Manila Standard - 2024 July 23 - Tuesday by Manila Standard

Marcos orders total POGO ban

Biz groups, lawmakers, economic team hail SONA marching order

West

Philippine Sea ‘is ours and will remain ours,’ says

President

By Charles Dantes, Maricel Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

PRESIDENT Marcos said there is no external force that can carve out the West Philippine Sea from the Philippines.

"The West Philippine Sea is not a figment of our imagination. It is ours, and it will remain ours as long as the spirit of our beloved country burns brightly," he said in his State of the Nation Address yesterday.

“The Philippines cannot yield. The Philippines cannot waver...We have faced challenges to our territorial sovereignty, we will assert our rights and interests in the same fair and pacific way that we have always done. Proper diplomatic channels and mechanisms under the rules-based international order remain the only acceptable means of settling disputes," the commander-in-chief added.

The President underscored the important role the country’s maritime forces play in securing the country’s ocean borders.

SENATE PRESIDENT ESCUDERO

PBy Charles Dantes

PRESIDENT Marcos said the administration has made significant headway in suppressing the narcotics trade despite shunning the use of excessive violence against suspected drug traffickers and users.

"On the fight against dangerous drugs, our bloodless war on dangerous drugs adheres, and will continue to adhere, to the established '8 Es' of an effective anti-illegal drugs strategy," Mr. Marcos said in his third State of the Nation Address yesterday.

"Extermination was never one of them," he added.

Mr. Marcos noted that in the course of more than 71,500 operations launched within his tenure, government operatives have managed to confiscate over P44 billion worth of illegal drugs and round up more than 97,000 suspects.

He said among those arrested were more than 6,000 were “highvalue targets,” including 440 government employees -- 42 of whom were uniformed personnel -and 77 elected officials.

Mr. Marcos further said the administration’s “bloodless drug war” has yielded an impressive nationwide conviction rate average of at least 79 percent, which he

RESIDENT Marcos ordered an immediate ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) during his third State of the Nation Address—a pronouncement that earned him resounding applause and a standing ovation from lawmakers and guests at the Batasan complex.

"We're hearing the loud voices of the people against the POGOs...Effective today, all POGOs are banned," Mr. Marcos said. "I hereby instruct Pagcor (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) to wind down and cease the operations

• Expands PhilHealth coverage to include lung, liver, ovary and prostate cancer treatment

• Salary increases for gov't employees; extended job order and contract services

attributed to “strong case build-up and efficient prosecution.”

"We welcome the report that the number of drug-affected barangays in our country has been reduced by 32 percent," he added. He further reported that over P500 million in tainted money and assets have been frozen and preserved.

The incumbent leadership’s strategy on the drug war is a stark contrast to what transpired during the Duterte Administration when at least 6,000 drug suspects were killed according to government data, although rights groups estimate the toll to be closer to 30,000.

• More cash aid for mothers under 4Ps; mobile primary clinic in every province

• Boosts local rice production; ready to roll out vaccines vs. ASF to help meat producers

• Backs 'experiential tourism' push; e-gates, e-visa soon to be standard in airports

Marcos trumpets ‘bloodless drug war’ gains Biden

‘Cha-cha, divorce, death penalty bills not priorities’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

By Ratziel San Juan and Maricel Cruz

SPEAKER Martin Romualdez on

NO MORE POGOS. President Marcos gestures to stress his marching order for a total ban on POGOs during his third State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives on Monday, July 22, 2024. Ver Noveno

By Charles Dantes, Maricel Cruz, Macon RamosAraneta, Othel Campos, Darwin Amojelar, Jenniffer Austria and Vito Barcelo

of POGOs by the end of the year,” he added. The President said POGOs are disguised as legitimate entities, Next page

SONA HIGHLIGHTS:

PH rejects China claims on resupply deal

MANILA insisted Monday it will continue to "assert our rights" over Ayungin Shoal after reaching a deal with Beijing for resupplying Filipino troops stationed on the grounded warship BRP Sierra Madre.

The Department of Foreign Affairs also rejected suggestions by China that the "provisional arrangement" announced Sunday required Manila to give Beijing "prior notification" and verification of deliveries to the BRP Sierra Madre. "The principles and approaches

Marcos...

From A1

but their operations have ventured into illicit areas furthest from gaming such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, and even murder.

"The grave abuse and disrespect to our system of laws must stop," he said.

"We need to put a stop to this troublemaker in our society and the disrespect toward our country," Mr. Marcos added.

The President's third SONA delved on security and social protection issues. Apart from the POGO ban, his speech focused on efforts to protect maritime sovereignty, achieve food security, and ensure safe elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mindanao, as well as on expanding the cash aid or "ayuda" program and pursuing critical infrastructure projects to boost inclusive growth.

The President said he instructed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in coordination with economic managers, to find new jobs for those who will be displaced by the POGO ban.l.

“(The ban) will solve many of the problems that we have been encountering, but it will not solve all of them,” the President said.

“To solve all the problems that we have been suffering under, all officials, law enforcers, workers in government, and most of all the citizenry, must always be vigilant, principled and think of the health of the nation,” he added. Government authorities, led by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), have been conducting raids in various areas across the country where illegal POGOs are located.

The most significant operations have taken place recently in Bamban, Tarlac, and in Porac, Pampanga which put the illegal activities happening in POGO hubs into the national spotlight.

In Bamban, authorities freed over 800 people, including both Filipinos and foreigners. Meanwhile, approxi-

Biden...

From A1

confirming her goal to become America's first woman president and to "defeat Donald Trump."

World leaders lined up to pay tribute to Joe Biden after he announced Sunday he was dropping out of the US presidential race.

President Marcos hailed Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid, calling it a “demonstration of genuine statesmanship.”

“We thank him for his constant and unwavering support for the Philippines in a delicate and difficult time. We wish him well for the rest of his presidency and for all his future endeavors,” Mr. Marcos said.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Biden for taking "bold steps" in supporting his country, praising the US president's "tough but strong decision" to end his reelection bid.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he respected Biden's decision.

"I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, he

From A1

He said the House would remain focused on approving needed legislative proposals, including priority measures identified during the last Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council as well as in the past SONA. Romualdez also took pride in the legislative accomplishments of the House of Representatives, saying the positive impact of laws passed by the 19th Congress and signed by President

laid out in the agreement were reached through a series of careful and meticulous consultations between both sides that paved the way for a convergence of ideas without compromising national positions," DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said in a statement.

mately 160 individuals were rescued from the site in Porac.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said shutting down all is the right decision.

Recto said the economic benefits of POGOs are outweighed by the drawbacks.

Many operators weren’t paying taxes, and the Philippine National Police incurred significant costs addressing POGO-related crimes, he said.

“If you sum up my recommendation to ban POGO to the president, based on the results of cost-benefit analysis, in my opinion, the decision of the President is right,” Recto said.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who along with Senator Risa Hontiveros has been leading the investigation into the illegal activities of POGOs, said he was giving the President the highest grade of 101 percent for announcing the total ban.

Hontiveros described the development as "a huge victory" for the country.

"I commend the President for his resolute pronouncement," she said.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said he considered the President's total ban on POGOs announcement as the most striking part of the SONA.

Speaker Martin Romualdez, who described the SONA as “comprehensive, powerful and uplifting,” commended the total ban on POGOs.

“This bold move underscores the President's commitment to lawful economic practices,” the Speaker said.

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez also lauded the order: “We in the House of Representatives have been calling for the closure of POGOs, whether legal or illegal, because of the evil they have caused not only in the areas where they operate but in other communities. We thank the President for finally heeding our call."

The International Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc. (ICCPI) also expressed strong support for the President's decision.

"This bold move demonstrates his unwavering commitment to addressing the social and economic issues associated with this industry," said ICCP chairman Francis Chua

will have made his decision based on what he believes is best for the American people," said Starmer.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also paid tribute to "my friend." "Joe Biden has achieved a lot: for his country, for Europe, for the world," he said. "His decision not to run again deserves respect."

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he recognized that Biden's announcement is one "he feels is the best political decision he can make."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked Biden "for your leadership and ongoing service while New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the US President had "dedicated his life to public service, and that is something that deserves much respect."

Former president Barack Obama, with whom Biden served two terms as vice president, said Biden's decision to drop out of the race was testament to his "love of country."

Trump reacted with a stream of posts on his Truth Social network, saying that because Biden is not "fit to run" for president, he is also not "fit to serve."

Marcos is now being felt by Filipinos.

“All necessary laws requested by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in the previous SONA, everything has passed here in the House of Representatives,” he said.

“We have done our homework. We addressed concerns on food security, climate change, social protection, tourism, public health, public order and safety, among others. In fact, the fruits of our overarching development agenda initiatives for the past two years are now slowly being felt across the nation,” he added. He said the House achieved a

"The (Chinese foreign ministry) spokesperson's statement regarding prior notification and on-site confirmation is inaccurate," Daza added.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, includingAyungin Shoal, which lies about 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Palawan and more than 1,000 kilometers from China's nearest major landmass, Hainan island.

Daza said the Philippines "will continue to assert our rights and jurisdiction in our maritime zones," which included Ayungin Shoal.

The fish-rich shoal has been a focus of violent clashes between Chinese and Philippine ships in recent months as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims to almost the entire South China Sea.

A Filipino sailor lost a thumb in the latest June 17 confrontation when Chinese coast guard members wielding knives, sticks and an axe foiled a Philippine Navy attempt to resupply its troops.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday Beijing had agreed to an arrangement with the Philippines over Filipino resupply missions "based

on our principled position" that the shoal was part of Chinese territory. "Should the Philippines need to send living necessities to the personnel living on the warship, China is willing to allow it in a humanitarian spirit if the Philippines informs China in advance and after on-site verification is conducted," the spokesperson said. But it would "absolutely not accept" the delivery of large amounts of construction materials to the ship and attempts to "build fixed facilities or permanent outposts." AFP with Rachelle Tonelada

WET AND DETERMINED.

West...

From A1

"To our Armed Forces, Coast Guard, and fishermen in the West Philippine Sea… please accept the heartfelt gratitude of the entire nation for your vigilance and sacrifices," he said.

1 Pacman party-list Rep. Mikee Romero, chairman of the House committee on poverty alleviation, said the President’s stand on the West Philippine Sea is "solid and unequivocal."

"He deserved our standing ovation.

However, the dramatic shift will wrongfoot Republicans, whose campaign was solely focused on Biden and will now instead feature 78-year-old Trump – the oldest presidential nominee in US history –up against a far younger opponent.

The move also transforms what had been a highly unpopular and dragging Trump-Biden rematch into one of the most compelling presidential campaigns in modern American politics.

Biden's withdrawal had been widely expected at some point. The announcement finally came with no warning as he recovered from COVID at his Delaware beach house.

In a letter posted on X, Biden said it had been the "greatest honor of my life" to be president. He said he would address the nation later this week. The White House later said he had no public events scheduled for Monday.

"While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," he wrote.

Shortly after, he offered his "full support and endorsement" for Harris,

100-percent approval on the third and final reading of all the 17 priority measures identified by the President in his 2023 SONA. To further prove his point, the House leader cited the country’s economic performance in recent years.  From the third quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2024, he said the economy grew by an average of 6.1 percent. For the first quarter of 2024 alone, the Philippine economy outperformed Indonesia (5.1 percent), Malaysia (4.2 percent), Singapore (2.7 percent) and Thailand (1.5 percent), he said.

We salute our commander-in-chief for defending the Philippines’ territory and for taking care of our PCG and AFP personnel protecting our maritime integrity," lawmaker said.

For his part, Senate President Francis Escudero vowed that the Upper Chamber will prioritize passing laws akin to the Maritime Zone and Sea Lanes Act.

This crucial measure has already cleared the bicameral conference committee and is now awaiting the President’s signature, he said.

"We will strengthen our military, not to ignite any conflict, but in order to secure peace," Escudero said.

with his campaign filing official notice to change its name to "Harris for President."

Endorsements began streaming in for Harris almost immediately from Democratic big shots as well as those seen as potential rivals for the nomination, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom.

The Democratic fundraising group ActBlue meanwhile reported that Harris received $46.7 million in small-donor contributions in the hours just after announcing her campaign – its "biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle."

Democrats must now scramble to confirm a new candidate at their party convention in Chicago on August 19.

Harris, the first Black and South Asian woman vice president in US history, praised Biden for his "selfless and patriotic act" and vowed to "earn and win" the nomination.

Still highly influential former Democratic president Barack Obama cautioned that "uncharted waters" lie ahead.

In a clear sign of how Republicans will try to frame Harris's image, Trump's new running mate J.D. Vance underlined that she had been "every step of the way" with Biden, "the worst president in my lifetime." AFP with Charles Dantes

He noted that in May, the National Economic and Development Authority projected that the country’s growth target of 6 percent to 7 percent this year is achievable with the implementation of appropriate government policies. “As a result, the country is expected to continue outperforming most emerging economies and expand further to a range of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent in 2025,” Romualdez said. Credit rating firm Fitch Ratings also affirmed last month the country’s investment-grade long-term foreign currency trading at “BBB” rating with a stable outlook, Romualdez added.

"We will take peaceful measures to defend our people’s right to sail in our seas and fish in our waters— as what our ancestors had done, and what our children shall do," he added.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea with its so-called 10-dash line that stretches more than 1,500 km. off its mainland and encroaches on the respective exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia.

An international arbitral ruling in 2016 has dismissed the line as having no legal basis.

‘Cha-cha,..

From A1

on full foreign ownership of the Constitution: education, advertising, and public utilities.

“In its stead, bills which can effect the same result— but without the needless political noise and bickering — will be prioritized. This will allow us to focus our energy on measures which the people truly need," Escudero said in his speech during the opening of the third regular session of the 19th Congress.

"We will tackle items in the common legislative agenda forged with the Executive, and those nurtured by either the House or the Senate since legislation is not a oneway process,” he added.

The Senate President also vowed to prioritize legislation that would alleviate the struggles of overworked and underpaid Filipinos.

“Their dreams and struggles, more than any policy paper, should define our legislative agenda and inspire us to work hard,” he said.

“I have noticed that we have passed a raft of laws that ease the burden on big business – even the ease of paying taxes, the ease of unloading bad loans...Why is there no ease of commuting and connecting? Ease of finishing school and finding work? Ease of healthcare for the sick? Ease of acquiring justice? Ease of growing food and feeding our families?” Escudero also highlighted the Senate’s role in the annual budget process, stressing the importance of judicious spending given the sacrifices made by taxpayers.

Activists from different sectors and civil society groups brave the rains and march along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City ahead of the President's third State of the Nation Address. Manny Palmero

How Rep. Linabelle Villarica uses her platform in Congress to empower women

By Patricia Taculao-Deligero

OMEN’S empowerment has surged in popularity in recent years, driven by a growing recognition of the social and economic injustices women face. The movement goes beyond equality and unlocks society’s full potential.

capped it with the prestigious DILG Seal of Good Local Governance in 2019 and 2022 and the completion of Meycauayan’s new City Hall. She would run unopposed to represent her home district in the 19th Congress. Consequently, for this national electoral feat, she merited the COMELEC’s 2023 Pura Villanueva Kalaw Award for empowered women candidates.

For female politicians, advocating for women’s empowerment is more than just doing the right thing. It’s about harnessing the talents and contributions of half the population. By fighting for equal access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, they’re building a stronger, more inclusive future for all and addressing urgent and necessary rights for women.

In the House of Representatives, Rep. Linabelle Ruth Ramos-Villarica, the four-term Representative of Bulacan’s Fourth District during the 15th to 17th and 19th Congress, is a staunch advocate of women’s empowerment. Her leadership is not just about highlighting what women are capable of and listening to their voices but also about making a significant impact in developing a community that recognizes their potential. One way she does it is by leading through example. For instance, she has championed laws that promote gender equality in the workplace and ensure women’s access to healthcare and education.

she

She’s also a notable personality in women empowerment groups, while

She’s also a notable personality in women empowerment groups, including the Association of Women Legislators Foundation Inc. (AWLFI), where Rep. Villarica is President while Rep. Yedda Romualdez is Chairperson. AWLFI is building a Women and Children Protection Unit (WPCU) to cater to women, children and adolescents—both male and female, to provide a more convenient and safe environment for comprehensive mental health services. Located in the National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong City, they broke ground in March 18, 2024 for the two-storey 240 sqm unit that shall have 4 consultation rooms for Out-Patients, Doctor’s Office and a mini-play area for children. It’s a landmark project for the AWLFI as it’s the first time for them to spearhead the building of an infrastructure as a testimony of support to the Philippine Mental Health Law.

Meanwhile, among Bulacan’s sons and daughters, Rep. Villarica is a beacon of inspiration. She was the first to become Deputy Speaker of the House during the 17th Congress, a testament to her leadership and dedication. Her efforts were recognized among the “Women of the Decade in Public Life and Leadership” in the 25th Edition of the Women’s Economic Forum 2019, a moment of pride for her constituents and women’s rights advocates. Eventually, Rep. Villarica became Mayor of the City of Meycauayan from 2019 to 2022. Amidst the global health outbreak, she led the city through many breakthrough pandemic response programs. She

Her commitment to public service is not a recent development but a lifelong dedication. Her early track record in civil society includes the 2004 Gawad Dangal ng Lipi for Public Service by the Bulacan Provincial Government, Outstanding Businesswoman and Outstanding Woman in 2000 by the Meycauayan City Government, Governor of Soroptimist International of the Philippines Region, 2006 - 2008, and Federation Director of Soroptimist International of the Americas, 20082010, which reassures her constituents of her unwavering commitment. In addition to women’s empowerment, Rep. Villarica also promotes flood control, especially since her district is the downstream of the Manila Bay Riverbasin. Bulacan’s Fourth Congressional District, which includes Marilao, Meycauayan, and Obando, has seen a prioritization of flood control since the District Representative assumed office in the 15th Congress. She collaborated with the Department of Public Works and Highways to facilitate riverwalls with pumping stations throughout the district. Rep. Villarica’s commitment to flood control is unwavering, as she experienced the challenges of Typhoon Ondoy, which occurred before she assumed office. She initiated the Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando River System multi-stakeholder talks, engaging the mayors of the local government units in its rehabilitation and flood control. Her proactive approach and collaborative efforts reassure stakeholders of her dedication to their safety and security. Thanks to her initiatives, the risk of flooding in the Fourth Congressional District has significantly decreased. As the District Representative, she also facilitated the construction of numerous schools, barangay halls, and even a birthing center in Obando. Another way she empowered her constituents was by supporting and stimulating local commerce. Her efforts in establishing many farm-to-market roads in Sta. Maria, Bulacan, when it was still part of the Fourth District, and the expansion of the Malhacan - Iba - Bahay Pare Road in Meycauayan, which connects the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to McArthur Highway, have significantly improved the accessibility of these areas, boosting local trade and commerce. Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, she is the principal author of 130 bills and co-author of 177 others. She is also a member of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal and Vice Chair of the Committees on Agrarian Reform and Social Services. She is currently serving her second term as President of the AWLFI. Moreover, her 30-year advocacy for women with the international volunteer group Soroptimist International and the Philippine Red Cross, which resulted in broad international exposure, led her to accept the chairmanship of the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality and the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the 16th and 17th Congress, respectively. Rep. Villarica’s impressive credentials and continuous presence in her community were a result of her dedication as a public leader. She sees her office as a platform to give women from various sectors a voice while advocating for prosperity and security, among other conditions in her jurisdiction. It’s why her constituents trust and appreciate her as their District Representative.

Embracing the rich culture and heritage of Bulacan’s 4th District

By Peter Paul Duran

BULACAN’S 4th Congressional District, encompassing the vibrant City of Meycauayan and the picturesque municipalities of Marilao and Obando, is a treasure trove of cultural heritage, historical landmarks, and culinary delights. Under the leadership of Rep. Linabelle Villarica in the 19th Congress, this district continues to celebrate its unique identity while contributing significantly to the vision of Bagong Pilipinas.

Meycauayan: A Jewel of Historical and Cultural Significance

Meycauayan, known for its rich historical background and thriving fine jewelry industry, is a testament to Bulacan’s deep-rooted cultural heritage. The city is home to numerous historical sites, including old Spanish-era churches that stand as monuments to the region’s colonial past. The Parish Church of St. Francis of Assisi, with its stunning architecture and intricate details, attracts both devotees and history enthusiasts alike.

Meycauayan is also renowned for its jewelry craftsmanship. The city’s skilled artisans produce highquality gold and silver jewelry, making it a hub for exquisite pieces that are sought after both locally and internationally. Visitors can explore the city’s numerous jewelry shops and witness the meticulous process of jewelry making, which has been passed down through generations.

Marilao: A Blend of Modernity and Tradition

Marilao, a rapidly developing municipality, beautifully blends modern amenities with traditional charm. The National Shrine of the Divine Mercy is a major religious landmark in Marilao, drawing pilgrims from all over the country. This spiritual haven offers a serene environment for prayer and reflection, complemented by beautifully

landscaped gardens and a towering statue of the Divine Mercy. The culinary scene in Marilao is equally vibrant. The town is famous for its traditional Filipino delicacies, such as the savory “sisig” and sweet “kakanin” (rice cakes). Local eateries and restaurants serve a variety of dishes that showcase the rich flavors of Bulacan cuisine, providing a delightful gastronomic experience for visitors.

Obando: A Town of Festivities and Tradition

Obando is best known for its annual Obando Fertility Rites, a unique and colorful festival that dates back to pre-colonial times. Held in honor of San Pascual Baylon, Santa Clara, and Nuestra Señora de Salambao, the festival features dance processions where participants pray for fertility, good fortune, and bountiful harvests. This vibrant celebration attracts thousands of visitors each year, highlighting Obando’s deep cultural and religious traditions.

In addition to its festive spirit, Obando offers beautiful natural landscapes and serene river views. The town’s local markets are a great place to discover fresh produce and traditional crafts, offering a glimpse into the daily lives of its residents.

Celebrating the Essence of Bagong Pilipinas

Under the leadership of Rep. Linabelle Villarica, Bulacan’s 4th Congressional District continues to thrive by preserving its rich cultural heritage while embracing modern development. The district’s historical landmarks, vibrant festivals, and culinary delights contribute to the broader vision of Bagong Pilipinas, showcasing the best of Filipino culture and tradition.

As Bulacan’s 4th Congressional District moves forward, it remains a shining example of how cultural heritage and progress can coexist, offering a unique and enriching experience for residents and visitors alike.

Groundbreaking for the Women & Child Protection Unit, National Center for Mental Health, March 18, 2024

The National Shrine of the Divine Mercy, Marilao

Mecyauayan’s fine jewelry adds the 2020 Ms. Universe Philippines crown to its roster that includes the Halasan crowns, a staple of Santacruzans

Women Power: Rep. LV is joined by Sen. Loren Legarda in promoting Art, Culture & Heritage in the region

Obando’s fertility rites celebrated in the month of May

Meanwhile, among Bulacan’s sons and daughters, Rep. Villarica among Life women’s health

Center, 4th District, Bulacan Rep. and AWLFI President Linabelle Ruth R. Villarica (in red), Gabriela Party Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Tingog Rep. and AWLFI Chairperson Yedda Marie Romualdez in the VOW to end VAW (Violence Against Women) Forum, November 22, 2023.

of “Punnuk,” a tradition primarily done along the Nungulunan River as a gesture of thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest season.

David Leprozo Jr.

Angara shelves contentious RPMS

By Rolando Ng III

NEWLY installed Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara has suspended the Results-based Performance Management System (RPMS) to lessen the workload of public school teachers across the country.

As this developed, an organization of teachers staged a protest at the Department of Education (DepEd) central office in Pasig City to demand the scrapping of the RPMS. The RPMS was usually done prior to

BI agents nab Chinese hacker in Poro Point

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) Monday arrested a suspected computer hacker at a posh resort in San Fernando, La Union.

BI Dana Sandoval identified the suspect as Lin Qiude, 40, who was nabbed by operatives of the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit in a luxury villa resort in Poro Point Freeport, San Fernando.

Sandoval said Lin was a Chinese computer hacker who worked for an online gaming hub that authorities raided last month in Porac, Pampanga

“According to intelligence information we have gathered, Lin is one of the leaders of a group of hackers. Actually, we are looking at other members of the group,” Sandoval said.

She added that upon verification with the Chinese police, Lin has been identified as a fugitive from China where he was wanted for fraud.

Chinese authorities said Lin was the subject of a warrant of detention issued by the public prosecutor in Anxi County, China where he was facing fraud charges.

L in was allegedly responsible for hacking bank accounts of victims based in the US, Middle East and Europe.

the opening of classes which, according to Angara, contributes to the heavy workload of the mentors.

“It comes at a time approaching the start of classes. There is much documentation needed to be done by teach-

ers. We will suspend it for, maybe one or one-and-a-half months,” Angara told reporters.

The former senator was also poised to look into the ban on classroom deco

rations, initially implemented during the tenure of Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte last year.

The order, which aims to ensure cleanliness in schools with the removal of unnecessary signage and artworks, was met with concerns from teachers as it helps them in their teaching tasks.

“There are arguments for and against

it. I will conduct an informal survey and see the sentiment of the teachers and the learners,” Angara said.

Ahead of the opening of classes, the new Education chief gave assurance of stability in students’ learning through the continuous implementation of the MATATAG curriculum.

“We really want curriculum stability. As for me, I don’t have plans to amend it. I just want to work from what’s already there. We will continue the pilot implementation of the MATATAG curriculum for Grades 1, 4, and 7 for this year,” he explained.

IN BRIEF

Comelec sets plebiscite on Brgy. Bagong Silang

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will hold a plebiscite in Caloocan City next month for the subdivision of Barangay Bagong Silang, the country’s most populous village, into six small geographical units. In Comelec Resolution 11007 made public on Monday, the poll body said the plebiscite would implement Republic Act (RA) 11993 that divides Barangay 176 into Barangays 176-A, 176-B, 176-C, 176D, 176-E, and 176-F. The commission set the date of the plebiscite on Aug. 31, 2024. The resolution added that the plebiscite period will start on Aug. 1 and end on Sept. 7.

During this period, the carrying of firearms or other deadly weapons in public places is prohibited, along with the transfer or detail officers and employees in the civil service.

It is also unlawful to organize or maintain reaction forces, strike forces, or similar groups; suspend local elective officials; and coerce, threaten, intimidate, or terrorize any election official or employee in the performance of his functions or duties.

Repair

Navotas

river

gate underway—Tiangco

NAVOTAS City officials led by Rep. Tobias Tiangco have met with Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on the status of the dredging and repair for the Tangos-Tanza navigational gate in the city.

“ The opposite side of the TangosTanza navigational gate is currently being dredged. This is necessary to properly repair the damaged parts of the flood gate,” Tiangco said.

The navigational gate was damaged when a fishing boat was forcibly towed through it last June, which resulted in flooding in some barangays in Navotas.

According to Tiangco, as early as 2022, he had requested the DPWH to fund the upgrade of the navigational gate. This upgrade was necessary because the gate was being overtopped during high tides of 1.8 to 2.1 meters. Maricel V. Cruz N.Vizcaya gov bares new healthcare plans

NUEVA Vizcaya Gov. Jose Gambito has launched a new initiative aimed at providing efficient medical services for his constituents.

The program, dubbed “Wellness Caravan: Sagut ni Gayyem ti Umili,” takes advantage of the Department of Health’s mobile health clinic, acquired through the efforts of First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos. Gambito said his administration is committed to surpassing typical healthcare programs to serve the community more effectively.

“Our administration recognizes the importance of innovation and the need to develop programs that are specifically tailored to the unique needs of our citizens, Gambito said in a statement. Jessica M. Bacud

Lawmaker asks Marcos to order return of P90b to PhilHealth

By Maricel V. Cruz

A CONGRESS leader on Monday urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to order the return of P90 billion to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) allotted for its members’ medical benefits.

PhilHealth has remitted the money to the “general fund” presumably under the National Treasury.

“The President will do justice to the more than 104 million members of PhilHealth if he orders the return of the funds. The money belongs to PhilHealth members, not to a so-called ‘general fund’ of the national government,” Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City said. Rodriguez said the funds could be used for the healthcare benefits of PhilHealth members, for increased amounts of health insurance coverage, or for additional services not presently covered by the staterun health insurance system.

“This way, it is the members who will benefit from their funds, not some personalities who would dipped their fingers into the P90-billion ‘general fund’,” he said. Rodriguez pointed out that the P90 billion consists of premium contributions from “direct and indirect contributors.”

Mixed movement in oil prices today

By Alena Mae S. Flores

TUG OF WAR. Ifugao tribesmen engage in

tug of war as a highlight

their celebration

BRIGADA ESKWELA. Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon gives a classroom desk a new coat of white paint during a ceremonial kick-off of ‘Brigada Eskwela 2024 in the city. In his remarks, Biazon underscored the importance of working together to ensure the children’s safety and provide them with a space conducive to learning.

OPINION

Mindanao national heroes; Yamashita treasure a hoax

A BILL has been filed by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez to have 12 Mindanao revolutionaries declared as national heroes. I believe it’s time our history books be corrected, Santa Banana, since a reading of Philippine history only cited national heroes from Luzon..

I used to teach history at the Ateneo de Manila before it became a university and I wondered why history books only mentioned national heroes from Luzon because historians from Luzon wrote them.

My gulay, it was clearly a bias in favor of our heroes from Luzon! I had urged Vice President Sara Duterte, then Secretary of Education, to endorse the Rodriguez bill to correct Philippine history. Unfortunately, the Vice President, who is from Davao City, did nothing. Now that we have a new secretary of education, a former senator, Sonny Angara, it would do him well to have the Senate file a counterpart bill of the House Bill 1461, to correct history for the benefit of this and future generations.

House Bill 1461 covers the following revolutionaries from different areas of Mindanao, who resisted the Spanish and American colonizers; some of them even died in the process.

From Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental, General Nicolas Capistrano, Colonel Velez, Captain Vicente Roa and Apolinario Pabayo; from Misamis Occidental, Simeon Ledesma, Rufino Deloso and Capitan Daligdig; from Surigao, Simon Gonzales, Wenceslao Gonzales and Daniel Toribio Sison; from Zamboanga, General Vicente Alvarez; from Cotabato, Datu Uto and Datu Ali; from Marawi, Amai Pakpak.

Actually, this should be a job of the historical commission, but since there is already a bill filed to correct Philippine history, it would do well for President Marcos Jr. to make this move to declare Mindanaoan revolutionaries as national heroes.

BBM should urge Secretary Angara to move to update Philippine history, not only to place events in their proper perspective, but for the sake of truth.

Santa Banana, I find it very strange that no one, especially BBM, has made any move to rectify history.

If the Spanish and American colonizers did not entirely colonize Mindanao, it’s because of these revolutionaries. Their heroism in the fight for Philippine Independence against the colonizers must be recognized.

Yamahita’s Treasure

In my past column, I wrote about the surrender of the “Tiger of Malaya,’’ General Tomoyuki Yamashita of the Japanese Imperial Forces that occupied the country for nearly four years until the hanging of Yamashita by the Americans leading to

the end of the occupation.

My story about Yamashita being responsible for the “Rape of Manila” would not be complete without recounting the “Yamashita Treasure.”

It all began after Yamashita was reassigned to the Philippines that word spread about the Yamashita Treasure he had looted when he first occupied the French Indo-China.

Yamashita was said to have plundered the temples of those countries he occupied and stole what was known as the Golden Buddha.

The story was so famous that after World War II, a movie was produced about that legend, so much so that treasure hunters from all over the world came looking for that treasure.

BBM should urge Secretary Angara to move to update Philippine history, not only to place events in their proper perspective, but for the sake of truth

One after another they came, digging all over alleged places where the treasure was supposed to have been buried.

Santa Banana, the late strongman Marcos Sr, must have believed the treasure really existed because I know he had commissioned my late brother Desi to tell General Zosimo Paredes, who later became the governor of Ifugao, to look for the treasure.

My brother Desi recounted to me his group, with a platoon of soldiers, went all over the Cordilleras, Cagayan Valley, Nueva Ecija, including Baguio City, Pangasinan and La Union, looking and digging for that treasure.

It took them three months and the only thing they found in the forest of Nueva Vizcaya was a cave that contained the remains of a Japanese soldier in full uniform.

The tale of the Yamashita Treasure was fueled by a story in Baguio City where a man was said to have bought a buddha full of jade in it, not the Golden Buddha. That story of the Golden Buddha was actually a myth, without any foundation, because of stories that those temples of Indo-China were alleged to have contained treasure.

But, I would call it the biggest hoax of the century.

This giant of a woman

By Adelle Chua

MY LAST memory of my friend Jenny

Ortuoste was her small, slight figure waving at me from her gate while the tricycle I was on was driving away, her outdoor cats at her feet.

I visited her at her Dasmarinas, Cavite home the Sunday before she passed. We spent two hours catching up – a bit like old times, but not quite. I saw that our conversation had tired her out even though she said she was grateful to be talking to somebody. As my ride pulled away a brief thought flashed in my mind: “Remember this moment as much as you can. This might be the last time.”

But I scolded myself for such a silly thought. Didn’t she just say “see you soon”?

Didn’t I promise her I’d come in the morning next time so I could stay longer and not worry about making it back to QC too late? Heck, didn’t she point to the flooring of her house and say she’d get around to fixing it when she was better?

I met Jenny at a corporate job in February 2005, long before she was the professor, writer, and critic she is known to be now. She was just rebuilding her life after being left with two daughters to raise. I was then 29 – a young, restless, conflicted wife and mother.

We bonded instantly and became notorious for our extended lunch breaks. In her I had the big sister I never had. She was “take charge!” personified.

We were only officemates for two months, but remained close in the years that followed.

We normally met up for late dinner and then coffee, after my work at the newspaper, and we would always be so shocked that it was past midnight and the coffee shop was closing.

Jenny accomplished things, not because of certain advantages, but despite every road block imaginable

We talked about many things – our children, our workplaces, men, things we wanted to write and why things were the way they were, or weren’t.

We toasted her acceptance to an MBA program, and then PhD where she enjoyed her creative writing classes.

I was standing in a crammed MRT coach when she called me to say she had won a Palanca.

When I told her I had struck out on my own, she treated me to a feast in Malate.

When she thought she was leaving for the US for good, she gave me entire boxes of books she had had from her childhood and teenage years. Those, and a pink-and-white quilt she had made with her own hands.

Climbing call for illegal POGO closure

THERE is an accelerating call supporting the closure of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) operating illegally and without operating licenses.

Law enforcement authorities have created a special task force dubbed “Skimmer” to dismantle unlicensed POGO hubs – nearly 300 by latest count – which will build on intelligence gathering operations aside from law enforcement.

Brig. Gen. Nicolas Salvador, acting Philippine National Police deputy chief for operations, said the illegal internet gaming licensees (IGLs) or unlicensed POGOs, have caused increased concerns on security, espionage, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, physical abuse, kidnapping, extortion, digital fraud and identity theft.

Special Task Force Skimmer would conduct law enforcement and intelligence operations nationwide aimed at combating the unlicensed POGOs.

Through Skimmer, headed by PNP deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Michael John Dubria, with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group as the

lead operating unit. the PNP shall dismantle illegal IGLs through intelligence gathering, coordinated law enforcement operations and legal action to uphold the rule of law, protect vulnerable individuals and safeguard national security.

Part of the call has come from Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman who joined other economic managers in supporting calls to ban illegal POGOs, saying the country “does not need” the sector.

POGOs bring in between P40 billion and P50 billion in revenues, Pangandaman said, describing the amount as ‘small’

Pangandaman expressed disapproval of the operations of offshore gambling companies in the Philippines, echoing the stance of Finance Secretary Ralph Recto and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.

“For the record, I don’t think we need them,” Pangandaman told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Malacañang, adding “We gave our recommendation

IN A recent decision, the Court of Tax Appeals upheld the acquittal of Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and her online news company, Rappler Holdings Corp., dismissing the last of their five tax evasion cases.

The petition for certiorari filed by the Office of the Solicitor General was rejected due to a lack of merit, reinforcing the Pasig City Regional Trial Court’s earlier decision.

The legal battle between Maria Ressa, Rappler Holdings Corp., and the Philippine government has been ongoing since 2018.

The government accused Ressa and RHC of failing to properly declare and pay taxable income and VAT for the second quarter of 2015.

The allegations were seen by many as politically motivated, given Rappler’s critical reporting on the Duterte administration.

Sound decision

Proper Judicial Process:

The CTA’s ruling emphasized the RTC followed due process. The OSG was provided ample opportunity to present its case, ensuring that the judicial process was adhered to meticulously.

Jurisdictional Boundaries:

The CTA cited a 2006 Supreme Court decision, which stated that certiorari is not a remedy for correcting errors in judgment but is used to address issues of jurisdiction. In this context, the RTC did not abuse its jurisdiction, and there was no grave abuse of discretion that would warrant a certiorari.

Adherence to Supreme Court Precedents:

The decision to dismiss the OSG’s petition aligns with the Supreme Court’s rulings, such as in the case of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue (G.R. No. 168498, October 14, 2008), where the Court underscored that certiorari is inappropriate for reviewing errors of judgment.

Opposing arguments

Potential Misapplication of Facts:

Critics might argue that the CTA and RTC misapplied facts and evidence, which should

She asked me to read aloud an excerpt of her short story at her book launch. During the pandemic, she sent me coasters, pink and white again, and a rainbow-colored blanket she had knitted.

She sent my family an entire Max’s meal after I spoke to her students on Zoom for just one hour (the food delivery took longer than my lecture).

In January, along with a handwritten recommendation for a workshop I had wanted to attend, she sent me two jars of Dipolog sardines, as if she were the one thanking me for a favor.

All these she did while trying to afford living in Manila on school days, on a teacher’s salary.

Life was not easy for Jenny and because of this she developed a certain wariness about people and their intentions. I sometimes felt she was too jaded -- angry, even -- while I went about being optimistic, naive, and foolish.

already, a joint recommendation from the economic managers and I hope that they will consider.”

POGOs bring in between P40 billion and P50 billion in revenues, Pangandaman said, describing the amount as “small.”

“That [amount] can be done through efficiency and our revenue generation,” she said.

Alyansa Agrikultura, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Foundation for Economic Freedom, Institute of Corporate Directors, Justice Reform Initiative, Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, and University of the Philippines School of Economics Alumni Association noted POGOs only contribute 0.2 percent to the country’s gross domestic product.

“Compare this to the social costs which have direct effects on economic growth,” they said.

We agree with the groups which noted that government must help re-skill and ensure opportunities for Filipino workers who may lose their jobs due to the ban or closure.

They also called on authorities to allow industries affected by POGOs to find alternative uses for their assets.

POGOs began receiving official licenses from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) in 2016, but offshore gambling in the Philippines on a large scale dates back to about 2003.

Court of Tax Appeals clears Maria Ressa in last tax case

have been grounds for the OSG’s petition. However, the CTA maintained that this does not constitute grave abuse of discretion.

Public Interest and Accountability:

The prosecution may contend that given the high-profile nature of the case and the public interest involved, there should have been a higher level of scrutiny and accountability. This argument hinges on the premise that media companies have a duty to uphold transparency, particularly in financial matters.

Analysis of the Court’s ruling

The CTA’s decision appears to be wellgrounded in legal principles, particularly regarding the scope and application of certiorari.

The CTA’s decision to uphold the acquittal of Maria Ressa and Rappler Holdings Corp. underscores the importance of adhering to legal principles and maintaining judicial independence

By adhering strictly to jurisdictional boundaries and ensuring due process, the CTA upheld the integrity of the judicial process. This decision reflects a cautious and measured approach, preventing the use of certiorari as a tool for re-litigating factual disputes. The Prosecution’s options Appeal to the Supreme Court:

Then again, that is how it is with sisters. You’re different, but you have each other’s backs. Or had. Prior to this third illness, cancer of the pancreas (she had earlier beaten cancer of the colon and of the breast, that’s how spunky she was), we thought Jenny was in the clear for good.

When she visited me at my home in December -- bearing books, as always -- I suggested a Filipino lunch and I was careful to order the healthier-sounding dishes but she insisted she could eat anything.

“I was extremely careful with my food before, but look what happened...I still got sick!” she said. And then we went to Dapitan to shop for Christmas trimmings.

The prosecution can file a petition for review on certiorari before the Supreme Court under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court, arguing the CTA and RTC committed errors in their legal interpretations.

Filing New Charges: If there are new facts or evidence that were not previously considered, the prosecution may explore the possibility of filing new charges, provided these are not barred by double jeopardy principles.

Legislative Advocacy: The OSG could also advocate for legislative changes to clarify and strengthen tax laws and the procedures for handling such cases, ensuring that ambiguities are minimized in the future.

Recommendations

Strengthening Judicial Processes: It is essential to ensure that all parties in legal proceedings have equal opportunities to present their cases. Training and resources for judges and prosecutors could be enhanced to handle complex tax cases more effectively.

Transparency in Tax Reporting: Media organizations, given their role in shaping public opinion, should maintain high standards of transparency and accountability in their financial practices. This could involve regular audits and public disclosures of financial statements.

Public Awareness and Legal Education: Increasing public awareness about the judicial process and the importance of judicial independence can help build trust in the legal system. Legal education initiatives could empower citizens to better understand and engage with legal issues. The CTA’s decision to uphold the acquittal of Maria Ressa and Rappler Holdings Corp. underscores the importance of adhering to legal principles and maintaining judicial independence.

While the decision may be contentious, it reflects a commitment to due process and the rule of law.

On social media there is a flood of tributes about Jenny’s awards and professional accomplishments. I am proud of those, of course, but prouder still that this giant of a woman was my longtime friend, first and foremost.

I’m writing this with my coffee cup resting on her coaster, confusing the past tense with the present. When we spoke last Sunday, Jenny talked about her dread of the coming aggressive chemo, being “done,” and going on one’s terms.

She had no energy to write these days, she said, and all she wanted to do was sleep. It is a consolation that Jenny did pass in her sleep and was likely not in pain as she went. She had had too much pain elsewhere, anyway.

Her precious gift to me was her valiant attempt to rise above all adversity. She accomplished things, not because of certain advantages, but despite every road block imaginable. What a life. What a woman. adellechua@gmail.com (The author is former Opinion Editor of Manila Srandard.)

Fewer Pinoys now living in poverty, PSA survey indicates

By Darwin G. Amojelar

A PHILIPPINE Statistics Authority (PSA) survey said there were fewer Filipinos living in poverty or those whose incomes were insufﬁcient to buy minimum basic food and non-food needs in 2023 compared to two years earlier.

Preliminary results of the PSA Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) also showed that there were 17.54 million poor Filipinos in 2023, translating to a poverty incidence of 15.5%.

This is lower than the 19.99 million poor Filipinos in 2021 when the poverty incidence was 18.1%, and the 17.67 million in 2018, when the poverty incidence rate was 16.7%, the PSA said.

The agency also attributed the decline to the increase in the mean per capita income, which grew by 17.9% to P85,290, faster than the increase in poverty threshold, which climbed by 15.3% to P33,296.

The biggest increase in the mean per capita income was seen in the ﬁrst decile class, which climbed 25.3% to P24,954. This was followed by the second decile class, which grew 22.9% to P36,716, and the third decile class, which grew by 22.2% to P45,596.

PNP ordered to investigate fake video on President Marcos

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has been ordered to investigate the viral video that showed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. allegedly using drugs, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos issued the order and said that the video “was fake and malicious.”

“I’m asking our chief PNP, General Marbil, together with General Baccay and, of course, General Cariaga to immediately create a task force to probe this issue. Talagang imbestigahan nila maigi ito,” Abalos said in a media brieﬁng.

Abalos, quoted by GMA News, also said he directed the PNP to coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

The video showed a person taking drugs. Abalos said there were indications that the video was fake.

“Why am I saying this? Because today there are numerous AI content circulating in social media that are fake. We should be observant. Let us not immediately believe such things,” Abalos said.

Abalos stressed that it was not President Marcos in the video.

The Department of National Defense (DND) on Monday called a video from a gathering of a group linked to former president Rodrigo Duterte in the US as “malicious.”

“The obviously fake video being circulated emanating from a MAISUG gathering in Los Angeles is again a maliciously crude attempt to destabilize the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. They will not succeed!” DND spokesperson Arsenio

Andolong said in a statement.

The DND was referring to a video at a gathering, which purportedly showed the Chief Executive using illegal drugs.

Andolong said the release of the contrived video in the US is a “cowardly attempt to escape Philippine criminal jurisdiction.” He also urged US authori-

PH looking at more defense pacts with Canada, France, other allies

THE government is looking to forge reciprocal troops access agreements with Canada, France, New Zealand, and other countries, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr said on Monday. Teodoro said in an interview that he hoped the agreements could be signed next year. The agreements would allow greater interoperability, as armed forces of these countries can operate within the Philippine territory and vice-versa, Teodoro said.

“It is close to the apex of a defensive alliance,” he added. The Philippines and Japan signed a landmark military pact on July 8 that allows the deployment of forces on each other’s soil in the face of China’s increasingly asser-

tive stance in the region.

Canada, France, and New Zealand have expressed support for the Philippines’ claims within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea and rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that its expansive claims had no basis under international law. The case was brought to the court by the Philippines.

On Sunday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said, Manila and Beijing agreed to an arrangement regarding the conduct of rotation and resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal in West Philippine Sea (WPS). Rex Espiritu

ties to investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of this act.

In a video statement, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the video is “obviously manipulated.”

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Monday warned the public that sharing the fake video of the President is illegal and punishable with the same offense as those who created the video.

In a televised interview over PTV, DICT spokesperson, Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy said posting the fake video is punishable by Republic Act (RA) No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

“Because you’re willingly trying to spread false utterances or misleading information,” Dy said.

However, he said the originators of the video were the ones being targeted by law enforcement units such as the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe meanwhile condemned the people responsible for the fabrication and dissemination of the said video.

“The fabricated video, which

falsely depicts the president using illegal substances, is not just an attack on his person but an affront to the entire nation,” Dalipe of Zamboanga City said.

“This act is not just an attack against our president but a blatant attempt to destabilize our government and undermine the integrity of our democratic processes. It erodes public trust and poses a serious threat to our national unity,” he added. Dalipe highlighted the poor quality of the AI fabrication, noting that the video was poorly edited and clearly identiﬁable as a fake. “The shoddy editing and obvious signs of AI manipulation in the video only serve to further illustrate the desperation and malicious intent behind this attack,” he noted.

The Majority Leader emphasized the need for swift and decisive action against those responsible for this attack.

“The full extent of the law must be applied to those behind these unrelenting attempts to destabilize the government. Such misuse of technology for political gain cannot be tolerated,” he stated.

Maricel V. Cruz and Rex Espiritu

ECOFRIENDLY BRIGADA. Members of the EcoWaste Coalition promote the ecofriendly conduct of the Brigada Eskwela at Manila High School to cut down on garbage and pollution toward a zero waste and toxic-free school environment. Norman Cruz

Authorities cancel 14 ights due to Carina

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has announced the cancellation of 14 local commercial ﬂights scheduled for Monday due to bad weather conditions caused by Tropical Storm Carina.

As of 12:45 p.m., four Philippine Airlines (PAL) Express ﬂights to and from Basco and Tuguegarao in Manila have been canceled.

In addition, 10 local commercial ﬂights from Cebu Paciﬁc (CEB) and its sister airline CebGo in Manila to and from Tuguegarao, Naga, and San Jose have also been suspended.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) issued a separate advisory Monday, stating that at least four airports in the country were affected by the inclement weather, including those in San Jose, Naga,

In terms of families, there were 3.00 million poor families in 2023, equivalent to a poverty incidence rate of 10.9%. This compares with the 3.50 families in 2021 with a poverty incidence rate of 13.2%, and 17.67 families in 2018 with a poverty incidence rate of 16.7%.

A survey conducted by OCTA Research found that 42% or about 11 million Filipino families considered themselves poor in the ﬁrst quarter, down from 11.9 million families in the fourth quarter of 2023.

In a separate statement, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said the decline in poverty incidence last year marked signiﬁcant progress toward the government’s goal of reducing poverty to a single-digit level by 2028.

“These encouraging ﬁgures underscore our unwavering commitment to implement effective policies and initiatives that uplift the lives of our countrymen. As we welcome news of our progress, we remain steadfast in our efforts to ensure that our economic gains are truly felt by all Filipinos, rich and poor alike,” NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said in a statement.

Agents intercept smuggled vapes from US GOVERNMENT agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted a smuggled parcel containing disposable vapes with cannabis oil from the United States.

The NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group and Bureau of Customs seized the parcel at the DHL Cargo Warehouse in Pasay City. The parcel, shipped by a certain Jason from Portland, Oregon, and consigned to a resident of Santa Cruz, Manila, was misdeclared as toys. However, upon inspection, the authorities discovered that each disposable vape contained 2 ml of cannabis oil, a prohibited item.

The seized parcel was turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for proper disposal and further investigation. The authorities also seized recently two outbound shipments of methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly known as shabu, worth more than P2 million, also at the DHL warehouse.

One of the shipments, misdeclared as ‘business documents,’ was shipped by a certain Marbella from Barangay Tunasan, Muntinlupa City, and consigned to a resident in Rome, Italy. The inspection revealed plastic sachets containing shabu, with a total gross weight of 100 grams worth P680,000. Joel E. Zurbano

Remulla welcomes new PAO lawyers

DEPARTMENT of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday welcomed the hiring of 178 new lawyers in the Public Attorney’s Ofﬁce (PAO), saying it will boost the services provided by the agency to indigent litigants. “Gone are the days when some may think that access to justice in the Philippines is exclusively for the wealthy. Today, under the Bagong Pilipinas political vision, we level the playing ﬁeld between the rich and the poor in terms of having access to legal services,” Remulla said in a statement.

Remulla thanked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for approving the creation of 178 new Public Attorney’s (PA) positions across the country. The DBM has created some 56 PA 2 and 122 PA 1 positions at the PAO under the DOJ, which will require P336 million annual budget. The program is part of the administration of President Ferdinand R.

Tuguegarao, and Basco. CAAP information officer Karen Villanda reported two canceled flights from Manila to Basco and a returned flight in Naga Airport. Villanda also said at least 140 passengers were affected by the suspended flights in Naga, while over 900 others were affected by the cancellation of flights in Tuguegarao.

In Basco Airport, 130 passengers were affected by canceled ﬂights.

Tropical storm “Carina” (international name: Gaemi) meanwhile has intensiﬁed into a typhoon while meandering over the Philippine Sea.

In its 5 p.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Astmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the typhoon’s center was estimated at 420 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

EMERGENCY STATION. Philippine Red Cross volunteers and staff man an emergency station at Brgy. Batasan Hills, Quezon City during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on July 22.

SMUGGLED VAPES. Agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) sort smuggled parcels containing disposable vapes with cannabis oil from the US. The parcel was seized at the DHL Cargo Warehouse in Pasay City.

Iconic sites to host Paris games

PARIS—The Paris Olympics have been designed to showcase the City of Light in all its splendour, with events taking place at iconic locations.

AFP looks at five sites set to wow ticket-holders—and a global TV audience of billions—during the 17-day extravaganza starting on July 26:

Eiffel Tower

The most famous of the Paris landmarks, the Eiffel Tower, will welcome beach volleyball.

The action will take place in a temporary venue near the foot of the “Iron Lady”.

Next door, the Champs de Mars park at the foot of the tower will host judo and wrestling.

Reviled by some Parisians when it was unveiled in 1889 for the World Fair by engineer Gustave Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower has become the capital’s symbol.

Besides being one of the world’s top tourist attractions, pulling in seven million visitors a year, it is also a working telecoms tower, used for radio and TV transmissions.

Winners at the Paris Games will all go home with a small part of the iron colossus. Each medal will contain an 18g crumb of original iron, removed during renovations, melted down and reforged.

Grand Palais

Fencing and taekwondo battles will take place in the opulent setting of the Grand Palais exhibition hall, a glass-and-steel masterpiece created for the World Fair of 1900.

Its distinctive feature is its glass domed roof, the largest of its kind in Europe, which covers a cavernous exhibition space of 13,500 square metres.

During World War I, the Grand Palais put its art collection in storage and converted its galleries into a

military hospital where soldiers were patched up before returning to the trenches.

In the 21st century, the airy nave has hosted giant installations commissioned from some of the world’s leading artists.

It has also been flooded to make the biggest ice rink in the world. Place de la Concorde

The vast, paved square at the foot of the Champs-Elysees avenue, where heads rolled (literally) during the French Revolution, will serve as an urban sports hub.

Skateboarding, 3x3 basketball, BMX freestyle and, in its first Games appearance, breakdancing, will all

PH chessers Canino, Frayna preparing for Chess Olympiad

REIGNING national women’s champion Ruelle Canino will embark on a European tour with an eye at becoming the country’s next Woman Grandmaster and as part of her preparation for the FIDE World Chess Olympiad this September.

The 16-year-old Woman FIDE Master made history by becoming the youngest in recent times to rule the Philippine National Women’s Chess Championships in Malolos, Bulacan last March. That earned Far Eastern University standout the honor of representing the country in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Thailand this October and the Olympiad set Sept. 10 to 23 in Budapest, Hungary. Canino is scheduled to join the HZ University of Applied Sciences Chess Tournament slated Aug. 3 to 10 in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, the Dortmund Open set Aug. 10 to 18 in Germany and the Open Internacional d’escacs Santis-Ciutat de Barcelona scheduled Aug. 23 to Sept. 1 in Spain.

There, Canino, along with National Chess Federation of the Philippines chief executive officer and national women’s coach Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales, will rendezvous with teammates WGM Janelle Mae Frayna and WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda, who have already flown to Switzerland for a tournament there.

“This is in preparation for November in AIMAG and World Olympiad in September as well as for her to become a WGM,” said Gonzales, whose trip is bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission and backed by the NCFP and Philippine Olympic Committee.

on the marathon circuit and host pentathlon events.

In the 17th century, “the Sun King” Louis XIV transformed Versailles into a home of French royalty, where he resided with around 10,000 staff. The vast gardens include a milelong canal that once hosted opulent parties.

It has been a world heritage site since 1979 and is a firm favourite on the Paris tourist trail.

Marseille

The Olympics

take place on the elegant square by the Seine.

Its harmonious name conceals a bloody past. King Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette were guillotined there in 1793 during the Reign of Terror that followed the 1789 French Revolution. The largest square in Paris is defined by its huge gold obelisk, one of a pair originally erected by Ramses II outside the temple in Luxor in Egypt. It was gifted to Paris in 1830.

Palace of Versailles

Dressage, showjumping and equestrian cross country will take place in the park of Versailles Palace, some 20 kilometres from Paris. It also feature

Paris Olympics supremo: We’re ready

PARIS—Paris Olympics supremo

Tony Estanguet said Sunday that the city was “ready” for the Games as he played down complaints from some residents and businesses about the impact of the event.

“We are ready as we head into the final phase,” Estanguet told a press conference in Paris, five days from the opening ceremony next Friday.

He added: “For as long as the closing ceremony hasn’t finished, we need to remain vigilant. But today we are exactly where we would have dreamed of being a few years ago.”

Finishing touches are being applied to the venues across the City of Light and thousands of athletes and officials are pouring in, while the weather has brightened up after months of rain.

In a further boost for organisers, the water quality of the river Seine -- which is set to be used for outdoor Olympic swimming events -- has also improved dramatically since the start of July.

“All the indicators for the Seine are positive at this stage,” Estanguet added.

The river is set to host the opening ceremony which will see 6,000-7,000 athletes sail down it on 85 barges and boats.

It will be the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium, with up to 300,000 ticketed spectators set to watch from stands and on the river banks and another 200,000 expected to watch from the overlooking apartments.

Around 4,000 tickets are still avail-

‘Disruption’

Team PH dominates Asia Pacific obstacle tilt

By Randy Caluag

THE Philippines showcased its supremacy in the fastest-growing active sport with a masterful sweep at the Asia Pacific Obstacle Sports Championships held over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Team Philippines brought home a dominant haul of nine gold medals, four silver medals, and eight bronze medals across various age categories in both men’s and women’s events.

Leading the charge were Filipina athletes Precious Cabuya, Kaizen Dela Serna, and Mecca Cortizano, who achieved a 1-2-3 finish in the elite female category.

The remaining gold medals were secured in the elite male category, boys and girls categories, open male and female categories, male and female team relay, and mixed team events.

This stellar performance comes on the heels of another triumph just two weeks ago, when the Philippine national athletes dominated the Spartan Race in Vietnam.

Sandi Menchi Abahan, Marites Nocyao, and Melissa

around Olympic venues offlimits for most people. Trade groups representing Paris shops, restaurants, bars and clubs complained on Friday that they were facing an “unprecedented slump in business and footfall”, blaming in part the “heavy security measures”. AFP

Camos swept the gold, silver, and bronze medals in the pro female category, while Melvin Guarte and Jeff Regino secured a one-two finish in the pro male category.

Here are the detailed results:

Elite Female -- Precious Cabuya, Kaizen Dela Serna, Mecca Cortizano

Youth Girls -- Clana Fontaine, Nazanin Hejazi (Iran), Janna Christel (Austria)

Female Open -- Janna Christel (Austria), Clana Fontaine, Low Leng May (Brunei)

Elite Male -- Ahgie Radan, Yong Wei Theng (Malaysia), Mark Julius Rodelas

Youth Boys -- Mark Paquingan, Clarence Magbojos, Sean Milo Ong

Male Open -- Mark Paquingan, Noah Brown (Australia), Clarence Magbojos

All Male Relay -- Philippines (Edris Dizon, Ahgie Radan, Mark Rodelas, Zachary Ganacias), Team Malaysia, Philippines & USA (Mark Paquingan, Sean Milo Ong, Joshua Sañopal, Ernest Greer)

All Female Relay -- Philippines (Kaizen Dela Serna, Milky Mae Tejares, Precious Cabuya, Mecca Cortizano), Team Malaysia, Philippines (Janna, Clana, Trisha, Precious Que-Aguilar)

Mixed Relay -- Kaizen, Mark, Precious, Ahgie, Mhick, Trisha, Joshua Sañopal, Clarence

The Olympic rings are displayed on the Ei el Tower at night, with the full moon appearing, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games, in Paris. AFP

Ruelle Canino (left) and Janelle Frayna

Members of Team Philippines & Malaysia are shown here

TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2024

RIERA U. MALLARI, Editor

RANDY M. CALUAG, Asst. Editor

EDGARD HILARIO, Asst. Editor

PARIS—Organizers of Friday’s opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics—the ﬁrst time it will be held outside a stadium—have provided teasers for their spectacular plans but refused to give speciﬁcs.

Here is what we know about the concept, the artists and music based on public statements over the last few months and press leaks: What’s the concept?

Instead of using the main athletics stadium for the opening parade, as is customary, organisers have moved the event outside and into the heart of the capital -- in keeping with their motto “Games Wide Open”.

Around 6,000-7,000 athletes are set to sail down a six-kilometre (fourmile) stretch of the river Seine from the Austerlitz bridge in the east to the Eiffel Tower, on 85 barges and boats.

Up to 500,000 people are set to watch in person from specially built stands, where tickets have sold for up to 2,700 euros ($2,900), on the river banks for free and from the overlooking balconies and apartments.

“Organizing a ceremony on the Seine is not easier than doing it in a stadium... but it has more punch,” chief organizer Tony Estanguet told AFP earlier this month.

Because of the size and complexity of the parade, it has never been rehearsed in full.

What about the entertainment?

The show has been designed by prodigious theatre director Thomas Jolly, a 42-year-old known for hit rock-opera musical “Starmania”. He brought on board a creative team that includes the writer of French TV series “Call My Agent”, Fanny Herrero, as well as best-selling author Leila Slimani and renowned historian Patrick Boucheron.

The show has been split into 12 different sections, with around 3,000 dancers, singers and entertainers positioned on both banks of the river, the bridges and nearby monuments.

A tribute to Notre-Dame cathedral, in the process of being renovated after a devastating fire in

Olympics promises opening ceremonies with more punch

2019, is guaranteed, possibly with dancers on its scaffolding.

Starting at 07:30pm (1730 GMT), two thirds of the ceremony will take place in daylight, then dusk—Jolly is hoping for one of Paris’s stunning summer sunsets—and will end with a light show.

The music will be a mix of classical, traditional ‘chanson francaise’, as well as rap and electro.

Franco-Malian R&B star Aya Nakamura is widely tipped to perform despite criticism from far-right politicians, including Marine Le Pen who suggested an appearance by her would “humiliate” France.

French electro superstars Daft Punk said they had turned down an invitation to play, while globe-trotting French DJ David Guetta has been overlooked—

much to his irritation. What’s the message?

Asked to sum up his message last week, Jolly said it was “love.”

Despite the risk of irking conservatives, he said his work would be a celebration of cultural, linguistic, religious and sexual diversity in France and around the world.

“I think the people who want to live together in this diversity, this otherness, are much more numerous, but we make less noise,” he told AFP. It is fair to assume it will be nothing like the widely panned retro-styled opening ceremony of last year’s rugby World Cup, which featured a succession of French cliches from baguettes to berets and the Eiffel Tower.

Jolly’s team is also wary of over-emphasising France’s historic contribution

to the development of democracy and the concept of universal human rights thanks to its Enlightenment philosophers and 1789 Revolution.

“We wanted to avoid our natural tendency to lecture people,” Herrero told Le Monde newspaper recently.

And don’t expect a three-hour tribute to French greatness to rival the nationalistic pageantry seen at the Beijing Games in 2008.

“The opening ceremony in Beijing in 2008 was exactly what we did not want to do,” Boucheron told Le Monde.

What will be the big moments?

With so much still under wraps, it’s hard to predict.

A performance by Aya Nakamura, after so much controversy about her role, would be a major moment so soon after parliamentary elections that saw the anti-

Marcos thanked for putting premium on sports

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. did an unprecedented in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday afternoon by putting premium on sports especially on the campaign of 28 Filipino athletes in Paris—22 for the Olympics and six for the Paralympics—that open this Friday in the French capital.

“Thank you, PBBM, for your kind wishes for the athletes at the Olympics,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

“It’s definitely inspiring and it’s an extreme boost to the morale not only to our athletes competing in Paris, but to the entire Philippine sports,” added Tolentino, who will fly to Paris today (Tuesday July 23) to oversee the Philippine Olympic campaign.

“This may be exaggerated but the President putting emphasis on sports in a very important event in his administration—something that’s never been done by past Presidents in memory— gives us the goose bumps,” added Tolentino, who, as POC head, personally suggestion to Malacañang for the President Marcos to include the sports agenda in his SONA.

“As we speak, 28 of our finest athletes are

competing in Paris now for the glory of the Philippines,” said President Marcos, drawing appreciation through a rousing clap from his audience. “Let us wish them well and the best of luck.”

It’s not only the Paris Olympics campaign that was in President Marcos’s SONA, but also grassroots sports.

“Grassroots and sports of all programs are

back, nailunsad na namin ang Palarong Pambansa after three years na pagkakatigil nito dahil sa pandemya,” he said. “Binabati natin ang Cebu at Marikina at ang Kagawaran ng Education para sa matagumpay na pagkakatanghal ng mga palarong ito.”

President Marcos added: “We will continue to support these health enhancing sports programs. Through these, we will also set forth our youth on the same well-established path taken by some of our national champions and renowned athletes to sporting greatness.”

President Marcos, too, noted the sports’ importance in tourism.

“The focus now is on experiential tourism— foods, heritage, culture, the arts, education, Halal, Islamic traditions, education, dive, cruise, farm and eco-tourism and even sports have now become potent subjects and products of the nation’s tourism,” he said.

“We are very grateful to the President for showing his love and concern for sports,” Tolentino said. “And we, at the POC and Philippine sports as a whole, continuously thank his Administration for relentlessly supporting sports through his financial support.”

Junior World vet leads charge as JPGT Apo unfolds

DAVAO—Jared Saban, fresh from his participation in the Junior World Championships, sets out for the ICTSI Junior PGT Mindanao Series I starting today (Tuesday, July 23) at the Apo Golf and Country Club here, brimming with confidence and ready to showcase the experience and lessons gained from the prestigious event in San Diego.

Saban’s participation is expected to intensify the competition for the boys’ 10-12 title, which will be contested over 36 holes at the tight, challenging layout. His competitors include fellow players from South Cotabato, Marco Senador and Laurence Saban, Cagayan de Oro’s Gabriel Manangquil, and local talents Scionverje Recto and Paul Braberry.

Zeus Sara, who also competed in the Junior World and won the boys’ premier division in the first Junior

PGT national finals last year, was initially on the list but withdrew at the last minute, saying his golf clubs were still in Manila after being fitted upon his arrival from the US.

The withdrawal leaves the chase for top honors and ranking points in the 16-18 division wide open among local talents such as Vince Naranjo, Jon Ortega, Adrian Bisera, Stuart Co, and Aldrien Gialon, among others. The girls’ 10-12 category will also be highly anticipated, featuring Davao’s Elize Naranjo, Angel Salvador, Snoe Dalisay and Kimberly Barroquillo, who will compete against Makati’s Kelsey Bernardino, South Cotabato’s Brittany Tamayo, Bacolod’s Chelsea Ogborne and Davelyn Dy from Cebu.

Other titles up for grabs include the boys’ and girls’ 8-9 categories, played over 36 holes, and the 13-15

category, set over 54 holes. Ranking points are available in this first of four tournaments in the Mindanao series, part of a nationwide circuit put up by ICTSI aimed at discovering and nurturing young talents while fostering a cooperative atmosphere for their mutual benefit.

The best two results from these events will determine the players’ final rankings. The top two from each age division will earn spots in the Match Play Championship on Oct. 1-4 at The Country Club in Laguna.

The seven-leg Luzon series will also have its set of qualifiers for the national finals, while 16 players have already qualified from the recent three-part Visayas series of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

immigration far-right gain a historic 143 seats in the national parliament. Jolly has strongly hinted that a submersible or submarine could emerge from the waters of the Seine at some point.

“You have the sky, you have bridges, you have water, you have banks, you have so much space to make poetry,” Jolly told reporters last week. “So why not under the river also?”

The biggest moment of all might simply be the end if everyone gets home safely.

The ceremony has given French police cold sweats ever since it was unveiled in 2021 because of the difficulty of securing so many people over such a vast urban area.

Around 45,000 members of the security forces will be on duty. AFP

By Peter Atencio

ALEX Eala has shot up to a new career-high in the world rankings at no. 143 and has become one of the top money earners of the World Tennis Association Tour.

The 19-year-old Eala earned this after she snared her first-ever W100-level event crown, stopping old rival Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva of Andorra, 6-4, 6-4, in the women’s singles finals of the ITF Vitoria-Gasteiz on Sunday evening.

Eala moved up from no. 155 last week after she prevailed in their 94-minute encounter in a battle between left-handed hard hitters.

The Filipina netter picked up $5,573.00 from her singles’ win and got a half of the $5,573.00 that she and her French partner Estelle Cascino won after beating Lia Karatancheva of Bulgaria and Diana Marcinkevica of Latvia, 6-3, 2-6, 10-4, in the doubles’ finals last Saturday. The bounty has given Eala total earnings of P488,173.90 from her weeklong campaign. She now has a total prize earnings of $170,141 or P9,936,404.54 since the start of the year and ranks at no. 170 in the WTA’s list of money earners as of July 22.

Since turning pro at age 14, Eala now has a four-year total earnings of $350,005 or more than P20.440 million.

Iga Swiatek is considered as the WTA’s biggest money maker of the year with more than $6.826-million in earnings since the beginning of 2024. Jasmine Paolino and Aryna Sabalenka are behind Swiaek with earnings of $4,274,510 and $3736,491, respectively.

Alex Eala

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Jared Saban

BULLISH IN PARIS

By Randy Caluag

TWENTY-TWO Filipino athletes are set to compete for national pride and glory at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.

This year’s delegation is the largest the Philippines has sent to the Olympics since Barcelona 1992, marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s participation in the world’s greatest sporting spectacle. Turn to B2

As Filipino athletes compete on the world stage in Paris, they carry the hopes and dreams of a nation, striving for greatness, hopeful and bullish for Olympic glory.

TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2024

advertise@manilastandard.net

Bullish...

These chosen few represent nine sports— weightlifting, gymnastics, rowing, fencing, swimming, judo, golf, boxing, and athletics. Some have earned their spots through outstanding performances in international competitions, while others made the cut through their world federations’ rankings.

As they compete on the world stage in Paris, they carry the hopes and dreams of a nation, striving for greatness, hopeful and bullish for Olympic glory. Here are our Filipino athletes to watch as they aim for Olympic medals from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France.

Athletics

EJ Obiena (Men’s Pole Vault)

Arguably, one of the the country’s best bets at bagging a gold medal in Paris, Obiena qualified for the Olympics after clearing 5.82 meters in the BAUHAUS-Galan leg of the Diamond League in Stockholm last July.

The Asian record holder will look to continue his fine form in the hopes of bagging the country’s second gold medal in the Olympics, following in the footsteps of Hidilyn Diaz in Tokyo three years ago.

Ranked second in the world in the men’s pole vault, EJ Obiena continues to set new records. He holds both national and Asian records and is the first Filipino athlete to receive a scholarship from the International Athletic Association Federation (IAAF).

Lauren Hoffman (Women’s 400m Hurdles)

Hoffman made the cut as she ranks 39th in the final Olympic Qualifying Ranking released by the World Athletics. The daughter of a Filipina from Puerto Galera, Hoffman is the national record holder, clocking 55.72s at the 114th

Drake Relays in April 2024. She is a two-time topeight finisher at the Asian Games and a two-time national champion. Hoffman began representing the Philippines in October 2023.

John Cabang Tolentino (Men’s 110m Hurdles)

Tolentino holds the national record at

13.37s, achieved at the 2024 ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships. The Filipino-Spanish athlete is a national champion and has ranked within the top eight of the Asian Games and the Asian Championships, also winning championships in Spain. The 2023 Cambodia Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist ranks 30th in the Olympic Qualification Ranking by World Athletics. Gymnastics

Carlos Yulo

Regarded as the most successful Filipino gymnast of all time, Carlos Yulo is a sixtime world championship medalist, a 10-time Asian champion, and a nine-time SEA Games champion.

He is also the first Filipino and male Southeast Asian gymnast to win a medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. In Tokyo in 2020, he finished fourth in the vault finals. Carlos’ younger siblings, Karl Jahrel and Elaiza Andriel, are gymnasts, while his older sister, Joriel, was part of the National University Pep Squad.

He began training for gymnastics at age seven after watching Filipino gymnasts at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in his hometown of Malate, Manila.

Filipino-American artistic gymnast

Aleah Finnegan began representing the Philippines internationally in 2022. She previously competed for the United States, winning gold at the 2019 Pan American Games. With the Philippine national team, she won bronze in the vault and balance beam at the 2023 Asian Championships and gold at the 2021 Southeast Asian Games. Levi Jung-Ruivivar

Los Angeles native Levi JungRuivivar qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after earning enough points at the 2024 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series. The Filipino-American artistic gymnast

began representing the Philippines in 2023, after competing with the US national team from 2021 to 2023. In the NCAA, Jung-Ruivivar competes for the Stanford Cardinal, the athletic teams of Stanford University, which holds the record for the most NCAA team championships with 136. Emma Malabuyo Emma Malabuyo qualified for the Paris Games after placing third in Women’s Individual All Around at the 11th Senior Women Artistic Gymnastics. She was a fivetime US national team member and decided to represent the Philippines in 2023, debuting at the 2023 Asian Championships where she helped the Philippine team to a fifth-place finish, won silver for floor exercise, and placed fifth in the balance beam.

Boxing Nesthy Petecio (Women’s -57kg) Petecio gets another crack for a gold medal in the women’s -57kg in the boxing competition. She became the first Filipina Olympic medalist in boxing, bagging silver in Tokyo 2020, and hopes to clinch gold this time. She’s the sixth Philippine athlete to qualify for the Paris Olympics after defeating Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey in the semifinals of the first World Qualifying in Italy last March.

From Davao del Sur,

Aleah Finnegan

Before boxing, Igorot pride Hergie Bacyadan excelled in wushu and vovinam (Vietnamese martial arts), winning medals in various international competitions. She was the fifth and last Filipino boxer to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics after defeating Venezuelan Yriza Maryelis in the quarterfinals at the 2024 Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament 2 in Bangkok, Thailand.

As a wushu artist, she bagged silver medals in the Sanda Asian Cup in 2017 and the 2017 World Wushu Championships in Kazan.

She became the first Filipina vovinam world champion in 2023 in the women’s combat 66kg division. At the same year she grabbed silver in the same event at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia.

She debuted internationally at the 2019 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Bangkok where she bagged a bronze.

Fencing

Samantha Catantan

Catantan’s Paris 2024 qualification ended the Philippines’ 32-year Olympic drought in fencing. She won the women’s foil category at the AsiaOceania Zonal Olympic Qualifier in Fujairah, UAE, despite a left knee injury. A Penn State University student, Catantan was a standout in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines, playing for the University of the East juniors team and being named MVP in Season 82.

Golf

Bianca Pagdanganan Born and raised in the Philippines, Bianca Pagdanganan’s golfing career includes national competitions, collegiate play for Gonzaga University and the University of Arizona, and international representation for the Philippines. She won medals at the 2018

Asian Games and the 2019 SEA Games and turned pro in 2020.

Dottie Ardina Ardina will make her Olympic debut in Paris, representing the Philippines in women’s golf. The 30-yearold previously qualified for Rio 2016, but declined due to the Zika virus threat. At 12 years old, Ardina set a record as the youngest golfer to compete at the 2006 World Amateur Team Championships. She turned pro in 2013 and has three professional wins.

Judo

Kiyomi Watanabe JapaneseFilipino judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, the Tokyo 2020 flagbearer for the Philippines, returns to the Olympics to compete in the 63-kg category.

Born in Cebu to a Filipina mother and a Japanese father, Watanabe is a fourtime SEA Games champion and a silver medalist at the Asian Games. She earned a degree in Sports Science from Waseda University in Tokyo.

Rowing Joanie Delgaco

Delgaco is the first Filipina to qualify for the Olympics in rowing after placing 4th in the Final A in Rowing Asian Oceanian Olympic Qualification in Chungju, South Korea. A native of Iriga, Camarines Sur, the 26-year-old is the fourth Filipino rower to reach the Olympics. Cris

Nievarez participated in Tokyo 2020, ending a 20-year drought for the Philippines in rowing.

Swimming Jarod Hatch (Men’s 100m Butterfly) Hatch has been a member of the Philippine national team since 2018 and made the cut in the men’s 100m butterfly. He took a silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2019 SEA Games.

After retiring in 2021, Hatch returned in 2022, winning three medals at the 2023 SEA Games and setting a Philippine record in the 100m butterfly at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.

Kayla Sanchez (Women’s 100m Freestyle)

swimmer Kayla

is a two-time Olympian, having competed in Tokyo 2020 for Canada and bagging silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay. She began representing the Philippines in 2022, aiming to inspire more Filipinos to take up swimming. Sanchez comes into the Olympics as the national record holder in the 50m freestyle at 25.28 and the 100m freestyle at 54.25.

Weightlifting

Elreen Ando

Holding national records in the 59-kg and 64kg categories, Ando qualified for Paris 2024 after finishing seventh at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Phuket, Thailand. Ando has won medals at the Asian Games, Asian Championships, and SEA Games.

Cebuano weightlifter John Ceniza qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after placing 4th overall and getting his personal best of 300kg total lift in the International Weightlifting Federation World Cup 2024 in Phuket, Thailand. He holds national records in the 55-kg and 640kg categories and has clinched two silvers at the SEA Games (2019, 2023) and a bronze at the 2020 IWF World Cup in Rome.

Filipino-Canadian

Sanchez

Ando outranked Filipino Olympic Gold Medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo in second place for the Philippines and the Cebuana earned the slot since only one athlete per country and category will qualify for the Olympics. Vanessa Sarno

An Asian Junior Weighlifting and SEA Games gold medalist, Vanessa Sarno holds national records in the 71kg and 76kg categories. She qualified for Paris 2024 after a stellar performance at the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand. A native of Tagbilaran, Bohol, Sarno took up weightlifting after seeing her cousins train and was influenced by her father, a former powerlifter. John Ceniza

Olympians get 100% backing from PSC

to support our athletes so that they can focus on the training and we’ll take care of the rest.

By Peter Atencio

ATHLETES

who qualified for the Olympics Games are expected to be at their best in the games slated from July 26 to August 11, 2024 in the French capital of Paris.

Philippine Sports Commission

chairman Richard Bachmann said this with a week to go before action in the quadrennial meet commences.

“We just want to support our athletes so that they can focus on the training and we’ll take care of the rest,” said Bachmann.

Twenty-two Filipino athletes have made it to the Paris Games at the end of the qualification period.

And the government sports agency is supporting them 100 percent in their preparation, training and campaign.

“I don’t want to pick anyone whom we will support. We’ll just back them up 100 percent,” said Bachmann.

The PSC chief said his agency has allotted P52 million for the country’s Olympic campaign and there’s P8.9 million left.

And that’s from preparation and participation in the qualifying windows, and in the competition propers that they have joined, all the way to plane tickets, uniforms and gears.

“We will get more if needed. We already helped athletes who tried to qualify,” added Bachmann.

The athletes who have booked Paris tickets included five boxers in Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, Aira Villegas and Hergie Bacyadan and four gymnasts in Carlos Yulo, Aleah Finnegan, Levi Ruivivar and Emma Malabuyo.

Also bound for Paris are pole-vaulter EJ Obiena, weightlifters Vanessa Sarno, John Ceniza and Elreen Ando, rower Joanie Delgaco, and fencer Sam Catantan.

Those who got slots late were swimmers Jarrod Hatch and Kayla Sanchez, golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina, and judoka Kiyomi Watanabe.

Hurdlers Lauren Hoffman and John Cabang Tolentino officially earned their berths to Paris at the close of the qualifying window for athletics last June 30.

Obiena trying to get his confidence back

By Peter Atencio

FILIPINO pole vault star

EJ Obiena is trying to get his confidence back.

After breaking his poles last month and getting a new set afterwards, he and his coach Vitaly Petrov continued to figure out how he can maximize the use of the new equipment that was given to him.

The last time he competed using his set of poles was when he battled against rivals who were getting ready for the Paris

Olympics last July 7.

Obiena missed a podium finish on that day in the Meeting de Paris in France. The 28-year-old Obiena settled for fourth when he cleared 5.75 meters on in his final tournament before the Olympics.

The world no. 2 Obiena was tied with Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis in French leg of the Diamond League leg series.

Reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Armand Duplantis of

Richard Bachmann: We just want

Ernest John Obiena: Turn to

Olympians... From

Red Bull Dance Your Style Showcases Cebu’s Dance Scene in Provincial Qualifiers

CEBU, Philippines — The city of Cebu came alive with rhythm and energy for the Red Bull Dance Your Style Qualifiers last July 13, at APEX Super Club. Cebu’s finest dancers brought out their impressive skills and extraordinary talents, and went head to head to earn a spot in the upcoming National Finals. Red Bull Dance Your Style, a global 1-on-1 street dance competition, encourages dancers’ individuality and creativity, and celebrates diverse dance styles from all over the world. Dancers are pushed to show off their insane improvisational skills and freestyle dance moves while dancing to unpredictable songs. The global competition stands out for its unique battle format, with the crowd deciding who moves on to the next stage of the competition.

grandfather. “Today is the birthday of my grandfather who passed away. The performance that I did was dedicated to my grandfather and grandparents.”

The competition was fierce with 16 dancers showcasing a stunning array of dance styles. Finalists at the Cebu qualifier did not disappoint, delivering jaw-dropping performances that left the audience in awe. JPY (Jeffrey Casas Toledo), Nemesis (Sam Rivera), Khlai (Khlai Vargaso Batula), and Baby Titan (Shihan Maui Ricablanca) made it to the Top 4. After a series of intense battle rounds, Nemesis was crowned as the winner. Her flawless performances throughout the competition earned her the top spot and a ticket to the National Finals.

“(It) feels great,” remarked Nemesis, who also participated in last year’s Cebu qualifier. “Last year, I only won second place so this serves as my redemption.”

Nemesis shared that what she found to be one of the highlights for this year’s competition was getting to compete with fellow members of her dance crew, “Underground.”

She said, “This year, there are a lot of dancers from outside Cebu; some are my friends and some I just met during the competition. I think one of the highlights for this year is meeting new friends and competitors.”

Asked how she plans to prepare for the National Finals, she said “Since the competition for the National Finals is already filtered from Baguio, Davao, and Manila, I need to level up my training.”

First runner up Khlai, who also secured her spot in the National Finals, expressed her joy for placing in the competition. “It feels so surreal, I don’t even know where to begin,” she said.

Khlai shared that her motivation to join the competition, despite her longterm knee injury, was her late

In preparation for the National Finals, Khlai said she wanted to work on her stamina stating, “I don’t really prepare that long or have a specific training, but I’ll try to do cardio for my stamina so that I can keep up with the dancers.”

Philippine All-Stars legends and dance consultants Lema Diaz and Vince Mendoza were seen at the event. “All I can say is that (the competition) was full of inspiration and new faces,” said Vince Mendoza.

“Compared to last year, we multiplied by a lot. A lot of dancers supported Red Bull Dance Your Style and the skills really leveled up from last year.”

“Nemesis had really unpredictable moves and undeniable skills,” said Mendoza.

He expressed his excitement for the next round of qualifiers saying, “It’s going to be more crazy. We’re excited for the Manila qualifiers. There’s a lot of dancers and new faces. I’m excited that I can witness that moment.”

Asked for advice he wanted to give dancers competing in the National Finals, Mendoza said, “We always tell them to always have fun no matter what. Win or lose, it’s all about the transformation. If you win, there’s transformation. If you lose, there’s transformation. It’s all about giving love to the community, to the next generation, to the OGs, to our past, present, and future.”

With the conclusion of the Cebu qualifiers, all eyes are now on the thrilling next round of the competition. The Red Bull Dance Your Style journey continues with the Manila qualifiers set for July 27, 2024, at Octopus Makati. More hopeful dancers across the country will compete for their chance to shine at the World Finals. Be part of the excitement! Keep an eye out for the last round of qualifiers and follow the Red Bull Dance Your Style Philippines journey to the World Finals in India on November 9, 2024. Witness the Red Bull Dance Your Style Philippines National Finals in September. You won’t want to miss this! For more information and updates regarding this year’s season of Red Bull Dance Your Style, visit the official Red Bull website and the following social media pages (Facebook | Instagram | Tiktok )

The Philippines now has the most number of Olympic athletes at 22 since Barcelona 1992. There were 26 Filipino athletes in Barcelona 1992 when the Olympics have yet to go strict in imposing qualifying standards.

A month ago, Bachmann announced that Paris-bound athletes will receive additional financial support, during a Philippine Sportswriters Association forum.

Senator Risa Hontiveros pledged an initial P23 million, with Senator Bong Go and others contributing additional funds directly to the athletes. Bachmann confirmed signing checks totaling over P30 million.

The PSC chair emphasized that these funds will be distributed before the Paris Games.

This financial support comes on the heels of the Philippines’ success in the 2021 Tokyo Games. Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz secured the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal, while boxers Paalam, Petecio, and Marcial brought home two silver and one bronze medal, respectively.

The PSC has allocated a total of P52 million for the Paris Olympics, covering training, preparations, participation costs, airfare, luggage, and parade uniforms. Bachmann acknowledged that a portion of the budget has already been utilized, but with additional funding secured, he expressed confidence in meeting all necessary expenses.

Obiena...

Sweden dominated and took his 10th gold medal for the season when he soared to 6.00 meters.

A month earlier, Obiena’s poles were broken during competition. The second time it happened, Obiena broke a pole during practice, and he needed two borrowed poles to save his campaign and settle for a bronze medal at the Diamond League - Oslo Bislett Games in Norway.

“We’re trying to figure it out, with the equipment, and with my poles snapping. I could have landed out of the box. I’m thankful that I’m still in one piece,” said Obiena in an interview with the Manila Standard.

“You broke a pole, you are risking your life. Lots of things could have happened,” said Obiena in his talks with Petrov.

He missed a third straight podium finish after committing back-to-back fouls at 5.85m.

He tried to go up to 5.95 meters, and did not clear all three tries.

In his last outing, American Sam Kendricks grabbed the silver with a season-best 5.95m, while France’s

Thibaut Collet snared bronze with 5.85m.

But prior to this and using his new poles, Obiena came off with two goldmedal wins in the Irena Szewinska Memorial and Czeslaw Cybulski Memorial in Poland.

So far, he came up his highest clearance this season when he jumped to 5.97m in the Irena Szewinska Memorial in June.

“So. I’m trying to figure it out, on how I can get my confidence back,” added Obiena.

Obiena’s fellow Paris candidates Duplantis, Kendricks, Collet, and Emmanuel Karalis were around.

Obiena has remained at world no. 2 behind Duplantis, who is still the world’s top pole vaulter.

He received a new set of sticks ordered for him by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association and its president Terry Capistrano. Obiena got a new group of eight sticks, which arrived on June 15 in Italy, after these were personally delivered by fellow pole vaulter Ed Lasquete.

PSC chief Richard Bachmann

OLYMPIANS

The Olympics, the biggest and most prestigious of all international sporting events, are upon us. And this sporting nation of diehards are to be represented by these individuals.

They are Filipino athletes who transformed their entire lives to train with the best, drive to be the best, and eventually earned the privilege to march behind the Philippine flag, wearing the colors designed to reflect our national pride.

People of the Philippines, here are your new sports heroes. Remember their faces, know who they are, and cheer on them who embody the very best this country has to offer and strive to fulfill dreams of this nation in the Olympics.

What began in ancient Greece continues in Paris, and Filipino warrior spirits will rise again through these brave 22—the Philippines’ new batch of Olympians.

Joanie Delgaco, Rowing

Aira Villegas, Boxing

Bianca Pagdanganan, Golf

Carlo Paalam, Boxing

Dottie Ardina, Golf

Elreen Ann Ando, Weightlifting

Kayla Sanchez, Swimming

Vanessa Sarno, Weightlifting

Hergie Bacyadan, Boxing

Jarod Hatch, Swimming

John Cabang Tolentino, Athletics

John Ceniza, Weightlifting

Lauren Hoffman, Athletics

Nesthy Petecio, Boxing

EJ Obiena, Athletics

Carlos Yulo, Gymnastics

Eumir Marcial, Boxing Samantha Catantan, Fencing Levi Ruivivar, Gymnastics

Aleah Finnegan, Gymnastics

Emma Malabuyo, Gymnastics

Kiyomi Watanabe, Judo

POC’s hands-on approach gives PH athletes big boost

By Randy Caluag

PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino is taking a handson approach as he leads the 22-man Philippine team to the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking the country’s centenary participation in the Games.

Under Tolentino’s leadership, several firsts have been achieved for Team Philippines, which could be the best-equipped delegation ever to do battle in the French capital.

One of the key initiatives was the establishment of a unified training camp in Metz, France, a month before the Olympics. This camp allowed Filipino athletes from various disciplines to bond and build camaraderie before moving into the Olympic Village.

“In the actual competition, they

won’t have much time to see each other. The Metz’ training camp fostered bonding, highlighting teamwork and the Filipino spirit,” said Tolentino, who previously oversaw the country’s first Olympic gold medal win by weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Unlike in past years, Filipino athletes are now receiving ample support, training, and motivation.

Tolentino expressed high confidence in the current batch

Shopee brings Filipino athletes, neighboring counterparts to the regional stage with ASEAN Shopee Cup ™

of Olympians, confident they can surpass the 1-2-1 medal haul (one gold, two silvers, one bronze) from Tokyo.

Team Philippines’ success in Tokyo was a historic moment, with DiazNaranjo securing the first gold and boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Eumir Marcial bagging two silvers and a bronze, respectively.

At the Metz’ camp, Tolentino and POC officials were actively involved, checking on the equipment and even handling the groceries to meet the athletes’ needs.

As both POC chief and Mayor of Tagaytay City, Tolentino again promised house-and-lot rewards for any Filipino athlete winning a gold medal in Paris, continuing the tradition he started for the Tokyo 2020 medalists.

“The medalists in Tokyo received houses and lots, so we’re doing it

IN LINE with its shared commitment to elevate the sports scene across the Southeast Asian region, the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) has announced Shopee as the title partner of the inaugural ASEAN Club Championship.

Anchored on inclusivity and fostering promising talents, the ASEAN Shopee Cup™ is the first-ever official regional club competition in Southeast Asia to crown an ASEAN Club Champion annually. This landmark event brings together top Filipino athletes alongside their regional counterparts, promoting football as a unifying force while nurturing the next generation of football talents in the ASEAN community.

For Kaya FC-Iloilo, the official representative of the Philippines to the tournament, the ASEAN Shopee Cup™, gives yet another opportunity to showcase the athletic prowess of Filipino athletes on an international scale.

“The Shopee Cup seems to be a competition that can provide fun to many passionate Southeast Asian football fans. It’s not easy to see the top teams from each country competing like this. On a larger scale, it will be helpful for the development of football in Southeast Asia and throughout Asia,” said Kaya FCIloilo’s defender Park Yi-young. Park noted the remarkable development of Filipino football in the competitive scene and how the ASEAN Shopee Cup™ propels the local sport to new heights in the country. “There are more good local young players now. While 10 years ago, there was more focus on foreign players, now it seems that there are more local young players coming to the

professional stage after receiving better coaching from their school teams. While there’s still work to be done, the progress so far has been remarkable for the development of Philippine football,” he added.

The ASEAN Shopee Cup features a series of matches among the fourteen football clubs from ten different Southeast Asian countries: Young Elephants FC (Laos), Svay Rieng FC (Cambodia), Kasuka FC (Brunei), Shan United FC (Myanmar), Dong A Thanh Hoa FC (Vietnam), Terengganu FC (Malaysia), PSM Makassar (Indonesia), BG Pathum United Football Club (Thailand), Kaya FC-Iloilo (Philippines), Kuala Lumpur City FC (Malaysia), Buriram United FC (Thailand), Công An Hà Nôi FC (Vietnam), Borneo FC (Indonesia), and Lion City Sailors (Singapore).

Two groups of six teams each will compete across five midweek match days, following a single roundrobin format with both home and away matches played. Clubs from the same country will be strategically scheduled to avoid playing each other during the initial phase.

Under Group B, Kaya FC-Iloilo is set to first face Kuala Lumpur City FC (Malaysia) on August 22, 2024 at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium.

The top two finishers from each group will advance to the semi-finals, which will be played on April 2 and 30, 2025 on a home-and-away basis. The finals to be held on May 14 and 21, 2025 will follow the same format. Witness the thrilling football action and tune in to the matches via ASEAN United FC’s YouTube channel. Join the excitement during the halftime Shopee Shake for a chance to collect Shopee coins!

—“—

In the actual competition, they won’t have much time to see each other. The Metz’ training camp fostered bonding, highlighting teamwork and the Filipino spirit.

again for Paris,” he said.

The Tagaytay compound where the boxers’ homes are located has been aptly named Olympic Village.

“We will definitely surpass Tokyo. Whether it’s one, two, or three golds, we will exceed our previous achievements. The athletes are in high spirits and have leveled up. I’d like to thank the Philippine Sports Commission, our private partners, and the Office of the President,” added Tolentino. The 22 athletes, including world No. 2 pole vaulter EJ Obiena, world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo, and a five-member boxing team, are set to achieve greatness in Paris. Other competing athletes will participate in track and field, gymnastics, weightlifting, swimming, rowing, golf, and fencing.

The Paris Olympics, running from July 26 to August 11, will give Yulo the opportunity to secure the first medal for the Philippines in the French capital.

Garmin launches ECG App for PH users

GARMIN announces the expansion of its ECG App to the Philippines, now available across a range of units available in the country.

The ECG App is an FDA-cleared app that allows users to record their heart rhythm and check for signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib) right from their smartwatch. Users in the Philippines can now use the app to record a 30-second electrocardiogram (ECG) and view their heart rhythm results immediately on the watch or later in the Garmin Connect™ smartphone app.

“We are pleased to bring the ECG App to even more of our users, including those with our flagship epix Pro and fēnix 7 Pro series smartwatches. We take pride in offering premium health and wellness features across our smartwatch lineups and this tool that lets our users in the Philippines conveniently take an ECG recording when they want only adds to the suite of innovative features to help them stay on top of their health.” – Mr. Scoppen Lin, Assistant General Manager, Garmin Asia.” Compatible Smartwatches

The ECG App is now available on the epix Pro series, fēnix 7 Pro series, Venu 2 Plus, Venu 3 series, and tactix 7 – AMOLED Edition smartwatches for customers in the Philippines. To utilize this feature, users need to ensure that they have the latest version of the Garmin Connect smartphone app and smartwatch software installed.

To get started, simply download or update the Garmin smartphone app to its latest version to see the feature within. The dedicated ECG App portal on Garmin’s official website also contains instructions on using its ECG feature. The Garmin Connect app is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play Store.

Monitor On the Go

The ECG app utilizes sensors embedded in the compatible smartwatch to record the electrical signals controlling users’ heart’s rhythm, producing an electrocardiogram (ECG). By analyzing this data, the app not only provides accurate heart rate but also alerts the user for any irregular heart rhythms detected. Furthermore, users can choose to sync their results to Garmin Connect where they can review their history of results and generate reports to share with healthcare providers.

Learn more about how to use the ECG App and maximize all its features here.

Engineered on the inside for life on the outside, Garmin products have revolutionized life for runners, cyclists, swimmers and athletes of all levels and abilities. Committed to developing technology that helps people stay active and elevate performance, Garmin believes every day is an opportunity to innovate and a chance to beat yesterday. Visit the Garmin Philippines’ website or Facebook page for more information.

Available on compatible smartwatches, the ECG app allows users to record their heart rhythm and check for

At the Metz’ camp, POC president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino and POC officials were actively involved, checking on the equipment and even handling the groceries to meet the athletes’ needs.

Chef de Mission Gov. Jonvic Remulla and POC president Abraham Tolentino with the Filipino Olympians

Cebu Pacific offers to buy AirSWIFT from Ayala Group

By Darwin G. Amojelar

CEBU Pacific is in talks with Ayala Land Inc. for the possible acquisition of AirSWIFT Airlines, a boutique airline serving popular island destinations.

Cebu Pacific, in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, confirmed it started exploratory talks with ALI for the acquisition of AirSwift, but “nothing definitive has been agreed upon.”

after Ayala Capital Corp. acquired it in 2012.

Cebu Pacific earlier announced that it signed a binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Airbus for the purchase of up to 152 A321neo aircraft for $24 billion or P1.4 trillion based on list prices, the largest aircraft order in Philippine aviation history.

The purchase agreement to finalize the transaction is expected to be completed by the third quarter of the year.

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific said it is launching direct flights from Cebu to Osaka starting Oct. 15 for as low as P1 one-way base fare.

DTI support MSMEs with more than 80 SM mall spaces nationwide

“Cebu Pacific is always on the lookout for opportunities to grow and expand its network, including partnership with other parties,” the airline said.

“CEB’s track record of success means other businesses do prefer partnering with Cebu Pacific when it comes to aviation initiatives,” it said.

AirSWIFT Airlines operates as a boutique carrier servicing travelers to iconic Philippine destinations such as El Nido, Coron, Sicogon Island, Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, Romblon from Manila and other highly accessible airport terminals.

AirSwift carried 350,458 domestic passengers in 2023.

The airline was founded in 2002 as Island Transvoyager, with three Dornier 228 aircraft, but these were retired by early 2013 and replaced by ATR-42-600s

Monetary Board approved $3.90-b foreign loans in Q2

By Ralph Harvey Rirao

THE Monetary Board of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas approved $3.9 billion in foreign borrowings by the Philippine government for the second quarter of 2024.

The figure was 43-percent, or $1.17 billion, higher than the $2.73 billion approved in the same period in 2023. It said the borrowings consist of a $2-billion bond issuance and three project loans totaling $1.9 billion.

The funds will be used for $2 billion in general budget financing or refinancing of assets aligned with the government’s sustainable finance framework, and $1.9 billion for transport infrastructure projects.

The Philippine Constitution requires the Monetary Board’s prior approval for all foreign loans contracted or guaranteed by the government (Section 20, Article VII).

Letter of Instructions No. 158 from 1974 mandates that all foreign borrowing proposals by the national government, its agencies and financial institutions be submitted for the board’s approval before negotiations begin.

The central bank promotes the prudent use of these resources and ensures external debt remains manageable to maintain debt sustainability.

Foreign borrowings can impact the government’s balance of payments and the foreign exchange rate.

“We thrilled to launch direct flights from Cebu to Osaka. With Japan being a top-of-mind destination for many Filipino travelers, the new route will surely give them the opportunity to visit one of the country’s dynamic cities,” CEB president and chief commercial officer Xander Lao said.

“We also hope that this launch can encourage more travelers from Japan to explore the beauty of the Philippines,” he said.

Starting Oct. 15, 2024, CEB will operate flights between Cebu and Osaka four times weekly or every Tuesday, Thursday, Sturday and Sunday. The airline also offers daily flights between Cebu and Narita.

Cebu Pacific will be the only airline offering direct flights between Cebu and Osaka.

Cebu Pacific flies to 35 domestic and 25 international destinations spread across Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

By Othel V. Campos

THE Department of Trade and Indus-

try (DTI) is exploring potential freetrade agreements (FTAs) with African countries, aligning with the government’s push for broader bilateral ties.

DTI Undersecretary Allan Gepty said the move is part of the agency’s efforts to expand its FTA network.

“There are no specific targets identified yet, but we’re following the DTI’s directive to explore potential FTAs with various African nations,”

Gepty said in a recent briefing.

The DTI, along with other government agencies, is already engaged in FTA negotiations with several trading

SM PRIME Holdings (SM Prime) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have partnered through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed on July 1 at the SM Prime Headquarters. This collaboration aims to boost Micro-, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) by providing prime mall space in more than 80 SM Malls nationwide. SM Prime offers MSMEs a one-stop marketplace for local artisans and start-ups that can further expand and develop their entrepreneurship skills through various partners and other experienced business leaders. In the photo are: SM Supermalls’ President Steven Tan (3rd from left) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual (3rd from right) with (LR): SM Supermalls’ Assistant Vice President for Operations Royston Cabunag, SM Supermalls’ Vice President for Operations Junias Eusebio, DTI Undersecretary for MSME Development Group Cristina Roque, and DTI-Bureau of Market Development, Promotions, and OTOP Philippines Director Marievic Bonoan. SM Prime

DTI explores free trade deals with African nations

partners.

These include South Korea (pending Senate approval), the European Union (talks scheduled for October 2024), the United Arab Emirates (second round concluded in March 2024), Chile, Canada and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The EU announced the resumption of FTA talks in March 2024. The October round will discuss various elements of the proposed agreement.

The Philippines concluded its second round of FTA negotiations with the UAE in March 2024, marking its first potential FTA with a Middle Eastern nation. Gepty said this could

open doors to the wider Gulf Cooperation Council market if negotiations conclude in October 2024.

The DTI is also exploring FTAs with Chile and Canada. The Philippines is updating a feasibility study for a Philippines-Chile FTA, and exploratory talks are underway with Canada.

The Philippines remains interested in joining the CPTPP, which would provide market access to Chile, Mexico, Peru, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The DTI is working with the private sector to maximize the use of existing FTAs through trade education and advocacy campaigns.

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) launched a fully-automated intraday settlement facility (ISF) for financial institutions (Fis) on June 27, 2024 to streamline their transactions and prevent delays. The facility is available to all eligible FIs that encounter timing mismatches when settling their transactions through the peso real-time gross settlement (RTGS) payment system operated by the BSP. This was made possible by in-

tegrating the BSP’s RTGS system (PhilPaSSplus) with the BTr’s enhanced national registry of scripless securities. ISF’s full automation is aligned with the BSP’s mandate of promoting a safe, efficient and reliable mode of funds transfer in support of financial stability.

The BSP said

Sky Cable, Converge ICT team up to improve network, boost services

By Darwin G. Amojelar

SKY Cable Corp. teamed up with Converge Information and Communications Technology Solutions to improve its network and deliver better services to subscribers.

“Converge has built a superior state of the art fiber network nationwide that Sky customers will soon experi-

PH stocks slip ahead of SONA on profit-taking

By Jenniffer B. Austria

PHILIPPINE stocks opened the week in the red on profit taking ahead of the President’s third State of the Nation Address.

Analysts said investors took profits after last week’s rally that saw the index closing just slightly below the 6,800 level.

Investors also turned cautious ahead of the President’s speech in Congress.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index lost 79.64 points, or 1.17 percent, to close at 6,712.05, while the wider allshares index declined by 27.85 points, or 0.77 percent, to settle at 3,599.98.

Four sectoral indices ended in the red, led by service which declined by 2.61 percent and industrial by 2 percent. Holding firms also went down by 1.1 percent and financials by 0.49 percent.

Property rose 0.67 percent, while mining and oil jumped 0.24 percent.

“Investors will take cues from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third SONA later today where he is expected to share key updates on the economy as well as the administration’s priority legislations and projects,” said First Metro Securities Research.

First Metro said market participants also weighed in on US President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the election race as he nominated Vice President Kamala Harris for the upcoming elections.

Value turnover reached P5.687 billion Monday.

ence,” Sky Cable chairman Mark Lopez said.

Sky Cable president and chief operations officer Claudia Suarez said the initiative with Converge supports Sky’s transformation plan to improve Sky’s products and services.

“Through the arrangement with Converge, we expect Sky and its subscribers to benefit from the world-class fiber network that Converge has built over the last few years,” she said.

Converge president and co-founder Maria Grace Uy said the arrangement would allow Converge to maximize its network and increase port utilization.

“This will be a revenue boost for Converge consistent with similar arrangements with other players as we are able to continue to monetize further our excess network capacity,” she said.

Converge has the largest fiberto-the-home (FTTH) network in the Philippines with over 8 million ports and a fiber footprint extending over 700,000 kilometers that reaches 16 million Filipino homes nationwide.

Converge serves 2.3 million residential broadband subscribers across the country as of end-March 2024.

“As everyone knows, the first business that I built on my own was in ca-

ble television and with the increasing availability of fiber technology in the early 2000s outside the Philippines, my wife Grace and I decided to enter the fixed broadband business. So, I’m really excited that we are able to help Sky, the leader in the cable business, in its own transformation program by providing them the latest optical fiber technology,” said Converge chief executive and co-founder Dennis Anthony Uy.

ABS-CBN president and chief executive Carlo Katigbak, who is also a Sky director, expressed confidence that the initiative with Converge would bring positive benefits to Sky subscribers.

GCash joins forces with Taptap Send to streamline financial transactions

By Darwin G. Amojelar

GCASH, the mobile wallet of Globe Telecom Inc., teamed up with Taptap Send and other international partners to streamline financial transactions for Filipinos both locally and abroad.

The newly-accredited remittance partner TapTap Send is an app designed to provide OFWs in the UAE, the UK, the US, Canada and select countries in Europe with quick, affordable and secure money transfers along with zero transaction fees and competitive exchange rates when they remit money back to the Philippines.

“Some of our users may not be aware that there is a difference between sending via official partners of GCash versus other remittance companies that also offer to send to GCash through banks and Instapay,”

ARGUABLY, the most avidly-watched items in the business pages of newspapers and their online editions are items relating to the gross domestic product (GDP). Chief among the avid watchers are chief executive officers (CEOs), treasurers and budget planners of all kinds, fund managers, investment advisers and securities market analysts.

The job of tracking the trends and movements of GDPs – of developing and developed countries alike – falls heavily on the international financial and development institutions and the regional development finance institutions. The forecasts and reports of the largest commercial banks also form part of the international framework for monitoring the movements of nearly 200 economies around the world.

The Philippine-GDP reports and forecasts that are accorded the greatest respect are those of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This is to be expected, considering that these institutions have access to government data by virtue of their official relations with the Philippine government.

said Ren-Ren Reyes, president and chief executive of G-Xchange Inc., the operator of GCash.

“Since senders do not see banks in the remittance process, they would understandably assume that this is a GCash issue. That’s why we want to encourage the public to transact with our official partners who offer real-time transfer and competitive exchange rates,” he said.

TapTap Send will also offer firsttime users on the app an exclusive promo if they remit to GCash to help customers make the most of their remittance transactions.

By using the code GCash when using the app to remit, customers will receive an additional bonus credit on their first transfer made. The bonus credit will depend on the user’s location.

The reports and forecasts of greatest value to users of GDP data are those issued by the IMF, the World Bank and the ADB in the wake of their periodic missions to this country, which involve comprehensive discussions with government officials.

The latest institutions to take position on the Philippines’ GDP prospects are the IMF and the ADB. In the latest edition of its World Economic Outlook, the IMF expects this country to grow 6 percent in 2024, “faster than most economies in Asia.” In the July update to its Asian Development Outlook, the ADB has this to say about this country’s GDP in 2024: “Growth forecast for the Philippines for 2024 are unchanged,” to wit, 6 percent. On their part, the leading commercial banks, foreign and domestic, have been either reiterating or revising their forecasts for Philippine GDP growth as the year progresses. Still other entities, including foreign governments, think tanks and financial intermediaries, maintain an interest in this country’s GDP and add their voices to the discussions of the growth prospects of the Philippine economy.

All the analyses and prognostications relating

By Jenniffer B. Austria

PROPERTY developer Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. is reviving its plan to raise at least $300 million from the issuance of US dollar-denominated notes.

Vista Land said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Monday its wholly-owned subsidiary VLL International Inc. would issue five-year senior unsecured fixed rate notes under its $2-billion medium term note program (MTNP). Vista Land is tapping DBS Bank Ltd. and HSBC as joint global dealers for the transaction and Union Bank of the Philippines as domestic lead manager. It said it would use the net proceeds for refinancing, working capital, investment and other general corporate purposes.

The offering will be guaranteed by the company and subsidiaries Brittany Corp., Camella Homes Inc., Communities Philippines Inc., Crown Asia Properties Inc., Vista Residences Inc. and Vistamalls, Inc. The notes will be listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Ltd.

Vista Land also reported in January plans to conduct an overseas bond sale after creating the $2-billion MTNP. It deferred the plan then because of volatile market conditions.

The last time Vista Land issued dollar denominated bonds was in 2020 when it raised $200 million, which it used to refinance loans.

Vista Land also raised P6 billion in December 2023 from the issuance of peso-denominated fixed-rate bonds. The property developer plans to spend P30 billion for 2024 capital expenditures primarily to finance the construction of residential projects and land development.

Vista Land’s net income jumped 11 percent year-on-year to P3 billion in the first quarter of 2024 on higher revenues from residential and leasing businesses.

First-quarter consolidated revenues reached P10 billion, up 11 percent from a year ago.

to the GDP revolve around the annual-growth range set by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), which for several decades has been within the 6 percent to 8 percent range. For 2023, an optimistic NEDA set the growth range at 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent. When NEDA, citing numerous headwinds and uncertainties, brought the 2024 target growth range down to 6 percent to 7 percent, the analysts and planners could be seen rushing back to their drawing-boards.

In the face of what they consider to be lessthan-robust 2024 prospects for the Philippine economy, GDP growth forecast lower than 6 percent have been brought to the fore, accompanied in every instance by extensive discussions of the factors underlying the forecast.

The GDP is the sum of all economic activities within an economy within a twelve-month period. It is the most important measure of the material progress of a country. Steady GDP growth is essential for a country’s economic, political and social stability. Accordingly, interest in the GDP is welcome, and wide public discussion of its growth rate, its composition and its direction, is good for a nation’s development. But interest in the GDP must not be allowed to rise to the point where sight is lost on a prominent feature of this country’s economic situation – the high incidence of poverty. A GDP growth forecast is a single-digit number; poverty incidence involves millions of Filipinos. In the latest SWS survey of poverty in this country, 58 percent of the respondents rated themselves “poor”. The P in GDP stands for the product of the labor of the millions of Filipinos who compose this country’s work force. But because the fruits of that product are so inequitably distributed – what economists call the Gini coefficient – poverty

NETWORK TIE-UP. Sky Cable Corp. signs a commercial arrangement with broadband provider Converge Information and Communications Technology Solutions, Inc. that will enable Sky to upgrade its network and improve its services to subscribers.

WIRE CLEARING. Manila Electric Company (Meralco), the major power retailer led by Manuel Pangilinan, intensifies its wire-clearing operations in Makati City to proactively promote public safety. Meralco conducted a four-day anti-dangling and unauthorized wire attachments operations from July 16 to July 19 along various streets in Barangay Bangkal to address urban blight concerns. The activity aims to maintain the integrity of Meralco’s distribution facilities and ensure the safety of the residents. The company removes dangling wires and overloaded poles to prevent fire hazards and other untoward accidents.

BUSINESS

DAVAO BYPASS ROAD. Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain (third from left), reports that the Davao City Bypass Construction Project (DCBCP) advances steadily, with ongoing efforts in tunnel waterproofing and the construction of concrete arch and invert linings for the twolane northbound and southbound tunnels.

A Brown sees robust growth of housing, power businesses

By Jenniffer B. Austria

MINDANAO-BASED

listed firm A Brown Company Inc. (ABC) said it expects robust growth ahead with expansion of its residential and power projects.

ABCI said in a statement it would focus on township developments, including the Mountain Pines Farm Estates in Bukidnon, a 280-hectare project with plans for an 18-hole golf course underway, and

Nearly 300,000 households get subsidized power

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said Monday nearly 300,000 qualified marginalized end-users (QMEs) are now enjoying the lifeline rate subsidy program following the government’s intensified information campaigns and caravans.

It said that as of July 15, 2024, the total number of registrations for the electricity subsidy program, which the ERC facilitates in cooperation with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), reached 293,259 registered QMEs. Around 241,094 came from Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) households, while the remaining 52,165 were non-4Ps beneficiaries.

The ERC said majority are consumers of electric cooperatives (ECs), with registrations for ECs reaching 250,566, while registrations for private utilities total to 42,693. Under Republic Act No. 11552, the ERC sets the approved threshold for the lifeline discounts depending on the prevailing rates of distribution utilities (DUs).

Qualified residents in Metro Manila served by Manila Electric Co.’s franchise who consume zero to 20 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity enjoy 100-percent discount on generation charges, including system loss, transmission, distribution and other charges approved by the ERC reflected in their bill, which means they will only be paying P20 in their electric bills.

The ERC vowed that together with the DOE and DSWD, in cooperation with local government units and DUs, they would continue to aggressively hold nationwide information and education campaigns, along with on-site registration caravans, to encourage more 4Ps beneficiaries to register and avail of the Lifeline discounts.

Aleph Group acquires

the 300-hectare Epic Mountain Estate in Tanay, Rizal boasting of mountain views and cool temperatures.

It is also poised to launch vertical residences such as Coral Bay Suites’ The Royale and The Navy Towers in Misamis Oriental and Highlands Fairway Suites in Butuan City.

It said that beyond residential projects, the company was also actively expanding its portfolio of power projects with greenfield power under Vires Energy Corp. (VEC).

VEC is developing a 450-megawatt LNG power project in Simlong, Batangas City, while Northmin Renewables Corp. is developing the Misor wind power project and the Bukidnon wind power projects.

ABCI also has investments in the power sector through affiliates Palm Concepcion Power Corp. and Peakpower Energy Inc. The company’s subsidiary Irradiation Solutions Inc. (ISI) is also looking to start commercial operations of its e-beam and cold storage facility in Tanay, Rizal in August 2024. ISI is seen to contribute to A Brown’s bottom line beginning 2025.

“The support and trust of our financial partners, brokers, sales producers and all stakeholders was crucial to our success in 2023, and we look forward to sharing our achievements with you in 2024,” said ABCI president and chief executive Robertino Pizarro.

SUSTAINABILITY BONDS. The management committee members and executives of Ayala Land, Inc., Securities and Exchange Commission, Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp., Philippine Depository & Trust Corp. and joint lead underwriters and bookrunners (BDO Capital, BPI Capital, China Bank Capital, Land Bank of the Philippines, SB Capital and RCBC Capital attend the listing of ALI’s P6billion sustainability-linked bonds on July 18, 2024.

NKS eyes power line to Laguna floating solar site

NKS Solar One Inc. asked the Energy Regulatory Commission to approve its application to develop a dedicated point-to-point transmission facility connecting its 250 megawattpeak NKS Solar One floating PV power plant project in Laguna province to the Luzon grid.

The company said in its ERC application it plans to connect the floating solar plant in Lumban, Cavinti and Kalayaan, Laguna to the Luzon grid via a direct connection to the 230kV Lumban substation of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

Phase 1 of NKS Solar One Project is targeted to commence commercial operations by March 2026 and phase 2 by September 2026.

The company said the dedicated facility would connect the 162-MWp Caliraya floating solar power project (phase 1) to the NGCP 230 kV Lumban Substation via a 6-kilometer double circuit 230 kV transmission line.

Phase 2 will connect the 88-MWp Lumot

floating solar power project to the NKS Caliraya Substation via a 6-km single circuit 230 kV transmission line.

NKS said the estimated cost of the construction of the dedicated facility project, which may vary depending on the final cost from the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, is around P1.624 billion.

“Other than the connection point modification at the 23okV NGCP Lumban substation which will be subject to reimbursement by the NGCP, the dedicated facility project will be exclusively funded by NKS and will, therefore, not impact any regulated charges,” the company said.

It said the construction of the dedicated facility project, including civil and electromechanical works, may be completed by January 2026.

“In order to provide additional capacity to the Luzon grid in 2026, there is a need for NKS to commence operations by March 2026,” NKS said. Alena Mae S. Flores

MediaDonuts, expands digital advertising business

ALEPH Group, a leader in connecting leading digital media platforms with advertisers and consumers in primarily emerging markets, announced the completion of its acquisition of Entravision Communications Corp.’s digital commercial partnership business unit. The acquisition includes the AsiaPacific digital marketing agency MediaDonuts that will rebrand to MediaDonuts by Aleph. It said the strategic move expands

Aleph’s global footprint, solidifying its position as the primary provider for global digital media platforms seeking to reach audiences across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and across the world. Aleph now reaches over 140 countries and territories, empowering over 60 digital media platforms and 26,000+ advertisers with unparalleled access to a combined audience of 3 billion consumers.

The acquisition adds new strategic partnerships and strengthens existing relation-

THE steep ramp on the EDSA Busway in Quezon City earned flak and evoked negative emotions from the citizens. The accessibility law BP 344 is “an act to enhance the mobility of disabled persons by requiring buildings, institutions, establishments, and public utilities to install facilities and other devices.” This ramp was supposed to address this law, but failed to meet its purpose. According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the ramp was constructed since the elevator is on a different level than the footbridge. Instead of aiding persons with disability (PWDs) to be mobile and independent, the ramp can cause accidents because of its steepness with an inclination of 14.15 degrees as measured by the inclinometer by Arch. Armand Eustaquio. He is one of the proponents of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) accessibility law. According to BP 344, the inclination should only be 4.8 degrees for the PWD ramp. So, the EDSA busway ramp is 10 degrees steeper. A video was also shown where an individual who used a wheelchair found it challenging to use the ramp. Some citizens even made memes and depicted them as water slides. Despite all these, the sad part is that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) still insists they have carefully thought and planned the design. They pointed out that the ramps were also intended for senior citizens and pregnant women. However, it is unsafe for them to use it as well. So, to appease the citizen, their solution is to place safety personnel on the ramp to assist PWD. This is an excellent example of a bad design.

The government must consult the target users when designing structures, facilities, and devices.

So why do designers need to empathize with users? As they say, designers are not necessarily the users. “Empathy in design is the ability to step into another person’s shoes and imagine how that person feels, thinks, and acts to use that understanding in designing” (Mattelmäki, 2006). Empathy acts as a driving principle for comprehending user’s needs and behaviors. By empathizing with the users’ experiences and challenges, designers can gain an understanding of building an environment, products, and systems that cater to a broad spectrum of abilities and characteristics.

Designers who adopt empathetic thoughts can create environments and experiences that resonate passionately with users, ultimately leading to higher pleasure and engagement. Empathy is crucial in determining meaningful and evocative design solutions across various spheres. Therefore, the government must consult the target users when designing structures, facilities, and devices. This ensures that the designs are not only functional but also considerate of the users’ needs and experiences. By creating iterative prototypes and gathering user feedback, the final design can be tailored to meet the community’s diverse needs, thereby ensuring that the taxpayers’ money is well-spent.

The goal of the PWD ramp is to minimize users’ physical and cognitive effort, ensure user safety, maximize comfort and increase user pleasure. It should serve the purpose of its construction. Bawal ang PWDe na yan! I want to leave you with this quote from David M. Kelley of IDEO: “The main tenet of design thinking is empathy for the people you’re trying to design for. Leadership is exactly the same thing—building empathy for the people that you’re entrusted to help.”

The author is the first Filipino recipient to be awarded the Fellowship in 2023 from the International Association of Ergonomics (IEA) and the Southeast Asian Network of Ergonomics Societies (SEANES) Educator 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand. She is also the president of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of the Philippines (HFESP). She is a full professor and former Department Chairperson of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) at De La Salle University. Aside from this, she served the conference chair of the Asian Council of Ergonomics and Design and the Southeast Asian Network of Ergonomics Societies (ACED-SEANES, 2020). She is lead editor of Convergence of Ergonomics and Design Proceedings ACED-SEANES, 2020 in Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. She is also the editorin-chief of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Ascent Website and Online Repository. She can be reached at alma.gutierrez@dlsu.edu.ph.

The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

ships with platforms like TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Spotify, Pinterest, Criteo and Snapchat.

“We are thrilled to join the Aleph family. This partnership allows us to leverage Aleph’s global expertise and resources to accelerate our growth and deliver even greater value to our clients. We are confident that this is a win-win for everyone involved,” said Pieter-Jan de Kroon, managing director of MediaDonuts by Aleph.

PWDe na Yan?

Defiant Netanyahu to face US Congress

JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to deliver a landmark speech to the US Congress this week, a visit that has now been thrown off balance by President Joe Biden’s decision on Sunday not to seek re-election. Israel’s longest-serving premier will on Wednesday become the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of the two chambers four times -- pulling ahead of Britain’s Winston Churchill on three. But analysts say the Gaza war since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks has

4 NZ deaths linked to ‘suicide kit’ sales

Over 500 arrested in Bangladesh capital over violence, say police IN BRIEF

Greenland arrests anti-whaling activist

his foundation said.

His ship had just docked on Sunday in Nuuk to refuel on its way to “intercept” Japan’s new whaling factory vessel in the North Pacific, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation said. Video posted by CPWF on social media showed officers handcuffing Watson on the bridge of the John Paul DeJoria ship, putting him inside a police van on the dockside and driving him away. Police said he would be brought before a district court where they will request his detention “before a decision is made on whether he should be extradited to Japan.” Watson, who featured in the reality TV series “Whale Wars,” founded the Sea Shepherd and the CPWF organizations, and has drawn attention for direct action tactics, including confrontations with whaling ships at sea. AFP

DHAKA – More than 500 people, including some opposition leaders, have been arrested over days of clashes in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka sparked by protests against job quotas, police said Monday.

“At least 532 people have been arrested over the violence,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Faruk Hossain told AFP.

“They include some BNP leaders,” he added, referring to the opposition Bangladesh National Party. The detainees included the BNP’s

and its spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, he said.

A former national football captain turned senior BNP figure, Aminul Huq, was also held, he added. Mia Golam Parwar, the general secretary of the country’s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, was also arrested, Hossain said. He said at least three policemen had been killed during the unrest in the

and

BNP spokesman A.K.M Wahiduzzaman told AFP that nationwide, “several hundred BNP leaders and activists were arrested in the past few days”.

HANOI – A former Vietnamese property and aviation tycoon charged with $146 million in fraud and stock market manipulation went on trial in Hanoi Monday, the latest

Trong, 80, died on Friday at a military hospital in Hanoi “due to old age and serious illness,” the party said, a day after announcing he was standing down to seek medical care. Tycoon Quyet is accused of illegally pocketing more than $146 million between 2017 and 2022. Following his arrest in March 2022, 49 other alleged accomplices were picked up -- including his two sisters and the former chairman of the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange and its chief executive officer. According to the prosecution indictment, Quyet set up several stock market brokerages and registered dozens of family members to, ostensibly, trade shares.

MOSCOW – Russia said Monday its forces had downed 75 Ukrainian drones overnight, with nearly 50 destroyed over the southern Rostov region.

Air defense systems intercepted 47 drones over Rostov, 17 over the Black and Azov seas and 11 in other areas including one over the frontier region of Belgorod, the defense ministry said.

Regional authorities in the Black Sea town of Tuapse in the Krasnodar region said debris from a downed drone sparked a fire in a petrol refinery.

“The Kyiv regime once again tried tried to attack civil infrastructure in Tuapse with drones,” the regional authorities said on Telegram, dding that nearly 100 firefighters had been deployed to

battle the blaze.

There were no casualties, according to preliminary information.

Russia almost daily announces the interception of Ukrainian drones which Kyiv says are a response to Russian attacks aimed at military and civilian targets since Moscow launched its special military operation in February 2022.

Meanwhile, several Ukrainian soldiers have begun a tour of European cities to meet their compatriots living abroad in a bid to counter misinformation on the war against Russia.

Four soldiers from Ukraine’s popular Third Assault Brigade kicked off their meet-and-greets in the Polish capital on Sunday, home to large numbers of

Top US Democrats falling in line as Harris steams as party nominee

WASHINGTON, DC – Endorsements poured in swiftly Sunday (Monday Manila time) for Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee following Joe Biden’s extraordinary announcement that he would step down from the race.

Throwing support behind the current US vice president were a variety of party heavyweights as well as numerous governors and other officials previously considered potential nominee rivals, but who now stand a chance of becoming her running mate.

“A lot of big dominos have fallen, including almost all of the major, potential contenders who might have challenged her. Hard to see any other outcome here than her nomination,” Democratic former White House strategist David Axelrod wrote on X,

calling Harris’ sudden momentum a “shock-and-awe campaign.” California Governor Gavin Newsom and his Pennsylvania counterpart Josh Shapiro on Sunday endorsed Harris to lead the Democratic ticket, removing themselves as possible contenders.

“With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, @KamalaHarris,” Newsom wrote on X. Meanwhile North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said Harris “should be the next president,” and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who like Harris sought the Democratic nomination in 2020, said he would “do all that I can to help her win this election.” AFP

Ukrainian refugees, more than two years into the conflict.

“We came to our people in Europe. Because they are our voice in Europe,” Vitaly, a 21-year-old fighter with the callsign Gats, said ahead of the sold-out event in Warsaw.

“If Ukraine fails, Poland will be next, and the Baltic countries. And they need to understand this. Russia will not stop. It will not stop at all,” he told AFP.

He spoke alongside his tourmates at the Odessa Club, a graffiti-tagged arts loft and events space tucked away in an industrial part of downtown Warsaw. Stops in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Lithuania will follow. AFP

Earlier during the weekend, soldiers were patrolling Bangladeshi cities to quell growing civil unrest sparked by student demonstrations, with riot police firing on protesters who defied a government curfew. This week’s violence has killed at least 133 people so far, according to an AFP count of victims reported by police and hospitals, and poses a monumental challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic government after 15 years in office.

A government curfew went into effect at midnight and the premier’s office asked the military to deploy troops after police again failed to subdue widespread mayhem. AFP

MONUMENTAL CHALLENGE. Soldiers stand guard at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, amid the anti-quota protests in Dhaka on

DRONES AND TOUR. A Ukrainian serviceman of the 24th Mechanized Brigade prepares shells to

‘Paladin’ howitzer towards a Russian position on the front line near Chasiv Yar, Donetsk

Ukraine. Russia almost daily announces the interception of Ukrainian drones which

at military and civilian targets. AFP

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

THE Board of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage selected the Philippines as its host country during the body’s second meeting in Songdo, South Korea, last week.

The Philippines’ bid won over seven other contenders. As the host of the Board of the Fund, the Philippines will continue to contribute to the fast and seamless operationalization of the L&D Fund.

The selection is a major milestone, as the Philippines as host will grant the board the legal personality needed, for example, to negotiate and enter into a hosting arrangement with the World Bank. The country will be the interim trustee of the fund, operationalize the financial intermediary fund and host the fund’s secretariat.

The fund, which was operationalized at the COP 28 UN Climate Change Conference in December, was established to help vulnerable countries recover from climate impacts.

ENERGY Development Corp. (EDC), a unit of First Gen Corp., earned three recognitions at the prestigious Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) 2024 held at the Hilton Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The awards ceremony, organized by Enterprise Asia, celebrated EDC’s commitment to sustainable practices and responsible business leadership in Asia.

The AREA honors organizations across Asia that demonstrate outstanding achievements in corporate sustainability, social empowerment, green leadership and more. EDC was recognized in multiple categories for its impactful initiatives.

These include Corporate Sustainability Reporting: EDC’s 2022 Integrated Report-”It’s Worth It,” Social Empowerment: EDC’s Baslay Coffee Farm initiative”Brewing a REgenerative Future” and Green Leadership: EDC BINHI: 15 Years of Greening the Future

CEOs heed call for clean air and waste reduction

THE country’s top business executives are supporting the government campaign for clean air and a national greening program to strengthen efforts in attaining global climate goals.

The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) sealed an agreement on July 12 with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to boost the country’s climate action and support national policies and international agreements to fight climate change and preserve the environment.

“Our partnership is a commitment to accelerating real change and a recognition that though we may take different paths toward our collective goals of building a resilient Philippines, we remain united in purpose,” DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said.

EDC obtains 3 awards, cited for sustainability leadership PH wins bid to host loss and damage fund board Climate risks to affect fish biomass around the world’s ocean—FAO report

The board expressed its gratitude to the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Barbados, Eswatini, Kenya, Philippines and Togo, which submitted proposals to host the board.

The Philippines’ bid was strongly supported and prioritized by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and crafted through a whole-of government approach led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, Climate Change Commission, Department of Justice and the National Economic Development Authority. President Marcos warmly welcomed the development.

“I am proud to announce that the Philippines has been elected to host the Loss and Damage Fund Board, out of seven other contenders. We are also honored to have a seat on the Board itself, ensuring that the Philippines will be a formidable voice in promoting and advancing global climate action—an issue of critical interest to the country,” he said. UN Climate Change News, DENR News

Maria Nancy Ibuna, head of corporate relations and communications division of Energy Development Corp., and Frances Ariola, head of corporate communications, receive the company’s three awards for Green Leadership, Social Empowerment and Corporate Sustainability Reporting from Enterprise Asia’s Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2024. QBE GREEN SANQTUARY

“We dedicate these recognitions to our colleagues in EDC as well as our 121 host communities and over 200 BINHI partners. Our collaboration with them has been instrumental in continuing to generate a positive impact in our work,” said Maria Nancy Ibuna, head of corporate relations and communications at EDC.

EDC’s 2022 Integrated Report, “It’s Worth It,” highlights EDC’s commitment to forging collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future, driven by its stakeholder pentad framework and the Integrated Reporting framework’s value creation model.

The Baslay Coffee Farm initiative transformed kaingineros (slash-andburn farmers) in Negros Oriental into four generations of forest protectors and sustainable coffee farmers. The project has rehabilitated 220 hectares of land and generated significant income for the community through high-grade coffee production and cooperative efforts.

in Quezon City. Spanning 1,600 square meters, the park will have three greenhouses for native and fruit-bearing seedlings and will serve as a venue for various environment initiatives.

The partnership cements the support to the department’s prime thrusts, including clean air, carbon emission inventory, solid waste management and the national greening program, as well as the country’s hosting of the 2024 Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR).

“The MOU we signed today is an affirmation of our shared commitment to pursuing the agenda of building a resilient Philippines and Asia Pacific Region,” said YuloLoyzaga. Under the partnership, MAP will conduct information, education, and communications campaigns among MAP members and pursue advocacy programs on the DENR’s major initiatives.

MAP is a 74-year-old management organization, comprising of 1,100 members, including a diverse group of chief executive officers (CEOs),

ROME—New estimates highlight the potential climate risks to exploitable fish biomass for nearly all regions of the world’s ocean, including top producer countries and those with high reliance on aquatic foods, according to a report released last week by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Global projections of exploitable fish biomass show declines of more than 10 percent, particularly under the high-emissions scenario, by mid-century for many regions of the world, said the report Climate change risks to marine ecosystems and fisheries: Projections to 2100 from the Fisheries and Marine Ecosystem Model Intercomparison Project. By the end of the century, under the high-emissions scenario, which projects global warming of 3–4.0 °C, declines worsen to 30 percent or greater in 48 countries and territories. In contrast, under the lowemissions scenario, which projects global warming of 1.5–2 °C, changes stabilize between no change and a decrease of 10 percent or less across

The world’s corals are bleaching fast—what it means

Conclusion

IN RECENT years, governments and international organizations have stepped up efforts to safeguard corals. The Global Funds for Coral Reefs is aiming to channel and leverage up to US$3 billion in financing, supporting projects that protect these underwater cities. The fund, a partnership between the public and private sectors, is designed to support a broader global effort to protect biodiversity while helping coastal communities adapt to a changing climate. The fund is co-chaired by UNEP and the government of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, 45 countries, home to most of the world’s corals, have signed a pledged to protect 125,000 square kilometers of reefs, an effort known as the Coral Reef Breakthrough. The push is expected to include at least $12 billion in investments.

Still, to save corals, the world must make a dramatic shift away from fossil fuels while reining in local threats to reefs, says Carvalho.

Equally important is understanding how little humanity still knows about the ocean, she adds. Only 20 percent of its depths have been explored and new discoveries are constantly being made. Case in point: scientists recently found what are known as red hydrocorals in Chile and Antarctica. The corals, which form rare ecosystems brimming with life, have never been documented so far south.

The UN Decade on Ocean Science, which runs from 2021 to 2030, is designed to help fill knowledge gaps. Carvalho says the research being done under its auspices will support informed decisions on how to protect and sustainably use ocean resources.

“The future of coral reefs is worrying,” says Carvalho. “But their fate is not sealed. We still have time to protect many of these spectacular ecosystems if we act now and if we act

chief operating officers (COOs), and other top executives from leading local and multinational companies in the Philippines. Its extensive industry experience will help bring awareness on the ground about environmental issues in the country.

The group will also hold general membership meetings where representatives from the DENR will serve as resource persons, providing insights and information on environmental issues and related topics.

The meetings aim to foster a deeper understanding and active participation among members in initiatives addressing environmental challenges.

The MOU serves as a prelude to the Philippines’ hosting of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) where MAP members will also be encouraged to collaborate and participate. DENR News

178 countries and territories by the end of the century.

Notable declines include those for top fish producer nations, which worsen towards the end of the century under the high-emissions scenario, for example 37.3 percent for Peru’s and 30.9 percent for China’s Exclusive Economic Zones but stabilize under the low-emissions scenario.

The report was produced by the Ecosystem Model Intercomparison Project (FishMIP), an international network of researchers working with FAO to understand the long-term impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems and fisheries through a set of state-of-the-art numerical models. It was released during the Thirty-sixth session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI36) held between July 8 and 12 2024 at FAO headquarters in Rome.

The report comes on the heels of the latest edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA), which showed that world fisheries and aquaculture production hit a new high of 223.2 million tons in 2022. FAO News

decisively.”

World Oceans Day took place on 8 June, with the 2024 event celebrated on June 7. An annual celebration, the day is designed to raise awareness about the threats to the ocean and drive its sustainable use. This year will focus on humanity’s relationship with the ocean, a key source of everything.

The Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) was established to accelerate urgent investment and action to enhance the resilience of coastal reef ecosystems, communities and economies. The GFCR comprises two major financial vehicles: a UN-led Grant Fund and a privatesector-led large-scale private equity impact Investment Fund. The GFCR aims to promote sustainable

and

forge circular economies and pollution management, and enable technologies for a sustainable future.

This underwater photo taken on June 16, 2024 shows

Department

Environment and Natural Resources

Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga.

Lifetime Member No. 013309; Quezon City PTR No. 9269464; 01/02/2020; Quezon City MCLE Compliance No. VI-0017711 issued on 1/31/19 NOLI A. CABRERA Roll of Attorneys No. 51998 IBP Lifetime Member No. 07324; Batangas PTR OR No. 7380190, Makati City, 1/25/19 MCLE Compliance No. VI-0027564 issued on 6/13/19

MAICA MARIS D. MARANAN Roll of Attorneys No. 66074 IBP OR No. 102149; Laguna 1/03/2020 PTR OR No. 8117465; Makati City ,01/03/2020 MCLE Compliance No. VI - 0002939; issued on 8/08/17

MOUJECK STEVE O.CABALES Roll of Attorneys No. 69661 IBP OR No. 100952, PPLM, 1/03/2020 PTR OR No. 11890176, Las Piñas City, 1/2/2020 MCLE Compliance No. VI-0011918 issued on 8/29/18

STEFAN ELLISE A. BERNARDO

Roll of Attorneys No. 69523

IBP O.R. No. 102150, PPLM 01/03/2020

PTR OR No. MKT-8116292, Makati City, 01/03/2020

MCLE Compliance No. VI-0017041 issued on 12/28/18

KEVIN CHARLES G. BALDERAMA Roll of Attorneys No. 69630 IBP OR No. 060905, Makati City, 1/04/19

PTR OR No. MKT 7335037, Makati City, 1/03/19

MCLE Compliance No. VI-0024155 issued on 4/12/19

AFFIDAVIT OF MERIT TO SUPPORT APPLICATION FOR WRIT OF REPLEVIN AND CERTIFICATION OF NON•FORUM SHOPPING I, JOAN F. TAGNIPEZ, of legal age, Filipino and with postal address at 4 Floor, PSBank Centre, 777 Paseo de Roxas St., corner Sedeño St., Makati City, after having been sworn in accordance with law, hereby depose and state that:

1. I caused the preparation of the complaint read the contents thereof; and all allegations therein are true and correct based on my personal knowledge and authenticated record/documents under the possession of PSBank;

2. Philippine Savings Bank is the mortgagee/assignee

By Angelica Villanueva

ASHOWBIZ

No comedy for Vic Sotto in MMFF comeback

FTER a five-year hiatus from making a Christmas entry for the film festival, comedian and Eat Bulaga host Vic Sotto will be gracing the silver screen once again with the film The Kingdom The film, which also stars Piolo Pascual and directed by Michael Tuviera, is an official entry to the 50th edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

In a previous interview, Sotto said that the film is far different from his classic roles like Enteng Kabisote and Lastikman

“This is not comedy. I have never done anything like this before. We have never even heard this kind of storyline before, but we’ll save that for another time,” Bossing said in the vernacular.

He then shared that he said ‘yes’ to the film because he found it a “super challenging” project that diverges from his previous comedic roles, providing a refreshing change.

“I’m done with Enteng Kabisote, and comedy. When this project was presented to me, I thought it would push my limits since it’s really different,” he added.

Bossing then described the film as an “eye-opener” for all Filipinos.

“The story and concept are different. Nothing like we’ve seen before. For me, this will serve as an eyeopener for all Filipinos, for our fellow countrymen and the Philippines,” continued Bossing.

Aside from his grand return to MMFF, the comedian is also busy with his newest endorsement. Recently, he was named the first ambassador of the online gaming platform PlayTime.

“It’s truly heartwarming and a privilege to continue my mission of bringing joy, entertainment, and happiness to the daily lives of Filipinos, anytime and anywhere, through PlayTime,” said Bossing during a recent photo and video shoot with PlayTime executives. With over four decades in the Philippine entertainment industry—ruling noontime TV ratings

achieving remarkable success as a TV sitcom star, and producing hit films—it’s only natural for Bossing to expand his reach online and embrace the challenge of becoming the king of multimedia entertainment. On the other hand, PlayTime PR head Jay Sabale described Bossing as the perfect face for the growing online gaming app.

“Apart from being the boss, when it comes to game shows, making people happy, family fun, and everything, he is the first one who comes to mind. At the same time, since we are a gaming platform, we want to make people happy,” stated Sabale.

“And as you can see, Boss Vic is a very, very good example of somebody who succeeded but is very responsible in his career and in the path he has taken,” he continued.

He also clarified that PlayTime is not endorsed as a betting platform but as a form of entertainment Filipinos can use as a way to pass the time and have fun.

“So, if you have nothing to do, you’re at home, you’re bored, this can be a good form of entertainment. And of course, as we said, if you’re gonna play, you have to play responsibly. That’s important,” added

with thrilling games and contests in Eat Bulaga!”, Sabale.

2NE1 reunites for 15th anniversary world tour

By Angelica Villanueva

THE members of the second-generation K-pop girl group 2NE1 are officially making their way back into the music scene.

In a video released on Monday, July 22, YG Entertainment founder Yang Hyun-suk said that the four-member group is getting back together for a global tour this year as part of their 15th anniversary.

“Today, I have some very exciting news. The first girl group YG announced, the first successful YG girl group, was 2NE1,” Hyun-suk said.

“The members of 2NE1 informed me that they’d like to hold a concert commemorating their 15th anniversary. So we caught up and happily discussed making it all happen within this year,” he continued. He also revealed that the concert tour is set to kick off in October in Seoul, followed by stops in Osaka and Tokyo in November and December.

“2NE1 will continue their global tour into next year as well,” added Hyun-suk.

The founder also shared that the concert will relive all the memories that fans, who grew up listening to them, shared with 2NE1.

“I think this concert will be quite special. It resonates with those who grew up with 2NE1’s music, sharing those memories. And in the case of 2NE1, they have an incredible number of hit songs, so all the staff are working hard together to create a successful show,” he stated.

Composed of Sandara Park, CL, Park Bom, and Minzy, they made their debut in 2009 and are known for hit songs such as “Fire,” “I Don’t Care,” and “I Am the Best.”

Comedian and host Vic Sotto is set to star opposite Piolo Pascual in ‘The Kingdom’

LIFE & SHOWBIZ

Transforming ‘80s home into contemporary marvel

By Nickie Wang

MOD and Noble, a passionate team of interior designers, has turned an old 1980s house into a stylish and functional studio for Korina Sanchez

The team transformed the structure – which originally had a closed layout, low ceilings, and outdated decor – into a contemporary space with a dining area, guest rooms, living space, and a photo/ video studio, all featuring a modern industrial style.

To achieve this, they removed walls, raised ceilings, and exposed wiring to highlight the industrial look. They

replaced old, termite-damaged flooring with durable vinyl and used a cementlike finish on the walls. Mid-century modern furniture was added to balance the design.

“With these details in mind, our team brainstormed and formulated a brutalist industrial vibe with contemporary spatial planning. The team aimed to open up the walls, raise the ceilings, and leave the wiring exposed to create industrial details. We cracked open the walls and maintained the cave-like architrave to highlight its brutalist aspect,” the team said.

The team also removed the existing parquet flooring due to termite damage and replaced it with 3mm thick vinyl flooring suitable for heavy traffic.

Considering the durable materials needed for a busy studio space, they ensured that the interior materials could withstand heavy use. The walls were refinished with a cement-like wall finish, and we incorporated mid-century modern furniture to balance the overall

YOUNG actress and singer Belle Mariano has reached new milestones in music, with her single “Bugambilya” amassing over one billion views on TikTok and her discography totaling 110 million streams on Spotify.

“Bugambilya,” from her 2023 album Somber , became a viral hit on TikTok with its emotional lyrics, now featured in over 36,000 videos.

On Spotify, it entered the top 10 of the Philippines Viral Songs Chart and ranked in the top 200 of the Daily Top Songs, with over 18 million streams.

Two Saturdays ago, the 22-year-old star dazzled audiences at her soldout birthday concert Believe at The Theatre at Solaire. Her stellar solo performances and special numbers with guests Donny Pangilinan, Moira Dela Torre, Denise Julia, and Martin Nievera were highlights of the event.

“I never imagined that my dreams would come to life. What once was just a wish came true. Thank you to everyone who believed in me, my ABS-CBN family, the directors, production, and crew of the ‘Believe’ concert, my family, friends, and supporters. I wouldn’t be here without you all,” the StarPop artist posted on Instagram. In addition to her concert, Belle released her new EP Believe , which garnered 300,000 streams on Spotify in just 10 days and peaked at No. 2 on the iTunes Philippines Albums Chart. The EP’s focus track, “Biglaan,” was featured on various editorial playlists, including Spotify’s OPM Rising and Tatak Pinoy.

feel of the space.

The project, which covers over 100 square meters in a four-story building, faced delays due to narrow hallways and the absence of an elevator. What should have taken around four months to complete ended up taking almost eight months instead. Despite these challenges, Mod and Noble delivered a space that exceeded expectations.

Working within a set budget, the team made smart choices with suppliers to keep costs down while creating a unique design. Their process includes three main steps. It begins with a client consultation, where the team meets in-depth with the client to discuss the space’s function, aesthetic vision, layout, potential for reusing items, budget, and any other concerns.

Next is the preliminary design phase, during which the team presents design ideas through curated photos and options, showcasing concepts like colors, textures, and layouts.

Finally, in the schematic design phase,

Fil-Am actor Brandon Perea plays as Boone in ‘Twisters’

Standard’s Choice

Bling meets glamor and class for headturners at GMA Gala 2024

By Abigail Adriatico

THE GMA Gala 2024’s red carpet was graced by numerous celebrities, beauty queens, social media stars, prominent names in business and government, and other famous personalities who flaunted their stylish looks crafted by some of the top designers in the country and the world.

With the theme “Bling,” this year’s edition saw celebrities showcasing their glamorous black-and-white ensembles and sparkling accessories. With around 1,000 guests in attendance for the event’s third edition, we have trimmed down the list to 12 of the most notable looks of the night.

Marian Rivera

Her look literally screamed “Queen!” when she proved once again that less is more. Every step she took on the red carpet exuded regal grace, as she wore a simple yet stunning black fitted gown from Nicole + Felicia Couture. The elegant ensemble was embellished with a cascade of delicate bejeweled roses gracing the neckline. Completing the look was a silver clutch bag from Bottega Veneta.

Barbie Forteza

The petite actress was a vision of “princess glamour” as she walked the red carpet in a white ball gown adorned with delicate flower embroidery. In an interview, she explained that the white ensemble by Mak Tumang “symbolizes the new look of 1947, which celebrated the newfound peace after the war.” The 26-year-old actress will soon appear in a war drama on primetime. What a perfect way to subtly promote a TV series.

Julie Anne San Jose

Her gown was flawless from every angle. The singer and actress wore a custom Michael Cinco creation. The strapless bustier bodice, adorned with intricate latticework, hugged her curves perfectly, while the skirt cascaded down in feather hems, giving the illusion that she glided as she walked. Simple accessories completed the look, striking a perfect balance between sexy and classy.

Rhian Ramos

Stunning in a one-shoulder fitted dress by JustBonita’s Bonita Peñaranda, covered in intricate crystal beads, Rhian was a breathtaking sight as she walked down the red carpet. Her dress shimmered with every step, and her matching Ferragamo stilettos completed the look perfectly.

Bianca Umali

The actress showed that being a head turner at a gala doesn’t always mean wearing a shimmering gown. All eyes were on Bianca in her white gown by Joey Samson, which featured a design similar to the suits commonly worn by men to such functions. The masculine yet feminine ensemble included a halter top with a collar and tie resembling an inner buttoned shirt, and a skirt that resembled a coat.

Lexi Gonzales

The actress is one of the celebrities who would literally make people turn their heads twice with her captivating look that night. Channeling an ethereal, goddess-like

Dingdong Dantes

appearance, Lexi wore a white one-shoulder dress adorned with a long drape, designed by Bonita Peñaranda. Completing the look were glittery jewelry pieces from Jhaena Jewels.

Gracing the red carpet with his wife Marian, the simplicity of Dingdong’s classic black suit with a bow tie by Stefano Ricci seemingly amplified the actor’s captivating presence as he completed his look with a pair of black sunglasses.

Michael Sager

GMA’s next big leading man was a charming sight as he walked down the red carpet in a white suit and tie by Ziggy Savella, which also included a matching white scarf with two rectangular boxes. Who else could pull off such attire without looking like they were hosting a circus?

Martin Javier

The host and sportscaster is no stranger to wearing suits, and he’s very consistent with his style. At the gala, he wore a classic black suit and tie with an embroidered decal on the tuxedo’s coat lining. He finished his look with a simple bow tie, and the whole ensemble captured his masculinity.

David Licauco

The actor exuded a “boynext-door” charm with a touch of maturity. Taking home the award for Best Dressed Male of the night, David stunned in a white coat and undershirt along with a bow tie as well as a pair of black slacks and shoes. On the left side of his coat’s lining is a brooch adorned with flowers.

Kobe Paras

With his towering physique and long locks cascading loosely in a messy man bun, the hardcourt heartthrob transformed into a red carpet hottie as he stole glances (quite literally) and commanded the scene in a sharp, custom black suit by Chynna Mamawal

Kokoy De Santos

Capping off the list is a unique look from Kokoy which

Barbie Forteza exudes the look of a glamorous princess in a gown adorned with delicate embroidered flowers

is a black undershirt with a jetblack coat and a streak of white.

The entire look was by fashion designer Bang Pineda, who featured Kokoy’s dashing appearance in a short film while also showcasing the life of everyday workers.

The GMA Gala 2024 was held at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City last July 20. The event serves as a fundraiser for the Kapuso Foundation and the charity organizations that it supports.

SUBTLE ELEGANCE. Couple Marian Rivera (left) and Dingdong Dantes commanded attention as they walked the red carpet in their head-turning attire

Actress and singer Julie Anne San Jose flaunts her figure in a white custom gown by Michael Cinco