan

Luna’s painting “Hymen, oh Hyménée” during the “Splendor:

Juan Luna, Painter as Hero” exhibit at Ayala Museum in Makati City on Tuesday. Dubbed by art collectors as the “Holy Grail of Philippine art,” the painting was last seen in Paris in the late 19th century and is now displayed in the country after 132 years.

Danny Pata

Gov’t economic managers support establishment of Maharlika Fund

By Julito G. Rada

THE country’s economic managers reaffirmed on Tuesday their support for the establishment of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) as a vehicle for growth and an investment for the future.

The economic managers are Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. “The MIF is not only beneficial but necessary at this point. While the Philippines can offer investment op -

Rodriguez backs admin plan for Afghan refugees

By Maricel V. Cruz

CAGAYAN de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Tuesday expressed support for the reported government plan to accept Afghan refugees.

“We are a compassionate nation. We are a caring people who will always receive refugees for humanitarian reasons. We can limit the number, but let us host Afghans fleeing the war in their country and their cruel Taliban leaders,” Rodriguez said.

He said there are still some refugee centers in the country that could process and temporarily shelter displaced Afghans. He said the plan if approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., may not be new.

Rodriguez recalled that in September 2021, then Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. revealed that the Philippines had taken in Afghan refugee women and children following the fall of Afghanistan to Taliban.

“We stay steady where others waver: tonight, we welcome Afghan nations, including women and kids seeking refuge. Our doors are open to those fleeing conflict, persecution, sexual abuse, and death,” Locsin was reported as saying.

portunities, given that we are still a growing economy, we see that the cost of debt has risen, making the need to explore vehicles to attract equity financing such as MIC [Maharlika Investment Corp./MIF urgent,” the group said in a joint statement.

“... The MIC/MIF is an investment for the future that we need to start building

Lawmaker tells Meralco: Be extra diligent as NAIA power provider

By Maricel V. Cruz

REP. Brian Raymund Yamsuan of the

Bicol Saro party-list group has reminded the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) that it should exercise “extraordinary diligence” as the power distributor of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Meralco earlier admitted that a “procedural lapse” by one of its personnel led to yet another power outage at the NAIA Terminal 3 last Friday.

Yamsuan said that on top of Meralco’s obligations under the contract with the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to provide electricity to NAIA, the power distribution firm has a greater

responsibility to the people it serves because it is a public utility.

“Exercising extreme caution or extraordinary diligence should not be forgotten by Meralco when it comes to providing its services to the public,” Yamsuan said.

Meralco apologized to the public over the weekend after it admitted that a personnel of Meralco Energy Inc. (MServ) accidentally caused the 37-minute power outage at NAIA 3 last June 9. MServ, a wholly owned subsidiary of Meralco, was testing NAIA 3’s electrical facilities when one of its employees accidentally left grounding conductors attached to an electrical equipment, which triggered the outage that started at 12:50 PM and lasted until 1:29 PM.

Villanueva files measure seeking probe into digital lending platforms

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATE Majority Leader Joel Villanueva filed a resolution that seeks to probe the rise of unauthorized and unregistered online lending platforms in the country victimizing hundreds of Filipinos.

With the increase in digital lending platforms, Villanueva said there has also been a rise in abusive collection and debt recovery practices by some companies.

“Our office has been receiving hundreds of complaints from people who were harassed, intimidated, and shamed

by the collecting agents of these online lending platforms for being unable to pay their loans on time,” said Villanueva in filing Senate Resolution No. 641.

“We need to put a stop to this inhumane and unethical practice and make sure that our kababayans are truly protected,” he added.

Villanueva also said measures should be in place and properly implemented to guarantee that consumers are only transacting with registered and authorized online lending companies to protect their interests and general welfare.

now. It is an ideal vehicle and well-positioned to bring in investments as the Philippine economic outlook remains robust amid the global economic slowdown,” they said.

The group cited international investors who have already expressed interest in investing in it, such as the Japan Bank for International Cooperation as well as several US investors, and more are expected once the MIF is officially launched.

“Let it be clear that the Administration remains focused and committed to the vital and urgent national agenda, with the MIF being one of the strategies towards this overarching goal of national development,” they said. They said the legal framework pro -

vided by Senate Bill No. 2020—approved by the Senate and adopted by the House of Representatives—follows fundamental principles of economic policy and financial market participation in favor of and for the ultimate benefit of the Philippine economy and the Filipino people.

They said the Maharlika Investment Corporation and the MIF aim to execute and sustain high-impact infrastructure and development projects, ease fiscal constraints, and maximize expected returns for our country’s investments. The objectives are clear: to invest funds that are available in government instrumentalities and utilize them for investment purposes on the basis of their individual mandates.

However, he said no additional information would be released for the safety and privacy of the refugees.

The plan to host Afghans has reportedly not been approved yet by President Marcos.

Rodriguez said during the time of President Marcos’ father, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the Philippines accepted thousands of Vietnamese “boat people” after South Vietnam fell to North Vietnamese forces in 1975.

“I am sure President Bongbong Marcos would follow the example and good deeds of his father,” he said.

He said during the administration of President Manuel Quezon, the country hosted more than a thousand Jewish refugees who escaped Nazi persecution and the Holocaust.

EDSA HERO. Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon views the remains of his father former Senator Rodolfo Biazon at a public viewing at the Heritage Park in Taguig City on Monday. Biazon was one of the instruments in defending democracy during EDSA 1 and 2. The former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief died after a battle with pneumonia. He was 88.

Danny Pata

COA flags PCGG on sale of Mandaluyong properties

By Rio A. Araja

THE Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) that disposed of its building in Mandaluyong City in 2022 for P800 million.

In an annual audit report, the COA directed the PCGG to recover properties from the ill-gotten wealth

of the Marcoses that the “land, land improvements and buildings” at No. 82 EDSA, Mandaluyong City that was recorded in the list of “abandoned, surrendered property assets” in 2021.

The properties, in January 2022, had been appraised total market values of P856.99 million and P721.5 million from Asian Appraisal and Cal-Fil, respectively.

PNP monitoring 36 private armies

By Charles Dantes

THIRTY-SIX private armed groups from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region are being monitored ahead of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said.

In an interview, PNP Chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. bared that it is the reason why he frequented trips in the region for the past two months since he assumed his position.

“Most of these PAGs are in eight regions. Mostly in BARMM, this is where we are focusing on because in BARMM alone, we monitored 36 (PAGs),” Acorda said. “So our focus is intelligence-driven operations in guiding our regional

offices to arrest all of them,” he added.

Acorda said that during his visits to BARMM, he met with various groups and stakeholders that could help PNP in securing peaceful and safe BSK elections in the region.

“The good news here is that all the peace groups that we would meet already gave us the commitment that they would assist to ensure the peaceful and orderly conduct of barangay and SK elections,” Acorda said.

Previously, the PNP reported that they are keeping tabs on 45 inactive PAGs and three active armed groups across the country.

PAGs were used to do violent activities to gain advantages or leverage against certain individuals.

“The property was disposed of through public bidding in May 2022,” COA’s Notes to Financial Statements cited.

The appraisal valued the PCGG land at P836.94 million, the buildings at P18.977 million, and other land improvements at P1.073 million.

The report noted the properties “are being used by the Commission in its operation.”

Tulfo visits Dubai, interacts with OFWs based in the UAE

SEN. Raffy Tulfo visited the United Arab Emirates to personally checked the conditions of overseas Filipinos (OFWs) in Dubai.

Tulfo, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, was joined by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Usec. Hans Cacdac, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Arnel Ignacio, Ambassador Ferdinand Ver, and Philippine Consul General Renator Duenas Jr. in his fourday visit in Dubai from June 6 to 9.

The senator kicked off his Dubai visit by celebrating Migrant Workers’ Day on June 7 with several Filipinos there, including three Filipino OFW-turned business owners namely Maria Emma Lizano, Olive Samson, and Melinda Nulla. He is proud that they now own a famous Filipino restaurant in Waterfront, Dubai called PALUTO. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Unprecedented House feats under Speaker Romualdez

A COMPETENT and industrious leader of Congress is an indispensable requirement for the Philippines to remain on the road to national progress. Stability in congressional leadership is also just as important.

The good news is that just recently, 95 percent of the membership of the House of Representatives of the Congress of the Philippines expressed full support for the incumbency of Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez as House Speaker.

This development effectively puts to rest public speculation that Romualdez is on his way out of the House leadership.

That public speculation was fueled by the recent, much-publicized resignation of Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte from the administration political party, the Lakas-CMD.

The Lakas-CMD is the political party VP Duterte ran under in the last elections. This political party is therefore the vehicle that propelled her to the Vice-Presidency.

The certainty of Speaker Romualdez staying put as House chief is no longer doubted.

Nonetheless, infinitely many Filipinos do not understand why there is talk about a change of House leadership in the first place.

The unprecedented accomplishments of the House under the leadership of Speaker Romualdez are the best reasons for keeping him at the helm. Indeed, his leadership has steered the House to new heights.

As Speaker, Romualdez has successfully paved the way for the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress to enact 33 out of the 42 bills in the priority list of the administration, that is, before the House adjourned in the meantime. This is confirmed by Senior Deputy House Speaker and Pampanga solon Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. who spoke to the media last June 8.

According to Gonzales, “One thing is clear: Speaker Martin has created an atmosphere of certainty and trust. His strong, compassionate leadership brought all of us together to work on a single vision -- to pass measures focused on achieving a prosperous, inclusive and resilient Philippines.”

Gonzales added, “Our record speaks for itself. We are comprehensively addressing the everyday issues our people face, from the high cost of commodities, to unemployment and other economic challenges. We are focused on matters that are important to our people and to the Marcos administration.”

In fine, Gonzales asserted that the leadership and guidance provided by Speaker Romualdez inspire everyone in the House to continue to uphold the oath they took before the Filipino people. I reviewed the available legislative records in the House and I found that on the final session of the House prior to its adjournment, the chamber approved on third and final reading two important bills, namely, the highly awaited Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act, and the proposed Philippine Salt Industry Development Act.

Based on my review of the historical record, the Philippines never had a better Speaker of the legislature than he is

The other urgent bills previously approved by the House on third and final reading during Speaker Romualdez’ watch were, among others, those pertaining to the Maharlika Investment Fund; the Magna Carta of Seafarers; the Internet Transaction Act / E-Commerce Law; the E-Governance and E-Government Act; the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act; the Philippine Passport Act; the Waste-to-Energy Law; the Apprenticeship Law; the Build-Operate-Transfer Law; the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers; the law on Valuation Reform; the law governing Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery; the National Citizens Service Training Program; the law on government rightsizing; and the law providing free legal assistance to the police and to soldiers.

Documents also reveal that most of the aforesaid 33 priority bills approved by the House of Representatives are currently pending with the Senate.

Based on past experience, almost all legislative bills passed by the House are supported by the Senate.

Information obtained from pertinent offices in the House of Representatives indicate that 8,426 bills and 1,098 resolutions were filed with the House during the first regular session of the 19th Congress alone.

A total 567 of those were approved. Additional statistical information obtained from the House discloses that the chamber processes a record 30 legislative and related measures for each session day.

All that, reckoned by any standard, is a sterling accomplishment of the House of Representatives under Speaker Romualdez.

Those feats, indeed, are the best indicators that the House of Representatives of Congress is in the very able hands of Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Based on my review of the historical record, the Philippines never had a better Speaker of the legislature than he is.

As a landmark Supreme Court decision once said, “When it is not necessary to change, it is necessary not to change.”

Need to build up PH defense capabilities

ITWAS loud and clear.

We are referring to the statement by Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. that the Department of National Defense remains committed to ensuring the Philippines remains safe, peaceful, united and progressive for Filipinos.

Coinciding with the celebration of the 125th Independence Day on Monday, the 58-year-old Teodoro, whose appointment by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., enabled him to return to his old post, acknowledged challenges faced by the Philippines.

But he stressed: “Amid current and emerging challenges, we will continue to strive for the protection and betterment of our Motherland.” While he is not new to the DND portfolio – he was defense chief from August 2007 to November 2009 under then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo – Teodoro said manning the post is more challenging now as we are all living in a different world.

“It was not merely the relationship with China which was different then, during that time there was no Middle Eastern implosion yet, there was no Arab Spring, there was no tension between Russia and Ukraine and the relationship between China and the United

The DND chief was deafening when he said the Philippines is not a pawn of anyone in the ongoing ‘geopolitical battle’ in the region

States was different, even in the semiconductor and technology sector there was cooperation so now we live in a vastly different world,” he added. Teodoro said there is a lesson here: the need to build up the country’s capabilities to make sure we are safe from any “world happening or event.”

Many gave their hand when Teodoro said in a television interview the Philippines has the right to build up its credible deterrence without any question from other nations.

“The job of the Secretary of the National Defense is first and foremost building up our credible deterrence, and that will, and the way that we build up our credible deterrence

Infrastructure boost for Mindanao

THE good news for Mindanao is that the national government plans to spend P1.2 trillion for infrastructure over the next six years. According to Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, the administration is committed to provide resources for Mindanao’s infrastructure requirements to boost economic growth in the island.

Based on the Public Investment Program (PIP), 35 percent or 1,310 out of the 3,770 priority programs and projects of the government will be located in Mindanao over the course of the Marcos administration.

The planned investments will be on top of at least 30 out of the 194 high-impact infrastructure flagship projects that will support economic growth in Mindanao.

These include the Mindanao Railway, Samal Island-Davao City Connector, Cagayan de Oro Coastal Road, Davao City Expressway, and preparations for the new Zamboanga Airport, Bukidnon Airport, and Siargao Sayak Airport.

The infrastructure boost for Mindanao is part and parcel of the government effort to sustain the annual infrastructure spending at five to six percent of the economy.

The basic idea, according to the Finance Department, is to link and integrate markets, connect urban centers to rural areas, and facilitate the movement of people and goods to expand access to more opportunities for local industries. Ultimately, all this will boost productivity.

The Mindanao projects will be financed by various development partners through official development assistance (ODA), general appropriations, and public-private partnerships (PPPs).

As of end 2022, there were 97 active or ongoing ODA-loan and grant funded projects and programs being implemented in Mindanao.

There are also 35 ongoing projects with total loan and grant commitments of $4.2 billion from bilateral and multilateral de-

velopment partners.

The DOF has likewise committed to assist Mindanao in its implementation of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-MalaysiaPhilippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Vision 2025 to make Mindanao a key economic driver in the sub-region.

The military claims the NPA is now down to around 2,000 regular fighters, from a high of 25,000 in the 1980s

In the past, Mindanao had often been described as the “Land of Opportunity” or the “Land of Promise.”

But it seems that many of its people were neglected by their political leaders and therefore denied the opportunity to improve their lives.

Worse, they were promised deliverance from grinding poverty yet remained destitute and unable to make both ends meet.

The Marcos administration’s enhanced infrastructure program will, we hope, give the people of Mindanao what they truly deserve: a much improved quality of life and a better future.

The end of the road for the insurgency?

If recent news reports are accurate, it would appear the armed rebellion that began in 1969 with the founding of the Maoist New People’s Army is slowly but steadily winding down with successive battlefield losses.

The series of encounters between government troopers from the 62nd Infantry Battalion and the rebels took place in two towns in Negros Occidental on May 20.

is our business and nobody else’s business and whether we partner with country X or Y in order to build up our own core strength is a question for the Philippines,” he said. We agree with him that other countries should not question this right as the Philippines does not call out other nations engaged in the buildup of defensive and even offensive capabilities.

He was explicit, if distinct, when he said “Just like we do not question the buildup of not even defensive capabilities but offensive capabilities of other countries, they should not question ours and they should not tie up our buildup of our capabilities to any question of whether it’s Taiwan or whatnot.

“The Philippines is for the Philippines and we leverage that and I think other countries want to help us because they view it as an integral (part of) standing strong with democratic values.”

The DND chief was deafening when he said the Philippines is not a pawn of anyone in the ongoing “geopolitical battle” in the region.

“And so the Philippines is a value (proposition) as we call it by its own self and not a pawn of anybody else in the geopolitical battle that’s raging within our area now,” he stressed. Right on.

In the two encounters, the NPA suffered five casualties. There were no fatalities on the part of the government soldiers.

The soldiers launched combat operations in response to information regarding the presence of the rebels in the towns of Moises Padilla and La Castellana.

Recovered from the rebels were an M-16 rifle, two .38 caliber pistols, a KG9 machine pistol with a magazine assembly, one UZI machine pistol with a magazine assembly, two homemade 12-gauge shotguns, assorted ammunition, and an NPA flag, the 62nd IB said.

The recent encounters in Negros Occidental come close on the heels of similar clashes in other parts of the country, such as Quezon and Northern Samar provinces.

The military claims the NPA is now down to around 2,000 regular fighters, from a high of 25,000 in the 1980s. The number of their guerrilla fronts has also been whittled down to just two.

If this is the case, then the military’s projection of putting an end to the armed rebellion within the year may yet be on the horizon.

The NPA, after all, is led by the Communist Party of the Philippines, whose founder, Jose Ma. Sison, died from natural causes in December last year.

Key leaders, including the husbandand-wife tandem of Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, were killed somewhere in Samar island even earlier.

Others are now in jail or have been killed in military operations, leaving the rebel movement in the hands of a younger set of cadres who apparently have managed to survive intense military operations in recent years.

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

National Artist Gémino Abad graces UST writing workshop

Carmen Guevara, Joel Toledo, Ailil B. Alvarez, Dawn Marfil Burris, Joselito delos Reyes, Paul Alcoseba Castillo, Chuckberry J. Pascual, Mark Angeles, Lito B. Zulueta, and myself. We also teach creative writing and/or literature subjects at UST.

SUMMER is workshop season, when teachers and students are free of the requirements of the school semester and may turn their attention to other activities.

Creative writing workshops last several days to two weeks and aim to mentor writers in an immersive experience to further develop their craft so that they may contribute in their own way to Philippine letters.

Being held right now, online, is the University of Santo Tomas National Writers Workshop. It is the flagship program of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies (CCWLS).

This year’s writing fellows are Amroding Baraiman, Carmina Cruz, Jannina Del Rio, Rey Isidto, Ian Nievero Jerez, Ivan James Layugan, Alyssa Jude Montalban, Nicolo Nasol, Kimberly Rose Pillo, Antonette Ramos, John Leihmar Toledo, Glenn Ford Tolentino, and Fe Esperanza Trampe.

The guest panelists are National Artist for Literature Gémino Abad, Luna Sicat Cleto, Jerry B. Gracio, and Vim Nadera.

Also serving as panelists and session moderators are the officials and Resident Fellows of the CCWLS: Director Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, CoDirector Augusto Antonio A. Aguila, Assistant Director Ralph Semino Galan, and Jose P. Mojica, John Jack G. Wigley, Ned Parfan, Nerisa del

* * *

Meanwhile, this year’s Ateneo National Writers Workshop ended yesterday. Organized by the Ateneo Institute of Literary Arts and Practices (AILAP), the eight writing fellows had their works critiqued by AILAP director Allan Derain and panelists Luna Sicat- Cleto, Jhoanna Lynn Cruz, Alvin Yapan, Eli Guieb III, Junley Lazaga, Genevieve Asenjo, and Vincenz Serrano. The chosen writing fellows were Ryan Cezar O. Alcarde, Amanda Juico de la Cruz, DJ Ellamit, Elio Garcia, Vincent Imbat, Jehu Laniog, Hunny Laurente, and Jessa C. Suganob.

* * *

After two years of being conducted in virtual mode, the 16th Palihang Rogelio Sicat (PRS) will again be held face-to-face at the University of the Philippines-Diliman on June 21 to 25, 2023.

Organized by the UP Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature (UP-DFPL), PRS is the only all-Filipino language writing workshop in the country.

It also provides continuous mentoring of workshop fellows by the panelists long after the workshop is over.

PRS 16 will also see the launching of its first anthology of former fellows’ works and a special

I call upon the national government and LGUs to consider setting up workshops and writers’ residencies to foster the literary arts in the country and local communities

workshop on the visual arts and text to be delivered by Prof. Manolo Sicat of the UP College of Fine Arts.

The fellows for poetry are: John Rafael Alcantara (Quezon), Sofia Angela Federico (Camarines Sur), Kei Gemora (Iloilo/Negros), Jose Velando Ogatis (Cavite), and Nethalie Jane Rojas (Catanduanes).

For the short story: Christian Balagoza (Bulacan), Lance Romulus Dayrit (Pangasinan), and Rica Mae Roberto (Bulacan). For flash fiction: Precioso Dahe (Bukidnon),

Loi Vincent Deriada (Iligan), Melencio Fernando (Bulacan), and Rey Mart Lapiña (Davao).

For the essay: Denmark Soco (Davao de Oro).

For drama: Angel Salvador Chiutea (Valenzuela) and Hannah Adtoon Leceña (Sarangani).

This year’s guest of honor is scholar, critic, editor, writer and editor emeritus of Kritika Kultura, Prof. Maria Luisa Torres-Reyes.

Some of her works are Sipat Salin and the translated version of The February Revolution by Letizia R. Constantino and Renato Constantino.

Comprising the PRS teaching panel are teacher-writers of the UP Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature including Reuel Molina Aguila and Jimmuel Naval, PRS founders, as well as Luna Sicat-Cleto, Vim Nadera, Romulo

P. Baquiran Jr., Rommel B. Rodriguez, Elyrah

L. Salanga Torralba, Will P. Ortiz and Maynard Manansala.

Guest panelists are Joi Barrios-Leblanc, Marne L. Kilates, Fidel Rillo Jr., and Jess Santiago.

* * *

Creative writing workshops are important for the development of writers and the cultivation of a national literature. Workshops provide a nurturing environment where aspiring authors can refine their craft, explore their unique voice, and receive valuable feedback from experienced mentors and fellow writers.

They also offer a space for writers to hone their skills and experiment with different styles and techniques. Through constructive criticism and guidance,

participants learn to refine their storytelling abilities, develop compelling characters, and master the art of crafting vivid imagery.

By receiving feedback about their pieces, writers gain the confidence and knowledge needed to produce their best work.

Workshops foster a sense of community among writers.

Writers can learn from one another’s perspectives, receive encouragement during challenging times, and build lasting connections.

The networking developed among participants stand them in good stead later on for collaborations, help with publishing, jobseeking, and so on.

Workshops are also essential for nurturing emerging talents.

Aspiring writers often face barriers to entry in the publishing world, but workshops provide a platform for undiscovered voices to be heard. By encouraging new writers, workshops play a crucial role in ensuring the representation of different perspectives and experiences in the literary landscape.

Writing workshops empower writers to produce more and share their own particular stories, participating in the constant construction and development of national identity.

This is why I call upon the national government and LGUs to consider setting up workshops and writers’ residencies to foster the literary arts in the country and local communities.

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

UN chief wants code vs. ‘misinformation’

ALARM over advancements in artificial intelligence must not obscure the “grave” harm already being done by digital platforms rife with misinformation, UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday, as he proposed an international code of conduct.

Rapidly developing AI tools, including chatbots, image generators and voice cloning technology, have sparked global concern over their striking ability to disseminate falsehoods.

Guterres said he endorsed the idea for the creation of an AI watchdog body similar to the International Atomic En-

Ex-Samsung exec charged with stealing firm’s secrets

A FORMER Samsung executive has been charged with stealing company secrets for a copycat computer chip factory in China, and is being held in detention pending trial, prosecutors told AFP on Tuesday.

The 65-year-old man, who has not been identified, allegedly stole Samsung trade secrets in a bid to set up a chip factory in the Chinese city of Xian—near where Samsung has a plant—the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office said in a separate statement.

The material he stole was classified as “national core technology” – innovations designated by South Korean law as potentially having a major negative impact on national security and the economy if disclosed overseas.

“He’s currently detained at the Suwon Detention Center,” the spokesperson of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office told AFP, adding the suspect had been held for some time but only formally charged on Monday.

Securing supplies of advanced chips has become a crucial issue internationally, with the United States and China locked in a fierce battle for control of the market.

Samsung is one of the world’s largest makers of memory chips and smartphones, and its overall turnover is equivalent to about onefifth of South Korea’s gross domestic product.

The Samsung factory blueprints and clean-room designs from 2018 and 2019 that the man allegedly tried to steal would have been worth at least 300 billion won ($236 million) to Samsung, authorities said. AFP

ergy Agency (IAEA), but noted that “only member states can create it, not the Secretariat of the United Nations.”

He added that while alarm bells over AI were “deafening,” they must not “distract us from the damage digital technology is already doing to our world.”

“The proliferation of hate and lies in the digital space is causing grave global harm now,” Guterres told a news conference while presenting a policy brief on the subject.

“It is fueling conflict, death and destruction now. It is threatening democracy and human rights now.”

Guterres said a “United Nations Code of Conduct for information integrity on digital platforms” was being developed ahead of the UN’s “Summit of the Future” slated for next year.

His policy brief, which will feed the code of conduct, includes a slew of pro-

posals, including that advertisers implicated in monetizing harmful content take full responsibility for their spending.

“Disinformation and hate should not generate maximum exposure and massive profits,” Guterres said.

While unleashing social and cultural transformation globally, online platforms have also “exposed a darker side,” he warned.

“The ability to disseminate largescale disinformation to undermine scientifically established facts poses an existential risk to humanity,” he insisted,

Japan solons back controversial LGBTQ bill

JAPAN’S lower house on Tuesday approved proposed legislation aimed at “promoting understanding” of LGBTQ issues but campaigners criticized the bill for its watered-down language.

The country’s coalition government had debated the wording for months, with conservative politicians saying an anti-discrimination clause could deepen social divisions or open up companies and individuals to malicious lawsuits.

Legislators finally settled on a clause opposing “unjust discrimination” against sexual minorities, adding the word “unjust” after extensive wrangling.

The bill now moves to the upper house, where it is widely expected to be approved and become law.

The push for the legislation this year came with renewed scrutiny of protec-

tions for sexual minorities in Japan, the only G7 country that does not recognize same-sex unions.

As G7 host, there has been pressure on Tokyo, including from representatives of its allies in the bloc, to pass legislation protecting against discrimination.

US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who has been vocal in calling for LGBTQ protections, praised the lower house for its “historic vote.”

“The public call for inclusion and equal rights is loud and clear, and the Lower House listened and acted,” he tweeted on Tuesday.

But the language approved by the lower house was met with disappointment by activists.

The Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation said it “betrayed” those who have

“waited impatiently for a law on the LGBT community.”

The group “firmly condemned” the bill, saying it showed excess “consideration” for those who discriminate against the LGBTQ community.

Polls show the majority of Japan’s public back same-sex marriage, while a growing number of employers and municipalities including Tokyo now offer some of the same benefits to same-sex couples as married ones.

But the law remains far behind public opinion, and a slew of recent court cases on same-sex unions have produced divided rulings.

Japan’s 1947 constitution says marriage requires “the mutual consent of both sexes” but it also states that all people “are equal under the law.” AFP

Vatican court hits climate activists with tough fines

TWO climate protesters who glued themselves to the base of an ancient sculpture in the Vatican Museums have been ordered to pay damages of 28,000 euros ($30,250), activists said Tuesday.

The two Italian environmentalists—members of the Last Generation group – were also handed suspended prison sentences for sticking their hands to the base of the Laocoon statue.

“Judges at the Vatican City State Tribunal sentenced Ester (Goffi) and Guido (Viero) to nine months (suspended) and a fine of 1,620 euros, and ordered them to pay damages of more than 28,000 euros,” Last Generation said.

The group said it would appeal.

The stunt was one of a number of eye-catching acts in recent months designed to focus attention on the urgency of weaning the world off fossil fuels.

During their protest in August 2022, Goffi and Viero unfurled a banner reading “Last Generation. No gas,

referring to their risk to democratic institutions and human rights.

He said that the code of conduct should be based on a commitment to information integrity, human rights and support for independent media.

“We must learn from the mistakes of the past. Digital platforms were launched into the world without sufficient awareness or assessment of the potential damage to societies and individuals,” Guterres said.

“The era of Silicon Valley’s ‘move fast and break things’ philosophy must be brought to a close.” AFP

22 US soldiers hurt in chopper ‘mishap’

TWENTY-TWO US soldiers were injured in a helicopter accident in northeastern Syria at the weekend that did not involve any reported enemy fire, US Central Command said Tuesday.

“A helicopter mishap in northeastern Syria resulted in injuries of various degrees to 22 US service members” on Sunday, Centcom said in a statement.

“The service members are receiving treatment for their injuries and 10 have been evacuated to higher care facilities,” it said.

“The cause of the incident is under investigation, although no enemy fire was reported.”

The United States has about 1,000 troops deployed in Syria as part of international efforts to combat jihadists, and periodically carries out strikes targeting militants in the country.

US bases have been repeatedly targeted in the past year, with cells linked to the Islamic State group claiming responsibility for some of them.

In March the United States carried out air strikes on Iran-linked groups in Syria after a US contractor was killed in a drone attack on a US-led coalition base near the city of Hasakeh in northeastern Syria.

At the time, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said at least 19 people were killed in the US air strikes.

The conflict in Syria has killed around half a million people since it began in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests, spiralling into a complex battlefield involving foreign armies, militias and jihadists. AFP

3 killed in wave of Russian strikes

A RUSSIAN missile strike killed three people and wounded 32 in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Tuesday, authorities said, as air attacks were reported in Kyiv and other cities.

In Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a five-storey building was destroyed, said the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region that includes the city.

“According to initial reports, three of its residents died. 25 people were injured,” Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram. “There are still people under the rubble.”

Lysak said three cruise missiles were shot down but others got through. Air raid alerts were sounded across Ukraine as the capital Kyiv and the northeast city of Kharkiv also came under missile and drone attacks.

“According to initial reports, the enemy used Kh-101/555 cruise missiles,” the Kyiv city military administration said.

no coal” under the marble statue, which was not touched.

“The Vatican, which is one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies, proves by this verdict how hypocritical it is,” the group said.

It said the punishment—“for a few drops of glue on a block of marble underneath the Laocoon” – was “out of proportion and absurd,” saying the protest was “simply to highlight what the pope has written and advised.”

Pope Francis, who has been outspoken in his commitment to environmental concerns, regularly stresses how crucial it is to preserve the planet for future generations.

The Ancient Roman statue of Laocoon shows the mythical priest and his sons being crushed to death by giant sea serpents after trying in vain to warn the Trojans of an impending catastrophe – the wooden horse gifted to them by the Greeks. AFP

Ukraine eyes Australian F-18 fighter jets to help war effort

UKRAINE has asked Australia about the condition of dozens of retired F-18 fighter jets, the country’s ambassador told AFP on Tuesday, eyeing a potential weapons transfer that could significantly boost Kyiv’s airpower.

Vasyl Myroshnychenko said an initial request had been made about the state of an estimated 41 planes stored at an air base north of Sydney. “There has been a request for information,” Myroshnychenko said.

“Ukraine is looking at fighter jet capabilities, including

this one.”

Ukraine recently won long-sought White House approval to acquire advanced “fourth generation” US-made aircraft such as the F-16.

Although decades old, the F-16 would be a massive upgrade on Ukraine’s stock of Soviet-era MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets – posing a potent threat to Russian air and ground forces.

Several Western nations have signalled an interest in supplying Ukraine with F-16s, but Ukraine’s interest in Australia’s jets is the first time F-18s have been publicly discussed.

Mick Ryan, a strategist and retired Australian major general, told AFP that the F-18s could help “level the playing field” against Russia’s larger and betterequipped air force—helping prevent strikes on Ukrainian towns, cities and critical infrastructure.

“The key capabilities the Ukrainians would be after would be longer range sensors and longer range weapons than they currently have with MiG-29s,” Ryan said.

“If they can level the playing field with the Russians in this regard, they can push missile launching aircraft further away from Ukraine and push back ground attack aircraft as well.”

Ukraine currently has an estimated 82 fighter and attack jets, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance publication.

But any F-18 deal appears some way off, requiring diplomatic and logistical cooperation between Canberra, Washington and Kyiv.

It is unclear how many of the F-18s are still operable, although one source familiar with the negotiations put the figure at between 12 and 16 jets. AFP

“All enemy targets in the airspace around Kyiv were detected and successfully destroyed by the forces and means of air defence,” it said, adding there was no immediate information on any casualties or damage.

The fresh wave of air attacks came after Ukraine claimed to have retaken several villages and made advances in its counter-offensive against Russian forces.

“More terrorist missiles, Russian killers continue their war against residential buildings, ordinary cities and people. Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded,” Zelensky said on Twitter.

“The rescue operation in Kryvyi Rih continues.”

In Kharkiv, civilian infrastructure was hit in a drone attack, said the city’s mayor Ihor Terekhov.

“According to initial reports, a utility company in the Kyivskyi district, as well as a warehouse in Saltivskyi district got damaged. A fire broke out as a result of the explosion on the latter,” he said. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CIAO, SILVIO. A portrait in tribute to late Italian former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is displayed on the Palazzo della Regione Liguria in Genoa. AFP

Generazione (Last Generation) climate change activist Ester Goffi

Market barely moves; Globe tops gainers

STOCKS barely moved Tuesday, with investors awaiting the release of key US inflation data that could play a big role in the Federal Reserve’s keenly-anticipated interest rate decision.

The PSE index, the 30-company benchmark of the Philippine Stock Exchange, rose 0.11 point to close at 6,507.26, as four of the six subsectors retreated. The broader all-shares index lost 8 points, or 0.26 percent, to settle at 3,467.25 on a value turnover of P5.5 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 127 to 68, while 43 issues were unchanged.

Globe Telecom Inc. led three of the 10 most active stocks that ended in

China reduces key interest rate to lift economy

BEIJING—China’s central bank on Tuesday cut a key policy interest rate, in a surprise move to boost the country’s flagging economy.

The People’s Bank of China said it was lowering the seven-day reverse repo rate to 1.9 percent from 2.0 percent, the first such move since August last year.

The seven-day reverse repo is the short-term interest paid by the central bank on loans from commercial lenders, and a decrease in the rate is expected to increase domestic money supply and stimulate spending.

Analysts had predicted monetary easing measures in the coming weeks, but in the form of a cut to the required reserve ratio—the amount of cash banks are required to hold—rather than a rate cut, Capital Economics economist Julian Evans-Pritchard wrote in a note on Tuesday.

The cut reveals “growing concerns among policymakers about the health of China’s recovery”, Evans-Pritchard wrote.

Chinese authorities have announced a series of lackluster economic indicators in recent months, pointing to a slowdown in the country’s post-Covid recovery.

Consumer prices rose only 0.2 percent on-year in May, while factory activity shrank last month for the second consecutive month.

Beijing has kept interest rates low compared with other major economies, but the near-zero inflation highlights challenges faced by policymakers as they try to stimulate growth.

China’s six largest state-owned commercial banks cut interest rates for savers on Thursday to boost spending, according to announcements on their websites, after being asked by the central bank. AFP

the green, as it rose 2.75 percent to P1,834.00. Ayala Land Inc. gained 0.60 percent to P25.00, while Bank of the Philippine Islands added 0.58 percent to finish at P104.90.

Meanwhile, the peso strengthened to 55.95 against the US dollar Tuesday from 56.05 in the previous trading day.

Most Asian markets rose. Expectations are for the US central bank to hold fire at the end of its meeting Wednesday—after 10 straight hikes—as data

suggested the economy remained healthy but was showing signs that the tightening measures were kicking in.

Analysts said bets are on a pause for another increase next month, though they warned that a forecast-busting reading on the consumer price index could force officials to keep lifting.

Optimism that borrowing costs will be held -- traders have priced in a 20 percent chance of a hike -- has helped push stocks higher this month, with the S&P 500 now in a bull market, having risen 20 percent from its October lows.

“The committee is expected to skip the June meeting but still pair that with hawkish communications to counter any sense that a June pause trumpets the

end of their hiking campaign,” said SPI Asset Management’s Stephen Innes.

“However, a big upside surprise in today’s CPI could move the rate hike needle for June up to and above 50-50.”

After a strong performance on Wall Street, Asia struggled in the morning but picked up as the day wore on.

Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Wellington, Mumbai, Bangkok, Jakarta and Taipei rose, while London, Paris and Frankfurt jumped in the morning.

The Fed decision comes as central banks around the world continue to struggle in their battle against inflation, which remains well above their two percent targets. With AFP

UK unemployment dropped to 3.8% in April, official says

LONDON, United Kingdom—UK unemployment eased in the three months to the end of April but wage rises continue to lag inflation, official data showed Tuesday.

The unemployment rate decreased to 3.8 percent from 3.9 percent in the three months to the end of March, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

“While there has been another drop in the number of people neither working nor looking for work... those outside the jobs market due to longterm sickness continues to rise to a new record,” noted Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS.

“In cash terms, basic pay is now growing at its fastest since current records began, apart from the period when the figures were distorted by the pandemic.

“However, even so, wage rises continue to lag

Europe taking lead over US on cryptocurrency regulation

The Bitcoin logo is seen on a Coinstar cryptocurrency ATM at a grocery store in Washington, DC, on Jan. 19, 2023. AFP

TOP GAINERS

behind inflation,” he added.

Morgan said the number of people in work had past its prepandemic level for the first time, setting a new high.

“The biggest driver in recent jobs growth... is health and social care, followed by hospitality,” he said. AFP

NOTICE AND AGENDA

TO ALL STOCKHOLDERS:

TOP LOSERS

MOST ACTIVE

ZUG, Switzerland—Born out of the desire to create a decentralized currency not controlled by a government, the crypto movement has long resisted regulation.

But those days may be numbered as the EU recently adopted comprehensive rules regarding crypto assets, taking a lead over the United States, which has meanwhile cracked down on two major crypto exchanges.

In April, the European Parliament adopted by a wide margin the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation and it received final approval by the Commission last month.

The first comprehensive regulation of the sector, MiCA aims to reduce illegal practices including money laundering as well as protect investors and consumers.

It covers issues of crypto assets as well as trading venues and providers of the “wallets” where investors hold their assets.

“MiCA brings clarity,” said Jerome Bailly, vice president of Crypto Valley, an association which supports the crypto industry in Switzerland.

“We’re no longer in the Wild West era and what everyone wants in the industry is the rules of the game,” he told AFP at an event supporting startups. Bailly said that while everyone was initially hostile towards MiCA, “finally it has become a

selling point for Europe” as it fixes a clear framework for companies which can then organize their business operations accordingly.

He believes a “European bloc” will emerge, with the Britain and Switzerland following the EU’s lead to create a regulatory zone.

Litigation fears

On the other hand, “the signals coming from the United States are clearly negative,” Bailly warned. US crypto firms were weakened by the failures of Signature Bank, Silvergate and Silicon Valley Bank, which were key institutions in financing of the larger tech sector and startups.

Plus, US authorities have begun to turn the screws on the sector since the failure of the FTX and Genesis exchanges, charging the world’s top cryptocurrency exchange Binance with securities law violations, as well as its rival Coinbase.

In February, the California-based exchange Kraken received a large fine from the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates trading in securities, for not having registered its services.

The US regulatory uncertainty is a difficulty for companies, said Bailly, as debate rages in the United States whether the crypto should be treated as financial assets and therefore be regulated by the SEC, or whether they should be considered as commodities and therefore overseen by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. AFP

OF THE ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of GLOBAL-ESTATE RESORTS, INC. (the “Company”) will be held on 03 July 2023 at 9:00 a.m. to be conducted virtually, through the link https://geri.com.ph/asm2023/ that can be accessed through the Company’s website, with the following agenda:

I. Call to Order

II. Certification of Notice and Quorum

III. Approval of the Minutes of the previous Annual Stockholders’ Meeting

IV. Annual Report of Management

V. Appointment of External Auditor

VI. Ratification of all acts and resolutions of the Board of Directors, Board Committees and Corporate Officers adopted during the preceding year

VII. Election of Directors

VIII. Other matters

IX. Adjournment

Stockholders of record as of 02 June 2023 will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting.

Pursuant to Article V, Section 2 of the Company’s Amended By-Laws and Sections 23 and 57 of the Revised Corporation Code and to conform with the government’s regulation on social distancing and prohibition on mass gatherings, the Company decided to hold the Annual Meeting via remote communication, and allow the stockholders to cast their votes by remote communication or in absentia, or by proxy.

To participate in the Annual Meeting, stockholders must register from 9:00 AM of 16 June 2023 until 5:00 PM of 26 June 2023. The procedure for participation via remote communication and in absentia is contained in the Information Statement.

Stockholders who wish to appoint proxies may submit proxy instruments until 5:00 pm of 26 June 2023 to the Office of the Corporate Secretary at 9th Floor Eastwood Global Plaza, Palm Tree Avenue, Eastwood City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City or by e-mail at corpsecretary@globalestate.ph. Validation of proxies shall be held on 28 June 2023. A sample proxy form will be enclosed in the Information Statement for your convenience.

The Information Statement and other pertinent documents and information on the Annual Meeting are available through the Company’s website. For any clarifications, please contact the Office of the Corporate Secretary via email at corpsecretary@global-estate.ph. Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, 08 May 2023.

MARIA CARLA T. UYKIM Corporate Secretary

JAPAN STOCKS. People walk in front of an electronic board showing the numbers of share prices on the Tokyo Stock Exchange along a street in Tokyo on June 13, 2023. AFP

BUSINESS

By Jenniffer B. Austria

CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. plans to invest more in its core food and beverage business, infrastructure and energy projects to ensure the company’s long-term profitability, a top executive said Tuesday.

San Miguel president and chief executive Ramon Ang said in a message contained in the company’s annual report the group plans to build several mega poultry plants in strategic locations across the country over the next 10 years. Ang said this move would bring down

DOE: Energy-efficiency investments hit P6.8b

THE Department of Energy said Tuesday its Energy Utilization Management Bureau recorded about P6.8 billion worth of energy efficiency investments from 2021 to 2022. EE investments include projects such as new installation, upgrading, or retrofitting specific equipment or devices such as lighting retrofit, automated lighting control system or smart control system, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning upgrades, boiler replacement and other similar devices or equipment.

The DOE said the investments are based on the Annual Energy Efficiency and Conservation and Annual Energy Consumption Reports submitted by the designated establishments for the compliance period of 2021-2022. These establishments include private entities in the commercial, industrial, transport, power, agriculture, public works and other sectors identified by the DOE as energy-intensive industries based on their annual consumption from the previous year.

“I am very pleased that our DEs are moving forward on EEC. These accomplishments bring multiple benefits for the companies such as enhancing the sustainability of the energy system, supporting strategic objectives for economic and social development, promoting environmental goals and increasing prosperity,” said Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla. Alena Mae S. Flores

FDI net inflows declined

30% to $548m in March

NET inflows of foreign direct investments declined by 30.7 percent in March to $548 million from $792 million in the same month last year as global uncertainties impacted investors’ sentiments, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Tuesday.

“The said decline resulted from lower net inflows across all major FDI components amid investor concerns over subdued global growth prospects,” the BSP said in a statement.

Equity capital placements originated mostly from Singapore, Japan and the United States. These were directed mainly to the manufacturing, information and communication and real estate industries.

Data showed that in the first quarter, FDI net inflows also decreased by 19.6 percent to $2.0 billion from $2.5 billion a year earlier.

Net FDI inflows contracted by 23.2 percent in 2022 to $9.2 billion from the record $12 billion achieved in 2021.

The BSP expects net FDI inflows to settle at $11 billion this year. Julito G. Rada

Silang (Aguinaldo) segment of Calax now 80% finished

METRO Pacific Tollways South said the construction of the Silang (Aguinaldo) segment of the Cavite Laguna Expressway is now 80-percent completed.

Once operational, MPT South said this section would provide a crucial connection to the Aguinaldo Highway, the busiest highway in Cavite.

This development will greatly enhance travel convenience to Silang town and Tagaytay, making it easier for tourists to reach ‘Instagram-ready’ destinations in the province.

The Calax operational segment stretches from Mamplasan in Binan, with interchanges at Laguna Technopark, Laguna Boulevard, Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road and up to Silang East Interchange.

The entire 45-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway is expected to be completed by 2024. Darwin G. Amojelar

logistics cost, prevent supply shortage and provide more stable pricing.

“This is part of our larger push to boost food security nationwide, which started with the expansion of our beer business, value-added meats, readyto-eat and logistics business in the last couple of years,” Ang said.

He said for the power generation business, San Miguel Global Power would increase its investments in transition technologies and for the reconfiguration of coal facilities to accommodate alternative fuels.

SMGP expects to complete by end2023 about 610 megawatts of the total 1,000-MW target capacity of the battery energy storage system. The rest will be completed by 2024.

Ang said the group’s first solar power project is also in the pipeline and targeted for commercial operations in the next few years.

SMC is expanding its liquefied natural gas facility, with the construction

of the 1,313-MW Batangas combined cycle power plant ongoing. The project is set for completion by 2024.

Ang also reported that land development of the P740-billion New Manila International Airport was now over 55-percent completed.

“We expect substantial completion of the land platform by December 2024, and we are looking to jumpstart other work streams such as the terminal and runways by early next year,” Ang said.

The world-class airport, spanning over 2,500 hectares in Bulakan, Bulacan, will be developed in phases, with an initial capacity of 35 million passengers annually and a target of 100 million

SMC unveils major investments IN BRIEF

passengers once fully completed. Other infrastructure projects that are progressing well are the Mass Railway Transit Line 7, South Luzon Expressway Tollroad 4 and the SLEX Tollroad 5. Ang said 2023 could be a challenging year for the group because of the highinflation environment, coupled with higher cost of borrowing, fluctuating crude prices and lower power and food demand.

He said despite these factors, sales volume would remain strong.

“If we can at least match the previous year’s performance, I think we should be very thankful,” Ang said during the stockholders meeting.

By Darwin G. Amojelar

VOYAGER Innovations, owner of Maya, said Tuesday it is raising $100 million to $150 million this year to support aggressive expansion.

“There is an effort to raise some money—anywhere between $100 and $150 million,” Voyager chairman Manuel Pangilinan said at the sidelines of the annual stockholders’ meeting of PLDT.

“I think the focus of attention is new stockholders, but I think given market conditions, I think the existing shareholders may have to participate for the portion,” he said.

Pangilinan said PLDT would participate in the fundraising of Voyager.

MASS HIRING. McDonald’s Philippines’ managers and crew are ready to bring more feel-good moments in stores nationwide.

With now close to 60,000 employees, McDonald’s Philippines—under its master franchise holder and owner Dr. George Yang and president and chief executive Kenneth Yang—announces over 20,000 career opportunities to Filipinos as it continues to open more stores all over the country. Priority areas for hiring management trainees are Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Montalban, Dumaguete, Bacolod, Makati, Manila, Quezon City, Pampanga, Tagaytay, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Lucena and Pasig City. Priority areas for crew members are Parañaque, Manila, Pasay, Pasig, Marikina, Taytay, Antipolo, Kidapawan and Davao City.

By Othel V. Campos

of

Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association said in a joint report automotive sales reached 38,177 in May, up from 26,370 units a year ago.

“The growth of new motor vehicle sales in May with nearly 45-percent increase is definitively driven by the high market demand, recording double-digit growths across all segments from the

figures last year,” CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez said.

“The industry also welcomed the country’s sustained economic improvement in major economic sectors, which remain an important factor towards an economic and market conditions that are favorable for the industry and consumers alike,” he said. Data showed that passenger car sales climbed 40.6 percent in May to 9,792 from 6,964 units a year ago. Monthon-month sales also rose 33.83 percent from 7,317 units in April 2023. This brought total passenger cars sold from January to May to 166,104 units, up by 31.5 percent from 126,273 units

DOE orders creation of team to assess, audit performance of NGCP

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Department of Energy issued an order creating the performance assessment and audit team for the operations of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.

Department Order 2023-06-0018, signed by Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla on June 8, 2023, said the team would assist Congress and the President in continuously reviewing laws and policies relating to energy.

It said the PAA should serve as a basis for the DOE, the Energy Regulatory Commission and other relevant agencies to develop policies to attain secure, reliable and affordable supply of elec-

tricity.

“The PAA shall serve as basis for the DOE or the ERC to recommend to Congress any actions to be taken in respect of the franchise of the TNP [transmission network operator] and SO [system operator], and as basis for Congress to act upon such recommendations,” the order read.

It said the PAA may also serve as basis for the National Transmission Corp. and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. to assess the performance of the TNP and SO of its obligations under the concession agreement dated Feb. 28, 2008.

“The PAA shall be conducted in a transparent, and timely manner with

results thereof to be used for improving operations and performance, and for evaluating the level of implementation and compliance by the TNP and SO with the TDP [Transmission Development Plan],” the order said.

The DOE said the PAA would be part of the industry’s best practices and compliance of all transmission systems and facilities.

It would also served as the “basis for the ERC’s enforcement of an incentive and penalty system that ensures accountability of the TNP and SO in performing its mandate in ensuring the security and reliability of the grid while allowing non-discriminatory access to all grid users.”

delivered in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, commercial vehicle sales grew 46.3 percent in May to 28,385 units from 23,323 units a year earlier. Month-on month also increased 21.7 percent from 23, 326 units in April.

Commercial vehicles sold from January to May totaled 124,242 units, up by 31.2 percent from last year’s 94,727 units.

“The steady year-on-year growth recorded in the first five months gives the industry a reason to be even more optimistic and grateful at the same time as attaining its growth forecast this year felt even closer to reality and proves rather possible,” said Gutierrez.

LOGISTICS PARTNER.

2GO, the Philippines’ largest end-toend logistics, transportation and distribution solutions provider and a part of SM Investments Corp., is the official logistics partner of IRONMAN events in the Philippines.

As with its previous support in the Davao leg, 2GO transported largeticket paraphernalia, including bikes, race equipment, race bibs, singlets, merchandise and exhibition materials to Subic.

Shown are athletes of the 2GO Tri relay team participating in IRONMAN Subic.

By Julito G. Rada

STATE-RUN pension fund Government Service Insurance System said Tuesday it reduced its outstanding loans by 39 percent through enhanced collection efforts. GSIS president and general manager Wick Veloso said in a statement the agency was seriously adhering to the recommendations of the Commission on Audit following audit findings that showed uncollected service loans surpassing P45 billion.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to improve our collection practices, we have reduced our total loan receivables. In 2016,

He also expects Voyager to contribute positively to PLDT in the next two to three years.

“I think recovery will be led by the enterprise part of the business,” Pangilinan said. Voyager raised $210 million in new funds in April 2022, propelling the company’s valuation to unicorn status at $1.4 billion.

Leading the round is new investor SIG Venture Capital, the Asian venture capital arm of SIG. Other new investors include Singapore-based global investor EDBI and investment holding company First Pacific Company Ltd.

Other participants in the round are Voyager’s shareholders PLDT Inc., KKR, a global investment firm; Tencent, a leading technology company; International Finance Corp.; and IFC Emerging Asia Fund and IFC Financial Institutions Growth Fund, two funds managed by the IFC Asset Management Company, a division of IFC.

our receivables stood at P74.25 billion. We’ve managed to cut this by 39 percent to P42.01 billion in 2023,” he said.

“In the first four months of 2023 alone, we reduced our due and demandable loans by P3.57 billion or 7.83 percent from its 2022 balances of P45.58 billion, bringing our April 2023 level down to P42.01 billion,” he said. He said the substantial reduction in outstanding loans was the result of numerous measures the pension fund instituted over the years such as various condonation and restructuring programs designed to alleviate borrower debts.

Heat take lessons from stunning run to NBA Finals

DENVER—Whether it was toughness through adversity or bonding the teammates, the Miami Heat took some life lessons from their unexpected run to the NBA Finals.

The Heat, only the second eighth seed in NBA history to reach the best-of-seven series, lost 94-89 at Denver on Monday to fall 4-1 in a disappointing end to a magical run as a play-in team.

“I learned so much,” Heat star Jimmy Butler said. “I wish I could have got it done for these guys because they definitely deserve it. But the one thing I’m going to take from it is how grateful I am to be able to compete with them.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was able to shake off the disappointment to put Miami’s play-in win and elimination of NBA regularseason leader Milwaukee, New York and Boston in long-term perspective.

“Our guys will be able to take that quality the rest of their careers—that grit, the perseverance, the toughness, the ability to compete and put yourself out there for everybody to judge and to be able to handle adversity,” Spoelstra said.

DENVER DYNASTY

Malone: Nuggets have pieces to follow through

DENVER—Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone is targeting a dynasty after leading the franchise to a first-ever NBA championship on Monday.

The Colorado franchise ended a 47-season wait for glory in the Mile High City on Monday, downing the Miami Heat 94-89 to complete an emphatic 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.

And with confetti still falling at the Ball Arena, Malone wasted no time in declaring that he wants the Nuggets’ breakthrough first title to be the first of many.

“I’ve got news for everybody out there. We’re not satisfied with one,” Malone said. “We want more.”

Friendlies

with Nepal, Taipei set for Azkals

RETURNING Philippine national men’s football team head coach Michael Weiss said there’s little time to prepare the Azkals for the coming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification when it starts this October.

But Weiss said he looks forward to his second tour of duty with the team, and how the players will grow under him.

“I know the players. We have quality in our games, and we have to show that in the field,” said Weiss ahead of their two friendly matches on Thursday and on Monday.

The Azkals will first face Nepal at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, before tackling Chinese Taipei on June 19.

“I look forward to these games. We don’t have much time,” added Weiss, who recently signed a one-year contract with the team, with the officials of the Philippine Football expressing confidence on his return.

“He needs to focus, the World Cup qualifiers are about to start later this year,” said PFF secretary general Ed Gastanes.

So far, the PFF has called up players to comprise a 26-member pool, led by Fil-British goalie Neil Etheridge.

Among those in the pool are Patrick Deyto, Julian Schwarzer, Amani Aguinaldo, Jesper Nyholm, Carlie de Murga, Martin Steuble, Daisuke Sato,Santiago Rublico, Jesse Curram, Mike and Manny Ott, Sandro Reyes and Hikaru Minegishi. Peter Atencio

Malone said he had taken inspiration from words by Miami and Los Angeles Lakers coaching legend Pat Riley, a five-time champion as head coach.

“Pat Riley said something many years ago,” Malone said. “I used to have it up on my board when I was a head coach in Sacramento, and it talked about the evolution in this game and how you go from a nobody to an upstart, and you go from an upstart to a winner and a winner to a contender and a contender to a champion.

“The last step after a champion is to be a dynasty.”

Malone said he believes the Nuggets have all the pieces in place to follow through on their goal, with a young core of players led by Nikola Jokic all expected to remain with the franchise for several seasons.

“We accomplished something this franchise has never done before, but

we have a lot of young talented players in that locker room, and I think we just showed through 16 playoff wins what we’re capable of on the biggest stage in the world,” Malone said.

Jokic hails team effort

Denver star Nikola Jokic, the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, joked he was not looking beyond the off-season.

“I don’t think about the next year,” Jokic said. “I’m going to ask the coach to give me a couple weeks more off so I can be ready for the season.”

But the Serbian ace admitted he had always believed Denver’s entire roster were building something special.

“It’s not the starting unit -- it’s the whole team,” Jokic said. “Since day one ... it was something different about this team.

“I felt it. I felt some different energy and every day since then I had the same feeling. I’m not really optimistic guy, but that gave me hope that we can do something.”

Nuggets forward Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a member of the Los Angeles Lakers championship-winning team in 2020, believes Denver has the quality to keep winning into the future.

“Everybody wants to run it back after you win,” Caldwell-Pope said. “But that’s up to the organization to bring back the players.

“But this team is special. I knew it from training camp, and just been telling them all the way through training camp and the whole season—we can do this.”

Malone, who started his coaching career in his early 20s as an unpaid high school coach, reflected on his journey to the pinnacle of the NBA.

“These moments are surreal. I got in the league 22, 23 years ago, and I dreamed of becoming a head coach,” the 51-year-old said. It hasn’t hit me, and I don’t think it’s going to hit me tonight because I’m going to drin k too much.” AFP

5 PH shooters make Asian Games’ squad

By Peter Atencio

FIVE shooters made the cut in the national team being assembled for the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Officials of the Philippine National Shooting Association said this after Amparo Teresa Acuna made qualification during the final stages of the Asian Games Qualifying season for pistols and rifles at the Philippine Marine Shooting Range in Taguig over the weekend.

PNSA secretary general Iryne Garcia said Franchette Quiroz was also selected at the end of the tryouts in the women’s 10-meter air pistol at the Philippine

Marine Shooting Range in Taguig.

Acuna and Quiroz were joined by trap shooter Hagen Topacio, along with skeet shooters Enrique Leandro Enriquez and Brian Paul Rosario. Quiroz, who is at no. 138 in the Olympic Qualifying Rankings in the women’s 10-meter air pistol action, made it with her score of 569.

The 33-year-old Topacio earlier made the criteria after hitting a 115 and placing 116th during the men’s trap event of the 2023 World Cup in Doha, Qatar last March.

The 31-year-old Enriquez hit the qualification standards in the men’s division with a score of 116 last May at the Skeet Grand Prix in Conselice, Italy.

Rosario rejoined the national squad last April when

Test event to simulate World Cup atmosphere

PREPARATIONS for the Philippines’

co-hosting of the FIBA World Cup is running well with 72 days left before the so-called Olympic of basketball makes its return here.

Joint Management Committee head John Lucas and Deputy Event Director Erika Dy announced that planning and organization for the staging of the event is almost 80 percent complete, with a test event to be held later this month to simulate the World Cup atmosphere.

“On June 27 and 28, we’ll actually have our test event where we will hold games following the FIBA time which is 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Smart Araneta and 4:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the Mall of Asia. So simultaneous mangyayari ang mga laro,” said Dy when she appeared in the Philippine Sportswriters Association

Forum on Tuesday at the main lobby of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Joining the two in the session presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation were PSC chairman Richard Bachmann and local media committee head Virgil Villavicencio.

A combination of UAAP and NCAA teams are the ones playing the games, which will be covered live to test the broadcast side of the coverage.

At the same time, transportation going to both venues is likewise going to be simulated, with the games open to the public.

“This means nakalatag na lahat ng plano. It’s just all about execution,” added Dy, a former Ateneo player and coach.

he knocked in 114 points during tryouts at the Bureau of Corrections range in Muntinlupa.

Garcia said all shooters who hit the Asian Games’ criteria will be sent to the World Championships in Baku Azerbaijan, set from August 4 to Sept 3. The PNSA, according to Garcia, is still not done yet with their selection process as the tryouts for trap and skeet shooting are still going on.

Garcia said veteran campaigners Jethro Dionisio , Eric Ang, Carlos Carag and Ormoc City Rep. Richard Gomez are still seeking slots in the men’s trap, while Valerie Levanza is in contention in the women’s side.

They also have Joaquin Miguel Ancheta vying for a seat in men’s skeet.

The Denver Nuggets celebrate with the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

O cials of the local organizing committee of the FIBA World Cup 2023 are shown here. They are (from left) Media Committee head Virgil Villavicencio, Joint Management Committee chief John Lucas, PSC chairman Richard Bachmann and Deputy Event Director Erika Dy. Randy Caluag

The Philippines first hosted the World Cup in 1978. This time, it will have Japan and Indonesia co-hosting the August 25 to Sept. 10 event, with all of the playoffs set at Mall of Asia Arena.

The opener will be a doubleheader at the Philippine Arena featuring Gilas Pilipinas against Dominican Republic in the main game and Italy versus Angola in the curtain raiser.

Heat

From C1

“Even though it’s sport, you can learn lessons of life from this game — that you can persevere, you can handle what people may view as mini-failures along the way and become stronger from it and overcome things.”

The Heat lost in the finals for the third time in 10 years but just reaching the championship series was a shocking feat.

“We would have liked to be able to climb the mountaintop and be able to get that final win,” Spoelstra said.

“But I think this is a team that a lot of people can relate to, if you ever felt that you were dismissed or made to feel less than. We had a lot of people in our locker room that probably have had that, and there’s probably a lot of people out there that have felt that.

“But also the way this team handled setbacks and adversity... hopefully these are lessons that will transcend this beautiful game, that we can pass along to our children.”

‘Willed our way through’ Miami’s Kyle Lowry, who won a title with Toronto, praised Butler and the special bond among teammates but was still hurting too much from his title dreams ending in heartache.

“It’s a special bond with this group. We were led by one of the best basketball players on this earth, and he instilled confidence in us,” Lowry said of Butler.

“We don’t know how we’re going to feel right this moment, but we’ll look back at some point and say it was a great year, great run. But right now, just can’t even think about that.”

Bam Adebayo, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds in defeat, said force of will had dragged Miami to the brink of the championship.

“We willed our way through ups and downs. We willed our way through the things that people said we couldn’t do,” Adebayo said. “I just take these lessons and I apply them to the next season. Whenever we go through adversity, I’m always going to look back and be like, we’ve been through adversity before.”

Butler said he was confident the Heat have what it takes to win an NBA crown.

“I’ve had some helluva teammates come through and compete with me and give us the opportunity to win a championship, which I still believe, with everything in me, that we will do,” Butler said. “Came up short, but I’m blessed. I’m fortunate.

High hopes for Obiena, PH bets in Asian meet

By Peter Atencio

EXPECTATIONS remain high for world no. 3 pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena as he joins a 23-member national squad competing in the 2023 Asian Athletics Championship in Pattaya, Thailand next month.

Last Saturday, Obiena accomplished one of his primary goals as he cleared the height of 6.0 meters to earn the gold medal in the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway.

The 27-year-old Obiena became the 24th pole vaulter to achieve the rare feat after he did it in one attempt during the meet.

Now that Obiena has breached the 6-meter height, consistency will be his

objective as he prepares to make another crack at the big one—the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

Part of his buildup as he seeks to qualify in the Olympiad is the Asian, set from July 12 to 16, where he will be joined in—the roster by Umajesty Williams and members of the national men’s 4x400 meter relay team that won the gold medal in the recent 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom

McIlroy, Koepka in spicy pairing at US Open

LOS ANGELES—World number three Rory McIlroy and newly crowned PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka will make for a spicy pairing in the first two rounds of the 123rd US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

The two will tee off on the par-70 North Course alongside 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama at 1:54pm (2054 GMT) on Thursday, when the US Open returns to Los Angeles for the first time since it was held at Riviera Country Club in 1948.

Koepka passed McIlroy’s total of four major titles when he won his fifth at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill last month.

McIlroy hasn’t lifted a major trophy since he won the PGA Championship and Open Championship in 2014 -- a drought that drew a dig from Koepka back in 2019 when the American noted that McIlroy hadn’t won a major “since I’ve been on the PGA Tour.”

“I just don’t view it as a rivalry,” Koepka said back then. “I’m not looking at anybody behind me.”

The two also ended up on opposite sides when Koepka made the leap to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit, with McIlroy championing the PGA Tour.

Penh, Cambodia. Also in the list are Williams’ relay teammates Michael del Prado, Frederick Ramirez and Joyme Sequita.

Joining them are women’s relay specialists Maureen Schrijvers, Robyn Brown, Bernalyn Bejoy and Jessel Lumapas.

Sonny Wagdos will see action in the men’s 5000- and 10000-meter runs, while John Cabang Tolentino will compete in the men’s 110-meter hurdles with Clinton Bautista.

SEA Games’ eight-time gold medalist Eric Cray is competing in the men’s 400-meter hurdles.

Janry Ubas (high jump), William Morrison (shotput), Aries Toledo (decathlon) and Arlan Arbois (10,000 meters) will also join the team.

Granada, Gaccion rule JPGT Caliraya golf

MIKO Granada exploded with 62 points to run away with the boys’ crown while Alethea Gaccion snared the girls’ trophy with 53 points in the Junior PGT Series at the Caliraya Springs Golf Club in Cavinti, Laguna last Monday.

Granada, priming up for a premier junior tournament in the US next month, put up a solid eight-under 64 round in calm conditions, coming away with six birdies to produce a pair of 32s he laced with an eagle on the par-5 No. 4 of the par-72 course, which also hosted a Philippine Golf Tour leg last April.

That led to 62 points under the Modified Stableford scoring system and an 11-point romp over Zachary Villaroman, who shot three birdies against four bogeys for a 73 worth 51 points in the premier 13-15 age group category of the series that drew 26 players.

Shinichi Suzuki also posted 51 points from a gross 73 but Villaroman took the runner-up honors via countback, pooling 29 points in the last 9

holes against the former’s 24 points at the rolling layout which also hosted the boys’ and girls’ 9-10 and 11-12 tourna-

ment last month. Gaccion, on the other hand, pounded out 53 points from an up-and-down

gross of 73 that featured five birdies against four bogeys and a double bogey as she edged Velinda Castil by two points in their side of the battle in the 18-hole tournament organized by the PGT under the ICTSI golf program.

Castil fought back from a twobogey, one-double bogey card after 13 holes with a birdie on No. 14 but closed out with four pars for a 75 worth 51 points while Kiara Therese Montebon likewise fell short of her rally, birdying Nos. 16 and 17 for a 76 and 50 points.

Meanwhile, the JPGT Series, staged to provide the youngsters a venue to polish their skills and help prepare them for bigger competitions here and abroad, will resume on July 16 back at The Country Club Invitational in Laguna.

The circuit was launched at the TCC last January with the drivechip-and-putt competition, which will again be the format of the next tournament featuring 9-10, 11-12 and 13-15 age group classes.

Arcilla, Pague earn mix results to reach semis

DURABLE Johnny Arcilla rolled to another lop sided win but second seed Jose Maria Pague needed to pounce on Ronard Joven’s cramps to barge into the semifinal round of the men’s Open singles of the PPS-PEPP Malita Open in Davao Occidental yesterday.

The top-ranked Arcilla smothered Alexis Acabo, 6-1, 6-3, after shutting down Carlos Santiago, 6-0, 6-0, and whipping Rodolfo Barquin, 6-1, 6-0, for a semis clash with John Bryan Otico, who sustained his giant-killing spree by ousting No. 4 Vicente Anasta, 7-5, 6-4, at the Malita courts.

Otico earlier bundled out fifth-ranked Eric Jed Olivarez, 6-2, 6-4, following a walkover win over Christian Angus in the first round and a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Eric Jay Tangub.

The De la Salle-Zobel product, however, will need a lot of everything to get past

the veteran Arcilla and earn a shot at the top purse of P80,000 in the event hosted by Mayor Bradly Bautista and held under the PPS-PEPP program headed by Palawan Pawnshop president/Bobby Castro.

Coming off a 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Noel Salupado in the quarters, Pague yielded in a frenzied first-set duel with Joven but fought back in the next to hack out a 6-7(6), 6-0, 2-1(ret.) win as the latter cramped out.

But Pague will still have to overcome No. 3 Charles Kinaadman, who slammed Jeleardo Amazona, 6-2, 6-2, in the Last 8 phase after easing past Nicolas Gutierrez, 6-1, 6-0, and thwarting Jude Padao, 6-3, 6-4, in the other half of the 64-player draw of the week-long tournament held in coordination with Davao Occidental Gov. Franklin Bautista.

In women’s Open singles, top seed Te-

nielle Madis moved into the semis with a couple of 6-0, 6-0 victories over Nina Nano and Rovie Baulete although the M’lang, Cotabato faces a formidable challenger in Elizabeth Abarquez, who escaped with a 4-6, 7-5, 11-9 decision over Lenelyn Milo before crushing Danna Abad, 6-1, 6-1.

Second seed Nichole dela Rita from Lapu-Lapu, Cebu, on the other hand, recovered from an opening set struggle and repulsed Angelie Ripdos, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, to set up a duel with No. 5 Alexei Santos, who ripped Jessica Carcueva, 6-1, 6-0, after a similar scorline win over Angela Cabaral.

The women’s singles offers P30,000 to the winner out of the total prize fund of P664,000 in the biggest event staged in Davao region also held in conjunction with its Paugnat Festival celebrations and at the same time to inspire the host city’s youngsters to get into sports.

The bombshell deal announced last week that will have the PGA Tour and DP World Tour joining forces with LIV’s Saudi backers has raised plenty of questions, and the ill-feeling won’t evaporate overnight.

McIlroy himself said after the deal was announced that he still “hates” LIV, although he did say he believed Koepka’s PGA Championship win —the first major triumph for a LIV golfer—showed he deserved to play in the Ryder Cup.

Among other marquee groups, Masters champion Jon Rahm, ranked second in the world, tees off on the 10th hole at 8:24 on Thursday alongside sixth-ranked American Xander Schauffele and world number five Viktor Hovland of Norway.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, the 2022 Masters champion, goes off at 8:13 playing with two-time major winner Collin Morikawa and Max Homa.

The trio are among the few in the field who have played tournament golf at Los Angeles Country Club. Morikawa and Scheffler were on the US Walker Cup team that beat Britain and Ireland on the North Course in 2017 while Homa holds the course record of 61—shot in the first round of the 2013 US collegiate Pacific-12 conference championship.

A little bit different

Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick of England will paly the first two rounds alongside reigning British Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia—another LIV Golf player and American Sam Bennett. Bennett has turned pro since earning low amateur honors at the Masters.

Both Fitzpatrick and Smith were slowing getting to know the course as of Monday. From what he’d seen so far, Smith said, it could offer a different type of US Open challenge.

“I guess we’re used to that kind of really thick, juicy rough,” Smith said. “It’s a little bit different here. I think the Bermuda rough, I think you can get kind of lucky or unlucky.

“There’s patches out there where they’re actually quite thin and you can get away with kind of a bad shot and other patches where if you’re in there it’s no good at all. I think that’s a little bit different. AFP

Now that Ernest John Obiena has breached the 6-meter height, consistency will be his objective as he prepares to make another crack at the big one—the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. AFP

Alethea Gaccion (left) and Miko Granada display their medals after posting contrasting wins in the Caliraya leg of the JPGT Series.

Tenielle Madis

Kelvin Miranda embraces new opportunities

SPARKLE artist Kelvin Miranda said that music holds a special place in his heart, yet his thriving acting career has taken precedence, causing his musical passion to take a backseat.

In an interview with Manila Standard Entertainment, the talented young actor expressed his longing for his days as a singer. Nonetheless, he has made the decision to temporarily set aside his singing aspirations, allowing him to wholeheartedly focus on his acting endeavors.

The 24-year-old actor said that it’s crucial to focus on honing his acting skills and exploring new opportunities that come his way. This year alone, Kelvin has completed three film projects Missed Connections, Chances Are, You and I, and After All Currently, he is preparing for the film Puon, a reunion project with fellow Kapuso Angel Guardian

“Being busy is a welcome problem but at times, my schedule overlaps, so my manager and management team are always attentive and working diligently to rearrange my schedule and prioritize projects that require immediate attention,” Kelvin said in the vernacular.

“Occasionally, there are projects that we have to decline due to scheduling conflicts. But really we do make genuine efforts to fi nd compromises, but if it’s truly not feasible, we reluctantly let go of certain projects,” he went on.

Kelvin takes pride in his collaboration with Miles

Ocampo on the film Connections , as he believes it offers audiences a glimpse into his versatility as an actor.

Since its release on June 4, the film has been receiving widespread attention and has quickly climbed to the top of the list of the most-watched movies on Netfl ix Philippines.

connection

Missed Connections explores the complexities of modern romance, examining the yearning for connection experienced by a young woman. Through the lens of this character, the film delves into the intricacies and challenges of love in the digital age.

The story revolves around Mae (Miles), who embarks on an emotional rollercoaster ride after a chance encounter with a mysterious man through the dating app “Missed Connections.” The film takes viewers on a captivating journey as Mae navigates the unpredictable

Communication students get inspired by media experts in Pinoy Media Congress 2023

A TOTAL of 1,865 attended the two-day hybrid Pinoy Media Congress 2023 where ABS-CBN and the Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE) shared their valuable knowledge about current trends and developments in the media industry.

Communication students from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao gathered for the two-part event held inperson at Cavite State University and the University of the Philippines Mindanao on April 29 and May 6, respectively. The online platform was hosted by the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

ABS-CBN Music Head Roxy Liquigan shared about championing Filipino music and artists in the Philippines and abroad, while ABS-CBN Music Head for International Marketing and Promo Partnerships Naomi Enriquez talked about the process of launching digital and media partnerships locally and internationally.

ABS-CBN Film Restoration head Leo Katigbak showed the rigorous procedures that take place during the restoration and explained the need in saving classic Filipino films, while Dirty Linen head writer Kay Brondial presented the creative process behind the production of the hit Kapamilya series.

ABS-CBN chief of reporters Jeff Canoy talked about how disaster and crisis reporting evolved in the pandemic and how journalists cover these kinds of stories in the digital era. Meanwhile, communication educators Dr. Rosario Ruby Roan-Cristobal and Val Vestil shared their expertise on science and environmental journalism, respectively.

South Korea celebrates 10 years of BTS

FANS of BTS flocked to hotspots around Seoul on Monday to mark the supergroup’s 10th anniversary, with South Korea unveiling a special commemorative stamp series to celebrate.

The group’s fans – known collectively as ARMY – gathered outside the offices of its agency HYBE to take selfies and record TikTok videos in front of a huge mural of the stars being painted on a wall.

Korea Post unveiled a special edition series of stamps in BTS’s honor set to go on sale at post offices Tuesday – the official anniversary of the septet’s debut – having already sold out almost instantly online.

“Obviously BTS [members] are global superstars, but we didn’t expect the stamps to be sold out on the day of the online release,” a Korea Post official told AFP After debuting on June 13, 2013, the group went on to become the first all-

South Korean act to dominate the US and UK charts, raking in billions of dollars and building a global fandom in the process.

“Many ARMY BTS fans have asked for the release of BTS stamps, and we also wanted to issue stamps for these global artists for their 10th anniversary,” Kim Mihwa, Korea Post stamp designer, told AFP

The band – currently on a hiatus, with two members performing their mandatory South Korean military service – released a new digital single last week to celebrate the anniversary.

The single, “Take Two”, is purportedly a nod to the band’s second chapter after a decade as musicians.

Fans from around the world traveled to South Korea to celebrate the anniversary, with the Seoul city government running a special program for the visitors. A handwritten letter by J-Hope, who

Launched in 2005, ABS-CBN’s

Pinoy Media Congress has served communication students and educators nationwide with relevant sessions and informative workshops on various fields and topics in media.

“We hope that you have been empowered to become more passionate and woke, always utilizing your talents and voices for the greater good. Because in the end, it is not about the fancy job titles or the opportunities to rub elbows with the most infl uential. What counts as the real glow-up as a media practitioner is when you can inspire people and shed light on issues that matter,” said Kane Errol Choa , ABS-CBN head of corporate communications.

“You are the future of media and communication. You are the future of PACE. And PMC is one way of making yourself capable and ready for the challenges of the world,” said Mark Lester Chico, PACE president.

Student delegates also enjoyed special performances from ABS-CBN Music artists Kice

So , who serenaded the audience with his latest single “Only Girl,” Angela Ken, who sang her hit song “Ako Naman Muna,” and Maki, who made hearts melt with his performance of “Saan?” Meanwhile, the cast of “Teen Clash” rocked the stage with their performance of “JAM.”

The Pinoy Media Congress has received Awards of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines’ Anvil Awards in 2008 and the International Association of Business Communicators Philippines’ Philippine Quill Awards in 2007.

MELBOURNE-RAISED artist Rini is performing in Manila on July 19 at the Samsung Hall in SM Aura Premier. The concert is part of the artist’s Past The Naked Eye 2023 tour.

The R&B singer will kick off the tour in Singapore on July 17 followed by Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Bangkok.

Since the inception of his musical career, Rini has been endowed with this unique responsibility to share his truth. The artist speaks directly to listeners while wearing his heart on his sleeve, relinquishing control of his emotions in a way that has a liberating effect on people.

Being vulnerable is a heavy cross for Rini to bear but the end result has proven to be cathartic for his creativity, equipping the genre-defying singer with something real to say: “I just want to take my time with songs.”

In 2021, Rini unveiled his 12-track debut album Constellations, an ambient collection of sounds that explore the nuances of love, which garnered praise from media outlets like Complex, Rated R&B, and UPROXX –the latter describing his project as, “an outof-this-world touch to Rini’s music, offering a beautiful love story that any hopeless romantic would die for even though it seems far too good to be true.”

Through a sultry falsetto and soul-stirring voice, the 24-year-old singer revealed an emotional depth in his songwriting that doesn’t feel out of place. His creative process is fluid and impassioned, turning small, mundane details into romantic neosoul fantasies.

As an emerging artist, Rini already has 376 million streams across platforms while averaging 2.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify to date.

Tickets to Past The Naked Eye 2023 went on sale on May 31 via SM Tickets. Visit livenation.ph for more details.

Leo Katigbak showcases film restoration of some classic Filipino films, during the Pinoy Media Congress 2023

The members of the Korean supergroup BTS celebrate another milestone of their music career as they reached 10th anniversary

Mae

Kapuso singer-actor Kelvin Miranda

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

Artist Stephen Doherty unveils exclusive floral collection

COS, a London-based fashion brand known for iconic wardrobe pieces, elevated essentials, and innovative designs, unveils its latest collaboration with Manchester-based, multi-disciplinary artist Stephen Doherty Limited-edition pieces adorned with exclusive floral artwork, crafted using Doherty’s unique ink and water technique, evoke the epitome of summer dressing. Focusing on the flower in bloom, the collaboration celebrates the beauty of nature in its most exquisite form.

Embracing the synergy between art and fashion, the 17-piece collection embodies effortless elegance, with Doherty’s florals reimagined

on canvas of silk and linen, transforming classic COS silhouettes. Set dressing is embraced throughout the capsule, with each garment designed to be interchanged and styled in endless ways, dressed up or down to suit the mood or occasion.

Exploring craftsmanship, delicately beaded embroidery embellishes bandeau tops, while unique waistband finishes provide versatile styling and a functional element to the collection. The floral print is also embraced on accessories, reworked onto a leather mule and silk scarves.

The capsule launches online and is now available at the COS Store at SM Aura Premier.

Embracing life’s directions

The many roads that led Yul Servo Nieto to where he is now

By Patricia Taculao

MANILA residents know John Marvin Nieto, or Yul Servo, as a steadfast public servant who always puts his best foot forward in everything he does. He served the people of Manila as councilor, congressman, and now vice mayor.

Despite his success as a public servant, it took some time before getting on the path that brought him there.

As the son of an architect and visual artist Martin Nieto, the Manila Vice Mayor wanted to follow in his footsteps. He first enrolled in architecture but saw the difficulties in the course. He later shifted to becoming a police officer. Eventually, he received an opportunity to enter showbiz.

He won several Best Actor awards from events, along with some for Best Supporting Actor. Later, a path toward public service led him to become the politician Manila residents know today. Yet that’s not where Nieto’s passions end.

With some influence from his father and a distinct personal style, Nieto also dabbles in artistic pursuits, having exhibited in various groups and solo shows. But if there’s one thing that Nieto hopes to try soon as a next step for his artistic expression, it’s directing.

Nieto continues to further his artistic passions, and his recent endeavor is his second solo exhibit, aptly titled Directions II, unveiled on June 11 at The Manila Hotel’s Art Gallery.

It takes Nieto’s penchant for repurposing scrap metals by turning them into masterpieces, inspiring stories from the people he encountered, and maps. The pieces on display at Directions II also feature overhead views of specific places in Manila.

The Manila Vice Mayor found maps fascinating and valuable throughout his career because they always took him to where he needed to go. He saw inspiration from them as he thought of what to do with pieces of scrap metal he kept.

As for its name, Directions II, it seems appropriate because Nieto took different directions in life, as he did throughout the years, even if it meant going through alleyways and other areas. But the journey and the people he met along the way made it worthwhile as he pursued his interests while making meaningful connections and impressions.

He spent half a year creating the pieces on display, often finding time from his work in the city. It was a labor of love, despite the strenuous process of piecing the metal scraps together to form a cohesive picture and painting them with several coats of automotive paint to bring the piece together.

Coinciding with the 125th Philippine Independence Day on June 12, Nieto found a way to incorporate the colors of the Philippine flag into his artworks.

Also present in the unveiling of Directions II were incumbent Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna and former Manila mayor Isko Moreno. Both called Nieto an inspiration and praised him on how the vice mayor accomplished another milestone in his life.

Yet there’s still more to the pieces than the expression of Nieto’s artistic side or the stories he longs to tell. Proceeds from the sales of his works will go to selected beneficiaries and charitable organizations that provide for mothers, children, and elders, among others.

Directions II, a solo exhibit by Nieto, is now on display at The Manila Hotel’s Art Gallery until July 10.

Learning Nihonggo as second language for kids

LITTLE Sunshine, a series of workshops at Sunshine Place curated for kids ages 15 and below, aims to develop the dancing, creativity, and cognitive skills of children, at a formative time when their bodies and minds are capable of easily learning.

One of the workshops, scheduled to start on June 15, is an online Nihongo Language Workshop for kids aged nine to 13. The workshop will have 15 sessions conducted every Monday and Thursday, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Pauline Toledo, who has been teaching Nihongo for over four years, both online and in-person, will c onduct the workshop. She has coordinated special excursions to local points of interests and more extensive study trips to expand learning for Japanese-language students.

Learning a new language will

strengthen the first or second language. There are tons of benefits in learning a new language. Studies have long known that learning a new language is good for a child’s brain development. By rearranging and creating new connections in the brain, language learning can help kids focus more easily and resist distractions, deal better with tasks that require switching from one activity to another, have greater empathy, and perform better in school.

This workshop is best if your child is interested in becoming multi-lingual, and if he/she is fond of Japan’s culture and tradition, surely the skills that they will learn will come in handy in the future.

To enroll and further details, contact 0917 515-5656 or email: hello@ sunshineplaceph.com.

Art exhibit trains spotlight on Pride Month, HIV awareness

AS the world celebrates Pride Month, Araneta City brings the Tanggulan art exhibit to help raise HIV-AIDS awareness. The exhibit features 10 portraits of HIV-AIDS awareness advocates photographed by Niccolò Cosme, all printed on canvas and painted with HIV+ blood emulsified.

Tanggulan opened at the Gateway Gallery Studio on June 8 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Binibining Pilipinas International 2022 and artist Nicole Borromeo

“The exhibit pays homage to our forefathers who fought for our freedom. Just as how the Katipuneros fought for our freedom in the past, we must fight against stigma and misinformation. As warriors and soldiers committed to upholding our Filipino value of Bayanihan, let us support each other and aim for an AIDS-free world together,” Cosme stated.

The portraits depict the fight for the rights of people living with HIV, with the models adorning warrior-like ensemble interpreted by designer Myke Oropesa. They were styled with accessories like sarong fab-

rics salakot headgear, and kampilan sword.

Among the portrait models are Binibining

Pilipinas 2022 Miss International Nicole Borromeo, and Miss Universe 2015 Pia

Wurtzbach-Jauncey Cosme is a visual artist, conceptual photographer, and the founder of Project Headshot Clinic (HSC) a digital platform that utilizes thematic headshots to further featured advocacies. His art inspiration is rooted in the pain and sorrow in Christian iconography. He uses art to further LGBTQIA+ and HIV causes in the Philippines and abroad.

The Tanggulan Exhibit is the premiere exhibit at the Gateway Gallery Studio since it was opened this year. The studio is an antechamber of Gateway Gallery, the art museum of Araneta City that showcases the culture and history of the Philippines.

Tanggulan is on view at the Gateway Studio for public viewing until June 18. It will then be transferred to the Ali Mall Activity Area from June 19 to 22, and the Gateway Mall Activity Area from June 23 to 30.

Stephen Doherty showcases his unique ink and water technique by combining it with exclusive floral artwork

Little Sunshine’s Nihongo Language Workshop is best for children interested in becoming multi-lingual or fascinated with Japan’s culture

Manila Vice Mayor Yul Servo Nieto working on his pieces which feature metal scraps

The 17-piece collection from COS and Stephen Doherty embodies effortless elegance

Manchester-based, multi-disciplinary artist Stephen Doherty

Conceptual photographer Niccolo Cosme

Binibining Pilipinas Miss International 2022 Nicole Borromeo (left) and Niccolo Cosme viewing the artworks on display