Manila Standard - 2023 June 19 - Monday

NEGROS GOV

Marcos: Nonstop aid for Mayon

PBBM vows provision for 39k evacuees and counting; Alert Level 3 stays

By Vince Lopez and Rio N. Araja

AMID concerns that evacuees may be in for a long wait before they can return to their homes near the restive Mayon Volcano, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday night assured those affected by its eruption that the government would provide them nonstop assistance.

"We went to visit our compatriots in Bicol who were affected by the eruption of the Mayon Volcano. What we found there is that our evacuees are in good condition--at least they have been given a place and they are being given help,” the President said in a YouTube message.

"It might take a while, they will be evacuated for several months until the Mayon Volcano eruption stops, so we are preparing well that even if it takes time,

the government is ready to give help to those who have been evacuated within a six-kilometer radius of the volcano,” he added.

On Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said nearly 39,000 people have been affected by Mayon’s unrest, with more than half of them seeking shelter in evacuation centers

At least six cities and towns have also

suspended classes, the council said. Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno reported to the President during a briefing on Wednesday that 9,571 families from 26 barangays have been affected by the volcano’s eruption, and 4,471 of these families are in evacuation centers.

Nepomuceno said P35 million worth of assistance has been provided by the

The Philippine Coast Guard and volunteers try to douse the blaze on the roll-on, roll-off vessel MV Esperanza Star that caught on fire in the vicinity of waters off Panglao, Bohol on Sunday. All passengers and crew were rescued, the PCG said. Coast Guard photos

Gov’t eyeing more livelihood packages

Filipinos to ease their dependence on doleouts and help lower the poverty incidence sustainably. In his vlog late Saturday evening, Mr. Marcos said cash grants given to families

livelihood packages to poor

in impoverished areas are supplemented with livelihood packages.

“Freedom from poverty is a continuous war that our government faces. So,

Speaker, Sandro pay homage to ‘best dads on earth’

DAD’S DAY SCENES. Fathers are seen bonding with their families at Luneta Park in Manila and at the St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina chapel in Brgy. Libis, Quezon City on Sunday as they celebrate Father's Day. Norman Cruz and Teddy Brul

By Rio N. Araja

Pagcor warns of offshore gaming jobs via dating apps

By

Rey

E. Requejo

FIFTEEN officials and politicians from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM) have asked the Supreme Court to nullify provisions of the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC), saying they violate the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law and equal access to opportunities for public service.

FISHERMEN and the crew of a passenger ship rescued more than 130 people onboard a Roll-on Roll-off (RoRo) vessel that caught fire while sailing a few kilometers from the Tagbilaran City port in Bohol province Sunday.

It was the second significant fire on a ferry boat in the country in three months, following the blaze that cost the lives of 33 people off the coast of Basilan last March.

In a separate incident on Friday, Two Turkish nationals were rescued after a fire gutted their yacht near Limbones Island in Nasugbu town, Batangas.

The RoRo vessel, the MV Esperanza Star owned by Kho Shipping Lines Inc.

All 130 saved from RoRo fire off Panglao Is. BARMM execs ask High Court to nix Bangsamoro poll code

The petitioners said that BEC “infringes upon the powers and jurisdiction exclusively vested by the Constitution upon the Commission on Elections (Comelec) over the administration of election laws.”

They also said the electoral code “tampers with the sole authority of the SC to promulgate rules on pleading, practice, and procedure before regular trial courts in BARMM.”

Gov orders probe on Negros killings

NEGROS Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson ordered the Philippine National Police to investigate the massacre of four family members at their residence in the remote village of Buenavista in Himamaylan City.

"Those guilty must be brought to justice as soon as possible. I urge our law enforcement authorities to lead an in-depth investigation into this horrible act," he said in a statement.

The victims, who sustained fatal gunshot wounds on Wednesday night, were

Marcos:...

From A1 national government, apart from the assistance provided by local government units (LGUs).

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) meanwhile said on Saturday that only two volcanic earthquakes were recorded in Mayon Volcano, and said this was a positive development.

"As of now, we don't see many volcanic earthquakes. That's significant because as the magma rises, we should have recordable low frequency volcanic earthquakes. Only two since 5 a.m. yesterday and 5 a.m. today,” said Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol. “We have only recorded two volcanic earthquakes although the total seismic energy release is increasing slightly, but again we have to look at this closely.”

He said the alert level would remain at 3 for now.

"So, when there are abrupt changes in the parameters, we might consider extending the danger zone to seven kilometers or if not when it is really too abrupt, we have to raise to Alert Level 4 but for now it’s still maintained at Alert Level 3,” he added. Phivolcs raised the alert status to 3 on June 8, after Mayon exhibited a magmatic eruption that increased the chances of lava flows and hazardous pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) and of potential explosive activity within weeks or even days.

On Sunday, AKO Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co and Albay Rep. Joey Salceda appealed to the Senate for the swift approval of the bill advocating the establishment of permanent evacuation centers in every local government unit.

The necessity for such centers has been driven home by the predicament faced by the Bicol region, which frequently encounters powerful storms and which is now grappling with the threat of an eruption from Mayon Volcano, Co said.

"The approval of this bill is of paramount importance in safeguarding the lives and well-being of our communities. The traditional practice of utilizing public schools as evacuation centers falls short in providing the necessary facilities to accommodate evacuees effectively. We

BARMM...

From A1

“Worse, by providing restrictive qualifications for political parties, the BEC curtailed what should be free and equal opportunity for political parties to seek and obtain parliamentary seats, thereby contradicting the mandate of the Constitution and the Bangsamoro Organic Law,” they said.

At the same time, they also asserted that “the BEC would facilitate the use of public funds for political campaigns or partisan political activities in violation of the Omnibus Election Code. It further intruded on the power of Congress to define and penalize election offenses and prescribe procedures for their prosecution.”

The petitioners are lawyer Dimnatang L. Pansar, Abdul Rashid a. Balindong, Shariefuddin T. Lucman, Aleem Alibasher I. Abdullatif, Jamil Faisal B. Adiong, Rafsanjani Pendatun Ali, Mohajeran K. Balayman, Najia J. Pescadera, Sharif Jul Asiri J. Abirin, Abdul Muhaimin J. Abubakar, Mohammad Salmann M Sakili, Sarib Hataman, Harisul T. Samanul, Sukarno U. Asri, and Mohammad Yusof A. Tidal.

Named respondents were the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and Ahod Balawag Ebrahim as interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro government.

The petition was filed through lawyers Romulo Macalintal, Ace Bautista and Christopher Rodriguez. It sought the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO).

The BEC was signed into law on March 8, 2023. It became effective on May 17, 2023 after its publication in a local newspaper in Mindanao.

Under the BEC, the Bangsamoro parliament must be composed of 80 members -- 50 percent of them party represen-

Speaker,...

From A1

Senior Deputy Speaker and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, for his part, greeted his father, President Ferdinand

identified as Rolly Fausto, 52, his wife Emilda, 49, and their two sons Ben, 11, and Raben, 15. Police recovered at least 53 bullet shells in the vicinity of theirhome in Sitio Kangkiling, about 20 kilometers from the city proper.

must prioritize the safety of our people without compromising their education,” he said.

House Bill 7354, spearheaded by Speaker Martin Romualdez, seeks to establish evacuation centers in every city and municipality nationwide.

Salceda said the establishment of permanent evacuation centers will enhance the country’s preparedness and resilience in the face of environmental challenges.

“We must prioritize the approval of this bill to provide the necessary infrastructure that can adequately support our communities during calamities,” Salceda said.

Phivolcs said the “very slow” effusion of lava from Mayon’s summit dome has reached as far as 1.5 kilometers. As of 12 a.m. Sunday, lava flows along the south and southeast gullies had advanced by 1.5 kilometers and 1 kilometer, respectively.

This marked the seventh consecutive day that Mayon Volcano gave off lava.

On Saturday, three volcanic earthquakes, 274 rockfall events, and 11 pyroclastic density current events were recorded over 24 hours.

The volcano emitted 1,004 tons of sulfur dioxide on Saturday, and a moderate 100-meter-tall plume drifted generally west.

Mayon Volcano Observatory resident volcanologist Paul Alanis told radio dzBB that the current activities in the volcano may last up to three months, noting that no explosive eruption has occurred so far.

On Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said nearly 39,000 people have been affected by Mayon’s unrest, with more than half of them seeking shelter in evacuation centers

At least six cities and towns have also suspended classes, the council said.

The government has also extended assistance worth more than P62 million to affected residents, most of them food packs provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Albay Gov. Edcel Greco Lagman earlier proposed allotting about P196 million in funds to support thousands of evacuees from his province for 90 days, a suggestion that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the national government said they will consider.

tatives, 40 percent district representatives and 10 percent sectoral representatives.

“It is well-settled that Comelec has broad powers to enforce and administer all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of elections and over all electoral contests relative to the election of regional, provincial, and city officials” under Section 2 of Article IX-C of the Constitution, the petitioners said.

“Articles VI and VII of the BEC are unconstitutional as they seek to govern activities related to local and national elections, in violation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) and the Constitution, when the BEC is supposed to govern only the election of members of the Bangsamoro Parliament,” they said.

On the use of public funds, the petitioners said that Section 262 of the Omnibus Election Code “expressly prohibits the use of public funds for any election campaign or partisan political activity.”

They said that Sections 9 and 12 of Article IV of the BEC are “inconsistent with the principles of republicanism enshrined in the Constitution and insofar as said provisions impose a 4 percent threshold before a political party representative may qualify for a seat in Parliament.

They also said “such provisions also create a barrier that will not only limit the choice of the people but also hamper the development of a free and open party system, contrary to Sec 6, Article IX-C of the Constitution and Section 9, Art. VII of the BOL.”

Earlier, the governors in Bangsamoro provinces had challenged some provisions in the BEC, saying they violate the Constitution.

Among other issues, the governors questioned some provisions in the BEC that exceeded the powers of the Comelec under the Constitution.

Marcos Jr., on Twitter, calling him “the best dad on earth.”

“Thank you for everything that you do for us and for always finding time despite having the weight of the country on your shoulders,” the younger Marcos said.

The elder Fausto was reportedly a military asset, but relatives who spoke on condition of anonymity have denied this.

“Such brutality, which threatens to destabilize (the) province and destroy the peace of (its) people, has no place in society," Lacson said.

"The massacre of innocent civilians is an outrage to our morals, our values, and our commitment to peace and justice.”

In a separate statement, the Police Regional Office-Western Visayas (PRO-6), headed by Brig. Gen. Sidney Villaflor, said: “We strongly condemn the senseless acts of violence and terrorism against innocent civilians.”

Gov’t...

From A1

the distribution of aid that temporarily leads our countrymen will not disappear – these are the immediate remedies that bring relief to thousands of Filipino families,” he said.

"[But] this distribution program of ours is different because it is not just giving monetary aid, we are providing livelihood and jobs,” the President added.

He said the Department of Agriculture has been providing harvesters and rice seeders to farmers while the Department of Labor and Employment pushes for its integrated livelihood and government internship programs.

"The same is true of DTI, which has a livelihood and relief program, and TESDA, on the other hand, which has a scholarship for the training for work program. We put all of this in one place so that it is easier for our countrymen," he added.

Earlier, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said it will

All...

The PRO-6 also asked the people of Himamaylan City to cooperate in the conduct of the investigation.

“The quest for justice is always a shared responsibility between the police and the community,” it added.

Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin, commander of the Philippine Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade, also said the military will “spare no effort” to pursue justice for the victims and their families.

“We will closely coordinate with the PNP to fast-track the resolution of the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice,” Edralin said in a separate statement.

Antique loses P9m to 1k hogs culled for ASF

ANTIQUE'S hog industry has lost more than P9 million after over a thousand pigs were culled amid fears of African swine fever (ASF). Hog deaths were reported from 18 barangays in the province's Hamtic town, based on figures from its municipal agriculture office last week.

Local agriculture authorities have yet to receive the results of blood samples they sent for testing to confirm if some of the town's hogs were indeed infected with ASF.

ASF border control points have been set up all over Antique to curb the spread of the disease.

While ASF is not expected to infect humans, its spread has created a dent in the country's hog industry.

Antique's neighboring provinces in the Visayas, including Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and Cebu, have previously confirmed ASF infections.

Earlier, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Wednesday welcomed the offer of Portugal to help the Philippines eradicate ASF, which has been wreaking havoc on the country’s hog industry, as well as the European country’s willingness to open its doors to Filipino workers.

Portugal's non-resident Ambassador to the Philippines Maria Joào Falcào Poppe Lopes Cardoso relayed the offer to Romualdez when she made a courtesy call at the West Room of the Manila Golf and Country Club, according to a news release from the Speaker’s office.

Cardoso, who is the concurrent Portuguese Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei, said a Portuguese company is willing to lend its expertise and support to help the Philippines eliminate the highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic pigs.

also require beneficiaries of the P 40-billion food stamp program, which will be pilot-tested in the coming months, to be actively looking for work or undergoing skills training through TESDA for future employment.

Setting this condition for the targeted 1 million beneficiaries of the food stamp program would help beneficiaries “graduate” from being poor, the DSWD said.

Mr. Marcos said Filipinos in general do not want to be mendicants.

“We have seen that in times of poverty, Filipinos do not want to be dependent on 'ayuda.' They do not want to be mendicants,” he said.

“Filipinos are industrious and hardworking. It is better for all Filipinos to be gainfully employed. They want to be working and not just pinning their hopes on ayuda,” the President added.

Under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, the government aims to make the Philippines an upper-middle-income country by 2025 and to bring down the poverty rate to a single-digit level -- 9 percent – by the time Mr. Marcos’ term ends in 2028.

From A1 (KSL), traveled from Iligan City and left Siquijor Saturday night.

It was expected to dock at the Tagbilaran port at 4 a.m. on Sunday.

But it sent a distress call when a fire erupted outside the engine room while traversing Doljo Point near Panglao Island, said Anthony Damalerio, head of the Tagbilaran City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO).

“No one was missing. No one was injured. All passengers and crew are accounted for,” he said.

He said the shipping company provided water, clothes, and slippers at the Tagbilaran port terminal.

In a statement posted on its official social media page, KSL thanked Bohol coast guard, TransAsia 19 personnel, and fishermen “for instantly responding to the distress call” when their ship caught fire.

“All crew and passengers were immediately rescued to safety, being taken care of and all accounted for,” it said.

KSL’s RoRo vessel was serving the Cebu City-Tagbilaran City-Lazi, Siquijor-Iligan City route.

The statement said functional fire suppression systems installed atthe vessel, such as CO2, fire hydrants, sprinkling systems and others, were immediately activated to put off the fire and avert further damage to the vessel.

The company said it will replace the vessel this week with MV Cataingan so as not to hamper the flow and continue serving passengers and cargoes plying the route.

In Nasugbu, Batangas, police said the yacht's captain, 62-year-old Erdinc Turerer, and boatman Abdula Ercel, 42, were rescued from the burning yacht by local fishermen and authorities.

Turerer suffered first-degree burns after being caught in the fire.

The victims were sailing from San Isidro, Leyte to Ilocos Norte when strong waves toppled the yacht's fuel containers into its engine room and gas tank, triggering an explosion and starting the fire.

The two victims managed to abandon the yacht before it exploded but were separated by the strong current.

Both victims were taken to hospital and were in stable condition.

Earlier this year, 33 people died when the MV Mary Joy 3 was engulfed by fire off Basilan in late March.

The ferry was traveling to Sulu from Zamboanga when it caught fire off Baluk-Baluk island, Basilan in the late hours of March 29. Of the 249 passengers, 216 survived.

“You have taught us the importance of kindness and compassion even in the most trying of times,” he added. Romualdez, himself a father, urged the public to “celebrate the lives of our fathers – the heroes of our homes.”

“Being a father myself, I know how challenging it is to build a home and raise good, God-fearing children. But I can also say it is one of the most rewarding roles I am fortunate enough to have, and I would never trade it for anything in the world,” he said.

She noted that Portugal has extensive expertise on the matter, being one of the only two countries in Europe that successfully eradicated ASF.

Ramon C. Garcia Jr., Portugal’s honorary consul in Manila, said an organization of pork producers in Portugal is willing to send two experts to the Philippines to train personnel of the Bureau of Animal Industry in eradicating ASF. Reports earlier said that as of June 1, there are 15 provinces in the Philippines that have active ASF cases, although there were fewer detections in the past few weeks.

Meanwhile, Cardoso also said Filipino workers, particularly with their proficiency in the English language, are welcome in the booming Portuguese tourism industry.

She said many Portuguese firms, particularly those involved in technology, are also interested in doing business in the Philippines.

The Portuguese ambassador noted that one of their hi-tech firms specializing in biometrics and e-gates and currently serving over 100 airports in the world has entered into a joint venture with a Filipino company to pilot test their services that could increase the capacity of airports by facilitating the entry and exit of passengers.

Garcia added that the Portuguese firm is willing to establish their regional headquarters here in the Philippines and put up a factory, to service the technical needs of all these airports, thus creating jobs for Filipino workers.

Cardoso also said another Portuguese firm has partnered with a Filipino firm and offered its secure communication technology to the Philippine defense establishment.

Pagcor...

From A1

The unsuspecting victims find themselves “being used in scam activities,” the state regulator said.

“Online dating services and cryptocurrency investments are not part of the authorized acts of its Offshore Gaming Licensees and Services Providers,” PAGCOR said in its advisory.

“PAGCOR advocates for responsible gaming only through legitimate online gaming operations,” it added.

Earlier, PAGCOR also called on the public to be extra vigilant when engaging in online gaming activities as illegal sites continue to proliferate.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said: “As the country’s gaming regulator, PAGCOR does not condone illegal online gambling."

"Engaging or betting on illegal gambling activities is not only a criminal act; it also takes away from the government billions of pesos in revenues which can be used to fund priority programs that will benefit a greater number of Filipinos."

"Hence, we have been continuously working with various government and law enforcement agencies to ensure that our gaming policies are in place and the online gaming platforms that we regulate are safe and credible.”

Tengco called on gaming aficionados to only take part in its licensed onlinebased gaming platforms.

STORAGE DISCUSSION. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. looks at a document as he ordered the Department of Agriculture to study the possibility of the proposed construction of silos or storage houses to ensure an adequate buffer stock of rice in the country following a meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC). PCO Photo.

Vehicle deaths add urgency to CTPL legislation

A SERIES of tragic deaths as a result of vehicular accidents involving large commercial vehicles highlight the need to increase Compulsory Third Party Liability Insurance (CTPLI) for commercial vehicles and total indemnity claims for the death or injury of passengers, third parties, or pedestrians without the necessity of proving fault or negligence.

This is according to AGRI Partylist Rep. Wilbert T. Lee, who on Sunday said that “the news can inform us about these road tragedies, but they do not show how much families suffer because of these accidental deaths.”

The lawmaker was referring to the death of a motorcycle rider who was decapitated after being hit by a truck along EDSA on Wednesday morning.

The following day on Thursday, a truck driver died and three other people were injured when his truck collided with a passenger bus along the highway in Balaoan, La Union.

That same day, in Quezon, a driver of a trailer truck loaded with two backhoes died when his vehicle fell into a ravine in the municipality of General Nakar.

“Ang masakit dito, nawalan ang mga pamilyang ito ng mga mahal sa buhay, tapos malalaman nila na P100,000 lang ang pwede nilang i-claim sa CTPLI at P15,000 sa no fault indemnity,” lamented Lee.

The solon filed House Bill No. 8498, which seeks to increase the CTPLI from P100,000 to P6,700,000.00 to cover the death or bodily injury incurred per accident. Rio N. Araja

Tolentino favors helping Afghan refugees in PH

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

IN LIGHT of the persisting humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, Senator Francis Tolentino favors the Philippine government’s initiative -- spurred by a request from its ally the United States -- to extend help to Afghans who have been tragically affected by war.

With a “resolute commitment” to human rights and international solidarity, Tolentino, vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, called for swift actions, similar to those undertaken during the Quezon and Duterte administrations, to provide temporary refuge and support to vulnerable individuals seeking safety and stability.

The escalating crisis in Afghanistan has resulted in immense suffering, displacement, and uncertainty for countless innocent civilians, the senator said.

Tolentino emphasized the importance of demonstrating Filipinos’ shared humanity by assisting those fleeing violence and persecution.

He noted the dire situation of Afghans affected by the war in their country that has lasted for more than two decades, such that any chance to remove innocent lives from conflict and war should be pursued compassionately.

‘NOLI’ REHEARSAL. Students from Lakandula High in Tondo, Manila rehearse their lines for their stage play of Jose Rizal’s ‘Noli Me Tangere’ as part of their requirement for their Filipino subject at Fort Santiago, Manila on Sunday, June 18. Today, June 19, marks the national hero’s 162nd birth anniversary. Danny Pata

Senate bears down on LTO IT firm

THE Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has compelled the representatives of Dermalog Identification Systems, the Land Transportation Office’s foreign information technology contractor, to attend the next public hearing to answer the lingering issues hounding the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS), including delays and alleged undue payments.

During a hearing presided over by Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Sen. Francis Tolentino on June 8, several senators were appalled by the absence of Dermalog officials, who were said to be in Germany, according to the company’s legal counsel.

Public Services Committee chairman

Sen. Grace Poe and Sen. JV Ejercito said

they could not gather sufficient information on the issues regarding LTO’s IT platform. Poe added that the hearing could have given Dermalog a chance to clear its reputation amid earlier media reports that aside from the LTMS, some of its projects in Indonesia, Angola, and Haiti also faced irregularities. The hearing stemmed from two sepa-

rate resolutions filed by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel and Sen. Imee Marcos in August 2022 and December 2022, respectively.

Pimentel, in his Senate Resolution No. 147, which was based on a Commission on Audit (COA) report, questioned LTO’s alleged undue payment to Dermalog and its joint venture with Holy Family Printing Corp., Microgenesis, and Verzontal Builders, Inc., despite the foreign IT firm’s delays in fully submitting the deliverables of the P3.14 billion Road IT Infrastructure project that was awarded in May 2018.

Pimentel revealed that despite having more than 70 unresolved issues involving

the core applications of the LTMS, the LTO has accepted the submission of Dermalog and provided payments to them.

In addition, a COA representative revealed to the Committee that the LTO started paying maintenance fees to the foreign IT company in 2019, even before the project was fully completed and turned over.

For his part, Ejercito questioned LTO for being overly “generous” by amending the payment scheme at least 12 times in favor of Dermalog.

He alleged that the LTO accepted the submission of its foreign IT contractor despite failing to reach at least 41 percent completion. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Skills reform needed now —Gatchalian

SINCE the Philippines placed 99th out of 100 countries in online learning platforms and skills, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday pressed the urgency of implementing reforms to boost Filipinos’ competitiveness.

Gatchalian lamented the report that the country has been lagging behind its East and Southeast Asian peers in terms of skills.

The ranking was based on Coursera’s 2023 Global Skills Report, which rated the skill and proficiency of learners in business, technology, and data science.

The country’s ranking fell by 29 spots from 70th place out of 102 countries in 2022.

The report further showed declining scores for the Philippines in terms of proficiency in business, technology, and data science.

The country’s business proficiency percentile rank fell from 62% in 2022 to 16% this year. From 29% last year, technology proficiency in the country fell to 5%, while data science proficiency dropped from 21% to 1%. Macon Ramos-Araneta

IN BRIEF

DHSUD reinforces anti-corruption policy

DEPARTMENT of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar on Sunday said the agency has reinforced its standing anti-corruption policy through a June 14 memorandum against “corruption, irregularity, and influence-peddling.”

He reminded all DHSUD officials and employees to “adhere to the highest standard of professionalism.”

“The department will not tolerate any form of corruption, irregularity, and influence-peddling, especially among relatives of DHSUD officials and employees, that will undermine its vision,” he said.

“Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” he added.

He assured the public that the agency would follow “all relevant laws, directives, and standards in the pursuit of its mandates, and welcomes (public) feedback to ensure continuous improvement in our delivery of service.”

He issued the memorandum as part of DHSUD’s proactive measures against scammers who could be taking advantage of the implementation of the flagship Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) Program. Rio N. Araja

PAO asks SC for ruling on lawyers’ conflicts

THE Public Attorney’s Office has reiterated its “humble and respectful” call to the Supreme Court to review and delete a newly approved provision of Section 22, Canon III, or the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability for lawyers allowing public defenders to go against one another in one and the same case. The agency sent another formal communication to the High Court last week, seeking an audience.

All PAO regional offices, such as the Sapao-Dumangas Iloilo District Office, have joined the appeal to remove Section 22, Canon III, saying: “We cannot serve two masters.”

The new code of conduct, approved on April 12, replaced the 34-year-old code for lawyers and now guides the conduct of legal professionals.

“We are one PAO,” Chief Persida Acosta said. Rio N. Araja

We will no longer accept application beyond July 3, 2024

BEST LIFE RUN. Eric Luchangco, BPI Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Finance Officer; TG Limcaoco, BPI President and CEO; and Gina Eala, BPI Chief of Human Resources (from left, inset) joined BPI employees and running enthusiasts in the bank’s ‘Best Life Run 2023’ around Ayala Triangle Garden in Makati City on Sunday. Manny Palmero

‘DOH needs focal person for seniors’

NEWLY-APPOINTED Department of Health (DOH)

Secretary Teodoro Herbosa needs to designate a person who will focus on the welfare of the country’s senior citizens, Sen. Francis Tolentino said.

In a press statement directed to Herbosa, Tolentino asked: “Is there really someone who is in charge of our senior citizen? Someone who is a focal person for our senior citizens?” Tolentino added that there should be an official within the DOH who will “solely focus on health and welfare of Filipinos aged 60 years old and above

Jinggoy bats for professionalism, respect in Senate

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

ADDRESSING the criticisms of a lack of decorum within the Senate, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada acknowledged the importance of maintaining professionalism in the said institution.

Having served as Senate President Pro Tempore for six years (from 2007 to 2013) and presiding over countless plenary session proceedings, Estrada also said there should be “respectful conduct within our esteemed institution.”

“I have, as the presiding officer, handled instances where emotions run high during debates and we, officers of the Senate intervene to restore order and ensure that proceedings continue respectfully and productively,” Estrada said.

“I believe there are steps we can take to address these concerns and uphold the integrity of the Senate,” he added.

He noted there exists some provisions in the Rules of the Senate governing unparliamentary acts and language and needless to say that a senator may also be called to order for a transgression of the Rules.

The current Senate is composed of individuals with diverse backgrounds, ideologies, and experiences. It is crucial to understand that the dynamics within the Senate reflect the diverse backgrounds and convictions of its members.

Each member, he said, should take responsibility for their words and actions, taking into consideration the impact they have on the Senate’s reputation and public trust.

IN BRIEF

to ensure their well-being, considering various morbidity/comorbidity that could occur in that life period.”

The lawmaker earlier this year filed Senate Bill No. 1799 or the “Comprehensive Senior Citizen Welfare Act” which seeks the creation of “a national health program and shall provide an integrated health service for the elderly.”

Under the proposed measure, the DOH will coordinate with local government units, non-government organizations and other groups for the health program dedicated to the elderly.

The DOH chief has welcomed Tolentino’s suggestion, according to the statement.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte on Sunday meanwhile urged local officials to support the government in its continuing effort to put up an accurate database for an estimated 12.3 million elderly Filipinos nationwide.

He told local executives that the national listing or cataloging of senior citizens is

timely and vital at this time when some four million elderly Filipinos who are considered as indigent are eligible to receive higher monthly subsidies under a new law on improved social protection for this sector.

“I am appealing to our local executives to help the Department of Social Welfare and Development and National Commission of Senior Citizens establish the national database for an estimated 12.3 million seniors, given the urgency of identifying and getting an accurate number of elderly Filipinos, particularly those who are eligible to receive the higher monthly subsidy of P1,000 under Republic Act 11916,” he said. Rio N. Araja

RIZAL’S WORK.

A child looks at a sculpture made by the National Hero Jose Rizal during a visit to the Jose Rizal Museum inside Fort Santiago. On Monday, June 19, the country will celebrate Rizal’s 162nd birth anniversary. Danny Pata

PFP beefs up membership with 10 new inductees

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s party Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) inducted 10 new members on Saturday in a bid to expand its reach nationwide.

The new members, who consist of governors and mayors from all over the country, took their oaths of allegiance to the PFP in Manila.

They are: Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib; Zamboanga Sibugay Governor Anne Hofer; Laguna Vice Governor Karen Agapay; Batanes Governor Malou Cayco; Uyugan Batanes

Mayor Jonathan Nanud; Sabtang, Batanes Mayor Prescila Babalo; Itbayat, Batanes Mayor Sabas De Sagon; Mahatao, Batanes Mayor Pedro Poncio; Ivana, Batanes Mayor Celso Batallones; and Basco, Batanes Mayor German Caccam PFP President and South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said the party has shifted its focus into strengthening its electoral structure, as well as supporting Marcos’ programs on agriculture and the marginalized sector. Aside from Tamayo, other PFP of-

ficials led the oath-taking ceremony: PFP National Secretary General Tom Lantion, PFP Manila chapter Chairman Alex Lopez, and PFP Manila Secretary General Chikee Ocampo.

Formed in 2018 by supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his then push for federalism in the Philippines, PFP saw the landslide victory of President Marcos--its standard-bearer in the 2022 polls--after he obtained more than 58 percent of the total number of votes.

Solon optimistic on bill vs. ‘no permit, no exam’ QUEZON City Rep. Marvin Rillo said he is hopeful that Congress will soon enact the bill seeking to prohibit the oppressive “no permit, no exam” rule in all private and public educational institutions across all school levels.

“Before Congress adjourned on June 3, the Senate agreed on May 31 to the request made by the House on May 24 for a bicameral conference committee to harmonize our respective versions of the bill,” Rillo, one of the authors of the measure, said.

“We don’t expect any problems in reconciling the House and Senate bills once Congress resumes session,” Rillo, House Committee on Higher and Technical Education vice chairperson, said.

“Once enacted, we are counting on the measure to reduce in a big way the number of students dropping out of school,” Rillo said, adding that parents would be encouraged to keep their children enrolled.

Nograles slams policy on package verification

PWERSA ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) party-list Rep. Margarita Nograles has taken a stand against the restrictive policies of courier companies that prohibit recipients from opening their packages to verify the content in the light of the increasing number of online selling scams.

She raised concern over the potential implications on consumer rights and safety, urging the Department of Trade and Industry to intervene and address the issue.

Courier companies, such as LBC, J&T, Lalamove, Grab and other similar express delivery services, should be obligated by the DTI to allow shipping recipients to inspect the contents of their packages upon delivery, she stressed.

Consumers must have the right to verify the contents of the packages they bought online to ensure accuracy, prevent fraud and protect their interests, she said. Rio N. Araja

DENR

chief

urges biz to back climate plans

DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Antonia Loyzaga has urged the country’s top business leaders to work with the government to address the climate crisis and create sustainable communities.

Speaking at the general membership meeting of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) on June 14 in Taguig City, Loyzaga pointed out that “climate action for resilience is everyone’s business.”

“Our government needs partners who go beyond ESG (environmental, social and governance) and the fencelines of their operations to ensure ecosystem integrity and the resilience of communities that surround their operations,” Loyzaga told an assembly of CEOs, COOs and other top management executives from the largest companies in the Philippines. Rio N. Araja

Speaker’s office, Tingog party-list extend financial aid to fire victims

By Rio N. Araja

THE offices of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Tingog party-list Reps.

Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre have facilitated the distribution of relief goods and the release of financial aid to 331 families who are victims of two fire incidents that hit separate locations in Qu-

ezon City and Mandaluyong City. The financial aid is under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian. The recipients were fire victims in Barangay Addition Hills in Mandaluyong City and Barangay Bagbag in Quezon City on June 14 and 15, respectively.

Sen. Villar PH envoy for women in organic agriculture in Asia

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Cynthia A. Villar has been appointed as “Ambassador of the Women in Organic Agriculture in Asia” in the Philippines (WOAA-Ph) by IFOAM-Asia and the League of Organic Agriculture Municipalities, Cities and Provinces during the 6th Organic Asia Congress hosted by Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte from June 4 to June 6.

“As organic agriculture ambassador, I am determined to continue promoting the transition to affordable and environment-friendly agricultural practices and making available to many Filipinos healthy and affordable nu-

tritious organic food, abandoning the use of costly and soil degrading chemical fertilizer and pesticides,” Villar said.

Villar was appointed “Organic Ambassador” because of her significant work in promoting organic agriculture.

In 2020, she worked for the passage of RA

11511 (An Act Amending the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010), which aims to institutionalize the Participatory Guarantee System or PGS as a cheaper organic certification scheme of P1,200.00 per product per year for organic products versus the expensive thirdparty certification costing P150,000.00 per product per year.

“The financial aid is part of a government program given to distressed individuals. I hope this small amount from the DSWD can help ease the pain of the families who lost their homes to these fire incidents,” Romualdez said. Financial aid of P10,000 each was given to 206 families who were displaced by the fire that razed through

a residential area along Pascual Street in Barangay Bagbag in a simple payout ceremony in Remarville Basketball Court last Saturday. The same amount of financial assistance was also given to each of the 125 families affected by the fire that gutted a residential area on F. Martinez Street, Barangay Addition.

NEW MEMBERS. Laguna Vice Governor Karen Agapay (right), who is also the National President of the League of Vice Governors of the Philippines LVGP, along with other national officers and governors took the oath as new members of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), led by PFP president and South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr. (2nd left). The PFP is President Marcos’ political party. Roy Tomandao

FATHERS. Farmers from Brgy. Talogtog in Laoac, Pangasinan plant

Father’s Day yesterday. Robert Gines

Please listen to your sister

BEFORE I go into the main topic of today’s column, June 19 is the birthday of Jose Rizal, our national hero.

Many young Filipinos probably do not even know this, because all along, we have commemorated Rizal on the day he was executed by the Spanish colonizers on December 30.

I really wonder why we commemorate deaths and defeats, instead of birth dates and victories.

We hardly honor Lapu-Lapu, the Mactan chieftain who repelled and killed Ferdinand Magellan, until Rodrigo Duterte gave him due prominence. Still, the heroism is only properly commemorated in Cebu.

Our veteran columnist, Atty. Emil Jurado, wonders why we do not commemorate the battle of Bessang Pass, where we scored a victory over the Japanese invaders, yet April 9, the Fall of Bataan, is a national holiday.

Maybe PFRM Jr. can direct the National Historical Institute to do something about this. The Roman Catholic Church commemorates martyrdom, but then it is a religious entity which propagates the idea of sainthood.

This is not to withdraw from my previously written sentiments about our having too many holidays, but in furtherance of propagating a sense of national pride, our historians and our leaders should start correcting the many inconsistencies in our commemorative events. ***

Mr. President, please listen to your sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, on many issues where she takes an independent stand, and now, particularly on the proposal of the American government to send Afghan refugees to the Philippines for “processing.”

When Presidents Quezon and Quirino welcomed separately Jewish refugees to the country, we had plenty of land to spare as our population in those times were not as large as now when we are bursting at the seams with 114 million and more.

So this is not about being less humanitarian than our predecessors; it is about the coping mechanisms of our economy. It is about national security and threats of terrorism.

Let’s stop being the doormat of our former colonial masters who have been exploiting us far too long because we content ourselves with being ‘little brown Americans’

Even Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte has objected vehemently to the plan to host Afghan refugees, concerned about the possibility that students would be caught in a crossfire should local terrorists supporting the Taliban launch attacks against the Afghans brought into the country.

The NBI has warned that “sleeper cells” among Taliban-sympathetic terrorists may use the presence of the Afghan refugees to create mayhem.

The situation is quite different with how PFEM Sr. established refugee centers for Vietnamese “boat people” fleeing possible persecution from the government that took over when the Americans left them in the wake of humiliating defeat.

Vietnam is just across the South China Sea, and is now part of the Asean community which we once spearheaded.

The American CIA financed the emergence of the Pashtuns who became the Taliban to defeat the Russian invaders only to realize that they had created a “monster” which would eventually topple the puppet “republics” they sponsored.

Now that America has grown tired of a war it could not win, they decided to leave the Afghans to their own fate, including those who worked for them in the long war of attrition.

Unwilling to bring the new refugees directly to their homeland, the Americans now scout for a “friendly” country to house their abandoned loyalists. And by force of habit, they look at our country, an easy and gullible ally.

Bring them to Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas where there is so much land and so few people, the native red Indians who inhabited

UNITED NATIONS, New York—The world’s first international treaty on the high seas, set to be adopted by the United Nations on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), contains landmark tools for the conservation and management of international waters. International waters—outside the jurisdiction of any single state—cover more than 60 percent of the world’s oceans.

Ocean ecosystems create half the oxygen humans breathe and limit global warming by absorbing much of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. Once adopted, the UN treaty will go into force 120 days after 60 countries have ratified it. Here are the key points of the text approved in March. The final version to be voted on has not yet been published.

Ocean under threat

The treaty begins by recognizing “the need to address, in a coherent and cooperative manner, biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystems of the ocean.”

These impacts include the warming of ocean waters along with their loss of oxygen, acidification, mounting plastics and other pollutants, as well as overfishing.

these parts having been decimated by the white settlers a century ago when they pushed into the wild, wild West. Process them if you must in Hawaii instead of Clark Green City. And what happens if an insane Republican trumps a senile Democrat in the 2024 elections, and the victor decides not to accept the Afghan refugees “temporarily” housed in our hospitable shores?

Senadora Imee is right to call for a Senate inquiry, considering how the Presidential Management Staff has been organizing TWGs to establish ways and means to operationalize what seems to be a “done deal” between our ambassador to the US and the host government in apparent stealth. Let’s stop being the doormat of our former colonial masters who have been exploiting us far too long because we content ourselves with being “little brown Americans.” ***

Senadora Imee is also right when she demands to know our Filipino community evacuation plans in case war erupts between China and Taiwan.

It is no easy task, and we cannot just rely on the assurances given by our defense officials and the Department of Migrant Workers who tell us they are on top of the potential situation. If China does invade Taiwan, something I hope will not happen between blood relatives but could be accidentally triggered, it is commonsensical to assume that the PLA will immediately target the airports and seaports of the island across the narrow strait.

The southern rump of Taiwan (Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Kenting) which are just about 300 kilometers from Batanes will be a theater of war, and the Bashi Channel and our own Luzon Straits will be awash with Chinese and American naval vessels shooting at each other if the latter wades into the conflict.

Our hosting of bases in Cagayan province for the Americans under the new terms of EDCA has made our country inextricably linked to the potential conflict, the probability of the PLA air and naval forces attacking our territory quite likely.

How now are we to evacuate our 180,000 strong Filipino community in Taiwan? By air when missiles are flying, or by slow boats?

Maybe use the yachts of our mega-rich headed by El Chavit, ala Dunkirk?

The best we could do is, one, to hope the hostilities will end quickly; and two, that the Taiwanese underground shelters can accommodate more than 700,000 foreigners, whether Filipino, Indonesian, Vietnamese and others, on top of their own 23.4 million citizens.

While at MECO, together with our Asean resident diplomats, we asked the Taiwanese government about sheltering foreign contract workers in the event of an “invasion” but up to the time I resigned in mid-2021, there were no definitive answers on the matter of housing foreigners in their bomb shelters.

Even assuming we can transport 130,000 OFWs from the north and central parts of the island to Kaoshiung by land where they could theoretically board vessels for Batanes and Cagayan is a huge logistical nightmare.

That is the reason why MECO saved more than 400 million dollars from retained earnings because relying on national government funding (MECO is off budget and sustains itself without the GAA) in an emergency is not easy.

Just feeding our displaced OFW’s while the armed conflict boils is hugely expensive and difficult to operationalize.

With almost zero income for more than two years when we had lockdowns, and MECO could not earn from Taiwanese visitor visas, we retrenched, cut costs, closed an office in Taichung, just to ensure that those reserves will not be touched.

I have no knowledge whether those funds are still intact after I left office, or whether my successors touched the fund to sustain operations.

Whichever, it will be a tremendously difficult situation, which is why war should be prevented by diplomatic means and calm should prevail over actions labeled as “deterrent” while the other side should forebear with its legendary patience.

Unsound and unlawful advice

AYEAR after stepping down from the highest elective office and peacefully handing over power to the succeeding administration, former president Rodrigo Duterte has broken his silence on how the war on illegal drugs should be pursued by authorities.

But what he said is not good at all.

Rodrigo Duterte, a longtime mayor of Davao City, a former prosecutor and congressman before becoming Chief Executive of this country, wants the PNP to kill outright their own officials and rank-and-file involved in illegal drugs without benefit of due process involving the formal filing of charges and a fair trial in a court of law.

Mr. Duterte’s unsolicited advice to the Marcos administration, particularly to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Administration and the Philippine National Police that’s been tasked to conduct the anti-drug war, is for the PNP to continue the same scorched-earth and take-no-prisoners approach that got him into trouble with the International Criminal Court and human rights groups here and abroad in the first place.

Here’s what Rodrigo Duterte actually said, as quoted in news reports: “Shoot them dead. Why allow them due process? …I love the police, but you know this is a difficult problem. I have said it before.

“The best way to deal with these kinds of lawmen: kill them. No need for court proceedings, just kill them...I do not find any redeeming factor in them.

“Why should I let them live, due to sympathy

(for) their families? Would it be a redeeming factor? I don’t see any.”

So what else is new?

It’s basically a reiteration of his “kill, kill, kill” marching order to the PNP even before he was

sworn into office in 2016.

Barely a month after Duterte won the 2016 presidential election, the police had already begun to implement his “kill-kill-kill” mantra, and kept owners of funeral homes enormously happy with bloody corpses arriving at their doorsteps at every hour of every business day.

The toll?

More than 6,200 officially reported by the police as having been killed by their anti-drug operatives from 2016 onwards, allegedly because they fought back (“nanlaban”), but without offering any solid proof.

The Commission on Human Rights and human rights groups dispute the official narrative, claiming between 20,000 and 30,000 casualties in Duterte’s bloody war on drugs perpetrated mainly by ‘vigilante groups’ said to be police personnel out of uniform themselves and paid for every kill.

The ex-president now wants the PDEA and the PNP to again throw due process of law out of the window and start killing all those cops involved in illegal drugs, no matter how high up they are in the hierarchy or even just ordinary cops compelled by their superiors to follow their orders.

When he was in power for six long years, Rodrigo Duterte littered the streets with the bodies of suspected drug traffickers and addicts but apparently failed to bring even a single really big-time drug trafficker to jail.

Now, the illegal drug trade persists even with the bloody results of his war on drugs.

This is the kind of unsolicited advice that the current administration should simply ignore as the product of an unsound mind and a warped sense of what’s right and what’s wrong.

Paving the road for economic partners

THE 2nd Philippine Economic Briefing held June 15 in Singapore was the seventh edition of the ongoing roadshow of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr’s administration aimed at attracting foreign direct investments that would establish long term enterprises that can stimulate and sustain a robust and prosperous economy, which, hopefully, will be inclusive.

The presentations of the Philippine economic team illustrated how the country’s economic performance showed remarkable resilience and dynamism that, despite the deep economic scars caused by the pandemic, the challenges of high inflation and rising debt of government, there is reason for optimism and positive outlook.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno showed how the Philippine’s economic performance continues to be strong as it outperformed other emerging economies in Asia.

Household consumption grew by 6.3 percent and is seen to continue to be a major force for growth while investments grew by 12.2 percent.

Data was presented on the improving labor market, inflation slowing down, and how the normalizing mobility has increased economic activity and resulted in strong fiscal performance. With more tax reforms and systemic digitization to improve tax administration, Secretary Diokno is confident the administration’s growth objectives will be achieved. He assured that stable macroeconomic fundamentals will be sustained with fiscal prudence and agile risk management. Structural reforms will further increase the inflow of investments and volume of trade.

Infrastructure will be a top priority for public investments while the private sector’s will be harnessed for public-private partnerships.

Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman spoke of the evident gains as the rising economy pushes forward notwithstanding global challenges and the lingering post-pandemic fallout.

Social services received the bulk of the allocation in the 2023 national budget (P1.8 trillion) while Education, being a top priority, received the largest share. Healthcare has the second largest budget and expectedly lower than pandemic levels. Ongoing concerns in Food Security will hopefully be addressed with the 29 percent increase for Agriculture amounting to approximately P186 billion. Spending on

infrastructure will focus on countrywide improvements in physical connectivity.

More funding for climate change mitigation and adaptation programs anticipates the damaging effects of increasing extreme weather occurrences.

Unlike in former administrations, there is more funding in Digital Infrastructure but still not enough to catch up with other countries in the region.

representative of the private sector and reactor, stated it will be the growing consumption economy and increasing investments that will drive Philippine economic growth.

The opening of the economy has sparked the rise in opportunities for employment which generates income for consumption.

Prof. Manhit said, “Philippines has a huge consumer base of over 110 million and a population that is young, skilled, and educated. Private consumption buoyed by sustained income growth due to government and private sector investments will be key growth drivers to the growing Philippine economy.”

National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan also emphasized on the expansion and upgrade of infrastructure as a key strategy in the 2023-2028 Philippine Development Plan and development agenda of the government.

The 194 infrastructure flagship projects in the Build Better More program of the Marcos Jr. administration will be funded with an allocation of 5-6 percent of the country’s gross national product which would translate to about US$20-40 billion for each budget cycle.

Financing will be sourced via Official Development Assistance, General Appropriations Act, and Public-Private Partnership.

Appropriately, Secretary Balisacan recognized the private sector as the government’s valuable partner being the driver for growth and innovation and wielding the financial resources, and the technical and managerial expertise that are critical in achieving the government’s socio-economic agenda and enhancing the delivery of public services.

Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, Stratbase Group CEO, Bower Group Asia’s Managing Director, in his speech as

He explained that “robust consumption supported by remittances and improved job opportunities would drive economic growth.” Adding more capital to the local economy are the Philippine diaspora remittances boosting consumer consumption and investments. Based on a recent Pulse Asia survey, President Marcos Jr. has gained the people’s trust and support and has the advantage of strong political capital and a very competent economic team that has concrete plans and solutions to address the country’s most urgent concerns.

The President has the opportunity to harness the talents and assets of government and a very able and willing private sector in executing his administration’s 8-point socioeconomic agenda and the Philippine4 Development Plan 2023-2028 to steer the Philippines to a high velocity track towards sustainable and most of all inclusive growth and prosperity. As survivors of a three-year global pandemic, we must now emerge with the strength and confidence to thrive amid uncertainties and volatilities.

As our government continues to fulfill its duty and mandate to promote and protect our interests as a nation, we must reciprocate by actively participating as responsible citizens contributing the best we can for our collective success.

What will the UN high seas treaty mean for protecting the ocean?

The text specifies that it will apply to waters beyond countries’ exclusive economic zones, which extend to a maximum of 200 nautical miles from the coasts.

It also covers what is known as “the Area,” shorthand for seabed and subsoil beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.

The Area comprises just over half of the planet’s seabed.

The Conference of the Parties will have to navigate the authority of other regional and global organizations. Chief among these are regional fisheries bodies and the International Seabed Authority, which oversees permits for deep-sea mining exploration in some areas and may soon make the controversial move of allowing companies to mine beyond current test runs.

Marine protected areas

Currently, almost all protected marine areas are within national territorial waters.

The treaty, however, allows for these reserves to be created in the open ocean.

Most decisions would be taken by a consensus of the COP, but an MPA can be voted into existence with a three-quarters majority, to prevent deadlock caused by a single country.

One crucial shortcoming: the text does not

It also calls for countries to assess the potential impact on international waters of activities within national jurisdictions that may cause ‘substantial pollution’ or harm the high sea marine environment

say how these conservation measures will be monitored and enforced over remote swathes of the ocean—a task that will fall to the COP.

Some experts say satellites could be used to

spot infractions. Individual countries are already responsible for certain activities on the high seas that they have jurisdiction over, such as those of ships flying their flags.

Sharing the bounty?

On the high seas, countries and entities under their jurisdiction will be allowed to collect animal, plant, or microbial matter whose genetic material might prove useful, even commercially.

Scientists, for example, have discovered molecules with the potential to treat cancer or other diseases in microbes scooped up in sediment, or produced by sponges or marine mollusks.

Benefits-sharing of those resources has been a key point of contention between wealthy and poorer nations. The treaty establishes frameworks for the transfer of marine research technologies to developing countries and a strengthening of their research capacities, as well as open access to data.

But it’s left to the COP to decide exactly how any monetary benefits will eventually be shared, with options including a system based on specific commercialized products, or more

generalized payment systems.

Environmental impact studies

The treaty requires signatories to assess the environmental impacts of planned activities under their control on the high seas before they are authorized in instances when such activities may have more than a minor or transitory effect.

It also calls for countries to assess the potential impact on international waters of activities within national jurisdictions that may cause “substantial pollution” or harm the high sea marine environment.

Ultimately, states are responsible for giving the green light to any potentially harmful activity—a role NGOs hoped would go to the COP, to make controversial approvals more difficult.

The treaty also requires states to publish updates on an activity’s environmental impacts. Approvals can be called into question if unanticipated impacts arise.

Though they are not specifically listed in the treaty, activities that could come under regulation include transport and fishing, as well as more controversial subjects such as deep-sea mining or even geo-engineering initiatives to mitigate global warming. AFP

This is the kind of unsolicited advice that the current administration should simply ignore as the product of an unsound mind and a warped sense of what’s right and what’s wrong

As survivors of a three-year global pandemic, we must now emerge with the strength and confidence to thrive amid uncertainties and volatilities

Blinken opens rare Beijing visit in a bid to lower temperature

SECRETARY of State Antony Blinken began talks in China on Sunday on the highest-level trip by a US official in nearly five years as the two powers looked to notch down the temperature in an escalating rivalry.

Both sides have voiced guarded hope of improving communication and preventing conflict, with the world’s two largest economies at odds on an array of issues from trade to technology and regional security.

Blinken and his aides opened the twoday visit by meeting Foreign Minister Qin Gang at an ornately decorated state villa in Beijing’s ancient Diaoyutai gar-

Indonesia orders 13 long-range radars

“benefit from

single air picture integrating the detection of all types of threats, from jets and missiles to hovering helicopters and unmanned air vehicles,” the companies said in a joint statement.

The amount of the contract, which spans several years, has not been disclosed. Each radar costs several tens of millions of dollars.

The GM400a is a mobile radar with a range of 515 kilometers (320 miles) and “integrates artificial intelligence capabilities to manage the massive amounts of data” it receives, president of Thales International Pascale Sourisse told AFP.

The purchase of the 13 latest-generation radars “shows this country’s concern for monitoring the surrounding airspace, which is directly linked to the situation in the Indo-Pacific,” where China is asserting its ambitions, she said. AFP

dens, where the Chinese hosts will later throw a banquet dinner.

Qin and Blinken walked along a red carpet and shook hands next to a pair of national flags standing in front of a painting of craggy mountains and wispy clouds.

Blinken earlier said he would seek to avoid “miscalculations” and to “responsibly manage” relations with the coun-

Swiss vote on new climate change law

THE Swiss, feeling the impact of global warming on their rapidly melting glaciers, were voting on Sunday on a new climate bill aimed at steering the country towards carbon neutrality. Recent opinion polls indicate strong support for the proposed law, which would require Switzerland to slash its dependence on imported oil and gas, scaling up the development and use of greener and more home-grown alternatives.

But the backing slipped in the most recent survey by pollster gfs.bern, albeit remaining at 63 percent in favor, amid claims by the populist right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) that the law, which would commit the country to become carbon neutral by 2050, could harm the economy.

Polling stations were to open for a few hours on Sunday morning before closing at noon (1000 GMT).

But most votes are typically cast in advance for popular votes held under Switzerland’s famous direct democratic system, and initial results were expected by mid-afternoon.

Supporters say the proposed “Federal Act on Climate Protection Targets, Innovation and Strengthening Energy Security” is needed to ensure energy security.

They say it will also help address the ravages of climate change, highlighted by the dramatic melting of glaciers in the Swiss Alps, which lost a third of their ice volume between 2001 and 2022. AFP

try identified by US policymakers across party lines as the greatest challenge to Washington’s global primacy.

He was originally scheduled to visit in February but abruptly scrapped his plans as the United States protested—and later shot down—what it said was a Chinese spy balloon flying over its soil.

US President Joe Biden played down the balloon episode as Blinken was heading to China, saying: “I don’t think the leadership knew where it was and knew what was in it and knew what was going on.”

“I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional,” Biden told reporters Saturday.

Anxious wait for news as 41 killed in Uganda school attack

Biden said he hoped to again meet President Xi Jinping after their lengthy and strikingly cordial meeting in November on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Bali, where they agreed on Blinken’s visit.

“I’m hoping that, over the next several months, I’ll be meeting with Xi again and talking about legitimate differences we have but also how there’s areas we can get along,” Biden said.

The two leaders are likely to attend the next G20 summit, in September in New Delhi, and Xi is invited to travel to San Francisco in November when the United States hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. AFP

DISTRAUGHT families gathered at a mortuary in western Uganda on Sunday for any news of their loved ones after a militant attack left dozens of students dead and others missing.

Officials say at least 41 people, mostly students, were massacred at a secondary school near the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo late Friday by militants linked to the Islamic State group.

Victims were hacked, shot, and burned to death in a brutal attack at Lhubiriha Secondary School in Mpondwe that has shocked Uganda and drawn condemnation from around the globe.

The army and police have blamed the Allied Democratic Front (ADF), a militia based in DR Congo, who fled back to the border with six abductees in captivity after the attack.

The military said it was pursuing the attackers and would recover those kidnapped.

Many of the victims were burned beyond recognition when the attackers set a locked dormitory ablaze, frustrating efforts to identify the dead and account for the missing.

At a mortuary in Bwera, a town near where the attack occurred, families wailed as the bodies of their loved ones were put into coffins and taken away for burial.

But for many others, there was no news of missing relatives. Many of those killed in the fire were transferred to the city of Fort Portal where DNA testing can be conducted.

It is the deadliest militant attack in Uganda since 2010, when 76 people were killed in twin bombings in Kampala by the Somalia-based group Al-Shabaab.

CHANGE, NOT CHAINS. Protesters hold up placards during a march through central London on June 17, 2023, to call for decriminalization of abortion. A woman who lied about her pregnancy to secure abortion-causing drugs during a UK pandemic lockdown was jailed for 14 months last week. AFP

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it “an appalling act” while the United States, a close ally of Uganda, and the African Union also sent their condolences and condemned the bloodshed. AFP

Analysts see stock market moving sideways with upward bias this week

By Jenniffer B. Austria

5. Ratification of Actions Taken by the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Board Committees and Management since the last annual stockholders’ meeting

6. Election of the Board of Directors including the Independent Directors for 2023

7. Appointment of External Auditor

8. Other Matters

9. Adjournment

For purposes of the meeting, only stockholders of record as of May 29, 2023 are entitled to vote in the said meeting.

The Annual Stockholders’ Meeting will be streamed live and stockholders may attend and participate via remote communication by registering on or before 5:00 PM on July 14, 2023 using the registration form found in the https://www.7-eleven.com.ph/2023-asm/. Stockholders may send in questions or remarks to asm-psc@7-eleven.com.ph.

To cast your votes as a stockholder, you may vote through remote communication or in absentia, or through a proxy. Voting by remote communication or in absentia shall be done by completing the online voting form or submitting a scanned copy of the downloadable voting form found in https://www.7-eleven.com.ph/2023-asm/. The requirements and procedure for registration and voting are set forth in Annex “D” of the Information Statement and shall be published in the Company’s website at www.7-eleven.com.ph.

Pursuant to SEC Notice dated March 13, 2023 a copy of the Notice and Agenda of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Information Statement (SEC Form 20-IS), Proxy Form, Management Report/Annual Report (SEC Form 17-A) for the year ended December 31, 2022 and Sustainability Report, and 1st Quarterly Report with Management’s Discussion and Analysis and unaudited consolidated financial statements for the three (3)

Analysts said the market was expecting the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to keep interest rates unchanged after the US Federal Reserve’s last week’s decision to pause interest rate increases amid the continued easing of inflation rate.

The BSP’s Monetary Board is scheduled to meet this week to discuss its next policy decision.

“Eyes will be on BSP’s next move on rates, which will likely just be on step with the Fed—status quo for now,” online trading firm 2TradeAsia.com said.

It said with the easing inflation and expectations of less aggressive round of rate hikes for the remainder of the year, overall fundamentals strengthened over the medium term.

“The case for rate reductions as early as next year is gaining traction, as we anticipate valu-

ation upgrades toward the tailend of 2024 to capture the more forgiving aspects of 2024,” 2TradeAsia.com said. Property and banking stocks are expected to benefit from improving inflation and interest rate environment. These stocks, analysts said, should get an increase in valuation over the medium term.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index hovered within a range of 6,400 and 6,500 last week, which could provide investors opportunity to accumulate on stocks and position for the long term.

“Given that the local market remains at attractive levels, we may still see bargain-hunting that can help the market extend its gains,” Philstocks Financial Inc. research manager Japhet Tantiangco said.

Tantiangco said investors would also be on the lookout for more catalysts pointing to a positive outlook for macroeconomic and corporate fundamentals.

The PSEi traded sideways last week despite an increase in foreign buying. The index closed flat last week as most counters ended in the red except for the property sector.

Foreign investors were net buyers by an average of P1.58 billion, as most stocks remained undervalued. With AFP

Biden asks rich to pay fair share of taxes, seeks workers’ support

PHILADELPHIA, USA—President Joe Biden on Saturday appealed to blue-collar workers to support his reelection quest and help him compel the richest Americans to pay more taxes.

“It’s about time the super wealthy start paying their fair share,” Biden told hundreds of union workers in the industrial state of Pennsylvania.

The campaign rally was sponsored by the AFL-CIO, a union federation that represents 12.5 million American workers and that formally endorsed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris a day earlier.

Biden launched his 2024 re-election bid on April 25 but had held no major campaign events before Saturday’s rally.

The president made his pitch as a crowded field of Republicans jostle for the party’s nomination, with Donald Trump the runaway frontrunner despite facing federal criminal charges that he mishandled US government secrets, being impeached twice over allegations of misconduct during his White House tenure, and a swirl of other legal troubles.

Biden made a distinctly populist appeal in Philadelphia, touching on a number of issues aimed at halting a migration of working-class voters away from the Democratic Party.

Biden said pro-union sentiments are not widely shared by fellow elected officials in Washington.

“There are a lot of politicians in this country who can’t say the word ‘union’ and you know I’m not one of them. I’m proud to say the word, I’m proud to be the most pro-union president in American history,” he said. AFP

STOCKS are expected to move sideways with an upward bias this week on the back of improving macroeconomic conditions.

BALTI BOWL. Mark Sheppard works to create a balti bowl at the factory of metal fabricators LeeMark Spinnings, in Birmingham, central England, on June 7, 2023. The balti dish was first created in Birmingham in 1975. The authentic balti is cooked using vegetable oil, not ghee, in a specially designed bowl made of pressed carbon steel. The balti is cooked in the dish it is served in and the diner is expected to eat out of the same dish too. The Balti Triangle, located south of Birmingham city center, contains some of the oldest balti restaurants although currently only four authentic balti restaurants remain trading in the area. AFP

IN BRIEF

Groups ask gov’t to lift limits on motorcycle taxis

TRANSPORT groups over the weekend asked the government to remove the limits on the number of motorcycle taxis to provide commuters with a convenient transportation alternative amid the poor mass transportation infrastructure.

CitizenWatch Philippines, Bantay Konsyumer, Kalsada, Kuryente and The Passenger Forum said in separate statements removing the limit on MTs would serve the interests of millions of commuting Filipinos while providing livelihood for thousands of qualified drivers and their dependents.

Former Quezon City Rep. and now CitizenWatch Philippines co-convenor Atty. Kit Belmonte said that because of the absence of adequate mass transportation systems to serve a growing Filipino population, “millions of commuters are plagued by the daily distress of having to fall in line for hours, squeeze themselves in packed modes of transportation or resort to illegal transport options, just to get home to their families after a hard day’s work.”

Belmonte said the shortage of options “resulted in the proliferation of illegal habal-habals, which are being patronized by desperate commuters.”

“Because they are unregulated, the drivers of habal-habal do not have proper training and they do not have accident insurance,” Belmonte said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Maynilad spending P16.5b to further cut water losses

WEST zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is spending around P16.5 billion from 2023 to 2027 to further reduce its water losses, a top executive said over the weekend.

“We have dedicated more resources toward the reduction of losses so we can speed up water volume recovery in time for El Niño. We hope that we continue to get the support of the relevant government agencies and local government units in facilitating the release of permits and other requirements needed for our NRW projects,” said Maynilad chief operating officer Randolph Estrellado.

The bigger share of P10 billion will go to pipe replacement projects throughout its concession area over the five-year period, with majority of the projects to be undertaken in Manila, Quezon City and Caloocan. Most of the pipelines in these areas are aging and should be replace soon, the company said.

Maynilad said it would use the remaining P5.84 billion for the meter management projects, establishment of smaller District Metered Areas, leak repairs and diagnostic activities as well as leak detection equipment and technical services.

The company’s pipe replacement program significantly reduced non-revenue water to 43 percent in 2022 from 68 percent in 2006, translating to 413 million liters per day of water recovered. Othel V. Campos

Gov’t agencies issue rules on electricity lifeline rate

THE Department of Energy, the Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development issued a tripartite advisory to distribution utilities for the implementation of the lifeline rate.

The agencies ordered the DUs to immediately implement the disqualification of those who are not qualified to avail of the lifeline rate under Rule 6, Section 6 of the Lifeline implementing rules and regulations.

Those living in condominiums or subdivision projects, except those residing in government housing projects and similar projects, those who are availing net-metering services, those whose consumption falls at or below the consumption threshold but are not considered qualified marginalized end-users, and those who are convicted with finality for violating AntiPilferage of Electricity and Theft of Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Act of 1994 would be disqualified from availing the lifeline rate. The DUs were also directed to start the acceptance and processing of applications from consumers seeking to avail of the lifeline rate program. DUs are expected to complete the processing of the applications on or before Aug. 1, 2023. Alena Mae S. Flores

DOE prepares offshore wind guidelines

THE Department of Energy is firming up the guidelines for the issuance of offshore wind energy service contracts in the next two months following the industry consultations.

DOE assistant secretary Mylene Capongcol said they needed to update the draft OSWESC guidelines, taking into account additional inputs from the private sector and other agencies.

“The detailed guidelines on offshore wind developments can be issued in two months. We are having a deep study on the timelines or the development activities because we adapted the onshore technology for the issuance of the contract based on the current guidelines,” Capongcol said.

“We have done several consultations with the players as well as the government agencies, and we are planning to have a more specific timeline of development like extending the pre-development stage from five to seven [years],” she said.

Capongcol said the DOE faced challenges in finalizing the guidelines because of “so many unknowns that we are still gathering.” Alena Mae S. Flores

Foreign debt topped $118b as of end-March

By Julito G. Rada

general financing requirements, funding of pandemic recovery measures and other infrastructure programs, among others, also contributed to the growth in the debt stock,” the BSP said.

Alliance Global eyes 11,000 hotel rooms to become largest operator

By Jenniffer B. Austria

ALLIANCE Global Group Inc. of billionaire Andrew Tan expects to have 11,000 hotel keys by 2028 and secure its position as the country’s largest hotel developer.

AGI said in a statement over the weekend the group aimed to grow its hotel portfolio, property unit Megaworld Corp. planning to build six major hotels over the next six years.

AGI chief executive Kevin Andrew Tan said the new hotels in the pipeline would rise in various cities and towns across the country. These include Parañaque City, Laguna, Bacolod City in Negros Occidental, San Fernando City in Pampanga, Boracay Island in Aklan and San Vicente in Palawan.

“AGI remains to be the biggest player in the Philippine tourism sector, with the largest array of international and home-grown hotels at varying price points to cater to all types of tourists and visitors,” Tan said.

He said with the surge in domestic and international tourism activities, all hotels of the group experienced high occupancy rates and improved average daily room rates.

The group, through subsidiaries Megaworld and Travelers International Hotel Group Inc., now operates 7,500 hotel rooms across its portfolio.

Manila Standard TODAY

THE country’s foreign debt climbed 6.8 percent to $118.8 billion as of the first quarter this year from $111.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022 as the government raised more funds from the international market to finance pandemicrecovery measures and infrastructure development.

Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas also showed that the external debt also increased $9.1 billion from $109.75 billion in the first quarter of 2022.

External debt refers to all types of borrowings by Philippine residents from non-residents, following the residency criterion for international statistics.

The BSP said despite the higher debt stock in the first quarter, the external debt ratio remained at a prudent level. External debt expressed as a percentage of the gross domestic product was recorded at 29.0 percent in the first quarter, higher than 27.5 percent in fourth quarter of 2022 due to a change in the scope of the external debt stock to include non-resident holdings of pesodenominated debt securities issued onshore of $3.8 billion.

“Borrowings by the public sector for the national government’s

“Other key external debt indicators also remained at manageable levels. Gross international reserves stood at $101.5 billion as of end-March 2023 and represented 5.9 times cover for shortterm debt based on the original maturity concept,” it said.

The debt service ratio rose to 12.9 percent from 4.0 percent in the same period last year on higher recorded repayments. The DSR, which relates principal and interest payments (debt service burden) to exports of goods and receipts from services and primary income, is a measure of adequacy of the country’s foreign exchange earnings to meet maturing obligations.

Other drivers for the increase in the external debt stock were the net availments of $2.7 billion, largely by the national government as it raised $3.0 billion from the issuance of a multi-tranche global bond for its general financing requirements; prior periods’ adjustments of $767 million; and the appreciation of other currencies against the US dollar which increased the US dollar equivalent of borrowings denominated in other currencies, thereby resulting in an overall positive FX revaluation of $432 million.

TIGHI owns and operates six hotels with Newport World Resorts, including Marriott Hotel (570 rooms), Hilton Hotel (352 rooms), Sheraton Hotel (350 rooms), Hotel Okura (190 rooms), Holiday Inn Express (737 rooms) and Courtyard by Marriott in Iloilo City (326 rooms).

MEGAWIDE CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION

No. 20 N. Domingo Street, Barangay Valencia, Quezon City Tel. No. (02) 8655-1111

NOTICE OF ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING

To the Stockholders of MEGAWIDE CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION (the “Company”):

Notice is hereby given that the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of the Company will be held on 12 July 2023, at 2:00 P.M. The meeting will be conducted via remote communication and can be accessed through the link available in the Company’s website.

The agenda of the meeting is as follows:

1. Call to Order • The

2022

• The Minutes of the Special Stockholders’ Meeting held last 20 December 2022 will be submitted for approval. It contains the following matters: (a) Approval of the Minutes of the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting held last 30 June 2022; (b) Election of Independent Director; (c) Approval of increase in Authorized Capital Stock of Preferred Shares, and the consequent Amendment of its Articles of Incorporation; (d) Approval of offer, sale, and listing of additional Preferred Shares; and (e) Election of Directors.

A copy of the Minutes of the Special Stockholders’ Meeting held last 20 December 2022 is available in the Company’s website and attached to the Information

5. Election of Directors

stockholders will approve the election of the regular and independent directors to hold office until the next Annual Stockholders’ Meeting and until their respective successors have been elected and qualified. The nominees were evaluated on the basis of all qualifications required by the Company’s By-Laws, New Manual on Corporate Governance, and that no provision on disqualification would apply to them. The profile and qualifications of the nominees are in the Company’s Information Statement and Annual Report (“SEC Form 17-A”) which are available in its website.

6. Approval of the 2022 Audited Financial Statements The 2022 Audited Financial Statements of the Company will be submitted for the approval of the stockholders.

7. Appointment of the External Auditor

• The stockholders will approve the appointment of Punongbayan & Araullo as the Company’s external auditor.

8. Approval of the Acquisition by the Company of PH1 World Developers Inc.

• The stockholders are to approve the acquisition by the Company of 100% of the outstanding capital stock in PH1 World Developers Inc. from its affiliate, Citicore Holdings Investments Inc.

9. Ratification of All Acts of the Board of Directors and Management

• For ratification of the stockholders are all the acts of the Board of Directors and Management in the ordinary course of the Company’s business. A list of such acts is too voluminous to be included in the Information Statement. These acts pertain to government permits and clearances, execution of contracts, availment of services from banks, and other acts necessary for various construction project

10. Other Matters

• The floor will be open for questions from the stockholders.

All stockholders of record at the close of business on 22 June 2023 are entitled to notice of and vote at the regular meeting and at any adjournment thereof. The stock and transfer books of the Company will be closed from end of business day on 23 June 2023 until 12 July 2023

Please refer to Exhibit “1” of the Information Statement (available in the PSE Edge website) or visit the Company’s website for the full details on the submission of proxies, procedure for voting, participation in the Regular Stockholders’ Meeting, and to view the Information Statement and Annual Report on SEC Form 17-A.

City, Philippines, 14 June 2023.

URATEX-POA TIEUP. Uratex, a leading foam company in the Philippines, reaffirms its commitment to providing quality sleeping products with the brand’s partnership agreement renewal with the Philippine Orthopaedic Association for another five years. POA is the national organization of orthopedic surgeons in the Philippines, dedicated to excellence in the delivery of orthopedic patient care, orthopedic training, and medical research. Signing the agreement are (from left) Uratex managing director Peachy Medina, POA president Dr. David Algar and Uratex sleep business director Stephen Lee.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Cities are critical battlefields for a sustainable future—UN

THE world’s cities are “critical battlegrounds” to making multilateralism work for all in the struggle for a sustainable future, UN secretary-general António Guterres said in a recent message to

Guterres said cities were on the frontline for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the New Urban Agenda and the Parsi Agreement on climate change.

“Cities are critical battlegrounds. They generate 70 percent of global emissions. They house half of humanity. And by 2050, over two billion more people will call them home,” he said,

Century Pacific launches drive for cleaner seas

CENTURY Pacific Food Inc., one of the leading branded food and beverage manufacturing companies in the Philippines, has taken another step towards achieving cleaner seas with the launch of its new Saving Our Seas Campaign.

Established in 1986, Century Tuna, the country’s leading canned tuna brand, aims to lead the charge in promoting the circular economy and biodiversity in partnership with impact organization HOPE through its Aling Tindera Waste-to-Cash program.

“The Philippines is among the top contributors of plastic waste in the world, posing a threat to communities and marine life. Conversely, this presents an opportunity to unlock value in plastic waste and prevent it from leaking into nature by incentivizing critical movers in the cycle and creating a circular economy–a win-win scenario for both people and the planet,” said Carlo Endaya, CNPF’s vice president and general manager for Century Tuna.

With the Saving Our Seas campaign, Century Tuna jumpstarts the cycle with a plastic waste collection program. The initiative kicked off in Mabini, Batangas, globally renowned for its lush marine life and biodiversity and a haven for scuba drivers. A total of 212 volunteers, including Century Tuna Ambassador Alden Richards and the Century Tuna Superbods, collected 805 kilograms of trash, among the largest volumes collected in the area.

To encourage long-lasting behaviors, multiple plastic waste collection points were installed within the coastal areas, where community members can sell plastic trash in exchange for cash. These drop off points are managed by the community’s sari-sari store owners from HOPE’s Aling Tindera Program.

These women micro-entrepreneurs accumulate the plastic waste and ensure it is properly recycled and upcycled back into the circular economy. To-date, there are more than 100 Aling Tindera sites in the country.

The UN meeting ended in Nairobi, Kenya. It is hosted by the government of Kenya in collaboration with UN Habitat, the UN human settlements program.

More than 80 ministers and vice ministers attended, along with 5,000 delegates from around the world, said the UN urban affairs agency.

Guterres’ blueprint for action, Our Common Agenda, calls for a reinvigorated and more inclusive multilateralism, recognizing the pivotal role cities and other local authorities play, in addressing the challenges ahead.

“Such multilateralism is vital to help cities to play their part”, he said, “to ensure the finance, information and support is in place for them to become resilient, inclusive and sustainable.”

Although cities have always spawned the ideas and innovations that have led human development, they’re more important than ever, “amidst a world in crisis,” he added.

“Inequalities are increasing. Global temperatures are rising, with catastrophic effects. Debt is straining developing

countries’ economies to the limit. And halfway to the deadline for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we are leaving more than half the world behind.”

Guterres pointed out that an estimated 670 million still live in extreme poverty, and over one billion people, continue to endure slum conditions, due to lack of services available elsewhere.

“There is still time to reverse these trends”, he said, and multilateralism must support cities to act on climate change, affordable housing, and the SDGs.

“I am confident that this UN Habitat Assembly will advance these aims, including through your ministerial declaration. Together, we can achieve the sustainable urban future we need to build a peaceful, prosperous and healthy world for all,” he said.

In his video remarks to the conference, general assembly president Csaba Kőrösi outlined key ways that cities can become more sustainable.

He noted the importance of compiling comprehensive data and statistics and

urged governments to fully assess urban development in the context of climate change, health, food security and water supply.

“But what we urgently need is a mindset shift. From a business-as-usual planning and operation, to one aiming at real sustainability transformation,” he said. “This means strengthening the science-policy interface, advancing evidence-based solutions, and approaching our goals holistically.”

Kenya president William Ruto officially opened the conference assembly, along with UN-Habitat executive director Maimunah Mohd Sharif.

Sharif told delegates that member states needed “to prioritize national and local cooperation as the basis of a just transition. Let us never forget human rights and the UN Charter, as the basis for sustainable urbanization.”

She described the challenge facing all humankind as “enormous.”

“The only way we can achieve positive and transformative impact on the ground, is not to go at it alone, but to embrace multilateral action.” UN News

Converge initiates anti-plastic drive, urges workers to curb use

LEADING fiber internet and technology provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. has taken a stand against plastic pollution after launching its #BawalAngPlastik (or #NoToPlastic) campaign and urging its employees to opt for more eco-friendly materials at work to gradually eliminate plastics from its waste footprint.

This is the second phase of its Countdown to Zero Waste movement, its company-wide initiative to reach its goal of zero solid waste to landfill by 2030.

Converge chief strategy officer and chief sustainability officer Benjamin Azada said during the campaign launch that as a signatory of the UN Global Compact (UNGC), Converge was committed to ensure that its operations would not cause harm to the environment.

“If we want to respect humanity and the environment, one of the things that we really need to do is reduce the negative impact that we have on people and the planet,” Azada said.

As part of the campaign, plastic bottle bins were installed at Converge headquarters in Pasig to encourage employees to donate their plastic bottles and containers, which will be upcycled into sustainable materials through the company’s recycling partners, such as

Converge leaders and FiberXers players enjoin employees to bring their used bottles to be recycled. Shown (from left) are FiberXers basketball guard Adrian Wong, senior vice president and head of human resources Albert Custodio, VP and head of corporate communications and public relations Jay-Anne Encarnado, chief strategy officer and chief sustainability officer Benjamin Azada, VP for strategy and sustainability Bryan King Kay and FiberXers forward Kris Porter. GreenAntz Builders Inc., an accredited plastics recycling company of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The #BawalAngPlastik launch was made even more exciting as Converge FiberXers basketball forward Kris Porter and guard Adrian Wong joined for a one minute “Basketbottle” shootout with employees. Team Wong snagged the victory with 12 points during the 30-second overtime.

Converge vice president and head of corporate communications and public relations JayAnne Encarnado said the campaign was the company’s way to help in mitigating the negative impacts of plastic consumption to the environment, especially to marine biodiversity.

“It is alarming that the Philippines is now among the world’s biggest contributors to plastic pollution. And the situation is pretty dire. Studies have shown that, by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish at sea if we don’t act now,” Encarnado said.

Amplifying the message further, senior VP and head of human resources Albert Custodio encouraged employees to embody the company’s sustainability commitments even outside Converge to help create positive ripple effects within their respective communities.

“It starts with one person, one family, one community. And here at work, it starts with us, our colleagues, and teammates,” Custodio said.

Converge last year launched the Countdown to Zero Waste campaign as a response to the country’s looming solid waste crisis.

In line with the movement, zero waste bins were placed in its headquarters and business centers nationwide where employees and customers could drop their discarded waste electrical and electronic equipment, or e-waste, for proper treatment and disposal through Converge partners Jontrix Trading and Green Antz.

Converge also started upcycling its used tarpaulins into reusable items, like bags and mats, with the help of womenled social enterprise KREations PH.

FAO leads world initiative to boost aquaculture dev’t

ROME--Aquaculture has seen enormous progress in recent decades and is destined to produce the majority of the ever-growing demand for aquatic food.

The sector now needs an updated set of governing principles to ensure that it expands and intensifies, embracing modern technologies, in a way that is environmentally and socially responsible, economically viable, and able to meet the needs of present and future generations.

This need is outlined in a set of articles published recently by leading experts in the field, arising from the latest Global Conference on Aquaculture Millennium +20 held in Shanghai and organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and partners as part of a decadal series of such conferences.

“Given that aquaculture now supplies around 50 percent of aquatic food, and given its potential to contribute to so many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals,

we all need to focus on how to move it forward in a sustainable way,” said Xinhua Yuan, FAO’s Deputy Director for Aquaculture. “Fish and other aquatic products can and will play a major role in meeting the dietary demands of all people, helping improve the resilience of global food system, while also meeting the food security needs of the poorest,” he added.

The publication of the eight thematic review articles as a special issue of the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society coincides with the holding of 12th session of the Sub-Committee on Aquaculture of FAO’s Committee on Fisheries, the inter-governmental forum that guides the FAO in formulating aquaculture and fisheries policy advice.

One of the major items on the agenda for the subcommittee that took place on May 16 to 19 in Hermosillo, Mexico, is the consideration of new Draft Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA). The publi-

THE world has registered over two million deaths and $4.3 trillion in economic losses over a half-century of extreme weather events magnified by man-made global warming, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said last week.

The WMO said weather, climate and water-related led close to 12,000 disasters between 1970 and 2021. Developing countries were hit hardest, seeing nine in 10 deaths and 60 percent of economic losses from climate shocks and extreme weather.

WMO said that least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) suffered a “disproportionately” high cost in relation to the size of their economies.

“The most vulnerable communities unfortunately bear the brunt of weather, climate and water-related hazards,” said WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalas.

In LDCs, WMO reported that several disasters over the past half-century had caused economic losses of up to 30 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

In SIDS, one in five disasters had an impact “equivalent to more than five per cent” of GDP, with some disasters wiping out countries’ entire GDP.

Asia saw the highest death toll due to extreme weather, climate and waterrelated events over the past 50 years, with close to one million deaths― more than half in Bangladesh alone.

In Africa, WMO said droughts accounted for 95 per cent of the reported 733,585 climate disaster deaths. WMO stressed, however, that improved early warnings and coordinated disaster management had helped mitigate the deadly impact of disasters. “Early warnings save lives,” Taalas said.

The UN agency also noted that recorded deaths for 2020 and 2021 were lower than the previous decade’s average.

Pointing to the example of last week’s severe cyclonic storm Mocha, which caused devastation in Myanmar’s and Bangladesh’s coastal areas and hit “the poorest of the poor,” Taalas recalled that similar weather disasters in the past caused “death tolls of tens and even hundreds of thousands” in both countries.

“Thanks to early warnings and disaster management these catastrophic mortality rates are now thankfully history,” the WMO chief said.

The agency had previously shown that just 24 hours’ notice prior to an impending weather hazard can cut the ensuing damage by 30 per cent, calling early warnings the “low-hanging fruit” of climate change adaptation because of their ten-fold return on investment.

WMO issued its new findings on the human and economic cost of weather-induced disasters for its quadrennial World Meteorological Congress, which opened Monday last week in Geneva with a focus on implementing the UN’s Early Warnings for All initiative. UN News

the United Nations Habitat Assembly.

Bad weather led to 2 million deaths and cost $4t in 50 years

Converge FiberXers basketball guard Adrian Wong and Kris Porter join the unveiling of the campaign as they lead employees into a fun ‘Basketbottle’ shootout.

Azkals expect tougher time vs.

Taiwanese

CHINESE TAIPEI, with new coach Michael White, hopes to gain valuable experience when it meets the Philippine Azkals in a 7 p.m. friendly Monday night at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

White, who took over coaching chores for the Taiwanese last May, said he is aware of the Azkals being a formidable team, currently at no. 136 in the FIFA men’s rankings.

“The Azkals is a strong team, with players coming from all over. It will be a good experience for our team,” said White, reappointed as head coach of Taiwan’s national squad.

Azkals’ coach Hans Michael Weiss said he also expects their match with the Taiwanese to be tougher.

Weiss and White talked about their expectations following Sunday’s pre-game huddle on Zoom.

“My expectation is that this would be an even tougher match than the first match (against Nepal) because Chinese Taipei showcased in a very good manner in their recent game against Thailand. They already played Thailand last year in December in an unofficial friendly match in Thailand, I was there and I saw the match, and they could even beat Thailand on home soil,” said Weiss.

The Taiwanese, who are at no. 156 in the FIFA rankings, lost a friendly to Thailand, 0-3, last Friday at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung.

Against the Philippines, White looks forward for Chinese Taipei to have a better result against the Philippine side.

The Azkals are coming into the match with confidence, having won over Nepal, 1-0, in a friendly three nights ago.

Weiss said he is getting the team in game shape and playing against the Taiwanese can help him understand his team better.

“This game is all about observation and seeing all the players, training with them, and seeing who can help us with the way how we want to play,” said Weiss.

Peter Atencio

THE six-year interval since he scored back-to-back victories at Forest Hills could be too big a gap to spur another title drive but Tony Lascuña still feels good about his chances in the ICTSI Forest Hills Classic, which gets going tomorrow (June 20) at the Nicklaus course.

The mere thought of heading back to one of the country’s top championship courses in Cogeo, Antipolo conjures up memories of his huge 11-shot romp over Zanieboy Gialon and Orlan Sumcad in 2016 and three, over Gialon again, the following year. And the multi-titled Lascuña is thrilled, like everybody else, over the return of Forest Hills in the Philippine Golf Tour calendar.

“Forest Hills has always been a tough course and the recent renovation on some holes only adds up to the challenge,” said Lascuña, who has racked up five victories since, including in the PGT Caliraya

showed his exper-

pet events are the floor exercises and the vault, also tise with a gold in the parallel bars.

Yulo crowns dominance in Asia tilt with 3rd gold

By Peter Atencio

FILIPINO

The 23-year-old Yulo ruled the men’s vault finals with 14.299 points for his third gold in the meet. It was the highest he got on his second routine with 5.6 points on difficulty and 9.033 on execution.

Uzbekistan’s Abdulaziz Mirvaliev, who had a 0.1 deduction in his second routine, landed second with 14.083, while South Korea’s Jaeho Kim settled for third with 13.766.

Yulo, who is from Leveriza, Manila, also topped the parallel bar finals for his second gold with a score of 15.266.

Japan’s junior standout Shinnosuke Oka scored 15.133 and China’s Dehang Yin collected 15.100 to finish second and third, respectively.

In the high bar finals, Yulo scored 14.533 to take the bronze medal behind China’s Hao Tian (14.533) and Japan’s

Oka (14.366), who took the gold and silver medals, respectively.

Yulo’s efforts saw him earning a total of five medals -- three golds including the first one he secured in the floor exercises on Saturday and the silver in the all-around last Thursday. His younger brother, 13-year-old Karl Eldrew, contributed a medal in the junior action after bagging a silver medal with 13.775 points. Eldrew tied Wang Cheng Cheng of China on points. But a 0.3 deduction in Day 1 allowed Wang to get the gold. Altynkhan Temirbek of Kazakhstan claimed the bronze. In women’s action, 20-year-old Emma Malabuyo, who recently joined Team Philippines, came up with a successful debut by bagging a silver in the floor exercises.

Lascuña aims to wield old magic at Forest Hills

Springs Championship last April.

“It’s been a long time (since we last played Forest Hills) but I always make it a point to be ready in every tournament, on every course. I practice and train a lot, so my confidence is always high,” added the holder of a record four PGT Order of Merit titles.

Though he never really seriously challenged for another crown after beating Lloyd Go and Angelo Que by three at Caliraya, the durable Lascuña, who finished tied for seventh at Luisita last month and joint sixth at Valley two weeks ago, has kept a winning mindset tournament-in, tournament-out.

“I know that I always have a chance (to win),” he said.

So does Reymon Jaraula, who romped away with a surprise five-shot win at Valley, along with Go and Que, Villamor Philippine Masters titlist Jhonnel Ababa,

Bacolod leg winner Ira Alido, Iloilo stop champion Rupert Zaragosa and a slew of others seeking to shine and earn a stab at glory in the P2 million championship sponsored by ICTSI.

Former Philippine Open champion Clyde Mondilla, who tied for second with Go at Valley, is likewise due for a top podium finish, together with Guido van der Valk, the reigning back-to-back The Country Club Invitational winner who hopes to put it all together this week after missing a clear shot at the title at Villamor.

Put in seasoned campaigners Keanu Jahns, Ferdie Aunzo, Elmer Salvador, Mars Pucay, Jay Bayron and Gialon and young guns Gabriel Manotoc, Kristoffer Arevalo, Elee Bisera, Josh Jorge, Sean Ramos, Jonas Magcalayo, Ivan Monsalve and Korean Hyun Ho Rho, the chase for the top P360,000 purse could indeed head to the last shot or putt.

Malabuyo, a promising young gymnast, who transferred from Team USA, collected 13.166 to claim second spot behind gold medalist China’s Zhang Qingying.

Shin Sholyi of Korea was third (13.833), while Finnegan took fourth (12.966).

It was Malabuyo’s best showing after last seeing action in the 2021 U.S. Championships, where she finished fourth in the all-around.

Meanwhile, Aleah Finnegan snared her second bronze medal when she took third place in the beam exercises, behind China’s Zhang Qingying, who took her second gold with 14.22 points, and Zhang Zinyi (13.133), who claimed second position.

Finnegan’s qualification came at the expense of eight-time Olympian Oksana Chusovitina, who missed out on an all-around berth to World Championships.

Chusovitina, who had a big stumble in the vault, won’t be competing in four events at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, set for September in Antwerp, Belgium.

Tszyu mauls Ocampo, faces Charlo next

GOLD COAST—Australian power puncher Tim Tszyu scored a stunning first-round knockout over Mexico’s Carlos Ocampo to retain his interim WBO super welterweight title Sunday and set up a shot at undisputed champion Jermell Charlo.

The 28-year-old, son of renowned former world champion Kostya Tszyu, came out with all guns blazing at Australia’s Gold Coast despite needing surgery just weeks ago after a nasty dog bite.

He landed some huge righthanders, and a blistering left hook, to twice put Ocampo on the canvas, with the fight over in just 72 seconds. Tszyu connected with 14 punches, while the shell-shocked Mexican failed to land a single one.

“I think it was a statement made. America is the land I want to conquer, the land I’m going to next, the big one is coming,” said Tszyu, who earned the interim belt with a savage ninth-round stoppage of American Tony Harrison at Sydney in March.

“I’ve got the interim belt, but I’m not satisfied. I want all four. I want the name Charlo on my resume.”

The victory kept Tszyu’s unbeaten record intact as he moved to 23-0 (17 KOs) to position himself as the mandatory challenger for the unified titles.

American Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) hasn’t fought since knocking out Brian Castano in a May 2022 rematch following a disputed draw in their first meeting.

He and Tszyu had been poised to fight in Las Vegas in January but the American’s defence of all four major sanctioning body world crowns was postponed after he broke his left hand.

Quezon turns back Makati; Muntinlupa, Bacolod win

QUEZON Province withstood Makati’s final assaults and prevailed, 8072, on Saturday in the OKBet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.

Starting strong behind their outside shooting, the Huskers surged to a 3720 spread before halftime only to be pursued relentlessly by the OKBet Kings, who threatened thrice in the fourth quarter the last at 72-75 following a 5-point cluster by Emman Calo with 39 seconds to go.

The Huskers, however, countered with a closing 5-point salvo to post their 10th win against four losses in the single round-robin elimination phase of the 29-team tournament.

Raffy Verano again shone for Quezon with 16 points, 8 in the last quarter, and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-3 former Ateneo Blue Eagle was supported by

Alfrancis Tamsi with 13 points, laced by 3 triples, and homegrown Topeng Lagrama with 9 points, all from rainbow territory, and Mon Abundo with 8 points, four in the last 49 seconds.

The Huskers also drew 2 triples each from Verano and Robin Rono en route to a total of 13 out of 29 attempts.

Makati, which slipped to 9-5, got 16 points and 10 rebounds from Rob Celiz, 11 points and 12 rebounds from Billy Robles and 11 points plus 5 rebounds and 2 steals from Calo.

Earlier games saw Bacolod City of Smiles nip Bulacan, 85-84, following a short stab by John Cantimbuhan with only 1.4 ticks left, and Muntinlupa beat Negros, 77-71.

Powered by Val Chauca’s 22 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds, Bacolod climbed to 6-9, the same as Bulacan, which got 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists from Buenaventura Raflores.

Chauca, a Fil-Peruvian guard from the California Golden Bears, was backed by Regie Boy Basibas with 13 points plus 8 rebounds and Mark Sarangay with 11 points plus 5 rebounds. Muntinlupa rose to 8-6 following the 12-point, 11-rebound, 5-assist, 4-steal output of John Delos Santos, the 12-point, 7-rebound effort of JP Sarao, the 12-point, 5-rebound contribution of John Amores, and the 11-point, 5-assist, 4-rebound line of John Abis. Negros dropped to 5-10 despite Jason Melano’s 29-point, 11-rebound effort and Nemesis Dela Cruz’s 19-point, 7-rebound contribution. The MPBL returns to the Batangas City Coliseum on Monday with a triple bill pitting Iloilo against GenSan at 4 p.m., Bataan against Zamboanga at 6 p.m., and Nueva Ecija against Batangas at 8 p.m.

The pair have been ordered to face off for the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF super-welterweight belts later this year.

“I’ve copped a lot of adversity coming into this fight and it was just about pushing through. I didn’t think it would be that early, this guy is a warrior,” Tszyu said.

Tszyu came into the fight despite undergoing emergency surgery for a gaping wound on his right arm just three weeks ago that needed 26 stitches.

But he showed no lingering issues with his movement or punching power to send Charlo a message.

On the undercard, rising Australian prospect Sam Goodman beat American Ra’eese Aleem on a split decision in an IBF super-bantamweight world title elimination match.

It put him in line for a clash with Filipino Marlon Tapales -- the WBA/IBF champion -- with scores of 117-111 and 116-112 in his favour and the third judge giving it to Aleem 122-116.AFP

Olympian Carlos Yulo showed his readiness for the big leagues as he won his third gold to cap his dominance in the 2023 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships on Sunday in Singapore.

Raffy Verano shines for the Quezon Huskers.

Tony Lascuña: Keeping a winning mindset

Randy M. Caluag,

Valenzuela Auto Show enters 3rd year

By AJ Rivera

JSK Custom Paint and Auto Works, in cooperation with the Valenzuela City Local Government Unit and Puregold-Dalandanan, is holding the 3rd Valenzuela Auto Show on June 24 at the supermarket’s parking area.

Slated from 12 noon to 11 p.m., the event coincides with the 400th founding anniversary of Valenzuela City.

A brain child of JSK Custom Paint and Auto Works president and CEO Johnson Tan, the auto show was first organized in 2013, followed by its sequel in 2017.

The event features the hottest cars and the best shops in CAMANAVA (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela) and nearby cities and municipalities. It is a way of empowering and promoting the local motoring scene in the area.

Support also came from Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian, who sponsored Republic Act No. 11698, also known as the “Vintage Vehicle Regulation Act”.

The mayor is a known car enthusiast, who encourages road users to properly maintain their vehicles and keep them in pristine condition. He also promotes road safety for all.

Sponsors are Clean Fuel, Motul, Puregold Dalandanan, 10 inch Lights and Sounds, Amaron Batteries, Decal Republic, Meguiar’s, Top 1 Oil Philippines, Parts Pro Racing, Energizer Automotive Batteries, Aikka Paint and Ben’s OK Tires and Mag Wheels and to their media partners: Power Wheels Magazine, Manila Standard, H2G Productions, Toyota Valenzuela, Mitsubishi Valenzuela, Slimmers World Elite North Edsa, Norte by Arcayard and H and K cars.

Fowler, Clark lead McIlroy by 1 stroke

LOS ANGELES—Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark shared a one-shot lead over four-time major winner Rory McIlroy on Saturday after a two-shot swing at 18 left them tied atop the leaderboard at the US Open.

Overnight leader Fowler led playing partner Clark by two as they stood on the 18th tee at Los Angeles Country Club.

Clark had just dropped a shot at the 17th, but fired his approach at the flag at 18 and made a six-foot birdie putt.

Fowler, who had gone 12 holes without a bogey as a string of rivals faltered on the treacherous back nine, saw his 42-foot birdie putt skim the edge -- but his par putt from inside four feet coming back lipped out.

“You could see from the first putt, there’s a lot of slope there,” Fowler said. “I’m not sure why it didn’t move. It should have. I hit a good putt, so really can’t go back on it.

“It would be nice for that one to go in. Really doesn’t matter, having the lead, being one back, two back. You’re going to have to play good golf tomorrow.”

Fowler signed for an even par 70 while Clark posted a one-under 69 that left them one in front of Northern Ireland star McIlroy, who carded a 69 for 201 to remain in position to claim a fifth career major and his first since 2014. World number one Scottie Scheffler was alone in fourth on 203.

After two days of record scoring, the sun-baked LA Country Club North Course -- hosting the championship for the first time -- proved plenty capable of providing a classic US Open test of patience and nerve.

Fowler, who had a stunning 18 birdies over the first two rounds, couldn’t match those fireworks, his three birdies including a 36-foot putt at the seventh and a 70-footer from off the green at 13. Clark, a long-hitter who broke through for his first US PGA Tour ti-

US Open co-leader blasts ‘twilight golf’

LOS ANGELES—Wyndham

Clark said he was operating on feel as he drained a six-foot birdie putt at 18 on Saturday to seize a share of the US Open lead as darkness fell in Los Angeles.

“We played twilight golf,” said Clark, who pulled level with Rickie Fowler at the last thanks to his birdie and Fowler’s bogey -the combination erasing Fowler’s two-shot lead.

The drama unfolded in waning light more than four hours after the two teed off at 3:40 pm at Los Angeles Country Club.

“It’s a little ridiculous that we teed off that late,” said Clark, who captured his first US PGA Tour title at Quail Hollow last month.

tle at Quail Hollow last month, had grabbed a one-shot edge through nine holes before back-to-back bogeys at the 11th and 12th.

Unable to get up and down from a greenside bunker at the par-three 11th, Clark then botched his first attempt to chip out of greenside rough at the 12th.

He rebounded with a birdie at 13, but it looked as if he’d be chasing on Sunday after his second shot at 17 found the barranca right of the green and he took a penalty drop on the way to bogey.

Limiting the damage was “huge,” Clark said, as was the birdie at 18.

“I wanted to be in the final group,” Clark said. “I’m not a huge scoreboard watcher, but walking up there I kind of knew where we were at. I really wanted to be in that final group.”

McIlroy ‘stress free’

McIlroy had three birdies and two bogeys and was rarely in real trouble.

“The golf course definitely got a little bit trickier today than the first couple of days,” McIlroy said. “Felt like I played really smart, solid golf. AFP

Martin dazzles world champion Bagnaia

SACHSENRING—Jorge Martin thwarted world champion Francesco Bagnaia to land Saturday’s German MotoGP sprint race and move second in the standings.

Jack Miller for KTM completed the podium. Bagnaia’s runner-up spot at the Sachsenring kept him atop the world championships standings ahead of Sunday’s seventh race of the season.

Martin, winner of the sprint in France last month, captured his lone full race victory in the premier class at the Styrian Grand Prix in his rookie 2021 season. He was rewarded for his efforts on Saturday by leapfrogging Marco Bezzecchi into second in the riders standings, 21 points adrift of Bagnaia.

Pole-sitter Bagnaia fought off Miller to keep the lead at the start but a mistake under pressure let the Australian through to take command on the factory KTM.

“I would say right around hole 15 or 16 it started getting to where you couldn’t see that well.

“I really enjoyed those laps, I was on the limit,” said the 25-year-old Spanish sprint winner.

“But I told myself I had to go for it to get past the two bikes in front.

“I tried to keep the distance with ‘Pecco’ (Bagnaia) -- hopefully tomorrow I can fight for victory,” added the Madrid-born rider.

Bagnaia commented: “I enjoyed the battle with Jack, then Jorge who was fastest today.

“It was hard to peg him back, I have to accept second place, now we move on to tomorrow.”

Bezzecchi, who had to settle for seventh on Saturday, dropped to third overall on 113 points.

As Martin celebrated, one of his more celebrated grid rivals - six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez - was reflecting on the end of an astonishing run at the Sachsenring, where he has won the last 11 Grand Prix he has lined up in across all categories from 2010.

The Honda star, who had to go through the first qualifying session after crashing in qualifying on Friday, trailed in 11th.

The 2021 champion, Fabio Quartararo, endured another trying day at the office on his Yamaha, finishing two places behind Marquez. AFP

“I 100 percent think my bogey on 17 was because I couldn’t see, and I think Rickie’s bogey on 18 was because he couldn’t see.”

Clark was in the fairway off the tee at 17, but hit his second shot into the native scrub of a barranca.

He opted to take a penalty drop and limited the damage to a bogey.

“I’m not trying to make an excuse, but it definitely was a challenge,” he said. “My putt on 17, I literally couldn’t see it, and we just played off of feel and how Rickie’s putt came in, and then my putt on 18, same thing.”

Fowler didn’t mention the light, or lack thereof, when discussing his bogey at the last.

“I hit a good putt,” he said, but he added that he, too, was surprised that the round played so late in the day—finishing around 8:00 pm.

“If it was a Tour event and you were away from the clubhouse you’d be looking around for them to blow the horn,” he said.

Fowler and Clark will be teeing off an hour and 10 minutes earlier in the final group on Sunday, both in search of a first major title and trying to hold off four-time major winner Rory McIlroy and former Masters champion Scottie Scheffler. AFP

Prograis scores split-decision win to keep WBC light-welter title

WASHINGTON—Hometown hero

Regis Prograis retained his World Boxing Council light-welterweight crown on Saturday with a split-decision victory over Puerto Rico’s Danielito Zorrilla at New Orleans.

Prograis won by judges’ scores of 118-109 and 117-110 while the third judge saw Zorrilla winning 114-113.

“I was confident I would get the decision,” Prograis said. “It was a tough win but I felt like I deserved the win.”

Prograis, who managed the only official knockdown in the third round of a fight filled with pushdowns and slips, improved to 29-1 while elusive Zorrilla fell to 17-2.

“I got the drop early and I kept pressing the action but he ran around the whole time,” Prograis said. “I

definitely have to go back to the gym and work on some things but he ran, he definitely tried to survive.”

Prograis, 34, suffered his only loss in a 2019 title unification showdown with Scotsman Josh Taylor, but the southpaw has won his five fights since then, including an 11th-round knockout of American Jose Zepeda last November for the vacant WBC title at 140 pounds. Despite his brief tenure, Prograis is the division’s longest-reigning champion among major belt holders. Late in the first round, Zorrilla sent Prograis sprawling with a right but the champion grabbed Zorrilla and pushed him to the ground, prompting referee Ray Corona to declare no knockdowns, instead both being ruled pushes.

“That was a good punch, that right hand he caught me with,” Prograis said. “It looks like a knockdown but when I did it, it didn’t feel like it. I never was hurt.”

Prograis hit Zorrilla in the nose with

Rickie Fowler of the United States plays his shot from the seventh tee during the third round of the 123rd US Open Championship at

The Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Ivan Redkach falls to his knees after receiving a blow in his junior welterweight bout against Regis Prograis during Triller Fight Club at MercedesBenz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Ducati Pramac Racing Team’s Spanish rider Jorge Martin (right) celebrates after winning the Sprint race with second placed Ducati Lenovo Team’s Italian rider Francesco Bagnaia during the MotoGP German motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sachsenring racing circuit in Hohenstein-Ernstthal near Chemnitz, eastern Germany.

Around the tight and narrow circuit Martin then nipped past Miller and Bagnaia to take control on lap four of 15, the Ducati-Pramac rider pulling well clear to coast home by 2.468 seconds.

a hard left hand just under a minute into the third round that sent the challenger to the canvas and midway into the round landed a flurry of punches on the Puerto Rican fighter while trapping him in a corner. AFP

Wyndham Clark AFP

DINGDONG Dantes, in his highly-anticipated return to the small screen, takes the lead role in the thrilling murder mystery series Royal Blood

The series, which premieres tonight, also features a stellar cast comprising Megan Young as Diana, the ex-girlfriend and great love of Napoy; Mikael Daez as Kristoff, the half-brother of Napoy and husband of Diana; Dion Ignacio drew, the ambitious and business-savvy husband of Margaret; Lianne Valentin as Beatrice, the witty and materialistic daughter of Gustavo; Miss Universe Phil ippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo as Tasha, the kind-hearted neighbor of Napoy who has secret feelings for him; and mos as Margaret, Gustavo’s conservative yet mysterious child.

Playing a special and significant role in the program is multi-awarded actor Cruz III as Gustavo Royales, the rich and shrewd business tycoon and patriarch of the Royales family.

Also part of the series are sada as Aling Cleofe, the head female servant of the Royales family; ras as Otep, Napoy’s most trusted friend; Carmen Soriano as Camilla, the evil mother-in-law of Napoy; and Solinap as Emil, a renowned inves tigator who will be in charge of the murder mystery.

DINGDONG DANTES finds self entangled in  gripping murder mystery

A growing constellation of talented stars

ARIAS BY ALWIN IGNACIO

THE term “constellation” is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as “a group of famous or admired people all together in one place.” This modern definition perfectly applies to the talented individuals who form part of FLP Artist Management, led by director Rodel Mercado

Under Mercado’s guidance, these young artists are professional, versatile, and constantly learning and training both on and off the stage, participating in plays and events.

Adding excitement to the show are Sparkle Teens James Graham as Louie, Andrew’s rebel son with his first wife; Aidan Veneracion as Archie, the son of Kristoff and Diana who constantly seeks his father’s approval; and Princess Aliyah as Anne, the bubbly daughter of Aling Cleofe; to gether with Sienna Stevens Lizzie, Napoy’s adorable daugh ter with his wife who passed away.

Royal Blood follows the story of Napoy, a loving single father working as a motorcycle rider to provide for his daughter’s needs. He is also the bas tard son of a business tycoon. But despite facing financial problems, Napoy is able to provide for his child with the help of his friends and neighbors.

Arthur toaswith daughter’s a provide Napoy’s him.

The FLP femmes consist of the lovely LA Danque, the charming Dyn Altiche, and the protean Anna Escobia. The FLP fellows include the matinee idol Caleb Alvarez, the moreno heartthrob Asean Gabat, and the gifted Rey Correjado Rey Correjado, with his remarkable talent, believes that honesty and vulnerability are essential for an actor to breathe life and truth into the roles they portray. He considers each role a challenge and emphasizes the importance of understanding the character to make them as real as possible.

Dyn Altiche, with her charm, declares that her unique beauty lies in her nontraditional appearance, considering her flaws as assets.

LA Danque shares that theater not only develops self-confidence but also provides exhilarating and nerve-wracking experiences on stage. Acting becomes a means of expressing and embracing her heart, rather than merely work.

However, chaos ensues when Napoy’s estranged father suddenly appears and wants to make amends with him. As Napoy enters the family of his wealthy father, he gets to know his half-siblings. Sooner or later, things become more complicated when their father is murdered and Napoy be comes the primary suspect.

when

How will the mystery unravel?

Who among them is the real innocent and who will be judged guilty?

Royal Blood — under the helm of director Dominic Zapata — pre-

mieres tonight and airs weeknights at 8:50 on GMA and at 11:30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday and at 11 p.m. every Friday on GTV.

TV5 fortifies program lineup with ‘Gud Morning Kapatid,’‘Frontline Pilipinas’

TV5 propels its morning broadcast with the launch of Güd Morning Kapatid, commencing today, June 19.

The News5 production features a formidable line-up of hosts – Gretchen Ho, Jes Delos Santos, and Justin Quirino – who are set to deliver a comprehensive blend of current events, trending topics, useful advice, and engaging human interest stories.

Further, TV5 intensifies its evening news offering with the addition of two fresh anchors, KaladKaren and Mikee Reyes, to their main primetime news program, Frontline Pilipinas

This development is part of TV5’s bid to reinforce its position as a go-to source for trustworthy journalism and current news during the primetime block, as it goes head-tohead against other network news programs at 6:30 p.m., striving to be the viewer’s preferred choice for diverse and in-depth news coverage.

KaladKaren and Mikee Reyes promise to inject fresh energy and perspective into the network’s entertainment and sports news.

KaladKaren, an MMFF Best Supporting Actress, covers the latest trends and exclusive stories from the entertainment world, while

Sports Tito Mikee Reyes offers updates, highlights, and insightful analysis from the sports arena.

Güd Morning Kapatid and Frontline Pilipinas demonstrate TV5’s commitment to delivering varied, pertinent content while upholding high journalistic standards attuned to its audience’s needs.

News head Chief Luchi Cruz-Valdes states, “The revitalization of our programming mirrors TV5’s dedication to fair and factual reporting. The introduction of Güd Morning Kapatid and the fresh faces on Frontline Pilipinas symbolize our continued efforts to stay engaging and relevant in this fast-paced broadcast environment.”

Güd Morning Kapatid airs from Monday to Friday at 9:30 a.m. Know the latest on showbiz news from KaladKaren and sports from Mikee Reyes in Frontline Pilipinas at 6:30 p.m., weeknights.

Anna Escobia describes herself as an actress who is still growing and finds each role thrilling as she delves deep into the thoughts and emotions of characters different from her. Her most challenging role to date is portraying a rape victim named Carla with HIV, requiring a slow and authentic process to bring her to life.

For Asean Gabat, acting is a passion he loves in its entirety, including rehearsals, mistakes, and the thrill of performing on stage. Being part of FLP keeps him on his toes, surrounded by talented colleagues who are all committed to their craft.

Caleb Alvarez, the matinee idol, looks up to Christopher de Leon, Dennis Trillo, and Alden Richards as his acting idols in drama. Taking on dramatic roles gives him an adrenaline rush, as he aims to give voice, emotions, and truth to his characters, leaving a profound impact on others.

Mercado’s constellation of FLP talents, with their passion, professionalism, and dedication, are fully prepared for their close-ups.

Three reasons why you should watch and give in to ‘Hunger’

HUNGER is a film available on Netflix that offers a captivating and visually stunning exploration of food, cooking, and culinary culture.

The story takes viewers on a culinary journey, showcasing various cuisines, cooking techniques, and the stories behind different dishes.

Each episode focuses on a different aspect of the culinary world, highlighting renowned chefs, unique ingredients, and the cultural significance of food. The series delves into the rich history and traditions associated with gastronomy, providing a deeper understanding of how food shapes our identities and connects us to our heritage. Now here are three reasons why you should watch Hunger according to smart. com.ph: The food looks delicious

It is a visual feast filled with mouthwatering dishes. Two standout favorites include Aoy’s Ngo Ngae Noodles, a flavorful stir-fry dish that may seem like a Thai street food staple but is actually fictional. Fans have shared recipes online so you

can recreate them. Another visually stunning dish is the A5 Wagyu Beef ‘Flesh and Blood’ Dish, created for a general with a theme representing his victorious military battles. These dishes, along with many others, may leave you with intense food cravings even after the film ends.

The cooking techniques featured are interesting and real

The film showcases authentic culinary techniques, immersing viewers in Aoy’s journey and the fundamentals of the culinary industry. From proper slicing techniques to the essentials of being a restaurateur, the attention to detail in “Hunger” is captivating.

One scene, in particular, is likely to entertain fans of the popular food critic, Uncle Roger. The film features an Egg Fried Rice cook-off, which Uncle Roger himself praised as “legit.” The importance of using leftover rice and a wok for the best egg-fried rice is emphasized in the movie. Aoy competes against someone who mistakenly uses freshly made rice, and you can almost hear Uncle Roger exclaiming “HAIYAA” in your mind.

The story is tense and gripping

As interesting as the food and the culinary techniques are in Hunger, the real hook of the film is its compelling narrative.

The movie really gets you invested in the story of Aoy and how she’s a person who’s looking to fulfill her dreams

and make her life better but realizes that things are never easy. As she immerses herself deeper and deeper into the world of Chef Paul, she finds out just how tough and complicated that road is. She learns that her approach to cooking is so vastly different to Chef Paul’s that she starts be-

coming lost between her two visions of who she is and who she wants to be.

If you’ve ever seen the 2014 movie Whiplash, there are similarities between the two main characters. Aoy is very similar to Andrew in that they both start from a position of love for their craft, both wanting something better for themselves and wanting to live up to their potential. On the other hand, you have Chef Paul being sort of like Fletcher from Whiplash who has a very different and almost dark approach to his craft. Aoy cooks with love while Chef Paul cooks for vindication. It’s here that Aoy, in her journey to become better, starts to question if Chef Paul’s road is one she needs to take as well. She wants to become better but at what cost?

As you enjoy this Netflix offering, you’ll realize that it’s in the character work where it really shines while getting you invested in its plot. Watch the film to satisfy the eyes, the mind, and the heart with Netflix On Us through Smart Signature Plans+. Stream your favorite films and series non-stop as Plans+ come with a Netflix mobile subscription.

as An-

Rhian Ra Margaret, program Tirso

Ces Que Benjie Pa

FLP Artists Management Director Rodel Mercado (center) together with its promising artists LA Danque, Dyn Altiche, Anna Escobia, Caleb Alvarez, Rey Correjado, and Asean Gabat

KaladKaren and Mikee Reyes join TV5’s primetime news program, ‘Frontline Pilipinas’ ‘Gud Morning Kapatid hosts (from left) Justin Quirino, Gretchen Ho, and Jes Delos Santos

Netflix’s latest offering, ‘Hunger’, brings its viewer to delve into the exploration of food, cooking, and culinary culture.

Dingdong Dantes is back at the television screen with GMA’s newest mystery series ‘Royal Blood’

The star-studded cast of the thrilling murder mystery series ‘Royal Blood’ during its press conference Teddy Pelaez

Dingdong is joined by (center) veteran actor Tirso Cruz III and fellow Kapuso artist Mikael Daez Teddy Pelaez

Bohol’s upcoming beachside destination embodies innovative hotel design rooted in family and folklore

WITH craft, community, and a deeply held intrinsic value for the cultural mores and history of the island, South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery is shaping up to be anything but a cookie-cutter hotel.

Six world-class innovation and sustainability leaders in architecture, interior design, and green development have gathered to create a hotel like no other - weaving the folklore of the destination into the fabric of the project and into the hearts of the community of artisans proudly crafting a living history for guests when the hotel opens as part of the Panglao Shores masterplan in Q4 2024. Take Patrick Keane, founder of Enter Projects, an artist and master of “native material” design who is working with Boholano craftsmen to create spaces of celebration.

“Here is a community deeply entrenched in generations of arts and crafts,” he said. “We are using local materials such as recycled woods, weaving basketry and weaving fabrics, plus traditional techniques passed down through generations and incorporating performance-based materials such as solar and sustainably engineered materials. As a project, it is breaking new ground.”

The concept of “adaptive reuse”, which extends the lifecycle of architecture through creative upcycling, ensuring history lives on and folklore traditions are maintained, courses through the project. Hazel Wu of White Jacket has been at the forefront of the reuse of materials from for-

Every time I visit a city, I always take advantage of its Hop On-Hop Off facility. Not only is it convenient, but it’s also very affordable and makes it easy for me to see the different attractions of the destination.

Many big cities abroad, like London, New York, Singapore, Madrid, Buenos Aires, etc., offer this service to tourists, and it’s probably one of the reasons why they have such enviable visitor arrival figures.

It’s been a long time since we, the industry stakeholders, have proposed to both the local governments and to the Department of Tourism a similar tourist facility that would make it convenient for tourists to see as much of our metropolis and savor the best of the Filipino.

As if in answer to our prayers, the Makati City government tied up with the Department of Tourism (DOT)NCR to launch the very first Hop On-Hop Off (HoHo) sightseeing bus tour around the major sites of the city. This longed-for tourist shuttle system, a handiwork of Positive Exposure Productions Inc., a local Marketing company, is available from Wednesday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and may be booked through a mobile app.

The bus route covers the city’s heritage spots, shopping malls, parks, and museums allowing tourists to have a closer look at what the city has to offer.

The newly launched bus tour, currently starts at Glorietta 2 and ends in the Ayala Triangle, making six stops along the way – Washington Sycip

mer ancestral homes to ensure materials are utilized and cherished.

“A piece of Bohol will be featured in every room, including wooden walls that previously formed part of village dwellings and natural materials that tell the story of local artists and artisans. This is a tale of culture and folk tales. Stories that will be told throughout the hotel,” said Wu. Located on a 6.4-hectare site, the hotel is a story of collaboration and re-discovery of the roots of Bohol’s cultural heritage led by the owners’ passion and love of the destination. The personal journey of Hope Uy, daughter of the founder of owning company, Alturas Group of Companies (AGC), is at the core of the creation of the 188-key resort.

Developed by AGC, with the support of renowned Asian hospitality consultancy C9 Hotelworks, led by industry icon Bill Barnett, the design of South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol - MGallery instills the timeless tales of the family into every aspect of the hotel, says Uy.

“Ensuring that this DNA was at the center of the hotel was everything for me,” she said. “This is the heart of the project. I was born in Bohol and it is vital for me that the spirit of our history, culture, and sense of family comes through all aspects of the design creation. I hope it will also inspire others. I feel that we have a responsibility to respect our land and our heritage and make it everlasting and relevant to new generations.”

Chris Singer, Founder & Managing Director of SCSY Studio calls upon his 25 years of master planning, architecture, and design expertise to provide conceptual and technical recommendations for South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery. Phillip Pond, Founder & Director of Atelier Pond is developing the concept, planning, and detailed design for the four restaurants and bars on site, comprising an array of F&B experiences for guests. Phillip believes in aesthetics informed by cul-

tural heritage and environment; a concept he brings to life through natural materials.

Every aspect of the project will be developed in line with eco-building standards and materials, such as high-performance glass, natural ventilation, and solar harvesting, along with smart technologies, electric transport, water treatment, and waste reduction. John Farrell, Founder & Director of XCO2 Energy is a specialist in low-carbon projects and his input is instrumental in helping South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery to be operationally eco-friendly. Destination landscape and sustainability specialist, Drew Anderson, Managing Director of TOPO Design Studio Singapore has been drafted in due to his vast experience in working in some of the most eco-sensitive resort locations globally such as Fiji and the Maldives. He brings decades of expertise in agricultural tourism and developing sustainable food resources such as hydroponics and farm-to-table farming

for hotels and helps AGC harness natural resources and integrate community communities into the project.

Construction of South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery is currently underway in Phase 1 of Panglao Shores with completion scheduled in Q4 2024.

For more information about Panglao Shores, please visit https://www.panglaoshores.com

Makati, DOT, Yehey, HoHo

The HoHo bus in the Makati run

Park in Legaspi Village, RCBC Plaza at the corner of Ayala and Gil Puyat Avenues, Circuit Makati, Century City, Museo ng Makati, and Rockwell Center.

At a very affordable price of P990 for a One Day Pass, this new tourist shuttle service makes the city’s wealth of arts, culture, entertainment, and food easily accessible to visitors. Of course, the DOT plans to make this HoHo Service available also in Manila and in the other cities of the metropolis and, eventually, in the major cities of the country. The planned stops in Manila are Intramuros, Binondo, Escolta, Jones Bridge, National Museum, City Hall, Luneta, Malate, Raja Sulaiman Plaza, Cultural Center of the Philippines, and Star City. This service is available not just for international and domestic tourists but also for local residents who want to explore the city. Makati City residents get 40 percent discount on the Makati HoHo route. Once the Manila run is operating, I’m sure Manila residents will also have the same

YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE:

Randy Pausch is a renowned computer science professor, but that didn’t carry much weight with his mother. After he got his PhD, the mother introduced him to friends by saying, “This is my son. He’s a doctor, but not the kind who helps people.”

International carriers open more travel options at Clark Airport

ASIANA Airlines, South Korea’s second flag carrier, resumes its daily flights from Incheon International Airport (ICN) to Clark International Airport (CRK). The daily flights commenced on June 5. Meanwhile, STARLUX Airlines has announced that it will launch a new route between Taipei and Clark starting August 15. Tickets are now officially on sale. CRK operates from its expansive and innovative passenger terminal building, which offers A-1 amenities, the luxury of space, and faster check-in or arrival process. The airport employs a one-time security check and contactless systems. It also offers

a good selection of dining options. Traveling to the airport is also hassle-free with frequent point-to-point (P2P) services to and from Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Trinoma, Dau, and Baguio City operated by Genesis Transport Services. Victory Liner also operates P2P services to and from Dagupan and Olongapo. Clark will be STARLUX’s third destination in the Philippines, following Manila and Cebu.

STARLUX will operate an Airbus A321neo on the flight from Taipei to Clark.

The aircraft is configured in a two-class layout, with eight seats in Business Class

discount privilege. To ensure accuracy of the information dished out to visitors, a DOT team is assigned at each stop. Visitors may also choose to avail of private guided tours which, of course, is a separate cost. All bookings may be made through the new website which the DOT is now crafting for this purpose. The app will also enable tourists to explore the city on their own and provide them the information on each location visited.

I’m glad our Local Government Units and DOT are working hand-in-hand to make it easy for our visitors to savor the unique charm of our country, and this HoHo service is one way to do it. I know I share the sentiments of our Industry’s stakeholders when I say that our Tourism Industry is definitely on its way to recover our pre-pandemic arrival statistics. It looks like we’ll get there by the time we hear that fat red-and-white fellow belting out a loud “HoHo.”

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail. com

and 180 in Economy Class. The Taipei – Clark route is expected to increase STARLUX’s competitiveness in the North American transit market, by significantly reducing traffic time for passengers heading to the northern Philippines.

STARLUX currently flies to 17 destinations, including Los Angeles, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa, Sapporo, Sendai, Macau, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, Manila, and Cebu.

The fleet also continues to grow, with a current count of 20 aircraft, including 13 A321neos, four A330neos, and three A350s. The fourth A350 is expected to be delivered by the end of the year.

For more information, visit www. starlux-airlines.com. To book Asiana Airlines flights, visit flyasiana.com.

Patrick Keane, Founder of Enter Projects Asia, analyzing a traditional loom weaving in Bohol

Drew Anderson (right) of TOPO with resort owner HOPE UY (left), honing farmto-table planting ahead of launch

Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco (center) and her sons listening to the tour guide

Asiana Airlines resumes its daily flights from Incheon, South Korea to Clark, Pampanga

terials such as

Hope Uy, Managing Director of Panglao Shores and passionate leader of the South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery