Manila Standard - 2023 September 2 - Saturday

Not a Grinch: DepEd to allow Xmas decor on school walls

PROVING that it will not be the Grinch who stole Christmas from young learners, the Department of Education said it will not ban holiday decorations in public school classrooms as long as these are kept simple and are not permanent.

DepEd spokesman Michael Poa made

the announcement yesterday, September 1, as the country marked the start of the so-called “longest Christmas” that runs for almost four months.

“We see no problem [with Christmas decorations] because these are not

Gov’t sets price caps on rice

PBBM issues EO 39, pegs grains at P41/kilo

By Charles Dantes, Maricel V. Cruz, Othel V. Campos, and Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE government will impose a price cap on rice as prices for the grain continue to surge, the Palace said Friday.

A Palace statement said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order No. 39 approving the joint recommendation of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry to put a price ceiling on rice.

Under the EO, the mandated price limit for regular milled rice is P41 per kilogram, while the mandated price cap for well-milled rice is P45 a kilo.

As of Aug. 28, the DA reported the local regular milled rice in markets in the National Capital Region (NCR) ranged from PhP42 per kilo to P55 per kilo, while local well-milled rice stood at P48 to P55 per kilo.

“The mandated price ceilings shall remain in full force and effect unless lifted by the President upon the recommendation of the Price Coordinating Council or the DA and the DTI,” the

for

regular,

P45 well-milled

executive order said.

Mr. Marcos called on the public to report to the authorities vendors and retailers not observing the mandated price ceiling on rice.

“Report them to the police, report them to the DA, report them to the local government so we can investigate,” the President said in a mix of English and Filipino at an event in Palawan.

Mr. Marcos said the surging prices were observed in Metro Manila but not in other provinces.

"The real problem is in NCR. It's not so bad outside… Metro Manila...

That's why maybe we will be focusing our efforts in Metro Manila," he said.

In the last sectoral meeting at the

Marcos vows to respond to China’s 10-dash map

By Charles Dantes, Rey E. Requejo, Macon Ramos-Araneta, and Maricel V Cruz

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured the public that the government will defend the country’s sovereignty, following China’s release of an official map that marks the West Philippine Sea as part of its territory.

"We received the news that now the nine-dash line has been extended to the ten-dash line. We have to respond to all of these and we will,"

Mr. Marcos said, without providing any details.

He said that the administration would closely abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"We have stayed true to rules-based

Typhoon ‘Hanna’, monsoon keep Luzon inundated

By Rio N. Araja, Vince Lopez, Joel E. Zurbano, and Rey E. Requejo

TYPHOON "Hanna" decelerated while moving westward over the Philippine Sea on Thursday, as Metro Manila and areas in Luzon stayed under flood waters after the second day of heavy rains owing to the influence of three storm systems on the southwest monsoon or "habagat."

Friday. Joey Razon and Norman Cruz

Court tells agencies to report on, assess Manila Bay reclamations

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court has required concerned government agencies to submit a report on the ongoing land reclamation projects in Manila Bay, including their assessment of the impact of these

By Charles Dantes and Vince Lopez

By Darwin G. Amojelar and Maricel V. Cruz

LAWMAKERS have asked the Department of Information and Communications Technology to explain why text scams continue despite the registration of all SIM cards.

PEACE GONG. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. bangs the gong in declaring Palawan province to be insurgency-free in the opening of the celebration of National Peace Consciousness Month at Puerto Princesa City on Friday. At right is Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez. Rey Baniquet

'HIGALAAY' CHAMPS. The contingent of Barangay Gusa poses after bagging the championship of the recent Higalaay Festival dance competition in Cagayan de Oro City. The group showcased their winning performance at SM City CDO Uptown in line with the Vibrant Higalaay celebration in Cagayan de Oro.

Fuel prices poised to rise next week

By Alena Mae S. Flores

OIL PRICES will likely go up anew next week across all products by as much as P1.10 per liter to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market.

Industry sources estimate the latest price movement at P0.90 to P1.10 per liter for kerosene, P0.80 to P1 per liter for diesel, and P0.20 to P0.40 per liter for gasoline based on the four-day trading period in the world oil market. The source said the amount of these

Gov’t...

From A1 Palace, the DA reported that the projected rice supply would reach 10.15 million metric tons (MMT), with 2.53 MMT coming from the ending stock from the first semester and7.20 MMT from local production. Imported rice should account for only 0.41 MMT.

The EO noted that despite the adequate supply, there have beenwidespread reports of illegal price manipulation and hoarding by industry cartels.

The President ordered the DTI and the DA to strictly implement the EO.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government, which oversees the police, is also mandated to assist the DA and the DTI in enforcing the price ceilings.

Mr. Marcos previously ordered the Bureau of Customs to intensify its ongoing efforts in raiding warehouses linked to hoarding and illegal rice importation.

Three warehouses in Balagtas, Bulacan are under investigation for having more than P500 million worth of rice.

The House of Representatives led by Speaker Martin Romualdez backed the President’s order to impose a price ceiling on rice, calling it a “decisive action to ensure every Filipino’s access to affordable rice.”

Romualdez called the move a “timely and necessary intervention” to shield the public from the undue economic burden caused by surging rice prices.

He also warned unscrupulous rice traders that the House will be unrelenting in its fight against rice hoarders and smugglers and would do everything to help the President drive rice prices down to reasonable levels.

Marcos...

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international law especially the UNCLOS and that I think puts us on solid ground in terms of our claims for territorial sovereignty, for maritime territory," Mr. Marcos said.

The President said that the Philippines has received support from other countries in defending the nation's territories and sovereignty.

"This has been validated and supported by many, many countries around the world, and we should take strength in that, and I believe that again is a very big help to the Philippines in continuing to defend our maritime borders,” he said.

Court...

From A1 agencies to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay.

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System on Friday said it will follow the order of the High Court.

“We have to look at the SC order, and we will definitely comply with the order of the Supreme Court,” MWSS spokesperson Patrick Dizon told GMA News Online.

“MWSS is regularly submitting reports to SC [every quarter] of our projects and their accomplishments,” Dizon added.

Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of all reclamation projects in Manila Bay pending a review of their economic, environmental, and social impacts.

The SC also set for oral arguments on the issue concerning the suspended reclamation projects in Manila Bay but did not announce yet the date for the proceedings.

Nonetheless, it required the parties to “move in the premises” or to inform the Court by September 30, 2023, of their measurement benchmarks of the pollution in Manila Bay; current government

Typhoon...

From A1

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Hanna is forecast to gradually intensify until late Saturday or early Sunday when it is expected to reach its peak intensity. Hanna became a typhoon while still

adjustments might still change based on the results of the last trading day for the week.

To start the month, local firms also raised the price of liquefied petroleum gas on Friday by P6.65 per kilogram or P73.15 per 11kg tank to reflect the higher contract price of

Farmer leader Simeon Sioson, chairman of the 4 SM Agri Multipurpose Cooperative based in Barangay Lambakin, San Miguel, Bulacan, said the price cap is just the right amount that will not burden consumers.

“This is equivalent to P25/kg buying price for palay (paddy rice). We are hoping that the NFA (National Food Authority) will buy palay at that price from us,” Sioson said Friday.

He added the increasing price of rice will also help lift up the price of paddy rice which has peaked at as much as P32 to P34/kg at the farm gate, giving farmers a higher premium on their produce. The start of the wet season harvest was bought by rice millers and traders at a premium since the price of rice is on the rise, he added.

Farmers noted that the high palay procurement price is about twice the P19/kg buying price of the government through the NFA.

A peasant group and a think tank, however, questioned the wisdom of price ceilings, however, saying it could result in lower farmgate prices that would hurt farmers.

AMIHAN National Federation of Peasant Women secretary general and Bantay Bigas spokesperson Cathy Estavillo and IBON Foundation research head Rosario Guzman said a price ceiling could result in an unreasonably cheap price for palay or unhusked rice.

The Kilusang Mangbubukid ng Pilipinas, meanwhile, called on the government to go after rice cartels, who manipulate the supply and price of rice in the local market

Earlier, Romualdez and other lawmakers met with representatives from the Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders’ Movement (PRISM).

President Marcos is expected to make a push for a statement on the matter at the upcoming 43rd ASEAN Summit in Indonesia next week.

Meanwhile, the director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea said the international community would more readily accept a map issued by the Philippines than China.

"In our case, if we issue a map, it is not going to be only self-serving, but rather it is actually going to be supported by the South China Sea arbitration. It is going to be supported by international law," the institute’s Jay Batongbacal told ANC’s "Headstart."

"So in that sense, it will have a much greater credibility and power than this self-serving Chinese map because we

strategies being implemented to comply with their mandate to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay, and to make it fit for swimming, skin-diving, and other forms of contact recreation; realistic targets for the next five years; and ongoing reclamations and their respective impact on the environment.

The concerned government agencies are the Metro Manila Development Authority, DENR, Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Budget and Management, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police Maritime Group, Department of Interior and Local Government, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System.

In 2009, the SC created the Manila Bay Advisory Committee to monitor the compliance of concerned government agencies to the Court’s 2008 decision with continuing mandamus.

Under the continuing mandamus, the concerned government agencies are mandated to submit to the Court a quarterly progressive report of the activities undertaken to clean up and rehabilitate the waters of Manila Bay.

inside the Philippine area of responsibility, the state weather bureau said, but it is expected to remain far from the Philippine landmass.

In the agency's 5 p.m. update, the center of Hanna was estimated at 710 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon. It was moving westward at 15 km/h, packing maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 150 km/h.

LPG in the world market.

Department of Energy director for the oil industry management bureau Rodela Romero confirmed the possible oil price hike next week. "We will be expecting another round of increases in the prices of petroleum products. This is attributed to China's stimulus measure to alleviate fuel demand and the hurricane Idalia that hit the oil production and power generation facilities in the US Gulf of Mexico and US government data that showed tighter than expected crude supplies," Romero said.

“If you want to be part of the solution, you are with us, we will help you, we’re going to support you. But if you’re part of the problem, we will root you out,” Romualdez told PRISM representatives during the meeting.

He said the House is serious in its support of the President’s immediate goal of stabilizing rice prices and the Chief Executive’s long-term vision of achieving rice self-sufficiency for the country.

Romualdez, who recently joined raids on warehouses suspected of hoarding rice, said the campaign to root out profiteers would extend to the Visayas and Mindanao.

“If we find out that people are importing and hoarding and profiteering, we’re going to raid [them],” he said, adding that seized rice would be given to the Department of Social Welfare and Development or to Kadiwa.

The Speaker acknowledged the gesture of PRISM to make available to the public rice at P38 a kilo but he also noted that the target of recent raids in Bulacan rice warehouses suspected of hoarding and smuggling were members of the group.

He said the group could show their sincerity by helping the government unmask the “bad eggs” or members suspected of involvement in unscrupulous trade practices.

Noting that rice imports, particularly from Vietnam, constitute only 18 percent of the total rice consumption in the country, Romualdez said traders cannot justify price hikes in the local market by citing world market prices.

While it’s completely understandable for traders to earn profits from the rice trade, Romualdez said they should not be too greedy, warning that the government is willing to undertake even more drastic measures to regulate importation to pre-

would simply be implementing an established judgment by an authoritative international tribunal," he said.

The Philippines has protested the Chinese map, as have India and Malaysia.

Also on Friday, the chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Sergio Ortiz-Luiz, said there should be an “urgent repairing” of Philippine-China relations.

He cautioned against letting the Ayungin Shoal tensions become “overblown,” because China is the country’s biggest trade partner, a big potential investor, and an important consumer market of 1.4 billion people for Philippine products.

India’s Ambassador Shambhu Kumaran said the controversy over the Chinese

Explain...

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DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy, for his part, blamed organized syndicates who he said have shifted to over-the-top (OTT) platforms to victimize mobile phone users.

Uy said these syndicates are buying pre-registered SIMs from people willing to sell them.

"These people have little regard for protecting their identity or credentials, which is mostly from poor communities," Uy said in a Viber message.

"At the same time, the syndicates have also shifted to OTT platforms such as WhatsApp and Messenger," he added.

Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel of the Makabayan bloc raised the matter during the agency's budget hearing Thursday as the DICT told legislators that over 118 million subscribers have completed the registration process.

“While the SIM registration deadline has passed, many are still facing text scams and other forms of SIM-assisted fraud,” Manuel said.

In response, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, an attached agency of the DICT, also at-

The habagat is currently being enhanced by “Goring,” which is now outside the PAR, PAGASA said, while “Hanna” and tropical storm “Kirogi” (currently outside the PAR) continue to slightly enhance the southwest monsoon.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Friday said that one person was reported killed in Western Visayas during the onslaught of tropical cyclones Goring

Oil firms raised pump prices on August 29, triggering the eighth consecutive week of increases for diesel and kerosene and the seventh consecutive week for gasoline.

These companies implemented an increase of P0.30 per liter for gasoline, P0.70 per liter for diesel, and P0.80 per liter for kerosene on Tuesday.

The price adjustments resulted in a year-to-date net increase of P14.80 per liter for gasoline, P9.50 per liter for diesel, and P6.64 per liter for kerosene, according to the DOE.

vent abuses by profiteers.

“Don’t try to scare the government. The government can take over and do the importing itself and just break even or even subsidize. At the end of the day, the people---the over 100 million Filipinos–should not be overcharged and go hungry,” Romualdez said.

The DTI said it would strictly monitor retail prices of rice.

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, however, said the price ceilings were exclusively imposed on regular- and wellmilled rice as these “are commonly consumed by the public.” Consumers who want to buy fancy rice varieties can still do so at the prevailing prices, he added.

Senator Francis Escudero said the President’s move to order a price ceiling is an acknowledgment of an emergency, or that there is widespread profiteering, hoarding, or price manipulation.

He said the first step in solving a problem is admitting there is one.

The second step is finding solutions to stop it and prevent it from happening again in the future.

Senator Francis Tolentino said the President's move is an appropriate response to control inflation as well as to ensure the affordability of rice. He said this will also safeguard food security.

"But in the long run, we should look at efforts to improve local rice production," he said.

On the other hand, Senator Risa Hontiveros said price controls are “cures’ that could be worse than the disease.

"Is this the prescription of economists of Malacanang or their spin doctors?

Price control is a lazy job," she said.

If there are hoarders who want to reduce the rice supply in the market and jack up the price, she said then they should be caught.

map has strengthened his country’s resolve to enhance its defense and maritime security partnership with the Philippines as both countries depend on peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

The Indian diplomat hinted that India "should have more ships coming in the future" to the Philippines.

Senator Francis Tolentino said he agreed with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri that China’s “wanton disregard” for the country’s claim to the West Philippine Sea should be met with more than just diplomatic protests.

He called for joint patrols of the disputed waterway with the forces of the United States and Australia. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

tributed the continued text scams to the purchase of registered SIM cards by organized syndicates as well as new machines that can simulate SIM cards.

“We have uncovered that certain organized syndicates have been procuring pre-registered sim cards. That is one issue we have raised with telcos and the DICT family to formulate how to address the issue of selling pre-registered SIM cards,” CICC Executive Director Alexander Ramos told the panel chaired by Ako-Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co.

“The second one is there are new machines that came into the country, wherein you don’t even need a sim card, but rather a text blaster that can simulate sim card numbers. We are coordinating with the Bureau of Customs, educating them on what it looks like so that they will be able to prevent the importation of such machines,” he added.

To address the problem, Ramos asked the public to report text scams to "help authorities to identify the source of the message."

“Unlike before, we didn’t have the power to prosecute them, in fact, arrest them once located. But the sim card registration enabled us already,” Ramos said. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

and Hanna.

Meanwhile, a state of calamity was declared in Pototan, Iloilo on Thursday, the NDRRMC said.

A total of 387,242 people or 106,677 families were affected by Goring and Hanna in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

PBBM orders STAR office reorganized

By Charles Dantes

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the reorganization of the Strategic Action and Response (STAR) office to ensure the proper and efficient way delivery of service to the public.

Issued under Executive Order No.38, the reorganization of STAR's structure, functions, and staffing patterns should coincide with the administration's efforts.

The EO was signed by the Office of the Executive Secretary on Tuesday.

The STAR Office was created to promote timely action and response to the concerns of the public.

"The Office of the Executive Secretary, through the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for General Administration (ODESGA), shall have supervision and control over the STAR Office and all its constituent offices," the EO stated.

President Marcos also directed the removal of the Cabinet Undersecretary position in the STAR office.

Moreover, the STAR Office will be headed by an Assistant Secretary who will report directly to the Deputy Executive Secretary for General Administration (DESGA).

PH, Montenegro talk fresh deals to boost tourism

By Charles Dantes

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

and Montenegro Prime Minister Dritan Abazović discussed on Thursday possible cooperation in boosting both tourism sectors and the countries' respective economies.

Mr. Marcos highlighted how vital the tourism sector is to the Philippine economy, citing the possibility of learning a thing or two from the European country's successful strategies and vice versa. “Tourism has become also very important for the Philippines and we see it as an important part of the transformation of the economy because, during the pandemic, it was zero. So, now we have to build back,” he said.

Mr. Marcos expressed confidence in the Philippines' potential to rebound from the pandemic, which put a halt in the booming tourism industry. According to WorldData.Info, in 2021, Montenegro was ranked 56th in terms of visitors in their country with two million people, while the Philippines had 164K tourists in the same year, placing 144th. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Palawan...

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"This milestone that we celebrate today epitomizes your commitment to putting an end to the decades-long insurgency in the area through the provision of national reintegration programs for former rebels and promotion of the island’s peace and security," he said in Puerto Princesa City, coinciding with the start of the National Peace Consciousness Month.

He encouraged the public to sustain peace in the region through theeffective delivery of government services in geographically isolated and disadvantaged communities.

Mr. Marcos also expressed confidence in revitalizing tourism andinvestments in Palawan. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Not...

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permanent. Of course, they can decorate their classrooms," Poa said in a television interview.

“They can decorate as long as these are simple. What we do not want are those [visuals] that are permanently placed on classroom walls,” he added.

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte earlier ordered public schools to remove visual aids such as alphabet charts and multiplication tables, pictures of national heroes or past and present presidents, and even crucifixes from classroom walls.

Bare walls greeted more than 22.7 million learners who trooped back to school this week following Duterte’s directive.

Poa, however, warned against holding contests for best Christmas decorations in classrooms.

NCRPO warns of rise in crimes as ‘ber’ months start

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has warned citizens of an increase in criminal activities in Metro Manila and other parts of the country as the “ber” months begin.

NCRPO chief Brig. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. urged citizens to be more alert, saying petty crimes and other modus operandi will likely occur as the holiday season draws near.

To prevent crime, more policemen will be deployed on street patrol and cover

Women legislators to stage art exhibit, fundraiser in Sept.

THE Association of Women Legislators Foundation, Inc. (AWLFI) is welcoming the “ber” months with a back-to-back art exhibit with Mira Art Gallery and Project Hulmahan entitled “Sining Sa Kongreso: An Art Exhibit of Masters, Modern Masters and Contemporary Filipino Artists” from September 18 to 28 at the House of Representatives.

An art hub located in the heart of Quezon City, Mira Art Gallery will bring together some of the most sought-after pieces by renowned Filipino artists including Cesar Arro, Luis “Junyee” Yee Jr., Ramon Orlina, James Gabito, Maryrose Gisbert, Randy Roa, Remy Boquiren, Lydia Velasco, Welbart Bartolome, Marko Belo, Eman Santos, Ysa Gernale, Manuel Baldemor, Rissa Calica, Roel Obemio, and Mauro Malang Santos, among others.

The exhibit will also showcase pieces of condemned wooden shoe lasts or “hulmahan” from shoe factories in Marikina, the Shoe Capital of the Philippines, that have been transformed into one-of-a-kind art pieces by hundreds of volunteers, established and emerging artists such as actresses Alessandra De Rossi and Janine Gutierrez, Celeste Lecaroz, Toym Imao, and more.

Tingog Party List Rep. and AWLFI Chairperson Yedda Marie K. Romualdez said that aside from promoting the Philippine arts, the exhibit “will serve as another fundraiser, as part of the proceeds will benefit the foundation’s impact projects supportive of women’s causes.”

shopping malls and other crowded places.

The NCRPO stated that now the Ber months have started, more people will be visiting crowded areas. It urged the public to be aware of thieves, snatchers, and pickpockets in those areas.

The police also advised the people against walking in dark streets, alleys, vacant lots, and unsafe shortcuts, as these areas are hangouts for criminals.

When going to economically depressed places such as slums and squatter areas, people should not wear expensive jewelry or carry substantial cash,

and avoid showing a lot of cash around when traveling, Nartatez added.

When in a bus or jeepney, passengers should not extend their hand out the window because the watch or jewelry could be snatched, or the hand injured by another vehicle.

“When riding a taxi, take the habit of getting the name of the cab, its plate number, and the cab driver’s name. This will be handy in case the passenger leaves something in the cab or if the driver tries to hurt or rob the passenger,” NCRPO added.

PH ‘digital sweatshops’ stress ethical concerns, worker rights violations

By Jimbo Gulle and Vito Barcelo

THE exploitation of the Filipino workforce in the booming artificial intelligence sector through “digital sweatshops” used by so-called micro-tasking platforms highlights ethical concerns and the potential for worker rights violations, an expert said Friday.

But the entry of AI into the workplace is “inevitable” and Filipinos have no choice but to adopt it -- not to dictate nor replace manpower, but to be a tool for humans to be productive, the Department of Labor and Employment said in a statement.

In an exclusive interview, Dominic Ligot, technologist and founder of data analytics firm CirroLytix, told Manila Standard that digital sweatshops are not unlike the traditional sweatshops in poorer countries utilized by major foreign brands in first-world nations.

“However, the fact that these setups exist indicates a demand for data services —which is a good thing, and this is an opportunity for the Philippines to professionalize this industry,” Ligot added.

In a statement, DOLE said both employers and employees must learn to accept that AI will eventually impact the labor force. It described sweatshops “as small factories where workers work extremely long hours for very low wages

under poor, often illegal, conditions.”

But the department has yet to comment on a recent Washington Post report—in which Ligot was interviewed —that thousands of young Filipino workers, particularly in Cagayan de Oro City, log online every day to support the booming business of AI despite delayed, reduced, or missing wages.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology, which regulates the tech industry, told the Post it wasn’t aware of how much workers make on micro-tasking platforms.

Data annotation is an “informal sector,” said DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy, and “regulatory protective mechanisms are not there.”

“Artificial intelligence is already being used to run machines; craft speeches; compose music; and even create beautiful and authentic-looking landscape blueprints. But there are still some things that it cannot do,” said DOLE Director Lilia Estillore.

Premature cancer deaths in PH ‘too high’, says top think tank researcher

THE rate of premature deaths due to cancer in the Philippines is too high compared to other countries, according to a senior government researcher.

Dr. Valerie Gilbert Ulep, senior researcher of the government think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), said at least 25,000 cancer cases are reported every year in the Philippines.

Of these, 9,000 to 9,500 are breast cancers, he said.

What’s alarming, according to Ulep, was the high rate of premature cancer

deaths in the country.

“Let’s look at cancer in terms of premature deaths,” said Ulep at the Kapihan forum on Aug. 30.

“If you look at the data in the Philippines, the rate of premature deaths is too high,” he said. “We’re even higher than Cambodia.”

He said in the Philippines, 50 to 60 percent of cancer deaths are premature, or those that could have been prevented.

For comparison, the rate of premature deaths due to cancer is only 30 to 40 percent in Singapore, Ulep said.

“If you look at deaths in the Philippines, many are dying at the peak of their careers,” he said, citing results of his team’s study.

Ulep said women stricken with breast cancer die prematurely in the Philippines.

“Imagine, they die at the peak of their productivity,” he said.

While cancer survival rates are also determined by the type of cancer and its stage, Ulep said “early detection increases the chance of survival.”

Edgar Christian Cuaresma, head of the University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay

Hospital oncology department, said at the same forum that cancer’s impact is massive on patients.

“It is life-changing,” Cuaresma said. He agreed with Ulep that early detection raises the survival rate to as much as 90 percent in some cases.

According to Ulep, citing the results of his team’s study, at least 9,000 cancer patients die every year in the Philippines. If half of these deaths are premature, or preventable, then more than 4,000 people die yearly when these deaths could have been avoided, Ulep said.

LONE PATROL. A Filipino soldier patrols the beach of Pagasa Island, Palawan in the West Philippine Sea on Friday. The Federation of Free Workers (FFW), in a statement Friday, voiced support for the military’s plan to build up and deploy citizen soldiers to help protect and defend the country’s territories in the WPS. Manny Palmero

Two cops test positive for illegal drugs, 18 others to lose benefits

By Vince Lopez

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has said two more police personnel have tested positive in a confirmatory drug test conducted.

Meanwhile, 18 high-ranking police officers who resigned after being linked to illegal drugs will not receive any benefits, PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda told a House panel Thursday.

In another development, the PNP relieved the chief of police in Rodriguez, Rizal over command responsibility following the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy.

“Yes, it was two non-commissioned police officers,” said PNP spokesman Col. Jean Fajardo when asked if there were more cops who tested positive in confirmatory drug tests aside from the recently relieved Mandaluyong police chief Col. Cesar Gerente.

The drug tests were conducted after the cops tested positive in the random drug tests conducted by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) in August, Fajardo said.

According to her, the same urine specimen from the random drug test was used in the confirmatory drug test.

“The urine specimen submitted by subject personnel during the random drug test was the same specimen subjected to the confirmatory test, which yielded positive results also,” she said.

Fajardo said she was still waiting for an update from the NCRPO regarding the designated areas or units of the two cops.

On Wednesday, Eastern Police District (EPD) chief Brig. Gen. Wilson Asueta said Gerente had been relieved from his post after testing positive for illegal drugs.

Gerente was placed under the regional personnel holding and accounting section of the NCRPO regional personnel records management division pending his confirmatory test and the police colonel also surrendered his service firearms and was instructed to issue an explanation.

Meanwhile, police Col. Mary Grace Madayag was appointed as the acting chief of police of Mandaluyong City, replacing Gerente.

during a no-holds-barred discussion

leaders of the Phil-

New video shows rider overpowering cop

By Joel E. Zurbano, Vince Lopez, and Rio N. Araja, Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz

ANOTHER viral video on a road rage incident that took place in Makati City reportedly involved a policeman who was threatened by an armed motorcycle rider that falsely introduced himself as an intelligence agent of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office-National Capital Region has already submitted the cases against ex-policeman Wilfredo Gonzales for resolution in connection with a road rage incident involving him and a cyclist on Aug. 8.

In another development Senator Ron-

ald Dela Rosa commended the Philippine National Police (PNP) for its revocation of the gun privileges of Wilfredo Gonzales, the dismissed policeman who assaulted and threatened with a gun a cyclist in Quezon City.

But Southern Police District (SPD) chief Brig. Gen. Roderick Mariano

SWS survey shows more Pinoy families use cost-e icient bikes

By Vito Barcelo

ONE out of three Filipino families use bikes for recreational and essential activities, according to the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Station (SWS). The survey said the number of households in the country that used bikes or cycles for an activity rose to 36 percent or around 10 million in 2023, up from 7.3 million (29 percent) in April 2022 and 6.2 million (24 percent) in May 2021.

The SWS study showed around 7.5 million Filipino households (27 percent) use bikes for recreational activities, while 6.7 million (24 percent) do it for essential purposes.

The pollster also logged higher bicycle owners compared to car owners, with a 4:1 ratio. SWS said the number was similar to April 2022 and May 2021, but higher than the 2:1 ratio in the May, July, and September 2020 surveys.

“Thirteen national SWS surveys from May 2020 to March 2023 show that there were more bicycle owners compared to car owners nationwide,” SWS revealed.

The survey was conducted from March 26 to 29, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 respondents nationwide.

The SWS said that there were more bicycle owners compared to car owners nationwide, citing 13 surveys from May 2020 to March 2023.

“Thirteen national SWS surveys from May 2020 to March 2023 show that there were more bicycle owners compared to car owners nationwide,” the survey added.

In all thirteen surveys, the bulk of motor vehicle owners nationwide own 2-wheeled types, such as motorcycles,” the SWS stated.

The March 2023 survey also found that 13 percent or 3.6 million households use borrowed bicycles, which doubled from 6 percent or 1.5 million recorded in April 2022 and May 2021.

said the biker, identified as Angelito Rencio has turned himself in to avoid further complications of the case and for his own safety.

Rencio was placed under the custody of the Makati City police.

The motorcycle-riding man who was involved in a road rage in Makati City with a policeman has surrendered to the Southern Police District. But SPD director Brig. Gen. Roderick Mariano said Angelito Rencio surrendered to SPD headquarters Thursday night and is now under the custody of the Makati City Police Station.

The video showed Rencio in a scuffle with SSgt. Marsan Dolipas of the Pasay City following their altercation on Aug. 25 at the Osmeña in Barangay Pio del Pilar, Makati.

“The SPD and the Makati police have launched an investigation into the incident,” Mariano said.

He said a complaint was filed against Rencio by the Makati police for alleged violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act), usurpation of authority, and resisting arrest.

The two were brought to Makati Police Substation 3 for questioning.

At the substation, Rencio, who identified himself as a member of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAF), surrendered his gun and requested to go home supposedly to get the documents of his firearm, which according to SPD, should not have been allowed.

The desk officer was relieved for

ACT expresses alarm over red-tagging by DepEd against protestors

By Gabriellea Pariño

A TEACHERS’ group has raised concerns regarding the probable red-tagging by the Department of Education towards individuals, particularly regarding funds on the national budget.

“They are red-tagging individuals, ordinary citizens, who may be raising concerns over social issues notably the national budget. They are calling them terrorists,” Alliance of Concerned

Teachers chairperson Vladimer Quetua said in an interview.

The statement came after DepEd Undersecretary and spokesman Michael Poa said in an interview that they are trying to provide a safe environment for students and teachers alike.

“We are asking for more information regarding this,” Poa said, referring to claims that both students and teachers alike were being pursued by violent and extremist groups into joining causes.

Among these groups are terrorists, communist, and drug-related incidents, according to the Undersecretary.

Student unions also expressed their concerns, claiming that many youth leaders have been subjected to surveillance and intimidation after being red-tagged.

“It’s rather ironic for DepEd to be the mouthpiece of red-tagging, and worse—enabled by their dubious and exorbitant intelligence and confidential funds,” Andrew, a member of the Rise for

Education Alliance - UP Diliman said.

The union also questioned the department’s alleged lack of prioritization towards present challenges, with classroom shortages and urgent salary increase for educators as the primary concern.

“It seems like DepEd is losing its grip on their mandate as an agency for education—a much manifestation of the worsening education crisis in the country,” The group further said.

Survey shows Sara has highest job performance rating of 79 percent

VICE President Sara Duterte gets highest job performance satisfaction rating among top national officials in new Oculum survey.

Vice President Sara Duterte, concurrent Education Secretary, got a 79 percent job performance satisfaction rating, the highest among the country’s top national officials, indicating a positive public perception of her leadership and performance, the latest survey of Oculum Research and Analytics Philippines showed.

Duterte’s 79 percent rating combines all satisfied responses within a five-point scale, according to Oculum’s third-quarter national survey conducted during the period July 17 to 31, 2023.

The Oculum third-quarter national opinion poll surveyed 1,200 respond-

ents 18 years old and above, randomly selected though multistage probability sampling.

President Ferdinand Marcos obtained a 74 percent rating, also suggesting strong public approval of his leadership and governance. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri received a majority 61 percent satisfaction rating, while his counterpart at the House of Representatives, Speaker Martin Romualdez, received 55 percent, results of the Oculum survey showed.

1111 FR Hidalgo St., Quiapo, Manila www.oculum.ph | research@oculum.ph gave Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo 48 percent satisfaction rating, also combining somewhat satisfied to extremely satisfied responses, still a majority given the margin of error.

allowing Rencio to leave the police station.

Later, AFP officials denied Rencio’s claim that he was an ISAFP officer.

“It is imperative to seek a comprehensive understanding of the entire incident, including the events that transpired before and after the video was taken. As a law enforcement agency, we are committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation to gather all relev

The Makati recent followed that of a similar road rage captured on video in Quezon City involving a cyclist and a former policeman. The incident resulted in the resignation of the Quezon City police district commander. The individual is currently under the custody of the Makati City Police.

IN BRIEF

Villar cites relevance of farming schools

SENATOR Cynthia Villar believes food security can be attained with the training of farmers in farm schools as she feels elated over the growing number of people attending the Villar Farm Schools in different areas of the country.

The chairperson of the Senate committee on agriculture and food noted that more and more people, especially Las Piñeros, are availing themselves of free training given in the Villar Farm Schools.

She noted that the said training helps expand the country’s agricultural sector as stakeholders are provided with knowledge to boost productivity and increase their earnings.

Addressing the “Training of Trainers on Agricrop Production,” together with the East West Seeds Foundation at the Villar Farm School in Las PiñasBacoor, the senator assured to continue teaching Filipinos how to plant vegetables in their own yard or in the farm.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

Embo seniors to get aid from Taguig gov’t

TAGUIG City Mayor Laarni Cayetano has assured senior citizens in Embo barangays that they will receive their cash gifts and other benefits as city residents.

Cayetano made the commitment as her administration started the house-to-house distribution of birthday cash gifts to more than 270 senior citizens celebrating their birthdays this August from the 10 Embo barangays now under its care.

She said Taguig is prepared to take on the responsibility of governing the affected communities with the same commitment and solicitude it has done with its 28 barangays.

“We are committed to giving the same programs and services to its new residents, especially to Taguig’s dear lolos and lolas,” she said.

PSA set to roll out agricultural census

CAGAYAN de Oro City—The Philippine Statistics Authority announces that the Census of Agriculture and Fisheries (CAF) which to be held on September 4 to October 24, 2023 will provide government planners, policymakers, and administrators with agriculture and fisheries data on which to base their social and economic development plans, policies, and programs.

The CAF is a large-scale government undertaking that is geared towards the collection andcompilation of basic information on the agriculture and fishery sectors in the country. Data collected will serve as the bases for policymaking and other purposes.

The 2022 CAF covers growing crops, livestock and poultry, aquaculture, and fisheries from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. Bobby Lagsa

SAVE THE DOLPHINS. Members of marine wildlife, animal welfare, and fisherfolk groups declare unity with Japanese people as they stage a protest rally against the Taiji dolphin hunting and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear water discharge in front of the Japanese embassy in Pasay City on Friday. The protest rally is held in time for the opening of the dolphin hunt season in Japan, which happens every first day of September. Norman Cruz

RICE TALKS. Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez stresses a point

with

ippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement (PRISM), including lead convenor Rowena Sadicon, held at the Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati City Friday morning. Also in the photo are Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marcos. Ver Noveno

MARIAN ICONS. In celebration of the birth of the Virgin Mary, a Marian exhibit titled “Salamat Maria” is on display at the Ali Mall in Araneta City, Quezon City. Seventy images of Mary from various parishes around Metro Manila and nearby provinces are on display until September 7. Manny Palmero

VERY often, we hear people in coffee shops and in the academe talk about the state of Philippine literature.

And almost as often, we hear them discuss what they describe as Philippine literature, its roots right in the national capital region and the surrounding provinces.

That, to say the least, is a rather sad commentary on not just the state of Philippine literature but on the orientation many have had for years and the focus of what really is literature that we can say truly and rightly reflects the soul of this Southeast Asian archipelago of 114 million people.

Given the multi-racial, multi-ethnic society the Philippines has, is there really one brand that may truly be called Philippine literature to the unjust exclusion of the others similarly strong in foundation and appreciated not the least by many scholars as well as students of history and culture?

today pathetically repeated in some colleges and universities.

But there are others deserving attention. These include, but not necessarily limited to, the Aliguyon or the Hudhud of the Ifugaos of the Cordilleras which narrates the exploits of Aliguyon as he waves hefty muscles and courage against his arch enemy, Pambukhayon, across the rice fields and terraces.

He excites and encourages his people to be strong and committed to the wisdom of warfare and of crafting peace during the harvest climes.

Then there is the Agyu or Olahing, a three-part epic that rolls on with the pahmara or invocation, then the kepu’unpuun, or the narration of the past, and the sengedurog, or the episode which in itself is complete.

The parts narrate the exploits of the hero as he leads his people who have been unnecessarily driven out of their land to Nalandangan, a land of utopia, where there are no land grabbers nor oppressors.

There is also Biag ni Lam-ang, or Life of Lam-ang, which narrates the adventures of the astonishing epic hero who displays extremely spectacular powers at a very young age.

At nine months, Lam-ang is able to go to war to look for his father’s killers.

While looking for his woman of worth, Ines Kannoyan, Lam-ang is swallowed by a big fish although his rooster and his friends return him to life.

Yet another epic is Labaw Donggon, which is about the romantic adventures of the son of a goddess, Alunsina, by a mortal, Datu Pauban.

Since there are various regions – more than a dozen political or otherwise – in this country, discovered in 1521 for Europe by Portuguese navigator Fernando Magallanes, then sailing under the flag of Spain, it would be proper, if appropriate, that there must be a serious look at both the oral and written, if any, literature of the different regions beyond the audible echoes of the Manila Cathedral chimes.

Aside from a sympathetic understanding of the geographical divisions, we must as well note that the Philippines, heretofore called Las Islas Filipinas, had been under different political rulers.

And, in certain cases, the politics then included the educational and the spiritual dimensions, not necessarily taken together.

With this given, we can immediately see the need for more scholars and chroniclers as well as quality translators to compile and translate the native tunes and lyrics indigenous to each or to more than one region. This is where any private effort should be matched at once by the government, which has the logistics and will to let one body, or committee, to work on and for the translation and dissemination of the various regional literatures.

A government, after all, should be the guardian of the culture of a country – in this case, the Philippine government of the culture of this multi-lingual nation whose sense of pride has been strengthened by the various eras imposed on them by colonial masters and conquerors in separate eras.

More than 70 years ago – not exactly a long time by any cultural crawl – high school, and even elementary, students up north were being pounded by Francisco Balagtas’ Florante at Laura by teachers in Pilipino.

The same academic scenario was also being unreeled in the other regions outside of the Tagalog-speaking capital and nearby provinces.

We do not suggest that Florante at Laura had no merits for discussion in classrooms, even if in some cases that situation then is

By Don Mogarte

ACCESS to clean, affordable, and accessible

electricity remains a key issue hindering inclusive economic development in the Philippines.

Without reliable electricity, Filipino families are being deprived of a basic human right required to live a sustainable life.

Recently, Congress has been having a lot of inquiries and investigations on electric cooperatives and even private distribution utilities focusing on their power rates and their quality of service.

The dream of the cornerstone EPIRA Act has not achieved the desired results, and the debate on long-term solutions is still very much present in the public sphere.

Electricity should take center stage again, given what has been happening in areas like Davao, Batangas, Albay, Isabela, Pampanga, Mindoro, Lanao, and other provinces facing either high power rates or limited to no power at all.

At the House of Representatives, there are renewed efforts to pass a bill that would expand the franchise of Davao Light and Power Company to cover the rest of Davao del Norte and Maco in Davao de Oro.

to climate resilience

ONLY recently we heard Greenpeace accusing major European gas and oil companies of doing nothing to transition towards cleaner energy and “just pretending” to be working towards their climate commitments.

Contrary to public perception, wind and solar power production by big oil companies is still surprisingly low, according to the Amsterdam-based environmentalist group.

The non-government organization was presenting, in the middle of a European heatwave, an analysis of a 110-page report written by German energy expert Steffen Bukold.

At home, the echoes from Greenpeace accusation were loud and clear, and many have wondered what the Philippine government has done and is doing.

Right from the hip, Congress passed in 2009 the Climate Change Act creating the CCC to develop policies and coordinate government programs on climate change.

The CCC in turn developed the National Climate Change Action Plan that serves as a road map for all climate change programs in the Philippines.

Within the Framework, the country developed a National Climate Change Action Plan that outlines a long-term program and strategies for climate change adaptation with

President Marcos Jr. emphasized the urgency to handle the climate crisis, stating nature’s fury is already impacting communities and people

the national development plan for 2011 to 2028.

It focused on seven thematic priority areas: food security; water sufficiency; ecosystem and environmental stability; human security; climate-smart industries and services;

in education

The polygamous hero goes up against the big monster Manaluntad for the love of Abyang Ginbitinan. Then he fights Sikay Padalogdog, the giant with a hundred arms, to win Abyang Doronoon before he confronts the master of darkness, Saragnayan, to win over Nagmalitong Yawa Sinagmaling Diwata.

There are other epics worth looking at and appreciating. They include Sandayo; Alim of the Ifugaos; Bantugan of the Maranaos; Darangan, a Muslim epic; Hinilawod of Panay; Ibalon of Bikol; Tuwaang of the Manobo; and Kundaman of Palawan.

The misplaced conviction that Tagalog literature is Philippine literature is pathetically similar to and no less different from the imposition scores back of Tagalog as the basis for the projected national language of this multi-lingual republic, imposition that had not been tempered by the sitting Tagalog-speaking President at the time. He ordered a committee he created to agree on what language should be the basis of a national language. While the regions were each represented in the committee, it seemed there were two from the Tagalog-speaking provinces.

***

We take this space to doff our hat to the Ilokano writers in Metro Manila, headed by Neyo Valdez of Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, who are holding their meeting tomorrow at the Caloocan City residence of one of the members, Leonardo Fagaragan of Pinili, Ilocos Norte, a retired ranger/jungle fighter of the now defunct Philippine Constabulary.

Apart from discussing projects for implementation by the group, a chapter of the umbrella association Gumil Filipinas led by Ariel Tabag of Santa Teresita, Cagayan, the writers will also witness the launching of Fagaragan’s P400, 148-page book, titled “On Da Road” published by Sadiri Publishing, thelatest published by Gumil Metro Manila since it was formally organized in 1966. Cover illustration was by Rico Raval and book design by Tabag.

TO EXTEND our celebration of National Heroes Day, in this article, I would like to commemorate women who have endlessly shown their value for both the youth and education. While our usual heroes are taught to students in school, we do not realize that students are also constantly protected and supported by everyday heroes working with the youth and the education sector.

Sarah Elago was the Representative of Kabataan Partlylist from June 2016-2022.

During her two terms in the House of Representatives, she was endlessly attacked. She has experienced being the topic of harmful disinformation and the target of redtagging.

Yet she has stood persistently with the youth. She was the principal author of the Comprehensive Free Public Higher Education Bill.

This bill allows students in public tertiary schools to be free of tuition.

Through the bill, the government has been tasked to pay for these students’ college education. Aside from her lawmaking responsibilities, Sarah Elago is also known to show support in student-initiated mobilizations, either wearing the classic Kabataan Partylist shirt or a modern Filipiniana.

Because of Elago’s steadfast commitment to the youth, she received the One Young World Politician of the Year Award in 2020.

Another woman who is currently acting as a trailblazer in the House of Representatives is France Castro, now the representative of ACT Teachers in the Congress.

Castro became a legislator after being a public school teacher.

In 2020, she asserted the Department of Education reconsider their distance learning policy. She said in less fortunate areas, without proper learning materials, forcing schools to open would sacrifice quality education.

Castro has also been at the forefront of fighting for teachers’ rights.

As an educator herself, she has been fighting for a livable salary increase for public school teachers. As a party list representative. Castro stands tall in challenging Vice President and Secretary of Education Sara Duterte on many issues,

including in the legality and propriety of using intelligence funds in Department of Education.

Finally, when we discuss youth and education, we cannot forget the contributions of the Lumad schools.

Lumad schools offer both the usual subjects such as Math, Science, Social Studies, Language, and History, as well as a subject tied to their indigenous culture, Agriculture.

These schools have provided IPs of Mindanao a chance at quality education.

sustainable energy; as well as knowledge and capacity development.

What has been done in these areas?

We note the government’s commitment to climate change has been demonstrated by the increase in climate change expenditure.

Instance, for the fiscal year 2023, National Government Institutions have allocated P453.1 billion for adaptation and mitigation programs, representing a 56 percent increase from the previous year’s budget. President Marcos’s commitment to sustainability and climate resilience is reflected in the Philippine Development Plan in which a whole-of-government approach has been welcomed by the CCC. The PDP sets the goal for communities, institutions, and the natural and built environment to become more resilient to natural hazards and climate change impacts by 2028.

We rally behind the President for his declared commitment to address climate change, given that the vulnerability of this country of 114 million was underlined by its ranking as the first among 193 countries in the World Risk Index 2022. President Marcos Jr. emphasized the urgency to handle the climate crisis, stating nature’s fury is already impacting communities and people.

We would like to see what is actually being done beyond the declared commitment.

articulated a justification for the schools and I adopt her words:

“Protecting Lumad children, their schools, and teachers is important for preserving their cultural heritage, ensuring access to education, protecting the human and collective rights of their communities, and preventing exploitation from outside economic and political interests.

“Lumad schools are critical for cultural preservation.

These Lumad schools have provided IPs of Mindanao a chance at quality education

In fact, some of these Lumad students who have finally graduated are now off to college in UP Diliman. This would not be possible without the Lumad school teachers who have chosen to volunteer. One of them is Jeany Hayahay, more popularly known as Teacher Rose.

Teacher Rose just received the 2023 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk in Dublin, Ireland.

Another Lumad school volunteer, Meggie Nolasco, was the executive director of the Salugpongan Community Learning Center.

Despite the attacks against these educators, they have remained strong in the fight for the right to education of the Lumad youth.

There are many other Lumad teachers and Lumad schools advocates I know, especially from the Save our Schools Network.

Meeting Rose and Meggie and working with the Lumad schools changed my life permanently, making me commit to defend and rebuild those schools.

Indeed, these schools are not only essential, but they provide maximum benefit for indigenous children in Mindanao. Someone

The privilege of owning a franchise

This would come at the expense of Northern Davao Electric Cooperative, which has served these areas for decades.

These efforts come in light of both the House of Representatives and Senate passing a previous bill on this matter with broad support, but President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vetoed the bill, saying the bill would impair NORDECO’s existing contractual obligations.

Leading proponents of these renewed efforts come from Davao representatives, prominently PBA Representative Margarita Nograles, and Ilocos Rep. Sandro Marcos.

Other local officials, led by Governor Edwin Jubahib, and even his political opponents like Representatives Alan Dujali and Maricar Zamora, have joined these efforts as well by filing their own bills.

The President vetoed the bill over concerns it would impair NORDECO’s existing contractual obligations.

A new Nograles-Marcos bill, which fully addresses the President’s concerns, is now up for deliberation in Congress.

On the other side, NORDECO is resisting these efforts by repeating the President’s reasoning—in that the bill is purportedly unconstitutional because it would impair its

Constitutional obligations. As Congress deliberates whether it would pass the bill once again for the President’s signature, it would be in NORDECO’s best interest to stop deflecting the issue and focus on directly rebutting the argument. After all, the reality on the ground is that Dabawenyos under NORDECO’s area suffer

from consistent brownouts.

The most recent example was the state of emergency declared in Samal Island in May, caused by the failure of two generator sets being operated by NORDECO.

This caused losses in economic opportunities, given the island is a known tourist destination in Mindanao for those who want to visit its pristine beaches.

Even figures at the national level can see these realities.

Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Grace Poe, members of the Energy Committee, have publicly stated if NORDECO continues to fail at doing its job, then they would highly consider a new player stepping in for the benefit of the public.

Senator Imee Marcos is perhaps the most prominent national figure to speak on this issue.

In a forum in Davao, the presidential sister sounded off against NORDECO’s threats, highlighting that a franchise is a privilege that is given at Congress’s discretion.

On this, Senator Marcos is correct.

A franchise is given to entities that have proven to have sufficient capabilities to uplift the public’s living standards in their operations.

“Indeed, Lumad children are the future carriers of their community’s culture, traditions, and values. Protecting their schools and teachers ensures that they receive an education that reflects their heritage and identity.

“Lumad schools are necessary so indigenous children in Mindanao have access to education. The reality is that Lumad children often face difficulties in accessing quality education, including lack of resources and limited infrastructure.

“Protecting their schools and teachers helps ensure that they receive the education they need to succeed and reach their full potential.

“All children have the right to be protected from harm, to be secure in their homes and communities.

“They have basic constitutional rights – of expression, association, and assembly.

“Protecting Lumad children, their schools, and teachers helps ensure that their human rights are upheld and respected.

“Children become more assertive and articulate about their internationally and nationally recognized rights because of what they learn in the Lumad schools.

“The experience of indigenous children and their parents in the Lumad schools changes their mindset comprehensively, rejecting patronizing or discriminatory attitudes that are the usual way outsiders relate to them.

“Instead, the Lumad schools have instilled pride in the children and parents and their communities. They are encouraged to assert their right to their ancestral lands and domains.

“They are enabled to claim their political autonomy as indigenous peoples.”

Website: tonylavina.com. Facebook: tonylavs X: tonylavs

As such, Congress also has the same power to revoke their franchise if it’s in the best interest of the public.

Therefore, renewing or revoking a franchise could take place regardless of an entity’s existing contractual obligations.

Given this, it was unfortunate to see Malacanang taking a different path on this matter compared to Congress.

As public debate on NORDECO’s franchise is set to heat up in the coming months, the public would be best served by transparency instead of deflecting issues.

A big part of that would come from NORDECO admitting its shortcomings and setting into motion its plans to address its deficiencies.

However, with a less-than-stellar track record throughout the years, perhaps a new franchise should be given to another entity with a better track record.

(The author is a member of Kilos Pinoy, an independent advocacy group that provides platforms for groups and individuals to push their campaigns. Founded in 2017 by former journalists and NGO workers, the group has since championed causes on the environment and good governance).

In a forum in Davao, Senator Imee Marcos sounded off against NORDECO’s threats, highlighting that a franchise is a privilege that is given at Congress’s discretion.

There are other epics, aside from Florante at Laura of Francisco Balagtas, worth looking at and appreciating Heroes

Quality translation, worthy teachers needed for PH literature

Pope sends message of ‘unity, peace’ to China WORLD

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia—Pope Francis arrived in Mongolia on Friday for the first papal visit to the Asian nation, as he sent a message of “unity and peace” to neighboring China to improve ties.

The 86-year-old pontiff’s trip through Monday to the Buddhist-majority nation is a gesture of support for the tiny community of Catholics numbering about 1,400 -- but at the same time a strategic move to improve Vatican ties with neighbors China and Russia.

Francis, who arrived Friday morning local time following a nine-hour journey from Rome, told journalists aboard the papal plane that the vast, sparsely populated country of Mongolia was one that “can be understood with the senses.”

Asked by a journalist whether he found diplomacy difficult, the pope answered: “Sometimes you need a sense of humor.”

The plane passed over Chinese airspace and the pontiff, following custom, sent a telegram to President Xi Jinping, bearing “greetings of good wishes” to him and the Chinese people.

“Assuring you of my prayers for the well-being of the nation, I invoke upon all of you the divine blessings of unity and peace,” he wrote.

Singapore holds first contested presidential vote in over 10 years

SINGAPORE—Singaporeans headed to the polls Friday in the city-state’s first contested presidential election in more than a decade, a vote being closely watched as an indication of support for the ruling party after a rare spate of political scandals.

The president’s role is largely ceremonial, but there are stringent requirements for the position, which formally oversees the city’s accumulated financial reserves and holds the power to veto certain measures and approve anti-graft probes.

While the presidency is a non-partisan

post under the constitution, political lines were already drawn ahead of the election to replace incumbent Halimah Yacob, who ran unopposed for her six-year term in 2017.

The city-state’s government is run by the prime minister, currently Lee Hsien Loong of the People’s Action Party (PAP), which has ruled Singapore continuously since 1959.

Observers said the vote could indicate the level of PAP support ahead of general elections due in 2025 or discontent after

Typhoon Saola sweeps towards southern Chinese megacities

HONG KONG—Super Typhoon Saola

threatened southern China Friday with some of the strongest winds the region has endured, forcing the megacities of Hong Kong and Shenzhen to effectively shut down.

Tens of millions of people sheltered indoors as hundreds of flights were canceled, the stock market suspended trading and the start of Hong Kong’s school year was delayed.

With a direct hit on Hong Kong possible, authorities warned they may raise the warning level from T8 to T9 or T10 —the city’s highest alert, which has only been issued 16 times since World War II.

By 2 pm, Saola was 140 kilometers east-southeast of Hong Kong, packing sustained winds of 210 km per hour.

Mainland Chinese authorities have already issued the highest typhoon warning for the storm, with the national weather office saying Saola could be

among the top five strongest typhoons to hit southern Guangdong province— home to Shenzhen—since 1949.

“The city will open all shelters for the public to take refuge,” said the emergency response department of Shenzhen, home to 17.7 million people.

All public transportation in Shenzhen will be halted by the evening, while trains in and out of Guangdong will be suspended from 8 pm to 6 pm Saturday.

“Of course, it’s going to affect our life,” said Wu Wenlai, 43, who runs a restaurant in a Shenzhen suburb.

“We have to close the restaurant and send all the workers home for two days.”

“My eldest son was planning to fly to Chengdu today for university and his flight has been cancelled now,” Wu added.

But he was unfussed by the government warnings: “We are quite used to it. We usually have several typhoons every year.” AFP

recent scandals that include a corruption probe into the transport minister and the resignations of two PAP legislators over an affair.

“What we want is a prosperous Singapore,” self-employed worker Patrick Low, 70, told AFP after casting his vote. Long orderly lines snaked from polling centres absent the raucous environment that can accompany elections in other countries, where supporters chant or distribute flyers to lobby for last-minute votes. AFP

China and the Holy See do not have official ties.

A line of Mongolian honor guards in traditional blue, red and yellow attire greeted Francis upon his arrival, along with foreign minister Batmunkh Battsetseg.

He then headed to the home of Bishop Giorgio Marengo, the Church’s youngest Cardinal, where he was greeted by hundreds of followers waving and chanting “Love live the pope!”

Waiting outside the bishop’s home for a glimpse at the pope, Sister Aleth Evangelista told AFP she and her fellow nuns felt “very blessed and fortunate to

Japan sees hottest summer on record, with July its warmest in 100 years

TOKYO—Japan’s summer this year was the country’s hottest since records began in 1898, the weather agency said Friday.

“Average temperatures in Japan are the highest for summer since 1898,” the agency said.

From June to August, the agency recorded “considerably higher” average summer temperatures in “northern, eastern, and western Japan.”

“The average temperature anomaly in Japan, based on observations at 15 locations, was +1.76 degrees C, far exceeding that of 2010 (+1.08 degrees C), which was the highest since statistics began in 1898 and the highest for summer,” it said in a statement.

“Warm air tended to cover northern Japan and warm air flowed in from the south, resulting in considerably higher average summer temperatures in northern, eastern, and west-

ern Japan,” it added.

The agency said that in many locations such as Itoigawa city “not only maximum temperatures but also minimum temperatures” reached record highs.”

The city in Japan’s Niigata region recorded a low of 31.4 degrees celsius on August 10, giving it he highest daily minimum temperature in all of Japan.

peratures this summer as climate change makes meteorological conditions more volatile.

July 2023, marked by heatwaves and fires around the world, was the hottest month ever registered on Earth, according to the EU’s climate observatory Copernicus.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Compared to years with particularly high average summer temperatures (2010, 2013, 2018, and 2022), the number of extremely hot days increased significantly from late July onward, reaching the highest total since 2010, it added.

This July was already officially Japan’s warmest in 100 years, with at least 53 people dying of heatstroke and almost 50,000 needing emergency medical attention.

Heatstroke is particularly deadly in Japan, which has the second-oldest population in the world after Monaco.

More than 80 percent of heat-related deaths in the past five years have been among senior citizens.

Other parts of the world have also seen record tem-

In France this month late-summer records toppled as a “heat dome” bore down on much of the country, hitting the southern half and Mediterranean coast especially hard.

The Italian city of Milan in late August registered the highest average daily temperature in the past 260 years, regional environmental protection agency said. Spain has been sweltering under its fourth heatwave of the season, while Greece is struggling for the second time in a month against major wildfires.

Emissions of greenhouse gases are enabling increasingly intense and long-lasting heatwaves, especially in Europe, which the World Meteorological Organization says is the fastest-warming continent.

Heatwaves are among the deadliest natural hazards, with hundreds of thousands of people dying from preventable heat-related causes each year. AFP

Ecuador prisoners seize 57 guards, cops

QUITO, Ecuador—Ecuador’s capital Quito was rocked by attacks with grenades and two car bombs overnight, followed hours later by inmates in six prisons taking hostage 57 prison guards and police officers on Friday, officials said.

The wave of attacks was an apparent show of force by organized crime gangs that claimed no victims, while the uprising in the prisons was believed to be a riposte to a police sweep of jails to confiscate weapons the day before.

The car bombs targeted the violence-hobbled country’s SNAI prisons authority—one exploding outside its

headquarters and the other at a building that formerly housed SNAI offices.

Hours later, SNAI said, prisoners in six penitentiaries across the country had managed to seize 50 prison guards and seven police officers who were being held hostage.

“We are concerned about the safety of our officials,” said Interior Minister Juan Zapata at a press conference in the capital Quito.

The country, until a few years ago a peaceful haven nestled between the world’s largest cocaine producers— Colombia and Peru—has recently descended into violence as it has itself become a hub for drug trafficking. AFP

welcome the Pope in this country.”

“Mongolia is a non-Christian country, most of the people are Buddhist and Shamanist, but the pope is here to foster peace and communion among all people,” she said.

The voyage is Francis’ second to the region in a year after a September trip to Kazakhstan, underscoring the geopolitical importance of the sensitive area.

“This is a clear effort of the Holy See to take care of Central Asia and not abandon it to Russia or China,” Michel Chambon, a scholar of Catholicism in Asia, told AFP.

The visit—Francis’ 43rd voyage in his decade as head of the Catholic Church—is also crucial in keeping the door open for improved Vatican ties with Beijing and Moscow, which have yet to offer the Pope an invitation.

The Holy See last year renewed a controversial deal with China on the thorny issue of bishop appointments, and Francis has sought to broker an end to the war in Ukraine with Russia.

“It’s a way to not give up, to remind them ‘I’m here!’” Chambon said. “It’s a way not to just stay in Rome and wait for things to happen but to jump in.”

The trip will be a stamina test for the pope, who continues to travel widely despite undergoing a hernia operation in June and pain in his knee that has forced him to use a wheelchair.

After a day of rest, the pontiff’s itinerary Saturday includes a welcome ceremony, meetings with President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene, and a first address to authorities, diplomats and members of civil society. AFP

Russia thwarts drone while approaching Moscow — mayor

MOSCOW—Russian air defenses destroyed a drone approaching Moscow, the city’s mayor said on Friday, a day after a similar attack on the capital. Moscow has been targeted by a barrage of Ukrainian drone attacks in recent weeks after Kyiv vowed in July to “return” the conflict to Russia.

Air defenses near the Lyubertsy district on the southeast outskirts of the capital “thwarted another attempt to fly a drone to Moscow,” Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram, without naming an attacker.

“There were no casualties or damage, according to initial reports. Emergency services are on the scene,” he added.

Air traffic at Moscow’s Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports was suspended, according to a Telegram post by the Russian daily newspaper Izvestia.

On Thursday air defenses in the Voskresensky district, about 60 kilometers from Moscow, destroyed a Ukrainian drone approaching the capital.

Air defenses also destroyed a drone approaching Moscow on Monday, as well as two others over the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine.

They destroyed another drone over the Bryansk region on Friday, regional governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram, naming Ukraine as the attacker.

“An aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down over the Bryansk region. There were no casualties or damage,” he said, adding that emergency services were on the scene.

In the eastern Kursk region, the town of Kurchatov was attacked by two Ukrainian drones on Friday, but it was not clear whether the weapons hit their targets. AFP

MESSAGE OF UNITY. Pope Francis (center) greets a child as he attends a welcoming ceremony at the Apostolic Nunciature to Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar on Friday. Francis will likely use his trip to the former Soviet satellite state, a democracy since just 1992, to hammer home democratic principles and highlight the need to preserve Mongolia’s environment, where climate change, overgrazing and mining are causing desertification over wide swathes of territory. AFP

TYPHOON WARNING. A man (right) walks past sand bags placed to stop flooding by the waterfront at Tseung Kwan O in Hong Kong Friday, ahead of the expected arrival of Super Typhoon Saola. Hong Kong grounded flights, shut down its stock market and closed schools as Saola barrelled towards China’s southern coast. Mainland Chinese authorities have already issued the highest typhoon warning for the storm. AFP

RIVAL GANGS. Ecuadorean police guard inmates at the Virgilio Guerrero Detention Center for Adolescent Offenders after a riot attempt, in northern Quito on Thursday. The country, until a few years ago a peaceful haven nestled between the world’s largest cocaine producers—Colombia and Peru— has descended into violence as it has itself become a hub for drug trafficking. AFP

NZ farming giant Fonterra to slash costs, cut workers

WELLINGTON, New Zealand— New Zealand farming giant Fonterra said Friday that it plans to slash around US$598 million in costs over the next seven years following a fall in global dairy prices.

Chief executive Miles Hurrell foreshadowed future job cuts, saying the “focus on efficiencies will have implications for staff numbers”.

But he gave no further details about how many of Fonterra’s 20,000-strong workforce may be cut.

With around 9,000 farmershareholders, Fonterra is one of the world’s largest dairy exporters, producing 16 billion liters of milk per year, exporting to more than 140 countries.

Dairy was New Zealand’s biggest export commodity last year with milk powder, butter and cheese accounting for 28 percent of total exports, worth US$12.3 billion, according to Stats NZ.

However, dairy prices fell sharply last month, led by a 10.9 percent drop in the cost of whole milk powder.

Fonterra has twice cut its forecast for milk pricing in recent weeks, increasing pressure on its farmers, which Hurrell said “made the outlook for the year even more challenging”.

The Fonterra boss said a reduction in demand for imported whole milk powder from China, one of the dairy producer’s three regional markets, has been a key driver of falling prices.

“Strong domestic milk supply growth in China has been propelled by high raw milk prices over the past few years,” Hurrell said.

“More recently, China’s extended Covid-19 lockdown has reduced consumer demand for fresh milk products and this demand has not yet recovered to the previously forecast levels.”

There are signs that China’s domestic milk production is balancing out, he said.

“As these changes on the supply side play out, indications are demand for New Zealand product could start to return over calendar year 2024.”

This coincides with the remaining tariffs on New Zealand dairy products being removed from January 2024 as part of the NZ-China Free Trade Agreement, Hurrell added.

While Fonterra has a strong balance sheet, Hurrell warned that, looking out to 2030, “achieving our long-term targets depends on rigorous focus” as to where they allocate milk investment.

“We also know this means reducing our costs to assist us to hit our short-term and long-term targets,” he added.

Hurrell said Fonterra plans to “streamline how we operate” through operational efficiencies, reducing cash costs across the business and the digitization of processes. AFP

Local stocks gain ahead of US jobs data release, China’s latest moves

By Jenniffer B. Austria

PHILIPPINE stocks traded higher on the last trading day of the week ahead of key jobs report from the United States.

The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange index inched up 5.81 points, or 0.09 percent, to close at 6,181.06, while the broader all-shares index rose 7.19 points to finish at 3,341.97. Regina Capital Development Corp. head of sales Luis Limlingan said investors were awaiting the August employment data, as a sharp fall in job openings could increase the likelihood of US Federal Reserve implementing a rate hike pause.

“Traders are holding onto hope that the report will indicate that the economy

is slowing meaningfully and ultimately give the Fed reason to pause benchmark interest rate hikes,” Limlingan said. Meanwhile, Asian markets mostly rose Friday. The US labor report comes at the end of a week that has seen traders cheered by figures indicating the world’s top economy is showing signs of softening, easing pressure on the Federal Reserve to lift interest rates further. Investors were also assessing China’s latest moves to help the country’s battered property sector as authorities face growing calls to introduce a big-bang economic growth stimulus. Wall Street’s three main indexes ended a volatile August on a tepid note Thursday after data showed the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation -- the personal consumption expenditures index -- ticked a little higher in July. While the reading was in line with expectations, traders were little moved as they focused on the non-farm jobs

figures due later Friday, with hopes they will show the labor market continued to soften in August.

Other data this week on job openings, factory activity and economic growth, among other things, have fueled optimism that the US central bank will not need to tighten monetary policy any more.

Analysts said, however, that there was an acceptance that rates will likely stay elevated for some time as more than a year of increases is allowed to work through the system, with no cuts seen for some time.

Bridgewater Associates’ Karen Karniol-Tambour said: “When you look at what it takes to get fast rate declines, usually you need the economy collapsing pretty quickly.”

“That’s very far from where we are today,” she said in an interview for an upcoming episode of Bloomberg Wealth with David Rubenstein. With AFP

Chinese carmakers confront European rivals at Munich show

FRANKFURT, Germany—Chinese manufacturers will be out in force at next week’s IAA auto show, one of the industry’s biggest, revving their new electric models on the turf of German carmakers, which have been lagging in the e-mobility race.

Elon Musk’s Tesla, usually a holdout from such events, will also make an appearance at the show in Munich, joining the jostle to steal the spotlight from Europe’s biggest brands.

The industry fair, which opens Tuesday with a speech from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, comes with clouds gathering for the automotive sector in Europe and in particular, Germany.

While suffocating supply chain problems have eased from the pandemic years, European auto giants are struggling to cope with increased energy costs in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year. Although sales in the European Union have steadily improved over the last 12 months, they remain around 20 percent below their pre-coronavirus levels as inflation and higher interest rates dampen appetite for new vehicles. At the same time, European manufacturers are facing increasingly stiff competition from Chinese carmakers which are touting their vehicles at far lower prices.

TOP GAINERS

Local upstarts have captured an increasingly large part of the prized Chinese market and are threatening to dominate the growing trade in electric vehicles.

Chinese groups were starting “their assault on Europe with the IAA”, said industry analyst Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer from the Center Automotive Research in Germany.

“The IAA 2023 maps out a new automobile world in Europe. Competition will be tougher. After the Chinese’s battery factories, their automobile makers are coming,” he said, calling it a “turning point” for the industry. AFP

Thousands of rented e-scooters vanish from Paris streets

PARIS, France—Parisians woke up on Friday to a world without rented electric scooters, loathed as a pedestrian-bothering nuisance by some but mourned by others.

The French capital is the first in Europe to completely ban hire scooters from its streets, after voters overwhelmingly elected to remove them in an April referendum -- albeit on a tiny turnout of 7.5 percent.

Friday puts an end to five years of seeing users zip through crowds of pedestrians or park awkwardly on pavements and at intersections, as well as a string of accidents.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo had herself campaigned against scooters, saying removing them would reduce “nuisance”.

“It makes me sad, because I liked so much to be able to get around like that, go wherever without the stress of using a car, getting stuck in traffic jams,” scooter user Valerie Rinckel said a few days before the ban came into force.

‘Quite unbearable’

But another customer, Anass Eloula, said that “it’s safer to stop now and get back to bikes, or for people to take the bus or public transport”.

David Belliard, deputy Paris mayor in charge of urban mobility, told reporters on Thursday that

TOP LOSERS

MOST ACTIVE

China, US increase wind turbine sales in first half—study

PARIS, France—Orders for wind turbines were up in the first half of the year compared to 2022, after a rebound in purchases in North America and strong volumes in China, said a study published Friday.

People ride electric rented scooters on Place de la Concorde in Paris on August 28, 2023. AFP the case against the rental scooters was overwhelming despite efforts by operators to address problems.

“There was some progress, but the bottom line is still negative,” he said.

“The anarchy was quite unbearable.”

Operators Lime, Tier and Dott have been gradually removing their 15,000 machines from public streets, planning to send them off to other cities in Europe and beyond after repair and maintenance work.

Some will even remain in the wider Ile-de-France region around Paris, with

Tier offering service in suburbs like Marne-la-Vallee and Saint-Germainen-Laye.

“We’ve turned the page on scooters” for the whole Paris region, said Xavier Mirailles, Lime’s public affairs director.

The Californian firm will send its scooters to Lille in northern France, London, Copenhagen and several German cities, while Dott’s will go to Belgium and Tel Aviv.

Alternatives

Instead of scooters, the firms hope

customers will switch to floating hire bicycles, which all of them already have on offer.

“Rather than giving in to nostalgia, we prefer to look to the future,” said Tier’s France chief Clement Pette, pointing to 5,000 bikes in his Paris stable.

Lime’s Mirailles said that “bicycle development is showing strong growth”, with a “very exciting outlook” for their 10,000 machines.

But bikes “are different, those bikes are big and heavy... not as agile”, said Amanda Rollins, a Paris-based American influencer with 740,000 TikTok subscribers who has posted about her love of scooters.

Some regular users have already bought their own scooter or opted for daily, half-day or weekly rentals offered by firms like electric mobility retailer Volt.

“This isn’t free-floating,” Volt founder Gregory Coillot told AFP, saying he wants to tempt over heavy users of the now-banned scooters as well as tourists and visitors at next year’s Olympic Games.

“The end of free-floating will increase demand for hire massively,” he added, saying he planned to expand his fleet up to 2,000 scooters to serve areas where the former operators did most business. AFP

Between January and June turbine orders for capacity reached 69.5 gigawatts, a 12 percent rise over in the first six months of 2022, according to research firm Wood Mackenzie.

That figure sets a first half record although it is down on second half 2022 results.

Total first half volume by value came in at $40.5 billion with a 47 percent rise in Chinese demand one of the key factors behind the push, the report said, consolidating the nation’s top rank status.

US demand also was a factor, with volume of electrical power (7.7 GW) quadrupling compared to the first half of 2022.

The study credited President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act in the United States, which is designed to underpin a vast energy transition and social reform program.

According to Wood Mackenzie, offshore wind power is increasingly playing a role with the first half of the year seeing a 26 percent rise over first half 12 GW for a 17 percent share of capacity.

The International Energy Agency said in July that offshore reach would increase in the coming years as more countries develop or plan their first offshore wind farms.

The trend has notably pushed global leading turbine manufacturer German-Spanish company Siemens Gamesa up to third in terms of ordered power behind China’s Envision Energy and Windey. AFP

ENGINE FACTORY. This photo taken on August 31, 2023 shows workers assembling an engine at an engine manufacturing factory in Qingzhou, in China’s eastern Shandong Province. AFP

DICT, Japan company sign $150-m cable network deal

By Darwin G. Amojelar

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology said Friday it signed a $150-million or about P8.5-billion contract with Japanese telecommunications giant IPS Inc. and affiliate InfiniVAN Inc. to expand the country’s undersea cable network and speed up digital transformation.

The new contract covers the expansion of the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network—a 2,500-kilometer undersea cable network that will interconnect Luzon and extend all the way to Mindanao, encompassing 26 hops or landing stations.

It will help build resilient infrastructure by laying optical fiber lines and develop inter-regional submarine cables.

DICT Secretary John Ivan Uy said the new contract would further enhance regional connectivity and promote economic growth as the country pushes for

digital transformation.

“This agreement shows how we collaborate with the private sector with the objective of establishing a contemporary and efficient network. This network is poised to play a role in enhancing the overall stability of infrastructure in the Philippines,” Uy said.

“With the improvement of connectivity, we are providing more Filipinos the opportunity to participate in the digital transformation and digital journey that we all must share in this fourth industrial [revolution],” he said.

Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center executive director Alexander Ramos said the partnership is a testament to the nation’s growing importance in the global digital landscape.

“The investment aligns seamlessly with the country’s Digital Transformation Strategy, which seeks to leverage technology for inclusive growth and progress,” he said.

Bank cuts GDP growth forecast

By Julito G. Rada

AMAJOR bank said Friday the Philippine economy may not grow within the targeted range of 6 percent to 7 percent this year on the sluggish 4.3-percent expansion in the second quarter amid elevated inflation and interest rates that dampened consumer spending.

Metrobank Research, in its latest report, revised down its 2023 GDP growth forecast to 5.5 percent from 6 percent. It also adjusted its inflation outlook to 5.6 percent from 5.8 percent for 2023 and to 4.6 percent from 4.3 percent for 2024.

“The Philippine economy posted a more muted growth of 4.3 percent

year-on-year in the second quarter of 2023, lower than the previous quarter’s 6.4-percent growth and market expectations of 6.0 percent. This was driven by the contraction in government and investment spending, and moderating consumption spending,” the report said.

It said consumer spending was expected to continue to moderate in

the succeeding quarters and normalize toward its pre-pandemic growth trajectory as pent-up demand fades and the impact of previous monetary policy tightening manifests in the economy. Government spending is expected to accelerate in the succeeding months to catch up eventually on the government’s programmed disbursements which may lend support to growth, it said.

“However, sluggish imports correlated with sluggish investment spending, which came from a higher base last year and given the currently high interest rate environment dampen the bank’s growth outlook,” it said.

Meanwhile, it said inflation showed a continued slowdown for the sixth straight month in July as it eased to 4.7

East West Bank plans P30-b bond issuance

percent. Metrobank Research expects this trend to persist in the succeeding months without supply shocks.

“However, the bank also recognizes looming upside risks emerging from higher rice prices which may feed into the headline inflation by yearend and until the following year. While price pressures have significantly tempered for 2023, we see these upside risks to be a major consideration for the BSP that may push currently stable inflation expectations higher,” it said.

Metrobank Research said it expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to keep the benchmark interest rate at 6.25 percent until yearend, with cuts likely to happen in 2024 and settle at 5.25 percent next year.

NO BRAND SALE. No Brand Korea’s Shangri-la Plaza store is holding its first and biggest sale on Sept. 2 to Sept. 8, 2023. The event is a welcome opportunity for people to discover the brand’s selection of high quality and value-for-money products from Korea and serves as advance celebration of the branch’s upcoming anniversary since it opened in October 2022.

EAST West Banking Corp., a subsidiary of Filinvest Development Corp., said Friday it is planning a bond issuance of up to P30 billion to support growth.

East West said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the bonds would be issued through a staggered program over a period of five years. The bank’s board on Aug. 31 approved the request of its treasury group to inform the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Securities and Exchange Commission and the Philippine Stock Exchange about the issuance.

It said the proceeds would be used “to support asset growth, diversify funding sources, and re-finance maturing liabilities, as well as for other general funding purposes.”

The sustained momentum from its lending portfolio doubled the bank’s net income in the first half to P3.3 billion from a year ago. Julito G. Rada

Dalma advises fintech firm

on record $20-m financing

DALMA Capital, a global alternative investment management platform and advisor, said Friday it advised Philippine fintech startup Salmon on a $20-million debt financing deal, the largest for a Series A company from the Philippines.

The debt transaction, backed by emerging-markets specialist investment firm Argentem Creek Partners, is also the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia in a year. The financing will allow the credit-led fintech firm to further scale its lending operations across the Philippines. The transaction was completed despite volatility in the credit markets, it said.

“Credit market volatility and the demise of certain traditional lenders to growth stage tech companies has created a vacuum in the marketplace, which alternative credit funds appear selectively prepared to fill,” said Dalma Capital managing director John Porter, who led the team that advised on the transaction.

Law

firm tags news on Yanson ruling as fake, inaccurate

A LAW firm refuted and challenged the accuracy of news reports, including the one that appeared on the website of Manila Standard on August 21, 2023 about the Court of Appeals decision on the legal battle between members of the Yanson family who control the largest bus company in the Philippines.

Lawyers Philip Sigfrid Fortun, Sheila Sison and Carlo Joaquin Narvasa said in a letter to Manila Standard on Aug. 24, 2023 that the CA-Cebu actually affirmed its earlier decision dated Sept. 14, 2022 nullifying the arrest warrants issued by the trial court against their clients—Yanson siblings Roy, Ricardo, Ma. Lourdes Celina and Emily or the Yanson 4.

“The inaccurate report contained in your publication’s article violates the sub judice rule considering that it is still the subject matter of pending court proceedings,” the legal counsel of the Yanson 4 said.

“We take exception to your misleading report that only serves to damage the reputation of our clients to the public and degrade the proper administration of justice,” they said.

“The accurate fact about the case before the Court of Appeals-Cebu in its resolution dated June 21, 2023 that decided the petition filed by our clients, is that it stood by and affirmed its earlier decision dated Sept. 14, 2022 nullifying the arrest warrants issued by the RTC against our clients,” they said.

The Fortun Narvasa & Salazar law firm also said the case was elevated to the Supreme Court. “As to the other procedural issues and matters decided by the CA, we will no longer comment on them considering that these are all matters that are already before our courts.

Suffice it to say that our clients already elevated this matter before the Supreme Court and filed the appropriate petition for this purpose,” it said.

9 companies eye IPO, listing after capital market roadshows

By Jenniffer B. Austria

THE Securities and Exchange Commission said Friday at least nine companies expressed interest in listing in the Philippine Stock Exchange as a result of the nationwide capital market roadshow it conducted for micro, small and medium enterprises.

SEC commissioner Kelvin Lester

Lee said in a speech during the listing ceremony for AC Energy’s P25billion preferred shares offering the nine companies had started discussions with the PSE for possible initial public offering.

The SEC earlier embarked on a nationwide roadshow that seeks to support the growth of MSMEs and start-up companies by pushing the capital mar-

kets as an accessible option for raising capital for business expansion.

The agency held roadshows in Davao City, Zamboanga City, Metro Manila, Baguio City, Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro City. It is also slated to go to Pampanga next week to attract MSMEs in Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley regions.

The initiative is part of the SEC’s 888@88 goal, which means that there should have been at least 888 companies that tapped the capital market by the time the SEC celebrates its 88th anniversary by 2024.

It achieved 71 percent of the target so far as 630 companies already tapped the capital market.

Lee said to facilitate the listing of MSMEs, the SEC streamlined the reg-

istration process and encouraged investment houses and other financial institutions to implement SME-friendly underwriting and advisory programs.

The SEC is also urging MSMEs to consider crowdfunding as an accessible and convenient means for businesses to secure funds for expansion, instead of applying for traditional bank loans, which require tedious documentation, high interest rates and mandatory collateral requirements.

Crowdfunding is a fundraising activity typically conducted by start-ups and SMEs where the public can support or fund a business idea through an online platform.

More than 200 businesses successfully raised capital through crowdfunding platforms as of end-2022.

“In addition, while in the past many Southeast Asian deals were being funded from Singapore and Hong Kong, we are seeing a lot more interest from investors in the Middle East and the West, which is a break with precedent,” Porter said.

Smartphone shipments fell 2.1% in second quarter

SMARTPHONE shipments in the Philippines fell 2.1 percent to 4.11 million units in the second quarter of 2023 from 4.2 million units a year ago, according to gadget tracker International Data Corp. IDC client devices senior market analyst Angela Medel said consumers were still wary of the perceived growth of the economy and remained guarded when buying stuff.

“Though inflation in the Philippines is slowing down and on the mend, consumer appetite for spending remained cautious in the face of higher prices of goods and economic uncertainty, resulting in eight consecutive quarters of annual contraction,” she said.

IDC said despite the slower market in 2023, smartphone transactions were still better off today than the doubledigit contractions in the past two quarters. It also represented the least decline in transacted deliveries in the past eight quarters, it said.

Data showed Transsion took a sizeable lead in shipments, accounting for 38 percent of total in the second quarter, retaining its ranking as the top provider of smartphones. Othel V. Campos

ACEN expects to reach renewables target of 5,000 MW this year

By Alena Mae S. Flores

ACEN Corp. said Friday it expects to reach its target of 5,000 megawatts of renewables capacity this year, or two years ahead of its original goal.

“ACEN has around 4.5 GW of RE capacity across our global portfolio, and we expect to cross the 5-GW mark within the next few months, two years head of our 2025 goal,” ACEN president and chief executive Eric Francia said during the

listing ceremony of the company’s preferred shares Series A and B at the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Francia said the company announced last year its vision of reaching 20 GW of renewables by 2030, and ACEN is now “4x away from that goal.”

“The Philippines will continue to be our core and single largest market, accounting for about 40 percent of our business. This means we expect to grow our Philippine renewable capacity from

1.7 GW today to more than 4 times to 8 GW by 2030,” he said.

“This is very much in line with the government’s goal of reaching 35-percent RE capacity by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040,” Francia said.

Francia said ACEN’s preferred shares offering raised P25 billion, which further strengthens the company’s balance sheet and support’s its aggressive expansion in the Philippines and the region.

“This is a groundbreaking transac-

tion being the first of its kind, fixed for life, preferred share offering in the Philippines without a step-up rate. This enables the company to fund its investments and match its intrinsic long term cash flows for the projects,” he said.

ACEN’s subsidiary ACEN Renewables International Pte. Ltd. and Silverwolf Capital Ltd., a venture capital firm, signed on August 31 a shareholders’ agreement to jointly develop and build greenfield solar energy projects in Taiwan.

DBP ASSISTANCE. State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines extends close to P2 million in educational aid to four secondary schools in Mindanao under the flagship corporate social responsibility program with the Department of Education. The assistance was given under the ‘Adopt-A-School’ program of the DepEd as part of bank’s continuing commitment to broaden support to the education sector. Attending the donation turnover ceremony at Pangabuan Integrated School are (from left) DBP senior assistant vice president Romel Calapardo, Pangabuan Integrated School principal Richel Ongcol together with representatives from DBP Ozamis branch manager Arcelyn Abao and Baltazar Porol.

SPORTS

Mondilla eyes home win as PGT resumes

Gilas PH tries to end World Cup campaign with a win over China

GILAS Pilipinas tries to end its FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 campaign with a win when it plays Asian rival China at 8 p.m., Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

While the Philippines will be fighting for pride after four straight losses, China needs the win to keep alive a flickering Olympic dream.

The outright Olympic bid may have ended for the Filipinos, but fans still have plenty of reasons to rally behind the nationals.

Wounded but unbowed, Gilas Pilipinas battles one last time as it hopes to put a winning end to its World Cup campaign in its final

classification game.

Still smarting from a gut-wrenching

87-68 loss to South Sudan, the bravehearted Filipinos gather every last bit of strength against Team Dragon, hoping to end the nationals’ recent luckless run on the world stage.

“We’re doing this for flag and country and we’re doing this as our way to serve the country, the Philippines.

It’s more than just a ballgame or just a win, but something larger: hopefully

ending on a winning note and hopefully leaving a lasting impression,” said Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes.

Beating the Chinese should be as rewarding as any World Cup victory especially with Team Dragon being a perennial powerhouse in the region, ruling the Asian Games four editions in a row from 1986 to 1998.

A win would also allow the Nationals to improve upon their finish in the 2019 World Cup.

“We’re trying to put everything together for one last push knowing that there’s no bearing except pride, fighting for the country, for service, which is exactly why we’re here in the first place,” said Reyes.

“No matter how difficult this job is, we’re here, we’re doing it, and hopefully we can come in and get to play our best on Saturday.”

China’s naturalized player Kyle Anderson (Li Kaier), who suits up for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA, believes Gilas Pilipinas plays more than what its records suggest, and so his team is bracing for a tough game against the Filipinos and the home crowd.

“Jordan [Clarkson] is an explosive scorer, he’s a really good player. They’re gonna have the crowd on their side. I don’t think that record shows how good (of a) team they are. They’re still a good team and they play with energy,” Anderson said.

Fiery chase up in inaugural 5150 Dapitan

JOHN Alcala sets out for another stab at triathlon glory, top-billing a stellar cast out to foil his drive for a third straight win in endurance racing in 5150 Dapitan, which fires off Sept. 10 in Zamboanga del Norte.

The Digos City native upstaged a tough international cast in the first IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Princesa late last year then ruled the 5150 Subic last June, making him the top pick for the overall championship in the Olympic-distance race set over the 1.5-kilometer swim, 40km bike and 10km run distance.

But while Alcala looms as the man to beat, a slew of seasoned campaigners are also coming into the blue-ribbon event all geared up, including last year’s Bohol 5150 winner Satar Salem, Andrew Remolino, Jailani Lamama, Jonathan Pagaura, Jorry Ycong and SEA Games gold medalist Fernando Casares, among others.

That ensures a spirited battle for top honors in the very first triathlon that

the historic Dapitan City is hosting with Mayor Seth Jalosjos guaranteeing a memorable racing experience for the competing international field that also includes those vying in the Go for Gold Sunrise Sprint.

A sub-category to the 5150 triathlon series, the short-distance triathlon series, also dubbed as S2, will be disputed over the 750m open-water swim, 20km bike ride and a 5km run. It provides fun and friendly racing experience present in all Sunrise brand of triathlon but with lesser of the challenges offered in the longer-distance races, like the 5150.

Ushering in the main event is the Noli Run, a 3km fun run on Sept. 9, according to the organizing The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc.

The men’s and women’s 5150 Dapitan winners will receive P175,000 each while those who will top the Go for Gold Sunrise Sprint will each get P75,000. Also on tap is the relay event with 16 teams making up the early roster.

For details and listup, log on to www.ironman.com/5150-dapitanphilippines-register.

Other age-group titles to be disputed are 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 6064 and 65-69 in both the men’s and women’s divisions.

Headlining the Go for Gold Sunrise Sprint bidders are Matthew Hermosa, Lawrence Uy, Kian Manabat, Cedric Mascariñas, Renz Corbin and John Lalimos (men’s) and Raven Alcoseba, Nicole del Rosario, Sophia Belican, Julie Jaylo, Sherr Daniot and Karen Manayon. Backers of the event are Lungsod ng Dapitan, Go fo r Gold, Active, Rudy Project, Santé, Manila Bulletin and Tempo.

World Cup losses fail to diminish Filipinos’ passion for basketaball

TEENAGERS from a crowded Manila slum shoot hoops on a court bearing the shiny logo of the FIBA World Cup, the tournament where the Philippines team disappointed a basketball-mad nation.

The team’s failure to make it past the first round—with three straight losses— has done nothing to diminish passion for the sport.

The court where the teenagers are playing is at the Tenement, a decaying public housing estate lacking running water and elevators, where hundreds of families cram into tiny apartments.

Some of the world’s top basketball nations, and some of the best players, are just a short distance away, but this is as close as many of the teenagers will ever get to the World Cup.

Undeterred by the national team’s dismal performance, which has left many disappointed fans blaming the coach, the teenagers braved heavy monsoon rain to practise their shooting skills.

“It gives me more inspiration to continue playing,” Kevin Bayobo, 18, told AFP

on Thursday at the court where he first learned to play.

“We fought hard. It’s just that luck was not with us. With better coaching, it’s not inconceivable that we could have

won a medal.”

Filipinos have developed a deep passion for basketball since it was introduced by former colonial ruler the United States.

Community life across the country revolves around basketball courts, which are usually covered with a roof, and people play at all hours of the day and night, often in flip-flops or bare feet.

Courts also serve as evacuation centres during natural disasters, as vaccination sites or venues for beauty pageants, and even places for mass circumcisions.

At the Tenement, the sound of basketballs thumping on the brightly painted concrete surface echoes through the 1960s-era housing project.

Children and adults wearing sports shoes lined up days before the World Cup for their turn to play on the court, which was given a makeover by FIBA’s “Revamp My Court” initiative.

Most residents of the slum would struggle to afford even the cheapest tickets for a World Cup game at one of the official venues in Manila. Instead, many watch games live-streamed by spectators.

“We’d love to watch the games if given a chance,” Merly Cardino, 46, told AFP.

“Maybe somebody will act as sponsors for us.” AFP

CLYDE Mondilla has practically spent the last 10 weeks at home and away from the course, thrilled and proud to welcome their second child without however holding up his preparations for the resumption of the Philippine Golf Tour, the last leg of which he won in emphatic fashion at Forest Hills last June.

He also abandoned his previous plan to vie on the Asian Development Tour during the PGT break but has whipped himself back into fighting form three weeks before the ICTSI Del Monte Championship, which gets going Tuesday (Sept. 5) at Del Monte Golf Club in Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon.

“I didn’t play abroad during the break.

Family time first because we just had our second child last July,” said Mondilla in Filipino. “I went back home to Bukidnon three weeks before the tournament to hone up since I didn’t play in any tournament.”

Save for one from the rest of the 59-player field, all are coming into the P2.5 million championship lacking in competitive play following the long Tour respite although each went through their own method of keeping themselves in shape and ready for another stab at PGT glory.

They include leg winners Ira Alido (Bacolod), Rupert Zaragosa (Iloilo), Tony Lascuña (Caliraya Springs), Jhonnel Ababa (Villamor) and Reymon Jaraula (Valley), along with back-to-back

The Country Club Invitational champion Guido van der Valk.

Justin Quiban, a two-time winner on PGT and PGT Asia, is also in the fold coming off stints on the Asian Tour, including the International Series, and the ADT while former PGT leg titlists Michael Bibat, Zanieboy Gialon, Jay Bayron and legend and hometown favorite Frankie Miñoza spice up the chase for top honors in the 72-hole championship put up by ICTSI and backed by Kampfortis Golf, the official apparel of the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

PH teener bags silver in jiu-jitsu world meet

SANTINO Luzuriaga, a talented 16-year-old home-grown Filipino athlete with a blue belt in Jiu-jitsu, made his country proud by bagging the silver medal at this year’s Jiu-jitsu Youth World Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan. Representing Team Philippines, Santino emerged victorious in four matches, securing his place in the gold-medal match of the Male, U18, -60kg division against Alinur Kuatuly, a hometown favorite and accomplished Kazakh athlete. Santino’s impressive performance in the final match, coming incredibly close to victory and losing by only a single advantage point, demonstrates his skill and determination.

This event marked his international Jiu-jitsu competition debut, representing the Philippine National Team and Team Atos Jiu-jitsu.

“I’m incredibly grateful to win the silver medal at this year’s Jiu-jitsu Youth World Championship. This experience taught me that there’s always room for growth, and I’m committed to pushing myself further in training. My goal is to continue competing in upcoming matches and represent the Philippines with pride on the international stage,” said Santino as he reflected on his achievements and future goals during a post-competition interview.

The Philippines’ Kai Sotto screams his heart out after scoring against South Sudan Thursday night. FIBA

Filipino fans carry banners in support of Gilas Pilipinas. FIBA

John Alcala

Clyde Mondilla

Santino Luzuriaga

Federal Land partners with Nomura real estate for new company—FNG

Eyes

‘future-responsive’ townships in its portfolio

IT IS a partnership with dynamic possibilities.

Combining Filipino creativity with Japanese ingenuity, real-estate giants Federal Land, Inc. of the Philippines and Nomura Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. (NRE) of Japan set up last year Federal Land NRE Global, Inc. or FNG.

This week, the company which ostensibly combines Japanese building technology and Filipino market knowledge, unveiled its latest projects in the cities of Mandaluyong, Pasay and Cavite.

All three projects, The Observatory Mandaluyong; MET Park Pasay; and Riverpark Cavite seek to show FNG’s commitment to redefining urban living, each embodying a distinct vision for modern existence.

The Observatory Mandaluyong

The Observatory presents a modern retreat in a strategic locale, emphasizing convenience and comfort. With unit sizes spanning from compact studios at ±26-33 sqm to expansive penthouses at ±155-202 sqm, this development caters to diverse preferences.

Historical data from Leechiu Property Consultants reveal a consistent price increase in vertical developments in Mandaluyong, highlighting the area’s investment potential. The Observatory Mandaluyong integrates modernity with an inviting retreat, promising a holistic urban living experience.

Met Park Pasay

Met Park Pasay, nestled in the bustling Bay Area, reimagines modern living with a youthful and balanced touch. This mixed-use neighborhood offers a spectrum of unit sizes catering to diverse lifestyles, from compact studio units at ±31-32 sqm to spacious three-bedroom penthouses at ±152-220 sqm.

COMPANY

The escalating land values in the Bay Area, as evidenced by Colliers data, signal a growing interest in strategic landbanking approaches among real estate stakeholders. Riverpark Cavite

Located in Cavite, Federal Land’s Riverpark community introduces a Japanese-inspired haven tailored to starting families. Embracing lot sizes ranging from ±300-527 sqm, this residential enclave harmonizes the aesthetics of Japanese design with contemporary family requirements.

Colliers Philippines’ Q2 2022 survey underscores the sustained interest in residential properties beyond Metro Manila, particularly in horizontal developments. The future neighborhood’s aspiration is to create a serene and rejuvenating environment for

families to thrive. Getting the best of the best

No doubt about it, these two leading real estate companies in their own countries joined forces precisely to create a new, more dynamic, and more future-responsive company. Dubbed as a “perfect synergy,” the company sees a “combined century of impressive local and international real estate experience, outstanding business performance, and comprehensive expertise in all aspects of property development and management.”

FNG aims to integrate the best of Japanese innovation, technology, and design with Federal Land’s extensive knowledge of the Philippine market and solid reputation for well-built and innovative properties located in key cities of the country.

“This is a perfect marriage of vision

Beach park condotel in Batangas

DMCI Homes recently launched Solmera Coast, a beach park condotel complex in San Juan, Batangas.

Unlike other DMCI Homes properties, Solmera Coast is not just resortthemed but is actually a beach park with residential condominium buildings, just a few meters away from the shoreline. Expansive open spaces are available

in the 7.5-hectare beach park for guests looking to relax and unwind, while event spaces are available for big gatherings. Solmera Coast spans Barangays Subukin and Calubcub II in San Juan.

Units at Solmera Coast are designed for the tropics and furnished with fixtures for beds, bathrooms, and even a split-type air conditioning unit upon

and values,” explained Thomas Mirasol, Federal Land president and COO, at a media briefing. “We share a common longterm outlook, anchored on creating worldclass developments that enrich the way people live. It’s a true synergy wherein we raise each other’s performance, whether in architecture, technology, construction, management, or most importantly, to the quality of service rendered to our customers.”

The joint venture aims to elevate the living experience of customers through the unique fusion of Japanese innovation with Filipino sensibility in its soon-to-be-seen developments. FNG differentiates itself through its push for sustainable smart cities, the presence of Japanese concepts, and its client-first mindset.

Through this strategic partnership, Federal Land’s local foothold is bolstered by NRE’s world-class prowess. With this new company, Yusuke Hirano, Nomura Real Estate Development executive officer, said: “we aim to make a difference. We want to create real-estate solutions that will elevate the living experience of customers to a higher level.”

Crafting a vision Federal Land, Inc., with over five decades of experience, stands as an influential contributor to the Philippine urban landscape. As a subsidiary of GT Capital Holdings, the company has consistently redefined city living through innovative residential developments, commercial spaces, office buildings, hotels, and integrated communities.

Nomura Real Estate Development Co.,

turnover.

The first of five mid-rise buildings will be ready for occupancy in February 2027 for the Matahari tower, May 2027 for the Kartika tower, and August 2027 for the Bumi tower.

Unit cuts range from 34 to 91.5 square meters for studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units.

Ltd., with its roots extending back to the 1950s, boasts a strong reputation in Japan’s real estate realm. It is engaged in a range of activities including residential development, leasing, investment management, property brokerage, and facility management. Elevating urban living FNG’s brand pillars reflect the amalgamation of Japanese innovation and Filipino sensibility. These pillars are underscored by principles of sustainability and forward-thinking design.

Japanese: drawing inspiration from Nomura Real Estate Development’s Japanese heritage and their expertise in developing residential developments, FNG aims to provide the next level of living experience to the local real estate market. From project concept and design, the seamless integration of nature into the development, to the Japanese cultural trait of putting clients at the forefront, FNG prioritizes the creation of spaces that cater to the diverse needs of modern urban dwellers.

Innovation: FNG integrates Japanese innovation into its projects through well thought-of design, architecture, and features. This infusion of innovation results in developments that are not only visually appealing but also, ensuring a seamless and comfortable lifestyle for residents.

Collaboration: as a company built on collaboration, FNG will continue to forge partnerships with local and global brands, companies, and individuals to better enhance its future communities.

BUILT ON COLLABORATION. From left are: Tom Mirasol, Federal Land chief operating officer and president; Yusuke Hirano, FNG vice chairman; Ar. Gilbert M. Berba, FNG head of urban planning and design group; and Yasuhiro Ohira, FNG senior management advisor

AGRICULTURE

By Patricia Taculao

FROM September 4 to October 25, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) will conduct the 2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries (CAF) throughout the country to collect basic information from the country’s agricultural and fishery sectors.

The data will serve as relevant bases for policies, plans, and programs for the Philippines’ socio-economic development. It also provides an inventory of agricultural and fishery resources, basic information on crops and livestock, statistics on land distribution and operations, benchmarks for measuring progress, data for local area planning, a sampling frame for surveys, information for monitoring progress toward Sustainable Development Goals, and data needed by the United Nations Organizations for international comparability and observing the global food situation.

“This milestone event signified the beginning of a comprehensive household and barangay data collection process. It underscores the PSA’s commitment to empowering our agricultural and fisheries sectors with accurate information, actionable insights, and a collective vision for the future,” said PSA Undersecretary and National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa during the 2022 CAF press conference.

Mapa added that the 2022 CAF is more than a mere counting and profiling exercise of the country’s agricultural farms and fisheries operations.

“It is an exploration into the heart of our urban and rural communities, where the hard work of our farmers and fishers intersect with the aspirations of our nation,” Mapa said.

Three provinces, namely Pangasinan, Bukidnon, and Iloilo, will have full coverage under the 2022 CAF because of their production volume and value in the country’s agriculture industry. On the other hand, PSA enumerators will also make their rounds in cities as urban farms and community gardens have become more abundant.

PSA aims to release the results of the 2022 CAF by the first quarter of 2024, promising that personal data collected from the respondents

Despite the noble cause of the 2022 CAF, PSA recognizes that their enumerators may still find challenges in meeting with the public. In response, the government agency named actress Bea Alonzo as CAF’s official endorser to help ease the process and gain more mileage.

Moreover, the PSA also partnered with the Department of Science and Technology’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOSTASTI) to use AI (artificial intelligence) to help with more arduous tasks like measuring the size of farms or parcels of land, among other uses.

“This census is the first time we will be employing AI or artificial intelligence because this is a joint project between PSA and DOST-ASTI to help us detect, map, and estimate the area for selected crops and aquafarms,” said Minerva Eloisa P. Esquivias, Officer-In-Charge and Deputy National Statistician of the Censuses and Technical Coordination Office.

She added the new technology will help PSA and its enumerators to complete the necessary information for the 2022 CAF.

Besides the usual paper questionnaire, PSA enumerators will use a tablet to digitize their efforts for productivity and efficiency, marking another first for the government agency. Some innovations they will use include earth observation, remote sensing data, and other developed algorithms.

By JT Llanes

THE Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-CAR) continues to provide technical assistance to the local agricultural offices in the different Local Government Units (LGU) in a bid to further strengthen the implementation of agricultural and fisheries programs and projects for the benefit of farmers and fisherfolks in the localities.

Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, identified agriculture as one of six basic services, together with environmental protection, health, maintenance of public works and highways, social welfare, and tourism as a devolved administrative function of the National Government.

Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolution promotes decentralization by giving local governments more autonomy in managing their resources.

Under devolution, the LGUs have created their own Provincial/Municipal Agriculture Offices (OMAg-OPAg) to serve as the frontline agency involved in agricultural concerns. The mandate of OPAG is to prevent and control plant pests and diseases, maintain agricultural laboratories and facilities, assist in the organization of farmers’ and fisherfolk’s cooperatives and other collective organizations, and transfer appropriate technology to clients.

The mandate of the OMAg, on the other hand, is to perform, implement, and deliver basic extension agricultural programs, projects, and activities to the municipality.

Meanwhile, the Regional Field Office of the Department of Agriculture assists the OPAg/OMAg by providing technical support in agriculture. An example of the technical support provided by DA-CAR to the different LGUs in CAR is the Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Systems (PAFES), which started during the previous administration. PAFES consists of flagship programs that strengthen LGUs’ agriculture and fishery extension services. The program is a collaboration between the DA, LGUs, educational institutions, and the private sector.

Under PAFES, the province serves as an extension hub that synchronizes agricultural plans and programs and orchestrates the activities of the various stakeholders. DA co-plans, co-invests, co-implements, and co-monitors priority projects in the provinces, particularly as they embark on commodity specializations to maximize comparative advantage.

AFTER 14 weeks of intensive training on modern agricultural practices, SM Foundation proudly celebrated the graduation of farmer beneficiaries from its Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan on Sustainable Agriculture Program (KSK-SAP).

The milestone marks a step towards sustainable farming practices and economic empowerment for marginalized farmers in various regions of Luzon.

In Central Luzon, SM Foundation concluded the KSK-SAP

training with a graduation ceremony in Olongapo City and San Marcelino, Zambales. Following this success, the foundation extended its reach to Southern Luzon, celebrating the graduation of farmers in Calamba and San Pablo, Laguna. The graduation ceremonies were marked by more than just the presentation of certificates. Market tours with SM Markets was held, allowing the farmer-trainees to explore potential marketing opportunities for their produce. They also had harvest festivals to showcase the fruits of their labor. The events culminated with awarding ceremonies to honor the farmers’ hard work and dedication.

Thrive amidst changes

Throughout the 14week program, farmer trainees underwent comprehensive training in various aspects of agriculture. They gained valuable insights into the cultivation and management of diverse crops, along with modern techniques and best practices for planting, tending, and harvesting. This holistic approach equips them with the skills and knowledge needed to

By Krystelle Ymari A. Vergara, DA-AFID

FOLLOWING the Philippine Department of Agriculture – Sugar Regulatory Administration (DA-SRA)’s visit to São Paulo, Brazil, early this year, delegates from the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) and the Embassy of Brazil in Manila met with DA officials on August 29 to discuss areas for cooperation between the two countries to boost its sugarcane and ethanol industries.

As one of the leading countries in sugarcane and ethanol production, Brazil offers academic programs related to the sugarcane industry and incorporating ethanol in its national energy grid.

Engr. Laverne Olalia, Research Development and Extension Department Manager of the DA-SRA stressed that the Philippines can learn from Brazil’s best practices on soil development and management, mealing practices, and farm technologies to improve local production.

He added that based on the SRA’s observations during its visit to the country last January, the Philippines can adopt

thrive in today’s ever-changing agricultural landscape.

KSK-SAP and its partners also converged to conduct various lectures on the life principles inspired by Henry Sy Sr., financial literacy, and business and livelihood development. These additional components of the program empower the farmer-beneficiaries not only to grow crops but also to become empowered agripreneurs, capable of contributing to the nation’s food security.

The KSK-SAP program has been implemented across the nation, as graduation ceremonies were also held in multiple locations across Mindanao, including Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, General Santos City, and Zamboanga. The KSK-SAP also has upcoming graduations in other areas in Batangas and Legazpi.

Since 2007, the KSK-SAP has fueled the farming and entrepreneurial capabilities of over 28,000 marginalized rural and urban farmers nationwide. Some of the farmers’ training graduates have become seasonal suppliers within the SM group and other local markets.

SM Foundation’s KSK-SAP is conducted in partnership with SM Supermalls, TESDA, DA, DSWD, DOST, DTI, and partner farm schools.

Representatives The 2022 CAF marks the first time PSA will use tablets in gathering basic information from respondents Farmer graduates at SM City Calamba proudly show their certificates

The 2022 CAF is the seventh in PSA’s decennial agricultural and fisheries census series, with PSA conducting the census every ten years.

Brazil’s best practices and innovations.

The Brazilian delegates recommended bringing in a team of experts to the Philippines to facilitate knowledge-sharing initiatives geared towards the expansion of sugarcane plantations, the promotion of farm efficiency, enhancing meal conversion, improving production chains, and lowering production costs in the Philippines.

DA Assistant Secretary for Policy Research and Development Noel Padre and ABC Technical Cooperation with Africa, Asia, and Oceania Manager Antonio Junqueira assured strengthening the forged partnership between the Philippines and Brazil to benefit the sugarcane and ethanol industry players.

Both countries are now discussing the possible development of the sugar and ethanol industries.

from the Department of Agriculture with delegates from the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC)

Claire Dennis S. Mapa (left)

Statistician Minerva Eloisa

realme 11 Pro+ 5G: Expect nice things from this beauty

By Riera U. Mallari

ASTUNNER.

That is the word that comes to mind when you first get a hold on the realme 11 Pro+ 5G.

The concentric circular accents on the round camera bump, the smooth vegan leather at the back, where a zipper-like accent runs down the middle, to go with stitching on the leather, give the realme 11 Pro+ 5G a super premium look that is really a sight to behold.

Design

There is a meaning to these, according to former Gucci Prints and Textile Designer Matteo Menoto, who cocreated the design. The Premium Vegan Leather Design of the back, says Menoto, was inspired from the city where he was born—Milan in Italy, with the camera module modeled after the rising sun in the middle of the city’s buildings.

The line in the middle is made with a 3D Couture Level Seam that took inspiration from the city roads stretching into the distance. The rest of the back of the phone makes use of Premium Lychee Vegan Leather (for Sunrise Beige and Oasis Green, our unit), and the phone’s design itself is one of the first to use an Industry-First 3D Woven Texture that is reminiscent of those used in high-class fashionable clothing.

Simply, wow.

But the realme 11 Pro+ 5G isn’t just a looker. It’s one nifty device capable of lots of nice things.

Camera

To sum it up, the realme 11 Pro+ 5G, priced at P24,999 (12GB+512GB), is equipped with a powerful 200MP OIS SuperZoom Camera, crystal-clear 120Hz Curved OLED Display, MediaTek Dimensity 7050 processor, and 100W SUPERVOOC Charge.

Its sibling, the realme 11 Pro 5G, priced at P19,999 (8GB+256GB), is packed with the same display and chipset, but comes with a 100MP ProLight Camera and 67W SUPERVOOC Charge. Both models have a 5000mAh Massive Battery, Dolby Atmos Dual Stereo Speakers, and are supported by the latest realme UI 4.0.

But let’s discuss our unit, the realme 11 Pro+ 5G.

Let’s start with its nicest feature -- a 200 megapixel main camera with a cutting edge Samsung sensor, paired with an eight megapixel ultra wide and a two megapixel macro camera.

The main camera produces highresolution shots at 200 Million Pixels and a full resolution of 16320 x 122402

– easily flagship grade with plenty of detail, nice contrast and no noise. Another standout feature is the 2x and 4x In-Sensor Zoom (in the Standard Photo Mode), which can be toggled to allow “lossless zoom” for photos taken through the 200MP Sensor, leading to shots that look great, with the detail level almost as rich as the default photos.

Moreover, the main camera’s new sensor is also meant to provide four times lossless zoom for the first time on the smartphone, with a very good level of detail. And if you take portrait mode shots, these will be at 2x by default, netting photos with good subject rendition and an acceptable level of detail.

In low-light conditions, the realme 11 Pro+ 5G automatically uses auto nightscape processing, churning out shots from the main cam that are bright and well exposed, with wide dynamic range, nice colors and low noise. The detail level isn’t poor, but turning the nightscape off in our case, produced slightly more detailed and sharper photos.

You will also love the selfies, because they are very pleasant as you won’t find yourself looking like a wax figurine, thanks to its 32 megapixel front-facing camera. The main cam can record videos of up to 40 resolution at 30 FPS, which are top notch with amazing detail, vibrant-looking colors and wide dynamic range. The live videos from the main camera also deliver the goods with bright, colorful and detailed results.

Processor

The chipset MediaTek Dimensity 7055 G here is nearly identical to both the Dimensity 1080 and the Dimensity 920 found from the two previous models, meaning you get basically a third generation in a row, but it certainly is no slouch with the huge amount of RAM and storage that help deliver superb performance in your daily activities.

Battery

The realme 11 Pro+ 5G is powered by a 5000 mAh battery, with a 100 watt super volt charging capable of zero to full charge in 28 minutes, and 45 in just 10 minutes.

Our unit lasted for nearly two days with light work, texting, calls, email, occasional music streaming and the like.

3M Philippines joins Public Schools for Brigada Eskwela

RENOWNED consumer product and diversified science company 3M Philippines recently partnered with public schools to prepare for the opening of School Year 20232024. With a new period of on-site classes on the horizon, there was no better time for 3M Philippines to launch their back-to-school campaign Malinis, Maaliwalas, at Masiglang Pagbabalik Eskwela, which was conducted as part of the Department of Education’s annual Brigada Eskwela program. For this school year, 3M Philippines aspired to create a welcoming environment for incoming students of Cubao Elementary School in Quezon City and Cayetano Arellano High School in the City of Manila.

Vivian Faustino, Country Sales Leader for 3M Philippines Consumer Business Group, spoke about the company’s goals for this latest initiative. According to Faustino, “3M supports Brigada Eskwela and the bayanihan spirit of all the education stakeholders in preparing and providing a clean learning environment for students and teachers in public schools.”

Verdict

The realme 11 Pro+ 5G is a smartphone millennials and Gen Z folks will love with its, first and foremost, amazing looks. It indeed is a lovely phone that you will want to flaunt. But beyond the premium design is a competent phone that will also lure content creators or photography enthusiasts, who need a smartphone capable of churning 4K videos and amazing snapshots; and tech enthusiasts, who want excellent performance from their phones in the conduct of their daily tasks and casual gaming, without burning holes in their pockets.

POCO redefines the mobile experience

By Patricia Taculao

THE younger generations have set a new benchmark of demands revolutionizing the mobile phone industry and put mid-range segments that bring a perfect mix of performance and price into the limelight.

One key player is POCO, a young independent brand born from the Xiaomi Corporation.

POCO has entered more than 91 global markets as of now. In 2021 alone, total shipments of POCO smartphones reached 23 million.

POCO is a consumer technology brand based on the philosophy of “Everything you need, nothing you don’t,” focusing primarily on its fans’ requirements and feedback. It’s on the relentless pursuit of technology, which its fans truly need, thus democratizing decisionmaking and continuous product updates to evolve itself.

As market demands from younger generations shifted because of the rising interest in mobile gaming, POCO promises to deliver innovations that would meet their consumers’ needs and more without breaking the bank.

“We aim to constantly push out products with great performance and experience at a price range. Great products bring more confidence to our partners, users, media, and, most importantly, ourselves, which allows us to push the boundaries further each time,” said Anne Wang, Head of Marketing at POCO Global, during the “POCO Partners Southeast Asia Forum 2023 - Next steps: Gen Z changes the game” held in Bangkok, Thailand last August 21, Monday.

Performance-wise, users prefer fastcharging phones with a large storage capacity and a high-performing processor,

like MediaTek, a Taiwanese semiconductor company that provides chips for various technologies.

MediaTek has been supporting POCO for five years and continues to do so by equipping the smartphone brand with the latest developments to provide users with the latest technological advancements.

“We are bringing the Dimensity to all users globally. The latest flagship smartphone chipset you’ll be seeing in the market real soon is our Dimensity 9200+,” said Chunyan See, Country Sales Manager at MediaTek Thailand.

In the meantime, recent market findings and trends discussed with Angus Ng, Head of Product Marketing at POCO Global, and high executives from Lazada, MediaTek, PUBG, and Shopee during the forum spell exciting opportunities for mid-range phones, meaning there’s more for POCO fans to watch out for, as the brand remains dedicated

to understanding the market’s needs and exceeding their expectations.

Revisiting a well-loved unit

During the forum in Bangkok, POCO made sure its attendants knew about the advantages of having their phones, like how an affordable unit can have outstanding specifications that allow for undisturbed gaming and an equally competitive camera compared to other flagship phones in the market.

One example is the POCO F5, launched in May of this year. Its exterior features a sleek design with a large 6.67-inch Gorilla Glass-protected Flow AMOLED screen with a 2,400 x 1080 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.

It works well with popular esports titles nowadays, like Call of Duty, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and others, even when played at the highest settings.

Meanwhile, its interiors have the 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 octa-

core processor, Adreno GPU, 8GB/12GB RAM, 256GB storage, and a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging.

On the other hand, its cameras pack a 64MP f/1.8 main + 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide + 2MP f/2.4 macro triple rear camera setup, with a 16MP selfie shooter.

The POCO F5 is a perfect everyday companion for those who want a highperforming phone for daily tasks without sacrificing their budget.

Five years of game-changing tech

This year, POCO is celebrating its fifth anniversary with the POCO Carnival campaign, which features exciting events.

As a favorite among the tech-savvy younger generations, POCO aims to kick off the carnival atmosphere by rewarding its loyal fans with surprising gifts, as the brand believes its success within the past five years is inseparable from its fans’ support.

Indeed, the uniquely Filipino bayanihan spirit prevailed as volunteers from 3M Philippines and Global Service Center spent their time cleaning and decorating the schools together with teachers, students, and their parents. Some of the household brands of 3M that sponsored the event are ScotchBrite™, Post-it®, and Scotch™. With the help of ScotchBrite™ Scouring, Bathroom, and Floor Care products, the school facilities were made neat and tidy for both teachers and students alike.

To beautify the classrooms, 3M Philippines also provided stationery and school supplies from its brands Scotch™ and Post-it®.

John Butch P. Locara, Principal of Cayetano Arellano High School, expressed his appreciation for the superior quality of 3M’s products. “Dito sa aming paaralan, subok na namin ang mahusay na kalidad ng Scotch tapes. Ginagamit ko ‘yan sa aking trabaho sa opisina,” he said. “Kami ay naniniwala na sa pagbabayanihan ng bawat isa ay maihahanda natin ang paaralan na malinis at maayos para sa ating mga mag-aaral.”

Eloisa C. Tamon, Principal of Cubao Elementary School, was likewise grateful for 3M’s partnership. “Salamat 3M Philippines sa pagpili sa amin bilang benepisyaryo para sa Brigada Eskwela,” she said. “Nakasisiguro kami na gamit ang mga produkto ng 3M ay malilinis natin ng mahusay at mapapaganda ang bawat classroom at paligid ng paaralan.”

3M Philippines and Global Service Center employees also had fun decorating the classrooms using Scotch™ Scissors as well as an array of adhesive products like Tapes and Glue Sticks. In addition, colorful Post-it® Notes were used to label and design teaching materials and parts of the classroom. These handy and beautiful decorations helped create an environment that is more conducive to learning.

3M Philippines envisions their products as essential parts of the learning process once the school year begins. Aside from Brigada Eskwela, 3M Philippines’ product engineer Ms. Mary Ann Demition gave tips and advice on how to use trusted brand ScotchBrite™ in household cleaning. She also shared how Scotch™ and Post-it® products benefit from 3M technology, stimulating the curiosity and creativity of all those in attendance.

Faustino emphasized 3M’s important role in educating the youth. “3M has always been a part of students’ formative years as we provide relevant 3M product tools in every stage of their learning and development,” she said. “Scotch™ and Post-it Notes® products help students fulfill their desire for self-expression and individuality.”

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The POCO F5 is equipped with a 64MP rear camera

Chunyan See, Country Sales Manager at MediaTek Thailand

A Japanese restaurant in Bangkok photographed via the POCO F5