Manila Standard - 2023 July 8 - Saturday

PBBM HAILS RISING NUMBER OF EMPLOYED PINOYS AFTER PSA SURVEY

Marcos affirms trust in Frasco at DOT

By Charles Dantes

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Friday he still trusted Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco and remained confident that the Department of Tourism's new campaign "Love the Philippines" will be "as successful as they hoped for" despite the fiasco over its campaign video.

In an ambush interview, Mr. Marcos

was asked by reporters if he still trusts Frasco after the video blunder, in which the ad agency DDB Philippines contracted by the DOT for the campaign used clips of scenery from other countries to compose a "mood video."

"Yes absolutely, no question. I spoke to her (Frasco). I have been actually (in touch with her) since all of these came to the fore," said the President. Next page

US rips China’s WPS moves

Defense chief Austin hits ‘coercive, risky’ behavior near Ayungin Shoal

By Rey E. Requejo, Vince Lopez and Macon Ramos-Araneta

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III on Thursday expressed serious concern over China’s “coercive and risky” behavior after Chinese vessels harassed Philippine boats in the Ayungin Shoal.

Austin conveyed his concern during a call to Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Thursday (US time).

"Secretary Austin noted with concern the PRC's (People's Republic of China) recent coercive and risky operational behavior directed against Philippine vessels operating safely and lawfully in the South China Sea, including around Second Thomas Shoal," a readout provided by Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said.

On Wednesday, the Philippine Coast Guard said two Chinese coast guard vessels took what it described as “dangerous maneuvers” that could have caused a collision with PCG ships assisting the resupply mission of the Armed Forces of the Philippines near Ayungin Shoal on June 30.

Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., flanked by House Speaker Martin Romualdez (right) and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, holds up the New Agrarian Emancipation Act he signed into law on Friday in Malacañan Palace. After the signing ceremony, Mr. Marcos also led the ceremonial awarding of land titles to some of 23,000 beneficiaries – mirroring what his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. did 50 years ago (inset) -- at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang.

Rey Baniquet and Ver Noveno

P57b in agri debt wiped clean as PBBM inks new law

By Charles Dantes and Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE signing of the new agrarian reform act by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. came full circle on Friday, 50 years after his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., signed Presidential Decree 27 in 1972.

Republic Act No. 11953 or the New Agrarian Reform Act signed by the President Friday condones all unpaid amortizations of the principal debt of agrarian reform beneficiaries worth P57.56 billion.

These farmers were tilling a total of 1.17 million hectares of agrarian reform lands.

The New Agrarian Emancipation

Act was part of the priority measures the President asked Congress to pass in his first State of the Nation Address last July 25, 2022.

During the press briefing, the President said that he is continuing his father's previous work, pointing out that it was always his late father's intention to give land to farmers and farm workers.

Presidential Decree 27 was signed

by Mr. Marcos Sr. and the minister of the Department of Agrarian Reform, Conrado Estrella Sr.

Under the decree, the tenant farmer, whether in land classified as landed estate or not, was deemed owner of a portion constituting a family-size farm of five hectares if not irrigated and three hectares if irrigated.

Next page

Diokno: Maharlika IRR in final phase, ready for rollout within 90 days

By Julito G. Rada and Vito Barcelo

ment Fund are in its final stages and that the President is expected to sign the bill soon.

vote, and one abstention.

in its final phase.”

CHINESE SWARMS. In these photos handed out Friday, the Armed Forces Western Command shows some of the 48 Chinese Navy, Coast Guard, and fishing vessels spotted swarming the Iroquois Reef in the West Philippine Sea. AFP Wescom photo

FINANCE

Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Friday that the implementing rules and regulations of the Maharlika Invest-

In a message to reporters covering the Finance beat, Diokno said: “The crafting of the IRR started right after the approval of the MIF bill. It is now

9-hr. water break looms in Maynilad areas

MORE than half a million customers of Maynilad should prepare for a possible nine-hour service interruption next week as the government anticipates Angat Dam’s water level to fall below its minimum operating level of 180 meters.

“The elevation of Angat will reach 180 meters (Saturday). However, we are projecting that there will be no interruption tomorrow, except for the regular maintenance activities,” MWSS Angat/Ipo

Operations Management Division head Patrick James Dizon said in a message to GMA News.

“For Maynilad, the expected interruption will be on Wednesday (July 12), the earliest, but if there are rains, the start of interruption could be by Friday (July 14)… The number of hours of interruption - 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. (nine hours)… that is lesser than the 14 to 16 hours interruption in April 2023,” Dizon said.

Next page

Sugar Order 7 OKs import of 150k tons to boost stocks

Congress approved the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) Act of 2023 on May 31. The House of Representatives adopted the Senate version of the bill, SB 2020, which was passed on third reading with 19 affirmative votes, one negative

Diokno said the government would promulgate the rules and regulations 90 days from when the law was passed.

In a July 6 interview on ANC’s Business Outlook, Diokno said the MIF would

Speaker: Nat’l budget, LEDAC bills top House agenda before yearend

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House of Representatives will focus on passing the 2024 national budget while hastening the approval of the priority bills of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. before the year ends.

Speaker Martin Romualdez said lawmakers will work overtime if necessary to comprehensively scrutinize the proposed P5.768 trillion National Expenditure Program to fulfill its “power of the purse” mandate as well as the priority measures

TAX-EXEMPT MEDICINES. Popular medicines for diabetes, hypertension, and cancer are shown in these file photos after the government expanded its list of medicines exempted from value-added tax to include 59 drugs on Friday (see full story on A2).

File photo dated July 27, 2016 shows President Duterte during a National Security Council meeting attended by four former presidents including (from left) Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Fidel V. Ramos and Benigno Aquino III. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque says Malacanang is inclined to ask the four ex-presidents to attend a meeting on issues besetting the West Philippine Sea.

FREED FROM DEBT. President

PRICE GOING DOWN, DIESEL TO GO UP NEXT WEEK

YOUTUBE ALSO TAKES DOWN QUIBOLOY’S SMNI CHANNEL

More medicines tagged tax-exempt

By Julito Rada

THE government has expanded its list of medicines that are exempted from value-added tax to include 59 drugs for cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, among other diseases.

"We have exempted from VAT a total of 59 medicines for cancer, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, mental illness, tuberculosis, and kidney disease. This is a welcome addition to the list of VA-exempt products,” said Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. Lumagui’s Revenue Memorandum

US...

From A1

Ayungin is also referred to as Second Thomas Shoal.

During his conversation with Teodoro, Austin "highlighted the United States' ironclad alliance commitment with the Philippines and reiterated that the Mutual Defense Treaty extends to Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces — to include those of its Coast Guard — in the Pacific, including anywhere in the South China Sea," the readout said.

It added that Austin and Teodoro also reaffirmed their commitment to continue upholding the rules-based order and supporting the livelihoods of local Philippine communities in the South China Sea consistent with the Arbitral Tribunal Ruling in 2016.

"The Secretaries agreed to meet in person for in-depth discussions on defense and security priorities," the Pentagon said.

In 2016, the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, based on a case filed by the Philippines, junked China's nine-dash line claim covering the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.

It was a major legal victory for the Philippines but China has refused to acknowledge the ruling.

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin insisted that the maneuvers of their vessels during the June 30 incident were “professional and restrained.”

P57b...

From A1

Succeeding administrations passed the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law.

The current DAR Secretary, Conrado Estrella III is the grandson of Estrella Sr., who signed the PD 27 with the elder Marcos. Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Friday that the condoning of the unpaid amortizations of agrarian reform beneficiaries would not hurt govern-

Speaker:...

From A1 approved during the 2nd Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) on Wednesday.

“Your House of Representatives will work even harder when the 2nd regular session of Congress opens this month, beginning with the State of the Nation Address of our President,” Romualdez said.

“With our firm commitment to approve the remaining priority measures agreed upon during the LEDAC meetings, various House panels will continue working during committee deliberations of the proposed 2024 NEP," he added.

Romualdez said that if the productivity of the House of Representatives during the first year of the 19th Congress was any indication, he is confident that the chamber can accomplish its goals for the rest of 2023.

“If members of the House of Representatives will work with the same pas-

Marcos...

From A1

“She moved fast in that she terminated the contracts that were in question. She has also since put under review all of the other contracts that were in the pipeline. So in my opinion she has it under control. She knows what to do," he added of Frasco.

DOT has been under fire from netizens since the release of its new campaign slogan and video.

Netizens were quick to point out that the video used different stock footage from other countries such as Thailand,

Sugar...

From A1

The latest order was signed by Mr. Marcos, who as the concurrent secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) chairs the SRA, along with Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Pan-

Circular 72-2023 updated the list of VATexempt products under Republic Act 10963 or the TRAIN Law and Republic Act No. 11534 or the CREATE Act. Of the 59 drugs added to the list, 25 were for the treatment of cancer, 11 for kidney diseases, 10 for diabetes, six for hypertension, four for mental illnesses, two for high cholesterol, and one for tuberculosis.

"In accordance with the law, the Chinese Coast Guard vessel carried out law enforcement activities to uphold China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime order. The Chinese side’s maneuvers were professional and restrained," Wang said at a press conference. The Chinese official asserted that the Ren’ai Reef (Ayungin Shoal) was part of China’s Nansha Islands, adding that it was the PCG vessels that supposedly intruded Chinese waters.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian paid a courtesy visit to Teodoro to discuss China and the Philippines' defense and military relations as well as maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.

"We had a constructive discussion on promoting defense and military relations between China and the Philippines, and maintaining peace and stability in the region," Huang said of his meeting with Teodoro.

On Friday, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson called out China's "irresponsible behavior in the South China Sea," saying it "threatens the security and legal rights" of one of the US allies, the Philippines.

In a statement, Carlson also called on China to comply with international law, including the legally binding 2016 Arbitration Award that turned in favor of the Philippines.

She said it is "a starting point to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific," which many countries are pushing for.

Within the past three years, Manila

ment revenue. At a press briefing after the President signed the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, Diokno said the amount that was condoned was not included in the estimation of the government's revenues.

“This will have no impact on the fiscal picture of the government because we have planned our deficit target in the next five years, including our revenues. This is not included in the computation,” Diokno said in Filipino.

The newly-signed law, Republic Act No. 11953, will benefit 610,054 agrar-

sion and vigor they exhibited during the First Regular Session, I have no doubt that we can do better this time around,” he said.

During the first 10 months of the 19th Congress, the House has processed a total of 9,600 measures: 8,490 bills, 1,109 resolutions and one petition, or an average of 30 measures for each session day.

Lawmakers were also able to approve on third and final reading 33 out of 42 bills listed as priority measures of President Marcos and the LEDAC.

“Processes and systems can always be improved. I believe there are still better ways we can perform our mandate of legislation without sacrificing the quality of our work,” the Speaker said.

The FDA, however, removed from the list of VAT-exempt drugs the cancer medicine with the generic name Ixekizumab.

“Upon the evaluation of the certificate of product registration and package insert of [Ixekizumab], it was noted that it is approved as a treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy,” the FDA said.

In an interview with the Philippine Information Agency, Sylvia Gonzaga, a 60-yearold sari-sari store operator in Caloocan City who has been living with hypertension for over 20 years now, welcomed the expanded list of VAT-exempt medicines. She said it will help her “save around

filed a total of 427 diplomatic protests against Beijing, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) figures showed.

Meanwhile, the Western Command (WESCOM) reported 48 Chinese fishing vessels have been spotted swarming the Iroquois Reef, which is located south of the oil and gas-rich Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea.

The WESCOM, in a Facebook post on Friday, said this was based on information from their air patrol on June 30.

"During multiple flights over Iroquois Reef in the past week, pilots aboard NV312, a Britten Norman Islander light patrol aircraft of the Philippine Navy, observed an alarming presence of Chinese fishing vessels," it said.

It noted that the presence of these vessels is visible from the air, based on the reports of the pilots of the patrol aircraft.

The Chinese vessels “were observed to be anchored in groups of five to seven, and no fishing activities were noticed,” WESCOM said. “They seem to just loiter in the area."

These recent observations by the Britten Norman Islander patrol aircraft confirm earlier intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance flights conducted in the area, which indicated an increasing trend of Chinese fishing vessels.

In February, WESCOM reported the sighting of only 12 Chinese fishing vessels compared to the 47 spotted on June 12.

"Simultaneously with this surge at Iroquois Reef, an increased presence of Chinese maritime assets has also been noted at Sabina Shoal. Three China Coast Guard

ian reform beneficiaries as it writes off P57.557 billion of their loans.

Lawmakers commended the President for signing the New Agrarian Emancipation Act which will serve as a catalyst for rural development and would contribute to the overall growth and prosperity of the country.

“The groundbreaking legislation is a testament to President Marcos' unwavering commitment to the welfare of our farmers and the promotion of agricultural development,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said in a statement.

Diokno:...

From A1 be operational before the end of 2023. “In a week or two, he [the President] will sign it,” he said.

Senate President Miguel Zubiri earlier said the final version of the bill has been sent to the President.

MIF will be the Philippines’ first-ever sovereign wealth fund that will optimize national funds by generating returns to support the present administration’s economic goals as set in the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF), the 8-point Socioeconomic Agenda, and the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 20232028.

On Wednesday, the LEDAC chaired by the President 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. (See full story online at manilastandard.net) 9-hr....

Indonesia, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates, instead of using clips of the country's own areas.

"Love the Philippines" garnered interest from international news outlets, prompting DOT to hastily terminate its contract with DDB Philippines and initiate an investigation.

DBB Philippines apologized for the incident, noting that the use of stock videos was for internal purposes only. But the mood video was posted on social media and the DOT's official website before it was taken down.

"We sincerely hope this will not diminish the genuine love and appreciation the stakeholders and the public have been showing for the 'Love the Philippines' campaign,” DDB Philippines said.

ganiban, SRA acting administrator Pablo Luis Azcona, and SRA acting board member Ma. Mitzi Mangwag, representing the millers' sector.

"Any imported volume of refined sugar that arrives under this sugar order shall be classified as ‘C’ (Reserve Sugar) subject to future disposition or reclassification, as SRA deems necessary," SO7 read.

P500 per month on her medication.”

“This is a big help for me, especially since I am a senior citizen relying only on my small pension and a little income from my sari-sari store,” Gonzaga said.

Susan De Leon, a senior information officer, said the discount will be a huge relief as she spends close to P10,000 a month for her daily medicines.

“That's favorable for senior citizens and even ordinary citizens because medicine is expensive. When you are a senior citizen and a PWD, you can save a lot because on top of the 20 percent discount, there is even less cost for maintenance medicines,” said De Leon. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

ships and two People's Liberation ArmyNavy (PLA-N) vessels are regularly loitering there compared to two wooden resupply boats from the Philippines and two Philippine Coast Guard vessels," it said.

“These developments raise an alarming concern about China's intentions and actions within these disputed waters.“ it added.

Recto Bank, a significant feature for the Philippines holding immense potential for the country’s energy security and economic growth, “stands as a focal point in this rising concern over China’s recent behavior,” it added.

“Recto Bank is a vital feature within the Philippine’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and China must cease its swarming of vessels to respect our sovereign rights," WESCOM spokesperson Navy Commander Ariel Coloma said in an earlier statement.

Also on Friday, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson CG Commodore Jay Tarriela said his earlier comments during his interview in ANC were taken out of context and “misinterpreted” by the media.

"I would like to clarify that in my ANC interview yesterday, I wanted to emphasize that our efforts to expose China's aggressive actions in recent months have resulted in some changes in the behavior of the Chinese Coast Guard, particularly in terms of how they shadow our PCG vessels," Tarriela said in his tweet.

"However, I made it clear that their behavior is still concerning when it comes to Ayungin Shoal. Unfortunately, my statements were misinterpreted and taken out of context," he added.

He said Republic Act 11953 would free the agrarian reform beneficiaries from the shackles of indebtedness as the new law aims to condone the debt of agrarian reform beneficiaries tilling 1.173 million hectares of land.

Under the old law, beneficiaries are required to pay for the land awarded to them in annual installments with 6 percent interest for a maximum period of 30 years. The measure condones all the unpaid amortizations of the principal debt, including interests and surcharges. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

ects, and projects that contribute to the attainment of sustainable development.

The Senate’s version of the bill addresses the issues concerning MIF’s capitalization and management.

The final version of the bill explicitly prohibits government agencies and government-owned and controlled corporations that provide for social security and public health insurance (of government employees, private sector workers and employees, and other sectors and subsectors) to contribute to and invest in the Fund.

These include, but are not limited to, the Social Security System, Government Service Insurance System, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Home Development Mutual Fund, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office.

The fund will be invested in a wide range of assets, including foreign currencies, fixed-income instruments, domestic and foreign corporate bonds, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and high-impact infrastructure proj-

From A1

The water interruptions will affect at least 591,000 households, or over a third of the 1.5 million affected households in April, Dizon said. “Manila Water will not be affected by the reduction of allocation,” he added. Angat Dam supplies over 90% of Metro Manila’s potable water requirements. Its falling water level – at 180.45 meters yesterday – will trigger a reduction in the water allocation for the concessionaires of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. The National Water Resources Board

The order also provides sanctions and penalties for eligible importers who fail to bring in any of their imported refined sugar allocation or raw sugar allocation on or before the designated deadline.

This is the second import program approved by the SRA for 2023, following Sugar Order No. 6, which autho-

Gas price going down, diesel to go up next week

By Alena Mae S. Flores

PUMP prices are expected to have a mixed movement next week, with diesel and kerosene going up while gasoline will go down to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market, according to the Department of Energy.

"Based on the 4-day trading, there will be a mixed movement on the prices of liquid petroleum products. Rollback for gasoline and increase for diesel and kerosene," DOE director for the Oil Industry Management Bureau Rodela Romero said. Industry sources said gasoline prices will likely be rolled back by P0.35 to P0.45 per liter, while diesel and kerosene will increase by P0.40 to P0.50 per liter.

Sources said the price estimates are still subject to change as they are based on the first four days of trading only.

"The rollback is still due to the monetary policy implemented by Central Banks of big countries to address inflation while the increase is attributed to the output cut of KSA for July to be joined by Russia and Algeria by August," Romero said. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed that nearly half of Filipino adults know almost nothing at all about the MIF. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

on Thursday said it will further reduce the water allocation for MWSS to 48 cubic meters per second (cms) from 50 cms should the water level at Angat Dam fall below 180 meters.

Maynilad said it will hold a press briefing on Monday to disclose specific details on the impact of the lower water allocation.

Meanwhile, the newly created Water Resources Management Office under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has released the guidelines for water conservation measures to be observed by all government offices pursuant to Memorandum Circular No. 22 issued by Malacañang in June. Rio N. Araja (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

rized the importation of 440,000 metric tons of sugar.

"Despite the release of Sugar Order 06 import program series [for] 2022-2023, the further reduction of sugar production volume for Crop Year 2022-2023 is forecasted due to early start and early end of million, and in anticipation of the possible shortage of supply and to bridge the gap

By Charles Dantes

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lauded the rising number of Filipinos employed in the country based on the recent Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) Labor Force Survey on Friday.

"Ito yung talagang priority sa atin is trabaho, kaya't lahat naman ng ating ginagawa sa ekonomiya ay para mabigyan, hindi lang naman iyong underemployed na klase na trabaho kundi ang magandang trabaho na may future, may benefits," the President told reporters.

PSA reported that the number of unemployed persons ages 15 years old and above decreased to 2.17 million in May 2023 compared to 2.26 million recorded in April 2023.

The number is also way lower than the 2.93 million jobless Filipinos in May last year, with a difference of 760,000 individuals.

Moreover, the employment rate in the country has reached 95.7 percent, or equal to 48.26 million Filipinos employed in May 2023. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

President hails rising number of working Pinoys IN BRIEF

Teves can't accept expected expulsion

SUSPENDED Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr said he expects the House of Representatives to come up with an expulsion verdict against him for his continued failure to physically show up in Congress to attend to his legislative duties.

In the event the House leadership comes up with such a decision, Teves said he will contest it.

“I don't see any cogent reason for me to be expelled, but they can always do that through a vote. My peers can be easily pressured to do so because if you don’t toe the line, it’s over for you,” Teves said at a virtual press conference.

Teves has been suspended by the House due to disorderly conduct amid his continued absence from Congress. Maricel V. Cruz

NBI chief sorry over sexy dancers

NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation director Medardo De Lemos has apologized for the "sexy dance" performance before NBI officials after a command conference on June 30.

De Lemos said they are finding out who brought the sexy dancers to the post-conference "fellowship."

"If this dance after the command conference offended the sensibilities of our citizens, particularly the women, we apologize," he said in a news conference.

"We will not hesitate to dismiss (the persons involved) if dismissal is the penalty," he added.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will investigate the incident as well. Rey E. Requejo

between the supply and the demand, the SRA finds it imperative to open a second import program to address the demand for CY 2022-2023," the order read.

The intention of the import program "is to ensure a sufficient actual supply of sugar for domestic consumption, as well as a two-month buffer stock," it added. With Othel V. Campos

IN BRIEF

CAAP rushes works at Cotabato Airport

THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is rushing the ongoing expansion works at Cotabato Airport to meet its August deadline set by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

The construction of the airport’s passenger terminal building (PTB) was one of the topics discussed by CAAP director general Manuel Antonio Tamayo and DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista when they visited the airport and met with the officials of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The P45.5 million expansion project which is expected to be finished by August 30, 2023 covers the civil, architectural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing works.

Once completed, the airport’s capacity will be increased, accommodating 360 passengers at any given time, compared to its previous capacity of 250 passengers. The expansion will alleviate congestion and provide a more comfortable environment for travelers. Joel E. Zurbano

Briton wanted for sex crimes nabbed at NAIA

A BRITISH national reportedly wanted for various sex-related crimes was arrested by Immigration agents as the suspect tried to leave the country through the Ninoy Aquino International airport (NAIA) Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the Briton as William Hughes, 79, who was intercepted at the NAIA Terminal 1 during his attempted departure to Doha, Qatar.

Border Control and Intelligence Unit (BCIU) head Dennis Alcedo said that Hughes arrived last May 16 as a tourist.

The BI later received information from the United Kingdom National Crime Agency, saying that Hughes was involved and convicted in the crime of inciting or causing prostitution for gain involving a child 13 to 17 years.

Hughes was reportedly placed in the UK’s Sex Offenders’ register for life.

Following the information, the BI initiated deportation proceedings against Hughes. Vito

Barcelo

800 Caloocan students to take part in SPES

OVER 800 Caloocan City students will participate in the Special Program of the Employment of Student (SPES), made possible through the partnership of the city government’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The students will have their orientation on July 4-6. They will be assigned to work at different city agencies and departments starting July 20.

Caloocan Mayor Dale Gonzalo Malapitan praised the students’ dedication and perseverance in earning a little to help with their own expenses and hoped that the program will also provide them with additional knowledge and skills.

“Bukod sa layuning makapaghatid ng pagkakakitaan, isa rin ito sa paraan upang linangin at dagdagan pa ang kakayahan at kaalaman ng mga Batang Kankaloo,” the mayor said. Jun David

COA flags NFA on rice deficits

By Rio N. Araja

THE Commission on Audit (COA) has questioned the National Food Authority (NFA) for alleged failure to meet the optimum level of national rice buffer stocking requirement of 300,000 metric tons in 2022 despite full receipt of a P7-billion government subsidy.

In another move, COA) told the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to address project delays totaling P96.218 billion.

In a 2022 audit report, state auditors said there was a shortfall of 177,349 met-

ric tons or 46 percent of the target palay procurement of 480,000 metric tons.

“The inability to maintain the required optimum level of national rice buffer stocking at any given time poses risk that NFA might not be able to ef-

fectively and immediately respond and provide the needs of the beneficiaries all over the country in times of emergency situations, and non-sustenance of the disaster relief programs of the government during natural or man-made calamities,” it cited.

Despite receipt of a P7-billion subsidy, only P5.75 billion was disbursed for the 302,651 metric tons of procured palay.

COA said there were limited palay buying stations and mobile procurement teams in areas with surplus stock during harvest season.

DOJ: Prosecutors not delaying De Lima drug case

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday debunked allegation that its prosecutors are delaying the resolution of the last criminal case of former senator Leila M. de Lima with the filing of a motion to inhibit against the judge.

Justice Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano asserted that the prosecutors “believe that a new judge would be best to the case.”

Earlier, Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara granted the motion of DOJ prosecutors and decided to inhibit

himself in an order he issued on July 6.

As of posting, the case has yet to be raffled to a new judge.

The last of the three cases of De Lima, denominated as Criminal Case No. 17167, was originally raffled to Judge Romeo Buenaventura of RTC Branch 256. He denied De Lima’s plea to post bail.

“This program addresses the difficulty of farmers in transporting their harvest to the NFA efficiently at no cost as the mobile procurement teams shall pick up the farmer’s harvest in the agreed place and schedule, free of charge,” the report stated.

“Management fully conformed to all the audit recommendations and committed to continuously exert all efforts possible to be able to sufficiently maintain the required 300,000 metric ton government rice buffer stock to ensure the country’s food security concerns,” COA said.

ENFORCING TRAFFIC DISPLINE. Operatives of the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (IACT) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority traffic enforcers tag erring motorists for entering the exclusive passenger bus lane on E. De los Santos Ave. and Evangelista St. in Makati City. Manny Palmero

Bill eyes free tuition for state workers taking master’s degree at SUCs

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada eyes free tuition for government employees pursuing a master’s degree in state universities and colleges (SUCs).

Estrada filed Senate Bill No. 2277, known as the “Government Employees Free MA Tuition in SUCs Act” which

seeks to provide career and non-career government employees with the opportunity to pursue a two-year master’s program in state universities and colleges (SUCs) without worrying about their tuitions.

As of June 30, 2022, the Inventory of Government Human Resources (IGHR) of the Civil Service Com -

mission (CSC) indicated there are 1,820,457 career and non-career employees in the bureaucracy.

The cost of a securing a master’s degree varies from P800 to P1,500 per unit, resulting in tuitions ranging from P19,200 to P50,000 for the completion of a 24-unit program.

Additional fees related to various ac-

By Vito Barcelo and Joel E. Zurbano

BUREAU of Customs (BOC) agents have seized P3.9 million worth of shabu and smuggled cigarettes in separate operations in Polomolok, South Cotabato and in Clark, Pampanga.

The operations were carried out in close coordination with the BOC’s Intelligence Investigation Service (CIIS) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The smuggled cigarettes were confiscated during an entrapment operation conducted under CIDG’s Flagship Project, “Oplan Mega Shopper” which aims to combat smuggling, manufacturing, distribution, and trading of counterfeited products. Appropriate criminal charges were being prepared against the suspects.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs-Port of Clark, in coordination with Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force (CAIDTF) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region III, arrested the claimant of the seized shipment containing P3.160 million worth of shabu in Makati City.

tivities required for the degree are not included in the amount.

To be eligible for the program, non-career contractual government personnel must have at least five years of employment and pass the entrance examination and other admission and retention requirements of the SUCs.

The BOC discovered the illegal drugs through profiling made by Customs personnel in a shipment declared as “two slice bread toaster” from Pennsylvania, USA. “Customs examiner conducted a physical examination of the shipment which led to the discovery of four pouches of white crystalline substances weighing 458 grams concealed inside two bread toasters,” the BOC said in a statement.

YouTube takes down Quiboloy’s SMNI channel

VIDEO -sharing giant YouTube has taken down the channel of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), owned by religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, who is wanted for crimes in the United States.

“This account has been terminated for a violation of YouTube’s Terms of Service,” according to a notice posted on SMNI’s page. Google, which owns YouTube, “is committed to compliance with applicable US sanctions laws and enforces related policies under its Terms of Service,” a spokesperson for the video-sharing platform said.

“After review and consistent with these policies, we terminated the Laban Kasama ang Bayan, KOJC, & SMNI YouTube channels,” the spokesperson added.

The development came weeks after the platform suspended Quiboloy’s personal YouTube channel for violations of community guidelines.

Gaming YouTuber Mutahar, also known as Some-

OrdinaryGamers, raised the issues about Quiboloy’s channel to YouTube via Twitter on Tuesday, citing the human trafficking cases against the Davao-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder filed in the United States.

The user alleged that despite his cases, Quiboloy had been “running a channel still reaching out to victims less than 12 hours ago.”

Quiboloy had some 47,600 subscribers on his channel before it was taken down.

In 2022, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) placed Quiboloy on its most wanted list for a string of cases, including sex trafficking of children, fraud, coercion, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.

The FBI announcement came a year after the preacher was indicted in the US for sex trafficking, with American prosecutors alleging that some girls and young women were coerced to have sex with him.

BOC seizes P3.9m worth of smuggled cigarettes, shabu

IN BRIEF

PNP welcomes Pagcor decision to shut down POGO

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) said it can now hasten the implementation of search warrants following a cease-and-desist order issued by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) that effectively shut down the operation of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) which was raided in Las Piñas City last week.

Speaking to reporters in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Friday, PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan welcomed Pagcor’s move against Xinchuang Network Technology, Inc., which he said is proof that the fight against human trafficking and cybercrimes is a shared responsibility.

PH unemployment dips 4.3% in May

By Julito G. Rada

THE country’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.3 percent in May 2023 from 6 percent a year ago and 4.5 percent in April 2023 as 2.18 million more jobs were created during the month, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Friday.

National statistician and civil registrar general Dennis Mapa said in an online briefing this was the second-lowest unemployment rate since April 2005.

“The May 2023 unemployment rate was the second lowest since April 2005, following the 4.2 percent unemployment rate in November 2022,” Mapa said.

“2.18 million jobs were added for the month and of that number, close

Tingog, hospitals sign medical aid pact for Reg. 8

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE Office of the Speaker and Tingog party-list group represented by Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with private hospitals from all over Region 8 to allow patients to access the Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients in these private institutions.

Romualdez, in her message, emphasized that healthcare is a fundamental right, a cornerstone of a just and equitable society that should be accessible to all.

However, due to the limitations of our public hospitals, she recognized the need to expand the government’s medical assistance to indigent patients beyond the confines of public hospitals.

“We aim to bridge the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged, ensuring that financial constraints no longer hinder access to medical care,” she said.

By extending medical assistance to private hospitals, the lawmaker pointed out that this acknowledges the invaluable role private institutions play in serving our communities and that it can alleviate the burden on our public healthcare system by establishing a symbiotic relationship between public and private institutions.

to one million were salaried and wage workers, meaning they have permanent jobs…,” Mapa said.

The employment rate in May 2023 was estimated at 95.7 percent, which was higher than the reported employment rate in May 2022 at 94.0 percent and in April 2023 at 95.5 percent. In terms of magnitude, the number of employed persons was

posted at 48.26 million in May 2023, higher than the reported number of employed persons in the same period last year at 46.08 million.

Given the favorable labor market performance, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the government would continue to push for and implement game-changing reforms to improve the country’s business investment climate, especially for foreign investors, and help in sustaining current labor market gains.

“To achieve our near and mediumterm targets, it is important that the government remains committed to fostering a favorable investment climate

to address critical constraints to highquality job creation,” he said.

Moreover, Balisacan added that establishing an enabling regulatory environment to improve the ease of doing business and encourage innovation remained as top priorities to attract investors who have the technology and resources to bring in high-quality jobs.

The Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) was registered at 65.3 percent, which was higher than the reported LFPR in May 2022 (64.0 percent) and in April 2023 (65.1 percent). In terms of magnitude, there were 50.43 million individuals aged 15 years old and over who were either employed or unemployed in May 2023.

“It is the obligation and responsibility of all government agencies that are involved so that we can ensure that our POGO industry is not into different activities that we discover upon implementation of these search warrants,” Maranan said.

A total of 781 have been processed out of the 1,239 foreign workers found at the compound during the raid on June 27, he added.

Ex-solon voices support for LPG regulation act

FORMER LPGMA Partylist Congressman Arnel Ty has voiced his support for the strict enforcement of Republic Act 11592, also known as the LPG Industry Regulation Act.

This landmark legislation, which was signed into law in 2021 requires all LPG industry participants and a License to Operate to ensure compliance with safety standards and regulations.

Prior to this law, the Department of Energy (DOE) released a Circular in 2014 outlining the rules and regulations governing the LPG industry, which included the requirement for industry players to to obtain a Standards Compliance Certificate (SCC) before conducting business.

This measure was implemented to safeguard the interests of LPG customers by discouraging illegal LPG sales and promoting supply stability.

NBI agents transfer Dera to Muntinlupa City Jail

JAD DERA , who is facing drug and murder charges, has been transferred to the Muntinlupa City Jail.

Dera was recently arrested after leaving the detention facility of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The Muntinlupa Court ordered his transfer after the Department of Justice (DOJ) made the request. Reports said Dera was officially turned over to the Muntinlupa City Jail at 7:11 p.m. on Thursday.

Dera left the NBI facility past 6 p.m. and was guarded by numerous NBI agents during the transfer. Dera and several NBI security personnel were nabbed in June after he allegedly went out on a date with his escorts in tow.

Rep. Yedda fetes party-list scholars in Leyte Normal U commencement

By Maricel V. Cruz

REP.

Yedda Marie K. Romualdez

of Tingog party-list group on Thursday gave an inspirational message during the Commencement Exercises of the Leyte Normal University (LNU) - College of Education Class of 2023.

LNU is renowned for producing top-

notch teachers and academic professors and has become Eastern Visayas’ pride in training educators.

In her message, Romualdez lauded the achievements of the Tingog scholars among the graduates, two of which have garnered high honors-- Nicole Fave Balais, BEED cum laude and Angela Eulogio, BECED cum laude.

Zubiri vows to continue pushing for P150 pay hike

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATE President Juan Miguel

Zubiri has assured labor groups and workers that he will continue to push for a minimum wage increase of P150.

He said this will ensure workers receive a decent living wage. “As I have said before, the wage board’s an-

nouncement of a minimum wage in-

crease of P40 in the National Capital Region (NCR) is not enough. But it is a start,” he said.

“This is why I am amenable to a P100 hike for NCR,” he added.

Zubiri said the P40 wage board increase and the P100 legislated increase bring the total to P140, which

is not far from his proposed figure. According to Zubiri, he will continue to advocate for a P150 increase, especially since the P40 increase is only for NCR at the moment. He pointed out that workers in the provinces toil just as hard as workers in Metro Manila, and also contend with high prices.

DOH conducts online forum on health and nutrition

By Gabriellea B. Pariño

THE Department of Health (DOH) held an online forum highlighting healthy and affordable nutrition in celebration of “Nutrition Month” this July.

Veron Catrisse Delos Reyes, vice president of the Nutritionist-Dietitians’

Association of the Philippines gave a lecture on the importance of a balanced and nutritious meal in the Philippine agricultural setting.

“Food is the foundation of health.

That is why we are urging people to switch to a healthy diet,” she said.

Delos Reyes also spoke on the im-

portance of eating a variety of foods with lots of plant-based sources to meet the daily needs for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals. She also urged Filipinos to balance their energy intake with their energy expenditure. She also spoke about how people are often lured into taking unsustainable fad diets.

Yedda addressed the rest of the Tingog Scholars, quoting: “You are the embodiment of our organization’s mission, and we are immensely proud of you. You have not only proven that you have the capability to excel in your chosen fields, but you have also shown that with hard work and determination, nothing is impossible.”

Romualdez added: “You have earned

your degree, and now it is time to pay it forward and use your education to make a positive impact in society.”

She emphasized to the graduates the importance of remembering their roots and to never forget to give back to the community.

Romualdez is the president of the Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc. (CSFI).

URBAN FARMING PROGRAM. Urban farmers of Brgy. Sto. Cristo, in Quezon City, receive vegetable seedlings during the launching of SM Foundation’s urban farming initiative. The program was launched in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Trade and Industry, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Science and Technology, and Department of Tourism. Manny Palmero BAN BARBIE? Cosplayers pose at the standee of the movie Barbie at the opening of the 20th TOYCON Philippines at the SMX Convention Center Manila on Friday. Many have called for the pullout of the movie for repeatedly showing China’s nine-dash-line claim over the South China Sea. Danny Pata

In the photo (from left to right) are Mohit Malhi, CEO of Parañaque

managing director of

and

The ludicrous scheme to economically decouple China

DECOUPLING takes place when different classes of asset that typically rise and fall together start to move in the opposite directions, such as one increasing and the other decreasing. One example might be seen in the exchange of oil and natural gas prices, which typically rise and fall according to demand.

From a layman’s point of view, this is to indirectly justify economic sanction on specific products upon which the country is threatened to surpass its imports and exports like micro-chips, feeling insecure that should China surpass the US in the manufacture, production and export of these products, that eventually could contribute to the weakening of its hegemony in this particular field of economic competition.

Many countries in the West today resort to the weapon of economically decoupling states in the belief certain products were originally produced and/ or invented by them, and the export or sale of these products would violate certain rights as if to indirectly emphasize these products have exclusive patents and cannot be reproduced, manufactured or exported without violating their so-called “patent rights.”

The theory of decoupling is a more civilized way of imposing economic sanction which often leads to war.

In practice, countries that impose sanction by way of decoupling states sees them as threat to their own economic security.

They often overlook the possibility the sanctioned state sometimes is more economically refined or has more potential in advancing against those that impose the said sanction.

Why love the Philippines? Ask foreigners

WEUNDERSTAND

currency reserve pushed the entire western financial institutions to the brink of bankruptcy with many European and American banks suddenly felt wobbly for lack of financial trust.

The blatant violation of the financial institutions opened the floodgates to the de-dollarization of the US as the international currency reserve.

Many countries, all of a sudden, abandoned the dollar as their principal system of exchange.

Many opted to use the Chinese yuan or renminbi as their medium of exchange which goes to show the Chinese currency now commands higher value and respect than the US dollar.

The most glaring defiance of this seemingly unilateralist policy of the US is its decision through the European Union to ban the importation of Russian oil and natural gas.

This has resulted in the prosaic pricing of the commodity which most consumers cashing in by importing Russian gas and selling them to friendly countries.

Saudi Arabia has finally abandoned the petrodollar system of exchange, meaning that one can only buy oil if they convert their currency to US dollar.

Now, Saudi Arabia has openly shifted to the Chinese yuan as their medium of exchange in exchange for imports of Russian gas.

The worse thing is that India, a supposedly neutral country and an original member of BRICS, has taken advantage of the big discount given by Russia only to resell them to the US and other EU member states at a much-bloated price.

India knows there exists a ban on Russian imports, and member-countries like the EU states comply for fear of US retaliation.

The US has now become a pariah, for nobody really respects such unilateralist policy.

In fact, the EU ban on Russian’s natural gas has greatly improved Russia’s economy and allowed it to diversify trade with China, prompting it to open a new gas pipeline from Russia to north of China.

Take the case of China.

Admittedly, China imports more micro-chips from either Taiwan, Luxemburg or from the US.

Whatever is the situation, China remains the biggest producer and supplier of these micro-chips.

This alone stands as a dilemma to the US and other countries many of whom stand as equally to be affected by the US’ economically decoupling China.

For instance, Taiwan and Luxemburg will not be directly affected by the US decoupling of China, but they remain totally dependent on China for their imports of these “rare earth” minerals, which today can only be produced in vast quantifies by that country.

The decoupling now indirectly affects these countries as exporters of semi-finished micro-chips.

It is the supply chain that is badly affected although the main target is China.

The US is likewise affected because, as supplier, it will not meet the demand, not to say, its cost.

The exporting countries are hesitant because they know they also will be affected by this unilateralist policy of the US.

Economic sanction, like decoupling, results in an incoherent application of the economic policies.

The practice will never work to achieve a coherent policy for that, in fact, is an expression of one’s national interest more than anything else.

A good example is the economic sanction on Russia.

After it invaded Ukraine, the economic consequence was incalculable and affected countries far beyond what EU could imagine.

The unilateral confiscation of Russia’s $300 billion dollars reserve and its expulsion from SWIFT or world-wide financial telecommunication system was intended to frighten Russia’s credit and loan capacity.

Such resulted instead in the accelerated application for membership to BRICS organization and the formalization of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) which now poses to compete with Western financial institutions such as the International Monetary Bank (IMF) and the World Bank (WF).

This lackluster decision by the US and EU saw the sudden slide of the US dollar as the world’s international currency reserve.

The attempted swindling of Russia’s foreign

EvEryman

By Melandrew T. Velasco

COINCIDING with the celebration of Philippine Environment Month last June, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System led by MWSS administrator Leonor Cleofas and the Million Trees Foundation, Inc. (MTFI) recognized partners in the Annual Million Trees Challenge (AMTC) project.

It was an auspicious event as the AMTC awards and pledging session for 2023 was also held on June 27, 2023, two days after Arbor Day. As President and Executive Director of MTFI, I am happy to note that once more like in previous years the commitments of AMTC project partners breached the one million trees target.

The goal is to plant 10 million more trees until 2030.

To date, 6.8 million trees have been planted in the seven critical watershed beneficiaries of AMTC.

Closed forest cover in the watersheds increased by 5,734 hectares in 2020.

It has been seven years when MWSS, under Administrator Gen. Reynaldo V. Velasco (ret) initiated the AMTC to rehabilitate the watersheds of Angat-Ipo, Kaliwa, La Mesa, Laguna Lake, Umiray, Upper Marikina, and Manila Bay that were critical to the water supply for Metro Manila and adjoining provinces of Rizal, Bulacan, and parts of Cavite. It is a step toward achieving water security in MWSS coverage areas.

MTFI is the non-government organization

This now explains why the economic policy of decoupling will never work if that country sought to be decoupled is economically bigger than the decoupling state.

This is logically simple.

How can the US, for instance, impose trade sanction against China, when world trade reveals now that China stands with the highest production and manufacturing companies in the world?

This means that China now produces the highest number of manufactured goods or, in simplest term, the greatest producer of wealth.

This explains why the US will not succeed in decoupling China.

The US can never absorb China’s total exports as a way to decouple that country.

Since 1973 when they abandoned the gold in a devise to measure its economic growth, from then on, it relied on its GDP to increase the US dollar in circulation.

US economists thought that increasing the dollar could increase their business profit, unaware that it could result in the diminution of US imports.

From the consumer’s point of view, such could result in inflation or from the businessman’s angle, it results in the devaluation of the currency.

This inevitably resulted in higher production cost for American manufactured goods with China cashing in to increase its exports to the US.

Instead of decreasing the sale of US treasury bonds to decrease foreign debt from China and Japan, the unabetted sale of these bonds was an easy way to augment the US dollar, knowing it to be the reserve international currency of the world.

As US trade deficit against China widens to such astronomical level, the idea of decoupling China is likely to end up as more of a pipe dream.

Former US President Trump’s idea of imposing tariff has backfired as it turned out to be a tax on US imports from China.

The US has to economically surpass China both in production and manufacturing to effectively decouple that country where it once stood as the world’s greatest manufacturing state ranked after WW II. (rpkapunan@gmail.com)

How can we forget the much-maligned 2019

SEA Games logo that cost the organizers a huge amount of money to conceptualize?

The logo, a combination of eight plain circles resembling the Philippine map, was supposedly made by a foreign design company.

Now comes this video fiasco involving the Department of Tourism and a multinational advertising agency. The DOT was said to have allotted P49 million to develop its new slogan “Love the Philippines” as its newest campaign, to be kicked off by a promotional video showing the different tourist attractions in the Philippines. This went puff as following discovery the videos were not originally produced and used stock footage of foreign locations. The agency was dropped, and the DOT is moving on and keeping the slogan.

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been chief executive for a year now and SONA season is upon us yet again.

Last year, I wrote about my expectations for SONA, what must be addressed, and an analysis after he gave his speech.

To start off this year, let’s look at some important issues that we wanted him to address. Have we moved forward from last year?

On the drug war, human rights, and defenders

When Marcos Jr. replaced Duterte, we had hoped for the end of the drug war.

In one of my SONA articles, I mentioned, “[W]ith a new chief executive in place, we can hope that the violent war on drugs Duterte has imposed will be transformed completely. Marcos Jr. has already mentioned that the drug war must be done “within the law.”

He has also told foreign leaders that while he is to keep the war against drugs, he would shift to the rehabilitation of drug users.

On the contrary, the World Report 2023 from Human Rights Watch states that deaths of thousands have continued under the police and their agents. We had also looked forward to the “lessen(ed) violence against activists and people from the basic sectors” as Marcos’ National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos said, “Red-tagging should be stopped.”

Despite this statement, the red-tagging and human rights violations against activists have continued.

Just last June 14, the Fausto family (spouses Roly and Emelda, and children Ben and Ravin), was massacred in Negros Occidental. The mother, Emelda, was a member of the Baclayan, Bito, Cabagal Farmers and Farmworkers Association (BABICAFA).

According to Karapatan, Roly and Emelda have also been experiencing harassment from the Armed Forces of the Philippines. These human rights violations also bleed into the sector of environment defenders. Dexter Capuyan and Bazoo De Jesus, indigenous rights advocates, are yet to be surfaced.

They are the 7th and 8th enforced disappearance victims under Marcos Jr. The attacks against indigenous peoples, our frontline environment defenders, have also

There are Russians, Kazakh, German and American vloggers who command millions of followers on their YouTube channels and they have a lot of videos telling why the Philippines is a country worth visiting

Nothing bad, really, with the “Love the Philippines” event if it’s not an original idea.

This has already been used by the Dominican Republic for its tourism campaign called I Love Dominican Republic.

persisted.

The Philippines has been labeled as one of the ost dangerous countries for environmental activists and land defenders in Asia.

On the economy, agriculture, and labor

In one of my previous articles, I also mentioned that “inflation has reached the country’s shores.” This has only gotten worse since.

Everyday needs and goods are getting harder and harder to purchase for ordinary people.

This inflation has caused households to lose some of their income.

There is still much to discuss about the coming up SONA but these key points should give us enough perspective as to where we are a year later

The recent wage hike of P40 per day is not substantial enough to cover this loss.

On the front of labor, Marcos Jr. said, “Rest assured that this administration is working conscientiously to [...] uplift the living [...] conditions of our workers and their families.”

However, on the concrete, Luke Espiritu, president of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, said while foreign investments can create more jobs, it markets Filipino workers as “cheap, flexible, [and] precarious labor.”

The provision of jobs is not only about creating jobs, but also making sure workers will be protected and compensated well in these jobs. We have been leaning on foreign powers like a crutch–not just in the labor sector, but also in agriculture.

Since Marcos Jr. decided to head the

The word LOVE endears to all people of colors, sizes, and shapes and encompasses everything positive.

But the Philippines must do better. The DOT must show more unique reasons why foreign travelers love the Philippines.

The DOT or its marketing agency doesn’t have to go far to get precise answers.

Go ask the foreigners already staying for years in the country. Just watch the YouTube channels showing why foreign visitors love the Philippines.

There are Russians, Kazakh, German and American vloggers who command millions of followers on their YouTube channels and they have a lot of videos telling why the Philippines is a country worth visiting.

And they will tell you, that we have the nicest beaches in Asia and, most of all, it’s the people. These foreign vloggers say Filipinos are the kindest people in the world.

That’s according to their personal experiences and after doing social experiments. Despite the economic hardship the country is going through, Filipinos always have time to smile.

It’s really not difficult to Love the Philippines.

Department of Agriculture, I wrote last year, “With one of these Cabinet heads being Marcos himself, we must expect him to truly lead us to a better place when it comes to food security.” Despite this leadership, we still find ourselves importing goods to respond to high food prices.

We have been neglecting resolving the problems of local agriculture. This importation not only entrenches us even more in a lack of production, it also brings loss to our farmers.

On public services: health and education

On the discussion of public services, we had hoped that face-to-face classes would be implemented at a much wider range as distance learning had sacrificed the quality of education. On this end, we are somewhat successful. Most students have returned to school; even more of them will in the coming school year. Outside of this though, there is not much to celebrate.

As for our health sector, while the pandemic infections have slowed down, we still experienced a few surges.

The sector appears to struggle with management and protocols with the lack of a Department of Health secretary.

(Editor’s Note: President Marcos Jr. appointed Teodoro Herbosa secretary of the Department of Health on June 5, 2023.)

The demand for a salary increase for public school teachers and health workers has also gone ignored.

To think that people from these sectors have been some of the most gravely affected by the pandemic.

There is still much to discuss about the coming up SONA but these key points should give us enough perspective as to where we are a year later.

Are we better off?

Have Filipinos’ lives improved at all?

What do we want to hear for the next one, and what do we want to be done?

Partnerships for watershed protection and water security

partner of MWSS to ensure the sustainability of the AMTC.

Together with more than 30 participating organizations, the objective of rehabilitating the watersheds is achievable.

And involvement of the private sector is important in this endeavor.

In her address before the Financial Inclusion for Women, Water and Climate Resilience Forum organized by the Financial Executives of the Philippines (FINEX), DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga underscored water security can be achieved if government and all other stakeholders will work together.

“There is no substitute at this moment for coherence, convergence and synergy in water governance,” Loyzaga said.

“With your partnership, I know, these are all possible and water security can be reached and achieved for the Philippines,” she told forum participants.

Recognizing the contribution of AMTC project partners, MWSS and MTFI conferred on them Kampeon ng Tubig Kanlugan Awards, Million Trees Achievers, and AMTC Champion of Trees Awards.

Plaques of Appreciation and Special Awards were also handed out.

Recipients of the Kampeon ng Tubig

Kanlungan Awards were SMC President Ramon S. Ang, Maynilad President Ramoncito

S. Fernandez, Manila Water President Jocot de Dios, Santa Clara International Chairman Nicandro Linao, and Manila Water Foundation Executive Director Reginald Andal for their significant roles as institutional partners of the

We at the MTFI hope more partnerships will be forged for water security

Million Trees Foundation, Inc. and the Million Trees Nursery and Eco Learning Center in support of AMTC;

DENR NCR Regional Executive Director Jacqueline Caancan for being an institutional partner of the Million Trees Foundation, Inc. for the supply of tree saplings and other collaborative efforts in support of AMTC; Gen. Nakar Mayor Elizeo Ruzol for his significant role in the implementation of the Kaliwa Dam Project to include reforestation in said area; and DENR Region 4A Executive Director Nilo B. Tamoria for his significant role as Top Performer with close to 90,000 trees planted for AMTC CY 2022.

Five were recognized as Million Trees

Achievers: San Miguel Corporation for having planted more than five million trees in eight provinces under its 747 SMC Global Power Greening Program; Maynilad for achieving its one-millionth tree planted in December 2022 under its Plant for Life project; Manila Water for having planted 1.382,114 million from

1997 to 2022; DENR 4-A for having planted 1,860,095 from 2017 to 2022; and, DENR Region 3 for having planted 2,063,515 from 2017 to 2022. The AMTC Champion of Trees Award was presented to agencies that planted at least 25,000 trees or more for 2022.

Garnering the awards were MWSS

Regulatory Office, CSBS Consortium, Laguna Lake Development Authority, General Nakar LGU, DENR NCR, Prime Water, MWSS Corporate Office, Maynilad, Manila Water, DENR Region 3, and DENR Region 4A.

Participants and stakeholders who have actively participated and supported the implementation of the AMTC 2022 among them: Newport World Resorts, SGS

Philippines Inc., MCVO Talent Outsourcing Services; The Raya School—Fairview, Selma

Shipping Philippines Inc., Rotary District

3830 DG Mildred Vitangcol, Rotary District

3800 DG Arturo Tanyag, Netflix Philippines, New World Hotel Makati, Nestle Philippine Inc.;

Philippine Bamboo Development Industry Council Executive Director Rene E. Madarang, National Federation of Woman’s Club and Ligao Woman’s Club President Linda Gonzales, Rotary Club of Manila Claro

M. Recto Rotary President Jennifer Chuacoco; National Council of Women of The Philippines President Cecille Dy, JCI Senate Philippines JCI National President Alfie Fernandez, Luzon Clean Water Development Corporation, ABS CBN Foundation, Inc.

Bantay Kalikasan, and DOHWA-EDCOP were given Plaques of Appreciation. Meanwhile, Special Awards were given to Rotary Club of Makati Gems MIP Alain Coros, JCI Senate Philippines GreenLink Project Chairperson JCI Sen. Lia Seelin; Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo N. Bataoil, ECARMA Health Options Corporation President TJ Meneses, Jumpcat Experiment & “Ang Manglalakbay,” Brilliant Jerk Production, Marie Antonette De Ocampo of Maynilad, Respect: Noble Queen of the Universe Ltd. Inc., and Visual Artist Janddie Castillo.

Likewise, media entities and practitioners were handed Special Award plaques for supporting the AMTC, Million Trees Foundation and MWSS.

American journalist Jim Robbins, author of the 256-page The Man Who Planted Trees, said: “Planting trees may be the single most important ecotechnology that we have to put the broken pieces of our planet back together.”

The Man Who Planted Trees is a charming story about the virtues of environmental stewardship and tireless service -- both of which are very important.

We at the MTFI hope more partnerships will be forged for water security.

(The author is president and executive director of the Million Trees Foundation Inc., a non-profit group advocating tree planting and watershed protection. He is also a book writer and publisher of biographical and coffee-table books.)

government agencies are allowed to spend millions to launch a campaign.

The theory of decoupling is a more civilized way of imposing economic sanction which often leads to war

Sokor confident water flow from Fukushima nuke plant ‘negligible’

SEOUL —Japan’s plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant would have “negligible consequences” for South Korea, Seoul said Friday, as it tried to assuage rising public concern.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) this week gave the green light for a decades-long project to discharge accumulated water from the plant, which was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami that hit the eastern coast of Japan in 2011.

But the plan has encountered widespread public opposition and protests in South Korea, and even panic-buying of salt based on fears that the Fukushima water will pollute the ocean and the salt sourced from seawater.

South Korea conducted its own separate review of Tokyo’s plan, and found Japan would meet or exceed key international standards, policy coordination minister Bang Moon-kyu told reporters at a press conference on Friday.

The study, which focused on whether the discharge would affect South Korean waters, found it would have “negligible consequences”, the minister said.

It would take up to 10 years for the treated water released from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean to circulate back into the seas around the Korean peninsula, Bang said.

By then, the radiation level “is projected... to be scientifically irrelevant”, he added.

Iran summons UK envoy over new sanctions

TEHRAN—Iran has called in Britain’s envoy in Tehran to protest against “destructive and interventionist actions” after London had announced new sanctions, Iranian state media said.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said earlier on Thursday sanctions against Iran over alleged human rights violations and hostile actions against its opponents on UK soil will expand.

“In response to the continued destructive and interventionist actions and statements of Britain, Isabelle Marsh, the charge d’affaires of the British Embassy in Tehran, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” official news agency IRNA reported.

Iran’s foreign ministry “considered the statements and positions of the British authorities as well as the recent sanctions... as an illegal and interventionist action”, it added.

The new British sanctions regime will expand existing penalties imposed by creating new criteria under which individuals and entities can be hit.

They include any Iranian activities “undermining peace, stability and security in the Middle East and internationally”, and the “use and spread of weapons technologies from Iran”.

Russia has been accused of using Iranian-made attack drones in Ukraine, while Tehran is a close strategic ally of Syria, and backs Lebanon’s Hezbollah. AFP

IAEA head Rafael Grossi will visit Seoul from Friday, but the agency’s review has not alleviated strong resistance in South Korea to the discharge plan, with some opposition lawmakers even going on hunger strike in protest.

“Japan wants to release the wastewater into the sea because it’s the easiest and cheapest way to do so,” Woo Wonshik, an MP who has been on hunger strike at the parliament in Seoul since June 26, told AFP.

Decommissioning over decades

Several of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant went into meltdown after cooling systems were overwhelmed by the massive 2011 tsunami.

The resulting nuclear accident was the worst since Chernobyl, and the clean-up has lasted more than a decade, with most of the areas declared off-limits due to radiation now reopened.

Decommissioning the plant itself will take decades more, but the facility’s operator TEPCO faces the immediate problem of more than 1.33 million cubic meters of water accumulated at the site.

The water is a mixture of groundwater, rain that seeps into the area, and water used for cooling. AFP

SYMBOL OF POWER. Participants run with bulls – the symbol of fertility and power in ancient times – during the first ‘encierro’ or bull run of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, 395 kms north of Madrid, on Friday. Thousands attend the week-long festival with six bulls released at 8:00 a.m. evey day to run from their corral to the bullring through the narrow streets of the old town over an 850-meter course while runners ahead of them try to stay close to the bulls without falling over or being gored. AFP

Zelensky meeting Turkey’s Erdogan to push goals

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to hold talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday on the latest leg of a tour to push Ukraine’s bid to join NATO and secure more weapons from allies.

The talks in Istanbul come on the eve of the 500th day since Russian’s invasion, with Zelensky admitting a widely anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive was progressing slowly.

“But nevertheless, we are advancing, not retreating, like Russians,” Zelensky told reporters. “We now have the initiative.”

The talks with Erdogan -- an important broker in the conflict -- are to focus on an expiring deal to ship Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea as well as next week’s NATO summit.

Analysts also expect Zelensky to push Erdogan to give a green light for Sweden’s NATO membership ahead of

the July 11-12 meeting of the military alliance in Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

Turkey is blocking Sweden’s candidacy because of a longstanding dispute about Stockholm’s perceived lax attitude toward alleged Kurdish militants living in the Nordic country.

Zelensky is seeking NATO accession for his own country, which has been battling a Russian invasion since February 2022, and has said he wants the summit to lead to an “invitation” to join the bloc.

Both Zelensky and Erdogan want to extend a United Nations and Turkeybrokered deal with Russia under which Ukraine has been allowed to ship grain to global markets during the war.

The deal will expire on July 17 unless Russia agrees to its renewal.

Erdogan has tried to leverage good working relations with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to

mediate an end to the war.

Turkey staged two early rounds of peace negotiations and is pushing for more talks.

Before visiting Prague on Thursday, Zelensky traveled to Sofia to discuss weapons deliveries with Bulgaria, a major supporter and ammunition producer.

Cluster bombs

In Washington, US media reported that the Pentagon was preparing a new package of arms and ammunitions that could include controversial cluster bombs.

The weapons, rockets which disperse multiple small explosives over a wide radius, have already been used by Russian and Ukrainian forces in the war.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov tweeted that he had spoken by phone to US Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. AFP

UN pleads for Haiti intervention force, warns of growing vigilantism

UNITED Nations, United States—UN representatives on Thursday (Friday in Manila) repeated their plea for an intervention force to stabilize Haiti, highlighting the growing number of extrajudicial killings of suspected gang members as a sign of the crisis-wracked nation’s insecurity.

Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation, has seen compounding humanitarian, political and security crises, with gangs controlling most of the capital and terrorizing the population with frequent kidnappings, rape and murder.

For months, UN chief Antonio Guterres and Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry have called for an interna-

tional force to help quell the mounting violence, but there has been little action as no country has stepped up to lead the operation.

Without a sufficient security apparatus to combat the rampant gangs, Haitians in the capital Port-au-Prince have begun taking matters into their own hands, UN Haiti envoy Maria Isabel Salvador told the Security Council on Thursday.

The UN office in Haiti, known as BINUH, “has documented the killing of at least 264 alleged gang members by vigilante groups,” she said, noting the trend as adding “another layer of complexity” to the country’s security situation.AFP

Iraq group implies not involved in disappearance of hostage Palestinian gunman kills Israeli soldier

BAGHDAD, Iraq—Iraq’s pro-Iran armed faction Kataeb Hezbollah, accused by Israel of holding an IsraeliRussian academic, implied on Thursday that it was not involved in her disappearance.

The group said it was doing everything it could to uncover the fate of “Zionist hostage or hostages” in the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Wednesday accused Kataeb Hezbollah of holding Elizabeth Tsurkov, who has been missing in Iraq for months.

Kataeb Hezbollah is a powerful faction of Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi, Iranbacked former paramilitaries that were

Migrants forced from Tunisia port into southern desert—witnesses

SFAX, Tunisia—Hundreds of African migrants were stranded in dire conditions in a desert area of southern Tunisia on Thursday after being expelled from the port city of Sfax, witnesses told AFP.

Racial tensions flared this week into violence targeting migrants from sub-Saharan African countries, with dozens fleeing the city or being forcibly evicted.

“I came because I’d heard that human rights were respected in Tunisia, but what is happening shows that this is not the case,” said 27-year-old Issa Kone, from Mali.

The unrest erupted after the funeral of a 41-year-old Tunisian man who was stabbed to death Monday in Sfax in an altercation between locals and migrants.

Three suspects were subsequently arrested, all from Cameroon.

The stabbing lit a powder keg, with residents saying they are fed up with the presence of migrants in the city, where many gather before setting out in makeshift boats for Europe. AFP

integrated into the Iraqi security forces in recent years.

In the group’s first reaction to the Israeli accusation on Thursday, its spokesman Abu Ali al-Askari issued an ambiguous press release on Telegram.

“The admission by the prime minister of the Zionist entity (Israel) concerning the presence of an Israeli security agent hostage in Iraq is a very dangerous indicator,” it said.

“The security organizations concerned should expose networks linked to this entity and bring them to justice,” it added.

“In turn, Kataeb Hezbollah will work tirelessly to find out the fate of the Zi-

onist hostage or hostages in Iraq... to discover more about the intentions of the criminal gang which facilitates their movements in a country... that prohibits and criminalizes any relationship” with Israel.

The statement from Netanyahu’s office said Tsurkov had visited Iraq “on her Russian passport at her own initiative pursuant to work on her doctorate and academic research on behalf of Princeton University in the US”.

According to an Iraqi intelligence source, Tsurkov was kidnapped in Baghdad “at the beginning of Ramadan”, the Muslim fasting month which this year started on March 23. AFP

NABLUS, Palestinian Territories—A Palestinian gunman shot dead an Israeli soldier near a settlement in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the army said, in an attack claimed by a Palestinian militant group.

Shilo Yosef Amir, 22, was the second Israeli soldier to be killed within a week as violence again surges in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He was killed during a “routine activity” near the settlement of Kedumim, the army said in a statement.

The assailant was later “neutralized” by Israeli forces, it said. Palestinian officials were not able to immediately confirm his condition.

In an earlier statement the army said the assailant had fled after the shooting.

The incident began when Israeli forces stopped a “suspicious vehicle for inspection”, the earlier statement said.

“During the inspection, an assailant inside the vehicle opened fire toward them. The forces responded with live fire and the assailant fled,” the statement said.

“The IDF (army) soldiers and civilian security personnel pursued the assailant... and neutralised him,” it added. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CLIMATE CHANGE VICTIM? An unidentified man the other day shows the skeleton of a fish at a dry marsh in Chibayish, in Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar province, famous for unique homes built on small man-made islands in the middle of marshes which have become floating islands. AFP

COLOMBIAN RUN-IN. Local women gather on a street at the Nuevo Amanecer neighborhood in Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, Colombia on Thursday. After a new violence crisis that erupted in the past weeks between the local illegal gangs, Colombian authorities led by the Minister of Defense, Ivan Velasquez, are attending the situation by visiting and meeting with different local leaders. AFP

Stocks fell Friday amid Fed rate hike fears

By: Jenniffer B. Austria

LOCAL equities wrapped up the week on a negative note after the sell-off on Wall Street as the betterthan-expected jobs data increased fears of more US Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index lost 95.23 points, or 1.47 percent, to close at 6,379.03, while the broader all-shares index slipped 33.65 points, or 0.97 percent, to end the week at 3.422.28.

“The US market was dragged following the better than expected jobs data, as it increased investors’ concerns over the direction of the interest rates,” Regina Capital Development Corp. head of sales Luis Limlingan said.

All sub-indices ended in the red as the value turnover remained thin at

P2.88 billion. Most Asian stocks tumbled Friday. After a strong start to the week fueled by signs that US prices were stabilizing, regional markets have taken a turn for the worse as traders come to terms with an extended period of central bank policy tightening.

Minutes from the Fed’s last meeting showed officials plan to ramp up borrowing costs again this month, having paused for the first time in more than a year in June, dealing a blow to hopes it

was at or near the end of its cycle. That came as Chinese figures confirmed that the recovery of the world’s number two economy had run out of steam, just months after the lifting of painful zero-Covid measures.

And equity-buying sentiment was hammered again on Thursday by news that US private firms created twice as many jobs as expected in June, while the crucial services sector saw solid growth.

The readings pointed to an economy that remained in rude health, even after 10 straight interest rate hikes, and analysts said it solidified bets on a July hike at least.

Treasuries yields spiked on the news, with two-year notes just below five percent, having hit a 16-year high at one point, while 10-year bonds passed four percent. With AFP

Rules of Practice and Procedure. Accordingly, SNAP-MI submits one (1) copy of said documents in a sealed envelope, with the envelope and each page of the document stamped with the word “Confidential” . ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

31. It is a declared policy of the State to ensure the quality, reliability, security and affordability ofthe supply of electric power.” To this end, there is a need to comply with the system requirements for AS to ensure grid system security and reliability. As mentioned above, NGCP has the mandate to procure the required AS. However, the Honorable Commission must first approve the contract before the same can be implemented.

32. As the demand for power in Luzon increases, the requirements of the system likewise increases. Ensuring the integrity of the system is essential to protect the interests of the public. The absence of system reliability and stability will certainly discourage investments and growth.

33. Applicants respectfully submit that the immediate approval of the ASPA by this Honorable Commission is a necessity to maintain the present reliability and security of the Grid. In support of these allegations, NGCP submits a copy of the Judicial Affidavit of Ms. Lisaflor B. Kater,”” which is attached to this Application. PRAYER

WHEREFORE, premises considered, Applicants respectfully pray that the Honorable Commission:

2. Applicant NGCP is a corporation created and existing under the laws of the Philippines, with office address at NGCP Building, Quezon Avenue corner BIR Road, Diliman, Quezon City. It holds a congressional franchise granted under Republic Act No. 9511, and is authorized to engage in the business of conveying or transmitting electricity through high-voltage back-bone systems of interconnected transmission lines, substations and related facilities, and for other purposes. The NGCP is authorized to conduct activities necessary to support the safe and reliable operation of the transmission system.

3. Applicant SNAP-MI is a corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws ofthe Republic of the Philippines, with principal place of business at Magat Hydro Electric Power Plant, Magat River, Brgy. Aguinaldo, Ramon, Isabela.

3.1 SNAP-MI is the owner and operator of a power plant composed of the Magat Hydroelectric Power Plant, with a dependable capacity of 388MW continuous output at 60Hz, including required ancillaries and spare parts, located in Brgy. Aguinaldo, Ramon, Isabela (the “Generation Facility”), which was certified and accredited by the NGCP as capable of providing Contingency Reserve and Dispatchable Reserve.

4. NGCP and SNAP-MI may be served with orders, notices, pleadings and other legal processes through their respective counsels at the addresses indicated below.

ANTECEDENT FACTS

5. Republic Act No. 9136, also known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (“EPlRA”), provides that it is the responsibility of NGCP to ensure and maintain the reliability, adequacy, security, stability and integrity of the nationwide electrical grid in accordance with the performance standards for its operations and maintenance, as set forth in the Philippine Grid Code (“PGC”),3 adopted and promulgated by the Honorable Commission, and to adequately serve generation companies, distribution utilities and suppliers requiring transmission service and/ or ancillary services (“AS” or “Ancillary Services”)4 through the transmission system.5

6. Similarly, the PGC provides that NGCP is responsible for determining, acquiring, and dispatching the capacity needed to supply the required Grid AS and for developing and proposing Wheeling Charges and AS tariffs of the ERC.6

7. Ancillary Services is defined in Section 4 (b) of the EPIRA as referring “to those services that are necessary to support the transmission of capacity and energy from resources to loads while maintaining reliable operation of the transmission system in accordance with good utility practice and the Grid Code to be adopted in accordance with this Act.” These services are essential

bidding for the procurement of AS. The Notice of Invitation to Bid likewise provided any interested grid-connected merchant plants a copy of the DOE approved TOR and Instruction to Bidders.

13. Subsequently, the Notice ofInvitation to Bid was published on 31 January 2023 with the Malaya Business Insight and the Philippine Star 13 The same Notice was also published on 07 February 2023 with the Business Mirror14 and the Manila Bulletin 15

14. SNAP-MI was declared by the TPBAC as eligible to participate in the AS-CSP and submit its bid for the provision of AS to be provided by the Generation Facility.

15. Under Bid Bulletin 2023-02 issued by the TPBAC, eligible bidders may submit their bids on or before 13 March 2023.

16. Thereafter, pursuant to Bid Bulletin 2023-02, the TPBAC conducted the opening of bids timely submitted by all the eligible bidders whereby SNAP-Mrs bid/offer16 for the provision of Contingency Reserve and Dispatchable Reserve by its Generation Facility was considered for award after sufficiently complying with the post-qualification requirements.

17. On 12 April 2023, the TPBAC issued and submitted to the NGCP’s Board of Directors its Resolution and Evaluation Report on the conduct of the CSP17 indicating SNAP-MI as one of the winning bidders. The TPBAC’s Evaluation Report was thereafter confirmed by the NGCP’s Board of Directors through a resolution dated 1B April 2023.18

documents required by the Honorable Commission:

1. Immediately ISSUE a provisional authority to implement the subject ASPA executed on 02 May 2023; and

2. APPROVE, after notice and hearing, the subject ASPA.

3. ISSUE an Order treating Annexes “A”, “H”, “I”, “K”, “L”, “M”, “N”, “Q”, and “X” as confidential information pursuant to Section 1, Rule 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure and prescribing the guidelines for the protection thereof. Other just and equitable reliefs are likewise prayed for.

The Commission sets the instant Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pre-Trial Conference and presentation of evidence on the following dates and online platforms for the conduct thereof, pursuant to Resolution No. 09, Series of 202023 and Resolution No. 01, Series of 202124 (ERC Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure):

Any interested stakeholder may submit its comments and/or clarifications at least one (1) calendar day prior to the scheduled initial virtual hearing, via electronic mail (e-mail) at docket@erc.ph and copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph. The Commission shall give priority to the stakeholders who have duly submitted their respective comments and/or clarifications, to discuss the same and propound questions during the course of the expository presentation.

Moreover, any person who has an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission via e-mail at docket@erc.ph. and copy furnishing the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph, a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) calendar days prior to the date of the initial virtual hearing. The verified Petition to Intervene must follow the requirements under Rule 9 of the ERC Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicate therein the docket number and title of the case, and state the following:

1) The petitioner’s name, mailing address, and e-mail address;

2) The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

3) A statement of the relief desired.

Likewise, all other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file through e-mail at docket@erc.ph. and copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph, their Opposition or Comment at least five (5) calendar days prior to the initial virtual hearing. Rule 9 of the ERC Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure shall govern. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following:

1) The name, mailing address, and e-mail address of such person;

2) A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

3) The grounds relied upon.

All interested parties filing their Petition to Intervene, Opposition or Comment are required to submit the hard copies thereof through personal service, registered mail or ordinary mail/ private courier, within five (5) working days from the date that the same were electronically submitted, as reflected in the acknowledgment receipt e-mail sent by the Commission.

Any of the persons mentioned in the preceding paragraphs may access the copy of

YELLEN IN CHINA. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (left) arrives with the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in China Michel Hart (center) and US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns to the business round table in Beijing on July 7, 2023. AFP

BUSINESS

By Julito G. Rada

FACTORY output grew faster in May compared to the previous months’ as inflation rate decelerated since February this year, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed Friday.

The PSA’s Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries indicated that the volume of production index posted a year-on-year increase of 8.1 percent in May, faster than 7.7 percent in April. VoPI recorded an annual drop of -0.6 percent in May 2022.

Michael Ricafort, chief economist of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said the easing trend in inflation and the reopening of the economy such as the recovery of tourism and other sectors, would help sustain further gains in manufacturing, especially if interest

World Bank, CFSI grant $4m to help former rebels

WORLD Bank and Community Family Services International signed a $4-million (roughly P220 million) grant agreement to support sustainable livelihoods and participation in resilient and inclusive communities of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front combatants and their families.

The World Bank said in a statement Friday the agreement would provide economic support to about 39,200 people in six rural communities.

The community-driven project is being financed under the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund. The fund oversees assistance from development partners for the decommissioning of MILF combatants in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and is administered by the World Bank.

The Bangsamoro Camps Transformation Project supports the Philippines’ agenda to increase availability of services in conflictaffected areas.

“The long-term goal is to contribute to income stabilization and food security of households in these communities through improved basic infrastructure, enhanced livelihood diversification, and climate-smart agriculture,” said World Bank country director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand Ndiamé Diop. Julito G. Rada

Univercells interested in PH virology institute

GLOBAL life sciences company Univercells Technologies is interested in teaming up with the Department of Trade and Industry for the roll-out of the Vaccine Self Reliance Program and the development of the Virology Institute of the Philippines.

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said the collaboration with the Belgian biotechnology company would contribute to the Philippines’ goal of achieving vaccine selfreliance and advancing the field of virology within the country.

“One of the top priorities of the Philippines in terms of gathering investments is the manufacturing of vaccines and biologics, which is part of our health and life sciences priority cluster. With this, we aim to establish security in addressing current and future health emergences and pandemics. And this can be done if the country will be able to position itself as a manufacturing hub for vaccines,” said Pascual.

Univercells’ Quantoom enable the efficient production of vaccines at a smaller scale. By downsizing traditional manufacturing processes, Univercells democratizes vaccine production by equipping developing countries with the tools to establish local vaccine production facilities tailored to their specific needs. Othel V. Campos

Converge offers cloud solutions for MSMEs

CONVERGE ICT Solutions Inc. said Friday it is offering a suite of cloud-based business productivity solutions for micro, small and medium enterprises.

Empowering MSMEs through technology is the driving force behind Converge Workplace, which offers three tailor-fit products including SweldoMo, Device Solutions and Hotel Management Solution.

“Just because you’re a small business does not mean you shouldn’t have the capabilities of larger enterprises. We’re leveling the playing field here for MSMEs because we want them to be more competitive. With these flexible solutions, they can cut down on additional costs such as a huge IT department or expensive hardware,” said Converge ICT chief operations officer Jesus Romero.

SweldoMo is the Converge automated HR, payroll and timekeeping solution which takes care of a basic function of a business. The solution is flexible enough to adapt to different compensation arrangements such as variable pay.

Darwin G. Amojelar

rates start to go down eventually.

“The further growth in manufacturing [was] due to easing prices/inflation that also reduced the production costs of manufacturers,” Ricafort said.

Inflation, which peaked at 8.7 percent in January 2023, eased to 8.6 percent in February, 7.6 percent in March, 6.6 percent in April, 6.1 percent in May and 5.4 percent in June.

“The expansion in the annual growth of VoPI in May 2023 was mainly contributed by the annual upturn in manufacture of electrical equipment with 53.7 percent during the period from 19.2 percent in April 2023. The manu-

facture of electrical equipment shared 27.3 percent to the annual acceleration of VoPI of the manufacturing sector in May 2023,” the PSA said.

Other primary contributors to the year-on-year uptrend of VoPI were the slower annual decline noted in manufacture of chemical and chemical products at -21.2 percent during the period from -32.2 percent in the previous month, and the annual increase in manufacture of beverages at 3.9 percent in May from -0.5 percent decline in April.

The PSA said of the remaining 19 industry divisions, nine exhibited annual increases in May, while 10 industry

divisions recorded annual decrements. The highest annual decline was noted in the manufacture of furniture at -31.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the value of production index for manufacturing posted an annual increase of 10.3 percent in May, faster than 10.1 percent in April and 6.6 percent a year ago.

“The annual upturn in the VaPI in May 2023 was mainly contributed by the faster annual increase in the manufacture of electrical equipment industry division at 54.2 percent in May 2023 from 19.5 percent in the previous month,” the PSA said.

Manufacturing grew faster in May—PSA IN BRIEF

MAJOR oil player Petron Corp. said Friday it raised P14 billion from its perpetual preferred shares offering. It said the initial base offer of P12.5 billion was oversubscribed by P1.5 billion, affirming the positive and continued support of institutional and retail investors for Petron.

“We’re grateful and at the same time, humbled by the strong response of the investment community. Results such as this move us to pursue projects that will ensure our growth and sustainability in the long haul,” said Petron president and chief executive Ramon Ang.

COURTESY VISIT. Key officials and alternate board of directors of the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. pay a courtesy visit to newly-appointed Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona (fifth from left). NHMFC is the sole government entity engaged in securitization. With Remolona are (from left) Gaudencio Hernandez, vice president Ma. Luisa Favila, Department of Finance assistant secretary Glenda Rumohr, NHMFC president Renato Tobias, BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development assistant secretary Krizzy Crawford De Leon, NHMFC vice president Carolina Cortez, vice president Ma. Victoria Alpajaro and acting corporate secretary Joshua Emmanuel Cariño.

Prime Infra welcomes Bp investment in WasteFuel Global

By Alena Mae S. Flores

PRIME Infrastructure Capital Inc., a company led by businessman Enrique Razon Jr., on Friday welcomed the significant investment by energy giant Bp in sustainable fuels company WasteFuel Global.

Prime Infra, the infrastructure arm of the Razon Group with operations in waste management, energy and water, has been part of WasteFuel Global since 2021.

Bp’s corporate venture capital arm, bp ventures, announced an investment of $10 million in WasteFuel to develop plants around the world that will convert municipal and agricultural waste into bio-methanol.

“We are proud to be part of WasteFuel Global and to collaborate with industry leaders that tackle waste challenges and drive the decarbonization of the transport sector. Bp’s investment in alternative fuel technology is a significant step in decarbonizing the shipping industry and in shaping the future of a more sustainable maritime transportation,” said Prime Infra president and chief executive and WasteFuel director Guillaume Lucci.

Prime Infra earlier formed a 60-40 partnership with WasteFuel to establish a subsidiary, WasteFuel Philippines, to develop bio-refinery facilities in the Philippines.

“Prime Infra’s current waste management business is focused on resource

recovery, with plans to convert waste to fuel products through WasteFuel Philippines,” said Lucci.

“These form part of Prime Infra’s decarbonization goals and strategy to deploy innovative technologies to address the Philippines’ waste problem. The objective remains to maximize resource recovery and minimize the amount of waste to be disposed onsite,” he said.

WasteFuel Philippines eyes its first operational sustainable fuels project by 2025.

Bp ventures vice president Gareth Burns said WasteFuel projects aim to help with the growing volumes of global waste while advancing the development of lower carbon solutions for hard-toabate sectors.

PSE INDEX CLOSING

Friday, July 7, 2023 -95.23 PTS.

6,379.03

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, JULY 7, 2023

UKPound1.27430070.7823

Hong KongDollar0.1278497.1015

SwitzerlandFranc1.11681962.0348

CanadaDollar0.74855941.5795

SingaporeDollar0.73909841.0539

AustraliaDollar0.66230036.7881

BahrainDinar2.652872147.3564

Saudi Arabia Rial 0.26656714.8067

BruneiDollar0.73637740.9028

IndonesiaRupiah0.0000660.0037

Thailand Baht 0.0284331.5793

Dividend rates per annum on the preferred shares were at 6.7079 percent for Series 4A, 6.7972 percent for Series 4B and 7.0861 percent for Series 4C.

Petron offered the preferred shares to the public from June 15 to June 27, 2023. It listed the preferred shares at the Philippine Stock Exchange on July 7.

The company said it would use the proceeds to redeem senior perpetual capital securities issued in 2018.

Petron tapped China Bank Capital Corp. as sole issue manager and Bank of Commerce, China Bank Capital Corp., Philippine Commercial Capital Inc., PNB Capital and Investment Corp. and SB Capital Investment Corp. as joint lead underwriters and joint bookrunners.

It also engaged First Metro Investment Corp. as selling agent.

Petron posted a net income of P3.4 billion in the first quarter, slightly lower than its net income of P3.6 billion in the same period in 2022 on higher financing cost, which was partly tempered by the mark-to-market valuation of its commodity hedges.

Alena Mae S. Flores

By Jenniffer B. Austria

THE Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday advised the public against dealing with four companies allegedly engaged in unauthorized solicitation of investments.

It issued separate advisories to warn the public against investing in Dairy Farmers of America, Reigns Profit Sharing, PNJS Profit Sharing and Infinity Success Trading.

WESTWOODS GROUNDBREAKING. Pueblo de Oro Development Corp., the residential development arm of the ICCP Group, breaks ground for the Westwoods Storeys—a seven-tower mid-rise condominium project in Barangay Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City. Westwoods Storeys offers studio-type and two-bedroom units in an idyllic property nestled within a protected urban rainforest. Joining the groundbreaking ceremony are (from left) Cagayan de Oro Real Estate Board president Dale Lagonera, PDO vice president and general manager for Mindanao Chrysler Acebu, Cagayan de Oro City councilors Edgar Cabanlas and Malvern Espacia, Home Development Mutual Fund housing relationship officer Jackeylou Asuncion and PDO vice president for sales and marketing Lemuel Branal.

UAE Dirham0.27228715.1245

EuroEuro 1.08910060.4951

Korea Won 0.0007640.0424

ChinaYuan0.1379527.6627

IndiaRupee0.0120830.6712

Renewable energy firms ask DOE and ERC to review setting of prices on green energy auction

RENEWABLE energy companies asked the Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission to look into the setting of prices under the Green Energy Auction Program 2 following the low investor turnout of the auction.

“While the DOE did not meet its aspiration in this round, it would be good to review and assess several factors that yielded such results,” European Chamber of Commerce’s renewable energy and energy efficiency committee cochairman Jose Layug Jr. said.

The GEAP 2 generated 3,580.76 megawatts of committed capacities from RE developers, or around 30 percent of the total 11,600 MW available for 2024 to 2026.

The remaining 8,000 MW remain unsubscribed, and the DOE has not yet issued a decision whether to conduct another auction round this year.

Layug lauded the efforts of the DOE and ERC in the aggressive transition to renewables with the ambitious RE installation targets, but said other factors should be reviewed such as the GEAR prices for each RE technology that may expose potential bidders to risk of financial losses, comparative price levels in WESM and retail market.

Layug said another issue is the practical period needed by developers to sufficiently prepare for the bids.

“Ultimately, price is the most significant

factor in endeavors like this, so it should be set at a level that is most optimal to all stakeholders,” he said, noting the experience of the feed-in tariff regime.

“But we fully support the DOE and ERC in their continuing efforts to push for more RE capacities. The private sector hopes to continue to collaborate with the government to ensure maximum utilization of renewable energy resources,” Layug said.

Meanwhile, Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance chairperson Tetchi Capellan expressed hope the ERC would listen to the developers.

“We urge ERC to seriously examine the tariff rates in the GEA Program. The rates are not reflecting the realities of the

current demand and supply of electric-

ity in the country, nor is it encouraging developers to build,” she said.

The ERC pegged the prices for GEA-2 at P4.4043 per kilowatt-hour for ground-mounted solar, P4.8738 per kWh for rooftop solar, P5.3948 per kWh for floating solar, P5.8481 per kWh for onshore wind, P5.4024 per kWh for biomass and P6.2683 per kWh for biomass waste-to-energy. “We believe that for the industry to deliver the ambitious target of the President, there has to be an honest-to-goodness realization of the current market prices. Without this, future GEAP will fail to entice developers,” Capellan said. Alena Mae S. Flores

The SEC said the four firms were not registered with the SEC and were not authorized to solicit investments from the public as they have not secured required license from the corporate regulator.

It said that based on investigation, DFA was impersonating and misappropriating the logo of Dairy Farmers of America “in illegal solicitation of investments to the public”.

The SEC said Dairy Farmers of America is a legitimate farmer-owned milk marketing cooperative and dairy processor based in Kansas, USA and is not in any way connected to DFA which is operating in the country.

It said DFA was enticing investors to invest in the company to purchase cattle to be raised for milking purposes. Profits from the sale of milk are supposed to be given to investors.

DFA reportedly promises guaranteed returns from as low as 3 percent to as high as 66 percent for investments ranging from P100.00 to P10,000.00 in one to 30 days. The entity also offers referral commission for any direct recruit, according to the SEC.

The SEC said Reigns Profit Sharing was also urging the public to invest in its business scheme for a promise of high monetary rewards or profits, such as earnings of 70 percent up to 120 percent after 30 days.

SEC warns public against four firms luring investors

Petron sells P14b worth of perpetual preferred shares

Poland clobbers Brazil to boost bid

WORLD no. 1 Poland showed its might and struck down Brazil’s formidable frontline game on Friday for a 29-31, 2125, 25-20, 25-20, 15-13 victory in Week 3 of the Volleyball Nations League men’s tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Polish spikers’ smart defensive moves in the fourth set disrupted the world no. 3 Brazilian side’s offensive schemes that led to a series of errors, handing Poland its second consecutive win this week.

Cuban import Wilfredo Leon Venero, hailed as last year’s Best Outside Spiker in the FIVB World Championship, led Poland’s defense with 22 points on 20 spikes, a block and an ace.

“We pushed them to make those kinds of mistakes. So, this is volleyball, sometimes you play your best, sometimes you have your difficult moments,” said the 31-year-old Venero, who joined the Polish squad in 2019, after playing for the Cuban national team for five years.

NBA superstars James, Durant, Curry skip 2023 FIBA World Cup

By Peter Atencio

NBA superstars LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, together with other seasoned veterans, were not in the final roster of Team USA which will compete in the coming 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Instead, USA Basketball is sending its youth brigade, led by Paolo Banchero, this season’s NBA Rookie of the Year, and other young players to the world tournament to be hosted by the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan.

The 20-year-old Banchero, who is with the Orlando Magic, is one of the 12 NBA players seeing action in the Manila side of the competitions.

James, Durant and Curry will mostly likely be listed in Team USA’s next call up, which would be the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Also not listed in the World Cup are the likes of Devin Booker of the Phoe-

nix Suns, Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.

The 6’10” Banchero, who was being sought to play for Italy, will be with Mikal Bridges (Brooklyn Nets), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks) and Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves).

Banchero previously attended the USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamps in 2019.

Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers) is also in the roster with Josh Hart

(New York Knicks), Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Cameron Johnson (Brooklyn Nets), Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks) and Austin Reaves (Los Angeles Lakers).

Grant Hill, USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director, expressed his excitement in bringing the players to the Philippines.

“We are excited for the challenges ahead and look forward to the opportunity to compete at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup. I am confident that working together, under the leadership of our outstanding coaching staff, this team will proudly represent the United States this summer in Manila,” said Hill in a statement.

Among the young generation of talented cagers who are expected to shine are Haliburton, Jackson, Edwards and Ingram.

Halliburton made the all-tournament team after winning the gold at the 2019 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup. He re-

cently suited up for the 2021 USA Select Team, which trained alongside the 2021 USA Men’s National Team prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

There’s also Edwards, a 2023 NBA All-Star, who attended the 2017 junior minicamps, before also playing on the 2021 USA Select Team.

Hill said Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr will serve as head coach, to be assisted by Mark Few (Gonzaga University), Tyronn Lue (L.A. Clippers) and Fil-American coach Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat).

Ingram, who was an NBA All-Star and Most Improved Player in 2020, is also seen to show his A-game.

The 25-year-old Ingram was a finalist for the 2020 USA Men’s National Team after being a member of the 2016 Team USA selection that trained with the 2016 Olympic squad.

Jackson, who is the 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, was part of the team that won a gold medal at the 2016 FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup.

Arcilla smashes way to Lanao Open sweep

JOHNNY Arcilla kept the resolve, the drive and the will to win and booked another Open crown, subduing Eric Jed Olivarez for the second straight time, 6-3, 6-2, to rule the Marawi Open Tennis Championship at the MSU (Mindanao State U) courts in Lanao del Sur last Thursday.

Arcilla, 43, was in control all match-long, breaking Olivarez in the seventh game and then clinching the opening set with another break in the ninth while holding serve four times. He nearly broke his younger rival right in the third game but needed to toughen up to defuse Olivarez’s charge in the sixth.

But he re-imposed his will in the next, breaking Olivarez in the second game while holding serve thrice on his way to another trouble-free win the way he fashioned out a 6-3, 6-1 romp in last week’s Lanao del Norte

Go kart team Formula E

Resultado: Champs of resilience

RESILIENCE, hard work, determination—these are the learnings that local racing team Formula E Resultado brought home from their first international go kart competition.

The recently concluded Asian Karting Open Championship held in Macau last July 1 and 2 was an eye opener for Formula E Resultado’s podium-hungry racers. The technical track, weather conditions, and limited time to practice tested all of the racers’ knowhow on the track.

In the senior category, team captain Danzel Waytan displayed his skills as he went head-to-head with international competitors, even if he missed the first day of practice. This earned his place as the only Filipino in the top 10 during the qualifying heats (P4 in heat 1 and P7 in heat 2)—and that’s out of 28 racers in the grid. Even in the final round, with a strong lead

and finishing at P12, he maintained his position as the top Filipino driver in the category.

“To be able to race with top Asian drivers was a very good opportunity for me as it definitely opened my eyes on the potential we have. To also be the highestplaced Filipino is a good sign for us as it means that we’re going forward with my development as a driver,” Danzel shared.

Junior captain Ryan Sy led the junior category as he bagged the champion trophy for the Rotax Max Junior class, and 1st Runner Up for the Formula 125 Junior Open and the Macau Asia Karting Festival Junior classes. With 12 competitors, Ryan showed that he’s a racer to watch both here and abroad.

“It was my first time driving in Macau and AKOC competing against international drivers who were more experienced, so there were a lot of challenges we had to conquer. Despite all of this we just kept

Open at the MCC courts in Tubod.

The top-seeded 10-time PCA Open champion earlier trounced Dave Mosqueda, 6-2, 6-1, to forge another title clash with No. 2 Olivarez, who blasted third-ranked Nilo Ledama, 6-1, 6-0, in their side of the semis duel in the 10-day event sponsored by Vice Gov. Mohammad Khalid Raki-in Adiong and held in partnership with PPS-PEPP program put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

The victory was worth another P80,000 for Arcilla, who racked up five Open victories last year and has so far won three halfway through the season, including the Es cudero Cup last February. He has stayed in top form through diet and training and the help of his coaches and Dr. Mace Navales Li cuanan.

pushing and practicing. Thank you to Formula E Resultado for giving me the opportunity to drive,” he said.

The team’s youngest players raced in AKOC’s Cadet category. The three 9-yearold boys have just shifted to Mini Rok at the beginning of the year. The newest karters Lucio Reyes and Martin Zaragoza only began professionally racing as Cadet Novices in September 2022. AKOC is their first international race, and it proved to be the most physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging competition they’ve joined.

Cadet Expert Andretti Santos led the pack in the qualifying heats and consistently placed P1. After a heavy downpour on finals day, Andretti still finished strong at First Runner Up in the Experts category, and P3 overall.

“I had an incredible experience racing in Macau. The excitement and adrenaline from this race inspired me to push myself even harder,” the rising speedster said.

Lucio, on the other hand, flaunted his talent as he challenged the most experienced young drivers even if he was in the Novice category. In spite of the mix up that happened

where he was given the Champion trophy but later named First Runner Up for his class, he is filled with high spirits, saying “It was my first time racing abroad, all in all it was a memorable and good experience.”

Martin also had a great experience, significantly improving and reaching his personal best time come qualifying heats.

During the rainy race, he jumped from P10 to P4 in the Novice class, finishing as Third Runner Up. However, it was determined that he was disqualified and was dropped from the podium finishers’ list. Regardless of the outcome, he shared, “I was frustrated and sad when [the officials] said my win was a mistake. But I gave it my best and reached my personal goal. That’s what matters!”

Poland, which picked up its eighth overall win in 10 games, started pulling away with an ace from teammates Bartosz Bednorz’s service and Norbert Huber’s pair of blocks.

As Poland tightened up their defense at the net, Brazil fell into several miscues as the Poles moved away, 14-9.

They then began nursing a five-point edge, 16-11, off Venero’s pair from the middle of the frontline.

Alan Souza knocked in 17 points for the Brazilians, who now have a 7-4 card and fell to fifth place.

VNL 2021 MVP Bartosz Kurek had 10, while Marcin Janusz hit 17 for Poland, which solidified its inclusion in the top 8.

The 8-team Grand Finals are set from July 19 to 24 in Gdansk City.

Peter Atencio

Bohol 5150 triathlon gets Sun Life boost

INSPIRED by local triathlon’s tremendous growth, Sun Life renews its commitment to stage the Bohol 5150 Triathlon for the third time in its continuing effort to help enrich the Filipinos’ well-being and fitness.

While the Olympic-distance series, to be disputed over 1.5k swim, 40K bike and 10K run in one of the country’s top triathlon destinations, is a test of speed and endurance among regular multi-sport campaigners bidding to reach the IRONMAN level, it is also held to inspire and provide the Filipinos various avenues to boost their health and wellness journey.

“Sun Life is always eager to offer opportunities for Filipinos to enhance their health and wellness. This is why we are happy to support the Sun Life 5150 Bohol Triathlon for the third time. This race not only allows participants to put their skills to the test, but also inspires others who follow their journey,” said Carla Gonzales-Chong, Chief Client Experience and Marketing Officer of Sun Life Philippines.

“And when they learn to value their health more, the better they will understand why health protection plans are crucial to living healthier lives,” she added.

Over 500 triathletes from all over, including bets from 11 countries, are all geared up for battle for the overall championship in both the men’s and women’s sides and in the various age-group categories of the event organized by The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc. and held as part of the Sandugo Festival celebrations, a project of the Province of Bohol headed by Gov. Aris Aumentado.

Members of Team Formula E Resultado display their Macau haul.

Coach Elson ‘Papa Els’ Carpio and Team

Principal Theo Zaragoza, along with the team’s hardworking mechanics, said they were proud of what their team accomplished, win or lose. Because, despite the mix ups, there were great wins and celebrations—and the team came home stronger, more resilient, and eager to win.

Riera U. Mallari, Editor

Poland players celebrate a point against Brazil in the Volleyball Nations League men’s tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Johnny Arcilla (right) holds his trophy as he poses with Eric Jed Olivarez (left) and Vice Gov. Mohammad Khalid Raki-in Adiong.

HOME/DESIGN

To condo, or not to condo Investing in an abode today would give Hamlet pause

BUYING your own home is a decision that ranks among the most critical choices anybody can make.

When considering property investment, people generally look for a place where one can find solace, freedom, and a breath of fresh air, away from the chaos of daily life. But the question that looms large for many is whether to invest in a house or a condo unit.

Here’s a modest guide you can use to answer that question.

Cost-efficient investment

Cost efficiency is subjective when it comes to owning a property. Condominiums are typically less expensive than houses due to their size, and their maintenance is usually cheaper as you are only responsible for the interior of your unit.

With association fees in place, you won’t have to worry about exterior maintenance or administrative assistance.

Digital nomads, students arise

THE recent opening of lyf Malate Manila is good news for people looking for co-living spaces that create a sense of community among guests through social spaces, and experiential programs.

With 202 rooms ranging from Studio, 2 of a Kind (one bedroom) and All Together (two bedroom) to cater to young travellers and students.

Lyf’s modern interiors and eccentric co-sharing spaces allow guests to build connections and foster relationships.

From whipping up meals in Bond (social kitchen), to connecting with like-minded individuals in Connect (social lounge), to burning off steam in Burn (social gym), to getting your laundry done in Wash and Hang (social launderette)lyf seems to have everything you need to work, play, and connect.

The second lyf property in the Philippines is located in Malate, Manila, close to University Belt, various shopping centres, restaurants, bars, and museums.

To book a stay, visit the official website, and follow the property’s social media pages (Facebook | Instagram | Tiktok).

PHirst Park Homes is Mid-sized Developer of the Year

RESIDENTIAL development

PHirst Park Homes clinched the Mid-sized Developer of the Year –Philippines category at the recently held Real Estate Asia Awards for its developments in Lipa, San Pablo, Pandi, Calamba, Batulao, Magalang, Gen Tri, Baliwag, Tayabas, Naic, Balanga, and Gapan.

Despite the pandemic, PHirst

Park Homes achieved remarkable growth, launching 8 out of the 12 PPHI projects. One of them, PHirst Park Homes Batulao in Batangas, was unveiled in June 2020.

This development offers residents breathtaking views of Taal Lake and Volcano. Top of Form Unique to select projects

such as PHirst Park Homes Batulao is the Brenna bungalow unit, which is suitable for extended families with the elderly. It also features amenities focused on traditional Filipino games. Batulao remains PHirst Park Homes’ most successful project to date, and its residents include Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz.

Condos have a dedicated Property Management Team consisting of professionals who are specifically trained to oversee the day-to-day operations of the property. Their primary responsibility is to ensure that all amenities, facilities, and common areas are kept in optimal condition. This includes regular maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to uphold the quality and functionality of the condo.

While houses provide homeowners the freedom to customize a larger space and transform it into your ideal home, you will be responsible for all maintenance and repairs. Regardless of whether you choose a house or a condo, it is essential to have a realistic budget in mind before beginning your property search.

A space that breathes life

Leading a busy life gives us limited time for leisure so it’s important to check on the amenities incorporated into the spaces you’re eyeing for. Condominiums offer a plethora of facilities such as swimming pools, fitness gyms, kids’ play areas, game rooms, and lounges.

Communal areas provide condo owners with an abundance of ways to relax and unwind without having to travel too far from their residences. These communal spaces also foster interaction among residents, enabling them to

forge connections and establish a sense of community.

Houses may not offer as many amenities to homeowners. Depending on the type of lifestyle you want, the amenities incorporated into the spaces play a crucial role in enhancing your quality of life.

Security, convenience

Condos have shared spaces such as lobbies, hallways, parking, and amenity areas. They often have security personnel and 24/7 surveillance systems in place.

In contrast, houses have individual entrances and private spaces, which may require homeowners to implement their own security measures.

Condominiums are usually located in business districts and mixed-use communities, offering unparalleled convenience to their owners. These locations give residents access to a myriad of lifestyles and commercial establishments. Redefining city living MidPark Towers, located in Aseana City, provides an example of city living. It has splendid amenities and convenient access to transportation linkages, lifestyle centers, businesses, and services.

The property is close to Ninoy Aquino International Airport via NAIAx and is near the Entertainment City, home to Solaire Resort and Okada Manila.

Developed by Aseana Residential Holdings, Corp., MidPark Towers is a four-tower residential property set for completion in the last quarter of 2023. The units range from studios (40 sqm +/-) to three bedrooms (120 sqm +/-).

MidPark Towers also provides a host of amenities to support growing families and inspire the imagination and creativity of children, from kid’s play areas to outdoor pools, fitness gym, and private and business lounges. For more info on MidPark Towers, visit www.midparktowers.com.

CO-LIVING CHILL IN BATANGAS. Aboitiz InfraCapital’s LIMA Estate recently broke ground on its first co-living space, The Pods at LIMA, in Lipa-Malvar, Batangas. The first phase of The Pods will consist of a 600 bed facility interspersed with common areas, open spaces, a transport hub, as well as roof-mounted solar panels. Construction is currently underway and is projected to be completed by the end of 2023. Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates has a vision for the next phase of The Pods at LIMA, which will include a facility with an additional 2,700 beds. Construction is scheduled to commence next year, with operations projected to begin in 2025. At the groundbreaking were (from left to right): LIMA Land assistant vice president for planning and construction Roylan Ocampo; land manager for project development Jean Liao; Philippine Construction Consortium Corporation president Nelson Lim; land manager for estate ccosystem solutions Bernadeth Egnisaban; land vice president for inventory generation Jolan Formalejo; and land vice president for operations Clifford Academia.

NORMIN STUDENTS GET BOOST FROM FILINVEST, XAVIER, ATENEO TIE-UP. Ateneo de Cagayan joined forces recently to establish the Andrew L. Gotianun Sr. Center for Integrated Technologies (ALGCIT), a facility for senior high school students dedicated to fostering innovation, collaboration, and skills development in the field of technology. Named after the entrepreneur Andrew L. Gotianun Sr., ALGCIT addresses the educational needs of marginalized students through scholarships, financial aid, and mentorship programs to ensure equal opportunities for all. ALGCIT is an endowment from the Andrew Gotianun Foundation and was established in 2018. The program offers specializations in Machining Technology, Instrumentation Technology, and Mechatronics Technology. Filinvest and Xavier-Ateneo welcomed its 5th batch of graduates this 2023. A commencement ceremony was recently held at the Xavier Ateneo SHS covered court. Fr. Mars P. Tan, Xavier Ateneo President, led the blessing rite of the ALGCIT complex, which includes the Mercedes Gotianun Hall, named after the matriarch of the Gotianun family, which holds classrooms and laboratories, the Alvarez Hall, which provides offices, classrooms, and workshops, and the Filinvest Hall, the ALGCIT scholars’ dormitory.

AGRICULTURE

Reaping the benefits of cacao farming

By Patricia Taculao

“WHY do you en joy farming?”

That’s a frequent question farmers encounter from curious onlookers or those aspiring to follow in their foot steps. But whether for income, peace of mind, environmental preservation, or more, the answer always differs for every farmer.

Japhet Gurit Tabale, a young farmer from Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur, has sev eral. His specialty is ca cao farming, as he’s a cacao farmer and owner of the Cacao Prince.

“I was born to a family of farmers.

My mother’s family came from Panay, and my father’s family came from Leyte, who migrated to Agu del Sur, Mindanao, in the 1970s.

sevcaAgu- san

My Lola Nilda, my mother’s mother, used to tell me a story about when they first arrived in Bayugan. They were one of the first to plant cacao trees in our town using cacao seeds,” he said.

During his childhood, his parents exposed him to products made from cacao, like homemade tablea or traditional dark chocolates.

His family’s passion for cacao farming lives on, with some 40 to 50-year-old rejuvenated cacao trees still growing on their farm. In 2015, his father planted a second batch using seedlings from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Research.

Tabale’s religious belief also contributed to his passion for cacao farming. As a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, the church taught him to care for their environment and encouraged him to eat healthily.

However, his most compelling reason is that cacao saved him when he was suffering from depression.

“My healing journey started just right on our farm. Looking at our

KSK STARTS SUSTAINABLE AGRI TRAINING IN CAVITE

TANZA, Cavite—Twenty-five participants recently began their Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) training on sustainable agriculture in Barangay Calibuyo, Tanza, Cavite. The training, which is conducted every Tuesday, will run until September 21 with Mr. Nhelson Anterola as the trainer.

The launch was attended by partner agencies and institutions’ representatives. Among the attendees were Marnelle Sumalinog, SM City Tanza Mall Manager; Domingo Austria, Tanza, Cavite Municipal Agriculturist; Carolyn Perez, Tanza, Cavite Municipal Social Welfare, and Development Officer; Nelson Robles,

abandoned cacao trees and knowing that I could do something, I began to take care of them so they could be fruitful again. Surprisingly, there were days when I woke up, I always got excited to visit my cacao nursery to check the progress of the newly planted cacao seeds,” he shared.

Some of the tasks he performs on his farm include caring for the seedlings, which Tabale describes as sensitive. He monitors for the right shade and sunlight and waters the seedlings with the ample amount required to keep the soil moist. He also ensures that pests and diseases don’t attack their farms’ cacao trees, fertilizing the soil, weeding, pruning the branches, and sleeving and harvesting mature fruits.

It’s no secret that cacao is the source of numerous well-loved products, with chocolate high–if not first–on the list. So besides being able to enjoy the benefits of farming, Tabale also harnesses its income-generating

Participants of the KSK training will learn about sustainable agriculture and how to market their goods

Jr., DSWD FO4A Provincial Coordinator; Frances Marie Fajardo, DA RFO4A Agriculturist II; Dir. Rosalinda Talavera, TESDA Cavite Provincial Director; Rebecca Tarasona, DTI Cavite CTIDS; Calibuyo Barangay Captain Jesus Garcia; and SMFI’s partner schoolMoCa Family Farm RLearning Center, Inc. representatives, Ms. Gretchen Dalita and Ms. Nonica Clarin. The farmer-beneficiaries will learn how to cultivate highyielding crops suitable to the soil in their farm lots. They will also be capacitated in becoming agri-preneurs through the support of SM Foundation’s partner agencies. Financial literacy,

cao tablea or 100 percent dark chocolates. It’s our bestseller. We also have roasted Cacao nibs, Cacao fruits, and roasted corn powder. We are still continuously working with the DA-YFC (DA-Youth Farmers Challenge) to improve our processing, building our products, and buying new machinery to produce new cacao-based products such as cocoa powder and cocoa butter,” Tabale said. He added that their family farm’s long-term goal of producing sweet yet healthy chocolates, which they hope to achieve soon.

Tabale has high hopes for his family’s cacao farm, especially since it has given him a renewed purpose and a legacy to maintain–all while sharing in the mission of protecting and preserving Earth’s natural resources.

potential through value-adding.

From harvesting the cacao fruits, Tabale is also hands-on in the other process that takes the raw ingredient into value-added products available in the local market.

The next step after harvesting is opening the pods to obtain the seeds, which they ferment for six to ten days. Then, they sun-dry the fermented beans before moving on to the sorting and selection stages. Once they’ve acquired good-quality beans, they roast them to develop the flavor, kill the bacteria, reduce the moisture, and loosen the outer shell.

Next comes winnowing, the process of removing the cocoa bean’s outer shell while ensuring the meat remains intact. Then, Tabale moves on to grinding the meat to powder or paste, depending on the products’ demands. From there, he takes the necessary steps, like cooling, molding, and more, before achieving the final product for packaging and delivery.

“We manufacture and supply pure ca-

Upholding a legacy and passion for growing cacao

By Rendell Ron Pacho

EVERY year on July 7th, chocolate

lovers all around the world celebrate World Chocolate Day. This wonderful celebration recognizes the wellloved treat’s rich history, cultural importance, and irresistible taste. The global annual event also explores the delight of cacao farming–where chocolate production starts.

entrepreneurial mind-setting, product development, and product marketing are among the important topics integrated into the training. KSK is a holistic training program that not only focuses on enhancing farming skills but also fosters values that are essential in preparing them in becoming effective and productive farmer agri-preneurs. SM City Tanza will also impart the 14 Life Principles of Mr. Henry Sy, Sr. to the farmer-beneficiaries.

Upon completion of the training program, SM Foundation together with SM Supermalls will provide marketing opportunities by joining the SM Supermalls’ Sunday Market.

Lea Dariano, a passionate farmer and chocolate maker for eight years, has forged her own route in the world of cacao cultivation, following in her father’s footsteps. Dariano has a strong awareness of the importance of their farm, effectively channeling her creativity to develop distinctive varieties of chocolate while contributing to the thriving agricultural tourism business.

Dariano highlighted that her father, a farmer for over eight decades, was the motivating cause behind her desire to delve into cacao farming. She was encouraged to continue her father’s heritage after witnessing his enthusiasm for cacao processing and chocolate production.

Dariano was grateful for her father’s constant support, and she set out on an adventure beyond her dreams. People’s acknowledgment and admiration for the worth of their farm and the multiple economic options it provided surprised her father, who eventually saw their farm’s potential. When asked why she chose to produce cacao, Dariano cites the crop’s high value and the endless options it provides. She can experiment with different tastes and design her own unique chocolates using her imagination as her ally. Furthermore, cacao farming has grown in popularity as a form of farm tourism, allowing tourists to witness the entire process firsthand.

Dariano’s farm has a wide range of crops, including coconut, banana, durian, coffee, guyabano, papaya,

pineapple, and a variety of fruit-bearing trees, all of which she says contribute to the flavor of her cacao beans.

Dariano freely offers her cacao-farming knowledge, providing valuable advice to aspiring chocolate makers. She suggested starting with huge beans from cacao pods and growing your seedlings. The variety is not necessary because the chocolatemaking process can improve the flavor.

“Try to plant cacao trees for your satisfaction first. There are lot of information we can learn from the internet. Do some research about cacao farming, cacao processing, and chocolate making. Then the farming and business side will follow next. Because you can see how many business opportunities are waiting for you while you’re enjoying your passion for cacao and chocolate making,” she said. She recommends selecting seedlings with more than eight leaves and planting them straight in the soil, with a gap of 3x3 me- ters between each cacao tree.

It is critical to remain alert and eliminate grass vines that may hinder cocoa

plant growth.

Finally, the cacao trees will blossom after around two years, and the cocoa pods can yield fruit within six months. It is feasible to prune the cacao trees to a desired height as long as it provides simple access to the branches during harvesting. Dariano, on the other hand, warned that exceptionally tall trees may offer difficulties during harvest.

Dariano’s path from farmer to chocolate maker exemplifies the power of passion and the importance of family legacy. Her father inspired her to successfully establish herself in the chocolate farming sector because of her devotion to inventiveness, rigorous agricultural procedures, and steadfast dedication. Dariano’s story reminds everyone that pursuing passion may result in unexpected business possibilities, making the journey more gratifying.

Processing cacao into various products provide Tabale and his family with a source of income

Tabale (third from left) with his Lola Nilda (second from left) and some of his friends and relatives on their cacao farm

Some cacao-based products from Cacao Prince

By Riera U. Mallari

ONEPLUS has been known to deliver flagship-level phones sans the high price.

Its latest offering—the OnePlus Nord 3 5G is no different, and more.

Design

Our Misty Green unit (the other one available is the Tempest Gray) looks stunning with its mirror-like and very glossy Gorilla Glass back, that is nice to hold, although may be too slippery for some.

The Nord 3 5G is 16.20 cm long, 8.15 mm thick and weighs 193.5 gms, which, to me, is just right, not too big, nor too small.

As is typical for OnePlus phones, there is three-position slider on the side control for notification alerts.

The Nord 3 5G comes with a USBtype C port at the bottom with a dualspeaker setup, 2 microphones and a dualSIM functionality. It also packs a power button on the right, and an optical fingerprint scanner that is swift to unlock.

Display

The Nord 3 5G has a 6.74-inch, 1.5K super AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and 1,450 nits of peak brightness, which means you can somehow still manage to see the screen even under the sun.

The thin bezels give the phone a more premium look, to go with its 450 pixels for every inch of screen that is sharp, and with good contrast.

Its screen also boasts of a 10-bit color depth and 100 percent of DCI-P3 and sRGB, making viewing multimedia content a nice experience. OTT apps also look vivid on the phone, as it supports Widevine L1 and is HDR-10+ capable for amazing color accuracy. Performance

Now we’ve come to the exciting part.

Powering the Nord 3 5G is the high-end octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 9000, a huge upgrade from the Dimensity 12, 1300 in previous models, making this OnePlus gem one of the best performing phones in its price bracket, if not the best.

Daily tasks such as emails, video and music streaming, calls and other multitasking chores are a breeze, while gamers will be extremely happy as heavy

OnePlus Nord 3 5G: Premium features from mid-range gem

gaming is not a problem, without any major lags or frame drops.

The phone supports dual-5G with WiFi calling, Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6, while also boasting of a top-of-the-line 16GB RAM to go with 256 GB internal memory, with UFS 3.1 storage speed that transfers data more than 75 percent faster. There is, however, no no option for memory extension.

The phone’s dual-speaker system, which are High-Res and Dolby Atmos compatible, can be loud, but still clear, with a nice bass for a great immersive experience.

Software

The Nord 3 5G is powered by OxygenOS 13.1, making app installations faster and reducing app lag and loading time. One feature exclusive to OnePlus

is swiping down on the home screen provides you not only with a global search, but also more space for widgets. There are also some specific clock-style widgets for the home screen, too.

Battery

Battery life is excelleny with the Nord 3 5G’s 5000 mAh juice as our unit lasted more than a day. Charging time is swift, too, as it took only 16 minutes from zero to 60 percent and 32 minutes from zero to 100, thanks to the 80-watt SuperVOOC fast charger.

Camera

The camera is also a strength of the Nord 3 5G, which has a flagship-worthy 50 megapixel main camera that shoots hires photos, with plenty of detail, no noise, high contrast, balance and image range.

In low-light conditions, the Nord 3 automatically applies night mode to photos.

This is due to its Sony IMX890 Main Sensor shooter with a large 1/1.56” sensor that allows more light and optical image

stabilization. It’s the same sensor used in the flagship OnePlus 11 launched earlier this year. The main camera is paired with an 8MP ultra wide shooter and a 16 MP selfie cam—all of which supports a 4K 60fps video quality that works great for vlogging, content creation and documentation, producing videos with good clarity, dynamic range, exposure and vivid colors that millennials and Gen Z users will love.

In low-light conditions, the Nord 3 automatically applies night mode to photos. Verdict

The OnePlus Nord 3 5G does a little bit of everything nicely—a powerful processor, high-end display with accurate and vivid colours, excellent battery life with superfast charging and a camera that can go toe-to-toe against flagship biggies. The dual-speaker setup also is a plus. By giving users a smartphone with a premium performance that won’t burn holes in your pocket, the Nord 3 5G is a solid midrange titan that should be high on the list of even the most discriminating.

Digital finance drives economy, financial inclusion in 2023 LSERV bags PH Best Employer Brand Award

LSERV VP for Account Management

Group for Private Sector Coleen

Ordona and LSERV Chief People

O cer Kendi Tawano

LSERV president Joseph Angeles said that the award is a testament to the company’s commitment of nurturing the careers of its more than 16,000 employees nationwide assigned to it 138 client-partners nationwide.

“LSERV is not only in the business of providing the right talent to the right job, but we are also empowering these talents to advance their careers and achieve their professional goals. We will continue to become the link of Filipino job seekers to the right career opportunities where they can have a career that they can be proud of,” Angeles said.

LSERV has been the most trusted resource in the Philippine labor market for more than 25 years now by ensuring the service continuity of key government offices and private corporations nationwide.

“We understand that a successful career of the Filipino job seeker lies in the professional empowerment that can help our client-partners achieve their organizational objectives. This balance of opportunity is both beneficial to our employees and our client-partners,” Angeles revealed.

Some of LSERV’s notable clientpartners include Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Department of Labor and Employment, and GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation.

DIGITAL financial services continue to drive the digital economy, investments, and financial inclusion in the Philippines, a recent report has found.

In fact, electronic banking transactions in the country amounted to three times its GDP in 2021, underscoring the significant role of digital finance in the country’s economy. Last year, the Philippines ranked the highest in digital payments transactions in Southeast Asia.

“Thanks to the rising adoption of e-commerce and mobile payments and an emerging generation of young and tech-savvy users, the digital payments market is now experiencing a surge in growth,” said Earl Melivo, Head of Asia Pacific at WorldRemit Philippines. “This has allowed the digital economy to remain robust through the pandemic, and has even cultivated an investor-friendly climate in the Philippines.”

True enough, despite a global downturn in investment, the Philippine market has exhib-

Access

ited resilience, with 2022 marking a 7% growth from the previous year and an alltime high in funds raised by startups. In the same year, overseas Filipino workers were encouraged to make the most of global

headwinds to put up their own investments. The 2023 report attributed high digital penetration rates to the increasing accessibility and functionality of smartphones among Filipinos. By 2028, the Philippines

is estimated to reach an all-time high of 94.06 million smartphone users. Access to smartphones and apps have been vital to providing more Filipinos with essential services in a country where 44% or 34.3 million adults remained unbanked until 2021. Unmet needs or tensions, such as long application processes for traditional banks and high overhead charges, have thus driven the demand for digital solutions, such as online transfers.

“These transfers have emerged as a game-changer, surpassing traditional methods by providing a seamless and user-friendly experience. Filipinos can now send and receive money anytime, anywhere, at their convenience, through their mobile devices,” Melivo said.

In 2022, local e-wallet transactions amounted to $28.6B—almost double the amount in 2020. This ranked the Philippines as the country with one of the highest mobile wallet transactions in the region, next to Indonesia and Thailand. By maximizing e-wallets Filipinos gain access to a wide range of financial services, including savings accounts and loans.

Kaspersky reveals Top 3 vacation-season scams

WITH the vacation season in full swing, people around the world are searching for enticing travel destinations, affordable accommodations, and reasonably priced flights. Kaspersky researchers have observed fraudsters taking advantage of unsuspecting users by offering cheap airline tickets, booking deals, and vacation packages. To help travelers avoid scams, the company’s researchers have outlined common fraud schemes used to entice victims, along with valuable advice on planning a scam-free vacation.

Ticket scams

Kaspersky experts have discovered numerous fraudulent websites claiming to offer cheap airplane tickets. These well-crafted phishing pages often mimic well-known airline services and ticket aggregators. Some even display real flight details by sending search requests to legitimate aggregators and presenting the received information. However, instead of delivering the promised tickets, these scams aim to steal your money and exploit your personal information for malicious purposes. This

may include selling your bank details and identifying information on the dark web.

Accommodation scams

The second important step of trip planning is finding accommodation, which makes it a popular lure for fraudsters to exploit. One common accommodation scam involves fake online listings for vacation rentals or apartments. Scammers create attractive listings on popular platforms, displaying appealing photos and offering low prices to entice travelers. However, once a booking is made and payment is sent, the accommodation turns out to be non-existent.

Another type of accommodation scam targets hotel bookings. Fraudsters may set up fake websites that mimic legitimate hotel booking platforms. These websites often prompt users to log in using their Facebook or Google credentials, which enables scammers to gain unauthorized access to the victims’ social media or email accounts. This can lead to identity theft, unauthorized transactions, and other malicious activities. Survey and giveaway scams

Scammers create deceptive websites or send emails claiming that participants can earn a substantial reward, such as 100 US dollars, by completing a travel survey. These scams often prey on people’s desire for financial gain and their willingness to share their opinions. However, these surveys are designed to collect personal information, such as name, address, phone number, and even financial details, under the guise of eligibility requirements or prize distribution. In

reality, the promised reward is never delivered, and the information provided is used for fraudulent purposes, such as identity theft or unauthorized access to financial accounts. On top of this, the survey usually ends with a request to share the site with friends so that they can also receive a prize. In such cases, cybercriminals are using the victims themselves as a tool for spreading the scam further. Example of fake survey

“Scammers are always on the lookout for unsuspecting travelers, targeting their excitement for vacation planning. From fake ticket aggregators to accommodation and survey scams, fraudsters employ various tactics to steal money and sensitive information. It’s crucial for travelers to stay vigilant and exercise caution when engaging in online travel activities. Verify the authenticity of websites, use trusted booking platforms, and never share personal or financial information without proper verification. Remember, a little skepticism can go a long way in ensuring a secure and scam-free vacation,” comments Olga Svistunova, security expert at Kaspersky.

The OnePlus Nord 3 5G