Solomonic slogan? Wow, It's more Fun! Love, the Philippines!

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

WHEN one tourism slogan is not enough to please everyone, try combining three instead.

This was the suggestion of Sen. Lito Lapid, saying mixing two previous slogans will boost the message of the present “Love the Philippines” tagline of the Department of Tourism.

“For me, we must mix the three slogans to produce a stronger tourism campaign to attract more foreign and local tourists – 'Wow, It's more Fun! Love, the Philippines!'” the senator said.

“Wow Philippines” was used during the term of former Tourism chief Richard Gordon while “It's More Fun in the Philippines” was the slogan coined during the time of the late Sec. Ramon Jimenez.

Lapid said the fiasco on the “mood video” created by the DDB Philippines ad agency “should not take away the months of hard work by the DOT.”

The DOT is terminating its contract with DDB Philippines after the promotional

But the PCG also noted that the Chinese Coast Guard is particularly aggressive in the Ayungin Shoal, which China calls "Ren’ai Reef."

"What is happening in Ayungin Shoal is different from the entire operation of the Chinese Coast Guard and our deployment of the Philippine Coast Guard vessels in the entire West Philippine Sea," Tarriela said.

Speaker vows to bolster law vs. agri smuggling

By Maricel V. Cruz, Rey E. Requejo and Vito Barcelo

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Thursday said the House of Representatives will speed up the passage of a key measure of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. meant to tighten the noose around smugglers of onions and other agricultural products.

“As soon as the start of the 2nd Regular Session of the 19th Congress, we will immediately buckle down to work for the passage of the proposed amendments to the Anti-Agricultural

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Emmanuel Rufino Ledesma Jr. as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

Ledesma, who was named acting PhilHealth chief in November, will also serve as a member of the agency's expert panel and board of directors.

He was formerly president and CEO of the state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM).

`The President also designated Col. Jose Luntok as commander of the Light Next page

Next page Next page Next page Next page Next page Next page Emmanuel Rufino Ledesma

PBBM:...

From A1 for 2018-2022 under EO No. 68, s. 2018, it was imperative to adopt a new national strategy for 2023-2028," the Palace said. The new strategy creates an additional sub-committee on proliferation financing, which is defined by the FATF as the provision of funds or financial services used for the manufacture, acquisition, possession, development, export, trans-shipment, brokering, transport, transfer, stockpiling or use of

PCG:...

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The Ayungin Shoal is a disputed area in the South China Sea, controlled by the Philippine military but claimed by Beijing.

The PCG’s latest assessment followed yet another incident in Ayungin Shoal where Chinese vessels harassed Philippine ships in a recent support mission.

The incident took place on June 29 while the PCG were escorting the naval operation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command (WESCOM).

Despite a 2016 ruling from a United Nations backed tribunal that favored Philippines' claim and ruled China's claims as illegitimate, Beijing has been aggressive in its military activities in the South China Sea and refuses to recognize the decision.

In recent years, China has built artificial islands on reefs while constructing military facilities and airstrips.

On Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador

Speaker...

From A1

Smuggling Act,” Romualdez said.

The measure is among the 20 bills slated for approval by Congress before the year's end during the 2nd Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) full meeting presided over by the President in Malacanang on Wednesday.

“The inclusion of this measure among the LEDAC priority legislation manifests the commitment of Congress to support President Marcos’ drive against unfair business practices that [not only] hurt consumers and local farmers alike, but also derail the administration’s efforts to attain food security,” Romualdez said.

“The enactment of this measure will institutionalize and improve mechanisms, as well as provide more stringent penalties that would serve as a strong deterrent against smuggling of agricultural products, including onions,” he added.

The President earlier ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to go after smugglers of onions and other agricultural products, based largely on the findings of the probe conducted by the House committee on agriculture and food.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said it is building a case of economic sabotage against the members of the so-called “onion cartel” who were responsible for the astronomical spike of prices of onions in the country recently.

In a briefing, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the agency is looking at the minutes of the congressional hearings and through their own notes to build a good case of economic sabotage against those behind the cartel.

“We need to build up a case,” Remulla said, adding that they are looking at six to seven people.

“We have a very good idea. We just have to catch them in the act,” he said. “This group has a huge network controlling the supply.”

In May, during a hearing of the House panel, Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo tagged a cartel, operating through a web of companies, as the culprit that manipulated the supply and prices of onions.

Romualdez had called for the congressional inquiry on alleged hoarding, price fixing, and smuggling of onions when the prices of the agricultural commodity hit a recordhigh of about P700 per kilo in December last year.

Other measures LEDAC approved for passage by the year’s end include the Amendments of the BOT Law/ PPP bill, National Disease Prevention Management Authority, Internet Transactions Act/E-Commerce Law, Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team (Heart) Act, formerly Medical Reserve Corps, Virology Institute of the Philippines, nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery.

Meanwhile, the EO also gave the National AML/CFT Coordination Committee (NACC) additional power to reorganize its sub-committees with the addition of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency as a member of NACC with its mandates on intel gathering.

Mr. Marcos said that the NACC will be chaired by the executive secretary, while Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor will serve as second-in-command.

NACC members will be composed of heads of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, Department of Justice, Department of National Defense, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Trade and Industry, Securities and Exchange Commission, Insurance Commission, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority, and the NICA.

Huang Xilian paid a courtesy call to Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. to discuss China and the Philippines’ defense and military relations as well as maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea (SCS).

“I had the pleasure to pay a call on Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. at the Department of National Defense (DND),” Xilian said on Facebook. “We had a constructive discussion on promoting defense and military relations between China and the Philippines, and maintaining peace and stability in the region,” the envoy added.

According to the DND, the meeting stressed the enhancement of the two countries’ defense relations through the implementation of existing bilateral mechanisms, and dialogue platforms including the Philippines-China Annual Defense and Security Talks.

Japan has expressed deep concern on China's aggressive actions in the South China Sea and in the West Philippine Sea, saying the Chinese activities endanger peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Mandatory ROTC and NSTP, Revitalizing the Salt Industry, Valuation Reform, E-Government/EGovernance, and Ease of Paying Taxes.

Also targeted for passage this year are the National Government Rightsizing Program, Unified System of Separation/Retirement and Pension of MUPs, LGU Income Classification, Waste-to-Energy bill, New Philippine Passport Act, Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, National Employment Action Plan, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinasendorsed Bank Deposit Secrecy, and, Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA) bills.

Eighteen of the 20 bills were part of the 42 priority legislative measures during the first LEDAC meeting in October 2022. The two BSP-endorsed measures were added to the LEDAC priority list during the meeting Wednesday.

The House has already approved on the third and final reading 33 out of the original 42 LEDAC priority measures by the end of the First Regular Session of the 19th Congress. One of the names that surfaced during congressional hearings was Lilia “Lea” Cruz, tagged as the operator behind the biggest onion cartel in the country.

Quimbo, vice chairperson of the House appropriations committee, said in May that Cruz engineered the artificial spike in onion prices late in 2022 until early this year.

Cruz has denied having a hand in the spike in prices of onions, which went up to P700 per kilogram in 2022.

In another development, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized smuggled white onions hidden in a shipment of "kimchi" from China with an estimated value of P998,700.

The shipment arrived at the Port of Cebu and was declared to contain 147 boxes of kimchi said to be worth P183,750.00. However, the consignee abandoned the shipment.

The BOC issued a warrant of seizure on the shipment.

An examination of the container yielded 3,329 bags of undeclared white onions stacked behind the boxes of kimchi.

The smuggled white onions and kimchi will immediately be disposed of in accordance with existing Customs rules and regulations, and in close coordination with the Bureau of Plant Industry.

Earlier this week, the President said there is no deadline on his order to investigate the onion cartel.

In an interview, the President told reporters that he's not a fan of giving deadlines, adding that he would not accept a half-baked result.

Marcos said the probe will focus on those who took part in the hoarding and controlling of various agricultural products, saying that many cartels are still operating.

He also doubled down on his previous statement that this was tantamount to economic sabotage.

The Chief Executive directed NACC to cover as well activities related to countering proliferation financing.

In a statement, the Japanese Embassy in Manila accused the Chinese Coast Guard of committing “aggressive actions” when it blocked the path of the Philippine ship.

"During the operation, the PCG was constantly followed, harassed, and obstructed by the significantly larger Chinese Coast Guard vessels at a distance of approximately 100 yards," the PCG reported. Japan also protested against China's incursion into its own waters.

"As China’s unilateral actions such as repeated intrusions into Japan’s waters around the Senkaku Islands in the ECS, China's dangerous behavior in the South China Sea in defiance of the 2016 arbitration award is a grave concern for regional peace and stability," the embassy said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs had repeatedly lodged diplomatic protests against China's dangerous activities in the South China Sea and incursions into the West Philippine Sea.

As of July 5, DFA said, the Philippine government already filed 427 diplomatic protests against Beijing just for the past

Solomonic...

From A1 three years—30 of which were just filed in 2023.

The Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) chaired by President Marcos approved 20 bills that must be passed by the end of the year, including the Bank Deposit Secrecy measure that will allow the Central Bank to open accounts for cases involving money laundering and terrorism.

"Apparently, we're the only country left in the world who hasn't passed bank secrecy. Before it was Lebanon and the Philippines, but Lebanon passed it last year. So we need to have one," Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.

In other developments: video it circulated online was exposed to have stock footage of other countries.

• An Australian official said his country would maintain its presence in the region, including the South China Sea. Peter Sawczak of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs, who was here for the 3rd Philippine-Australia Maritime Dialogue on July 5, said his country will continue promoting international law and a rules-based regional order. “In 2013, the Philippine government took the significant step of initiating arbitral action under UNCLOS. Nearly seven years have passed since the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award was issued. Australia reaffirms that this award is final and binding on the parties,” he said.

• Poland said it is one with the Philippines in upholding the rules-based international order and maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, during a courtesy call by Polish Chargé d'affaires Jarosław Szczepankiewicz on Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. on June 30.

Although DDB owned up to the error, the DOT decided to cancel the contract for its new slogan campaign as the fiasco embarrassed the department and compromised the sincerity of the campaign.

International news services such as the BBC and CNN have carried stories about the tourism fiasco.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, for his part, urged Filipino to rally behind the new slogan “Love the Philippines.”

“We all should come together in support of the country and of our tourist destinations, which could be considered at par with other world-class attractions,” he said.

He, however, called on the DOT to hold accountable those responsible for the video “mishap.”

“The harm to our reputation as a rising global tourism power should be repaired immediately, which should go beyond producing a correct version of the controversial promotional video. The DOT leadership's call to stick with their new campaign slogan is duly noted, but this should not be the end-all of the corrective process,” Zubiri said.

NCR...

From A1

"The Board decided to modify the allocation if the level of Angat Dam falls below the minimum operating level of 180 meters. For MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System), 48 cubic meters per second, NIA (National Irrigation Administration), up to 20 CMS until the end of July," NWRB Executive Director Sevillo David Jr. said.

The 37ºC heat index in the National Capital Region surpassed the previous record of 36.5ºC at the same station on July 2, 1973.

Tuguegarao City, meanwhile, recorded a 36.4ºC heat index on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m., the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

Clark registered a temperature of 36.1ºC, while Sangley Point, Cavite, Dagupan City, and Aparri recorded 36ºC.

A 35.6ºC heat index was also recorded at the Science Garden in Quezon City and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City.

Weather forecasters said despite the heat and the coming El Niño, the country can expect 10 to 14 tropical cyclones before the end of the year.

Analiza Solis, chief of the Climatology and Agrometeorology Division at PAGASA, said some may hit land while others might just pass the Philippine area of responsibility. Some may enhance the southwest monsoon, she added.

Senator Loren Legarda warned the effects of El Nino on weather patterns, agriculture, water resources, and ecosystems can have far-reaching consequences on food security, economies, and overall well-being.

She said the impact of El Nino is indeed a serious concern that requires urgent and decisive actions.

"We must implement measures to mitigate its impacts, promote climate-resilient practices, ensure equitable allocation of resources, and foster regional and international collaboration to address this challenge effectively," she said.

She said the government and the private sector must prepare and work together in reducing the risk and negative effects of El Niño on the coun -

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According to the 62-year-old Justice chief, he was very fortunate that his doctors were able to see the blockages which were considered risk factors for stroke or heart attack.

Remulla said at present, he is undergoing physical rehabilitation sessions in order to fully recover from the effects of being intubated for at least 16 hours.

While he was scheduled to officially return to work on Monday, Remulla admitted he cannot be physically present at the DOJ everyday as he has yet to fully recover from the operation.

“I will be meeting the leadership on Monday. A lot of undersecretaries, assistant secretaries. I’ll be meeting on Monday morning after the flag [ceremony] to give instructions, directions and necessary orders,” he said.

"I’ll be talking to them often although I have to play it by ear because I cannot force myself to immediately go back to normal, physically. It’s better that I regain my full strength first,” Remulla said.

Remulla also dismissed the idea of resigning in order to prioritize his health.

“Never, never,” Remulla said when asked if he was entertaining the possibility of leaving his post for health reasons.

The DOJ chief said he has spoken to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who told him to prioritize his recovery so that he could continue with his duties.

“He is very happy that I made the decision that I did, to go through with the procedure and to come out of it very well, and I thank the President for the trust and confidence given to me,” Remulla said.

Remulla took a 10-day wellness leave on June 26, citing “personal reasons.”

He designated Undersecretary Raul Vasquez as officer-in-charge of the DOJ during his absence.

Ledesma...

From A1 try and its people.

Reaction Regiment, the premier counterterrorism unit of the Philippine Army. He likewise appointed Khay Ann Magundayao-Borlado as deputy executive director of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), the primary policymaking and coordinating body on women and gender equality concerns.

Mr. Marcos likewise named David Erro as a member of the Land Bank of the Philippines’ board of directors, representing the agrarian reform beneficiaries. Based on the new list of presidential appointees, the Director III post will be assumed by Mathias Malenab (Department of Public Works and Highways), Bonifacio Pajuelas (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration), and Reinalyne Varias (Department of Justice’s Office for Alternative Dispute Resolution).

Mr. Marcos also appointed Romeo Allan Rosales as Bureau of Customs’ Collector IV.

"We must prioritize water supply and food security," she said.

"Our country’s adaptation program must be all set to lessen the effects of El Niño on our farmers and fisherfolk who are already burdened by extreme climate events and disasters," she added. "We can surpass this dry season if we consolidate all efforts and adequately prepare for its effects.”

Meanwhile, the European Union’s climate monitoring service said the world saw its hottest June on record last month, as climate change and the El Nino weather pattern looked likely to drive another scorching northern summer.

The announcement from the EU monitor Copernicus marked the latest in a series of records for a year that has already seen a drought in Spain and fierce heat waves in China and the United States.

"The month was the warmest June globally at just over 0.5 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, exceeding June 2019 -– the previous record -– by a substantial margin," the EU monitor said in a statement from its C3S climate unit.

Temperatures reached June records across northwest Europe while parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Asia and eastern Australia "were significantly warmer than normal," Copernicus noted.

On the other hand it was cooler than normal in western Australia, the western United States and western Russia, it said.

It was the latest in a series of heat records over recent years, reflecting the impact of global warming driven by greenhouse gases released from human activity.

Preliminary readings published Wednesday by US meteorologists indicated Tuesday was the hottest day ever recorded, based on data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

Copernicus noted that sea surface temperatures were higher globally than any previous June on record, with "extreme marine heatwaves" around Ireland, Britain and the Baltic.

Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest extent for June since satellite observations began, at 17 percent below average.

C3S scientist Julien Nicolas said the June record was driven largely by "very warm ocean surface temperatures" in the Pacific and Atlantic due to El Nino, a periodic warming phenomenon.

"On top of that is this warming trend of the ocean absorbing 90 percent of heat released by human activity," he added. The global temperature was 0.53 C above the 30-year average at an average of 16.51C (61.72F), he calculated.

"June 2023 is way above the others. This is the kind of anomaly we are not used to," Nicolas said.

Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the UN's World Meteorological Organization, warned on Monday that El Nino "will greatly increase the likelihood of breaking temperature records and triggering more extreme heat in many parts of the world and in the ocean."

He urged governments "to mobilize preparations to limit the impacts on our health, our ecosystems and our economies."

El Nino is a naturally occurring pattern associated with increased heat worldwide, as well as drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.

In addition, human activity – mainly the burning of fossil fuels -– is continuing to emit roughly 40 billion tonnes of planet-warming CO2 into the atmosphere every year.

As well as withering crops, melting glaciers and raising the risk of wildfires, higher-than-normal temperatures also cause health problems ranging from heatstroke and dehydration to cardiovascular stress.

In the United States, local officials said last week that at least 13 people died from an extreme heat wave in Texas and Louisiana.

China issued its highest-level heat alert for northern parts of the country as Beijing baked in temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

After a record hot June in Britain, water use restrictions were imposed in parts of southeastern England, and Scotland put regions on water scarcity alert.

The world has warmed an average of nearly 1.2 C since the mid-1800s, unleashing extreme weather including more intense heatwaves, more severe droughts in some areas and storms made fiercer by rising seas. With AFP