Manila Standard - 2023 September 9 - Saturday

PH resupplies Ayungin anew

But condemns ‘illegal’ acts of China ships that interfered with operation

By Vince Lopez, Charles Dantes and Rey E. Requejo

THE Philippines successfully resupplied its Marine contingent on the BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea Friday but condemned “illegal” actions by Chinese vessels that interfered with the operation.

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, which includes key Philippine government agencies, said it "strongly deplores and condemns the continued illegal, aggressive, and destabilizing conduct" of Chinese coast guard and "militia" vessels in the waters.

On Friday morning, the Philippine Coast Guard escorted supply vesselsto Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the Spratly Islands, where ahandful of Filipino Marines are stationed on a crumbling navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, the task force said.

While the mission was successful,

Next page

Gibo defends funding for EDCA bases, stronger US ties

By Vince Lopez and Maricel V. Cruz

DEFENSE Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. on Thursday defended funding for military bases covered by the Enhanced

Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States, saying the country needs to spend on them despite assistance from Washington. "This is American aid and logistics assistance, but these arePhilippine bases... We really need to spend [on them]. If not,

then we lose our independence,” Teodoro said during a congressional hearing that eventually approved the Department of Defense budget of P229.93 billion for 2024.

At the hearing of the House committee on appropriations, Teodoro also defended

the government’s move to restore strong ties with the United States, after Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel said this might be giving up the country’s sovereignty.

“We are defending the rules-based

DOTr to hasten P3b fuel subsidy release as pump prices rise again

By Darwin G. Amojelar, Alena Mae

the world oil market.

Department of Energy director for the oil industry management bureau Rodela Romero said crude oil prices surged on worries about a potential supply shortage during peak winter demand after Saudi Arabia

Next page

in

By Alena Mae S. Flores

POWER distributor Meralco said it will increase electricity rate by P0.5006 per kilowatt-hour this month due to higher costs from its suppliers.

Residential customers consuming an average of 200 kWh will see an increase of around P100 in their total electricity bill.

The rate hike followed two consecutive months of price reductions totaling P1.0121 per kWh.

Meralco's overall rate for a typical household is P11.3997 per kWh this month from P10.8991 per kWh in August.

Meralco said its generation charge for September went up by P0.4323 to P6.8252 per kWh from P6.3929 per kWh last month due to higher costs from power supply agreements (PSA) and independent power producers (IPP).

PSA charges increased by P1.0362

Retailers dread P40,000 weekly losses over rice

GRAIN retailers could incur P6,000 in losses daily or up to P40,000 a week due to the price ceiling on rice that took effect Tuesday, with the P15,000 subsidy barely covering the foregone revenues.

Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines Inc. Eastern Visayas president Frederic Dy said at P2,450 per cavan of rice, retailers are spending P49 per kilo of rice.

Selling the rice at P45 per kilo would mean an automatic loss of P4 per kilo.

Palace: DOF Usec. was ‘maligning’ administration

By Charles Dantes and Julito G. Rada

MALACAÑANG on Friday confirmed the termination of Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno following reports that she was “maligning” the administration.

In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Magno had always been critical of the government's

MATE. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. extends a warm welcome to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) during his official visit to the Philippines on Friday, the first by an Australian leader since 2003 (see related story on A2). PCO Photo

PH, South Korea ink free trade pact

By Othel V. Campos

PHILIPPINE banana and pineapple exporters scored victory in the Korean fruit market with the signing of the Philippine-South Korea free trade agreement (FTA) during the sidelines of the recently-concluded 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The FTA allows for a graduated tariff decrease for both commodities in 5 to 7 years upon entry into force (EIF) of the agreement.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and South Korean President Yoon SukYeol

PH...

From A1

the task force said it was informed that "China coast guard and Chinese maritime militia" vessels had carried out "harassment, dangerous maneuvers, and aggressive conduct" toward the Philippine boats. China claims almost the entire waterway, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, and has ignored an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

In a statement, the China Coast Guard spokesperson accused the Philippine boats of entering the waters around the reef "without obtaining permission from the Chinese government.”

"The Chinese Coast Guard issued stern warnings, trailed their entire course, and effectively regulated the Philippine ships in accordance with the law," the spokesperson said.

Ayungin Shoal is about 200 kilometers from Palawan, and more than 1,000 kilometers from China's nearest major landmass, Hainan island.

The resupply mission came a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told the 18-nation East Asia Summit in Indonesia to oppose the use of "coast guard and maritime militia vessels" in the South China Sea.

Marcos told the gathering, which was attended by China, that Manila was concerned about the installation of military facilities on reclaimed features such as outcrops and reefs, as well as violations of international law.

"We are concerned over consistent actions that are in violation of obligations under international law," Marcos said, according to a transcript of his remarks

Gibo...

From A1

international order. What constrains other countries is international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Our allies are enforcing the UNCLOS,” Teodoro said.

Teodoro said China’s 10-dash line map, which claims Philippine territory as its own, was evidence of Beijing’s “expansionist agenda.”

While the Philippines is taking the diplomatic route in asserting its rights

Unemployment...

From A1

“In terms of level, the number of unemployed in July 2023 was estimated at 2.27 million, posting a decline of 329,000 from the 2.60 million reported in July 2022,” Mapa said.

The employment rate in July 2023 was registered at 95.2 percent, higher than the reported rate in July 2022 at 94.8 percent, but lower than the estimate in April 2023 at 95.5 percent.

“Around one million in the agriculture sector did not participate in the labor force. These are in planting and growing of vegetables and tubers… so that subsector’s participation was affected [by the weather disturbances],” Mapa said.

The country’s Labor Force Participation Rate in July 2023 decreased to 60.1 percent from 65.2 percent in July 2022 and 65.1 percent in April 2023. This LFPR translates to 46.90 million who were either employed or unemployed.

Mapa also said that the drop in labor force participation could be attributed to those who shifted to household or family duties.

“We found that 1.99 million focused on household duties. Others said they were too young to work, while others said they could

DOTr..

From A1 and Russia extended their voluntary supply cuts to the end of the year.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, for his part, ordered the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)

Retailers...

From A1

“That is just for the grain alone. How about the cellophane? The rent?

The manpower?” he said in a television interview, adding that daily

witnessed the signing of the FTA between Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual and South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk Geun.

Mr. Marcos said the trade agreement would further enhance the vibrant relation-

released by the presidential palace.

"We must oppose the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea."

He did not mention any country by name at the summit, which was attended by Chinese Premier Li Qiang and US Vice President Kamala Harris.

China deploys hundreds of vessels to patrol the South China Sea and swarm reefs.

Its coast guard and navy ships routinely block or shadow Philippine boats in the contested waters, Manila has said.

The Philippines, a longtime US ally, has outposts on nine reefs and islands in the Spratlys, including Ayungin Shoal.

The Philippine Navy deliberately grounded the World War II-era BRP Sierra Madre on the shoal in 1999 to check China's advance in the waters.

The troops stationed on the rusty ship depend on regular deliveries for their survival.

Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

Tensions between the countries flared last month when China Coast Guard vessels used water cannon against a Philippine resupply mission, preventing one of the boats from delivering its cargo.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar said Friday’s operation was a manifestation of its resolve to assert the Philippines' sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its maritime zones.

"The unprofessional act and dangerous maneuvers conducted by the ChinaCoast Guard and its maritime militia will never prevail over our conduct of legal and legitimate operations that support rulesbased international order," he added.

over the West Philippine Sea, it should also continue to upgrade its defense capabilities,” he said.

“Who is shooting water cannons at us?

The US or China? Who is on war footing, us or them? I don't want a war,” Teodoro said.

“We will not back down. We will continue to do what we are doing. We will continue to build alliances with like-minded nations in order to enforce international law... When China states that we are puppets of the United States and other hegemons in order to contain them, they implicitly admit by using

not find a job,” Mapa said.

The number of underemployed persons or employed persons who expressed the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have an additional, or to have a new job with longer hours of work was registered at 7.10 million translating to an underemployment rate of 15.9 percent. This was higher than the reported rate in July 2022 (13.8 percent) and April 2023 (12.9 percent).

On average, employed persons worked 42.3 hours per week, which was higher than the average hours worked in a week in July 2022 at 40.5 hours and in April 2023 at 36.9 hours.

National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the entire government remained committed to improving the business climate in the country to attract more investments, which could lead to the creation of highquality and high-paying jobs.

Balisacan also cited the importance of fast-tracking the implementation of the FY 2023 budget and the government's infrastructure programs bannered by the 'Build-Better-More' infrastructure flagship projects that aim to strengthen the country's competitiveness and create more job opportunities for workers. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

to immediately distribute the fuel assistance to PUV drivers once the funds have been downloaded to the agency.

“Now that the funds have been approved by the DBM, we will make sure that our PUV drivers get immediate assistance,” Bautista said.

A total of 1.36 million beneficiaries will receive fuel assistance, LTFRB data

loss could reach P6,000 for a minimum of 20 sacks sold per day.

"In a week, retailers stand to lose as much as P40,000. How long can a small retailer survive at that level of loss?” he added.

In MegaQ Mart in Quezon City, retailers complained that they incur

ship and partnership between the Philippines and South Korea, expressing optimism that it would go beyond the government-to-government partnership to involve private firms and private sector partners.

“The signing of the FTA is certainly a very big step in that regard.

It can only be a successful arrangement for both our countries. I look forward to the expansion of the trade agreement between your country and mine,” he told Yoon.

The Philippines and South Korea began their negotiations for the FTA in June 2019 and concluded them in October 2021. They were supposed to sign the agreement in June 2022 but both sides had to do some

China, on the other hand, claims without legal basis that it has sole rights to the islands inside their 10-dash line and opposed what it called “the illegal transportation of construction materials” by Filipino sailors to the BRP Sierra Madre.

The China Coast Guard (CCG) maintained that it would continue “to carry out law enforcement activities in the sea areas under China’s jurisdiction according to law.”

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri thanked and congratulated the Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard for completing another resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre.

“I salute our men and women of the AFP and PCG for fearlessly stayingon track to complete their mission, despite intimidation from the Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels," Zubiri said.

“As long as the law and truth are on our side, illegal barriers to what is ours will continue to be pierced, by the sharp tip of world opinion that upholds our cause as just,” he said.

On Thursday night, President Marcos returned from Indonesia, where he attended the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

“I emphasized the importance of a rules-based international order especially in the disputes in the South China Sea, in as much as they affect not only our nation but the entire region,” he said in his report about the recently concluded summit.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, the President said that during the East Asia Summit, leaders were able to discuss the current regional and international issues.

“I reaffirmed that the Philippines is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and called other countries to

the word contain, that they have an expansionist agenda, and that is proven by the new administrative map where they added another dash line. So that is the best evidence of their expansionist agenda, to dominate the whole South China Sea and perhaps beyond,” he added.

Amid such threats, the funding deficiency for the revised Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization program is at P328.57 billion, he said.

“It would leave gaps in our command and control, gaps in ouractivities to deter… and detect incursions in the West

Palace:...

From A1 policies even before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed office.

"She has been against the policies of this administration and made it known to the public on social media long before the President even assumed office," Bersamin said in a statement.

"Instead of working together with colleagues in the government to address any concerns, they were instead constantly done so through public fora," it added.

Magno announced her resignation on Thursday, days after she posted a graph depicting the law of supply and demand, which social media users saw as a subtle jab at the administration’s use of price ceilings on rice.

"The termination of her appointment could only be expected as she clearly does not support the administration and its programs for nation-building," the statement read.

"While we support anyone's right to free speech, it would be counter-intuitive to have someone be part of the administration who was clearly set on maligning it to begin with," Bersamin said.

In a Facebook post, Magno said it was an honor to serve in the government.

“Thank you. It was an honor serving the

showed.

The transport regulator will distribute P10,000 to Modern Public Utility Jeepney (MPUJ) and Modern UV Express (MUVE) operators, while operators of other modes of transport will receive P6,500. Tricycle and delivery riders, on the other hand, are set to receive P1,000 and P1,200 assistance, respectively.

an P8 loss for every kilogram of rice sold.

"They [government] said they will help us, that they will give us asubsidy to cover our losses. For now, we are cooperating,” rice retailer Rachel Saner said. Agriculture Senior Usec. Domingo

“legal scrubbing” on the concluded chapter texts of the bilateral pact.

Yoon said he is eager to elevate the strategic partnership between the Philippines and South Korea.

“And in this regard, I believe that the Korea-Philippines Free Trade Agreement signed later today will set another important milestone in our bilateral relations,” he told Mr. Marcos.

Pascual, meanwhile, said the FTA serves as a “clear demonstration of the intent to elevate the current bilateral relations with South Korea to a stronger strategic partnership.” (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

continue upholding freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea,” he said.

The President also said that he had urged other parties to practice “self-restraint and refrain from doing unilateral and assertive activities that could increase tensions and could lead to misunderstandings and miscalculations in the South China Sea.”

He said he was also able to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishido and US Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss how to strengthen cooperation in key areas of mutual interest. On the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, the Philippines, the US and Japan forged a commitment to ensure the status quo in the Indo-Pacific region.

During the gala dinner hosted by Indonesia during the ASEAN Summit andRelated Summits, President Marcos, Harris and Kishida discussed the situation in the South China Sea.

The meeting paved the way for the three leaders to review means to “enhance trilateral maritime cooperation, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts,” the White House said in itsreadout.

The Foreign Ministry of Japan said Marcos, Harris and Kishida agreed "to jointly tackle unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force."

While there was no mention of China in the readouts, Manila, Washington, and Tokyo recently launched a week-long trilateral naval drills off the Philippine waters to deter China’s aggression in the South China Sea.

Japan, through its ambassador to the Philippines, also expressed the need to boost its military alliance with the Philippines and the US to realize its “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” dream.

Philippine Sea and our overall defense posture,” Teodoro told the panel.

He also defended the P75 million budget allocation for the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group, which comes from the budget of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The Commission on Audit earlier flagged the expense, noting that the security detail for the vice president increased more than four-fold to 433 people in the second half of last year, when Sara Duterte assumed the post. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

country. I can sleep soundly knowing that I did my best serving our country and advocating the interest of our people. Always for the people. Honor and excellence,” Magno said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Earlier reports said Magno filed her resignation effective Sept. 16, 2023. In a Facebook post, 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. Magno had also posted that “I miss teaching.”

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier approved the recommendation to impose mandated price ceilings on rice nationwide to ensure the availability of the staple at a reasonable price.

As an undersecretary at the Department of Finance, Magno oversaw theFiscal Policy and Monitoring Group, which is responsible for recommending fiscal policies, formulating tax reform proposals, and forecasting and programming national government revenues.

The advocacy group Action for Economic Reforms said Magno was “mostprofessional” and said statements that she “clearly does not support the administration and its programs for nation building” and “was clearly set on maligning [the administration] to begin with” were baseless and unfair. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

At least 280,000 drivers will receive the one-time cash grant from the agency, while 930,000 tricycle driver/ operators and an estimated 150,000 delivery service riders will receive the assistance from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), respectively.

Panganiban said the government is aware of the predicament of the retailers, thus the approval of the P15,000 aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, in a separate interview, said there are other government programs being eyed to

PH, Australia sign strategic pact for security, economy

THE Philippines and Australia shored up their security and economic alliance Friday with the signing of a strategic partnership, as they seek to counter China's growing regional influence.

The agreement was finalised following a meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Manila.

Albanese's visit, which marks the first bilateral talks with an Australian prime minister in Manila in 20 years, follows a series of trips by senior members of his government to the archipelago nation since Marcos took office in 2022.

Australia is the Philippines' second largest partner in defense and one of only two bilateral partners that has signed a Visiting Forces Agreement. Under a strategic partnership, the countries will seek to expand cooperation in several areas from defence and security to climate change and education.

"This elevation is an important symbol of the strength of our relationship and our shared commitment to do more together," Albanese told officials, diplomats, and reporters after the two leaders signed the agreement. AFP with Charles Dantes and Rey Requejo (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

10.8k law grads gearing up for Bar exams—SC

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court announced on Friday that 10,867 law graduates are, so far, set to take the 2023 online and regionalized Bar examinations which will be administered by the Supreme Court (SC) on Sept. 17, 20, and 24.

The SC stressed that the number of examinees may decrease before the actual date of the examinations because of the pending withdrawals by those who earlier registered. The examinations will be held in 14 local testing centers (LTCs) nationwide.

In the National Capital Region, the LTCs will be at the San Beda University, Manila; University of Santo Tomas, Manila; SBCA; University of the Philippines, Quezon City; Manila Adventist College, Pasay City; and University of the Philippines, Bonifacio Global City.

In Luzon, the LTCs will be at Saint Louis University in Baguio City; Cagayan State University, Tuguegarao City; and University of Nueva Caceres, Naga City.

In the Visayas, the University of San Jose-Recoletos in Cebu City, the University of San Carlos also in Cebu City, and Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation in Tacloban City will be the LTCs. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Meralco...

From A1 per kWh due to higher fuel prices and the peso’s depreciation against the US dollar, which affected around 30 percent of PSA charges that are dollar denominated.

IPP charges likewise went up by P0.4776 per kWh due to the same factors.

PSAs and IPPs accounted for 39 percent and 36 percent of Meralco’s total energy requirement for this period, respectively.

Charges at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) decreased by P0.5034 per kWh, mainly due to reductions in adjustments and other charges.

WESM’s share to Meralco’s requirement was 23 percent this month from 17 percent in the previous month.

The transmission charge for residential customers, on the other hand, registered a slight reduction of P0.0081 per kWh, Meralco said.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines ceased collection of 3 percent national franchise tax as directed by the ERC starting the September billing period, but this was offset by higher ancillary service charges.

Universal charges also registered a reduction of P0.0239 per kWh while taxes and other charges increased by P0.1003 per kWh.

Meralco’s distribution charge, meanwhile, has not moved since the P0.0360 per kWh reduction for a typical residential customer in August 2022.

help affected retailers.

“I’m sure there are other government programs. The Department of Trade and Industry, for example, can do microfinance.

I know that is one of the mix of interventions that can be rolled out,” Gatchalian said.

Garin to DOH: Follow correct consultant hiring

By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

DEPUTY Majority Leader and Iloilo

Rep. Janette Garin has urged the Department of Health (DOH) to follow the correct process of hiring consultants.

Garin cautioned the DOH after it hired a consultant without undergoing a through search committee, which will be needed to assess the qualifications of the applicant.

The House appropriations panel vice chairperson said it might be a duplication of the tasks of experts and program directors working full-time in DOH.

“Will it not be a duplication of expertise of the people within the department?” Garin asked DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa during the budget deliberations of the agency on Wednesday.

“Why don’t we instead align with specialty societies if we’re talking about non-communicable diseases? Why don’t we tap the Philippine Society of Cardiologists, why don’t we tap the Philippine College of Physicians?” she added.

The lawmaker also raised concerns over the possible chaos that may arise if the unqualified consultant has an opposing view as compared to the experts of the DOH.

As the country needs more health workers, Garin also called to minimize unnecessary expenses and hire more admin staff for the medical assistance program rather than highpaying consultants.

Herbosa disclosed that DOH has five consultants as of now.

Meanwhile, barangay health workers will be protected from their jobs following the issuance of a circular by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Health, said Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go.

Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, commended the DILG and the DOH for the recent issuance of a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC).

He branded the JMC as a “right step” towards recognizing their significant contributions to the health of the country’s communities.

Describing BHWs as heroes, especially during pandemic, Go stressed they should be protected in their jobs.

“They are sincerely serving our community every day. It is just right they should be afforded safety in their work and benefits due to them,” said Go.

1m displaced by storms, 3.2k still in evac centers

By Vince Lopez

THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Friday said that based on their records, the number of individuals affected by tropical cyclones Goring, Hanna, and Ineng, as well as the southwest monsoon or habagat, has breached one million.

Meanwhile, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the NDRRMC thanked the public, the academe, the private sector, government agencies, local government units, and other stakeholders for joining the Third Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) held Thursday afternoon.

In its latest report, the NDRRMC said 1,084,632 people or 291,545 families were affected in Ilocos, Cagayan, Cen-

tral Luzon, Region IV-A (Calabarzon), Region IV-B (MIMAROPA), Western Visayas, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Of this number, 3,219 individuals or 921 families were staying in 71 evacuation centers, while 740 others or 213 families were taking shelter in other places.

A state of calamity was declared in Coron, Palawan; Leganes, Pototan, and Oton in

IN BRIEF

DOTr team tracing MRT bomb threat

THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Friday assured passengers of MRT 3 that the mass rail system is safe notwithstanding a bomb threat.

SENATOR Cynthia Villar has assured businessmen of the continuous promotion of the country’s tuna industry.

As chairperson of the Senate Agriculture and Food, Sen. Villar vowed to continuously craft and push for enactment into law of measures to propel the growth of our tuna industry and fishery sector.

The senator was the guest speaker at the 23rd Tuna Congress in General Santos City.

The two-day Tuna Congress attended by industry stakeholders came up with 24 resolutions which they endorsed to Villar and the House of Representatives for drafting of bills and BFAR and the Mindanao Authority.

The senator commended for this important event Soccsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries with its President and National Tuna Congress chairman Dominic Salazar for the important gathering. Macon Ramos-Araneta

AGRICULTURE REACHES NEW HEIGHTS. Agriculturists are being trained to operate the T30 Drone which is used as a modern farming tool in Kidapawan City. Willie A. Clamor

Iloilo; Sibalom, San Remigio, and Hamtic in Antique; and Bago, Bacolod, and San Enrique in Negros Occidental.

Two persons were reported dead in Western Visayas and CAR, while two were missing in Calabarzon and Western Visayas. Three people were also injured in Central Luzon and Calabarzon.

Over P996.45 million worth of damages were reported in the agricultural sector and P905,69 million in infrastructures. The National Irrigation Administration reported P 2.1 million worth of damages.

Power interruptions were still being experienced in three of the 52 affected areas in Western Visayas, the NDRRMC said. Water supply problems were still reported in one of the affected areas in the same region.

PH-U.S. EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP.

United States Agency for International Development mission director Ryan Washburn and Education Committee

II executive director

Dr. Karol Mark Yee sign a memorandum of understanding for a new bilateral cooperation on education. Looking on are (from left) USAID

Office of Education director Thomas LeBlanc, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Pasig City

Representative Roman Romulo, and USAID

Office of Education deputy director Yvette Malcioln. USAID photo

Upon receipt of an alleged bomb threat via e-mail early this morning, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista immediately activated an inter-agency task force to “enhance security deployment in all transportation sectors.”

The task force consisted of the DOTR Office for the Office for the Transportation Security, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Cybercrime Investigation Coordinating Center, Philippine National Police and Railway Security

‘LTO must learn from license fiasco’

AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee on Friday hailed the decision of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to adopt the recommendation of automatically extending the validity of driver’s licenses for 12 months.

This comes after delays in the release of license cards as a result of a temporary restraining order (TRO) halting the LTO from utilizing 5.2 million plastic cards. Maricel V. Cruz

BARMM hands out 3,910 armchairs

THE Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is preparing local children and youth through education by providing schools with 3,910 armchairs in three of its five component provinces.

Minister Mohagher Iqbal said Camp Darapanan Integrated School which used to be a military realm for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) decades ago, was among the schoolsrecipient of the BARMM’s Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education’s customized MBHTE-designed armchairs. Nash B. Maulana

PH advocacy groups join Asia-wide protests ahead of G20 Summit

By Ronald O. Reyes

FILIPINO advocacy groups joined the Asia-wide protest actions against climate and debt crises ahead of the Group of 20 (G20) Summit hosted in New Delhi, India, on September 9-10.

“We demand that the G20 govern-

ments commit to bolder measures to address the multiple crises, including mobilizing much-needed resources through inclusive debt cancellation, adoption of wealth taxes for spending on urgent economic and climate action, and the rechanneling of public funds away from fossil fuel subsidies towards

renewable energy systems,” said Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), on Friday.

Similar protests were held in Jakarta, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Karachi, Lahore and Colombo.

The groups maintained that G20 coun-

tries together contribute to 75 percent of global trade and almost 85 percent of the world’s gross domestic product, while they also account for 80 percent of world power sector emissions, with per capita CO2 from coal power at 1.6 tons in 2022, up from 1.5 tons in 2015 and significantly higher than a global average of 1.1 tons.

Tulfo slams failed police operation

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vince Lopez

SENATOR Raffy Tulfo has slammed the Philippine National Police (PNP) for alleged repeated failure to follow police operational procedures.

Meanwhile, the PNP released a report offering comparative insights into the state of criminality in the country for the period January 1 to September 5, 2022 and 2023.

In particular, the Index Crime Volume has shown a decrease of 2,514 cases which translates to an 8.80% decline from 28,558 cases in 2022 to 26,044 cases in 2023.

Due to this. Tulfo filed Senate Resolution No. 767 which seeks to investi-

gate the PNP for alleged abuse, killings, and human rights violations.

The senator cited several PNP failed operations, including those in Pandi, Bulacan and Rogriguez, Rizal.

He recalled the Aug. 12 Pandi incident where police barged inside the property of Rodelio Vicente, claiming they were conducting a manhunt for alias “Elmer.”

Vicente, who sought Tulfo’s help through his program “Raffy Tulfo in Action,” was taken into custody and arrested for allegedly committing direct assault and disobedience to a person in authority.

During the operation, the senator said the police officers were not in uniform, but wore ski masks.

Villar: PH tuna industry to be given a boost

ANTI-DEBT, CLIMATE CHANGE RALLY. Climate activists hold a protest in front of the Ninoy Aquino Monument on Ayala Ave., Makati City, urging, among others, G20 world leaders to avert climate catastrophe by shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy. APMDD photos

Teves seeks to stave off jail time

THE camp of expelled Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo

“Arnie” Teves Jr. on Friday said they will look into all legal options to counter the e-warrant of arrest issued by a Manila court against the former lawmaker for the alleged killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.

“We are seriously considering our options because the appeal, the warrant, procedurally you ask the higher court… on a petition of certiorari to say there was grave abuse of discretion in finding probable cause,” said Teves’ legal counsel Ferdinand Topacio.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last August that charges of murder, frustrated murder, and attempt-

39 BSKE bets warned about socmed posts

By Vito Barcelo

THE Commission on Elections has issued show cause orders to 39 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan candidates who may face stiff sanctions, including disqualification for premature campaigning ahead of the October 30 village polls.

In a radio interview, Comelec chairman George Garcia said the candidates were ordered to explain why the agency “would not file disqualification cases against them after the poll body saw them on social media.”

“The 39 candidates are separate from the 128 petitions for disqualification submitted to Comelec after the period of filing of certificates of candidacy,” Garcia said over TeleRadyo Serbisyo.

He said there were no complaints against them, but the commission saw them on social media.

“There are too many posts on social media and reported to us through text messages,” he added.

Garcia said Comelec will issue a decision on the disqualification petitions before the polls next month.

“We will charge you and will surely disqualify you since you have already filed your Certificate of Candidacy (COC) and are engaging in premature campaigning, which is prohibited,”

IN BRIEF

NKTI warns vs. illegal sale of human kidneys

THE National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) warned the public against the illegal sale of human kidneys.

The warning was raised following the arrest of a broker who had tried to sell the kidney of a friend on social media.

According to the victim “Carlo”, he was enticed by the suspect to sell his kidney for P250,000. He said he needed the money to pay his rent.

NKTI Deputy Executive Director for Medical Services Romina Danguilan said illegal organ trafficking showed the desperation of some patients looking for a donor as well as middlemen who were trying to take advantage of potential donors.

“You can see and you can feel the desperation of our dialysis patients, that they don’t like this life of dialysis. They want to go back to a more normal life. It’s really a problem,” she said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.

Danguilan said the donation of a kidney should be done freely and not through financial rewards.

MTRCB told: Step up campaign vs. indecency

ed murder have been filed against Teves over the March 4 killing of Degamo and nine others.

Shortly after, the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 51 issued an ewarrant of arrest against Teves, Angelo Palagtiw, a certain “Gie Ann” or “Jie An,” and Capt. Lloyd Cruz Garcia II.

According to Topacio, they have yet to receive a copy of the DOJ resolution

indicting Teves, as well as the order of the court for an e-warrant of arrest.

“On Monday we will be undertaking more steps in order to secure more copies, not just the warrant, even the resolution of the DOJ we will question,” he said.

Topacio said they will also study the possible liabilities that may be imposed against the panel of prosecutors for supposedly not taking into account the recantations of the 10 accused in the killing.

“We want to know why so we can take the next step, not only with respect to the procedure of going up to the Court of Appeals (CA) but possibly

in seeing whether those prosecutors who decided it are administratively or criminally liable for deliberately ignoring certain evidence,” he said.

Teves, who has yet to return to the country, may be going back and forth between Timor-Leste, Cambodia, and Thailand, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla. For Topacio, the arrest warrant may give Teves more reason to not return due to “unfairness.”

Asked if Teves was considering returning to the country to face the charges against him in court, Topacio said they will first exhaust all remedies available even without Teves’ presence.

A CONGRESSIONAL leader on Friday urged the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to step up what he referred to as its “campaign versus indecency” as he stressed the importance of ensuring that daytime television shows should be fit for family viewing.

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr, chair of the House Committee on Human Rights, pointed out that the MTRCB’s decision to suspend “It’s Showtime” for 12 airing days “is justified as it sends a very clear and very loud message to television show producers and artists who oftentimes forget that their content is inappropriate for young viewers.”

Abante stressed: “The MTRCB has a mandate to protect Filipino audiences against indecency in our airwaves and to protect our children against obscenity. They did the right thing.” Maricel V. Cruz

QC wants 350km of bike networks

QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte wants a 350-kilometer bike network before her second term ends in 2025.

Assistant city administrator Alberto Kimpo, in an interview, said the mayor has instructed him to provide more bike lanes across the city that shall provide better stops for cycling facilities linking them to other modes of public transportation.

In a turnover ceremony at the Quezon City hall path walk, Kimpo thanked MBC executive director Coco Alcuaz, executive vice president for external relations Serge Bernal, and Shell representatives for their support of the city government’s initiative. Rio N. Araja

LTO revokes ex-cop Gonzales’ license for 2 years, Fortun wants more

By Rio N. Araja and Vince Lopez

THE Land Transportation Office on Friday announced the revocation of the driver’s license of ex-police officer Wilfredo Gonzales, who was caught on a viral video pulling a gun on a cyclist, for two years.

LTO chief Vigor Mendoza III said

Gonzales was culpable for four charges against him -- reckless driving, obstruction of traffic, and improper person to operate a motor vehicle.

“Why only two years? This is so because such cases are punishable only up to four years revocation,” Mendoza added.

Since there was no incident of death

or injury, he said the LTO cannot impose a lifetime revocation of Gonzales’ driver’s license.

“So that is our basis… because there was no death or injury. What aggravated the situation is that he pulled out a gun,” Mendoza emphasized.

But lawyer Raymond Fortun urged the Philippine National Police to file

more cases against Gonzales, a Supreme Court employee who was caught slapping and wielding a firearm against cyclist Allan Bandiola in Quezon City last month.

Fortun said he believes that the alarm and scandal case filed by the Quezon City police against Gonzales was lacking, citing its lighter penalty.

By Vito Barcelo

THE Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa (Kapatiran) has rejected the P35 to P50 wage increase for Calabarzon areas, saying it failed to meet the principal demands for wage recovery and living wages in the region which amount ranges from

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

AS TEXT scams persist despite the SIM Registration Law, Senator Grace Poe on Friday renewed her call for a “live selfie” requirement to register a SIM card with local mobile networks.

P100 to P750 per day.

The increase, which takes effect on September 24, sets the new minimum wage in the region between P385 to P520 for the non-agricultural sector and from P385 to P479 for the agriculture sector.

“It is too little and it cannot even buy a kilo of rice. Despite the wage increase, the real wage value of the minimum wage

Poe prodded concerned agencies and telecommunications companies to make selfies a requirement for SIM registration as deterrence against fraud and scamming.

She said the selfies, or one’s photograph taken by oneself, should be part of the implementing rules and regula-

today in Region 4-A is only P428.80,” Kapatiran chair Rey Almendras said. Almendras also criticized the numerous wage classifications in the region that make enforcement and compliance very complicated, notwithstanding the blanket exemption available for firms employing not more than 10 workers.

Group says P50 Calabarzon wage hike not enough Poe insists on ‘live selfie’ requirement for SIM reg

tions (IRR) of Republic Act 11934 or the SIM Registration Act.

While the SIM Registration law is already there, the scammers have continued to deceive people, as the senator noted that the law “was made to protect our people against scammers.”

SA MAYNILA. Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna addresses beneficiaries of the “Kalinga sa Maynila” program in Singalong, Manila on Friday. The one-stop shop delivery of services to the city’s residents includes free medical consultations, free legal assistance, free notarial services, and job fairs. Norman Cruz

‘De-dollarization’ of the US currency

MANY countries are now aching to break away from the US-controlled financial institutions and openly manifesting their disgust and contempt by threatening to join the newly-formed financial bloc made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, or known as the BRICS.

In the recently concluded meeting of BRICS in Johannesburg last week, the bloc opted to admit 10 new members.

By 2023, BRICS will accept Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Argentina as added members.

The hotly contested issue in the formation of this international organization is the eagerness of the members to abandon the US dollar as the international reserve currency.

To date, the members have yet to arrive at a consensus of completely junking the US dollar in favor of an alternative reserve currency.

Some view the US dollar has been around for almost a century.

Yes, it has brought prosperity but has created an enormously wide gap between rich and poor nations.

Development has not been fast as expected, and, in that situation, the dominance of the US dollar resulted as the only recognized reserve currency, and underdeveloped countries have long suspected is being used to advance US interest principally through its various financial institutions like World Bank and the International Monetary Bank.

The Bretton Woods Agreement created the World Bank in 1944.

It was the first attempt to financially fix the

To date, the (BRICS) members have yet to arrive at a consensus of completely junking the US dollar in favor of an alternative reserve currency

value of the US dollar as an international reserve currency.

Under the Agreement, the US dollar was pegged at $32 per ounce of gold.

The US then stood as the most powerful nation on earth considering that it was the only nation to escape from the ravages of the Second World War and coming out as the leading industrialized country manufacturing nearly 70 percent of the world’s total manufactured goods.

The US managed to corner both the export and import of goods until it was awakened to realized that its economy was incurring huge trade deficit because of the unwinnable Vietnam War in the 70s.

The US never conceived it would incur deficit despite its involvement in the War.

It was its expenditure in the war that depleted much of its of income and resources.

President Nixon in 1973 decoupled the US dollar from the gold standard, meaning other countries will, from then on, be prohibited from buying and selling gold.

Instead, the US federal reserve will measure the value of the dollar on its aggregate GNP which many considered as rather unique because most countries based the value of their currency on their total productive output.

The very concept of just measuring the nation’s economy through its own GNP was, as some would say, totally flawed.

It exactly allowed the US to have an unlimited access to borrow from other countries by issuing treasury notes which the US guarantees as payable by its government.

As a result, the US today stands as the world’s biggest debtor.

The irony is the US borrows from countries it treated as unfriendly to it.

US is heavily indebted to China, Japan and Russia where it has imposed sanctions.

In fact, it has even banned Russia from SWIFT as when the US imposed trade embargo.

This ambivalent posturing of the US, viz in bolstering its own economy, has put instability to the US dollar. This explains why many countries, mostly members of the BRICS, have been agitating to drop the dollar as the international reserve currency. This is a tectonic shift in geopolitics. In fact,

Era of ‘global boiling’ EDITORIAL

and scale of a just transition to a more equitable renewable-energy based, climate-resilient global economy.

described the blistering heat across the northern hemisphere as a “cruel summer.”

China and Japan sold 30 percent of their treasury bonds.

It was through this system of measuring the value of one’s currency that allowed the US to borrow from other countries.

In effect, it was the US that measured how much it can secure for their loans from other countries by the quick process of printing the dollar or “quantitative easing” to ease inflation.

Backed up by the formation of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and later by the creation of the Asian Development Bank, the US was able to finalize its stronghold of the world economy.

It was through these US-controlled financial institutions that made the adjustments and in the valuation of other countries’ currency.

It was through this system of perpetual indebtedness that financial institutions coined the concept being mired in a debt trap.

The US controlled the other countries’ currencies by adjusting their loans.

The easiest way which the US can do is to pressure states to make a drastic devaluation of their currency.

That way, indebted countries are forced to increase their cost of wage consequent to the decline in the value of their currency. These are mostly drawn by US banks.

The most blatant of this banking practice is the limited amount of currency which the client-states are forced to convert their reserve currency or limit the amount they need for their developmental plans.

More than anything else, why should we give the US treasury the freedom to choose the precious metal states should base?

To every twist of this change in valuation in currencies which China say is more of a unilateral practice has the shade of power hegemonism amounting to undue collection of fees.

This explains why many of our projects run short of funds, not to mention the practice of currency devaluation which eats up the bulk of the funds.

The US has been complaining that it cannot compete with China in trade and American economists argue that Chinese-made products are simply too cheap to be overwhelmed by US trade competition.

But American businessmen do realize they cannot compete under the rules of fair competition.

The Americans now suspect that China is resorting to unfair trade practices which summarily accuses that country of illegality.

The US completely forgot or ignores the fact that China produces more goods at a cheaper price at a greater volume.

For every stage of China’s manufacturing capability, Chinese factories come out with a better quality and much improved products.

Repeatedly, through the import and export of manufactured goods, China gains in terms of exports.

Its gains may not be measured in volume but more on the value of the goods China can deliver to countries patronizing its products.

This we can surmise because to every improvement China introduces into its products, added value are made into them.

Thus, from the time China opened up trade with the US, the US, as importers, cannot say that for the last 10 years that it has been importing the products from China that the latter had not introduced improvements on their products.

Even if we say that Chinese exports are based mostly on raw materials such as oil and natural gas, just the same the value of export will increase based on the system of an added system of refining the product, not to mention the increased valuation of the currency.

This explains why BRICS as a new international organization has gained clamor for the change of the US dollar as an international reserve currency.

Any decision by the members of the BRICS to fix the value of their reserve currency to yuan, rubble, rupees, or rand or to refer back to precious metals as in gold would greatly eliminate the US financial practice of “quantitative easing” or the printing of its money to ease inflation.

Observing these basic rules in trade, it thus becomes difficult for the US to impose the rules governing unfair trade competition without tangible support of its demand.

For as long as China observes the rules of fair competition, it would be much difficult for the US to accuse China of violating the same.

(rpkapunan@gmail.com)

Populations that are the least responsible for the climate crisis are suffering from its impacts and need immediate help to adapt and recover from loss and damage

Underlying that climate change, a terrifying episode, is here, United Nations SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres said, “For the entire planet, it is a disaster,” and noted that short of a mini-Ice Age, July 2023 shattered records across the board. Guterres called for radical action on climate change, stressing the record-shattering July temperatures showed Earth has passed from a warming phase into an “era of global warming.” He added: “Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.” Ahead of the Climate Ambition Summit he is set to host on September 20, Guterres called on developed countries to commit to achieving carbon neutrality as close to 2040 as possible, and for emerging economies as close as possible to 2050. The Summit would be participated in by governments, business, finance, local authorities and civil society including “first movers and doers” or those who have geared up to address the phenomenon. We see the Summit represents a critical political milestone for demonstrating that there is collective global will to accelerate the pace

Doubtless, climate change is the crucial issue of our time and we are at a defining moment. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale.

The “destruction” unleashed by humanity “must not inspire despair, but action,” Guterres said, warning that to prevent the worst outcomes humanity “must turn a year of burning heat into a year of burning ambition.”

The latest scientific assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has once more highlighted the urgency to act.

The damage from the climate crisis is extensive, and global greenhouse gas emissions remain at record levels.

The world needs immediate and deep reductions in emissions now, and over the course of the next three decades, to limit global warming to 1.5°C degrees above pre-industrial levels and prevent the worst impacts.

Meanwhile, populations that are the least responsible for the climate crisis are suffering from its impacts and need immediate help to adapt and recover from loss and damage.

As authorities have pointed out, this is an issue of equity and climate justice which requires immediate attention from governments and international financial institutions.

Critique on the National Security Policy

THE National Security Policy constitutes a fundamental set of principles meticulously crafted to steer decision-making processes with a singular aim: the safeguarding and enhancement of a nation’s interests, well-being, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. It is a guiding compass that aids in the establishment of priorities, particularly when it comes to allocating finite resources and striking a delicate balance between fortifying defenses against external threats and fortifying defenses against internal challenges. This framework is all-encompassing, delving into a multitude of issues connected to national security. Moreover, it serves as an overarching blueprint, offering invaluable direction for the assessment, enhancement, and formulation of various policies relating to national security.

At the heart of this crucial policy framework is the President, entrusted with the profound responsibility of conceiving and overseeing the National Security Policy.

The President’s pivotal role stems from the multifaceted positions as the Head-of-State, Head-ofGovernment, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, making the person uniquely positioned to shape and manage the nation’s security policy.

In practice, the implementation of the NSP is orchestrated by the National Security Council, a body that emerges as the principal advisory entity to the President concerning the seamless coordination and integration of plans and policies that bear on national security.

The NSC, with the President at its helm, brings together a diverse array of Cabinet members and other officials whose collective expertise and insights contribute to the formulation of cogent national security strategies.

In the context of the Philippines, the National Security Council (known as Sanggunian sa Pambansang Seguridad in Filipino) plays an indispensable role.

It stands as the preeminent decision-making hub for the President, carrying the weighty responsibility of addressing matters of paramount significance linked to national security and foreign policy. Within its ranks, senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials engage in exhaustive and comprehensive deliberations, marked by precision and care, as they navigate the intricate terrain of the nation’s security concerns.

The NSC is divided into two integral components: the Council Proper, presided over by the President, and the National Security Council Secretariat, which offers essential technical support to the Council. The Council Proper comprises distinguished officials from both the Cabinet and Congress. Notably, the President holds the authority to extend invitations to government representatives and private individuals, ensuring a well-rounded and inclusive forum for tackling the complex tapestry of national security matters.

The roots of the National Security Council in the Philippines can be traced back to the Quirino

Administration, when it was officially established through Executive Order 330 in 1950. Acknowledging the imperative need to adapt to the evolving national security and foreign policy landscapes, the NSC underwent significant reorganization under EO 115 in 1986, a move aimed at ensuring its continued relevance and efficacy in modern times.

The historical backdrop reveals the genesis of the Philippines’ national security program. Commonwealth Act 1 set in motion the creation of a Council of National Defense, tasked with offering guidance to the President on matters of national defense policy. This council embodied a comprehensive and knowledgeable advisory body, a precursor to the NSC.

The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines ushered in a paradigm shift by introducing civilian control over the military

Following World War II and the Philippines’ ascent to sovereignty, President Elpidio Quirino bestowed official recognition upon this advisory body, naming it the National Security Council.

The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines ushered in a paradigm shift by introducing civilian control over the military, designating the President as the Commander-in-Chief, and positioning the President at the helm of the National Security Council as the primary policy-making and advisory authority for national defense.

(Editor’s Note: Article II, Sec 8 of the 1973 Constitution, says “Civilian authority is at all times supreme over the military.” And the 1935 Constitution also provides, under Section 3, Article I1: “Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory.”)

In 1986, during the tenure of President Corazon Aquino, critical changes were instituted, which included the establishment of the National Security Council director and the Secretariat, enhancing the NSC’s organizational structure and functionality.

However, in the early 1990s, the NSC convened on a limited basis, holding only two meetings during that period, while the Department of National Defense assumed primary responsibility for national

security, with a civilian Secretary of National Defense advising the President on defense matters.

In 2002, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo reconvened the NSC to address a pressing issue—the deployment of U.S. soldiers in the Philippines as part of the global war on terrorism.

This decision underscored the Philippines’ commitment to supporting the United States in combating terrorism, aligning with a UN Security Council resolution, and upholding the strategic alliance between the Philippines and the United States.

In 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte breathed new life into the NSC, convening it to deliberate on key initiatives, including the war on illegal drugs, peace negotiations with rebel groups, and territorial disputes with China.

The composition of the National Security Council is delineated in the Administrative Code of 1987.

It encompasses the President as chairman, the Vice President, Secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Executive Secretary, National Defense, Justice, Labor and Employment, Local Governments, the National Security Director, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The President is also vested with the authority to appoint additional government officials and private individuals to the Council, thereby ensuring flexibility in its structure and harnessing diverse expertise.

In 1992, President Fidel Ramos expanded the Council’s membership to include additional Secretaries and government officials.

However, in 2001, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo reverted the Council to its current composition.

The core mission of the NSC is to provide counsel and guidance to the President, forging alignment among domestic, foreign, and military policies in the realm of national security.

It stands as the central instrument for orchestrating and harmonizing these policies across government departments and agencies, fostering a cohesive and united approach to national security matters.

All told, the National Security Council occupies a pivotal and indispensable position in the Philippines. It functions as the guardian of the nation’s security interests, safeguarding them with unwavering commitment and ensuring a meticulously coordinated response to both domestic and international security challenges.

In the next two columns, I will provide a critique of the most recent iteration of our national security policy.

Grisly case of missing friends haunts tormented Mexican city

LAGOS DE MORENO, Mexico—Bloody

handprints in an abandoned house offer a clue to the fate of five young Mexicans believed to have been tortured and murdered by drug cartel hitmen, traumatizing their community.

The childhood friends have joined more than 111,000 people missing across the country, where insecurity is expected to be a major topic in next year’s presidential election.

The five men, aged 19 to 22, are presumed to have been killed -- but with no proof, their families are unable to mourn.

“We still hope that the body will be returned to us for a Christian burial,” said Armando Olmeda, father of Roberto Carlos.

The 20-year-old engineering student and boxing fan had planned to leave his home town of Lagos de Moreno, in the western state of Jalisco, and move to Canada.

Murders and kidnappings are common in Mexico, but the five friends’ abduction on August 11 while socializing at a viewpoint shocked the country.

The reaction was due in large part to grisly leaked images showing the men kneeling and gagged with their hands tied.

One clip appeared to show a friend attacking another, presumably forced by their captors.

“Nobody deserves that,” said Ana Martinez, whose brother Jaime is among the missing. She remembers the 21-year-old as a football fanatic who gave up his dream of being a professional player to earn a living in construction.

“My brother was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she said. Cartel turf war

In the house where the murders are believed to have taken place, graffiti on the walls reads:

“Welcome MZ.”

It is an apparent reference to Ismael “Mayo”

Zambada, one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, which is at war with the rival Jalisco New Generation gang.

Authorities are still investigating the motives for the crime, but residents of Lagos de Moreno have their own theories.

They include forcible gang recruitment and a show of force by the drug traffickers, said Mauricio Jimenez, a priest in the city of 112,000 people.

Young Mexicans are the “soldiers” of the cartels, which use lies to recruit them, he said.

After the friends went missing, authorities detained 85 people on suspicion of involvement in crimes such as the disappearance of persons,

Jalisco security official Ricardo Sanchez told AFP. Near the scene of the tragedy, a brickyard remains cordoned off after the prosecutor’s office found bones there on August 21.

Experts are investigating whether they are remains of the missing men.

The case has stunned young people in Lagos de Moreno, home to a thriving dairy industry and charming colonial buildings and flower-filled parks honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“Being young in Lagos and going out at night is like putting a gun in your mouth,” said one student. The city, where criminals watch every corner, has registered more than 400 missing persons since 2009.

Many are believed to have ended up in clandestine graves and crematoria, or their remains dissolved in acid.

The police “are conspicuous by their absence,” complained a local union leader who did not want to be named, reporting a sharp drop in business.

Search for bodies Jalisco has the most missing persons among Mexico’s 32 states—around 15,000 since 1962.

Most disappearances happened after the launch of a controversial military anti-drug offensive in 2006.

Since then, the country’s murder rate has tripled to 25 per 100,000 inhabitants.

In June, authorities reported finding at least 45 bags containing human remains in a ravine in Zapopan, a suburb of Jalisco’s capital city Guadalajara.

Relatives in the state continue searching for their missing loved ones using picks and shovels.

Jose Servin, who has been looking for his son Raul since 2018, uses a rod and his sense of

smell to look for human remains in an abandoned house.

He continued his search despite a halt called by authorities after an explosives attack on a police patrol in July left six people dead in a Guadalajara suburb.

Authorities said at the time that the patrol was responding to a report from a member of a group searching for missing relatives.

In Lagos de Moreno, the five friends’ disappearance has reopened old wounds.

Ana Teresa Hernandez’s 19-year-old son Angel was murdered in 2013, his body disintegrated in acid.

She cannot sleep thinking about the pain of the latest victims, which reminds her of Angel.

Only one of his bones was returned to her, which she gave up anyway to be used as DNA evidence.

“It’s a wound that pains me every hour,” she said.

The father of Roberto Carlos, named after the Brazilian footballer, hopes that his healing process will begin when his son is found.

Meanwhile, he plans to keep working to take his mind off the devastating loss.

“We need to continue living and alleviating the pain,” he said. AFP

WE HEARD the chief of the United Nations when he spoke recently in New York where he

Authorities are still investigating the motives for the crime, but residents of Lagos de Moreno have their own theories

Hong Kong flooded by heaviest rainfall in nearly 140 years

HONG KONG – Hong Kong was flooded by the heaviest rainfall in nearly 140 years on Friday, leaving the city’s streets and some subway stations under water and forcing its schools to close.

Just across the border, authorities in China’s tech hub Shenzhen recorded the heaviest rains since records began in 1952.

Climate change has increased the intensity of tropical storms, experts say, with more rain and stronger gusts leading to flash floods and coastal damage.

The heavy rainfall in Hong Kong started on Thursday and in the hour leading up to midnight, the city’s weather observatory recorded hourly rainfall of 158.1 millimeters at its headquarters, the highest since records began in 1884.

“It’s absolutely shocking,” said Jacky, 52, who lives in the Wong Tai Sin district with his elderly parents. “I don’t remember floods ever being this bad in our district.”

“The bottom floor of the mall is completely flooded, the water level is higher than the storefronts... it’s turned our day into chaos,” he added.

Authorities issued flash flood warnings, with emergency services conducting rescue operations in parts of the territory.

“Residents living in close proximity to rivers should stay alert to weather conditions and should consider evacuation” if their homes are flooded, the observatory said.

It also warned of potential landslips, telling motorists to “keep away from steep slopes or retaining walls”.

Hong Kong’s stock exchange canceled all trading sessions on Friday.

At a press conference, Hong Kong Chief

AFFIDAVIT OF SELFADJUDICATION BY SOLE HEIR

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late Jacqueline Cañizares Salayo who passed away on March 13, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines has been extrajudicially settled to Cesar Rupert Cañzares Salayo. The deceased left a condominium unit at 9A Embassy Terrace Homes, Brgy Pasong Tamo Quezon City and among others, before Notary Public Atty Rosalinda Adriano Montenegro as per Doc no. 171, page no. 35, book no. 1, series of 2023.

(MS-SEPT. 2/9/16, 2023)

Secretary Eric Chan described the deluge as “a once-in-a-century heavy rainstorm,” adding that extreme conditions would continue until midnight local time.

“It’s like putting four bathtubs of water into one bathtub... it will spill,” Chan said, when asked if the government had done enough to prevent flooding.

The Hong Kong Observatory said it recorded more than 600 millimeters of rainfall at its headquarters over 24 hours—roughly a quarter of the city’s average annual rainfall.

On Friday afternoon, the Hospital Authority said at least 110 were hospitalized due to injuries, with four in serious condition.

Earlier in the day, taxis struggled through flooded roads as commuters attempted to make their way to work, with some cars stranded in the deluge.

“It felt like the whole neighborhood was isolated by the floodwater. One of the underground car parks is totally underwater,” Olivia Lam, who lives on the eastern side of Hong Kong Island, told AFP.

“The water was almost waist-deep outside my building, and that’s not the worst (case) in the neighborhood.”

An AFP reporter saw boulders and mud from a landslide block off a two-lane road in the Shau Kei Wan district.

“It’s a bit of a painful experience,” Eli, a stranded commuter, told AFP, adding that he had “no chance” of making it to his destination on the south side of Hong Kong Island.AFP

NEW CHAPTER.

This picture taken the other day and released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency Friday shows the unveiling ceremony of the new submarine No. 841, named the Hero Kim Kun Ok, at an undisclosed location in North Korea—as part of its effort to strengthen its naval force, the state news agency KCNA reported. AFP

HEAVIEST IN 140 YEARS. A man takes a photo of a flooded road in Hong Kong on Friday. Record rainfall in the city caused widespread flooding in the early hours, disrupting road and rail traffic just days after the city dodged major damage from a super typhoon. AFP

Cyclone-hit Brazil braces for new storms

ROCA Sales, Brazil – Brazil is bracing for new storms just days after a devastating cyclone killed at least 41 people in the country’s south, officials said Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Twenty-five people remain missing after an extratropical cyclone this week hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is also the target of the new weather system. An estimated 9.5 million of Brazil’s 203 million people live in areas at high risk of flooding or landslides.

Late Thursday, “a cold front will advance along the border with Uruguay and will reinforce instabilities in the southern regions of the state, expanding to northern areas between Thursday night and early Friday,” according to a warning from the state government, citing a meteorologist.

Flooding from the earlier storm sub-

merged whole neighborhoods in Rio Grande do Sol, forcing many people to climb onto roofs while awaiting rescue.

More than 10,500 people were forced to leave their homes in 83 municipalities hit by the cyclone.

Almost a thousand rescuers and a dozen helicopters were involved in rescue efforts that continued Thursday, complicated by the destruction of two bridges and 16 roads fully or partially blocked, officials said.

In the hard-hit town of Roca Sales, residents with picks and shovels were trying to recover whatever possessions they could from destroyed homes.

“Everything fell apart. I never saw anything like it here. It was crazy,” resident Nelson Noll told AFP, pointing to a now-empty space where three houses previously stood.

North Korea launches new ‘tactical nuke attack submarine’

SEOUL—North Korea has launched its first “tactical nuclear attack submarine” as part of its effort to strengthen its naval force, state media said Friday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over the unveiling ceremony on Wednesday, saying the sub was part of a “push forward with the nuclear weaponization of the Navy,, according to state news agency KCNA.

Images in state media showed Kim, wearing a light suit and sun hat, speaking to white-uniformed sailors next to the submarine, whose bow was decorated with the North Korean flag.

The launch of submarine No. 841—named the Hero Kim Kun Ok—“heralded the beginning of a new chapter for bolstering up the na-

val force of the DPRK”, KCNA said, referring to the abbreviation of North Korea’s formal name.

Kim said the sub “will perform its combat mission as one of core underwater offensive means of the naval force of the DPRK”, the agency added.

North Korea will turn its existing submarines into attack vessels equipped with nuclear weapons, Kim said.

On Thursday, KCNA said Kim inspected the submarine as it prepared for a test cruise, and entered it “to acquaint himself with its weapon system and underwater operation capability”.

During the launch ceremony, which involved confetti and balloons, Kim stressed “the strategic and tactical plan to continuously enhance the moderni-

Biden’s Vietnam trip aimed at reining in China

HANOI, Vietnam—President Joe Biden arrives in Vietnam on Sunday on a mission to bolster US influence, but the heavy emphasis on countering rival China will likely confine human rights concerns to the margins.

Biden will become the latest in an unbroken line of US presidents since Bill Clinton in 2000 to visit the Southeast Asian former foe.

The trip also includes a poignant visit by Biden to the memorial to his friend John McCain, the former US senator shot down and held captive during the Vietnam War who in later years helped rebuild ties between the two countries.

The underlying goal will be much the same as during Biden’s time at the G20 summit in New Delhi this week—to shore up support against China’s growing influence.

“For decades, the US and Vietnam have worked to overcome a painful

shared legacy of the Vietnam War,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told a briefing this week.

“This visit is a remarkable step in the strengthening of our diplomatic ties, and it reflects the leading role that Vietnam will play in our growing network of partnerships in the IndoPacific as we look to the future,” he said, using another term for the AsiaPacific region. On Sunday in Hanoi, the 80-yearold US president will meet the leader of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, the White House said. There will be a welcome ceremony, speeches by the two leaders and a press conference by the US president —who on Tuesday awarded the top US military honor to a helicopter pilot who rescued four soldiers during the Vietnam War. AFP

ty of underwater and surface forces”, KCNA said.

North Korea has conducted a record number of weapons tests this year, and last month failed in its second attempt to put a spy satellite into orbit.

Seoul and Washington have ramped up defense cooperation in response, staging joint military exercises with advanced stealth jets and US strategic assets, and holding naval drills with Japan.

According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a US-based think tank, North Korea is estimated to have between 64 and 86 submarines, one of the world’s largest fleets. However, experts doubt if all of them are operational given their age, according to NTI. AFP

“This was no flood, it was a tsunami, a cyclone, which passed through here and took everything. There is nothing left,” said the 75-year-old.

Brazil is not used to cyclones, but it is becoming “more and more frequent” for them to make landfall in the country, according to Francis Lacerda, a researcher at the Pernambuco State Agronomy Institute’s Climate Change Laboratory. Unchecked urbanization and irregular housing built on hillsides are also making weather disasters deadlier in Brazil, experts say.

In June, another cyclone left 13 dead in Rio Grande do Sul and forced thousands of people from their homes. And in February, 65 people died in landslides caused by record flooding in the southeastern resort town of Sao Sebastiao, on the coast of Sao Paulo state. AFP

China premier meets Widodo, vows deeper ties

JAKARTA—Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Indonesia’s president for talks Friday, agreeing to boost cooperation and trade including expanding imports from Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, Chinese state media reported.

Li met with Joko Widodo in the Indonesian capital Jakarta after leaders’ summits this week with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc which was snubbed by President Xi Jinping.

The Chinese premier said Beijing would deepen practical cooperation and strategic mutual trust with Jakarta including expanding imports of bulk commodities, and agricultural and fishery products, Xinhua state news agency reported.

He told Widodo that Beijing would work with Jakarta on several new joint flagship projects of its Belt and Road Initiative that would push relations to a new level, Xinhua reported.

He also said China was ready to work with Indonesia to prepare for the operation of a high-speed railway funded by Beijing that is set to open later this year after delays, running from capital Jakarta to the Javan city of Bandung.

Li trialled the train with senior Indonesian minister Luhut Pandjaitan earlier in the week before its official opening in October. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

POIGNANT MEMORY. A woman cycles Friday past a sculpture depicting the capture of the late US Navy pilot and politician John McCain, when his fighter jet was shot down in 1967 during the Vietnam War, next to Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi. AFP

US

WASHINGTON, United States—

High US interest rates are doing their job in the fight against inflation, but more hikes may yet be needed, senior US Federal Reserve officials said Thursday.

The comments from three regional Fed presidents with a vote on setting interest rates will likely solidify expectations that the US central bank intends to hold rates steady later this month amid growing signs of weaker labor market conditions.

The Fed has raised its benchmark lending rate 11 times over the past 18 months to a level not seen for 22 years as it grapples with inflation still stubbornly above its long-run target of two percent.

After rapidly raising interest rates last year, the Fed slowed down the pace of its hikes over the summer, holding rates steady in June and then raising them by just 25 basis points in July.

Traders currently put the chances of a September pause at more than 90 percent, according to data from CME Group.

Skip ‘could be appropriate’

“Another skip could be appropriate when we meet later this month,” Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan told a conference in Dallas on Thursday, according to prepared remarks.

“But skipping does not imply stopping,” she continued, adding that “further evaluation of the data and outlook could confirm that we need to do more to extinguish inflation.”

The Fed should keep the “water bucket” of future interest rate hikes close at hand in case inflation returns, and “must not hesitate to use it as necessary,” she said.

Logan’s support for a possible September pause echoes comments from Fed Governor Christopher Waller earlier this week in which he suggested that data showing a weakening jobs market meant the Fed should “proceed carefully.”AFP

Stocks climb after release of PH unemployment data

By Jenniffer B. Austria

LOCAL stocks returned to positive territory Friday after the government reported improved employment data.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index climbed 39.87 points, or 0.64 percent, to close at 6,222.94, while the broader all-shares index rose 13.24 points to settle at 3,360.23.

Philstocks Financial Inc. research engagement officer Claire Alviar said investors welcomed reports that employment rate in July remained strong at 95.2 percent, while unemployment rate eased to 4.8 percent in July from 5.2 percent a year ago.

RCBC chief economist Michael Ricafort said investors also cheered the signing of free trade agreement between

the Philippines and South Korea, which could boost investments, employment and overall economic growth.

Meanwhile, Asian markets sank again Friday after another report pointing to a resilient US jobs market added to the misery for investors who fear the Federal Reserve is not finished with its campaign of monetary tightening. The losses extended a sell-off endured for most of the week as various indicators suggested the world’s top economy was in rude health and the battle against inflation was still far from won, while Chinese data showed continued weakness.

It followed a tough day on Wall Street, which was also hit by a sharp drop in Apple fueled by concerns about China’s decision to ban government departments from using iPhones.

Traders are now gearing up for policy decisions by major central banks towards the end of the month, with the Fed concluding a much-anticipated

TOP GAINERS

TOP LOSERS

meeting on September 20.

Markets largely expect data-driven US officials to keep rates on hold at a two-decade high, having seen inflation come down in response to more than a year of hikes and signs of a softening labor market.

However, the latest set of strong readings -- including on the services sector and jobs -- and a surge in oil prices have sparked fears the Fed will announce one more hike before the end of the year or keep borrowing costs elevated for an extended period, risking a recession.

Those worries were compounded Thursday by news that jobs claims came in below forecasts last week.

“The higher-for-longer interest rate narrative and the inevitable lag effect of monetary policy create uncertainty around the Federal Reserve’s ability to steer its monetary policies precisely,” said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management. With AFP

Climate change pushes Bordeaux winemakers to harvest at night

MARCILLAC, France—In France’s southern Bordeaux region, the grape harvest is often now done at night to ensure the peak freshness required to obtain the best wine but this is also a response to climate change.

With the country sweltering in a late heatwave, it is 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) at five in the morning as a harvester crawls along a row of vines, powerful headlights helping guide its way through the darkness.

“Harvesting at night is done for the quality of the grapes, their freshness and taste,” said the driver, Loic Malherbe, who has been at it for three hours already.

“It isn’t bad, it’s just life at a different rhythm... It’s better for the equipment and for people.”

It is already a common practice in several winemaking countries with hot summers but one that is likely to become even more common as climate change accelerates.

Harvesting at night can also help financially strapped growers save money, according to Kees Van Leeuwen, a professor of viniculture at Bordeaux Sciences Agro university.

It means they can skip refrigerating grapes while they are being hauled to be pressed, he explained.

“If harvesting is done at night the temperature of the grapes is lower, especially compared to the very hot days we’ve had this week,” he said.

Dry ice

The harvester dumps the merlot grapes into bins which the vineyard’s owner Stephane Heraud hitches to his tractor to haul to the cooperative.

“It’s been 15 years that we’ve harvested the whites and the roses at night, and maybe one day we’ll do that

for the reds as well,” said Heraud, who also heads the cooperative Vignerons de Tutiac.

“If we harvested at night, we’d have wine that is more oxidised, which in terms of taste is not nearly as nice.”

Heraud climbs up onto his tractor and spreads dry ice (-80C, -112F) onto the grapes.

This not only helps keep the grapes cool but reduces the oxygen level in the bins as he drives to the cooperative, which is the largest in one of France’s protected designation regions with 500 growers.

Tutiac has specialized in roses and accounts for nearly a third of the total produced in the Bordeaux region.

Its pesticide-free rose caused a stir at a blind tasting conducted by the French wine magazine La Revue des

vins de France, being placed fourth among roses from the Provence region which traditionally take top marks in the category.

Earlier harvests

That night, growers were expected to dump some 500 tonnes of grapes into the various stainless-steel tanks at the wine press, enough to make half a million bottles of wine.

Tutiac’s chief oenologist Paul Oui said consumers like roses that are light colored and clear.

To achieve that “you have to limit the transfer of the color from the skin to the juice and the earlier and cooler we harvest the more we can limit the transfer”, he said.

Night harvesting is already common in Australia and California due to the heat, and the practice is spreading in

MOST ACTIVE

A worker drives a tractor during a grape harvesting before sunrise at the Tutiac vineyards in Val-de-Livenne, southwestern France, on September 6, 2023. Better for the mechanics, better for the picker... and better for the rosé: the harvest is carried out at night to preserve the freshness of the grapes, a practice that is becoming more widespread in the face of global warming. AFP

the Bordeaux region according to Van Leeuwen.

“For whites and roses, one can imagine that it will become common practice,” said the specialist.

Nor did he exclude that it might one day concern grapes for red wine, which account for 85 percent of Bordeaux’s production.

Rising temperatures make grapes mature faster and push the harvest sooner and into warmer periods, and Heraud confirmed that harvests were indeed happening sooner and sooner.

“I remember when I was small watching my parents harvesting in November,” he said.

“Last year, we were finished on September 30...,” he added.

“Anyone who says climate change isn’t real isn’t a Bordeaux winemaker.” AFP

Global rice prices hit 15-year high in August after India curbs—FAO report

PARIS, France—Global rice prices reached a 15-year high in August after top exporter India banned some overseas sales of the grain, the Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday.

While global food prices eased in August, those of rice rose 9.8 percent compared to the previous month, “reflecting trade disruptions in the aftermath of a ban on Indica white rice exports by India”, the FAO said in a monthly report.

“Uncertainty about the ban’s duration and concerns over export restrictions caused supply-chain actors to hold on to stocks, re-negotiate contracts or stop making price offers, thereby limiting most trade to small volumes and previously concluded sales,” the

UN agency said.

Rice is a major world food staple and prices on international markets have soared in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon on production levels.

India announced in July a ban on exports of nonbasmati white rice, which account for around a quarter of its total.

The consumer affairs and food ministry said at the time that the move would “ensure adequate availability” and “allay the rise in prices in the domestic market.”

India accounts for more than 40 percent of all

global rice shipments.

The ban was expected to hit African nations, Turkey, Syria and Pakistan, all of which were already struggling with high inflation, data analytics firm Gro Intelligence warned in a note in July.

The Philippines, one of the world’s top importers of rice, reached a five-year agreement with Vietnam on Thursday to buy rice.

World rice stocks are forecast to reach an all-time high of 198.1 million tons, with India and China holding nearly three quarter of this volume like in previous seasons, according to the FAO.

This total represents around 38 percent of rice consumption forecast over the same period. AFP

NEW DELHI, India—The United States is “carefully” monitoring China’s challenges, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday, as the slowdown in the world’s second largest economy raises concerns for global growth.

Many are worried about the Asian giant’s struggles, with the threat of recession in Europe and high inflation in many major economies contributing to a plunge in demand for Chinese goods.

“China faces a variety of both short and longer term global challenges, economic challenges that we’ve been monitoring carefully,” Yellen told reporters in New Delhi, ahead of a two-day G20 summit.

“That said, China has quite a bit of policy space to address these challenges,” she added.

China’s President Xi Jinping will miss the leaders’ meeting at a time of heightened trade and geopolitical tensions with the United States and India, with which it shares a long and disputed border.

China’s challenges included “less of a pick up in consumer spending that had been anticipated in the aftermath of the Covid restrictions, as well as long standing issues with respect to the property sector and... debt related to that”, she said.

G20 host India overtook its northern neighbor as the world’s most populous country earlier this year, and Yellen added that China’s “labor force is beginning to shrink”.

Xi’s absence will impact Washington’s bid to keep the G20 the main forum of global economic cooperation and its efforts towards a financing push for developing countries.

That includes a plan to increase World Bank and International Monetary Fund lending power for emerging nations by some $200 billion as a better alternative to Beijing’s “coercive” Belt and Road Initiative.

interest rates in ‘good place’ but more hikes may be needed

US ‘carefully’ monitoring China economy amid growth concerns

CHILI FACTORY. In this photo taken on September 7, 2023, workers load chili peppers into baskets in a chili drying factory in Bijie city, in China’s southwest Guizhou Province. AFP

BUSINESS

By Julito G. Rada

THE national government debt climbed to a record P14.24 trillion as of end-July 2023 from the previous month’s P14.15 trillion on increased public borrowing to finance the budget deficit, the Bureau of the Treasury said Friday.

“The NG’s [national government’s] total debt stock increased by P96.44 billion or 0.7 percent month-over-month, primarily due to the net issuance of domestic securities,” the Treasury said in a statement.

Metrobank named best domestic lender again

METROPOLITAN Bank and Trust Company was recognized for the second time as the country’s best domestic bank for its strong financial performance and financial education efforts at the 2023

Asiamoney Best Bank Awards.

This is the second time that Metrobank received the award from the international finance magazine, after 2021 at the height of the pandemic. The publication said Metrobank’s exceptional performance versus competitors, success in growing its market share and remarkable strategy to cope with difficult or changing market conditions earned the bank the title.

Metrobank, amid the reopening of the economy in 2022, committed to enabling Filipinos –both individuals and businesses to take advantage of the gradual economic recovery. This fueled the bank’s performance across the board.

“The previous fiscal year posed many challenges for banks and other financial institutions as the world’s economies were not yet fully recovered from the pandemic. Despite this hurdle, Metrobank still posted an all-time high profit of P32.8 billion in 2022, a significant 47.9-percent growth from its P22.2 billion income in 2021. The bank also saw gains across the board with rising loans, increased profit margins, substantial fee income levels, well-controlled operating expenses, lowered provisions and stable asset quality,” said Asiamoney.

DBP bags five awards for investment deals

STATE-OWNED Development Bank of the Philippines won five awards from an association of investment houses for its contributions in advancing the development of capital markets, a top executive said Friday.

DBP president and chief executive Michael de Jesus said the Investment House Association of the Philippines cited the bank for its support to various public-private sector undertakings that promoted innovation in the areas of infrastructure, agriculture and tourism.

“We are grateful to IHAP for recognizing DBP’s critical role as an essential developer and driver of the Philippine capital markets,” de Jesus said. “We are committed to formulating new and innovative ways to support investment transactions that will boost critical sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, and tourism.”

DBP is the eighth largest bank in the country in terms of assets and provides strategic financing support to critical economic sectors such as infrastructure and logistics, micro, small and medium enterprises, social services, and the environment.

IHAP is a non-stock, non-profit organization established in 1974 to raise public awareness on the investment houses in the country and their contribution in the growth of Philippine businesses and the economy through the development of the capital markets.

Meralco’s Giga Summit

invites nuclear power experts

MERALCO Power Academy is bringing together more than 30 local and international power industry experts for the first Giga Summit on Sustainable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Future Grid that will take place from Sept. 11 to 13 at The Fifth at Rockwell in Makati City. The summit aims to foster knowledge exchange among industry leaders, policymakers and experts from across the globe and become a platform for exchanging insights, shaping power and energy trends and sharing best practices.

The sustainable energy discussions on the first day will revolve around accelerating the transition towards cleaner and more progressive sources of energy that benefit both people and the planet.

This will feature nuclear power experts including Canada-based Filipino nuclear scientist Dr. Francisco Dimayuga of Atomic Energy of Canada

Limited, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. executive vice president Roland Backhaus, University of California Berkeley director of international partnerships for College of Engineering Dr. Matthew Sherburne and University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign director of Illinois Microreactor R&D Center Dr. Caleb Brooks.

“Giga Summit will serve as an avenue to spark relevant discussions on the role of next generation technologies in our transition towards stable and sustainable energy supply. With the growing interest on nuclear power, our invited experts will shed light on the opportunities and exciting developments in the area of small and micro modular reactors and share experiential learnings that will be relevant as we put forward plans to utilize these technologies,” said Meralco executive vice president and chief operating officer and MPA vice chairman Ronnie Aperocho.

It said of the total debt stock, 31.1 percent was sourced externally, while 68.9 percent represented domestic borrowings.

“Debt as a percentage of GDP improved to 61.0 percent as of end-June 2023 from 62.1 percent a year ago as

economic conditions continue to recover from the impact of health and geopolitical events,” it said.

Domestic debt amounted to P9.81 trillion, P109.54 billion or 1.1 percent higher than the end-June 2023 level.

“The increment in the domestic portfolio was attributed to the P110.39 net issuance of government bonds driven by the government’s financing requirements, offsetting the P0.85 billion effect of local currency appreciation against the US dollar on onshore foreign currency-denominated securities,” the Treasury said.

External debt reached P4.43 trillion,

down by P13.10 billion or 0.3 percent from the previous month. “For July, the reduced debt was due to the effect of peso appreciation against the US dollar amounting to P42.87 billion. This more than offset the P9.97 billion net impact of third-currency fluctuations against the US dollar and P19.81 billion net availment of foreign loans,” it said.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said the new record-high outstanding national government debt could be attributed to “wider budget deficit amid higher inflation that also bloated government expenditures, higher interest rates that

Gov’t debt rises to all-time high of P14.2t IN BRIEF

raised borrowing costs of the government, weaker peso exchange rate vs. the US [dollar] in recent years that raised the peso equivalent of the government’s foreign debts and continued increase in infrastructure spending.”

“Tax and fiscal reform measures would help narrow the country’s budget deficit and also curb the increment in the outstanding national debt, going forward,” he said.

Ricafort said the government’s debt in peso terms could still rise in the coming months in view of the upcoming US dollar-denominated retail bond issuance in the third quarter this year.

MPIC extends tender offer period, pursues voluntary delisting

By Jenniffer B. Austria

INFRASTRUCTURE conglomerate

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said

Friday it expects to proceed with voluntary delisting from the Philippine Stock Exchange after securing more than 18 percent of outstanding shares held by minority investors in its tender offer.

The consortium conducting the tender offer to take the company private reported that 5.36 billion MPIC shares held by minority were tendered as of Sept 7.

RICE ON WHEELS. The Department of Trade and Industry, in coordination with Bulacan rice millers and traders, are rolling out the ‘Rice on Wheels Program for Retailers’ to ensure the availability of affordable regular and well-milled rice to the general public. Through this caravan, the DTI targets to supply retailers in the public market with affordable rice stock. Before the roll-out in different public markets on Sept. 11, 2023, the DTI launches the program in Quezon City on Friday, with a simultaneous dry-run in public markets in Makati, Parañaque and Manila.

Citicore signs $100-m funding facility for solar projects

By Alena Mae S. Flores

CITICORE

Renewable Energy Corp. said

Friday it signed a $100-million financing deal for solar development vehicle Citicore Solar Energy Corp. with Pentagreen Capital, a sustainable infrastructure debt financing partnership established by shareholders HSBC and Temasek.

CREC said the landmark funding facility structured by Pentagreen is a mezzanine construction green loan facility with an initial tranche commitment of $30 million for a portfolio of six solar power projects with capacity of 490 megawatts across Luzon.

The solar projects includes the 36MW Arayat 1 and 22-MW Arayat 2 in Pampanga which are already opera-

tional and the 125-MW Lumbangan and the 72-MW Luntal projects in Batangas which are under construction.

It also includes the Bolbok 1 and Bolbok 2 projects with a capacity of 72 MW and 100 MW, respectively which are expected to begin construction in the fourth quarter.

The financing will enable Citicore Solar to allocate capital efficiently to accelerate the development of its project pipeline in line with the planned roll out of 1 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity per year in the next five years.

“Pentagreen’s partnership with Citicore Renewables is a vote of confidence in our ability to scale up, enabling us to achieve our planned 1GW project roll out this year, in line with our 5GW in five years

roadmap. We appreciate Pentagreen’s support for our solar projects as it unlocks the development of our renewable energy capacity pipeline in an accelerated manner,” said CREC president Oliver Tan.

The initial tranche will provide funding for the construction of four greenfield projects and two more that were recently completed.

These projects are expected to add around 691 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity supply to the Luzon grid annually and result in avoided greenhouse gas emissions of 430,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, in line with the methodology established by the International Financial Institutions Technical Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Accounting.

PSE INDEX CLOSING

Friday, September 8, 2023

39.87 PTS.

6,222.94

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Currency UnitUS DollarPeso

United States Dollar 1.00000056.8490

Japan Yen 0.0067900.3860

UKPound1.24740070.9134

Hong KongDollar0.1275697.2522

SwitzerlandFranc1.12057463.7035

CanadaDollar0.73094141.5533

SingaporeDollar0.73233241.6323

AustraliaDollar0.63770036.2526

BahrainDinar2.652872150.8131

Saudi Arabia Rial 0.26661715.1569

BruneiDollar0.72966141.4805

IndonesiaRupiah0.0000650.0037

Thailand Baht 0.0280661.5955

UAE Dirham0.27230115.4800

This was equivalent to 18.7 percent of MPIC’s total issued and outstanding listed shares. Together with the excluded shares and the non-public shares, they totaled 96.87 percent of MPIC’s total issued and outstanding listed shares.

MPIC said that once the tendered shares were accepted and crossed, its public float would fall below the 10-percent required threshold, which would pave the way for the company’s voluntary delisting.

MPIC also said it would extend the tender offer period until Sept. 19 to give other minority investors who missed the Sept. 7 deadline more time to make a decision.

The new crossing and settlement dates are Sept. 26 and Sept. 28, respectively.

The consortium, consisting of Metro Pacific Holdings Inc., GT Capital, MitPacific Infrastructure Holdings Inc. and MIG Holdings, offered to acquire all MPIC shares held by the minority investors at P5.20 per share.

MPIC is a leading infrastructure holding company with 47.5-percent stake in Manila Electric Co. and controlling shares in Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. and Maynilad Water Services Inc.

Converge ICT gets DICT contract for free Wi-Fi project

By Darwin G. Amojelar

CONVERGE ICT Solutions Inc. said

Friday it secured a contract with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to deploy free Wi-Fi in the towns of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union.

Citicore Renewable Energy Corp., a Philippines-based integrated renewable energy platform, signs a landmark financing deal for solar development vehicle

Citicore Solar Energy Corp. with Pentagreen Capital, a sustainable infrastructure debt financing partnership established by shareholders HSBC and Temasek. The $100-million mezzanine construction green loan facility, with an initial tranche commitment of $30 million, will finance a portfolio of six solar power projects with capacity of 490 megawatts across Luzon. Leading the financing deal are Pentagreen Capital chief executive Marat Zapparov (left) and CREC chairman Edgar Saavedra.

EuroEuro 1.07000060.8284 Korea Won 0.0007500.0426 ChinaYuan0.1364317.7560

AEV gets SEC nod to sell P17.45-b bonds to partly support Coca-Cola acquisition

By Jenniffer B. Austria

ABOITIZ Equity Ventures Inc. said Friday it obtained the Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval to issue up to P17.45 billion worth of fixed-rate bonds that will partly finance the acquisition of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc.

AEV said it would issue the bonds as second and final tranche from the company’s P30-billion bond shelf registration program approved by the SEC in 2022.

The bonds will have a base offer of P11 billion and an oversubscription option for another P6.45 billion.

The offer period commenced on Sept. 7, 2023 and will end on Sept 13, 2023.

AEV said it would use the net proceeds from the fund-raising activity to pay maturing debt and partially finance the acquisition of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines.

The company appointed BDO Capital & Investment Corp., First Metro Investment Corp., BPI

Capital Corp., China Bank Capital Corp., First Metro Investment Corp., SB Capital Investment Corp. and Union Bank of the Philippines as the joint bookrunners and joint lead underwriters for the offering.

AEV intends to list the bonds with the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp.

AEV reported in August it teamed up with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Plc. to acquire CCBPI for $1.8 billion. The acquisition is part of the

AEV’s diversification strategy.

AEV has investments in power generation, infrastructure, property development, financial services and agribusiness.

The conglomerate earmarked P78 billion for 2023 capital expenditures, up 10 percent from P70 billion it spent in 2022 primarily to invest in more renewable energy projects and support the expansion of new businesses.

The share price of AEV advanced by P0.35 Friday to close at P49.

The DICT said that in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s promise to provide digital connectivity across the country, it awarded Converge the contract to supply free Wi-Fi connectivity to 36 municipal sites in the Ilocos provinces and four municipal sites in La Union.

The DICT said it was working tirelessly to guarantee that every Filipino in every barangay in the nation would have access to affordable, fast and reliable Internet connectivity. The department activated over 4,000 free Wi-Fi stations in 17 regions, 75 provinces and the National Capital Region under the Free WiFi for All Program.

“We are very thankful to Converge for their support and commitment to our Free Wi-Fi for All Project: Provision of Internet Connectivity Services in Municipalities,” said DICT regional office 1 director Reynaldo Sy.

“This partnership will enable us to provide fast and reliable internet connectivity to all local government units in the provinces of Ilocos Sur, La Union and Ilocos Norte Second District. We believe that this project will help us bridge the digital divide and empower our citizens to stay connected, access vital information, and participate in the digital economy,” he said.

Cone wants Gilas to be defense-oriented team

By Randy Caluag

NEWLY designated men’s national basketball head coach Time Cone said he will devote more focus building the defensive form of Gilas Pilipinas, which only has a little more than two weeks of preparation for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

“My first step (after building to team) is to focus on my style. It (team) should be a defense-oriented team and that’s gonna be our edge, “said Tim Cone.

The multi-titled Ginebra admitted that with only a short preparation, he will have to rely on the individual skills of his players, to be built around the current World Cup pool, including his wards Justin Brownlee, JuneMar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar.

“We already have a solid eight and we will just add. We also need shooters like

Calvin Oftana (of TNT Tropang Giga),” said Cone, who was Chot Reyes’ assistant at Gilas before the latter resigned from his post just after the team completed its World Cup games.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and the Philippine Basketball Association jointly announced the appointment of Cone on Wednesday night and promised that the final lineup will be completed on the first day of practice on Monday.

Cone and his coaching staff have set the final call on Monday and only those who are

present will be included in the team.

“Some were convinced to come back, and some cannot decide yet. How long do we have for them? The decision was to set a deadline and that is on Monday,” said PBA chairman Ricky Vargas.

Among those Cone requested to be his assistant is LA Tenorio, who just recently completed his cancer treatment in Singapore.

“He (Tenorio) will be able to help the team a lot and share his experience and leadership,” added Cone.

The Philippines has been drawn with Jordan, Thailand, and Bahrain in the group stage of the basketball event of the quadrennial multi-meet event where it aspires to improve its fifth-place finish in the 2018 edition in Jakarta, Indonesia Gilas will take on Bahrain, Thailand, and Jordan on Sept. 26, 28, and 30, respectively, in the preliminary round.

Quiambao, Mangrobang brace for ‘Bagong Bayani’ duel

MULTI-TITLED 5150 campaigner Bea Quiambao and three-time SEA Games gold medalist

Kim Mangrobang gird not just for a furious battle for overall honors in 5150 Dapitan but also for the Bagong Bayani award when the OIympic-distance race is held Sunday (Sept. 10) in Zamboanga del Norte.

Formerly known as Filipino Elite, the Bagong Bayani is offering P40,000 and trophy to the Olympic 5150 male and female winners on top of the P175,000 prize staked in the overall championship put up by the host city led by Mayor Seth “Bullet” Jalosjos.

The second and third placers will also pocket P20,000 and P10,000 plus trophies, respectively.

Out to foil Quiambao of The Next Step Tri and TRI SNB Barracuda’s Mangrobang for the Bagong Bayani award are Diana Gellane of Tri-

Ice and Santé Fitness Lab’s Erika Burgos, the recent winner of Sun Life 5150 Bohol.

Disputing the Bagong Bayani trophy in the men’s side are Fernando Casares, Maynard Pecson, Satar Salem, Raymund Torio, Josh Gellane and Jacob Taylor.

The 5150 Dapitan, also held to promote local tourism, also features the Go for Gold Sunrise Sprint, set over 750m open-water swim, 20km bike ride and a 5km run distance.

The Noli Run, a 4km fun run, will usher in the main event tomorrow (Saturday).

The Sunrise Sprint top three placers, on the other hand, will get P20,000, P10,000 and P5,000 plus trophies, respectively, aside from the top P75,000 prize, according to the organizing The IRONMAN Group/ Sunrise Events, Inc.

Meanwhile, the Fuertes Juntos (5150 relay) all-

male, all-female winners and mixed relay will each get P10,000 plus trophies, while the Liga ni Rizal awardee (most represented, team with most members in both 5150 and Sunrise Sprint) for TriClub affiliates will get P50,000 and trophy.

The Lipi ni Rizal (best team award—top 5 fastest times from the same team regardless of age and gender—will also get P50,000 and trophy (5150 Olympic) and P30,000 plus trophy (Sunrise Sprint).

All prize packages are exclusive in the 5150 Dapitan race.

For details, log on to www.ironman.com/5150dapitan-philippines. Close to 600 entries are set to vie in the event to be held for the first time in Dapitan City where national hero Dr. Jose Rizal was exiled with the roster spiced up by the presence of bidders from at least 10 countries.

Third-generation PH statistician making family proud in World Cup

PATRISHA Mae Concepcion is the only woman among table officials keeping a close eye on the Final Phase of FIBA World Cup 2023.

It’s nothing big for her, however.

After all, the job runs in her blood.

Patrisha, nicknamed “Trisha,” is the granddaughter of the late Joe Concepcion and the daughter of Merit and Gloria. Joe once suited up for Ateneo de Manila University during the Blue Eagles’ time in the NCAA before becoming the PBA’s official statistician until his death in 1999. Merit has been a fixture of stats teams in the UAAP, NCAA, and Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup, while Gloria was one of the first female statisticians in the Philippines before her passing.

That’s why even though she’s actually in rarified air during the world meet, it’s all just part of the job for Trisha.

“Nu’ng una, intimidating, siyempre. ‘Di ko rin in-expect na magstats ako sa FIBA. Pero inisip ko lang, kung kaya nila, kaya ko rin,” she said after mentioning that sitting alongside men who are hard at work as well is an honor.

Unlike her grandfather and parents, though, the third-generation statistician is keeping tabs on the best players in the world—mostly—for fun. She’s actually a fulltime senior analyst for Philippine Ratings Services Corp., after graduating from Ateneo with a degree in Applied Math.

“Parang stress-reliever ko ‘to kasi mahilig ako sa basketball talaga,” she said, with a smile.

While the now-27-year-old has covered leagues like the UAAP and Filoil Preseason with her dad as a “stressreliever” since she was in col-

lege, her love for basketball started from a well-early age. A loud and proud citizen of Lakers Country, aka the Philippines, she shared that Kobe Bryant is her all-time favorite.

“Numbers talaga hilig ko ever since, pero napamahal ako sa math on my own lang. Siguro, ‘yung pinaka-influence pa nina daddy is ‘yung basketball,” she said. As the lone woman statistician in Manila, Trisha is, for sure, making her family proud —and at the same time, giving Filipinos a good name in the eyes of FIBA.

“Patrisha Concepcion’s remarkable performance as statistician in the FIBA World Cup 2023 should inspire other girls who would like to be active in basketball and follow her path,” said FIBA Asia Eligibility, Statistics, and Data Head Maarouf Mawloud.

Mondilla

steals show at home, edges Jaraula by 1 stroke

BUKIDNON—It boiled down to a finish that wins big-time championships and Clyde Mondilla delivered to snatch victory from the clutches of defeat, topping the ICTSI Del Monte Championship with a 69 in a riveting duel of skills and nerves at Del Monte Golf Club here on Friday.

Mondilla blew a one-shot overnight lead with a mediocre frontside stint but fought back from three-down in the last four holes of a day-long battle of shotmaking, iron play and putting and stole the victory on a blazing closing threebirdie splurge in sweltering conditions. He edged Reymon Jaraula and Justin Quiban by one with a tap-in birdie on the final hole to the delight and cheers of the hometown gallery.

“This win is very special,” said Mondilla, whose 18-under 270 total on his home course, worth P437,500, matched his output in essaying a five-shot romp over Angelo Que and Dino Villanueva at Forest Hills last June.

“It’s actually my goal to win here at home, where I learned to play the sport,” he added. “So I’m really, really very happy and thankful.”

Unlike in his Forest Hills triumph, however, Mondilla needed to rally in the stretch, capping his startling comeback with a chipshot infront of the 18th green which he has probably mastered while growing up, the ball bouncing once before rolling two feet left of the cup. Jaraula, who also grew up here, chipped way past the hole and missed a playoff-clinching birdie putt from six feet and also finished with a 69 while Quiban reached the green in two but three-putted also for a three-under card.

“I was 3-down with four holes left, so I thought I should at least fight for second although I had to do better,” said Mondilla. “But after birdying Nos. 16 and 17, I found myself tied at the lead and I knew I had the edge to go for a closing birdie after I hit a solid drive on No. 18.”

“There was pressure, grabe. But I was excited, iba kasi ang feeling na alam mong maraming sumusuporta sa ‘yo,” added Mondilla, who thanked the Del Monte Golf Club and cited his fathercaddie Arsenio’s tournament-long help.

“Ang tatay ko talaga ang magaling,” he said in jest.

Jaraula, who took control with a solid four-under card after 10 holes, bogeyed No. 15 and failed to match any of Mondilla’s closing birdies, missing forcing a playoff with a flubbed birdie putt on the 72nd hole.

Bernaldez goes for PPS Davao swing tennis sweep

CHELSEA Bernaldez will have everything going for her as she sets out for a sweep of the girls’ 18-and-under titles in the Davao region swing of the PPSPEPP national junior tennis series at the DavNor Tourism Sports Complex courts in Tagum, Davao del Norte.

Bernaldez topped the girls’ premier age group category in Maragusan, Davao de Oro and in Mati, Davao Oriental the past two weeks and added the 16-and-U trophy in the last leg, making her A-ready for another shot at the crown in her side of the Gov, Edwin Jubahib tournament beginning today (Saturday).

What bolsters her confidence is that Bernaldez will be playing on her home turf although she remains guarded of her bid with a host of others going all-out to stall her charge, including Sanschena Francisco, Jasmen Kadalum, Dhea Cua, Faith Lazaro, Sittie Manangking and Samantha Gilhang, among others.

Meanwhile, Francisco, Bernaldez, Cua and Lazaro also top-bill the 16-andU cast with Camille Clar, Aika Salahudin, Wendelyn Anino, Angela Casanova and Jamaica Jawod spicing up the title chase in the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop.

Over 200 entries are vying for top honors in various divisions and ranking points in the week-long event, which serves part of the country’s longest talent-search put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro to discover talents, particularly in the countryside.

For details, contact event organizer Bobby Mangunay at 09154046464.

Clyde Mondilla is doused with water by his peers after he won the ICTSI Del Monte Championship on Friday. Manny Marcelo

Tim Cone

THE CEO and cofounder of Leechiu Property Consultants is convinced that the Philippines today presents many opportunities in the real estate sector, despite the continued threats faced by the global economy. The situation, he believes, calls for businesses to succeed using the time-tested approach of working hard

David Leechiu believes in the importance of giving sound advice to clients, especially with the presence of post-pandemic trends in real estate. Speaking to the Manila Standard recently, the property expert acknowledged the difficult and painful years of COVID-19. But he looks back on it with pride as his company Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC) managed to uphold its commitment to its clients and staff.

“Our employees are our biggest assets and we took care of them the best we could during the difficult years of the pandemic,” he revealed. “For our company’s primary thrust, we collated as much information, simplified it, and made it relevant and accessible to everyone. This enabled us to give as much fact-based property advice to clients across industries.”

Performing gracefully

“The Philippines, despite everything that’s going on in the world, is one of only three countries performing gracefully economically, and certainly more gracefully in the property sector,” said Leechiu. “What keeps the Philippines afloat in the last 20 years are the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, remittances (from overseas workers), consumption, demographics and huge government spending.”

He listed the reasons that trigger optimism amid the impact of external factors. These include the passage of the country’s 2023 budget, fiscal consolidation, favorable demographics and economic environment, continued infrastructure spending, strong credit rating and sound financial system, slowing inflation, among others.

“These would eventually drive a lot of economic activity in the Philippines,” Leechiu said.

In particular, he pointed to the government’s P9-trillion infrastructure program that will not only help drive the country’s growth and expected recovery in 2025, but will also help the real estate sector to build momentum.

“Historically, increased infrastructure spending has helped boost growth as seen in the “drastic increase in our (economic) recoveries” over the last decade due to the implementation of the publicprivate partnership (PPP) and Build Build Build initiatives,” he noted. “Similarly, infrastructure has had a huge impact on real estate, as one of its most important effects is improved accessibility which, in turn, has helped prop up property prices and land values over time.

Townships coming up

Given this aggressive infrastructure buildup and the country’s continued recovery,

HOME/DESIGN

‘Now is the time to buy’

‘Prophet of boom’ — David Leechiu talks real estate

one stands to gain from a resilient sector like real estate—considered by Leechiu as the “best instrument for investment in the last 60 years” and “the most resilient asset class in the world.”

Despite the numerous crises, natural disasters, political upheavals, election cycles and most recently the pandemic, the Philippine property sector has remained vibrant over the last 22 years. There are now 169 townships spanning 62,500 hectares across the country. Data from LPC showed that in Metro Manila alone, there are 13,264 hectares comprising townships and reclamation projects in varying stages of completion.

Office and residential capital values also continue to appreciate amid the boom-bust cycles of the past two decades. For example, Ayala Land’s projects have seen tremendous capital appreciation with exponential compounded annual growth rates (CAGR) and impressive rental yields.

“Look at Forbes Park today which is at P500,000 per sqm. What was once worth P50 million is valued at P1 billion 23 years after,” Leechiu illustrated. What changed? He pointed to LPC research showing that per capita income changed from $1,500 in 2000 to about $3,300 to $3,500 today. “The increase in per capita income will have a direct impact on how prices are going to change in real estate. It is going to be buoyed up just because of the sheer volume of wealth being created in this economy,” he explained.

“If you look at the entire portfolio of Ayala Land, you’ll see how the projects continue to appreciate from the time it was launched. Note that most of these projects continue to

appreciate in value despite the pandemic,” Leechiu added.

Data from LPC showed that Ayala Land’s gated village projects in Makati, including Forbes Park, Bel-Air Village, San Lorenzo Village, Dasmarinas Village, and Urdaneta Village, have seen CAGRs of up to 16 percent. Prices of Ayala Land’s residential condominium projects in Metro Manila are also seeing steady CAGR of 6 percent to 14 percent and capital appreciation of as much as 254 percent from 2008. Such developments, according to LPC, are in high demand among buyers “due to [their] appealing combination of open space, quality amenities and efficient property management.” For example, Ayala Land’s Serendra in BGC, which was launched in 2008 has seen capital values appreciate by as much as 254 percent, while over 119 percent is seen for Portico, Alveo Land’s signature development in Pasig. Park East Place in Bonifacio Global City offers exciting opportunities for real estate investors. This is why now is the best time to invest in these properties for value and price appreciation, especially over the long term, he averred. Build them and they will come Currently, there are 256 national and local PPP projects in varying stages of completion. Among those completed in 2022 and this year were the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway; Plaridel Bypass Road Phase 2; Alabang-Sucat Skyway Extension; Central Luzon Link Expressway; Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge; Binondo-Intramuros Bridge; NLExHarbor Link; and Skyway Stage3. Much awaited meanwhile are the Metro Manila

Subway, North-South Commuter Railway and Samal Island-Davao City Bridge.

Amid all these developments and the country’s strong performance, the Philippine real estate sector today is indeed rife with viable prospects. Whether for own use or investment, these are ideal opportunities to consider investing on now more than ever.

Revival of POGOs

On the return of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs, Leechiu said it is indeed happening.

For the residential condominium market, LPC said this grew eight percent from the previous quarter, with over 12,000 units sold.

Office space demand up

Demand for office space accelerated in the first quarter of the year and is on track to match or exceed the takeup in 2022 despite an expected slowdown in the economy, according to Leechiu.

“We seem to have reached new highs for the first quarter, which historically has been the slowest quarter of the year,” Leechiu said.

Office demand transactions from January to March this year more than doubled to 264,000 square meters (sq m) from the same period in 2022.

“[Demand] could be on par with 2022 numbers, if not better, and that’s despite all the things that are going on in the world,” Leechiu said.

Office leasing demand hit nearly 1 million sq m in 2022—the third-best performing year to date, according to Leechiu research.. This was driven by the IT and business processing outscoring sector, which grew 67 percent despite the hybrid setup that allowed some employees to work from home.

Grasping the ‘green premium’

HOTELS and resorts around Southeast Asia are failing to understand the “green premium” and how to leverage it to attract quality guests, according to leading figures in the region’s hospitality industry.

The message that hotels and resorts are falling behind counterparts in other parts of the globe when it comes to sustainable tourism, was one of the major takeaways from PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism), Southeast Asia’s largest sustainability forum, held last week.

Jesper Palmqvist, STR Global’s Area Director for Asia Pacific, hosted a roundtable where figures from top resort

Building with bamboo

IN CELEBRATION of National Bamboo Month, Base Bahay Foundation (Base), has assembled a respected lineup of international bamboo experts to speak on “Building with Bamboo: the Future of Sustainable Construction” at the second annual Bamboost, a bamboo forum slated on September 15 at the Loft at Manansala in Rockwell Center, Makati City. Registration is now open for Bamboost which is free of charge for all professional architects, civil engineers, students, researchers, developers, and bamboo enthusiasts by clicking the online registration link posted on BASE social media accounts. At the forum, participants will have access to the latest research and innovations in bamboo connection performance, life cycle assessment, and design. For more information on Base Bahay Foundation Inc., its Continuing Professional Development (CPD) series and ongoing projects, visit http://www.base-builds. com.

names discussed environmental best practices moving forward. He agreed that the hospitality industry in Southeast Asia needs to be more proactive about enacting meaningful changes.

“It is important that the industry develops green champions, best practice documents and training modules that can be modified by hotels, and thus stay ahead of the curve,” he said.

Shown in photo is Laguna Phuket, transformed from a barren moonscape of scarred land—abandoned by the tin mining industry and declared as uninhabitable by the UN—into Southeast Asia’s leading integrated resort development.

Traditional occupiers also accounted for 144,000 sq m of the first quarter demand figure.

Vacancy rates

Data from Leechiu Property, however, show that office vacancy rates remain elevated at 18.2 percent in Metro Manila after recently completed projects boosted available supply.

There was another 1.3 million sq m in the pipeline for the year “but supply is expected to significantly fall starting 2024.”

Among all the Metro Manila districts, Bonifacio Global City is expected to lead the market recovery.

Residential condos on an uptick

Meanwhile, Leechiu said the residential condominium market grew 8 percent from the previous quarter, with over 12,000 units sold. Sales in the luxury segment remain healthy, registering over 400 percent growth.

Eleven new residential towers with 4,900 units were launched during the quarter. What keeps the prophet going?

“I always draw inspiration from Jack Ma, a quote that’s apt in today’s times which I share with everyone: “Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine,” he shared.

“I have been criticised repeatedly for being bullish, the so-called very naive “new prophet of boom”—but we in the company ground ourselves on the brutal reality of daily life—we are fully aware of the problems and challenges of this country, that is why we are just cautiously optimistic, and it is driven by facts, such as but not limited to the OFW remittances, BPO industry, tourism and President Marcos’ Build Better and More Infrastructure Program,” he said.

Building a more resilient future

MELODY del Rosario, President of Metro Pacific Investments Foundation (MPIF), recently delivered an impassioned talk on the reality of climate change and the critical role that nature-based solutions and science can play in mitigating its effects.

The talk, titled “Shoring Up Coastal Communities in the Protection of Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystems,” explored the devastating impacts of climate change, such as intensifying typhoons, rising sea levels, warmer temperatures, and drought.

Del Rosario emphasized that these impacts are becoming increasingly frequent and destructive, necessitating urgent action by supporting coastal communities through its environmental program

grace the upcoming 50th CREBA founding anniversary National Convention & Housing Expo slated from Sept. 26-28 at the SMX Mall of Asia and Conrad Hotel Manila as speakers. The convention is geared towards mustering support to attain CREBA’s vision towards ‘a home for every Filipino.’ From left to right:

it Up.

the importance of Marine Protection Inspection and Conservation Guardians, a program under Shore it Up, which monitors pollution, overfishing, and unsustainable tourism practices.

called Shore

She highlighted

CREBA

VISITS

SENATE HOUSING COMMITTEE CHAIR. Top officials of the Chamber of Real Estate & Builders’ Associations, Inc. (CREBA) paid a courtesy call on Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, chairman of the Committee on Housing, Urban Development and Resettlements in the Philippine Senate. Senator Ejercito will be among real estate and housing industry leaders and government dignitaries who will

CREBA national president Noel Toti M. Cariño; Senator Ejercito; executive vice-president Elsie D. Chua; and academic

program director Avelina P. Acuña.

When life gave him lemons

Restaurateur grows citrus fruits on Makati rooftop

By Patricia Taculao

AKATI is an urban hub known for its high-rise build ings and technological innovations that become the benchmark for many metropolitan areas in the Phil ippines. But among its towering skyscrapers and de veloped spots, many residents still find time to return to nature and add these elements to the city.

Wilson Quindo Tan, the owner of Top Meal Food Haus, which serves authentic Bicolano cuisine, utilized the space on his rooftop to grow citrus fruits, like calamansi and lime, to supply his restaurant with fresh produce that could elevate the dining ex perience for his cus tomers.

“I love experimenting with my feeding approach.

I actually started out trying to grow Carolina reaper chili because I am a hot sauce maker, and this is the hottest chili in the world. When I have successfully grown this variety of chili, I thought of other plants that are very essential in our everyday life, like cala mansi and lemons, which I use in my restaurant,” he said. Seeing the success of his Carolina

Reaper plants, Tan applied a similar technique to grow calamansi and lemons. Yet it wasn’t entirely a piece of cake. Because of his rooftop’s location, he faced challenges like limited soil supply, adulterated environmental conditions, and erratic weather in the city.

Nonetheless, he prevailed through consistent and proper water feeding, added with the correct soil mixture.

Tan also bought grafted lemon and calamansi plants to ensure they would bear fruits. The restaurateur also mixed three kinds of soil, specifically vermicast, carbonized rice hull, and garden soil with pumice, to mimic the quality of natural farm soil. His rooftop now blooms abundantly with lemon and

calamansi plants because of his diligence in caring for them.

“Buy grafted fruit-bearing plants because, with this kind, you can be sure these will give you fruits. It is also advisable to buy plants with fruits to see their exact fruit. Use organic fertilizers like vermicast so that even though your plant is just growing in a pot, you can be sure that it can thrive because it would be like it was planted in natural farm soil,” he advises.

Another reason why he loves growing the citrus fruits on his rooftop is because of the satisfaction he receives when he sees them thriving. Even though his produce can only grow in pots because of the limited space, Tan can harvest kilos, which he uses in his restaurant to cut the usual operating costs from buying in the market.

“I have an ample amount of calamansi fruits that I can readily harvest that I use in my small restaurant here in Makati. One of our bestsellers is siomai, where we use calamansi. I saved a lot because of my own rooftop garden, especially now that calamansi is very expensive,” Tan shared.

The restaurateur made a similar approach with his Carolina Reapers by transforming them into hot sauce or other consumable products to augment his income.

His urban farming journey is something Tan takes much pride in because of the success he reaps from the hard work and patience he put into growing fresh produce that consumers can enjoy in his restaurant.

DA-BFAR, SFFAII kickstart 23rd National Tuna Congress and Trade Exhibit

DEPARTMENT of Agriculture Bureau of Fisher-

ies and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) National Director Demosthenes R. Escoto delivered a message of support highlighting the importance of the country’s tuna fisheries during the opening of the trade exhibit. Escoto emphasized the industry’s relevance amid challenges and natural changes, such as rising sea temperatures exacerbated by climate change, among many other industry concerns.

He also shared the various new and continuing initiatives of the DA-BFAR for the Tuna Industry, such as the continuous implementation of the National Tuna Management Plan and the reconstitution of the BFAR Technical Working Group on Tuna Fisheries.

DA Undersecretary Drusila Esther E. Bayate opened the Congress Plenary as the Keynote Speaker. In her message, she expressed her utmost support for the tuna industry and its rich potential.

“With unwavering determination, we have elevated the Philippines to the ranks of the world’s leading tuna producers. Last year’s impressive

Balanga City, two Bataan towns remain ASF-free

By Greg Refraccion

ONLY two Bataan towns and its lone city are free from African swine fever (ASF)— Limay, Mariveles, and Balanga City.

Dr. Alberto Venturina, the Bataan veterinarian, said his office had not received any report of ASF cases in the said places. He said his office is now processing pertinent documents to indemnify affected hog farmers from the nine towns. As to the amount of the indemnification rate, Venturina said there was none yet “because we have yet to meet next week to set a clear process of payment.”

In the last several months, the provincial veterinary office implemented strict protocols for hogs taken to slaughterhouses. The lack of local hog raisers gave rise to the high cost of pork in the local market, ranging from P320 to P380 per kilo of pork. Meat traders in Balanga import pork from as far as Tarlac and Pampanga provinces since local hog raisers ceased operation two years ago and have yet to get back to business.

By Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-AFID

THE Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA) Philippines Center, formally opened its “Pilot Village Project on Protective Cultivation and Postharvest Management of Vegetables” in Siniloan, Laguna on September 5, 2023.

DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, Republic of Korea Ambassador to the Philippines Sang-hwa Lee, DA-BPI Assistant Director Herminigilda Gabertan, and KOPIA Philippines Center Director Kyu Seong Lee led the completion ceremony of the nine greenhouses and one postharvest building in Barangay Macatad.

The infrastructure development is a component of the Pilot Village Project funded by KOPIA and implemented by the DA-BPI Los Baños National Crop Research, Development and Production Support Center (LBNCRDPSC).

“I join the President in expressing the gratitude of the Filipino people to the men and women of the KOPIA Center for the generosity and goodwill with which they have shared their expertise, resources, and time in the execution of this project,” Undersecretary Panganiban said.

He also said that the technologies promoted by DA-BPI and KOPIA through the “project promise outcomes that are both technically useful and economically rewarding.”

The project will benefit at least one hundred Siniloan farmers by providing and promoting greenhouses with drip irrigation systems, postharvest technologies, farm cultivators, and good agricultural practices.

It will also be implemented in Lucban, Quezon, and Zaragosa, Nueva Ecija to help Filipino farmers raise their production and income levels.

It is expected to improve the technical proficiencies of extension workers and farmers in the partner communities, in-

production of over 475,000 metric tons speaks to our diligence and the richness of our marine biodiversity–a remarkable achievement for a country of our size. At sa kabila ng liit natin, nakakapag-export pa tayo. More than 107,000 metric tons of tuna were exported last year. Nakaka-proud talagang maging Pilipino,” she said.

She underscored that despite the challenges, the tuna industry successfully adapts. She shared current initiatives of the Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in further strengthening the tuna industry, such as the establishment of the 12 Fisheries Management Areas (FMA), the approval of three new Fisheries Administrative Orders related to tuna fisheries management, the Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) Project, and the National MLambaklad and Payao Program, among other continuing efforts.

The Congress Plenary covered topics on cooperation and partnerships on tuna fisheries, tuna catch estimation initiatives, and adaptive strategies by the tuna industry.

crease the volume of vegetable production by 200 percent in the pilot communities, and increase the income of participating farmers by 20 percent.

“By extension, what we learn from this endeavor establishes a mechanism whereby other local governments and farmer organizations can utilize the same technologies based on their terms. It is thus highly gratifying that so many – including national and local government executives and farmer leaders – are now ready to join with us in expanding these benefits nationwide,” Undersecretary Panganiban said.

As the project proponent and implementor, the LBNCRDPSC under DA-BPI spearheaded the capacity building of farmers and extension workers and promoted the concepts of bayanihan (Filipino concept of community cooperation) and Saemul Undong (Korean for self-help and community development). It also provided vegetable production technology packages and technical assistance to empower the farmers in the pilot villages.

“KOPIA plays an important role as it works with the local community. Its pilot villages are designed to improve production through modern farming technology, knowledge transfer, cooperation on agricultural innovation, and food security. Therefore, this success story in Siniloan can serve as a model for replication,” Ambassador Lee said.

KOPIA is an innovative Official Development Assistance (ODA) program of the Rural Development Administration (RDA), which is Korea’s most prominent agricultural research and development organization.

Officials and representatives from partner state colleges and universities, local government units, farmers’ cooperatives and associations, and other partners in the private sector also participated in the completion ceremony.

With the initial success of the ongoing project as a model farm for Filipino rural communities, the KOPIA and DA-BPI have agreed to develop a project proposal for funding by the South Korean government to scale up the project to 10 pilot villages in the areas covered by the five National Centers of the DA-BPI.

DA Undersecretary Drusila Esther E. Bayate underscores the potential of the local tourism inudstry in terms of production and export

Wilson Quindo Tan holding the lemons he grows on his Makati rooftop

Siniloan village agriculture project opens with 9 greenhouses, one postharvest building

MoneyMax, Lista make credit card applications easier

WITH the goal of improving access to credit, Lista, the fastest-growing financial management app in the Philippines, announced a partnership with the country’s largest personal finance platform, MoneyMax.

By Riera U. Mallari

BALI,

Indonesia—

Artificial Intelligence or AI has seeped into practically every facet of our human existence, from education to commerce, logistics and entertainment. And just like every new technology that arises, AI in the wrong hands, is bad news and scary.

AI, which is the ability of a computer, robot or machines to perform tasks that are typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning and problemsolving, is now even a tool, possibly used in cyberattacks.

But in the same vein, AI is also a weapon to ward them off.

Noushin Shabab, Senior Security Researcher for Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) Asia Pacific at Kaspersky, discussed the importance of AI in the fight against cyberattacks during Kaspersky’s annual Cyber Security Weekend conference, titled “Deus Ex Machina: Setting Secure Directives for Smart Machines” at the Le Meridien here recently.

“I think AI is very important because all the information we shared today, OFFICIALS of the local government unit of San Juan, Batangas, officially opened its new municipal building retrofitted with cutting-edge PLDT Enterprise connectivity and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions attesting to the municipality’s digital transformation journey and commitment to provide more effective and improved services to its constituents.

Using AI in fight vs. cyberattacks

we discussed how AI is going to be used by attackers to improve their techniques and improve their attacks. And obviously, it’s not just cyberattacks. It’s every industry with accessibility of AI services these days, every industry is moving forward with AI and utilizing AI in their environment,” said Shabab, one of the resource speakers in the conference with Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky; Adrian Hia, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky; and Vitaly Kamluk, Head of Research Center for Asia Pacific, Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) at Kaspersky.

Obviously, it’s very important for the cybersecurity industry to use and utilize AI. We all heard that we’ve been using machine learning and AI for a long time. It’s not something new for us, but we also know that it might be something new for cyber attackers. And we have to make sure that we understand this and we adopt our investigation techniques and analysis to address that,” she added.

Using AI, according to Shabab, is most useful in research.

“In research, AI services can save a lot of time for us, like when we investigate cyber attacks. Also like doing some automation tests for us, that actually can be very useful and obviously eliminates the need for being highly skilled in in some areas like writing code or scripting and you would have more time to focus on other skills that can’t yet be done through AI systems,” Shabab said.

To boost enterprises’ and organizations’ defenses against AI-assisted APT attacks, Shabab suggests the following: Advanced security solutions: Implement security solutions that use advanced methods to monitor user and system behaviours. This can help identify deviations from normal patterns, potentially signalling malicious activities.

Regular Software Updates: Keep all software, applications, and operating systems up to date to mitigate vulnerabilities that attackers might exploit.

User Training and Awareness: Provide employees with training on cybersecurity

San Juan, Batangas paves road toward ‘Smart City’ vision with PLDT Enterprise

San Juan Mayor Ildebrando D. Salud shares his excitement about the completion of their new building and the implementation of PLDT Enterprise’s advanced solutions. “We will be able to better serve our constituents, communicate with them, and collaborate with each other more effectively with the help of this digital infrastructure,” Salud says. “We are thankful for the partnership we have with PLDT Enterprise, which has helped us get closer to becoming a Smart City. This allows our community to be more digitally inclusive, fostering a sustainable and progressive environment for all.”

San Juan, a first-class municipality in

best practices, including recognising and avoiding social engineering attacks and phishing attempts.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enforce MFA for accessing critical systems and applications, reducing the risk of unauthorized access even if credentials are compromised.

As a parting shot, Shabab stressed the importance of cybersecurity in our homes and industries.

“I think in this day and age that we live, there are a lot of opportunities that bad guys can compromise our safety and security, and also like the physical safety of your life. So we can we can’t just ignore the fact that these threats are around us. If you want to live with a peace of mind and have an easy and quiet and safe life, it (cybersecurity) is essential. It’s not a luxury to have cyber security solutions for your individual life or organization. It is a must. There’s nothing that you can debate for it. It’s something that is essential,” Shabab said.

the province of Batangas, is making significant strides in constructing a Smart City utilizing new and relevant technologies to improve the community’s liveability, workability, and sustainability.

Structured Cabling, iGate, PABX, SIP Trunks, and CCTV are among the PLDT Enterprise solutions found in the brandnew municipal building enabling the LGU’s offices, management, and staff with faster communications and efficient work operations from its centralized voice and data services which have been strategically implemented.

According to William Batac, Enterprise Revenue Group Head at PLDT Enterprise, “Data is the backbone in building Smart Cities.” The Municipal Government of San Juan can efficiently capture, integrate, and manage data by utilizing the dependable and cutting-edge technologies offered by PLDT Enterprise, which will ultimately lead to an improvement in the quality of life for its citizens.

All offices, including the Command Center, are interconnected by the PLDT Enterprise PABX and SIP Trunks, resulting in streamlined communication channels.

The Municipal Government of San Juan, Batangas is also implementing a new hotline, #043-SAN JUAN (726 5826), as part of their transformation process to better serve its constituents.

The product of this groundbreaking collaboration is the new Credit Cards feature on the Lista app. It gives users the ability to view curated card offers, compare cards, and easily apply for their preferred card in just a matter of clicks.

Redefining convenience

In today’s economy, credit cards are a convenient way to extend one’s spending capabilities. However, many Filipinos perceive applying for a credit card to be a difficult and stringent affair. Additionally, a recent TransUnion Philippines study on local perceptions towards credit found that despite most Filipinos having a general understanding of credit concepts, the penetration rate for credit cards in the country stood at only 25%.

Better access to credit can help foster greater financial inclusion. The integration of seamless credit card application on the Lista app does away with many of the perceived difficulties in applying for a credit card. Having a side-by-side card comparison feature also makes it easier for users to pick the card that best fits their needs.

These user-centric solutions provide Filipinos better control and convenience over their financial choices —potentially opening greater financial opportunities ;o more people.

Bridging the gap to financial empowerment

On the significance of the partnership with MoneyMax, Lista cofounder Khriztina Lim said, “Lista was created to provide Filipinos with purpose-driven solutions for their personal and business finances. Credit plays an important role not only in driving economic growth, but also in helping people purchase goods and services that can change lives for the better. We are excited to work with MoneyMax to streamline the credit card application process through Lista. Through this partnership, we will utilize technology to bridge the gaps that keep Filipinos from greater financial inclusion—empowering more people to live healthier financial lives.”

POCO Partners Southeast Asia Forum 2023 dissects evolving Gen-Z mobile consumers’ habits

By Patricia Taculao

IN line with POCO’s bid to provide mobile consumers with the ideal products that meet their daily needs, the young independent brand born from the Xiaomi Corporation held the POCO Partners Southeast Asia Forum 2023 last August 21 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Present at the forum, held in W Hotel Bangkok, were industry experts from across POCO business partnerships gathered with regional and local media in Bangkok to provide their insights into the evolving nature of the habits and preferences of Southeast Asia’s Gen Z mobile users.

The POCO Partners Southeast Asia Forum 2023 provided a significant opportunity to explore the rapidly changing consumer environment driven by the evolving usage and preferences of the region’s “mobile first” Gen Z generation.

POCO is a consumer technology brand based on the philosophy of “Everything you need, nothing you don’t.” It focuses primar-

ily on its fans’ requirements and feedback. It’s on the relentless pursuit of technology, which its fans truly need, thus democratizing decision-making and continuous product updates to evolve itself.

During the forum, POCO Global heads, namely Quanxin Wang, General Manager of Xiaomi Southeast Asia, Anne Wang, Head of Marketing at POCO Global, and Angus Ng, Head of Product Marketing at POCO Global, discussed the evolving tech trends and datadriven insights in e-commerce, gaming, chipset, and smartphone markets in Southeast Asian countries with their stakeholders and top executives from Lazada, MediaTek, PUBG, Shopee, and TikTok Shop.

The survey covered 2,500 consumers targeting Gen Z and Millennials in five Southeast Asian markets, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, who play games on their mobile devices at least once a month. The study showed how mobile became the go-to platform for younger Southeast Asian users for entertainment due to the

recent pandemic. It also tackled how mobile activities have dramatically increased over the last three years, with surges in mobile gaming (53 percent), online shopping (51 percent), and video streaming (48 percent) activities.

Due to their affinity with technology, the data from the survey showed how Gen Z spends more hours engaged in mobile activities. They spend more hours per week than their Millennial counterparts for all online leisure activities, such as messaging and social media interactions, and intend to spend even more time on their mobiles soon.

“For smartphones that are designed for Gen Z, I’d say they’re all about being seamless. Gen Z is used to using mobile devices, and they want phones that make everything online easy. This includes things like having engaging interactions with one another, sharing fun moments or playing exciting games within their community, or keeping track of their health and knowing ways to improve their lifestyle,” said Liang Shuang, Head of Shopee Regional Electronic Cluster.

Noushin Shabab, Senior Security Researcher for Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) Asia Paci c at Kaspersky Photo by Riera U. Mallari

Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky

Shown here are (from left) Edgar Cantillas, Sales Director at iGold; Glenn Sangalang, Workforce Management Supervisor at PLDT Zone; Gina Salud, Spouse of San Juan, Batangas Mayor; Ildebrando Salud, Mayor of San Juan, Batangas; Allan Hechanova, Senior Relationship Manager at PLDT Enterprise.

Lista joins forces with MoneyMax

Shown here are (from left) Jenny Armshaw-Heak, Director at YouGov; Tony Yuan, Senior Vice President of Lazada; Kit Chomcharn, Head of Shopee Thailand, Electronic Cluster; Angus Ng, Head of Product Marketing for POCO Global; and Chunyan See, Country Sales Manager for Mediatek Thailand.