Manila Standard - 2023 September 8 - Friday

Speaker: Cancellations of PH imports lead to 21%

By Maricel V. Cruz and Charles Dantes

PBBM hits ‘dangerous use’ of coast guard, sea militia

By Charles Dantes and Maricel V. Cruz

South China Sea.

In a speech at the 18th East Asia Summit, President Marcos emphasized the country's commitment to uphold its sovereignty and maritime rights in its territories, citing the need to foster rulesbased international order to ease the tension in the area.

world prices

According to US-based Markets Insider, the price of rice in the world market decreased by 21 percent, from $384 per metric ton last July to $332.4 per metric ton this month.

“It is proven that the EO 39 of President (Ferdinand) Bongbong R. Marcos Jr. set commendable results

By Charles Danes

JAKARTA—President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday emphasized the need for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its partners in East Asia to strengthen regional food security mechanisms before he flew home Thursday. The President arrived at Villamor Air Base at about 12:40 a.m. Friday.

not only in our country, (but in the world as well). We are hoping that the price decline in rice will continue,”

Romualdez said in a statement.

Romualdez said he believes that the drop in the price of rice in the world market was due to mass

Speaking at the 26th Summit of the ASEAN-Plus Three, which groups the 10 member-states with China, Japan, and South Korea, Mr. Marcos said for the region to move forward, ASEAN and its partner states must “stay united, take adversity in stride, and work together to focus on strengthening food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and developing the digital domain to encompass all levels of

society.”

“With the future in mind, we will tighten collaboration with each other and focus on the sustainable development of our region,” he added.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, also acting as the coordinatorof the Plus Three countries, were present at the Summit and each expressed

DOLE: P35-P50 base pay hike in Calabarzon

By Vito Barcelo

WORKERS in the Calabarzon region will receive a P35 to P50 hike in their daily minimum wage this month, the Department of Labor and Employment said.

Calabarzon's Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board issued the wage hike order on Sept. 1. The

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INDIVIDUALS who entered false information during their mobile SIM card registration would face penalties, including imprisonment, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said on Thursday.

NTC Commissioner Jon Paulo Salvahan said those who will enter false registration details may face jail time from 6

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

WITH the government still 3 million short of its student target for this school year, the Department of Education said late enrollees will be accepted until the end of the month.

DepEd deputy spokesperson Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas said the decision was reached in light of the disruptions brought about by the recent

weather disturbances.

“We are on course of meeting our 28.8 million target. We will be looking at a final number considering the variance between Grade 12 who graduated and incoming Kindergarten, among others,” he said.

As of Wednesday, only a total of 25.8 million students were enrolled.

Data from DepEd’s Learner Information System (LIS) showed that

Calabarzon has the most number of enrollees so far at 3,821,034, followed by Central Luzon with 2,817,827, and National Capital Region with 2,675,386.

The Cordillera Administrative Region logged the lowest number of enrollees at 406,815.

“Once 100% of schools have reported, we will have the official number for this school year,” Bringas said.

‘ASEAN, East Asia partners must boost food security’

‘Entering false info in SIM listup can lead to jail time’

Speaker Martin Romualdez

Marcos names Cacdac DMW OIC

By Charles Dantes and Vito Barcelo

MALACAÑANG on Thursday appointed Hans Leo J. Cacdac as officer-in-charge of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), replacing the late Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople who died on Aug. 22.

Cacdac was one of three new appointees of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Palace announced in a statement.

Before he was appointed DMW OIC, Cacdac was the DMW’s undersecretary for welfare and foreign employment.

He also served as administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administrator (OWWA) and the Philippine Overseas

EO...

From A1 cancellations made on imported rice by Philippine rice traders and importers in reaction to the price ceilings set by the government.

“Maybe because the importers and traders canceled their orders, there was suddenly an increase in the supply of rice abroad,” Romualdez said.

“It is obvious that the rise in rice prices in the markets isartificial because they have been hiding the rice in bodegas, as we have seen during our inspections,” he said.

Romualdez insisted that the palace was correct in imposing a price cap as it was the only effective way to discourage hoarders and price manipulators from carrying on with their illegal schemes.

PBBM...

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“The Philippines remains resolute towards the peaceful resolution ofdisputes. We continue to support freedom of navigation and overflight, and the rules-based international order in the South China Sea,” Marcos said.

"We must not allow tensions in the South China Sea to further escalate," he added.

The East Asia Summit was attended by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and other world leaders.

In his speech, Marcos also expressed his concern about the illegal,unreported, and unregulated fishing and the militarization of reclaimed features in the South China Sea.

The President has been pushing the ASEAN community for a peaceful and responsible way of dealing with disputes in the Indo-Pacific region.

Previously, the President praised the progress in negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, which

‘ASEAN,...

From A1 their full support for and cooperation with the ASEAN.

To ensure food security, President Marcos said regional mechanisms, such as the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve, must be strengthened.

He urged the ASEAN Plus Three to consider diversifying the emergencyreserve by adding other commodities and staple foods to strengthen food security and eradicate hunger and malnutrition in the region.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Thursday lauded the call of the President to broaden cooperation among ASEAN members and their partners in East Asia to help feed their citizens in times of need.

“The recent spike in rice prices worldwide underscores the urgent need for stronger regional cooperation to ensure mutual food security and the President’s call for action at the APT Summit is a prudent course of action,” Romualdez said.

In July, global prices for rice shot to their highest level since September 2011, spurred by the decision of India to ban exports of the grain in a bid to tame soaring food prices at home.

“Neighbors helping feed each other is the highest and sincerest form of cooperation,” Romualdez said.

On Thursday, Mr. Marcos urged ASEAN to establish a “Loss and Damage Fund” to combat climate change.

"Countries with the smallest carbon footprints disproportionately bear the heaviest burden of climate change. We need to urgently realize the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) to catalyze assistance to address climate change," Marcos said during a speech at the 18th East

Employment Administration (POEA).

Also named to a new position was Jennifer Pia S. Las as chairperson of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). Prior to this, Las was NCIP’s Central Mindanao Commissioner.

The Palace also announced the appointment of Jose F. Lim IV as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Transpor-

House ways and means committee chairman Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda echoed Romualdez’s explanation, saying that the increase in the price of ricein the world market was artificial due to the high volume of demand from the Philippines.

“We have seen this crisis before and we know how to deal with it,” Salceda said.

“But we should not over-import so that our neighboring countries won’tanticipate that prices will go up,” Salcedo said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“The imposition of the price cap on rice by Malacañang shows that the artificial increase in the prices of rice in the world market is unacceptable,” he added.

Earlier, President Marcos issued EO 39 ordering a ceiling in the prices of rice: P41 per kilo for regular milled rice and P45 for well-milled rice. The action came after the

have been going on for more than 20 years.

Mr. Marcos had earlier urged ASEAN to resist the “hegemonic ambitions” in the South China Sea but did not single out China in his remarks.

But on the sidelines of the ASEANChina Summit, Marcos told Chinese Premier Li Qiang that the Philippines will continue to push for cooperation with China, the Palace said Thursday.

A week before the ASEAN Summit, China drew international ire for using a 10-dash line map that marks nearly the entire South China Sea—including areas within the exclusive economic zones of other countries like the Philippines—as Chinese territory.

On the sidelines of the summit in Jakarta, Japan, the United States and the Philippines agreed to jointly address unilateral attempts to change the status quo, Japanese officials said.

Prime Minister Kishida, Vice President Harris, and President Marcos Jr. also pledged to further strengthen the three nations' cooperation "in various forms" during their brief talks in Jakarta, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The talks were held as Washington and two of its security allies, Tokyo and Manila, have been boosting ties to counter Beijing'smaritime assertiveness in the

Asia Summit.

Mr. Marcos said climate financing, which is complemented by viable and effective technology transfer and country-specific capacity building, is needed to expedite a “just transition” to a climate-resilient economy.

At the plenary session of the 43rd ASEAN Summit on Tuesday, Marcos urged the ASEAN to pressure the more developed countries to strengthen the implementation of their commitments at the upcoming 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

As one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, Marcos said the Philippines would continue to give priority to internationalcooperation that would make ASEAN climate-smart and disaster-ready through the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity.

Also on the sidelines of the summit:

• The President hailed India's commitment to support the ASEAN push for stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific region. “Allow me also to begin by thanking India for supporting ASEAN during the last Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Meeting where India stood in solidarity with ASEAN, especially on our call to factually update paragraphs on the South China Sea in the NAM Ministerial Outcome Document,” he said at the ASEAN-India Summit. Mr. Marcos praised India’s influence and its efforts to promote the rule of law as a major power in the region.

• Mr. Marcos and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet vowed to commit to stronger cooperation between the two nations. The President raised the possibility of importing rice from Cambodia and further boosting commercial aviation between the two countries. “I see that there’s so much room for growth, so much room for partnership," the President said. With Maricel V. Cruz (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

tation (DOTr).

The DMW meanwhile closed a maritime consultancy firm for fake job offers, illegal recruitment, and unauthorized collection of fees.

The DMW said it closed down the offices of R. T. M. Maritime Consultancy Services Corp. located on the 2nd floor of the J & P Building along Ninoy Aquino Avenue in Santo Nino, Paranaque City, for alleged illegal recruitment activities and unauthorized collection of fees.

The closure was ordered in the wake of complaints sent separately by “Ernesto” and “Dindo” (not their real names) to the DMW earlier this year.

Ernesto stated that he was promised by

government received information that someunscrupulous traders were planning to raise prices to as high as P70 per kilo.

“This remarkable development marks a significant shift in ouragricultural landscape and offers hope for our local consumers,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez, along with several lawmakers, earlier joined a series of surprise inspections by the Bureau of Customs (BoC) of several warehouses in Bulacan storing rice.

The House leader recently asked the BoC and law enforcers to send rice smugglers and hoarders to jail.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and Vietnam are finalizing a deal on an inter-government rice trade to ensure enough rice supply in the country during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Indonesia.

Indo-Pacific region against the backdrop of the US-China rivalry.

ASEAN on Wednesday raised concerns over “serious incidents’ in the South China Sea that have “put the safety of all persons at risk” and caused damage to the maritime environment. These incidents have “increased tensions and may undermine peace, security, and stability in the region,” the regional bloc said in its Chairman’s Statement— without specifically naming China.

“We discussed the situation in the South China Sea, during which concerns were expressed by some ASEAN member states on the land reclamations, activities, and serious incidents in the area, including actions that put the safety of all persons at risk, damage to the marine environment, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security, and stability in the region,” the statement read.

“We reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea and recognized the benefits of having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability, and prosperity,” it read.

“We emphasized the importance of non-militarization and self-restraint in the conduct of all activities by claimants and

DepEd:...

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RTM a job as Chief Cook onboard a container vessel in Dubai with a monthly salary of $900, or the equivalent of P51,300.

In exchange, Ernesto was asked to pay a total of P105,000 at RTM’s office representing alleged “consultancy” fees for finding him an overseas job.

Dino, meanwhile, applied for the position of Engine Cadet with a promised salary of $350, or approximately P20,000, per month. He was asked by RTM to cough up P140,000 as a consultation fee for the job placement.

Both Ernesto and Dino applied for their alleged jobs in the first quarter of 2023. After waiting several months for their deployment, they decided to file their complaints with the DMW.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh gave the suggestion of forming a five-year rice supply agreement between the Philippines and Vietnam.

“I would suggest that the Ministries of Trade and Agriculture of the two countries will work together so that we can come up with a five-year agreement on the supply of rice and actually… the rice will be determined by the market,”

Pham said

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed the idea of a rice importation agreement, citing its importance in stabilizing the surge in rice prices and shortage of rice supply.

“However, the suggestion of a longerterm arrangement is an important one because just having that as an assurance will stabilize the situation, not only for the Philippines but for all of us in the region,” President Marcos said.

all other states.” There is a need to “enhance mutual trust and confidence” and to “exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability, andavoid actions that may further complicate the situation,” the regional bloc said.

While the ASEAN did not directly mention China, Asia’s largest economy has been repeatedly criticized for illegally building airstrips and other military facilities in shoals within other countries’ exclusive economic zones.

In August, several countries— including some ASEAN members— condemned the Chinese Coast Guard’s use of a water cannon against Philippine vessels delivering fresh supplies to Filipino soldiers station near Ayungin Shoal.

ASEAN emphasized the “need to maintain and further strengthen stability in the maritime sphere” through the crafting of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

“We emphasized the need to maintain and promote an environment conducive to the COC negotiations, and thus welcomed practical measures that could reduce tensions and the risk of accidents, misunderstandings, and miscalculation,” it said. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

He said DepEd will also implement "child-find procedures" to determine the reasons why some students are not returning to school.

“The reason for not enrolling is not because they are displaced. Public schools do not refuse enrolment,” Bringas said.

“Schools will employ child-find procedures to determine reasons for not returning to school. ALS will be the other alternative for them to continue if they are unable to continue formal schooling for some reasons,” he added.

Meanwhile, amid calls to review the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (Republic Act No. 10931), Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is seeking the expansion of the capacity of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to ensure that more qualified students can receive free college education.

He said the free higher education law, which he co-authored and cosponsored, increased the number of basic education learners who pursued college.

Before the enactment of the free higher education law, the progression rates from high school to college stood at 54% and 62% for Academic Years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, respectively.

When the free higher education law was implemented, the progressionrate from senior high school to college surged to an average of 81% from 2018 to 2022.

Senator Pia Cayetano, for her part, backed the position of both Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno and CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera that there is a need to revisit the free tertiary education program.

"We will continue supporting the financial assistance to students. Butwe also need to prioritize the courses that would have a direct contribution to economic and social development," Cayetano said.

"We have to allocate our limited public funds judiciously," Cayetano added.

DOLE:...

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order is to take effect 15 days from its publication or on Sept. 24.

Non-agricultural workers in the region will see their pay increase to P520 per day.

On the other hand, service and retail establishments employing 10 or fewer workers and manufacturing establishments reg-

Source: DoF's Magno quits over rice price ceiling

By Julito G. Rada

FINANCE Undersecretary for Fiscal Policy and Monitoring Group Cielo

Magno has filed her resignation which will take effect on Sept. 16, 2023.

A source from the Department of Finance, on condition of anonymity,confirmed her resignation, although no further details were given.

Manila Standard tried to reach Magno through mobile call and text message but she did not respond.

Online reports said Magno was asked by Malacañang to resign. The Presidential Communications Office has yet to react to this development as of press time.

The reports said Magno’s apparent firing from the DOF was triggered by her Facebook post that allegedly criticized the imposition of a rice price ceiling.

On Facebook, Magno wrote: “A wise man told me, if you do your job with integrity, you will be back in UPSE soon,” referring to the University of the Philippines School of Economics.

Prior to that, Magno also posted on FB that “I miss teaching.” Magno told ABSCBN News in an interview that she was grateful for the opportunity to serve the Filipino people, “but I think the academe will give me the flexibility I need to advocate for good policies.” (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Comelec warns of vote-buying ahead of BSKE

DISTRIBUTING anything of value such as t-shirts, fans, caps, and ballers to campaign for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) could be considered vote-buying or vote-selling, the Commission on Elections said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, 65 petitions to cancel certificates of candidacy (COC) and disqualify candidates for the nationwide village elections have been filed, the poll body said.

Also, two alleged accomplices in the killing of a village chief seeking reelection in the upcoming BSKE in Taal town in Batangas province were arrested, a police official said on Wednesday.

At a public briefing, Comelec spokesperson Rex Laudiangco stressed that the maximum size for posters and tarpaulins is 2x3 feet; 8.5x14 inches for leaflets and fliers; and 3x8 feet for banners and streamers.

“Any other kind of campaign paraphernalia such as t-shirts, ball caps, baller bands, and others, because they have value, that could be considered as a method of buying votes," he said.

Vince Lopez (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

‘Entering...

From A1 months to 2 years or a fine ranging from P100,000 to P300,000.

Under our law, if you provide false or fictitious information or used fictitious identity or fraudulent ID to register your SIM, you can be put behind bars," Salvahan said.

On Wednesday, the National Bureau of Investigation informed the Senate that they successfully registered a SIM using a photo of a monkey when they tested the systems of various telco providers.

This prompted lawmakers to seek amendments to the implementing rules and regulations of the SIM Registration Act. Salvahan said the NTC has already ordered telco firms to submit data on similar incidents of fraudulent or fictitious registration.

He also warned people against selling pre-registered SIMs as unauthorized transfer may result in imprisonment between 6 months and 6 years or a fine ranging from P100,000 to P300,000.

Salvahan said the NTC is aiming to release the amended IRR of the SIM Registration law next week.

Authorities were also looking at the possibility of limiting the number of SIMs one can register as there was no provision under the existing law on setting a cap. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

ularly employing less than 10 workers will see their daily pay rise to P385.

Meanwhile, agricultural workers in Calaca and Carmona will see anincrease of P89 in their daily wage due to their localities' reclassification as component cities.

The new rates are expected to benefit over 719,000 minimum wage earners in the region, DOLE said. DOLE said this will result in a "comparable 23 percent increase in wagerelated benefits covering 13th-month

pay, service incentive leave(SlL), and social security benefits such as SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-lBlG."

"About 1.6 million full-time wage and salary workers earning above the minimum wage may also indirectly benefit as a result of upwardadjustments at the enterprise level arising from the correction of wage distortion," it added.

In June, the wage board approved a P40 hike in the minimum wage in Metro Manila.

IN BRIEF

5 ecstasy shipments worth P14m seized

AGENTS assigned to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) intercepted five drug shipments worth more than P14 million at the Central Mail Exchange Center in Pasay City.

Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF) operatives discovered five parcels of ecstasy and its raw material at CMEC, originating from France and the Netherlands.

The shipments were consigned to five individuals, namely Ma. Isabelle Albano, Lexter Malabanan, Abelardo Rabago, Gerlyn Guinto, and Angelina Strik

Customs officials said ecstasy is a Class-A drug, which is an artificial stimulant popular among clubbers.

Officials said those who take the drug can have a rush of energy, which makes them alert, excited, and happy.

The Port of NAIA is set to turn over the seized shipments to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for proper disposition. Joel E. Zurbano

11 Chinese, 3 Pinoys nabbed for gambling

POLICE arrested 11 Chinese and 3

Filipinos in a raid on an illegal gambling den inside a salon in Bayview Drive, Tambo, Parañaque City.

Authorities conducted the raid after receiving a tip that the salon was a front for gambling operations, according to Police Lieutenant Colonel Jolet Guevara, chief of the District Special Operations Unit (DSOU) of the Southern Police District.

Guevara said the salon was a front, “but when you enter, you will see a large area full of machines that we call fish table games.”

“It’s like he’s in an arcade, the one who catches fish then the corresponding points equivalent to money. So they will bet a token and then after the money comes out, the Philippine money will be cashed out. The value per token is P1,000. Although they use a machine, their money bets are big. It’s clear that this is illegal gambling,” Guevara added.

Vince Lopez

‘Prisons: Breeding grounds of despair’

REP. Brian Raymund Yamsuan of Bicol Saro Partylist lamented the deterioration of the country’s penal institutions into “breeding grounds of despair and recidivism.”

The lawmaker is also urging his colleagues to help revert these institutions into “places of rehabilitation and transformation.”

In demonstrating the appalling state of the Philippines’ penal facilities, Yamsuan in a privilege speech said officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) have informed him that there are only 16 medical officers and 3 psychiatrists to provide health care services to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) locked up in district, municipal and city jails managed by the agency throughout the country.

Maricel V. Cruz

FOR MAKATI.

A resident of Brgy. Pitogo--a community formerly under the jurisdiction of Makati City but is now part of Taguig City-stands before posted messages asking residents to unite to retain their district under Makati City.

Danny Pata

BI: Rules revised for Pinoy tourists

By Vito Barcelo

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it will implement new regulations to lessen the requirements previously imposed on Filipinos with foreign partners departing to meet or marry abroad.

The BI said this streamlining plan follows the recommendations set by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) for departing Filipino tourists.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the agency has already coordinated with the CFO to address issues on the travel requirements for departing Filipino tourists, adding the new rule has

FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

Members of the Pamalakaya fisherfolk group, together with environmental activists protest against the dumping of wastes as well as ongoing reclamation and dredging projects. The government has suspended all 22 reclamation projects in Manila Bay pending a review of their compliance with environmental regulations.

Norman Cruz

been disseminated to their immigration officers nationwide.

The streamlined requirements were part of the 2023 Revised Guidelines on Departure Formalities released by InterAgency Council Against Trafficking, but which implementation was suspended. Under the new guidelines, Filipino fiancées, spouses, and other partners

of foreign nationals holding tourist or other limited period of stay visas are no longer required to undergo the CFO’s guidance and counseling program (GCP).

However, the CFO clarified that the requirements for Filipinos departing with immigrant or with long-term permanent residence visas, spouse or partner visas, J1 visa holders bound for the United States of America, and au pair visa holders bound for Europe remain, which requires them to secure the GCP prior to departure.

The new rule is set to be implemented after the CFO signed a memorandum of agreement on the shared government information system on migration.

Teodoro asks lawmakers to allow Defense to provide OT, hazard pay

DEPARTMENT of National Defense

(DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. is asking lawmakers for a special provision allowing the DND to provide overtime and hazard pay for its civilian disaster and arsenal personnel.

Teodoro made the request during the budget hearing of the House Committee

on Appropriations for the department. Teodoro, quoted by GMA News, said: “we have a little bit of lambing to you, some special provisions to allow us to pay our civilian employees overtime pay and, in situations where warranted, hazard pay.”

The Defense chief added that em-

ployees of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)--an agency under the DND—do not get hazard pay “but PhiVolcs and other employees do.” “Government arsenal personnel need hazard pay because they work in a very hazardous environment,” Teodor said. He also asked for a special provision to

allow the government arsenal to barter or sell scraps to generate funds, lessen environmental hazards and remove long and complicated processes in disposing of them.

Aside from this, Teodoro is also calling for some amendments including the reestablishment of hospitals in the government arsenal, GMA News also reported.

The MOA aims to provide a simplified and more efficient means of processing, collecting, verifying, and sharing information needed by both agencies through system interoperability and real-time data sharing.

Meanwhile, Immigration Officers assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 barred from entering the country an American national tagged as a registered sex offender (RSO).

The American, identified as Gabriel Rodriguez, 34, attempted to enter the country but was intercepted by BI officers. Records reveal that Rodriguez has been convicted in 2019 in the US for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

PH once again Asia’s leading dive destination

THE Philippines has once again secured the title of Asia’s “leading dive destination” after bagging the award at the prestigious 2023 World Travel Awards (WTA), the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Thursday.

The country clinched the title for the fifth consecutive year at the preeminent WTA Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony 2023 in Vietnam on Sept. 6.

“The Philippines’ fifth consecutive win as Asia’s Leading Dive Destination further affirms the unparalleled beauty and mega biodiversity of our country loved by divers and tourists all over the world,” said Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco.

Frasco said this is a testament to the Philippines’ commitment to sustainable tourism development and strengthened collaboration with tourism stakeholders.

“From our ridges to our reefs, you will never run out of reasons to Love the Philippines,” she added.

DOT Undersecretary Shahlimar Hofer Tamano personally received the WTA Asia’s Leading Dive Destination 2023 trophy, which was awarded based on public votes and validation from the group’s panel of travel professionals.

The following Philippine private tourism stakeholders also bagged notable victories at the WTA Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony 2023:

• Okada Manila (Asia’s Leading Casino Resort)

• Discovery Shores Boracay (Philippines’ Leading Beach Resort 2023)

• Travelite Travel and Tours Co. (Philippines’ Leading Destination Management Company 2023)

• Seda Hotels (Philippines’ Leading Hotel Group 2023)

Navy frigates upgraded with anti-torpedo modules

FRENCH defense manufacturer Naval Group on Wednesday announced that it has outfitted anti-torpedo reaction modules to the Philippine Navy’s (PN) two Jose Rizal-class missile frigates. The company said on August 31, its Contralto anti-torpedo reaction module was successfully installed into the

C-Guard decoy launching system of the PN’s two Jose Rizal class frigates.

“This important milestone is part of the contract signed in December 2021 to provide an anti-torpedo defense system based on Naval Group’s Canto/Contralto solutions,” it added in a statement.

Under this contract, Naval Group would supply these defensive systems to the BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151). The commissioning of the anti-submarine warfare and Contralto anti-torpedo reaction modules completes the armament of the two Jose Rizal-class frigates.

Drilon: Restrict intelligence funds to NBI, military

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

FORMER Senate President Franklin

M. Drilon is proposing to restrict confidential and intelligence funds to agencies responsible for security and peacekeeping operations. He said these funds should only be

allocated to organizations--military or civilian--such as the National Bureau of Investigation (NBA), which is directly engaged in intelligence gathering for security and peace and order purposes.

“Only those agencies involved in gathering intelligence should be given confidential and intelligence funds. That

should be the clear standard,” Drilon said. He said agencies not directly involved in confidential and intelligence gathering such as the Department of Education (DepEd) should rely on the information provided by intelligence agencies rather than receiving confidential funds.

BOOK NOOK IN TABACO CITY. Tabaco City Mayor Krisel Lagman-Luistro speaks during the ceremonial ribbon-cutting and official launching of the Book Nook at the Tabaco City Library.

Stable supply of chicken, eggs seen

By Maricel V. Cruz

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Thursday lauded the initiative of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to hasten the acquisition of avian flu vaccines that would help revitalize the country’s poultry industry and ensure affordable food on every Filipino family’s table.

This developed after President, concurrent Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, met Tuesday night with leading Indonesian animal health firm PT Vaksindo Satwa Nusantara.

Vaksindo intends to cooperate with its offshore partner, Unahco Inc. (Univet Nutrition and Animal Healthcare Co.) Philippines on veterinary vaccines and plans to invest around $2 million this year.

Likewise, it would soon provide the Philippines with avian flu vaccine.

“The early delivery of Vaksindo vaccines could spur the revitalization of our country’s poultry industry which has faced serious challenges due to the continuing threat of the avian flu,” Romualdez said.

Among others, he noted that egg producers recently confirmed a 20 percent drop in their production due to the culling of at least 10 million chicken layers as an offshoot of the avian flu, first reported in the country in 2017.

As a result, prices of eggs spiked early this year with the average cost of a medium-sized egg in Metro Manila markets rising from ₱6.90 to ₱8.70. In some markets, prices even reach ₱10 for a regular-sized egg.

On the other hand, the price of whole chicken in Metro Manila ranged from P150 to P200 as of June this year, partly

Garin says DOH adviser on public health no expert

DEPUTY Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin on Thursday slammed the appointment of former Special Adviser to the National Task Force against COVID-19 Dr. Tony Leachon, saying that he is not an expert on public health.

Garin questioned Leachon’s expertise on public health following his appointment as special adviser for non-communicable diseases of the Department of Health (DOH).

During the budget deliberations on Wednesday, it was revealed that Leachon does not have a masteral or doctorate degree in Public Health to be considered an expert in the field.

Furthermore, Garin cited a statement of Presidential Adviser on Peace Carlito Galvez Jr. who claimed that the data released on vaccines were “skewed” and “malicious.”

“Do you think its fair for the Department of Health to (to give) P100,000 to a person whose statements were always skewed and malicious?...I’m saying this because as a Secretary of Health, you have allies and colleagues with you whose tasks and functions will be affected,” Garin told Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.

“You can hire him as your personal consultant, but you cannot give him the platform of the Department of Health because that is a lot different,” Garin added.

Instead of giving compensation to a non-expert, Garin said the money should be allotted to the MAIP (Medical Assistance for Indigents Program) workers. Maricel V. Cruz

IN BRIEF

SC disbars prosecutor for grave misbehavior

THE Supreme Court (SC) has disbarred a prosecutor after she was found guilty of violating the Code of Professional Responsibility for uttering foul and offensive remarks to the justices and for insulting the Bar Confidant.

attributed to the threat of the avian flu.

“The President is keenly aware of the plight of the poultry industry sector, and the engagement with Vaksindo is a positive step towards addressing the problem of avian flu that continues to beset this sector,” Romualdez said.

“Making avian flu vaccines available to our poultry sector, along with the adoption of best practices, would help ensure we could sustain the encouraging signs of recovery of the industry,” he added.

He said this is the reason why the meeting with Vaksindo officials was among the President’s top priorities in his trip to Indonesia to participate in the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Jakarta,” he added.

The Speaker expressed hopes for the enactment of a law that would establish the Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines, envisioned to focus on applied research and studies to develop diagnostic kits and vaccines not only for humans but also for animal and plant diseases.

In December 2022 the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading its version of the measure, or House Bill No. 6452. The Senate has yet to pass the counterpart bill.

Solon censures PhilHealth execs’ 300% salary hikes

ANAKALUSUGAN Party-list Rep. Ray Reyes on Thursday sought a congressional inquiry into the Philippine Health Corp. (PhilHealth) for prioritizing the increase of its executives’ pay during the pandemic.

In filing House Resolution 1261, Reyes urged the House Committee on Health to look into the tripling of PhilHealth executives’ pay in 2022.

Reyes, vice chair of the health committee, filed the resolution calling for the House inquiry after PhilHealth officials confirmed the findings were true during budget deliberations this week.

“It is ridiculous and reeks with callous lack of empathy that PhilHealth thought it necessary to apply for a certification to increase their salaries and

allowances threefold in the middle of a pandemic,” Reyes said.

“They cannot even provide a zero balance billing for its members despite millions collected in additional increases in premium contributions, billions of proceeds from their investments, and the multiple sources of funding provided for by several statutes enacted for the purpose,” he added. Maricel V. Cruz

UNRAVELING PERENNIAL TRAFFIC SNARLS ON KATIPUNAN AVENUE.

Officials of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Quezon City government pore at a road map of the Katipunan Ave. vicinity in an attempt to the root cause of the daily traffic mess and find the most viable options to hasten vehicular flow. Manny

Palmero

In a per curiam decision, the SC ordered lawyer Perla D. Ramirez to be stricken off the Roll of Attorneys after finding her guilty of violating the Lawyer’s Oath and Rule 7.03 of Canon 7, Rule 8.01 of Canon 8, and Rule 11.03 of Canon 11 of the Code of Professional Responsibility (CPR), or the canons governing lawyers’ conduct towards the legal profession and the courts.

“This Court has always reminded members of the Bar that the practice of law is not a right, but a mere privilege which is subject to the inherent regulatory power of this Court. It is imperative for lawyers ‘to observe the highest degree of morality and integrity not only upon admission to the Bar, but also throughout their career in order to safeguard the reputation of the legal profession,” the SC ruled. Rey E. Requejo

MMDA moves to ease Katipunan Ave. traffic

THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Thursday inspected Katipunan Ave. in Quezon City to address traffic congestion in the area, particularly during rush hours.

MMDA general manager Procopio Lipana said the agency was studying measures to mitigate traffic as it has observed worsening traffic congestion in the area.

“We are looking at adjusting Ateneo de Manila’s entrance gate for vehicles without stickers to accommodate more vehicles that would lessen traffic congestion in Katipunan Ave.,” he said. Joel E. Zurbano

Abalos says DILG used funds wisely, effectively DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said the DILG and its attached agencies have been “prudent and effective” in the utilization of its funds as 98.7 percent or P139.366-billion out of the total P141.2-billion obligation for the first semester of fiscal year 2023 had already been disbursed.

“We assure you that the DILG is prudent in utilizing the funds intended for their allocated purpose. The Department ensures transparency in financial management following existing auditing rules and regulations,” Abalos said.

In his report during the budget hearing at the House of Representatives, Abalos explained that of the P141.206-billion fund, P123.508-billion went to personnel services for the entire DILG family, including all its attached agencies; P15.642billion for maintenance and other operating expenses and P2.055-billion for capital outlay, as of June 30, 2023. Vince Lopez

Tulfo eyes Senate inquiry on abusive practices by money lenders

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Raffy Tulfo seeks a Senate investigation on the alleged unfair debt collection practices of lending companies involving harassment of borrowers and other abusive means to collect payments.

Tulfo stressed the need for a probe to solve the mounting complaints number of against abusive lenders in the industry.

In his Senate Resolution (SR) No. 746, Tulfo lamented that some lending companies even post libelous and defamatory articles on social media buy and

Arjo sees governance ‘not that simple’

A NEOPHYTE lawmaker has admitted that he was overwhelmed by the complexities and intricacies of the problems of governance.

At a flag raising ceremony of the House of Representatives hosted by the Legislative Information Resources Management Department, Quezon City Rep. Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde also cited the “unwavering dedication and commitment” of government workers.

“I realized that problems and issues confronting our nation were not that simple.

He emphasized that while it was quite easy for outsiders to comment on national issues, “crafting viable solutions requires collaboration, expertise, and an understanding of the complexities involved.”

Atayde expressed his appreciation for the workforce of Congress, saying it was his “first time speaking to the staff and employees of the House.”

“I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for welcoming me—a first-time public servant, a

rookie legislator—with open arms,” he added.

“Our bureaucracy, in truth, is a machine with many moving parts, governed by many laws. The Filipino civil servant often has to deal with a myriad of problems with limited resources. Kalimitan kailangan mag-overtime ang government employee, nang walang dagdag na bayad, para lang magawa ang trabaho nya,” Atayde said.

Atayde emphasized the importance of continuous improvement, collaboration, and competence in public service.

“It’s not enough to want to do good; we have to know how to mobilize our resources, particularly our human resources, in order to address our constituents’ concerns. We representatives need the help of our staff here in Congress, and the assistance of our staff in our district offices, as well as the personnel of so many other government offices, to be able to better help the people we represent,” he said.

sell groups, collecting payments from random contacts of their borrowers, and sending coffins and death threats.

Despite the laws and regulations, Tulfo divulged that there was still an alarming number of lending companies failing to disclose their online lending platforms and employing abu -

sive debt collection practices to the detriment of consumers.

He added that these lending companies also commit significant violations of Republic Act No. 10173 or the “Data Privacy Act of 2012”, with most of the companies facing numerous complaints with the National Privacy Commission.

PH SPEAKER MEETS US VP. Speaker Martin Romualdez of the Philippines walks with United States Vice President Kamala Harris Wednesday night as they join the delegates to the Philippine-American bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

NEGLIGENCE is “the conduct which creates undue risk of harm to another, the failure to observe that degree of care, precaution and vigilance that the circumstance justly demand, whereby that other person suffers injury” (Philippine National Construction Corporation v. Court of Appeals, et al., G.R. 159270, August 22, 2005).

“The test for determining whether a person is negligent in doing an act whereby injury or damage results to the person or property of another is this: could a prudent man, in the position of the person to whom negligence is attributed, foresee harm to the person injured as a reasonable consequence of the course actually pursued?” (G.R. 159270, August 22, 2005).

“The question as to what would constitute the conduct of a prudent man in a given situation must of course be always determined in the light of human experience and in view of the facts involved in the particular case.”

“Reasonable men govern their conduct by the circumstances which are before them or known to them, [t]hey are not… omniscient of the future” (Picart v. Smith, G.R. L-12219, March 15, 1918).

“Hence, they can be expected to take care only when there is something before them to suggest or warn of danger.”

“Conduct is said to be negligent when a prudent man in the position of the tortfeasor would have foreseen that an effect harmful to another was sufficiently probable to warrant his foregoing conduct or guarding against its consequences” (Picart v. Smith, G.R. L-12219, March 15, 1918).

With this in mind, “[w]hoever by act or omission causes damage to another, there being fault or negligence, is obliged to pay for the damage done” (Article 2176, Civil Code of the Philippines). However, “[w]hen the plaintiff’s own negligence was the immediate and proximate cause of the injury, he cannot recover damages” (Article 2179, Civil Code of the Philippines).

If the proximate cause of the injury is the defendant, the plaintiff can recover damages.

“[And] if [the plaintiff’s] negligence was only contributory, the immediate and proximate cause of the injury being the defendant’s lack of due care, the plaintiff may recover damages, but the courts shall mitigate the damages to be awarded” (Article 2179, Civil Code of the Philippines).

If the proximate cause of the injury is the defendant, the plaintiff can recover damages

In the case of Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC) v. Court of Appeals, et al., Pampanga Sugar Development Company, Inc. and the Toll Regulatory Board entered into a Memorandum of Agreement wherein the former was allowed to enter and pass through the North Luzon Expressway.

In the early morning of January 23, 1993, Alex Sendin, PNCC security personnel supervisor together with two (2) other co-employees were patrolling Km. 72 going north of the NLEX.

“They saw a pile of sugarcane in the middle portion of the north and southbound lanes of the road, [and] [t]hey placed… lane dividers with reflectorized markings, to warn motorists of the obstruction.” They “proceeded to the PASUDECO office, believing that the pile of sugarcane belonged to it since it was the only milling company in the area. They requested for a payloader or grader to clear the area.

However, Engineer Oscar Mallari, PASUDECO’s equipment supervisor and transportation superintendent, told them that no equipment operator was available as it was still very early” (G.R. 159270, August 22, 2005).

“Nonetheless, Mallari told them that he would send someone to clear the affected area. Thereafter, [the PNCC employees] went back to Km. 72 and manned the traffic [until]… around 4:00 a.m., [when] five PASUDECO men arrived and started clearing the highway of the sugarcane [and]… stacked the sugarcane at the side of the road” (G.R. 159270, August 22, 2005).

“As the bulk of the sugar canes had been piled and transferred along the roadside, Sendin thought there was no longer a need to man the traffic.

As dawn was already approaching, [the PNCC personnel] removed the lighted cans and lane

EARLIER in July, the Philippines was facing a very serious water supply problem.

Water concessionaires in Metropolitan Manila, the region which apparently uses the largest volume of water in the country, announced plans to cut water distribution to keep the water supply viable until the situation improves. Those plans, however, were changed by the many typhoons that suddenly came to the country. The water levels in the country’s dams rose to levels high enough to secure the nation’s water security for the meantime, estimated to last for only about three months. Then there is the anticipated El Niño phenomenon, which means a protracted period of intense dryness, as well the unmitigated effects of global warming.

So far, the prognosis on the water supply situation in the Philippines is not very encouraging, particularly for the agricultural industry that depends on irrigation.

The National Irrigation Administration is the government agency tasked to, among others, monitor and develop available water

Tuition-free college education should continue

dividers [and] Sendin went to his office in Sta. Rita, Guiguinto, Bulacan, and made the necessary report” (G.R. 159270, August 22, 2005).

“At about 6:30 a.m., Rodrigo S. Arnaiz, a certified mechanic and marketing manager of JETTY Marketing, Inc., was driving his twodoor Toyota Corolla… along the NLEX at about 65 kilometers per hour… with his sister Regina Latagan, and his friend Ricardo Generalao… on their way to Baguio… ran over the scattered sugarcane, [and] flew out of control and turned turtle several times” (G.R. 159270, August 22, 2005).

The Supreme Court said “that the petitioner (PNCC) failed to exercise the requisite diligence in maintaining the NLEX safe for motorists.

“The lighted cans and lane dividers on the highway were removed even as flattened sugarcanes lay scattered on the ground [while] [t] he highway was still wet from the juice and sap of the flattened sugarcanes” (G.R. 159270, August 22, 2005).

Affirming the findings of the Court of Appeals, “[b]oth defendants, appellant PASUDECO and appellee PNCC, should be held liable.

“PNCC, in charge of the maintenance of the expressway, has been negligent in the performance of its duties. The obligation of PNCC should not be relegated to, by virtue of a private agreement, to other parties” (G.R. 159270, August 22, 2005).

“PASUDECO’s negligence in transporting sugar canes without proper harness/straps, and that of PNCC in removing the emergency warning devices, were two successive negligent acts which were the direct and proximate cause of Latagan’s injuries.

“As such, PASUDECO and PNCC are jointly and severally liable” (G.R. 159270, August 22, 2005).

“Where the concurrent or successive negligent acts or omissions of two or more persons, although acting independently, are in combination with the direct and proximate cause of a single injury to a third person, it is impossible to determine in what proportion each contributed to the injury and either of them is responsible for the whole injury”

(G.R. 159270, August 22, 2005).

“Thus, with PASUDECO’s and the petitioner’s successive negligent acts, [make them] joint tortfeasors who are solidarily liable…”

However, regarding the “respondent Arnaiz’s negligence in driving his car [at an unreasonably high speed], both the trial court and the CA agreed it was only contributory and considered the same in mitigating the award of damages in his favor as provided under Article 2179 of the New Civil Code” (G.R. 159270, August 22, 2005).

“Contributory negligence is conduct on the part of the injured party, contributing as a legal cause to the harm he has suffered, which falls below the standard which he is required to conform for his own protection.

“It is an act or omission amounting to want of ordinary care on the part of the person injured which, concurring with the defendant’s negligence, is the proximate cause of the injury”

(G.R. 190022, February 15, 2012).

In the case of Philippine National Railways Corporation, et al. v. Vizacara, et al., “[i]t was established during the trial that the jeepney carrying the respondents was following a ten-wheeler truck which was only about three to five meters ahead.

“When the truck proceeded to traverse the railroad track, Reynaldo, the driver of the jeepney, simply followed through [because he was] under the impression that it was safe to proceed” (G.R. 190022, February 15, 2012).

“[T]here was no crossing bar to prevent them from proceeding or, at least, a stoplight or signage to forewarn them of the approaching peril.”

“He proceeded to cross the track and, all of a sudden, his jeepney was rammed by the train being operated by the petitioners… [these] circumstances … negate the imputation of contributory negligence on the part of the respondents” (G.R. 190022, February 15, 2012).

In the case of De la Cruz v. Octaviano, et al., “[p]laintiff Renato Octaviano’s right leg was crushed by the impact of the Honda Civic driven by defendant Dela Cruz against the tricycle where the Octavianos were riding and as a result thereof, Renato’s right leg was amputated.

“Plaintiff Wilma Octaviano suffered traumatic injuries/hematoma on different parts of her body…” (G.R. 219649, July 26, 2017). Full text at www.manilastandard.net

resources for irrigation purposes, and to address all concerns regarding the supply of water for nationwide irrigation throughout the year.

A certain Benny Antiporda was the Acting NIA administrator for the substantial part of 2022. News reports available online reveal that Antiporda has been at the center of a number of alleged irregularities in government service.

It appears that back in September 2020, Antiporda, who was then an undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, was questioned about the costly dolomite beach constructed by the DENR along a segment of the coast of Manila Bay. The dolomite was shipped in from Cebu.

According to the news reports, ex-Kabataan partylist representative Terry Ridon publicly asked Antiporda to explain why the dolomite beach was overpriced at P389-million, with P360-million remaining unaccounted for.

Scientists from the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute and an official of the Archdiocese of Manila also questioned Antiporda about the beach project.

The scientists maintained the project staunchly defended by Antiporda is bad for the environment.

But it appears Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno has other ideas—and not exactly to give the youth from the poor and disadvantaged sectors in our society comprising nearly a fourth of the total population the means to acquire college education and improve their lives.

The head of the administration’s economic team is pushing for a review of free college education in state universities and colleges (SUCs) because, he said, the program is “unwieldy, inefficient and wasteful” and government resources are finite.

He wants the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (UAQTE) law enacted during the previous administration to be radically changed to remove the “universal” part to “limited,” that is, only to those who pass a national examination. The problem with this kind of thinking is it is highly discriminatory and leaves those who have undergone less-than-ideal primary and high school education no opportunity to pursue quality

WHAT the cap or ceiling on rice prices ordered by President Marcos Jr. really means is this: The days of rice smugglers, hoarders and profiteers are numbered.

It is nothing less than a declaration of war against those who have nothing else in their minds than to burn a hole in our pockets and hope they can get away with it.

Executive Order 39, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Aug. 31, imposes a price cap of P41 for regular milled rice and P45 for well-milled rice.

The price ceiling took effect nationwide last September 5.

But the government said the price ceilings are temporary and will stay only until the harvest season starts and rice imports begin to arrive by the middle of this month.

That’s the clear message we get from various statements from Malacañang.

Before he left for Indonesia early this month to attend the 43rd ASEAN Summit, the President gave assurances that while there he would constantly monitor the rice supply and price situation.

“We in the Department of Agriculture and other agencies do not see any compelling reason why rice prices should go up to over P50 per kilo,” he said.

“Our investigation has revealed that this is due to price manipulation by smugglers and hoarders.”

The President has been concurrent Secretary of the Department of Agriculture since he took office on June 30 last year. That’s because, he said, food security is among his top priorities.

“My approach toward economic issues is to avoid any intervention and let the market do its work. But (unseen) market forces are manipulating prices and that is why what we have done is to impose price ceilings for rice. We will continue to run after smugglers and hoarders.”

It is true, as he pointed out, that Filipinos now suffer from high prices. There’s the northward trajectory of just about everything from fuel to basic food items. Hence, the government has been forced to resort to price controls to help the people.

“This is a new system we are implementing. But we have been forced to do this because our people need help. We are doing this so that Filipinos do not have to spend so much for rice. There’s really no reason why rice prices should go up,” he told media.

Marcos pointed out: “We know there will be retailers who stand to lose money because they bought rice at higher prices. Now they will have to sell their rice stocks at lower prices.

Secretary Diokno headed the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas during the previous administration and presumed to have approved the tuition-free college education law

higher education that would give them new skills and knowledge necessary to turn their lives around.

Secretary Diokno, it should be pointed out, headed the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas during the previous administration and presumed to have approved the tuition-free college education law.

Why is he now singing a different tune, considering that he graduated from the statefunded University of the Philippines?

No wonder groups such as the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-SUCs are stoutly opposed to Diokno’s proposal, saying efforts

“We are well aware of this but the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Agriculture are drawing up a list of our rice retailers and the associations of rice retailers.

“They are calculating how much the retailers would lose because of the price cap.”

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the President explained, has enough funds to help retailers recoup their losses.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development, the President explained, has enough funds to help retailers recoup their losses

The latest development here is that ayuda to the tune of P15,000 would be available for rice retailers who can prove that they sold rice at the required price ceilings. Make no mistake about the government’s political will.

It will definitely run after violators of the rice price ceiling ordered by Malacañang, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.

“We are now forming teams that will visit various markets, and we are currently studying the various possible cases that can be filed against those who do not comply with the mandated rice price ceiling,” he said. The cases that can be filed against violators include economic sabotage, which is a nonbailable offense, and profiteering.

At the same time, the DOJ is also looking at the supply side of the issue.

“We are studying the supply side to understand where these people are coming from, the basis for the high pricing, and why it’s happening because we need to understand the root of the problem.”

But even if, as expected, there is opposition to the price ceilings from certain groups, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has gathered those in the MIMAROPA and Eastern Visayas regions have already expressed support for the government move.

“to scrimp” on tertiary education subsidy appear “contemptuous of our Filipino youth.”

The group pointed out that Diokno’s statement that the UAQTE program is wasteful is alarming as the budget for the program “only totals… 0.83 percent of the 2023 national budget” but has granted free college education to over two million students in SUCs.

“How can that be seen as a waste of public funds?” they asked.

Diokno has argued that an indicator of wastefulness is the rising dropout rate.

He cited data from the Commission on Higher Education showing that at least 40 percent of pandemic-era students either paused or stopped attending school.

But critics say this is not the fault of the students forced to stop schooling during the pandemic because of the tight economic situation resulting from job losses and closure of many businesses.

What Secretary Diokno ought to do, as a first step, may be to trim the fat in top-heavy government offices.

Then he should take the lead in fighting corruption in those agencies that everybody knows are already steeped in shady deals.

If the World Bank is to be believed, over a fourth of our national budget is lost to corruption every year.

Surely the Department of Finance—led by Diokno himself—has enough power and influence in his hands to remedy this dire situation.

We have the Bantay Buklura ARBs and Farmers’ Association in MIMAROPA who said they support the government’s decision to implement the mandated price ceilings on rice as they hope the price of the food staple will be made affordable to ordinary Filipinos.

The Palawan ARC Cooperative Federation also expressed its support for the implementation of the mandated rice price caps as this would eliminate the unhealthy competition among rice traders who are taking advantage of the situation. They said this would get rid of the abusive cartels who are playing a big part in the manipulation of rice prices.

The Malsada Pisco farmers’ group in Leyte also welcomed the price cap since consumers will now be able to buy rice products at a reasonable price.

“We support the mandated price ceilings on rice because this is a big help for us farmers,” the San Isidro Organic Farmers Association said in the vernacular.

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

In response, Antiporda insisted at P389million the dolomite beach project was not overpriced. For reasons unknown, Antiporda eventually deviated from the issue and criticized Ridon for the latter’s past travel expenses. Sarcastically, Antiporda offered to give Ridon a lecture on basic mathematics. Impertinently, Antiporda branded the UPMSI scientists “paid hacks” of undisclosed interests groups, and, as such, the scientists

have no right to criticize the dolomite beach project.

Ridon replied he did not need any math lecture from Antiporda because he (Ridon) took up finance and economics at the University of the Philippines and at Harvard University in the United States.

Thereafter, a group of Filipino scientists demanded Antiporda’s resignation from the DENR for his rude remarks about the UPMSI scientists.

Actually, Antiporda’s statement that the UPMSI scientists have no right to question the dolomite beach project is baseless, patently mistaken and legally untenable because P389million in taxpayers’ money was involved in Antiporda’s project. Being so, the public at large had, undoubtedly, the right to question the cost of the project.

In June 2022, a columnist from another publication revealed that Antiporda made a pseudoscientific attempt to justify the dolomite beach project through a supposed aquarium experiment.

The columnist said Antiporda’s experiment was criticized by many for its lack of scientific parameters.

Later in November 2022, when Antiporda was already with the NIA, the Office of the

ManilaStandard ONLINE Chin Wong Associate Editor Joyce Pangco Pañares Managing Editor Jimbo Owen Gulle News Editor

Contributory negligence MEMBER Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers PPI can be accessed at: manilastandard.net Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Baldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad Solutions Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Ombudsman put Antiporda under preventive suspension for six months without pay, pending the investigation of complaints filed against him by NIA employees.

The complaints accused Antiporda of grave misconduct, harassment and oppression.

According to the complaints, Antiporda threatened NIA employees, bullied them during the weekly flag-raising ceremony, maligned them through the media, misled President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. about certain public-private partnership deals, and required NIA technicians to repair the air-conditioners at the Antiporda residence.

It was also alleged that when Antiporda was still acting NIA administrator, he repeatedly demanded that the word “acting” be dropped from his official title.

In December 2022, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. finally fired Antiporda.

When he was still the acting chief of the NIA, what did Antiporda do to prepare for the dry times predicted for agricultural irrigation nationwide?

Observers say Antiporda did nothing concrete while he was at NIA to prepare the country’s agricultural sector for the anticipated long dry spell.

That’s bad news for the agricultural sector and the general public as well.

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Honor Blanco Cabie Opinion Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

NO ONE should be left behind. That’s the goal that our education system should aspire to. Now and in the future.

US posts $1-b Ukraine aid; Russian strike kills 17 WORLD

KYIV, Ukraine—US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

in the eastern Donetsk region—in one of the deadliest strikes in weeks.

“They smashed everything, all the shop windows, everything was strewn around,” an eyewitness told AFP.

war crimes,” the bloc said in a statement. Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that “this Russian war of aggression is an attack on international law, on humanity.”

announced

$1 billion of aid during a surprise visit Wednesday to Ukraine, which suffered a Russian strike that killed at least 17 people at a market.

The attack, which President Volodymyr Zelensky described as deliberate and “heinous,” drew international condemnation from the West, including accusations of war crimes.

Projectiles tore through the center of Kostiantynivka —a town of nearly 70,000 people

“Thank God we are alive, of course. But the girls who were selling there, they are all dead,” the witness said. Images distributed by officials showed rescue workers picking through the debris and carrying away some of the 32 people reportedly wounded in the blast, which left vehicles charred and kiosks torn to pieces.

“Anyone in the world who is still dealing with anything Russian simply ignores this reality,” said Zelensky.

“Heinous evil. Brazen wickedness.

Utter inhumanity.”

He later accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and said there were no military units “anywhere near” the scene.

The European Union condemned the strike along with the “escalation” of Russian attacks on “civilian objects” that has seen hundreds killed or wounded in recent weeks.

“Intentional attacks against civilians are

Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the incident underscored “the importance of continuing to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their territory.”

During a meeting with Zelensky, Blinken reiterated Washington’s support for Kyiv in its fight to liberate territory in the south and east.

“We are determined in the United States to continue to walk side by side with you. And President Biden asked me to come to reaffirm strongly our support,” he told Zelensky.

“We see the important progress that’s being made now in the counteroffensive and that’s very, very encouraging,” he added. The new $1 billion aid package, which includes $665.5 million in military and civilian security assistance, would further “build momentum” for the counteroffensive, Blinken said at a later press conference. AFP

INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION. A Ukrainian military member walks past burned cars at a market following a Russian strike in Kostyantynivka, Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region on Wednesday, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A Russian strike killed at least 17 people at a market in east Ukraine, officials said, in an attack that President Volodymyr Zelensky described as deliberate and ‘heinous.’ AFP

Chinese delegation to visit North Korea for key anniversary

SEOUL—A high-level delegation of Chinese officials will visit North Korea this week to attend celebrations for a key national holiday, both sides said Thursday.

Pyongyang celebrates the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding day on September 9 and the nuclear-armed state has previously indicated it will hold a “militia parade” to mark the event.

A delegation headed by China’s vice premier Liu Guozhong “will visit the DPRK to participate in the celebrations of the 75th birthday,” of the country, the official Korean Central News Agency said, using the country’s official acronym.

The visit came “on the invitation” of North Ko-

rea’s party and government, it added.

China’s foreign ministry confirmed the trip, saying the delegation will visit North Korea “starting from September 8”.

“We believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, this visit can be a complete success and promote the further deepening and development of China-DPRK ties,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

“China and North Korea are close neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, and the two parties and countries have always maintained a tradition of friendly communication.”

Beijing is North Korea’s most important ally and

economic benefactor, their relationship forged in the bloodshed of the Korean War in the 1950s.

North Korea has been largely closed off from the outside world since early 2020, when it shut its borders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But after three years of COVID-induced isolation, there are increasing signs Pyongyang may be becoming more flexible on border controls.

North Korea’s first international commercial flight in three years landed in Beijing last month.

Pyongyang also allowed a delegation of athletes to attend a taekwondo competition in Kazakhstan in August. AFP

EMERGENCY OPERATION.

A man walks through a street covered with mud and debris after a cyclone in Muçum, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil on Thursday.

The death toll from a cyclone that unleashed torrential rain and flooding rose to at least 36, authorities said, as the region braced for more violent weather. AFP

still stranded

MUCUM, Brazil—The death toll from a cyclone that unleashed torrential rain and flooding on southern Brazil rose to at least 36 Wednesday (Thursday in Manla), authorities said, as the region braced for more violent weather.

With the flood waters forcing some residents to climb onto their roofs, a major emergency operation was underway, with one official saying more than 1,000 people were awaiting rescue.

The storms, which started Monday, left whole neighborhoods submerged in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

“The water rose so fast, I didn’t even have time to take anything with me. I lost everything,” said Paulo Roberto Neto Vargas, 39, a resident of the hard-

OTTAWA, Canada—Residents of the northern Canadian city of Yellowknife started returning home Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), three weeks after wildfires forced its evacuation as tens of thousands across the Northwest Territories fled.

“We’re home!” exclaimed Steph Hendrix on Instagram, posing with a broad smile under blue skies outside her house in Yellowknife, with her partner and their dog. She said they were excited to drive home, but that “seeing the devastation of the fires along the way was sobering and sad.”

An evacuation order was downgraded on Wednesday as the fire threat has subsided.

Although officials said there has been no fire damage to infrastructure and property in the regional capital, residents were told to brace for new measures to control blazes.

hit town of Roca Sales, where emergency workers recovered six bodies.

“There were so many people screaming, calling for help. We’re only alive thanks to God,” he told AFP.

Flash floods and landslides obliterated huge swathes of the affected communities, leaving trails of wrecked houses and muddy brown water.

It is the latest in a series of deadly weather disasters to hit Brazil, which experts say are likely being made worse by climate change.

Governor Eduardo Leite, who went on a flyover of flood-hit areas, said thousands of people were waiting to be rescued.

“There are still a lot of families stranded on the roofs of their houses,” he said.

The governor, who declared a state

The first flights to Yellowknife landed in the morning while thousands were expected to arrive by car over the coming days.

A big “Welcome Home” sign on the side of the highway marked the way for drivers.

Waiting for them, according to officials and local media, Yellowknife grocery stores have stocked their shelves, and municipal services such as garbage pickup were set to resume this week.

“I want to extend a warm welcome back home,” Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said in an online video post.

“Yellowknife will look a little different,” she said, pointing to fire breaks installed around the city to help protect it.

She urged residents to be self-reliant for a few days on their return and to be patient as “stores are getting up and running.” AFP

Escaped killer evades police in manhunt

NEW YORK—The manhunt continued for a sixth day Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) for a convicted murderer who escaped from prison in Pennsylvania, with local schools closed and residents asked to lock their doors.

Almost a week after 34-year Brazilian national Danelo Cavalcante slipped away from the Chester County Prison, hundreds of law enforcement officers with helicopters, drones and search dogs were still out in full force looking for the fugitive.

“Residents... are asked to lock their doors, check their cars and belongings, and to stay aware of their surroundings,” the Chester County District Attorney’s office said in a statement on Facebook.

of emergency, called it the deadliest weather disaster ever to hit Rio Grande do Sul, as hundreds of rescue workers, police and volunteers continued efforts to reach areas cut off by flooding.

More than 5,300 people have been forced from their homes, with at least 52,000 residents and 70 towns affected in all, authorities said.

Leite warned the situation could worsen, with more rain forecast for late Wednesday and into Thursday, Brazil’s independence day.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he had spoken with the governor and promised his administration’s support.

“I reiterated that the federal government is at the disposal of the people of Rio Grande do Sul to face this crisis,” Lula wrote on X, formerly Twitter. AFP

The fugitive was last spotted on Tuesday.

“Last evening, we had another sighting of Cavalcante by a resident in the area,” Pennsylvania State Police official George Bevins told reporters. “The team searched the area for hours but were unable to locate him.”

Prison officials on Wednesday released a video showing how Cavalcante, who was sentenced to life in prison for stabbing his girlfriend to death, was able to make his escape.

In the clip, the convict, wearing a white T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, is seen crab-walking up two parallel walls and then climbing to the roof.

Bevins warned residents that Cavalcante was likely looking to burglarize their homes looking for food, clothes and other supplies. AFP

SPACE RACE. An H-IIA rocket carrying a small lunar surface probe and other objects lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima island, Kagoshima prefecture on Thursday. Japan launched the rocket carrying what it hopes will be its first successful Moon lander, live footage from the country’s space agency showed. AFP

At least 36 dead in Brazil cyclone, many

Wildfire evacuees return to Canada’s north

Stocks end 4-day advance on new Fed hike concerns

By Jenniffer B. Austria

THE local stock market ended its four-day advance as investors tempered expectations on the US Federal Reserve’s next moves.

The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange index dropped 58.62 points, for 0.94 percent, to close at 6,183.07, while the broader all-shares index declined 21.26 points to settle at 3,346.99.

China Bank Capital managing director Juan Paolo Colet said latest data from Europe, China and the United States dampened sentiment and contributed to selling pressures.

“The stronger-than-expected ISM service index for August, which reached 54.5, its highest since February 2023,

US consumer savings boost economy—Fed

WASHINGTON, United States—

The US economy saw “modest” growth over the summer as consumers kept the wheels turning by dipping into rapidly diminishing savings to finance tourism spending, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.

The US economy has shown signs of resiliency in recent months despite an aggressive campaign of interest rate hikes by the Fed to tackle high inflation.

A recent spurt of good economic news has led analysts to cut the likelihood of the world’s biggest economy entering a recession this year, while keeping pressure on the Fed as it battles inflation through rate increases.

Analysts and traders broadly expect the central bank to hold interest rates steady this month amid signs of a slowdown in new job creation and uptick in unemployment.

In its regular report on economic conditions known as the “beige book,” the Fed indicated that positive economic news could soon come to an end, along with consumer savings accumulated during the pandemic.

“Contacts from most Districts indicated economic growth was modest during July and August,” the Fed said on Wednesday, in contrast to its previous report noting only “slightly” increasing growth.

“Consumer spending on tourism was stronger than expected, surging during what most contacts considered the last stage of pent-up demand for leisure travel from the pandemic era,” the Fed added. AFP

Chinese exports, imports decline, fuel stimulus calls

BEIJING—China’s exports and imports sank again in August, data showed Thursday, adding to growing pressure on authorities to introduce fresh stimulus for the world’s number two economy even as the figures showed some sign of improvement.

The threat of recession in Europe and high inflation in many major economies has contributed to a plunge in demand for Chinese goods, which has been compounded by tensions with the United States and a move by parts of the West to reduce dependence on Beijing.

On top of that, a much-anticipated strong recovery following the lifting of painful zero-Covid rules at the end of last year has run off the tracks, while the gargantuan property sector continues to teeter.

All of which has given leaders a headache as they try to reinvigorate growth while at the same time trying to recalibrate the economy from one driven by state investment to one that is consumer-led and more sustainable.

Customs figures Thursday showed they have a long way to go to achieve the latter, with imports shrinking 7.3 percent on-year last month as consumers remained reluctant to purchase while prices fell in July for the first time in more than two years.

Exports—which have historically served as a key growth engine for China— sank 8.8 percent.

Still, the pace of contraction in both was slower than the previous month and was better than the nine percent drop forecast by economists in a survey by Bloomberg News.

Shipments to Western countries in August fell significantly on-year, with US-bound goods diving 17.4 percent and those to the European Union 10.5 percent lower. AFP

signaled strong US economic activity and led some investors to scale back expectations of the path of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts next year,” Colet said.

Philstocks Financial Inc. research and engagement officer Mikhail Plopenio said the local bourse also mirrored the drop in Asian markets caused by the rise in US Treasury yields and concerns over China.

“The market opened and stayed in the red territory for the whole session. Market participation was weak with net value

turnover of P3.5 billion,” Plopenio said.

Investors took fright Thursday at a forecast-busting reading on the US services sector that revived speculation the Federal Reserve could lift interest rates again, compounding a spike in oil prices that has fanned fresh inflation fears.

Wall Street dived and Treasury yields rose after the release of the Institute of Supply Management figures, which dealt a blow to hopes the US central bank had reached the end of its tightening cycle following a string of recent positive data.

The reading put further upward pressure on the dollar, with the yen particularly in focus as it sat at its weakest point for 10 months -- when Japanese officials intervened in money markets last year to prop it up. After a rosy couple of weeks, the

TOP GAINERS

gloom that has characterized markets for much of the summer has returned as traders contemplate the possibility of more tightening and borrowing costs kept elevated for an extended period to tame inflation.

Decision-makers at the Fed have given differing views on the best way forward, with some calling for more hikes and others suggesting rates are high enough.

Boss Jerome Powell has asserted that all decisions will be made based on how the data stacks up over the coming months.

While the economy and the jobs market have shown continued strength, there is a growing worry on trading floors that more than a year of increases—and any more should they come—could tip the United States into recession. With AFP

United Nations called for strict rules, age limits on AI tools in classrooms

PARIS, France—The United Nations called on Thursday for strict rules on the use of AI tools such as viral chatbot ChatGPT in classrooms, including limiting their use to older children.

In new guidance for governments, the UN’s education body UNESCO warned that public authorities were not ready to deal with the ethical issues of rolling out “generative” Artificial Intelligence programs in schools.

The Paris-based body said relying on such programs rather than human teachers could affect a child’s emotional wellbeing and leave them vulnerable to manipulation.

“Generative AI can be a tremendous opportunity for human development, but it can also cause harm and prejudice,” said Audrey Azoulay of UNESCO.

“It cannot be integrated into educa-

INFRASTRUCTURE projects like railways, toll roads and bridges are designed to speed up traffic and the delivery of goods and services. Faster transportation leads to increased economic production by way of creating new economic opportunities and generating more jobs.

Major railway and toll road projects also ease traffic, especially in the metropolis, and eliminate the gridlock often found in busy road lanes such as EDSA, Roxas Boulevard, España Blvd. and Taft Avenue. They are specifically drawn up to serve as alternative routes, and as mode of mass transportation to decongest traffic.

But what if some infrastructure projects and centers of economic activities, like mega malls and big commercial centers, are built and, instead, result in more traffic logjams in Metro Manila?

Policy makers, perhaps, should discourage certain infrastructure projects that only worsen the bottleneck in the capital region, and put a stop to the construction of giant malls that lure foot traffic and compound the logjam. Schools also contribute to the traffic problem.

The opening of certain private schools in San Juan, as I’ve written in this previous column before, caused a

MOST ACTIVE

tion without public engagement, and the necessary safeguards and regulations from governments.”

Generative AI programs burst into the spotlight late last year, with ChatGPT demonstrating an ability to generate essays, poems and conversations from the briefest prompts.

It sparked fears of plagiarism and cheating in schools and universities.

But investors poured money into the field and boosters targeted education as a possible lucrative market.

The UNESCO guidance said AI tools have the potential to help children with special needs, act as an opponent in “Socratic dialogues” or as a research assistant.

But the tools would only be safe and effective if teachers, learners and researchers helped to design them and governments regulated their use. AFP

gridlock along the northbound stretch of EDSA that intersects Ortigas Avenue in Quezon City. For two straight days in late August this year, the logjam at the intersection created a two-kilometer traffic as all types of vehicles occupied at least three lanes of EDSA, jostling against each other before turning right to Ortigas Avenue.

A growing population, the lack of mass transportation system and wide roads, and the continuous migration of workers from the provinces have created the perfect storm that is causing mayhem in the whole of the capital region. The traffic situation in the metropolis may get worse even before it improves. Growing vehicle sales in the Philippines are further constricting the capacities of the roads in Metro Manila.

The government has favored a decongestion policy to solve the traffic mess in the National Capital Region. But it is far from implementing one. The Department of Transportation, for instance, is pushing through with the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

It began inviting interested parties to participate in a single-stage competitive bidding process for a rehabilitateoperate-expand-transfer modality in accordance with the Build-Operateand-Transfer Law and its revised 2022

implementing rules and regulations.

A consortium composed of six of the country’s biggest conglomerates earlier offered an unsolicited proposal to modernize NAIA and make it at par with modern airports in Asia. With the makeover, the consortium assured NAIA would have the ability to serve up to 70 million passengers a year efficiently, or more than double its current capacity.

But a modern NAIA with a much bigger passenger capacity will certainly contribute to the traffic logjam in Metro Manila, unless it offered a solution to address the gridlock it will create.

Expanding Clark International Airport in Pampanga seems to be a more logical choice. It decongests traffic in the capital region, especially if it incorporates a railway component.

Modern urban centers in the world build and design their airports with a rail link to improve the accessibility of passengers to downtown areas or, in some cases, suburbs or distant cities.

Building a satellite city just outside Metro Manila that includes malls and schools also makes better sense.

Authorities, in the meantime, should require infrastructure project proponents, owners of mega malls and big school operators to submit system impact studies (SIS) on traffic,

similar to what is asked of new power generation projects.

Power companies have the obligation to submit the SIS to National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to ensure their new projects can connect to the grid without causing issues to the network.

The conduct of the SIS is necessary to determine the capacity of the power grid to accommodate a new generator. It identifies necessary improvements, such as additional transmission lines, transformers, or substations.

In the case of the SIS on traffic, authorities must require proponents to offer solutions to the traffic that their projects may create. A government agency in charge of approving the SIS should dismiss projects outright if the proponents fail to address Metro Manila’s traffic congestion. The SIS on traffic should put teeth into the government decongestion policy.

E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or extrastory2000@gmail.com

Some infra projects, malls must submit traffic impact study

TRANSMISSION TOWER. Workers build an electricity transmission tower near Huai’an, in China’s eastern Jiangsu Province on September 7, 2023, part of a project to provide power for the Huai’an container port, which will be completed in 2025. AFP

CHINA-AUSTRALIA DIALOGUE. Australia’s former trade minister Craig Emerson and China’s former foreign minister Li Zhaoxing attend the 7th China-Australia High Level Dialogue at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on September 7, 2023. AFP

San Miguel, GMR plan to bid for NAIA contract—Bautista

By Darwin G. Amojelar

SAN Miguel Corp. and India’s GMR Group plan to bid for the P171-billion contract to rehabilitate, optimize and maintain the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Department of Transportation said Thursday.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said SMC and GMR bought bid documents for the NAIA rehabilitation project.

San Miguel Aerocity Inc., a whollyowned subsidiary of San Miguel Holdings Corp., the infrastructure arm of SMC, is building the P734-billion New Manila International Airport in Bulacan, while India’s GMR is the largest private airport operator in Asia handling

Factory output rose in July on strong demand forecast for Q4

By Julito G. Rada

THE manufacturing sector picked up in July 2023 in preparation for the stronger demand expectations in the fourth quarter.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed Thursday that the volume of production index for manufacturing registered a year-on-year increase of 5.7 percent in July, faster than 3.4 percent in June and 3.6 percent a year ago.

“The higher annual growth of the VoPI in July 2023 was mainly brought about by the annual increases in the same top three industry divisions that contributed to the higher annual rate of VaPI during the period,” the PSA said in a statement posted on its website.

It said the manufacture of beverages grew by 12.6 percent in July from -11.4 percent annual decrease in the past month while the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products also expanded 36.2 percent from 15.9 percent in the previous month. The manufacture of food products grew 1.2 percent, from a -3.1 percent decrease in June 2023.

The PSA said of the remaining 19 industry divisions, six registered year-on-year increases in July. In contrast, 13 industry divisions posted annual declines during the period. The highest annual drop was observed in the manufacture of furniture at -27.7 percent.

Michael Ricafort, chief economist of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said manufacturers “ramp up importation, production, inventory building and eventually distribution to the domestic and export market in preparation for the fourth quarter holiday spending season.”

He said the storm damage since the latter part of July 2023 also led to some repair activities, leading to a pickup in production activities.

The value of production index for manufacturing increased at an annual rate of 5.7 percent in July, faster than the growth of 4.2 percent in the previous month. This was, however, slower than the 12.1 percent increase in July 2022.

passengers in excess of 100 million annually and a partner of Megawide Corp. for the Mactan Cebu International Airport. Cosette Canilao, president and chief executive of Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., earlier said the Manila International Airport Consortium also purchased bid documents for the NAIA project. The other members of the MIAC are AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp.,

Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp., Alliance Global-Infracorp Development Inc., Filinvest Development Corp. and JG Summit Infrastructure Holdings Corp.

The DOTr and the Manila International Airport Authority on Aug. 23 began inviting interested parties to participate in a single-stage competitive bidding process for a rehabilitate-operate-expand-transfer modality, in accordance with the Build-Operate-and-Transfer Law and its revised 2022 implementing rules and regulations.

Based on the invitation to bid, the concession agreement and certain other documents that provide background information on the project will be made available to prospective bidders through a virtual data room upon payment of a

participation fee of P2.75 million or $50,000.

The issuance of the draft concession agreement is set on Sept. 8, while the pre-bid conference will be on Sept. 22.

The bid submission is scheduled on Dec. 27, 2023.

The DOTr said the bidder should have a net worth of at least P20 billion and would be required to post bid security of P1.71 billion standby letter of credit as part of its bid proposal.

“If the bidder is a consortium and any consortium member or such consortium members’ affiliates is an airline-related entity, then such consortium member cannot own or be proposed to own more than 33 percent interest in such consortium,” the agency said.

Foreign reserves fell below $100b in August

THE country’s gross international reserves declined to $99.8 billion as of end-August 2023 from $100 billion in July as the government settled some of its foreign debt, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Thursday.

It said the latest GIR level represented a more than adequate external liquidity buffer equivalent to 7.4 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income. It was also about 5.9 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 4.1 times based on residual maturity.

SM DIGI-U PROGRAM. The SM Prime Group comprised of SM Prime Holdings Inc., SM Supermalls, SM Engineering, Design & Development and SM Development Corp. solidifies its partnership with LinkedIn. Through the innovative SM Digi-U program, powered by LinkedIn Learning, SM employees now have access to curated, on-demand courses, enabling them to thrive in a rapidly changing business landscape. Attending the signing ceremony on Sept. 5, 2023 at the MOA Arena Annex Building in Pasay City are SM Supermalls president Steven Tan (fourth from left), LinkedIn Learning Asia-Pacific head Geargina O’Brien (fourth from right) and other executives of SM and LinkedIn.

First Gen’s offshore LNG terminal ready for operations

By Alena Mae S. Flores

FIRST Gen Corp.’s interim offshore terminal project in Batangas is now under the commissioning process, an executive said Thursday.

“First Gen Corp.’s LNG terminal is now in the commissioning process, and we look forward to utilizing LNG to support the energy security needs of the island nation,” said First Gen executive vice president and chief commercial officer Jonathan Russell.

The LNG terminal will be the second to be completed this year, according to

the Department of Energy.

First Gen said in July that BW Batangas floating storage regasification unit vessel is now berthed at the LNG terminal.

First Gen awarded the contract to Shell Eastern Trading (Pte.) Ltd. for the first LNG cargo based on an international tender.

The LNG to be purchased by First Gen will be utilized by the company’s gas-fired power plants at its Clean Energy Complex in Batangas City. First Gen owns four gas-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 2,017 megawatts.

FGEN LNG constructed its project and executed a five-year time charter party for the BW Batangas to provide LNG storage and regasification services.

“The FGEN LNG terminal will accelerate the ability to introduce LNG to the Philippines, to serve the natural gas requirements of existing and future gasfired power plants of third parties and FGEN’s affiliates,” the company said. The company believes the FGEN LNG terminal will play a critical role in ensuring the energy security of the Luzon grid and the entire country.

SRA expects sugar harvests to grow 2.7% to 1.79m tons

By Othel V. Campos

LOCAL sugar harvests may reach 1.84 million metric tons in the crop year 2023 to 2024, or 2.7 percent higher than 1.79 million MT a year ago, given a mild El Niño situation, based on a pre-milling estimate by the Sugar Regulatory Administration.

SRA administrator and chief executive Pablo Luis Azcona said an additional 50,000 MT of raw sugar output was expected, if the dry spell would not be as severe as predicted by experts as a long dry season favors sugarcane output.

“The outlook is basically very preliminary. That is based on the area planted [to sugarcane] and based on the production average last year,” Azcona said at the sidelines of the 2023 Sustainable Agriculture Forum organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Thursday.

He said an increase in hectarage planted to sugarcane would contribute to a prospective increase in yield in crop year 2023-2024, despite the closure of a sugar mill in Batangas.

Yield may decline by 10 percent to 15 percent if the dry spell would be severe, Azcona said. The spate of strong typhoons in the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first half of 2023 affected the projected output of 2.2 million MT, he said.

The PSA said a severe El Niño would hit growing sugarcane harvest.

Azcona said the projected output would be re-assessed on a mid-milling estimate to determine if the expected output was on track or if there was a need to revise it.

The Philippine sugar crop year starts on the first day of September until the last day of August of the following year.

The SRA said the country has ample stock of refined sugar, or about 200 percent better than last year’s and nearly two months worth of inventory, buffered by the government-sanctioned importation of 440,00 MT.

“The month-on-month decrease in the GIR level reflected mainly the national government’s payments of its foreign currency debt obligations and the downward adjustments in the value of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ gold holdings due to the decrease in the price of gold in the international market,” the BSP said.

Net international reserves, which refer to the difference between the BSP’s reserve assets and reserve liabilities, fell by $100 million to $99.8 billion as of end-August from the end-July level of $99.9 billion. The BSP earlier retained the GIR forecasts at $100 billion in 2023 and $102 billion in 2024.

Julito G. Rada

Cebu Pacific brings back trademark piso sale promo

CEBU Pacific brought back its trademark piso sale promo for domestic and international destinations ahead of the holiday season.

The airline unit of the Gokongwei Group said passengers could book their flights to select domestic destinations including Bacolod, Cebu, Iloilo, Kalibo, and Laoag and international destinations such as Ho Chi Minh City, Macau, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei for as low as P1 one-way base fare, exclusive of surcharges and other fees from Sept. 7 to 10, 2023. The travel period will be from April 1 to Aug. 31, 2024, allowing passengers to book ahead and score value-for-money fares.

Aside from the piso sale, the airline is also offering a special 27-percent discount on CEB transfers for all routes serving Boracay, making travel to one of the world’s best island resorts much easier and more affordable. Darwin G. Amojelar

SMC plans to issue P65b worth of preferred shares

CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. said it is raising P65 billion from the issuance of preferred shares.

SMC said its board of directors approved the filing of shelf registration of 886.666 million Series 2 preferred shares at P75 apiece. The shares may be issued in tranches for a period three years.

The company said for the initial offering, it would issue up to 666,666 million preferred shares worth about P50 billion.

The shares will be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and will be listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange.

The SMC board authorized the management to finalize other terms and conditions of the offering including timetable and dividend rate for the preferred shares. Jenniffer B. Austria

Nidec’s P4.2-b investment in Subic expected to open 5,000 jobs

By Butch Gunio

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Nidec Subic Philippines Corp. will soon open about 5,000 jobs from its expansion in this Freeport, a top executive said Thursday.

Nidec Subic president Takeshi Yamamoto disclosed this during a simple awarding ceremony of the certificate of registration with incentives under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act for the company’s P4.2-billion expansion project.

trial robotics gears. Yamamoto said the company chose Subic Bay Freeport for its expansion because of its strategic location, making it possible for them to market their products to the European Union, the United States, Brazil, Korea and China.

AIA GRANT. AIA Philippines renews for another five years the institutional grant with the National Museum as part of the company’s commitment in contributing to nation-building and art appreciation in support of mental wellness. Signing the agreement are (from left) AIA Philippines head of branding and communications Bernadette Chincuanco, chief executive Kelvin Ang, National Museum director-general Jeremy Barns and deputy director-general Jorell Legaspi.

Nidec Subic has a workforce of 622 employees, but the expansion project is expected to generate close to 5,000 job opportunities until the final incentivized year. The expansion project, dubbed as Project Kinematix, involves production and assembly of gearboxes for indus-

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chairman and administrator Jonathan Tan led the simple ceremony, together with senior deputy administrator for business and investment Renato Lee III and business and investment department for manufacturing and maritime manager Karen Magno in awarding the COR to Yamamoto and general manager Marissa Tamayo.

Tan said Kinematix is a new product that is a high-accuracy gearbox used as base, arm or shoulder for industrial robots for auto tool changer/ loader of ma-

chines. He said the aim of the expansion of Nidec Subic Philippines is to produce these gearboxes outside Japan.

“This is certainly a milestone for Subic Freeport as this new product will be solely manufactured by Nidec Subic,” he said, adding that these gearboxes would be “Gawang Pinoy.”

He said this is the first expansion of the company outside Japan which was made possible due to the CREATE law.

Lee said the CREATE law enabled the granting of the tax incentives including a six-year income tax holiday, ten-year special corporate income tax, 16-year Customs duty exemption on importation of capital equipment, raw materials, spare parts and accessories; 16-year value-added tax zero-rating on local purchase and a 16-year VAT exemption on importation.

SRA administrator and chief executive Pablo Luis Azcona

FIBA World Cup proving Filipino fans, hosts like no other

THE Philippines is world-renowned as a basketball-crazy country.

Tim Reynolds, lead basketball writer for the Associated Press, begs to differ, as he has lived and breathed the air of basketball all around Metro Manila for the last two weeks in FIBA World Cup 2023.

“We came here knowing they were basketball-crazy, but I didn’t know what that meant until you get here. It’s unfair to call them basketball-crazy,” he said. “They’re basketball-deranged, is what they are.”

Reynolds has been producing wire stories—the recaps and features on the NBA and Olympics, among many others, that are distributed to and used by local newspapers and websites—for over two decades. As it turns out, however, he has never experienced anything like a big game on the big stage and under the bright lights in the Philippines.

“The level of it surprised me. It’s not just a few people. It’s not just a couplethousand people. It’s awesome to see, and it just speaks to the power of this game,” he said. “I’ve seen it (basketball) played in a lot of places in the world and they love it in a lot of places, but I don’t know if any place loves the game more than the people do here.”

The AP writer was glad to share that he has now seen the world-famous basketball courts anywhere and basketball games anytime. Alongside that, he also zoned in at how Filipinos continued to support their national team through its struggles in the world meet.

“There’s so much passion here. Their team went 1-4 and finished 24th-place. For people who aren’t here and don’t understand how difficult it is to get around this city in a typhoon, and they (Filipino fans) still filled that place to cheer on a winless team at that time, that tells you all you need to know,” he said.

“It is so much more than what I thought it was. I knew from covering the [Miami] Heat and [Filipino-American/coach] Erik Spoelstra that people from the Philippines love basketball, but I had no idea how much.”

House honors EJ Obiena for bagging world tilt silver

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House of Representatives has commended and congratulated Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Uy Obiena for bagging the silver medal in the 2023 World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary last August 26.

The message of commendation is contained in Resolution 1255, which the House adopted unanimously on Wednesday.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, Senior Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, and Tingog Party-list Reps.

Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre authored the resolution.

The authors cited Obiena’s numerous accomplishments in his chosen field of sport, describing him as a “Filipino Olympian and internationally renowned and multi-awarded pole vaulter.”

They said the Filipino athlete “steadily ascended and reached the standard to qualify for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary by perfecting his pole vaulting skills and showing exceptional progress after finishing with a bronze medal during the previous World Athletics Championships held in Oregon, United States of America.”

They said Obiena was the “only Filipino to stand on the medal podium of the 2023 World Athletics Championships.”

The resolution enumerated the pole vaulter’s other achievements, including: a gold medal in the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway on June 10, 2023; another gold medal in the Orlen Cup held in Lodz, Poland on February 5, 2023; gold medal in the Perche En Or indoor pole vaulting match in Roubaix, France on January 29, 2023; a gold medal during the True Athletes Classics in Leverkusen, Germany on August 28, 2022;

Coaching Asiad-bound Gilas is call of duty, says Tim Cone

By Randy Caluag

COACH Time Cone has already said no, but he could not refuse when San Miguel Corporation’s top big boss Ramon Ang called him up to handle the national team for the coming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

“He (Ang) said it was ‘para sa bayan’, so I said yes because for me, it was a call of duty. I know how difficult it is but how can I say no to a special request like this (from Ang),” the multi-titled Ginebra mentor said during a press conference on Thursday.

Cone served as Chot Reyes’ assistant at Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA World Cup and experienced himself the difficulty of handling a national team and dealing with passionate Filipino basketball fans. When Reyes resigned as head coach, some camps pointed to him as a possible successor, but he refused.

But he could not refuse his bosses in the San Miguel

Corp. organization and the call to serve the nation again.

“The only time I broke and shed tears (in basketball) was in the Asian Games 1998. That’s how tough it is. That’s how tough the job is,” said Cone, referring to the Centennial basketball squad that bagged the bronze

medal, losing only to Korea and China.

Cone was officially introduced to the media by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio, San Miguel Beer sports executive Alfrancis Chua, and Philippine Basketball Association chairman Ricky Vargas and commissioner Willie Marcial.

“No matter how slim the chance, we’ll gonna support you. I know you are a fighter, basketball naman ito at hindi volleyball, alam mo na ito,” assured Chua, who was designated as the team manager. Marcial will serve as his deputy.

“I guess we’re not gonna sleep. Wala namang gagalaw na iba. Yes it’s not the World Cup, mahirap or hindi mahirap, lalaban kami,” added Chua.

Cone said the first step now is building the team with only two weeks left even as he assured that “there will be no surprises” in the line-up and “we will get the usual suspects and we’d like the come up with the best team possible.”

Most of the players will still come from the national pool in the World Cup except those who are playing overseas. He mentioned players like JuneMar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, and Justin Brownlee. And of course, Jamie Malonzo, RR Pojoy, Chris Newsome, and Ange Kouame.

Kerr: My worry is the World Cup and I intend to win it

STEVE Kerr has promised to focus on the World Cup, easing himself off from thinking about the Paris Olympics next year in which Team USA has already qualified.

“My worry is about the World Cup and I intend to win it,” he said after his team rolled past Italy,100-63, in the quarterfinals on Tuesday to gain a semifinal seat.

Then, Germany emerged as their semifinal opponent after holding off Latvia, 81-79, in a separate quarterfinal pairing. Germany was led by Franz Wagner with 16 points, becoming the only team in the World Cup to emerge unbeaten way back from the classification stage.

The US-Germany semifinal showdown is set at 8:40 PM on Friday (Sept.

Uy rallies with 70, nails 2nd straight win

BUKIDNON—Daniella Uy, who could not seem to snap a run of near-misses on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, now could not seem to lose in stretch-run finishes.

The former Junior World champion battled back from three strokes down and won for the second straight time with a closing two-under 70, beating Seoyun Kim of Korea and amateurs Mafy Singson and Velinda Castil by two in the ICTSI Del Monte Championship here on Thursday.

She actually dominated the final 18 holes with a four-under card after 13 holes in thirdto-last flight but got too excited trying to rip the field and cap her fiery run in the closing holes, leading to a couple of bogeys in the last four and giving Kim, Singson and Castil some glimmer of hope in a wet finish to the P750,000 championship.

But she dashed it with a routine par on the par5 18th in driving rain as she signed for a pair of 35s for a 54-hole haul of 219 and took the top P90,000 purse, a couple of months after snapping a long title spell with a one-stroke escape

over Yvon Bisera at Forest Hills.

“After going 4-under, I thought of pushing it more but made bogeys on Nos. 15 and 17 instead,” said Uy, who thus matched Harmie Constantino’s back-to-back title wins at Luisita and Villamor. win and I worked on my tempo on every shot.”

Castil, 15, who showed up the pros in the first two rounds, proved resolute in her young age majority of the final round, staying in the title hunt despite a two-bogey, one-birdie card after 14 holes until she blew it all with a closing double-bogey in tough conditions.

She wound up with a 75 and settled for joint second with Kim and Singson at 221.

Kim rallied with a bogey-free 70 while teeing off at the back, and Singson, who nailed her second LPGT win at Valley, also last June, carded a 73.

Singson later took the low amateur honors after edging the promising junior golfer in the countback.

Bisera shot a third straight 74 and wound up

8) at the Mall of Asia Arena after the 4:45 duel in the other semifinal pairing between Serbia and Canada.

Whatever happens in the semifinals, Germany has already outdone its best performance thus far in the 2002 World Championships, the pre-cursor of the FIBA World Cup, where it finished third in the rankings.

The Americans are looking for their 6th World Cup crown, hoping to redeem themselves from their worst seventh-place finish in the last World Cup held in Beijing, China in 2019. The fivetime champs have advanced to the top four for the 15th time.

The current Team USA and German players have already laid a familiar setting between themselves as they met in a pre-tournament practice game won by

fifth at 222 while Constantino put in a 73 to tie Pamela Mariano at sixth with 223 after the latter, just one stroke behind Castil after 36 holes, who skied to a 76.

Juyoung Yang made a 75 for eighth at 224 while fellow Korean Minyeong Kim placed ninth at 226 after a 76 and Chihiro Ikeda shot a 74 for joint 10th at 227 with Korean amateur Jiwon Lee, who tripped with a 78,

After anchoring her Forest Hills’ romp on conservative play, Uy said she changed tactics at Del Monte, switching on the attack mode early on and sustaining her assault to the finish.

“At Forest Hills, it was more like of playing it safe. But here I was hitting my driver off the tee. I was very confident of my drives here. This course is rather long for us, so I forced myself to hit the driver and it worked since it gave me more chances for birdies,” said Uy, who thanked the host club, her family and friends for her continued success in the circuit backed by the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.’s official apparel Kampfortis Golf.

the US, 99-91, but not after a 16-point rally down the stretch.

What it meant for the Germans though is that they can know they take the lead against the Americans.

Germany has never beaten the USA in six encounters—including three World Cups (1986, 2002, 2006). But that was in the past.

Meanwhile, Canada will play in the FIBA World Cup semis for the first time ever. RJ Barrett recorded a FIBA World Cup career-high 24 points on top of nine rebounds in Canada’s win over Slovenia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Canada has already made history by securing their first-ever topfour finish.

Serbia and Canada have never played against each other.

HOT LUKA. Fan favorite Luka Doncic waxed hot with 26 points, five assists, and four rebounds, but he was not able to carry Slovenia in the endgame as he was thrown out due to two technical fouls, leading to a 100-89 victory by Canada. FIBA

Steve Kerr FIBA

Tim Cone (right) with former Gilas coach Chot Reyes (center) and NBA star Jordan Clarkson (left)

Ernest John Obiena

Lady Blazers vs. Lady Tams: Showdown of unbeaten teams

Alcaraz powers way to semis in brutal US Open conditions

NEW YORK—Carlos Alcaraz powered into the semi-finals of the US Open on Wednesday as rival Daniil Medvedev battled through a brutal heatwave to join the Spaniard in the last four.

Defending champion Alcaraz moved to within one win of a potential dream final with Novak Djokovic with an emphatic straight sets victory over German 12th Alexander Zverev.

Zverev had emerged as a dark horse after a marathon five-set win over Italy’s sixth seed Jannik Sinner on Monday.

But the German’s hopes of extending his stay in New York were obliterated by a devastatingly clinical performance from Alcaraz, who completed a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win in 2hr 30min on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

The victory leaves the 20-year-old Alcaraz firmly on course for another final showdown with 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic after their Wimbledon classic in July.

Djokovic faces unseeded American Ben Shelton in Friday’s other semi-final.

“I’m feeling really comfortable playing on this court, playing in New York,” said Alcaraz, who will face Russian third seed Medvedev in the semi-finals on Friday.

“I’m feeling strong. I think I’m ready for a great battle against Medvedev,” added Alcaraz, who has dropped just one set en route to the last four.

Medvedev had earlier secured his place in the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over compatriot Andrey Rublev in punishing, furnace-like conditions that the Russian said endangered players.

New York has been sweltering in a heatwave this week, with high humidity and temperatures at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday hitting 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit).

Tournament organisers confirmed that extreme heat measures were in effect for

the quarter-final—but Medvedev was clearly unimpressed.

At one point during the third set, the 2021 US Open champion muttered to a nearby TV camera “one player is going to die and they’re going to see” as he grabbed a towel.

“The conditions were brutal. The only good thing is that both players suffer, so it’s tough for both of us,” Medvedev said after his victory in 2hr 48min.

“At the end of the first set I kind of couldn’t see the ball anymore. I kind of just played with sensations.”

Both Medvedev and Rublev attempted to cool down during changeovers by wrapping towels packed with ice around them, while Medvedev could be seen puffing from an inhaler.

Zheng left in shade

Wednesday’s play got under way earlier in blazing sunshine on Arthur Ashe, where China’s Zheng Qinwen struggled before being overwhelmed by second seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-1, 6-4.

Zheng said the partially closed roof on Arthur Ashe—a move designed to protect spectators from the sun—had caused

Mondilla regains touch with late birdie-binge

BUKIDNON—Clyde Mondilla found the putting touch he flaunted in the first round but lost in the next and put himself back at the helm with an eagle-spiked 65 in overcast skies, one shot ahead of Reymon Jaraula in the third round of the ICTSI Del Monte Championship here yesterday.

Despite a solid frontside that featured a birdie on No. 4 and an eagle on the ninth, Mondilla still scrambled trying to regain the right strokes as he missed short birdie bids in the first three holes and three-putted from 10 feet on No. 10 to typify his

struggle on the surface he’s so familiar with.

But things turned around after he dropped a three-foot birdie putt on No. 13 as he picked up another stroke on a muffed 8-foot eagle putt on the next then drilled three more inside six feet to string a clutch five birdie-run that carried the multi-titled campaigner past three aces and moved him on the threshold of back-to-back championships on the Philippine Golf Tour.

He was actually aiming to make it six straight but hit a tree on his second shot on the par-5 18th and blasted way past the hole to settle for par and a 33-32 for a 54-hole total of 15-under 201.

“I didn’t expect to be on top again, just tried to put myself into good position but got my confidence back (in putting) in the last 9 holes,” said the runaway winner at Forest Hills last June who drove past halfway point leader Justin Quiban and erstwhile joint second-running Reymon Jaraula and Jhonnel Ababa to zero in on the top P437,000 purse in the P2.5 million championship put up by ICTSI.

But Jaraula stayed where he stood at after 36 holes, pressing his own title drive following a big win at Valley, also last June, with a bogey-free 67, capped by birdies in the last two holes as he assembled a 202 to seal a final round duel of homegrown bets.

“Maganda ang putting pero kulang lang sa swerte,” said Jaraula, who also rued a couple of missed birdie opportunities from short range in near-ideal scoring conditions. “Kumpyansa naman ako kasi nag bogey-free pero kailangan na magfocus sa putting bukas (Friday).”

Quiban snapped a two-birdie, two-bogey card after 12 holes with an eagle and two birdies against one more birdie for a 69 and a 203, setting the stage for a three-man shootout in the last 18 holes of this eighth leg of the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized circuit supported by PGTI official apparel Kampfortis Golf.

Weiss in high spirits despite injuries to key Azkals

now. He also maintained that the absence of several key players will not affect the team’s preparation against Chinese Taipei and against Afghanistan too.

her problems, making it hard to focus on the ball with shadows darkening part of the court.

“I hate that different half-shadow, halfsun,” Zheng said. “Because I feel that’s also bad, I mean, my eyes.”

Sabalenka however had no difficulty in adapting, with the Belarusian dominating her opponent with a powerful service game that sends her into a last four meeting with 17th seeded American Madison Keys.

Sabalenka was assured of replacing Iga Swiatek at the top of the women’s rankings after the Polish No.1 crashed out of the US Open on Sunday. However Sabalenka said she is not thinking about her new-found status as the world’s top player just yet.

“Of course I’m happy ... it’s incredible for me and my family.

“But I have some things still to do in New York this year and I’ll think about becoming No.1 after the US Open.”

Sabalenka now faces another Grand Slam clash with Keys after beating the American in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in July. AFP

FAR Eastern University stakes its unbeaten slate against an equally streaking College of Saint Benilde in a highlycharged duel highlighting the four-game bill in the V-League Women’s Collegiate Challenge at the Paco Arena in Manila Friday.

After racking up four victories in convincing fashions to gain a share of the lead with the idle University of the East side, the Lady Tams gear up for a stern test against the Lady Blazers in the 12 noon clash, ushering in the last three playdates in the single-round elims of the tournament organized by Sports Vision.

“Ang focus lang namin is one game at a time. Kung ano yung nasa harap namin, yun yung kailangan namin trabahuin,” said FEU interim coach Manolo Refugia. “Kung ano ‘yung pagkukulang namin sa bawat game, dodoblehin namin ang trabaho para makapaghanda kami sa CSB.”

The Lady Blazers, however, are also going flat-out to extend their own run to four in the event supported by Bola.TV, Beyond Active Wear, Asics and Mikasa.

Meanwhile, Lyceum and Enderun Colleges tangle at 10 a.m. in the first women’s clash.

In men’s play, La Salle seeks to bounce back from a five-set setback to National U as it faces Emilio Aguinaldo College at 2 p.m. while FEU and San Beda collide in the 4 p.m. main encounter.

The Green Spikers blew a 2-0 against the defending champions as Leo Aringo and Michaelo Buddin stepped up and ralliedc the Bulldogs to a 19-25, 23-25, 25-15, 25-22, 15-11 decision.

All games will be aired on Solar Sports, the V-League’s official website, and Bola.TV’s app.

Loman: Lineker’s weaknesses exposed

STEPHEN “The Sniper” Loman understands the enormity of his upcoming match against John “Hands of Stone” Lineker at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on September 30 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The clash between the top two con-

tenders for the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Championship could very well determine the next challenger for the throne of defending titleholder Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade.

And the Team Lakay stalwart has really been taking notes, studying his opponent’s movement that he drew inspiration from one of Lineker’s conquerors—no less than Andrade himself.

“Pinanood ko ‘yung laban nila. Pinanood ko talaga ‘yun at natuto ako sa strengths at weaknesses niya,” he shared. Andrade and Lineker fought twice, first ending in a no contest at ONE on Prime Video 3 in October 2022 and the following at ONE Fight Night 7 last February where “Wonder Boy” scored a fourth round technical knockout victory to win the crown.

For Loman, Andrade’s gameplan exposed a lot of chink in Lineker’s armor. “Maganda ‘yung striking ni Andrade, snappy and in and out kaya natatamaan niya si John Lineker. ‘Yung mga ganoong bagay is pwede ko rin i-add sa gameplan ko kaya nire-review ko na lang ‘yung laban at nagpe-prepare ako ng matindi from counters and defense to offense ko rin sa kanya,” he said.

THE Philippine Men’s National Football Team arrived in Kaohsiung in Taiwan last Wednesday for its friendly against Chinese Taipei today. Of the initial list released earlier by the Philippine Football Federation for the tuneup games against Chinese Taipei and Afghanistan this September, several Azkals begged off due to various injuries and other reasons. Fortunately, there are more Azkals ready to pounce on the privilege to play for the flag and country.

Despite this, Coach Hans Michael Weiss would rather concentrate on the players that are with him in Taiwan right

“It will not impact because the players who are not here don’t count. It means I will always focus on the squad that is at my disposal. This is always what is relevant for me when it comes to the national team,” Weiss said.

These latest additions to the squad include Justin Baas, Marwin Angeles, Audie Menzi, Jhan Melliza, Jarvey Gayoso and Dennis Villanueva. They will join Neil Etheridge, Patrick Deyto, Kevin Mendoza, Jesse Curran, Daisuke Sato, John Patrick Strauss, Santiago Rublico, Christian Rontini, OJ Porteria, brothers Mike and Manny Ott, Patrick Reichelt, Bienvenido Maranon, Jens Rasmussen, Carli de Murga, Amani Aguinaldo and Enrique Linares.

Missing in Taiwan are Kevin Ingreso,

Michael Kempter, Gerrit Holtmann, Dylan de Bruycker, Sandro Reyes, Joshua Grommen and Oskari Kekkonen.

“(Gerrit) Holtmann pulled out at the last minute, Grommen pulled out too at the last minute. Kempter has a knee injury again unfortunately. These are three possible starters on the squad but they are not here. It’s a reality in football. Last minute pull outs happen with any national team. But again, I don’t dwell on that anymore, I focus on the people who are here,” Weiss explained.

Weiss maintained that compared to the team that competed against Chinese Taipei last June at the Rizal Football Stadium, he has a better team with him in Kaohsiung right now.

“We have people who are in very high spirits, talented and match-fit players coming from various clubs in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. They are also joined by local based Azkals who are also preparing for the AFC Champions League representing the Philippines. These players are literally in full swing this season and not unlike the players we have last June who were basically coming from the holidays and were not in regular training,” he said.

Against the same team tonight, Weiss said he expects a much better performance from the Azkals. “I’m very positive you will see that our players are in a much different physical state. We have a good group.”

While he would rather put his mind on the games at hand, Weiss remains optimistic that those who will miss the two friendlies this September will be able to come and play for the team next month and in November. But then again.

“I don’t know how fast they will recover from their injury but we have a bigger pool of players. We have motivated players, we are busy preparing them, telling them how we want to play the game and how we can beat our opponents,” he added.

Weiss said he is hoping that fans will continue to support the team in the coming months. He is also expecting that OFWs in Taiwan will show up in the game against the host.

Calling all our kababayans who are now in Taiwan, especially those who are based in Kaohsiung, to be the 12th man for the Azkals as they tangle with the host, 7pm tonight at the Kaohsiung National Stadium.

After the Taiwan tuneup, the Azkals

will go back home to prepare against the visiting Afghanistan. The two sides will face each other on September 12, 7pm at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The Philippines got off to a rough start in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers. The U-23 team got clobbered, 5-0 at the Chonburi Stadium, in Thailand last Wednesday night by the host team.

The Philippines is Group H along with Malaysia, Bangladesh and Thailand. Hoping the team, sent by the Philippine Football Federation, will be able to bounce back in its succeeding games.

Speaking of upcoming games, the Philippine National Women’s Football team will also be busy in the coming weeks. Eight Filipinas who played in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will banner the team along with eight others who played in various tournaments. They will be joined by 12 newcomers based on the list of call-ups who were invited to the training camp.

Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_ cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz Alcaraz completed a clinical 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win in 2 hours, 30 minutes over Daniil Medvedev. AFP

Clyde Mondilla studies the possible lines of his putt. Manny Marcelo

Stephen Loman

ENTERTAINMENT

Cast makes emotional farewell as 'Voltes V: Legacy' concludes epic journey

MIGUEL Tanfelix, Ysabel Ortega, Matt Lozano, Radson Flores, and Raphael Landicho are now bidding farewell to their characters Steve Armstrong, Jamie Robinson, Bigbert Armstrong, Mark Gordon, and Little John in the live-action adaptation of Voltes V

As the series comes to a close, the cast members take a moment to contemplate how these characters deeply connected with audiences throughout the show’s four-month run.

Miguel couldn’t help but experience a mix of emotions. “When they called ‘it’s a wrap,’ four years of memories flooded back. From the initial lockdown and quarantine to the substantial investment in taping during the pandemic, it’s bittersweet to close this significant chapter in my life. I’m sad, yet eager for everyone to appreciate the greater picture we’ve painstakingly crafted.”

Ysabel, on the other hand, emphasized how this live-action adaptation has brought Filipino pride to the global stage. “Most of the time, when there’s a project, I think about how it’s good and a big step for my career. But Voltes V: Legacy, I can say, is for the entire Philippines. It’s a milestone for everyone. The whole GMA team was very hands-on with this project. That’s why I feel honored, grateful, and proud,” the actress said.

Radson fondly remembered the little things they did for each other on set and off.

“On set, my favorite moments were the little things we did for each other. For example, we all ate together. When there was something wrong with a costume, Miguel would come and fix it, or I would

'Home Along Da Riles' cast reunites to kick off Philippine Film Industry Month

THE cast of the popular ‘90s sitcom Home Along Da Riles came together to celebrate the opening of Philippine Film Industry Month on September 1 with a free screening of the restored and remastered version of its 1993 movie adaptation.

Present during the premiere were the kids of Dolphy’s iconic character Kevin Cosme starting with Claudine Barretto (Bing), Vandolph Quizon (Baldo), Boy 2 Quizon (Estong), Smokey Manaloto (Bill), and Gio Alvarez (Bob). They were also joined by Maybelyn dela Cruz (Maybe Madamba), Dang Cruz (Yaya Roxanne), and Nova Villa (Aling Ason).

With the theme “Tuloy pa rin ang Tawanan,” the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ month-long showcase is dedicated to paying tribute to iconic Filipino comedians such as Dolphy, TVJ (Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon), Eugene Domingo, Aiai Delas Alas, Michael V, Vice Ganda, and many others who have played pivotal roles in shaping and enriching our film and TV culture.

Film lovers can enjoy more ABS-CBN restored comedy classics for free at the Rizal Open Air Auditorium and all Cinematheques for the whole month of September. The lineup includes D’Lucky Ones (September 6), Mr. Suave Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! (September 7), Isprikitik Walastik Kung Pumitik (Septemebr 7), Here Comes the Bride (September 13), Ang Tanging Ina (Septemeber 26), and Daddy O, Baby O! (September 28).

Small-town pageant

for good-looking men and women

about the most challenging where beast

help Matt with his props. Outside the set, I’ll miss our spontaneous outings. We’ll all miss each other,” the 24-year-old rising star shared. Meanwhile, when asked about the most challenging scenes in the series, Raphael shared, “The scenes where we fought the beast fighters were tough. It was hard to imagine that we were getting hurt or electrocuted. It was also memorable when I built Octo1. And of course, the scene where I rode a dolphin. It was my first time handling and feeding a dolphin. I was really scared at first, but I did it and enjoyed it.” Matt reiterated that Voltes V: Legacy had to overcome various struggles throughout the show.

“I never imagined I would be part of an iconic anime that I watched when I was a kid. I’m very proud to be part of this big project, and I’m even prouder because we went through so many challenges on set, with each of our characters. We’re proud because from day one to the last taping day,

TWO Korean dramas made their premiere on Viu earlier and, by the looks of it, they’re on their way to becoming modern classics and huge hits. If you’re a murder-mystery fan, My Perfect Stranger is a fascinating whodunit with a twist: the main characters travel back in time to 1987. The male lead, news anchor Yoon Hae-Joon (played by the handsome Kim DongWook), is trying to solve a series of murders to prevent his own death in the present. The female lead, literary editor Baek Yoon-Young (played by Jin Ki-Joo who at 34 can easily pass as a high school student), accidentally time travels and chooses to stay to get to know her mother more.

Meanwhile, All That We Loved is a story about two very close high school friends, Go Yoo (Sehun of EXO) and Ko Joon-Hee (Jo Jun-Young), and their object of affection, Han So-Yeon (Jang Yeo-Bin). Go Yoo is the school’s star basketball player while Go Joon-Hee is a shy, less athletic student. While the series also fast-forwards to when they are adults, the main story plays out when they are in high school. The two K-dramas have very different plotlines, but My Perfect Stranger and All That We Loved are both set in high school — and here are a few lessons everyone can learn from their stories about teenage life in South Korea:

1. Have fun while you’re young My Perfect Stranger shows that while Korean kids wore colorful outfits in the ‘80s, it wasn’t nearly as “wild” as they were in the West. But, like everywhere else, teenagers just wanna have fun, even in a rural Korean village. The 80s vibe is so fun to watch.

2. Keep your friends close — they can literally save your life. All That We Loved opens with a big plot point. Go Yoo and Go Joon-Hee are wearing hospital gowns and fooling around — or at least the former is laughing while the latter is quite somber. In the next scene, they are being wheeled into an operating room where Joon-Hee is getting a kidney transplant from Yoo. The two boys have very different personalities, but their friendship keeps them

we fought,” he recounted.

Also, now that the Voltes team is on its way to the ultimate battle, devoted fans and new-generation enthusiasts express how much they will miss this groundbreaking program. The epic finale of Voltes V: Legacy airs tonight at 8:00 on GMA Telebabad and at 9:40 on GTV.

Rivaling the province’s famous “Kakanin” Festival, the highly-anticipated search for Mister & Miss San Mateo 2023 held a presscon at the Ciudad Christia Resort, organized by Peñaflorida Production, headed by pageant head/CEO Amanda Jazz Peñaflorida The good-looking male and female candidates from the municipality’s fifteen barangays exhibited excitement and determination during their introduction and were asked about their advocacies and how they could help promote tourism in their localities. The event, directed by Jaja Amante and assisted by CJ Lenguaje, Bhadz Allair, and Mark Santos, concluded with the announcement of the Darling of the Press winners. In the male group, the top three were Wencell Mark Gabrinao Acosta of Bgy. Pintong Bukawe, Marvin Luna of Bgy. Gulod Malaya,

close; Yoo defends Joon-Hee from school bullies while Joon-Hee and his grandmother provide him with a sense of family.

3. Don’t let complicated family relations break you. In My Perfect Stranger, Yoon-Young’s mom Lee Soon-Ae (Syeo Ji-Hye) commits suicide in the present, leaving her a note by the riverbank where she drowns herself. When she sees her mom in 1987, who is now younger than her, all her feelings of guilt make her stay. Yoon-Young tries to prevent her mom from marrying her dad who will not be a good husband. It’s amusing to watch the two women play out familiar family dynamics in reverse. In All That We Loved, Yoo’s parents are both doctors and have no time for him. This leads him to become very resentful and so he appreciates his friendship all the more with Joon-Hee. It is Yoo’s parents who look after JoonHee when he is beaten up by the school bullies and brought to the hospital.

4. Knowing how to stand up for yourself is essential. It’s a lesson that high schoolers need to learn: stand up for yourself or you will be bullied all your life. Yoon-Young tries to teach her mom Lee Soon-Ae to stand up against her classmate Ko Mi-Sook who orders her to do her writing assignments.

Yoo also tries to teach Joon-Hee to stand up to bullies, telling him that he is taller than even their teachers, but it’s just not Joon-Hee’s personality to fight back — or at least not yet in the earlier episodes. Joon-Hee suffers from cellular memory syndrome (memories transferred through cells from an organ transplant) and when he is attacked by bullies, Yoo can also feel that his friend is experiencing physical pain.

5.Walk your own path. To the point of being stubborn, the main characters in My Perfect Stranger and All That We Loved are all headstrong and resolute in what they want. They are all charming and likable, but like with any good drama, we want to shake them by the shoulders and say, “Hey, communicate with each other!” or “Tell him about your past!” or

her that you love her!”

Stream My Perfect Stranger, All That We Loved, and more Korean hit dramas for only P80/month on your PLDT Home Fiber account – the most affordable Viu Premium subscription in the Philippines.

and Boy Guiller Ganituen of Bgy. Silangan. On the distaff side, the top three were Irish Garcia Obogne of Bgy. Malanday, Tia Kristina Manders of Bgy. Banaba, and Julla Icy Ramirez of Bgy. Guinayang. A fashion show preliminary event will be held before the Grand Coronation Night set at Jose F. Diaz Memorial Stadium, San Mateo, Rizal on September 29.

A new search for Philippine fashion’s next generation of models, New Faces of Fashion 2023, was launched with the second screening of aspirants, held at I-Top View Café and Restaurant in Intramuros, Manila on Sunday.

The force behind the newest modeling competition in town is Lilibeth Woods. A former beauty pageant and modeling aspirant, Woods is the founder and CEO of the newest events and talent management company, Faces Events, and heads the Organizing Committee of the New Faces of Fashion search. Woods obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism at the University of the Philippines and worked as head of People and Talent at Pure Watercraft, a company based in Seattle, Washington USA. Finding her true calling in the human resources world, Woods put up her own fashion label Betchesa, and organized the New Faces of Fashion 2023 to help novice models start their careers in the world of fashion. The New Faces of Fashion 2023 search will also serve as a fund-raising event for the benefit of various charities and the primary goal of building a home for LGBTIA+ elderlies.

“Tell

A small-town pageant in San Mateo, Rizal was launched to kick off the Municipality’s annual September Fest events.

Five important life lessons we learned from new teen K-dramas

From left: ‘Voltest V’ lead stars Radson Flores, Ysabel Ortega, Miguel Tanfelix, Raphael Landicho, and Matt Lozano

‘Home Along Da Riles’ cast members are present at the screening of the restored and remastered version of its 1993 movie adaptation

From left: ‘All That We Loved’ stars Jang Yeo-Bin, EXO’s Sehun, and Jo Jun-Young

Korean artists Kim Dong-Wook (left) and Jin Ki-Joo in a scene from ‘My Perfect Stranger’

The 15 male and 15 female official candidates of Mister & Miss San Mateo 2023 Lilibeth Woods launches New Faces of Fashion 2023

The Voltes V robot remains an iconic symbol of the anime and its live-action adaptation

Accelerating your big bike dreams

By Nickie Wang

FILIPINOS are increasingly turning to motorcycles and superbikes as a solution to the perpetual issue of traffic congestion in urban areas. The relentless traffic snarls in cities in Metro Manila have led people to seek alternatives that offer speed and convenience.

Motorcycles and superbikes have emerged as practical choices, thanks to their agility in navigating through congested streets, allowing riders to reach their destinations swiftly.

The appeal of big bikes also goes mere practicality. These two-wheelers are seen as fashion statements and symbols of modern masculinity. Their sleek designs and powerful engines attract those who want to make a statement about their style and adventurous spirit.

Riding a superbike aligns with the image of a modern macho man, embodying traits like confidence and daring.

In response to this growing demand and the aspiration of many Filipinos to embrace the big bike lifestyle, Maybank has introduced the Super Bike Loan program. This innovative addition to their Auto Loan offerings aims to facilitate Filipinos’ foray into the world of powerful motorcycles with engine displacements of 400cc and beyond.

The program extends a helping hand through flexible tenor options and a low down payment threshold starting at 20 percent. Loans span

Handcrafted treasures from artisanal communities

HONORING Filipino craftsmanship has always been at the heart of Kultura and to further raise awareness and celebrate Pinoy talent, the brand is bringing back its Filipino Design Studio, popping up on September 14 to 30 at Atrium East, Level 2 of The Podium. This season, traditional techniques meet modern aesthetics. Discover the charm of handcrafted treasures while supporting local artisans, from trendy upcycled apparel to eco-conscious homeware, statement accessories, mindfully-made wellness products, and more. Kultura selected exotic indigenous inspired across the regions, as well as modern expressions alongside its existing house brands. Explore Filipino traditions reimagined into contemporary creations at Kultura’s Design Studio. Wear your culture with Love, Camille’s modern apparel using local textiles handwoven by artisans in Ilocos Sur; Masabel Iloco’s contemporary clothes and apparel and accessories made with iconic abel weave patterns; and Inne Studio’s footwear, bags, and accessories using natural materials inspired by traditional Filipino techniques. Other finds: quality

contemporary knitwear from Allena; as well as handcrafted bohemian-inspired jewelry from Boho Manila; and leather goods from YHF Manila.

The Filipino Design Studio also works with local communities and supports sustainability. Not a Daydream has unique and stylish bags handmade by mothers in Tondo using local textiles; Anmari & Co. are native and molded bags using locally sourced materials.

And Again

Clothing has fashionable outfits made from upcycled flour sacks, scraps, and surplus fabric; Macopa has trendy, one-of-a-kind apparel sustainably made from upcycled flour sacks; and Vivo Handicrafts has trendy clothes by Negrense weavers that feature upcycled fabric.

Refresh your homes with Abel

PH’s high-quality home items from using handwoven inabel by artisans in the Northern Philippines; Isabela-based Bibisita’s Filipinothemed artwork transformed into everyday items; Amber & Anne’s colorful embroidered placemats and coasters; and 11th Earth’s eco-friendly home décor and accessories.

Boost your wellness routine with Yoga Love’s mindfully made personal care and wellness products using natural ingredients. Join our raffle for a chance to win an overnight stay in Taal Vista Hotel, Radisson Clark, or Pico De Loro with a single receipt purchase of P2,000.

12, 18, 24, and 36 months, with a 0.78 percent monthly interest rate for a three-year term. The official launch, hosted at Maybank’s Bonifacio Global City headquarters in Taguig, showcased a diverse array of participants, including representatives from various automotive and bike brand partners, top bank executives, and devoted clients. Leading motorcycle brands such as BMW Motorrad, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Husqvarna, and Triumph took center stage during the event.

Although initially available to individual clients in Metro Manila and Luzon, the Super Bike Loan program has ambitious plans to broaden its scope to encompass more bike brands in the near future. This expansion underscores Maybank’s unwavering commitment to meeting the evolving needs of Filipinos, addressing both their mobility concerns amid congestion and their aspirations for a dynamic and stylish lifestyle.

Finding your true hue The art of color analysis

IN a world where first impressions hinge upon a glance, colors play a huge role in shaping perceptions, conveying emotions, and defining personal style. For someone like me whose go-to wardrobe color is black, coming across trending color analysis videos on Instagram and TikTok gave me a nudge to put a little more effort and literally “add color” to my life. I headed over to an expert to help me unlock the power of colors.

“Color analysis is a way of finding the best colors for an individual,” certified image consultant Ginny Villegas introduced. “You can choose the best clothes, makeup, and accessories based on your color undertone, and season.”

The Flair Image Consultancy founder further explained that color analysis has become big lately because of social media but it dates back to the 20th century. She added, “It started in the Western world. It was very popular in the US, especially in the 80s.” Ginny recalled having heard about color analysis during her college years.

“There was this famous book by Carole Jackson, ‘Color Me Beautiful,’” Ginny said, sounding so passionate about the concept. “She just gave the basic seasons - winter, spring, summer, and fall. But now, it has been further developed.”

“Color analysis is used to determine whether a person looks good with cool or warm colors based on their color under-

tone,” Ginny went on to explain, emphasizing the purpose of the activity. She laid out a bunch of fabric swatches on the table with a range of hues, tones, and shades. “We have different seasons,” she shared.”Winter and summer are for cool undertones. For winter, it’s usually cool and dark with deep features, and if it’s summer, it’s usually for light and soft features. For warm undertones, we have autumn, which is warm and deep. And for spring, we have warm, bright, and light.”

Ginny demonstrated a thorough understanding and mastery of the craft. To gain credibility, she underwent training to be a certified color consultant at the International Image Institute in Toronto, Canada, facilitated by Karen Brunger. Both Villegas and Brunger are certified image professionals who are part of the Association of Image Consultants International.

“It was through her [Brunger] that we learned how to analyze the skin color and the features of each client,” Ginny said.

Asked about her usual clients, the proud business owner presented how diverse her clientele is. “I have clients from

different age groups,” Ginny shared. “Some are students who book in groups with their friends. Some are professionals. We have executives who avail of the service to help them choose their clothes, hair dye, and makeup based on the season.” Ginny provides her clients with e-color guides so they can choose their best colors.

As Ginny further explained, “Color analysis is not just based on the skin color. We also look at the features.” According to her, the best way to do the color analysis is to have the client cover their hair with a bandana and body with a cape. The person becomes like a blank canvas, and the focus is solely on the face. I was fortunate to have experienced a color analysis session firsthand. With a bare face, I wore a white bandana, and Ginny had different colored fabrics draped around my neck and shoulders, covering a large portion of my upper body. Each fabric swatch was draped and assessed by herone at a time.

I saw the value of seeking the expertise of someone with trained eyes, as I could not always distinguish the differences until Ginny pointed them out and gave feedback on my overall appearance. She paid careful attention to whether a color makes my skin look radiant or dull and whether it accentuates or detracts from my natural features.

“It is better to do a face-to-face color analysis because if you do it virtually, it might not be as accurate,” Ginny explained. She said that while a virtual session can be done, the resolution of the screen, filters, or the type of lighting can affect the analysis. “We do it with daylight. It is best done outdoors, under the sun, or to simulate it with a good LED light that mimics daylight,” she concluded.

In less than an hour, I gained a better understanding of the colors that suit me best and which ones I should avoid. Each session can be a powerful investment to discover the most impactful shades for a person and create lasting impressions.

To book a session with Flair Image Consultancy, check out the brand’s Facebook page, Instagram account (@ flair.image), and website imagebyflair. com.

Ginny (right) with host and actress Hershey Neri

Maybank’s ‘Super Bike Loan’ program helps Filipinos to get their dream big bike through flexible tenor options and a low down payment

Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi (left) and Ginny Villegas at a corporate event

becomes a certified color consultant under Karen Brunger's training