Manila Standard - 2024 August 20 - Tuesday

Chinese vessels ram

2 PCG ships in WPS

Manila hits dangerous, aggressive, escalatory actions

By Rex Espiritu, Rachelle Tonelada, Maricel Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

TWO Philippine Coast Guard vessels sustained serious damage Monday in pre-dawn collisions with Chinese vessels near Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims in the South China Sea.

National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea spokesman Jonathan Malaya said the damaged PCG ships – the BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) and BRP Cape Engaño (MRRV-4411) – were tasked to resupply personnel deployed in Patag and Lawak Islands.

“These dangerous maneuvers resulted in collisions, causing structural damage to both PCG vessels,” Malaya said. Malaya, who is also National Security Council

THE Philippines has recorded its first mpox case since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) over the outbreak. According to the Department of Health (DOH), the new mpox case was initially reported on Sunday. Overall, this marks the country’s 10th mpox case, with the next most recent instance reported in December 2023.

previous cases were isolated, cared for, and have since recovered,” the DOH said. Next page

Bagong Pilipinas

Serbisyo Fair improved Pinoys’ livelihood—PBBM

By Charles Dantes and Maricel V. Cruz

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos yesterday said the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) has brought essential services like healthcare and livelihood programs directly to communities nationwide.

.."Different branches and agencies of the government are working together and united to more effectively and quickly address the needs of the people," the President said in his address at the opening of the three-day BPSF Agency Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center. He cited the many local government units that have been replicating the BPSF with their own 'mini Serbisyo Fair' to assist their constituents.

"From our province, Ilocos Norte, all the way to Tawi-Tawi, the BPSF has reached various provinces. The BPSF has served twenty-one provinces in just about a year since we started this less than a year ago. We have provided services worth more than twelve billion pesos and nearly five

HEALTH Secretary Ted Herbosa on Monday expressed alarm over the rising number of dengue hemorrhagic fever cases around the country, saying a formal declaration of an outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease is imminent. In a press briefing, he said the latest figures collected by the Department of Health’s (DOH) Epidemiology Bureau indicate that recent dengue infections have reached epidemic proportions.

By Rio Araja , Rex Espiritu and Pot Chavez

(PHIVOLCS) on Monday reported that Taal Volcano has emitted substantial quantities of volcanic smog or “vog” over the past 24 hours. At least 3,355 tons of sulfur dioxide emission was detected since Aug. 15, the agency disclosed in a statement.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

Nationwide dengue outbreak declaration imminent—DOH

“I will be declaring a dengue outbreak because based on the latest report of the Epidemiology Bureau director, the number of recent cases has already reached outbreak levels,” Herbosa said in Filipino. The DOH has registered some 136,000 dengue cases from January

inflation of the general northern and southeastern flanks of the Taal Volcano Island were observed.

However, Phivolcs said it had not detected the occurrence of volcanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours.

The Batangas Provincial Government continues to forbid people from setting foot on Taal Volcano Island, which Gov. Hermilando Mandanas earlier called, a “no man’s land.” Next page

WPS FLASHPOINT. Two Philippine Coast Guard vessels were damaged yesterday in collisions with Chinese Coast guard ships near Sabina shoal.

A BETTER BPSF. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is joined by House Soeaker Martin Romualdez after his address at the start of the 3-day Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair Summit at the PICC last night. Roy Pelovello

‘Gov’t ready to repatriate all OFWs in Lebanon’

By Charles Dantes

THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Monday said the government is ready repatriate documented and undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the escalating conflict in Lebanon.

assistant director general, said the first incident took place at 3:24 a.m. as the BRP Cape Engaño was subjected to aggressive maneuvers by CCGV3104, resulting in a collision with the starboard beam of the vessel, creating a hole in the deck with an approximate diameter of five inches.

The second incident took place at 3:40 a.m. and involved the BRP Bagacay, which was rammed twice on both her port and starboard sides by CCGV-21551, leading to minor structural damage.

"Despite these incidents, both PCG vessels remain committed to and shall proceed with their mission of delivering essential supplies to personnel stationed on Patag and Lawak Islands. The PCG stands firm in its responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our maritime domain while addressing any threats to our national interests," Malaya said.

China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu, for his part, accused the Philippine vessels of acting "in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, resulting in a glancing collision."

"The China Coast Guard took control measures against the Philippine vessels in accordance with the law," he said.

Beijing accused Manila's ships of "illegally" entering its waters without permission and having "deliberately collided" with the Chinese ship.

"We sternly warn the Philippine side to immediately cease its infringement and provocations," spokesperson Gan said.

Malaya, however, disputed the Chinese account, saying "it was not (BRP Bagacay) who rammed it, it's the other way around."

"The physical evidence proves this," Malaya added.

Beijing's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the Philippine vessels' actions had "seriously violated China's sovereignty," adding China "will continue to take resolute and forceful measures in accordance with the law to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."

The US embassy in the Philippines condemned China's “dangerous maneuvers” in the West Philippine Sea.

“The US stands with the PH in condemning the China Coast Guard's dangerous maneuvers near Sabina Shoal that endangered lives and caused damage to two @CoastGuardPH vessels,” US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said in a post on X.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Margareth Padilla said: “We strongly condemn the aggressive actions of the China Coast Guard, which not only endanger the lives of PCG personnel but also violate international maritime laws, particularly the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino slammed the ramming incident that happened within the Philippine EEZ.

"Such acts of aggression are unacceptable,” Tolentino said.

Senator Grace Poe added: We will continue to stand behind our Coast Guard in protesting and exposing these unlawful activities to send a message that such bullying will always be met with pushback.”

At the House of Representatives, Speaker Martin Romualdez condemned the aggressive actions of the China Coast Guard.

"I condemn in the strongest terms the reckless and illegal maneuvers executed by the China Coast Guard against our Philippine Coast Guard vessels. This brazen and unwarranted aggression resulted in dangerous collisions that could have led to tragic consequences," Romualdez said.

“These recent events are not mere incidents but part of a troubling pattern of behavior that escalates tensions and undermines the rule of law in the West Philippine Sea. It is incumbent upon us, as a nation, to stand firm in defending our rights and protecting our maritime domain," he added. With AFP

“We’re ready, we stand ready to help upon their return,” DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said.

The DMW chief encouraged OFWs to consider returning to the Philippines as regional tensions escalate. There are currently 11,360 OFWs in Lebanon, with around 356 Filipinos having been voluntarily repatriated in recent months.

COMING SOON. The Philippines will soon welcome its very first Gordon Ramsay restaurant at Newport World Resorts, Newport City. The announcement comes after a meeting between Alliance Global Group President and CEO Kevin Tan and the renowned, multi-Michelinstarred chef Gordon Ramsay, where they finalized the details of this highly anticipated opening.

Risa:... From A1

Repatriated OFWs will receive P150,000 in cash aid upon returning to the Philippines, with Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil clarifying this financial assistance applies only to OFWs from conflictaffected areas. He said the government will provide free training courses from

Guo entered Malaysia at 12:17:13 (military time) on July 18, 2024.

"This means that she left the Philippines on July 17," said Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality which has been conducting hearings into illegal POGO operations in the country.

The senator said another source informed her that from Malaysia, Guo went to Singapore where she met her mother, Lin Wen Yi, and father, Guo JianZhong.

The couple flew in from China on July 28, 2024, Hontiveros said.

"There was such a reunion there together with Guo's brother, Wesley Guo, and Cassandra Ong,” she said.

But according to Department of Justice spokesman Mico Clavano, Mayor Guo is still in the country.

Bagong...

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billion pesos in financial assistance to over two million beneficiaries," the President said.

"We have delivered vaccines, [permits], birth [certificates], SSS registration, loan applications, PhilHealth registration including consultations, driver's licenses, NBI clearance, passports, and many other services needed by the public who have difficulty accessing government offices, especially at the regional level. That's why we thought—and I saw this work successfully in Ilocos Norte— that we should be the ones to go to them so that people won't have a hard time. he added. And that is the concept of BPSF," he pointed out.

The event also honored Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) beneficiaries who transitioned from aid recipients to entrepreneurs through the SIBOL Program, a project initiated

DOH...

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Health Secretary Ted Herbosa has since assured the public there is no need for quarantine facilities since mpox patients can self-isolate at home for three weeks.

The DOH recommends hand washing to avoid transmission of the disease, whose common symptoms are rashes

Nationwide...

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1 to August 13, 2024, representing a 33 percent increase over the same period last year.

However, the health chief pointed out that despite the spike in dengue infections, fewer deaths are being attributed to the disease, owing to

“There has been no report to us of an attempted departure from the Bureau of Immigration. In fact, she filed a motion for her case in the DOJ last Friday to which she attached a counter affidavit, which was sworn before a Philippine notary public on August 14, 2024. And there have been reported sightings after July 18, 2024,” Clavano said.

Guo's lawyer also maintained she is still in the Philippines.

“Tinawagan ko siya…sabi ko nakalabas ka na ba ng Pilipinas? Sabi niya, hindi. Kasi sabi ko gusto ko malaman kung nandito ka pa para ‘yung legal strategy ko maayos ko,” lawyer Stephen David said.

David said he told Guo that "they have other options" if she really has left the country.

“Kung wala ka na sa Pilipinas, kung yan ang decision mo, mayroon naman tayong options, sabi ko sa kanya. Kung nakalabas ka, ‘di punta tayo sa

by House Speaker Martin Romualdez and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. For his part, Romualdez thanked the President's support, citing Mr. Marcos' vision and dedication to lead the country to a brighter future'.

"I'd like to thank the President, our cabinet secretaries, our members from House of Representatives, our Senators, who supported this program through the budget process and of course, our department and agency heads, who are at the forefront of the Bagong Pilipinas (Summit Fair)," Romualdez said.

The Speaker had earlier pointed out the unity in purpose to bring government services closer to the people and the desire to serve the most vulnerable sectors in Philippine society as the two main driving factors that has made the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) such a huge success.

The leader of the 308-strong House of Representatives lauded the national

accompanied by fever, headache, muscle pain, back pain, low energy, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.

The World Health Organization declared a global emergency last Wednesday because of the mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa.

The WHO has confirmed cases among children and adults in more than a dozen countries and a new form of the

patients seeking medical attention at the early stages of the disease.

Herbosa also lauded the country’s hospitals for “doing better case management” on dengue patients.

So far, some 364 dengue-related fatalities have been recorded around the country this year, compared to the 401 deaths during the same span of time in 2023.

Several jurisdictions have

TESDA-accredited institutions and employment facilitation through the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The government has also collaborated with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) to assist OFWs interested in agriculture or tourism projects upon their return.

Bigtime fuel price hike takes effect

THE oil firms implemented an oil price hike of as much as P1.20 per liter effective 6am Tuesday to reflect the movement of oil prices in the world market. The oil firms raised the price of diesel by P1.20 per liter, and gasoline and kerosene by P1 per liter, ending fourth consecutive weeks of oil price rollback for diesel and kerosene and three weeks for gasoline early this week.

Seaoil Philippines, PetroGazz, Jetti Petroleum, PTT Philippines and Cleanfuel issued separate advisories of the increase.

Department of Energy director for the oil industry management bureau Rodela Romero said last week that based on the first four days of trading in Mean of Platts Singapore, the benchmark of oil importers, domestic pump prices will go up this week.

bansa na may political asylum at dun tayo gumawa ng dokumento para makalaban tayo,” he added. David earlier said Guo assured him she remains in the "central Philippines."

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission said they are verifying reports Guo left for Indonesia through Denpasar.

“As far as our BI records are concerned she is still in the country. (But) we are coordinating with our local partners to check on this info. In the meantime, we are awaiting the official information from our Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts,” PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said.

Clavano added: “We are currently awaiting official verification from NBI if the documents attributed to them are authentic. We will continue to gather information from both the Bureau of Immigration and the National Bureau of Investigation.”

government agencies together with the organizers of the service caravan as the BPSF turns a year this month, with 21 successful visits to 17 of the country’s 18 regions.

“Your collective efforts have brought essential government services closer to the people, ensuring that millions of Filipinos receive the services they deserve and the muchneeded assistance, especially in vulnerable sectors,” the Speaker said.

“The BPSF has made a meaningful impact on communities across the country, delivering direct services that have improved lives in tangible ways.

The billions of pesos in aid provided through this program reflect the scale of its reach and the importance of making government services accessible to all,” he added.

Romualdez said he hopes that the Agency Summit, which will be attended by officials as high as undersecretaries, will be an opportunity to celebrate the hard work and collaboration that has made the BPSF a success.

virus spreading. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 500 deaths and asked for international support to stop the spread of the virus.

“This is something that should concern us all ... The potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

already declared localized dengue outbreaks, including the provinces of Iloilo and Capiz, as well as Ormoc City in Leyte. On Friday, the Provincial Government of Iloilo announced that the province has already met the criteria of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for the declaration of a state of calamity.

“Oil prices surged at the early part of the week driven by the fear for an escalating Middle East tension that could threaten production in one of the world’s major oil sources as Iran vows retaliation,” Romero said.

“The easing of the US monetary policy and the fear that subside on the possible US recession added to the bullish part of oil price. Likewise, OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) expressed an optimistic outlook on the demand contradicts to IEA (International Energy Agency),” she said.

The oil firms implemeted a big time price roll back in pump prices on August 13 by P2.45 per liter for gasoline, P2.40 per liter for kerosene and P1.90 per liter for diesel.

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A permanent danger zone has been established around Taal’s main crater and Daang Kastila fissure.

For its part, the Office of Civil Defense maintained that Taal Volcano is still under Alert Level 1 despite its ongoing restiveness.

The OCD also received reports of cancellation of face-to-face classes and the shifting to modular distance learning of schools in 40 local government units (LGUs) in the Calabarzon region.

"Our regional counterpart is continuously monitoring the situation on the AOR considering the vog formation reported in the Provinces of Batangas, Cavite and Laguna and continuously coordinating with DOST-PHIVOLCS/ TVO, DENR-EMB CALABARZON and various LDRRMOs to assess the situation and provide corresponding support once needed." OCD said in a statement on Monday. As this developed, the Batangas Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) has begun distributing N-95 respirator masks to different towns.

In an interview, Dr. Amor BanuelosCalayan, PDRRMO head, said more than 20,000 face masks will be added to the inventory of local DRRMOs to address the immediate needs of locals especially the elderly and those with health conditions.

“Every local MDRRMOs already has their respective stock of N-95 face masks but we continue to distribute additional masks since this is the immediate need of the locals to avoid throat irritation. We highly recommend [N-95] because it is highly particulate, avoiding penetration of the vog,” she told Manila Standard

Data from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office showed a total of 4,595 cases in the province as of August 10, including 10 deaths.

“Forty-one of the 43 LGUs (except Banate and Tubungan) also breached the epidemic threshold which refers to the level of occurrence of disease above which an urgent response is required,” the provincial government reported on its website.

The future is female with Rep. Cynthia ‘Cindi’ Chan

Rep.

By Patricia Taculao-Deligero

LAPU-LAPU City’s Lone District has witnessed a remarkable political journey through its representative, Ma. Cynthia “Cindi” K. Chan. From her humble beginnings as a daughter, wife, and mother, she became a pivotal figure in the city’s governance and, eventually, a representative in Congress.

Hailing from a family shaped by adversity, Rep. Chan developed a profound empathy for the marginalized. The loss of her father at a young age and the subsequent challenges faced by her family forged in her a strong sense of compassion, particularly for women, children, and persons with disabilities. These experiences and her role as a devoted mother to four children have become the bedrock of her public service. Her political career began when her husband, Junard “Ahong” Chan, was elected Mayor of LapuLapu City in 2019. Taking on the role of LapuLapu City Tourism, Cultural, and Historical Affairs Commission or TCHAC Chairperson without seeking compensation, Rep. Chan immersed herself in the city’s tourism, cultural, and historical affairs. Her business acumen and international exposure proved invaluable in promoting LapuLapu as a premier tourist destination.

The COVID-19 pandemic tested the city government’s mettle, but it also solidified Rep. Chan’s commitment to her constituents. She spearheaded relief efforts with Mayor Ahong, providing essential supplies to those in need. Recognizing the pandemic’s devastating impact on the tourism industry, she spearheaded the “Balik Turismo” program, a crucial step in reviving the city’s economy.

Rep. Chan further showcased her leadership during the preparations and execution of the 500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan. Her ability to organize and manage a large-scale event of national significance was evident in its celebration.

The onslaught of Super Typhoon Odette in 2021 presented another formidable challenge. Rep. Chan’s unwavering dedication to her people during this crisis, a testament to her resilience, undoubtedly contributed to her overwhelming victory in the 2022 elections, where she garnered

74.16% of the total votes.

From supportive first lady to dynamic leader, Rep. Cindi Chan has proven herself to be a woman of substance and action. Her journey is a testament to her resilience, compassion, and unwavering commitment to public service. As she embarks on her term as a congresswoman, the people of Lapu-Lapu City eagerly anticipate the positive changes she will bring to their community and the nation.

With a campaign centered around the acronym “CINDI” – an embodiment of her priorities for children, women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, infrastructure, tourism, dialysis, and microfinance – Rep. Chan has significantly impacted her constituents in a relatively short span.

Her tagline, “CINDI CARES,” is not merely a slogan; it’s a testament to her unwavering commitment to the people she serves. Her appointment as Vice-Chairperson of three key House Committees – Tourism, Welfare of Children, and Women and Gender Equality – underscores her passion for these sectors. Her dedication to these advocacies and her membership in seven other committees showcase her commitment to various issues affecting her district.

Rep. Chan’s legislative prowess is evident in the 209 bills she has authored or co-authored. While her constituent service programs, including medical assistance, burial assistance, educational support, and infrastructure development, have undeniably improved her constituents’ lives, her bills have the potential to create lasting change.

One of Chan’s most significant legislative proposals is the Dialysis Center Act (House Bill No. 3719). Recognizing the critical need for accessible and affordable dialysis treatment, especially for

indigenous patients, this bill seeks to establish dialysis centers nationwide. This legislation, if enacted, would undoubtedly be a lifeline for countless Filipinos suffering from kidney disease.

Another noteworthy bill is the PNP Revitalization and Capability Enhancement Act (HB No. 8367). This measure aims to modernize the Philippine National Police and equip them with the necessary resources to address the nation’s security challenges effectively. By prioritizing the welfare and capabilities of our law enforcement officers, Chan demonstrates her commitment to public safety.

Beyond legislation, Chan’s dedication to improving the lives of her constituents is palpable. Her administration has overseen the construction or initiation of over P4.285 billion worth of infrastructure projects, addressing long-standing community needs. Her commitment to accessible healthcare is evident in the millions allocated for medical assistance, burial assistance, and support for indigent patients. Education, too, is a priority, with substantial investments in scholarships and other educational support.

Rep. Chan’s partnership with Mayor Ahong has been instrumental in delivering essential services to the community through the “Libreng Serbisyo Program.” This initiative, coupled with her “Libreng Tubig Para sa Tanan” project, demonstrates her dedication to improve the daily lives of her constituents.

The district representative has already established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the House of Representatives. Her dedication to public service and her legislative acumen position her as a rising star in Philippine politics. With her focus on improving the lives of her constituents and her ability to craft impactful legislation, Chan is undoubtedly a name to watch in the years to come.

Dayon Kamo sa Lapu-Lapu!

By Peter Paul Duran

LAPU-LAPU City, Cebu’s historic resort city, seamlessly marries its rich history with modern allure. This thriving destination, represented by Rep. Cindi Chan, boasts of diverse attractions, from pristine white sand beaches to vibrant cultural festivals.

The iconic Liberty Shrine stands as a tribute to the city’s hero, Lapu-Lapu, with a monument that captures the essence of bravery. Nearby, the Mactan Cebu International Airport and Sta. Rosa Port offer seamless travel options for visitors.

Nature lovers can explore Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, a haven for migratory birds, or dive into the crystal-clear waters surrounding Caohagan Island. The city’s deep-rooted crafts, including shell craft and guitar making, reflect its rich cultural heritage, while rope making and other local industries highlight its entrepreneurial spirit.

From the historic Nuestra Señora de Regla Parish National Shrine to the lively Plaza Rizal, Lapu-Lapu City invites everyone with open arms. Dayon Kamo sa Lapu-Lapu! Experience the perfect blend of history, nature, and culture in this vibrant city.

Mactan Cebu International Airport

Shell Craft Guitar Making Diving

Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary Caohagan Island

Lapu-Lapu Monument

Dela Rosa urged to attend EJK probe

By Maricel V. Cruz

MANILA Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. on Monday challenged Senator Ronald Dela Rosa to attend the House quad-committee investigation and explain his role in the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) linked to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Abante, chair of the House Committee on Human Rights and co-chair of the quad-committee, issued the challenge after Dela Rosa criticized the committee for allegedly rehashing the issue, calling the investigation a “broken record.”

Dela Rosa, who served as former President Rodrigo Duterte’s first police chief and architect of the controversial anti-drug campaign that claimed thousands of lives, mostly among the urban poor, dismissed the ongoing inquiries as “paulit-ulit” or

Makati rolls out online medical consultations

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE city government of Makati has started the rollout of free online medical consultation services for over 200,000 Makati Health Plus (MHP) Yellow Card holders and their registered dependents.

“We are committed to continuously improving healthcare services for our residents. Through our partnership with KonsultaMD, we aim to ensure that Makatizens can access medical and mental health support anytime and anywhere,” said Mayor Abigail Binay. Through KonsultaMD’s telehealth services, residents have access to 24/7 video consultations with licensed doctors, mental health counseling, e-prescriptions, laboratory requests, and online medical certificates.

Binay said these comprehensive offerings are designed to make healthcare more accessible, especially for non-emergency situations where visiting a health center might be challenging due to operating hours, holidays, or other constraints.

“This partnership not only enhances the way we provide better healthcare in Makati. We are leading the charge in healthcare innovation, ensuring that every Makatizen has convenient and reliable access to the care they need,” she added.

Phivolcs reports quake rocks Northern Samar A MAGNITUDE 5.7 earthquake rocked Northern Samar on Monday. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake, which is tectonic in origin, struck at 11:39 a.m. Its epicenter was located at 34 kilometers north and west of Pambujan town and had a depth of focus of 54 kilometers.

Phivolcs earlier reported the tremor to be of magnitude 6. Intensity 5- was felt in Bobon, Catarman, Laoang, Lavezares, Palapag, Rosario, and San Roque in Northern Samar, while intensity 4 was experienced in Pilar and Sorsogon City, Sorsogon.

Intensity 3 was recorded in Legazpi City and Tabaco City in Albay; Virac in Catanduanes; Masbate City in Masbate; Bulusan and Irosin in Sorsogon, Burauen and Javier in Leyte.

Intensity 2 was felt in Calubian, Hilongos and Mahaplag in Leyte; Hinunangan and Sogod in Southern Leyte. No damage was also expected. Rio N. Araja

Agents arrest three wanted Chinese fugitives

repetitive, and described them as a “fishing expedition.”

“Sen. Bato is always welcome to express his thoughts in our hearings,” Abante told reporters in an interview via Zoom, noting that Dela Rosa had been invited by his committee multiple times but had yet to attend to shed light on the EJK issue.

“If he has something to say, don’t say it to the media, say it to the quad-comm so that his answers are really clear. We’re giving him the opportunity, due process for him to air his side and for us to be able to know his feelings about this,” he said.

Dela Rosa had repeatedly declined the House invitations, citing inter-parliamentary courtesy as an excuse.

Responding to Dela Rosa’s claim that the investigations are repetitive, Abante argued that the hearings have uncovered new and significant information.

“Kahit na (even) before the quadcommittee was formed, the Committee on Human Rights extended an invitation to the good senator so he could be able to air his side. He has yet to accept any of the invitations extended to him, although it appears that he has a lot of thoughts on the matter,” Abante pointed out. He urged Dela Rosa to bring his views directly to the quad-committee.

BUREAU of Immigration (BI) agents arrested three Chinese fugitives wanted for a string of criminal cases here and in China.

The suspects were identified as Jun Chen, Hongru Zhang, and Hao Zhen at the request of the Chinese government which informed the BI about the fugitives’ presence in the country. Immigration commissioner Norman Tansingco said the foreigners cannot be deported yet as they have to face criminal charges for robbery, grave coercion, illegal detention, gun possession, and illegal drug trading that police have filed against them before the Parañaque City prosecutor’s office.

“They can only be deported after the criminal cases against them are resolved and, if convicted, they will have to first serve their sentence in jail,” Tansingco explained. The criminal cases were filed after police rescued a Vietnamese national who was kidnapped and illegally detained by the said Chinese nationals. Vito Barcelo

Phil. Navy concludes Indo-Pacific partnership

THE Philippine Navy’s Naval Forces Southern Luzon (NFSL) reported on Monday the conclusion of the two-week US Indo-Pacific Command Pacific Partnership in the Bicol Region. Lieutenant Kim Lopez from the NFSL Public Affairs Office told Manila Standard that Manila hosted the event that aimed at enhancing regional resilience, interoperability, and security.

It was participated by a total of 250 personnel from the Philippines and US military as well as contingents from South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Yamsuan files bill seeking extended list of free vaccines for Filipinos

By Maricel V. Cruz

REP. Brian Raymund Yamsuan of the Bicol Saro party-list on Monday pushed for the enactment of a measure that aims to expand the list of free vaccines given to Filipinos in all life stages. Yamsuan said House Bill (HB)

1092, which he co-authored, involves including the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and immunization from the rotavirus, Japanese encephalitis, human papilloma virus (HPV), and boosters for measles, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria in the list of vaccine-preventable diseases

covered by the government’s National Immunization Program.

The expanded list shall also include other types of vaccines as determined by the Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) upon the recommendation of Congress and a health experts’ group created under the bill.

‘Explain untested poll machines’

By Maricel V. Cruz

REP Dino Tanjuatco of Rizal on Monday demanded the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to explain issues surrounding the P18-billion automated election contract for next year’s midterm polls.

“Eyes on the ball, Filipinos. The Comelec still has to answer many issues on prototype machines and noncompliant systems. Let us not be distracted by all this noise,” Rizal, member of the House committee on electoral reforms, said in a statement.

“If the machines fail spectacularly on Election Day in 2025 and the whole country is plunged into chaos, then we only have ourselves to blame for being sidetracked by this circus,” he added.

Tanjuatco noted that Miru System’s use of a prototype votecounting machine (VCM) during the demonstration last February was “noncompliant with the terms of reference (TOR) for the procurement of automated election system (AES) but is also disallowed under the Automated Election Law.”

Under the current law, Yamsuan stated Republic Act 10152, the mandatory basic immunization services are limited to tuberculosis; diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis; poliomyelitis; measles; mumps; Rubella or German measles; hepatitis-B; and the H. Influenza type B (HIB).

OPINION

BBM’s new anti-drug war

(Part 1)

A PANEL of ranking Philippine National Police officers has been formed to review the agency’s anti-narcotics strategy if it has been effective or not in curbing the country’s strategy on illegal drugs or whether or not it is consistent with the policies of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration of targeting illegal drugs at source.

PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil made it clear the review was called for to evaluate the program’s effectiveness, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and align itself with the administration’s anti- drug campaign.

My reaction to this move can only be ”it’s about time!” Considering the past administration’s anti- illegal drug drive was not only a dismal failure, it gave rise to the thousands of extrajudicial killings and violations of human rights, Santa Banana!

In fact, Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs campaign had given rise to the accusation by the International Criminal Court’s indictment that past President Duterte, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and many others had committed “crimes” against humanity – an issue still unresolved.

The PNP’s campaign during the past administration, like “Tokhang” and “Double-Barreled” had produced the killing of more than 6,000, according to official records, but were disproved by unofficial estimates of some 20,000 to 30,000 killings, my gulay!

When will the “day of reckoning” come to all those listed as having committed crimes against humanity?

This is a matter of speculation since the country withdrew its membership in 2019 from the United Nations’ Rome Statute , which created the ICC. There are speculations, however, the ICC warrants of arrest on Duterte, deLa Rosa and others will probably come around next month, September.

The Marcos administration has no choice but to comply since Interpol’s jurisdiction includes the Philippines, with the country being an Interpol member. From the start, the former President told the people that if elected, he would be able to eradicate the illegal drug scourge within six months.

And Duterte realized he could not do it after he claimed he would do it, Santa Banana, within a year!

Duterte’s boast never came to realization and the anti-illegal drugs campaign remained as a brutal and bloody war against illegal drugs.

And while Duterte’s brutal and bloody

war on illegal drugs went on, mainly against shabu, more and more people, including drug addicts and users, not only pushers, were killed, giving rise to EJK’s which the police claimed “nanlaban sila” – a claim to justify the EJKs as well as the brutal and bloody war against illegal drugs.

The indictment of the ICC included the EJKs by the Davao Death Squad.

In reviewing the anti-narcotics drive. the PNP must consider a successful campaign must be taken on a holistic approach which includes prevention, law enforcement, and rehabilitation, since the narcotics problem is not just a matter of killing the addicts and users.

The Marcos Jr. administration must prioritize rehabilitation, in line with its recalibrated anti-narcotics campaign

Santa Banana, the addicts and drug users are just victims since the existence of illegal drugs is a matter of supply and demand.

There would be no problem with illegal drugs if there is no demand.

The fact is the Philippines has become a big transhipment point of the worldwide multi-billion drugs problem, This is why the Marcos Jr. administration must prioritize rehabilitation, in line with its recalibrated anti-narcotics campaign.

Going after the sources of illegal drugs is not enough.

That’s only a small part of the problem, the larger part of course is in cutting off the demand through rehabilitation.

Since cutting off the demand through rehabilitation is simply isolating drug users, I have decided to write about rehabilitation of drug users in another column if only to emphasize the need for President Marcos Jr’s administration to prioritize the building of community-based rehabilitation centers.

Rehabilitation which is the most important aspect of the holistic approach to the campaign against illegal drugs will be continued in my next column.

Understanding TikTok

By Luigie Lursh Almojano

HUMAN ethics and values shape our technologies, which have impacted our lives; but we, too, have shaped how technologies affect us.

As an anthropologist researching digital spaces and technologies, I became increasingly concerned about red flags raised with the platform TikTok.

This short-form video hosting service, developed by a Chinese technology company named ByteDance, is among most popular social media applications among the Filipino youth but has raised concerns about security of millions of users since 2019. With its unique user interface and features, it became the most popular social media application among millennials and Generation Z. The first red flag is its inefficient content moderation, which exposes the youth to sensitive viral and trending content. This is alarming, as young users are pressured to conform to emerging standards or join risky challenges to get more likes and followers.

These challenges add to the rise of influencer culture, which creates an environment conducive to toxic masculinity and negative self-perception.

Several reports proved TikTok’s content contributed to the prevalence of eating disorders among young users.

Some young users unknowingly share their routine and whereabouts for clout, increasing their exposure to sexual predators.

Unmoderated TikTok content increases racism and hate speech. Thus young users are exposed to biased content that skews the narrative against disadvantaged groups.

Despite reports on their inefficient content moderation, TikTok has been slow to act and ban accounts, contributing to less effective account reporting and banning –the delay would mean more young users’ lives are at risk every day.

TikTok’s user interface is another red flag. It feeds a never-ending selection of content to its users, increasing the risk of social media addiction. TikTok’s “For You Page” hooks users with a customized feed with recommended content and videos based on past activities.

We owe it to our young users, who need to be supported and guided and not exposed to red flags beyond their control

These FYPs expose young users to sensitive content without efficient moderation and support like links to depression, suicide, physical harm, and self-injury, Another red flag is its questionable credibility as a news and information source. Due to the limitation imposed by its shortform video format, some TikTok videos may inadvertently omit important details necessary for truthful delivery and content interpretation.

Here, TikTok became a battleground against misinformation and disinformation, especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Na-

Expanding the E-GASTPE program

BUT first, what is this E-GASTPE discussed by educators in public and private institutions as well as national lawmakers and even opinion makers?

E-GASTPE is the acronym for Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education, pushed under a law – Republic Act 8545 which amended RA 6728 – which stipulates it is the declared policy of the State, in conformity with the mandate of the Constitution, to promote and make quality education available to all.

The program acknowledges the complementary roles of both public and private institutions in the country’s education system and strengthening the collaboration between.

There is the persuasive argument that such collaboration will not only help in curbing the learnng crisis but also enhance the quality of education.

Several bills have been filed in the Lower House which seeks to broaden the voucher system, encompassing 13 years of basic education, and offering support to students, teachers, and formal private basic education institutions.

Advocacy groups like the Philippine Business for Education have admitted the shortage of classrooms even before Commission on Higher Education closed its doors to Senior High School Students which makes the expansion of the voucher system timely.

Here the E-GASTPE will not just address the need for additional classrooms, but it will also focus on providing quality training for senior high students, according to Justine Raagas, executive director of the Philippine Business for Education.

—“—

We know the cluster will also have its eyes on discussing the E-GASTPE program to cover the K-6 levels

CHED recently issued a memorandum it will discontinue the SHS program in State Universities and Colleges as well as Local Universities and College starting school year 2024-2025 since its engagement is limited only to the K-12 transition period from SY 2016-2017 to SY 2020-2021.

“By extending the voucher program, there is a potential to optimize the resources of private schools and we can

IN A daring operation that could be straight out of a crime thriller, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency pulled off a significant bust, leading to the arrest of three individuals in Parañaque City.

Among those apprehended was Corrections Officer 1 Paul Patrick Toledo, sworn to uphold the law but instead found himself on the wrong side of it.

This incident is not just another chapter in the long-running saga of the war on drugs; it is a stark reminder of the rot festering within our correctional system –plagued by corruption, drug trafficking, and the very people tasked with maintaining order.

Drug lords behind bars

The involvement of a corrections officer is hardly surprising in the Philippine context. For years, the Bureau of Corrections has been a hotbed of corruption, where drug lords continue to operate their empires with impunity from behind bars.

The New Bilibid Prison, where Toledo was assigned, has gained notoriety as a veritable den of vice, where illegal drugs flow as freely as money in the black market.

The problem has become so entrenched it is almost expected that high-ranking officials within the prison system are either complicit or turning a blind eye.

Toledo’s arrest is a damning indictment of the failure to root out corruption within the prison system.

Despite the numerous reforms and crackdowns, the fact that a corrections officer was caught red-handed in a drug bust reveals the measures taken thus far have been woefully inadequate.

It also raises serious ethical questions about the integrity of those entrusted with the rehabilitation and custody of some of the most dangerous criminals in the country.

Toledo’s betrayal of public trust

From an ethical standpoint, Toledo’s actions represent a profound betrayal of public trust.

As a corrections officer, he was dutybound to enforce the law and ensure the prison system serves its intended purpose: rehabilitation and deterrence.

Instead, Toledo chose to align himself

tional Elections.

TikTok, transformed into a platform that facilitated the spread of harmful and false content to young users, raised concerns as young users might have difficulty understanding and verifying said materials.

The last red flag is its ineffective policies to protect the data privacy and personal information of users.

Since the majority of TikTok users are children and young adults, they are more exposed to data breaches and data privacy violations that can be exploited by sexual predators and scammers.

In the Philippines, no restrictions have been implemented yet but some lawmakers and officials of the Department of Informa-

alleviate congestion in public schools,” Raagas said. The voucher program is a government subsidy offered to junior high school or JHS completers to allow them to pursue senior high school or SHS (Grades 11 and 12). One voucher is good to cover the costs of one entire school year. We are also bucked up that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the creation of a new Cabinet cluster focused on education, which includes the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Budget and Management.

The cluster, tasked with developing a 10-year national plan to address the country’s learning gaps, aims to implement coordinated interventions to improve access, quality, and relevance of education in the Philippines.

We know the cluster will also have its eyes on discussing the E-GASTPE program to cover the K-6 levels.

The Philippine public school system has long struggled with overcrowded classrooms, insufficient resources, and inconsistent educational quality.

Expanding the E-GASTPE program, which currently supports junior and senior high school students, to include Kindergarten through Grade 6 is seen as a feasible and immediate solution to these issues.

Unmasking the criminal underworld in PH’s prisons

with the criminals he was supposed to guard against, effectively becoming an enabler of the drug trade he was tasked to crush.

This betrayal is not just a personal failing; it reflects a systemic problem within BuCor.

The ethical standards that govern public servants, as outlined in the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, mandate that public officials serve with integrity, professionalism, and accountability.

—“—

Toledo’s involvement is a blatant violation of these principles, and it is imperative he, along with any accomplices, be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law

Toledo’s involvement is a blatant violation of these principles, and it is imperative he, along with any accomplices, be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Call for swift orosecution

The legal ramifications of Toledo’s actions are clear-cut.

Under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, the penalties for drug trafficking are severe, ranging from life imprisonment to death.

Toledo, along with his co-accused, must face the full force of the law.

His involvement while serving as a corrections officer is an aggravating circumstance that should warrant the maximum penalty.

In addition to criminal charges, Toledo should face administrative sanctions, including dismissal from service, forfeiture of benefits, and disqualification from holding any public office.

tion and Communications Technology have expressed concerns about TikTok’s connection to the Chinese government.

TikTok was flagged for censoring content involving the territorial dispute between our country and China.

The gravity of TikTok’s different red flags should emphasize the need to act early in that investigations be conducted sooner rather than later.

What is needed is strengthening the knowledge and awareness of digital literacy and ethical responsibility not just for the users but also with TikTok as the social media service provider.

The sole responsibility should not be pointed to the users alone.

The Supreme Court has consistently upheld the principle that public office is a public trust, and those who violate this trust must be dealt with decisively. The case of Office of the Ombudsman v. Carandang (G.R. 167954) serves as a precedent, where the Court emphasized the importance of accountability among public officials.

Toledo’s superiors and colleagues who may have turned a blind eye to his activities or facilitated them should also be investigated.

Praise for the heroes Amidst this bleak scenario, it is crucial to salute the efforts of BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr., the PDEA, and all those involved in the apprehension of Toledo and his accomplices. Catapang’s unwavering commitment to cleansing BuCor of its “misfits” and his resolve to expose those who hide behind the BuCor uniform is commendable.

The inter-agency collaboration that led to this bust – stemming from a memorandum of agreement between BuCor, PDEA, and other law enforcement agencies – demonstrates the power of cooperation in tackling complex issues like drug trafficking. Toledo’s arrest is a pivotal moment that should not be squandered.

It is imperative he and his co-accused are prosecuted swiftly and that justice is served.

This case should also serve as a catalyst for a more comprehensive overhaul of the prison system, one that goes beyond mere lip service and implements concrete, lasting reforms.

The government must ensure all those involved in illegal activities within BuCor, regardless of rank or position, are held accountable.

This includes launching thorough investigations into the prison system’s operations, enhancing transparency, and ensuring that those who expose corruption are protected from retaliation.

The battle against corruption and drug trafficking within the Philippine prison system is far from over. But Toledo’s arrest and efforts of Catapang and his allies provide a crucial foothold in this struggle.

TikTok should go beyond its business models of making profit returns or advertisement quotas, and ensure it is taking its fair share of practicing ethical standards and being compliant with regulatory standards. The detrimental effects of TikTok on Filipino youth become worse as actions are further delayed.

We owe it to our young users, who need to be supported and guided and not exposed to red flags beyond their control.

(The author, assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, teaches applied anthropology, design anthropology, digital anthropology, and science, technology, and society courses.)

AFP welcomes P50-b 2025 budget

By Rex Espiritu

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday welcomed the House of Representative’s allocation of P50 billion for the military’s modernization program next year.

AFP spokesperson Col. Margareth Padilla said the increased budget to beef up the military’s logistics signified the government’s dedication for the enhancement of the country’s defense capabilities.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines appreciates the commitment of the House of Representatives in allocating P50 billion for the AFP Modernization Program for next year. This increase, which is P10 billion higher than

Ex-DepEd Usec appointed as OVP spokesperson

THE Office of the Vice President (OVP) has announced the appointment of lawyer Michael Poa, formerly undersecretary and spokesperson for the Department of Education (DepEd), as its official spokesperson.

Poa’s designation came exactly one month after he stepped down from his post at the DepEd.

“Starting today, he (Poa) will be the spokesperson of the Office of the Vice President,” a source from the OVP said. Vice President Sara Duterte has quit her positions as vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and as Education secretary.

Exactly one month later, then DepEd Undersecretary Poa and five other DepEd officials also resigned from their positions. Rachelle Tonelada

DOJ decentralizes services, opens action center in Cebu

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) launched on Monday its satellite office in Cebu City in keeping with the agency’s thrust to efficiently and swiftly act on complaints and inquiries by providing litigants with free legal services.

In 1985, Ministry Order No. 41 established the Public Assistance Center (PAC) which was turned into the DOJAC by virtue of Department Order No. 204 in 1995. "With PBBM's (Presidet Bongbong Marcos)Bagong Pilipinas campaign that no Filipino shall be left behind, we bridge our geographical gaps to deliver justice to each and every one in real time," said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.

DOJAC’s services include giving of legal advice, drafting of legal documents, and making referrals to different government agencies.

Remulla recognized the challenge of decentralizing essential government services to the regions. Pot Chavez

DA to meet Western Visayas LGUs on ASF

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visayas is set to convene local government unit (LGU) leaders across the region to assess the impact of African Swine Fever (ASF) on hog farmers. The meeting aims to gather reports from affected farmers to determine the number of vaccines needed to prevent another outbreak in the region.

Dr. Jonic Natividad, Chief of the DA Western Visayas Regulatory Division, revealed that the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) is finalizing guidelines for the vaccine roll-out. “In Western Visayas, we will convene with local government units to assess how many vaccines are needed. This will be based on reports from both LGUs and potential partners. As of now, there is no exact number,” Natividad stated. Natividad further emphasized the importance of the vaccines in preventing the ASF virus from spreading in Western Visayas. The guidelines will specify where the vaccines will be available, who will be eligible to receive them, and who will be prioritized. Caloy Lozada

the previous year’s allocation, signifies the government’s dedication to enhancing our defense capabilities.” Padilla said in a statement.

According to Padilla, the additional funding will enable the AFP to continue its efforts in acquiring advanced technologies, improving capabilities in land, air, and sea operations, and addressing current security challenges.

"While this allocation is a positive step, the modernization of our forces is an ongoing process that requires sustained support," she added.

The AFP said it remains committed

to utilizing these resources effectively to further strengthen national defense and security.

Padilla also said that further investments will be needed in the coming years to fully realize the AFP’s modernization goals.

“We look forward to the continued partnership with the government and other stakeholders to ensure that our forces are equipped and prepared to meet the evolving security demands of our country,” she said.

Solon cites DA plan to modify Masagana Rice

By Maricel V. Cruz

A SENIOR congressman has cited a Department of Agriculture’s (DA) plan to recalibrate the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program (MRIDP) to further boost palay harvests. This as Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte proposed to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to consider a game-changing reform that will let the government sell the staple at P20 per kilo to poor families and at P30 to all other consumers.

“The DA’s ‘recalibration’ plan for its MRIDP to boost palay yields and eventually achieve our rice sufficiency goal is a welcome development, and I hope that in pursuit of this planned overhaul, Secretary Kiko [Tiu Laurel] considers a gamechanging subsidy-cum-procurement program that will enable farmers to produce five million metric tons or five billion kilos, leading to a drastic drop in the per-kilo retail price of rice to just P20 to P30,” Villafuerte said. Under Villafuerte’s proposal, which he initially raised last year, the government will allocate P40 billion in subsidies for farmers tilling a combined one million hectares in provinces that are the country’s 10 biggest palay producers, with the goal of yielding a post-milling total of three billion kilos, which the government will then buy from the subsidized farmers at P9 per kilo. Every farmer-beneficiary will get a subsidy of P40,000 per hectare to enable them to produce the targeted yield of five metric tons (MT) or 5,000 kilos per hectare or three MT or 3,000 kilos per hectare after milling.

Maguindanao buy-bust nets 4 suspects, P516k shabu

By Vince Lopez

A COMPOSITE team of law enforcers on Saturday arrested four drug pushers and seized P516,800 worth of shabu in Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur.

The team consisted of agents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency

(NICA), the Army, and the local police station

The suspects were identified only by their aliases “Dido,” “Jo,” “Zai,” and “Anton.”

The agents also confiscated from the suspects one M60 machine gun, 260 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, and one Cal. 30 pistol.

The suspects were taken to the PDEA Maguindanao Office pending filing of criminal charges against them.

“This successful operation highlights our ongoing efforts to combat the illegal drug trade and addiction in the region, proving the efficacy of a robust collaboration between authorities, community, and intelligence-driven initiatives,” said Brig. Gen. Prexy Tanggawohn, acting police chief of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Monday announced the seizure of smuggled agricultural products during a raid in two storage facilities in Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City.

A team from the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Navotas Police Station found inside the establishments agricultural and food products including onions, carrots, tomatoes, enoki mushrooms, Chinese noodles, and Chinese kimchi. The goods were allegedly brought into the country without payment of duties and taxes.

DECISIVE MOMENT. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) meets with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv on Monday. Blinken, in Israel to push for a Gaza truce, said ongoing negotiations were ‘maybe the last’ chance to reach an agreement to end the war. The top US diplomat said President Joe Biden had sent him ‘to get this agreement to the line and ultimately over the line.’ The United Nations meanwhile condemned the ‘unacceptable’ level of violence becoming commonplace against humanitarian workers, a record 280 of whom were killed worldwide in 2023. It warned the Israel-Hamas war is potentially fueling even higher numbers of such deaths this year. AFP

Blinken meets Israeli leaders at ‘decisive moment’ for Gaza

TEL AVIV – Top US diplomat Antony Blinken on Monday urged Israel and Hamas not to derail negotiations he said may be a “last opportunity” to secure a Gaza truce and hostage release deal.

Blinken, on his ninth regional tour since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack triggered the war, said he was back in Tel Aviv “to get this agreement to the line and ultimately over the line.”

“This is a decisive moment -- probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” Blinken said as he met Israeli President

Isaac Herzog. The US secretary of state was due to meet later on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials before travelling to Cairo, where ceasefire talks are expected to resume this week. Meanwhile, the United Nations condemned the “unacceptable” level of violence becoming commonplace against humanitarian workers, a record 280 of

whom were killed worldwide in 2023.

And it warned that the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is potentially fueling even higher numbers of such deaths this year.

“The normalization of violence against aid workers and the lack of accountability are unacceptable, unconscionable and enormously harmful for aid operations everywhere,” Joyce Msuya, acting director of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said in a statement on World Humanitarian Day.

“With 280 aid workers killed in 33 countries last year, 2023 marked the deadliest year on record for the global humanitarian community,” a 137 per-

cent increase over 2022, when 118 aid workers died, OCHA said in the statement. It cited the Aid Worker Security Database which has tracked such figures back to 1997. The UN said more than half of the deaths in 2023, or 163, were aid workers killed in Gaza during the first three months of the war between Israel and Hamas, mainly in air strikes. South Sudan, wracked by civil strife, and Sudan, where a war between two rival generals has been raging since April 2023, are the next deadliest conflicts for humanitarians, with 34 and 25 deaths respectively. AFP

Biden to pass torch to Harris in poignant farewell speech

CHICAGO --US President Joe Biden will give a bittersweet farewell address at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday, passing the torch to Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee for November’s election.

Less than a month after his stunning withdrawal and Harris’s astonishing ascent, Biden can expect a hero’s send-off from many of the same people who helped push him out due to concerns about his age.

The 81-year-old is expected to say that Harris -- America’s first female, Black and South Asian vice president -- is the best person to finish the job he started of protecting American democracy from Republican rival Donald Trump.

Harris is set to briefly appear with her boss on stage for his prime time speech in a symbolic moment designed to show unity among Democrats over his succession.

One hangover from his time in office, however, is a huge planned protest in Chicago against the BidenHarris administration’s support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Biden said on Sunday he felt “good, real good” about his speech, after spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in rural Maryland fine-tuning his address with top aides. AFP

Protests over Indian doctor’s rape, murder unite rival fans US, S. Korea kick off major joint

KOLKATA, India

– Thousands of outraged Indian protesters, including archrival football fans, called for justice on Monday after the rape and murder of a doctor as widespread strikes by healthcare workers entered a second week.

The discovery of the 31-year-old doctor’s bloodied body at a state-run hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata on August 9 sparked medical strikes and protests across India, channeling anger at the chronic issue of violence against women.

Doctors’ associations from government-run hospitals in many cities across India continued strikes on Monday that cut non-essential services.

“We have forgotten our rivalries to make common cause in calling for justice for the doctor and her family,” said Bablu Mukherjee, a supporter of Kolkata’s Mohun Bagan soccer team.

“The cause is bigger than our club, even bigger than politics.”

The murdered doctor was found in the teaching hospital’s seminar hall, suggesting she had gone there for a break during a 36-hour-long shift.

An autopsy confirmed sexual assault and, in a petition to the Kolkata High Court, her parents said they suspected their daughter was gang-raped.

In a rare case of unity, fans from Kolkata’s usual rivals the East Bengal club marched alongside them in a midnight rally that lasted into the early hours of Monday.

“We are with the doctors,” the fans chanted in unison, shrugging off torrential monsoon rains and police seeking to break up the rally. “We want justice.”

Many of the protests in multiple cities have been led by doctors and other healthcare workers but have also been joined by tens of thousands of ordinary Indians demanding action.

“It’s not just a protest, but a call to humanity,” said 23-year-old student Sristi Haldar, from Kolkata’s Presidency University, who joined the candlelit rally.

“We are angry,” she said. “It’s about the safety of all women everywhere”.

Doctors from the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the murder occurred, rallied outside the building on Monday. AFP

military drills

SEOUL – The United States and South Korea kicked off their major annual joint military drills on Monday, Seoul said, with new exercises aimed at containing the nuclear-armed North, including fighting cyberattacks.

The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise runs until Aug. 29, with drills this year set to “reflect realistic threats across all domains,” including from North Korean missiles and GPS jamming, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The exercises will boost the allies’ “capability and posture to deter and defend against weapons of mass destruction,” the military added.

This year’s drills will involve about 19,000 South Korean troops participating by land, sea and air, as well as in the cyber and space domains, according to the defense ministry, which declined to offer details of the US’s participation.

Pyongyang has floated thousands of trash-carrying balloons across the border in recent months, and sought to jam South Korean GPS signals as part of its protest against balloons carrying antiregime propaganda sent northwards by activists in the South. AFP

IN BRIEF

France wildfires force thousands to flee

MARSEIILE – Two wildfires in southern France forced several thousand people to flee before the blazes were brought under control, officials said Monday.

Some 3,000 holiday makers were evacuated from a camping site to a municipal building in the coastal town of Canet-enRoussillon, near the city of Perpignan, in the face of a fire fanned by strong winds, rescue services said in a statement. The fire, which destroyed one mobile home and partially damaged five others, was brought under control, they said. Further up the Mediterranean coast, a fire that forced dozens from their homes in the coastal town of Frontignan, near the city of Montpellier, was also quelled.

“The fire has been under control for two and a half hours now,” a spokesman for the regional firefighters, Jerome Bonnafoux, told AFP shortly after sunrise.

“We’re still working on it because there are several hot spots where the risk of it flaring are high,” he added. Of the 600 firefighters who rushed to put out the fire on Sunday, half were expected to keep working on the

Sri Lanka defends diplomat fined

ordered

to pay more than Aus$540,000 in back wages and interest to Priyanka Danaratna.

“She worked seven days a week for three years, and she had two days off in that entire time — and she did that because she burned her hand while preparing some food,” her lawyer David Hillard was quoted as saying. AFP

on

The French film legend died at the age of

children told

in a statement, following a battle with ill health. Delon’s performances in some of the greatest films of the 1960s and 70s were widely praised, his charisma on screen impossible to ignore. AFP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2024

RIERA U. MALLARI, Editor

RANDY M. CALUAG, Asst. Editor

EDGARD HILARIO, Asst. Editor

Olympiad-bound chessers Frayna, Fronda, Canino boost

ELO ratings

WORLD Chess Olympiad-bound

Janelle Mae Frayna, Jan Jodilyn Fronda and Ruelle Canino made significant gains with solid performances in the Sparkassen Trophy tilt in Dortmund, Germany over the weekend.

Frayna, the country’s first and only Woman Grandmaster thus far, downed German FIDE Master Timo Kuppers in the ninth and final round to finish with 5.5 points for a share of 37th place. Fronda fell to German International Master Gerlef Meins in the last round and wound up with the same score as Frayna.

From their performance, Frayna earned 23 elo rating points and should have her current rating increase to 2185 from 2162 while Fronda jumped from 2089 to 2140 after gaining 51 rating points.

It came more than a week after their impressive finish in Vlissingen, the Netherlands where Frayna finished in a share of 13th with 6.5 points and Fronda in a group at No. 16 with six points.

Canino, 16, for her part, was equally impressive as she ended up with five points despite defaulting her first three games after some travel hitch and losing her fourth-round duel with India’s Arun Manukonda.

She finished with five points though and earned 96 rating points and should improve from 1908 to 2004.

Next stop for the troika, whose trip is financed by the Philippine Sports Commission and backed by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, is the Open Internacional d’escacs Santis-Ciutat de Barcelona scheduled Aug. 23 to Sept. 1 in Spain.

From there, they’ll be flying back on home Sept. 3, rest and join with the national team seeing action in the biennial Olympiad edition scheduled Sept. 10 to 22 in Budapest, Hungary.

Olivarez gets back

at Arcilla,

claims National Open crown

ERIC Jed Olivarez made a compelling statement at the Mayor Eric Olivarez National Tennis Championships, showcasing his skills in a highly anticipated title clash against veteran Johnny Arcilla to secure a 6-3, 3-2 (ret.) victory at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque over the weekend.

Despite the formidable challenge presented by the seasoned Davis Cupper, Olivarez seized control early with his diverse array of shots. Although Arcilla battled through exhaustion and eventually retired due to dizziness, Olivarez remained poised and ready to confront any adversity.

His impressive performance throughout the National Open Series II – where he defeated opponents with commanding scores – underscored his readiness to claim the championship.

Olivarez’s path to victory included decisive wins over Arnold Arca (60, 6-0), Aleksander Po Fernandez (6-1, 6-2), Rolly Saga (6-1, 3-0 ret.), Loucas Fernandez (6-0, 6-2), and a shutout win over Fritz Bernales in the semis.

Arcilla, meanwhile, faced a tough third-round match against John Benedict Aguilar, who initially took the lead but succumbed to the former’s resilience. Arcilla eventually triumphed 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, but fell short in the final against Olivarez.

The win closed their head-to-head record at 2-4, with Arcilla having previously defeated Olivarez in a thrilling three-set encounter during the Series I final in June.

In the juniors’ categories, Stefi Aludo from the Philippine Tennis Academy lived up to her top seed status by defeating three competitors before overcoming Sandra Bautista of Bacoor, Cavite with a 6-4, 6-1 score to win the girls’ 18-and-under singles title.

Manila declares August 4 as ‘Araw ni Carlos Yulo’

By Randy Caluag

MANILA Mayor Honey Lacuna officially signed an ordinance designating August 4 as “Araw ni Carlos Yulo” in the nation’s capital.

This annual celebration honors the achievements of Carlos Yulo, a double gold medalist at the Paris Olympics, and the pride of Manila.

On the same day, Yulo was awarded P2 million in cash incentives in recognition of his Olympic triumphs.

Mayor Lacuna emphasized though that “Araw ni Carlos Yulo” is not a regular holiday as it aims to serve as a yearly tribute to the gymnast, who made history as the first Filipino and Southeast Asian athlete to win two gold medals at the Olympics.

While the celebration is not a public holiday, it is intended to inspire Manileños and Filipinos across the country to continue striving for excellence in the international sports arena.

“While it’s not a holiday, this day will remind us of the Philippines’ relentless pursuit of producing Olym-

Rivalries

TARLAC—The ICTSI Junior PGT Luzon Series reaches a critical juncture as the fifth leg kicks off at the Luisita Golf and Country Club today (Tuesday).

With just three legs remaining in the concluding regional series, the competition heats up as players vie for crucial ranking points needed to secure spots in the Match Play Championship.

Following the fourth leg at Riviera last month, Maurysse Abalos and Georgina Handog have emerged as frontrunners in the girls’ 10-12 category, with 43 and 37 points respectively. Aerin Chan and Victoria Agamata trail in third and fourth with 27 and 24 points, while Casedy Cuenca (22), Brianna Macasaet (15), and

pians and winning more Olympic medals,” Mayor Lacuna said. “Carlos Yulo’s Olympic golds carry immense value, far beyond their physical weight. His legacy is etched into the hearts of Filipinos.”

Mayor Lacuna also expressed the city’s commitment to honor Yulo by advocating for increased support for student-athletes and community athletes. She added, “In addition to recognizing Caloy’s achievements, we must also respect his privacy and continue supporting his career.”

Yulo, who was raised in Leveriza, Malate, has his sights set on further Olympic success. He placed 12th in the men’s gymnastics all-around event in Paris and aims for a podium finish in future competitions. Yulo is also preparing to defend his Olympic titles in both the floor exercise and vault events.

The ordinance, authored by Sixth District Councilor Salvador Phillip Lacuna, was passed by the City Council of Manila. August 4 is now officially recognized as “Araw ni Carlos Yulo” to commemorate his achievements and the pride he brings to the city.

Written in Filipino, the ordinance aligns with the celebration of August as “Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa” (National Language Month). Councilor Lacuna emphasized that the day is purely commemorative: “The ordinance does not declare August 4 as a holiday of any kind— whether regular or special. Schools and offices in Manila will continue operating as usual. ‘Araw ni Carlos Yulo’ is a day to honor his contributions to our nation, with the hope of motivating others to excel in their fields.”

heat up as JPGT Luisita unfolds

Althea Bañez and Quincy Pilac (14 each) are also in contention.

With Abalos and Agamata not competing this week, Handog, Chan and the rest will be pushing hard for top finishes to boost their chances for the finals of the nationwide series sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Handog, Chan and Cuenca clash at 7:40 a.m. on No. 1.

The series offers 15 points for first place, with the next five positions awarding 12, 10, 8, 6, and 4 points, respectively. Thus, the 36-hole tournament will demand strong performances from all competitors.

In the girls’ 8-9 division, Tyra Garingalao and Athena Serapio will compete for the title against Venus delos

Santos and Amiya Tablac, while for the youngest boys’ class, Zoji Edoc, Jesus Yambao and Isonn Angheng are set for an exciting contest.

Garingalao, Serapio and Mindanao series finalist Mavis Espedido tangle at 7:10 a.m., also on the first hole of the challenging par-72 layout.

Three-leg winner Vito Sarines is looking to solidify his lead in the boys’ 10-12 category, while Luis Espinosa, Ryuji Suzuki, Jacob Casuga, Iñigo Gallardo and Javie Bautista are determined to enhance their standings.

The girls’ 13-15 division will also feature intense competition, with twins Lisa and Mona Sarines, Montserrat Lapuz, Precious Zaragosa and Kendra Garingalao all fighting for top positions. Although frontrunner

Levonne Talion is absent, multi-series competitor Alexie Gabi adds excitement to the 54-hole tournament.

Mona Sarines is paired with Lapuz and Zyrah de Leon in the 7:45 a.m. flight on No. 10, while Lisa Sarines clashes with Zaragosa and Kendra Garingalao in the next group at 7:55 a.m. The boys’ 13-15 and premier 1618 divisions are also expected to be closely contested, showcasing some of the country’s top young golfers. Players who have already qualified for the finals, such as Espedido (girls’ 8-9) and Visayas series topnotcher Race Manhit (boys’ 10-12), will use this leg to fine-tune their skills before the Match Play Championship, scheduled for Oct. 1-4 at The Country Club in Laguna.

Gilas Women to compete outside FIBA Asia borders for 1st time

GILAS Pilipinas Women is set to see action in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup PreQualifying Tournament in Kigali, Rwanda. This will be first time that the women’s national basketball team will compete outside the FIBA Asia borders. The Philippines, ranked 40th in the women’s division by FIBA, is grouped with Brazil (8th), Hungary (16th), and Senegal (25th). The Filipina ballers booked a ticket to Rwanda thanks to their sixth-place finish in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2023 in Australia last June.

Gilas will be a heavy underdog in the tournament as the lowest-ranked competitor outside the host Rwanda but coach Patrick Aquino and the rest of the squad know that continuing their improvements in the program means taking on better opposition.

“Moving up the rankings means we’ll have to learn how to step outside our comfort zone,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Executive Director Erika Dy. “Our Women’s Team has shown us they can be competitive in the region but there’s still a lot of work to be done to reach the next level. Joining competitions like this and go-

ing up against highly-ranked opponents will only make our players better and give our program a clear idea on what we need to do to get better.”

A FIBA article lists two Filipina ballers as players to watch in the field of eight teams in Afril Bernardino and Jack Animam.

“Known for her athleticism and relentlessness to win, Afril is one of the best players I have seen in the country. Her constant will to learn and determination to work harder than anybody else has made her who she is now,” said Aquino about one of his ace players. The two have built a strong coach-player bond as they’ve been to many competitions together in basketball and in 3x3.

the Philippines need

PBA OPENER. The TNT Tropang Giga enter the Araneta Coliseum with their muses Atasha Muhlach and Paris Olympics bronze medalists Aira Villegas and Nesthy Petecio during the opening ceremonies of the PBA’s 39th season.

Olympics’ double gold medalist Carlos Yulo holds the o icial document signed by Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna declaring Aug. 4 as ‘Araw ni Carlos Yulo.’ Manila Vice Mayor Yul Servo is with them. MPIO

Members of the Gilas Pilipinas Women’s team

Recto: PhilHealth benefits to rise despite fund transfer

By Darwin G. Amojelar

$1.5 billion $25 billion

$106.7 billion BOP surplus in 7 months Trade deficit in first half

GIR as of end-July

BOP posted $62-m surplus; GIR climbed to $106.7b in July

By Ralph Harvey Rirao

THE Philippines’ balance of payments (BOP) swung to a surplus of $62 million in July 2024 from a $53-million deficit in the same month last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said Monday.

It said the BOP surplus in July was driven by inflows from the net income from the BSP’s investments abroad and the national government’s (NG) net foreign currency deposits with the BSP. The BOP surplus in July brought the seven-month BOP level to a $1.5-billion surplus, lower than the $2.2-billion surplus recorded in the same period last year.

Based on preliminary data, the cumulative BOP surplus reflected mainly the narrowing trade in goods deficit alongside the continued net inflows from personal remittances, net foreign direct investment, trade in services, net foreign borrowings by the NG and net foreign portfolio investments.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported a trade deficit of $25.0 billion in the first half of 2024, down from the $27.6-billion deficit incurred a year earlier. Meanwhile, the gross international reserves (GIR) level increased to $106.7 billion as of end-July 2024 from $105.2 billion as of end-June 2024.

The BSP said the latest GIR level represented a more than adequate external liquidity buffer equivalent to 7.9 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.

It was also about 6.1 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 3.8 times based on residual maturity.

Ample GIR ensures the availability of foreign exchange to meet balance of payments financing needs, such as for payment of imports and debt service, in extreme conditions when there are no export earnings or foreign loans.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said Monday the use of Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s idle funds for the government’s priority programs and projects will not adversely affect its members or its plans to expand benefit packages this year.

“The Department of Finance’s [DOF] move is consistent with the medical principle of ‘do no harm’. I repeat, it won’t affect the daily operations of PhilHealth, and the members’ contribution won’t be touched,” he said.

Recto said that even if the P89.9billion unused government subsidies would be transferred to the National Treasury, PhilHealth is still equipped with around P550 billion in its

coffers, which is more than enough to increase the benefits of its direct and indirect contributors, covering two to three years of expenses.

Salve Basiano, the sectoral representative for seniors to the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), and Paz Basconcillo, advocacy officer and board member of the Confederation of Older Persons Association of the Philippines (COPAP), earlier expressed dismay

over the diversion of the P89.9billion PhilHealth funds to the unprogrammed appropriations of the national budget.

Basiano and Basconcillo, at a press conference on July 31, expressed their opposition to the transfer of PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury. They said PhilHealth funds are owned by members and should be used solely for their benefit.

“We all know that the money held by the government or used by anyone in the government is owned by the people. It comes either from taxes or from our premium contributions given directly to PhilHealth,” they said.

Recto assured members, however, that PhilHealth’s benefits would even increase, and PhilHealth’s income would remain substantial.

THE Board of Investments (BOI) encouraged locators at Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga to switch to renewable energy, saying they would qualify for incentives under the law.

The BOI conducted the “Make REshift Happen” roadshow for locators at the Clark Freeport to promote incentives for energy efficiency and conservation projects.

About 17 Clark manufacturing locators attended the roadshow to learn the new guidelines for registering

such projects under Republic Act No. 11285.

The series of roadshows highlights the BOI’s commitment as the lead investment promotion agency to foster cooperation among investment promotion agencies.

BOI director Maria Rosario Dominguez lauded Clark Development Corp. for being the first IPA to host the session for its locators.

She said the session aimed to promote energy efficiency and conservation policies to encourage firms to

ACEN to put up floating solar projects at Laguna Lake with 420-MW capacity

By Alena Mae S. Flores

ACEN Corp. said Monday its two subsidiaries will put up floating solar projects in Laguna Lake with a combined capacity of 420 megawatts.

ACEN’s AC Subic Solar Inc. will build a 280-MW AC Subic floating solar power plant project at an estimated cost of about P12.5 billion.

AC Subic Solar is developing Block 13 with a capacity of 140 MW and Block 16 with a capacity of 140 MW.

Another subsidiary, SolarAce 4 Energy Corp. is developing Block 17 with a capacity of 140 MW at a cost of P6.25 billion.

The companies submitted separate reports to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for

public scoping of the projects located at the offshore areas of Santa Cruz, Laguna.

They said the projects would augment the power supply of the national grid and meet the government’s end of transitioning to a clean energy future.

The projects have their respective solar energy operating contracts with the Department of Energy and were issued by the Board of Investments (BOl) a certificate of endorsement designating their projects as strategic investments pursuant to Executive Order (EO) No. 18.

EO 18 is the government’s response to the ease of doing business and under such EO, floating solar power plant projects are considered priority and strategic investments.

adopt these practices. She added that this would contribute to the Philippines’ transition to a green and resilient economy.

Dominguez emphasized the critical role of renewable energy projects in enhancing energy efficiency and reducing power demand. She said energy efficiency and conservation are vital for boosting competitiveness and contributing to a sustainable global economy.

“This session is part of our ongoing efforts to gradually transition to

renewable energy, supported by a strong partnership between the government and the private sector,” she said.

CDC chief executive Agnes Devanadera stressed the importance of the roadshow in informing firms about available incentives for switching to renewable energy.

“We are fortunate to have this forum. It is timely that we are discussing this, as we recognize the crucial role of the power sector,” she said.

Stock index, peso climb on rising optimism about economy, rate cuts

By Jenniffer B. Austria

BOTH the Philippine peso and the local stocks climbed Monday buoyed by optimism about continued monetary easing and the sustained growth of the economy.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index traded above the 6,900 level for most of the morning session before closing at 6,889.87, still up by 42.50 points or 0.62 percent from Friday. The wider all-shares index closed 3,706.45, up by 15.03 points or 0.41 percent.

Meanwhile, the peso bounced back to close at 56.64 against the US dollar

Megawide expects to bag Baguio, Cavite transport projects

MEGAWIDE Construction Corp. ex-

pects to bag two new transport-oriented projects in Baguio City and Cavite province within the next six months.

Megawide chief business development officer Jaime Raphael Feliciano said in a recent forum the Cavite project is now undergoing Swiss Challenge, while the Baguio project is still subject to city council approval, to be followed by Swiss Challenge.

Feliciano said no competing bids were submitted for the Cavite project.

“We confident that we will bag two projects,” Feliciano said. Each project costs between P1 billion to P1.2 billion.

Megawide constructed the country’s first integrated and multimodal terminal in the Philippines—the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

Meanwhile, Feliciano said the ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) would not have a significant impact on the leasing revenues of PITX.

About 50 percent of office space in PITX is leased out to POGOs, while the remaining spaces are occupied by business process outsourcing companies, government and traditional offices.

Feliciano said other tenants expressed interest in expanding in the area as soon as they heard the ban on POGOs.

“So, yes there will be an impact, but that we feel the impact will not be that significant,” Feliciano said.

Megawide’s landport operations under PITX delivered revenue of P205.2 million from office towers and commercial spaces in the first half of 2024.

The improvement was attributed to the continued growth in foot traffic, reaching a record 156,000 in monthly average as of June 2024 and healthy spending per passenger (SPP) of P34. Occupancy in the commercial segment and take-up of office towers both improved.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Monday, after falling to 57.245 Friday.

“Investors continued to draw optimism from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ recent policy rate cut as well as the prospects of further monetary policy easing moving forward,” Philstocks Financial Inc. research head Japhet Tantiangco said.

“The positive spillovers from Wall Street’s performance last Friday driven by

growing confidence on the US economy also helped in today’s session,” he said.

The value of stock trading reached P6.93 billion Monday, higher than yearto-date average of P4.93 billion. Foreign investors were net buyers, with net inflows amounting to P1.41 billion.

Indices ended mixed, with property rising by 1.55 percent. Mining and oil rose 1.42 percent while financial climbed 1.41 percent.

Industrial declined by 0.50 percent, while holding firms dipped by 0.15 percent.

First Metro Securities Research said that in the coming days, investors would mostly focus on the US FOMC minutes and several Fed speeches.

“If the bulls continue to dominate,

BUSINESS DigiPlus eyes Brazil as new gaming market

the market may revisit the 7,000 and 7,100 resistance levels. Conversely, if the bears take control, the PSEi may pull back to its immediate support levels around 6,800 and 6,700,” First Metro said.

Meanwhile, Asian equities were mixed Monday following last week’s strong performance, with traders focused on a closely followed meeting of central bank chiefs where the Federal Reserve’s Jerome Powell is due to deliver a key speech.

Investors appear to have gotten over the turmoil that beset trading floors this month as a string of data suggested that worries of a US recession had been overdone. With AFP

Isidro Consunji receives most distinguished UP alumnus award

DMCI Holdings and Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) chairman Isidro Consunji (BS Civil Engineering ’71) was recognized as the sole recipient of this year’s University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) Most Distinguished Alumnus Award.

The honor reflects his strategic and outstanding leadership of a business conglomerate that has generated countless job opportunities both within and beyond Metro Manila, addressed critical needs in housing, water services and power, and his enduring role as a pillar of the UP College of Engineering, embodying the university’s core values of Honor and Excellence.

The UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus Award is reserved for indi-

THERE are many thoughtful Filipinos who have always believed that the barangay is a superfluity in this country’s governmental structure, that the approval of the Barangay Act was a gross mistake and that public funds are wasted on barangay officials’ salaries and allowances.

This disclaim reaches its peak when discussions are held in Congress and elsewhere for the holding of the next barangay election.

I am not one of those Filipinos. I have always been a believer in the from-the-bottom-up structure of government, with the barangay as the nation’s first line of defense against all trends and movements that threaten the stability and progress of this country. If questionable trends and movements are spotted and dealt with at the barangay level, they need not become provincial or national problems. After all, municipalities and cities are made up of barangays, and whatever happens in the municipal and city halls should be known in the provincial capitals, assuming that mayors and governors are not sleeping on the job.

viduals who not only excel in their respective fields but also stand out significantly among the year’s Distinguished Alumni Awardees.

The recipient must have attained national, and potentially international prestige, bringing honor and distinction to both the university and the country.

SMPC president, chief operating officer and chief sustainability officer Maria Cristina Gotianun (BS Business Economics ’75) also received the 2024 Distinguished Alumna Award for Corporate Management Excellence.

The award highlights her commitment to gender fairness, social equity and environmental restoration in the industry of mining and power generation.

In recent years, things have taken place that have shaken to the core my belief in the concept of the barangay. But I have remained steadfast in my support for this country’s 42,000-plus barangays…until the Guo-Bamban-Porac episode. That entire episode, which involved the construction of numerous first-class structures, with no cautionary reporting to higher authorities by the concerned barangay leaders, has shaken my belief in the barangay idea and my faith in barangay leaders. Truth to tell, after the Guo-Bamban-Porac episode, I’m not at all sure if I still believe that barangays can, and will continue to function as Philippine society’s first line of defense. True, the Chinese woman masquerading as a Filipino headed Bamban’s government as mayor, but isn’t the Bamban municipal council made up of many members whose Filipino nationality has not been challenged?

What were they doing the whole time? Didn’t they wonder and were they not concerned about what was going on inside the mini-municipality, and who were occupying the buildings there? Why didn’t they exercise their visitorial authority

GAMING firm DigiPlus Interactive Corp. (DigiPlus), currently the hottest stock in the stock exchange, is looking to expand in Brazil following the recent legalization of gaming and betting activities in the country.

Digiplus said in a disclosure to the stock

games, live game studios and other fixedodds betting activities in Brazil. DigiPlus said the result of the license application was expected to be released on or before the end of November 2024.

“Currently in its preliminary stages, DigiPlus is looking to diversify its portfolio into new markets with enabling regulatory environment for iGaming. DigiPlus envisions the Philippines to remain its core market,” the company said.

DigiPlus said Brazil has a strong potential as one of the fastest-growing gaming markets in Latin America given its population of over 200 million, with internet penetration at 87 percent.

DigiPlus, formerly Leisure and Resorts World Corp., is the fastest-growing digital entertainment group in the country. It offers retail and electronic games, including sports betting.

DigiPlus registered a net income of P5.2 billion in the first half of 2024, up 377 percent from P1.1 billion in the same period last year. Revenues soared 263 percent to P32.5 billion from P8.9 billion.

The significant growth was fueled by the robust performance of its digital retail segment combined with the rationalization of revenue sharing with Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) for electronic games implemented in April 2024.

Share price of DigiPlus more than doubled from P8.1 at the start of the year to P20.25 as of Friday.

B. Austria

The barangay is this country’s first line of defense against all threats to its stability and progress.

and have a look at the sprawling compound?

The choice of Bamban and Porac as locations for the illegal operations of the pseudo-Filipino mayor and her business associates makes sense, of course. Bamban and Porac are sleepy, lowincome municipalities of Tarlac and Pampanga, respectively. Located in the hinterlands of those provinces, illegal operations there would be less likely to attract the attention of the officialdoms in Tarlac City and San Fernando. Which begs the question: Did the provincial officials of Tarlac and Pampanga have knowledge of the operations that were taking

place in Bamban and Porac? Or, knowing about them, why did they not want to find out what was going on within their domains –particularly since large members of foreigners were involved? The Office of the Ombudsman might want to look at possible actionable culpabilities here.

The Guo-Bamban-Porac episode has come close on the heels of the Chocolate Hills scandal, in which a sprawling resort was installed in the close vicinity of the iconic Bohol site with the knowledge of the mayors and barangay officials of three Bohol municipalities. The barangay officials of the three municipalities were fully aware that construction of the resort was in progress, yet they did nothing to put a stop to the desecration – by alerting the provincial officials in Tagbilaran City, for instance – of the site, which is a UNESCO heritage site. The barangay is this country’s first line of defense against all threats to its stability and progress. When they fail to function as such, as in the instance discussed here, it becomes appropriate to review the entire concept of the barangay as an instrument of this country’s governance.

Jenniffer

Semirara Mining and Power Corp. chairman and chief executive Isidro Consunji (BS Civil Engineering ’71) is the sole recipient of this year’s University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) Most Distinguished Alumnus Award, which reflects his strategic and outstanding leadership of a business conglomerate that has generated countless job opportunities both within and beyond Metro Manila, addressed critical needs in housing, water services and power and his enduring role as a pillar of the UP College of Engineering, embodying the university’s core values of Honor and Excellence.

CARBON-NEUTRAL. TecPlata S.A. (TecPlata), International Container Terminal Services Inc.’s (ICTSI) Argentinian subsidiary, becomes the first port in the country to obtain carbon-neutral certification. This underscores TecPlata’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, promoting responsible resource use and offsetting unavoidable emissions through certified carbon credits, which support the development of renewable energy sources.

CIRCULAR NO. 1199

Series of 2024

Subject: Divestment of Equity Investments

The Monetary Board, in its Resolution No. 805 dated 11 July 2024, approved the amendments to the Manual of Regulations for Banks (MORB) on divestment of equity investments which are not allowed under applicable laws or which do not comply with applicable regulations.

Section 1. Section 379 of the MORB is hereby amended to read, as follows:

379 SANCTIONS

Equity investment transactions which are not allowed under applicable laws or which do not comply with applicable regulations shall be divested.

For purposes of this Section,

a. “Transaction” or “equity investment” shall refer to (1) subscription/issuance, purchase/sale, and/ or transfer of voting shares, or conversion of preferred shares or debt instruments into voting shares of stock, and (2) such act, contract, agreement or arrangement whereby a bank: (a) acquires voting shares of stock from one person, whether natural or juridical; or (b) is vested the right to vote or vested the control of the voting shares of stock.

b. “Divestment” shall refer to the manner or scheme of selling or disposing the Bank’s investment in another company’s equity.

The period within which to divest equity investments which are not allowed under applicable laws or which do not comply with applicable regulations are as follows:

a For transactions not allowed under applicable laws. Equity investments not allowed under applicable laws shall be divested immediately and without the need of notice from the Bangko Sentral. Divestment may be made for the whole transaction or, in case of divisible transactions, on the portion not allowed under applicable laws.

b. For transactions which do not comply with applicable regulations, including those which were disapproved by or for which no request for approval was submitted to the Bangko Sentral for reasons, such as those which are (1) not compliant with the requirements of regulations; (2) not allowed or failed to meet the conditions for approval under applicable regulations; or (3) entered into in violation of existing agreements in relation to the extension of financial assistance to the bank by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation. Equity investments which do not comply with applicable regulations shall be divested within a period not exceeding six (6) months from receipt of notice from the Bangko Sentral. Divestment may be made for the whole transaction or, in case of divisible transactions, on the portion which does not comply with applicable regulations.

The following sanctions shall be imposed for equity investments which are not allowed under applicable laws or which do not comply with applicable regulations made without prior Monetary Board approval, without prejudice to the imposition of other enforcement actions under Section 002 (e.g., for delay in divestment):

a. First offense – If the investment is not allowable under existing regulations, dDivestment of the investment within the required timeline set forth in this Section and reprimand on officer/director who recommended/approved the investment.

b. Subsequentoffense–

On the Bank If the investment is not allowable under existing regulations, dDivestment of the investment within the required timeline set forth in this Section, and fine in amount as may be determined by the Monetary Board to be appropriate, but in no case to exceed P1.0 million for each investment

Onthedirector/officerwho recommended/approved the investment.

1. Reprimand; and

2. Fine of P20,000 for each investment made

to be imposed on the executive officers and members of the board and the executive officers who recommended/ or approved the investment per investment. The fine shalland to be shouldered personally by the officer/ director: Provided, That if the subsequent offense is an investment in a non-allied enterprise, the fine shall be P40,000.

A bank which has been directed to divest specific equity investments which do not comply with applicable regulations shall submit the following to the appropriate supervising unit/department of the Bangko Sentral for review: (1) within fifteen (15) calendar days from receipt of notice from the Bangko Sentral, a divestment plan duly approved by the Board of Directors, together with Board resolution or Secretary’s Certificate approving the same which should contain, at a minimum, the activities, persons responsible, and timeline; and (2) within five (5) calendar days from end of quarter, a progress or status report/s of the said divestment plan. For monitoring purposes, the said status reports shall be noted by the bank’s Board, as documented in a Board resolution or Secretary’s Certificate.

Section 2. Section 374 of the MORB is hereby amended to read, as follows:

374 INVESTMENTS IN VENTURE CAPITAL CORPORATIONS

x x x

The guidelines in determining compliance with ceilings on equity investments in a VCC are shown in Appendix843 Banks with acquired shares of stock of VCCs in excess of limits provided in this Section which have not been previously confirmed by the Monetary Board shall seek confirmation of the Monetary Board of such acquisition not later than ninety (90) banking days from 20 December 2009: Provided, That said confirmation shall be subject, among others, to the condition that such shares of stock shall be disposed of within a reasonable period not to exceed five(5) years from the date of acquisition thereof.

Equity investments of venture of capital corporations. x x x

Section 3. Appendix 83 of the MORB is hereby amended to read, as follows:

GUIDELINES IN DETERMINING COMPLIANCE WITH CEILINGS ON EQUITY INVESTMENTS (Appendix to Secs. 373, 374, 375, 376-A and 378)

x x x

b. Shares of stock acquired in settlement of loans. Shares of stock of another corporation acquired in settlement of loans shall be excluded from total equity investments for purposes of determining compliance with the prescribed ceilings on equity investments under Secs. 373, 374, 375, 376-A and 378: Provided , That confirmation of the Monetary Board shall be required in the following cases within thirty (30) days from the date of acquisition thereof:

(1) x x x

x x x

Provided, further, That said confirmation shall be subject, among others, to the condition that such shares of stock shall be disposed of within a reasonable period not to exceed five three (5 3) years from the date of acquisition thereof.

A bank which has been directed to divest specific equity investments shall submit the following to the appropriate supervising unit/department of the Bangko Sentral for review: (a) within fifteen (15) calendar days from receipt of notice from the Bangko Sentral, a divestment plan duly approved by the Board of Directors, together with Board resolution or Secretary’s Certificate approving the same which should contain, at a minimum, the activities, persons responsible, and timeline; and (b) within five (5) calendar days from end of quarter, a progress or status report/s of the said divestment plan. For monitoring purposes, the said status reports shall be noted by the bank’s Board, as documented in a Board resolution or Secretary’s Certificate.

x x x

Section 4. Transitory Provision. The following provision shall be incorporated as a footnote to Section 379 of the MORB.

Banks directed to divest equity investment prior to the effectivity of this Circular but have not fully complied with such shall divest said investment within ninety (90) calendar days following the effectivity of this Circular.

Section 5. Effectivity. This Circular shall take effect fifteen (15) calendar days following its publication either in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

FOR THE MONETARY BOARD:

(Sgd) ELI M. REMOLONA,

JR. Governor

8 August 2024 Note:

SMC building new NAIA Expressway ramp costing

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PETROLIFT, a member of the Leonio Group of companies, unveiled the M/T Petro Elise, a 51,000-barrel petroleum tanker considered one of the largest, internationally classed vessels in the Philippines.

The 95.95-meter-long, 18.6-meterwide and 10.20-meter-deep tanker is powered by very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) and automotive diesel oil (ADO).

BTr raises

P22.6b

from T-bill sale on strong demand

By Domingo Juan

THE Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) on Monday made a full award for the 91-day and 364-day Treasury bills, but upsized the award for the 182-day tenor on strong demand.

It said the average rates of the awarded T-bills were lower than secondary market rates.

Based on the auction’s results, only the 182-day tenor posted lower rate compared to the auction on Aug. 12.

The average rate of the 91-day T-bill rose to 5.940 percent from last week’s 5.900. It was offered for P6.5 billion, with bids amounting to P15.003 billion. The six-month T-bill recorded an average of 5.989 percent, lower than last week’s 6.093 percent.

This tenor was also offered for P6.5 billion, but the auction committee accepted P9.1 billion after total bids reached P21.874 billion.

The rate of the one-year debt paper rose to 6.023 percent from 6.062 percent last week. Bids reached P24.42 billion, but the auction committee accepted P7 billion based on offering.

“With its decision [to increase the award], the committee raised a total of P22.6 billion compared to the P20.0 billion initial offer,” the BTr said.

GLOBE Telecom Inc. said Monday it teamed up with Red Hat Inc., a leading provider of open source solutions, to modernize its IT infrastructure.

“Our collaboration with Red Hat Open Innovation Labs has been instrumental in our digital transformation journey. By adopting Red Hat OpenShift as a new enterprise-wide application development platform, we’re able to innovate quicker with a key focus on customer experience,” said Raul Macatangay, Globe’s chief information officer.

“This collaboration has ignited a change in Globe’s culture, fostering greater teamwork and allowing us to bring the best ideas forward to innovate faster,” he said.

Macatangay said that through the collaboration, the Globe teams migrated the first application modules to Red Hat OpenShift faster and quickly learned to

It has a multi-grade cargo handling system for three grades of clean petroleum products and a cargo remote liquid monitoring system for realtime viewing by shore personnel during loading and discharging.

Petrolift is a longtime base fleet contractor for oil majors Shell Philippines and Petron. The new tanker is seen as a welcome addition to the industry, especially after recent ty-

phoons and maritime accidents.

A pioneer in internationally accredited ship management and operations, Petrolift introduced the country’s first internationally classed oil tanker barges. The company said it has consistently led the industry in adopting international standards.

The M/T Petro Elise will be delivered to its charterer for petroleum distribution throughout the Philippines.

“I think [the project is estimated to cost] P3 billion to P5 billion. We obtained a permit from Pasay LGU [local government unit] and TRB [Toll Regulatory Board [TRB],” SMC president and chief executive Ramon Ang told reporters in a briefing. Ang said the construction of the new off-ramp already started and was expected to be completed within the next 12 months. He also said the New NAIA Infra Corp. is ready to take over the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the country’s main international gateway by Sept. 14, 2024.

“You will see a lot of improvements in November,” Ang said.

NNIC is composed of San Miguel Holdings Corp., RMM Asian Logistics Inc., RLW Aviation Development Inc. and Incheon International Airport Corp. NNIC, formerly SMC SAP & Co. Consortium, signed a P170.6-billion

By Alena Mae S. Flores

FDC Green Energy Corp., a subsidiary of FDC Utilities Inc., broke ground for its 20.75-megawatt Misamis Solar Power Project with an estimated cost of P700 million.

“This significant milestone marks the beginning of a transformative journey toward achieving a balanced energy portfolio for the Filinvest Group,” said FDC Green president Juan Eugenio Roxas in a statement Monday.

“We aim to boost our renewable energy capacity in the coming years, underscoring our unwavering commitment to sustainability and innova-

fully utilize its features, created a crossfunctional team and established new operational processes.

This laid the groundwork for scaling up the platform and migrating the first full application to Red Hat OpenShift over the next six months.

As Globe continues its transition from a traditional telecom company to a technology-driven enterprise, the adoption of Red Hat OpenShift provides the foundation for their ultimate goal of providing better customer experiences through a resilient, stable application platform, the company said.

“Our work with Red Hat Open Innovation Labs has allowed us to leverage cutting-edge cloud technologies, particularly with Red Hat OpenShift, to optimize our infrastructure for scalability and resilience,” said John Rodel Villa, Globe’s lead cloud engineer said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

tion,” he said.

FDC Green said the project, eyed for completion by the second quarter of 2025, is a strategic investment that would play a crucial role in Filinvest’s long- term energy strategy.

It said the project sets the stage for future developments in line with the company’s dedication to a greener and more sustainable future.

The project, awarded a 25-year solar energy operating contract by the Department of Energy (DOE), involves installing over 34,000 monocrystalline solar panels.

These panels will generate about 30,450 megawatt-hours of clean en-

ergy annually, significantly bolstering grid stability in the region.

The initiative supports the expected 5.5-percent annual peak demand growth projected by the DOE until 2030.

The facility is strategically located within the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate, one of the Philippines’ major economic zones, and project benefits from optimal conditions for solar energy generation.

The flat terrain, high solar yield and proximity to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines substation make the location ideal for large-scale renewable energy development.

contract in March 2024 to operate, maintain and upgrade NAIA for 15 years, extendible for another 10 years.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) earlier said the NNIC would invest about P88 billion in NAIA in the first six years of the concession period.

Besides convenience to passengers, the government expects to generate P900 billion in revenues in the course of its entire 25-year concession, inclusive of the P30-billion upfront payment, P2-billion annual payment and 82-percent government revenue share.

The NAIA project involves capital investment to improve the airport’s facilities to comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other internationally-accepted standards.

The concessionaire will be responsible for both landside and airside operations of the NAIA.

IN BRIEF

1 to 31, 2024, and applies to identified and qualified member-beneficiaries.

Optum PH warns of nursing crunch OPTUM Philippines, a leading technology and data-enabled care delivery company, launched a series of programs to help address the “nursing crunch”, a term that pertains to the shortage of nurses in the health care workforce.

According to the Department of Health, it would take roughly 12 years to fill the shortage among nurses and a longer period of 23 years for doctors. While recent policies have been set to address the nursing crunch and develop the local health care sector, Filipino nurses will be at a disadvantage if stakeholders and institutions fail to keep up with the demands and changes of the industry.

“The nursing crunch poses a significant challenge to the global health care system, straining resources and impacting patient care,” said Ivic Mueco, managing director, of Optum Philippines.

“We are committed to being part of the solution by investing in developing and supporting the Filipino nursing workforce. Through comprehensive training programs made available to all and for our employees, competitive benefits, and a culture of growth

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

TESDA bats for more farm schools for food security

THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has encouraged private farm owners to collaborate with the establishment of farm schools in every municipality all over the country.

TESDA Deputy Director General for Special Concerns Felizardo Colambo said the arrangement would introduce farmers to emerging technologies and upgrade the skills of household members in agricultural production and entrepreneurship. Farmers, he said, would learn best practices and help establish their community as a social enterprise. The farm schools will also engage everyone in harnessing the potentials of local natural resources that eventually leads to attaining food security.

Use solar power to cut water cost, DENR urges

By Liza Agoot

BAGUIO CITY--An official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on last week urged water districts to use solar power in processing water to lower production cost.

“If we are able to conserve and utilize solar power, the cost of electricity will be lower, price of water will be lower,” said DENR Undersecretary for Water Resources Management Office Carlos Primo David during the opening program of the 5th Philippine Association of Water Districts Convergence 2024 and the 50th Anniversary at the Baguio Country Club.

David said at least 20 percent of the cost of producing water is spent on electricity.

He said the DENR has loan provisions to assist water districts procure solar panel facilities.

He said three water districts to date have entered into a memorandum of agreement with the DENR for a loan program to finance the installation of solar panel facilities and utilize renewable power to extract water and for other water supply processing needs.

He said the DENR was processing 33 other entities after the department received proposals for the same loan facility.

He also urged water districts to harvest rainwater as a way of avoiding wastage.

“We have abundant water supply during the rainy season, which we do not impound and it goes to the ocean. And that is the problem since once the dry season arrives, there is no water,” he said.

David said the DENR was collaborating with the Department of Public Works and Highways to come up with flood control projects that would double as irrigation systems and infrastructure for reforestation.

“We are now working with them to make their flood control program not just about infrastructure but also for reforestation. We are now more on nature-based solutions,” he added. PNA

Speaking at the World Cafè of Opportunities (WCO) in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, Colambo also urged attendees in the skills fair to consider pursuing self-employment by enrolling in any of the agriculturerelated and entrepreneurial courses conducted by TESDA. Through education and training, farmers will learn scientific methods in organic farming, integrate modern technology and enhance their skills in marketing their products.

WCO is a Job Linking & Networking Services (JoLINS) Platform, a segment of TESDA’s 30th anniversary celebration.

Dasmariñas City Mayor Jenny Barzaga and representatives of Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla, industry leaders and tecvoc institutions

attended the event.

TESDA-accredited schools and private technical and vocational institutions regularly conduct training on agricultural crop production, aquaculture, horticulture, organic agriculture production, rice machinery operations and animal production.

The cost of training is covered by TESDA’s Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP). All graduates earn a National Certificate level II.

The government allocates P1 billion every year from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) as provided by RA 11203 for farmers training being conducted by TESDA to ensure food security and make the agricultural sector viable, efficient and globally competitive.

Japan helping to rehabilitate PH ecosystem

JAPAN is extending its assistance to the Philippines to develop a sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change and ecosystem degradation.

The Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) recently signed an agreement with the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) to develop and promote agricultural technologies to enhance production and improve natural resource management in the tropics.

The DA and the Japanese research agency agreed to develop approaches and technologies for carbon storage in farmland soils in the Philippines as a means to promote soil health and fertility and enhance sustainability and resilience in agriculture.

They also committed to study environmental conservation technologies for tropical islands through the “Yama-Sato-Umi” (“MountainVillage-Sea”) perspective, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of land, sea and society.

The collaboration aims to seek ways to prevent soil erosion in hilly agricultural lands and reduce fertilizer inputs, and gather and analyze scientific evidence that can contribute to the conservation of mangrove ecosystems. It will also develop a basin model for the evaluation of environmental conservation effects

on river water quality and quantity.

“These projects are supported and are very much in line with the National Soil Health Program, which is one of the top priority agenda of the DA to contribute towards sustainable management of soil and water resources as well as the productivity of the agriculture sector,” says BSWM Director Gina Nilo.

She added that as the national focal agency of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Land Degradation (UNCCD), the bureau welcomes its collaboration with JIRCAS, especially since the agriculture sector is being riddled with the impacts of climate change and ecosystem degradation.

“Weather extremes due to climate change and environmental problems such as soil and nutrient runoff from farmlands and ecosystem degradation are of urgent concern in the country— affecting resources, agricultural productivity, and livelihood of our farmers,” she said.

“Since the agriculture sector is one of the major contributors to climate change through the emission of greenhouse gasses, there is a need to develop adaptation and mitigation technologies,” she added. DA News

L’Oréal and Watsons tie up on plastic recycling initiative

L’ORÉAL and Watsons announce last week the launch of the Recycle for Rewards Program, a plastic collection and recycling initiative that aims to educate and encourage consumers to be part of the solution to the plastic pollution in the Philippines by recycling their empty beauty and personal care bottles.

About nine billion tons of virgin plastics have been produced globally since 1950, according to reports, but only 9 percent of them have been recycled. Much of the world’s plastic waste ends up in the ocean and Philippines has been labelled as the third biggest source of ocean plastic pollution.1

While Filipino Gen Zs and millennials have heightened environmental consciousness and have started incorporating sustainable practices in their daily routine, the Philippines still has limited

recycling infrastructure to address the mismanagement of plastic waste. 2

As part of their Green Joint Business Plan announced in April, L’Oréal and Watsons are teaming up to create more plastic collection points and support recycling efforts in the country while inspiring and incentivizing consumers to recycle.

“The Recycle for Rewards program is more than just a recycling initiative—it’s a platform that underscores the importance of collaboration and demonstrates that companies and consumers can become catalysts for change in helping tackle the plastic pollution in the Philippines,” said Yannick Raynaud, country managing director of L’Oréal Philippines.

“The Recycle for Rewards program reaffirms Watsons Philippines’ dedication to sustainability. This enables us to provide our customers

How halting deforestation can help check the increasing temperatures

Two of 3 parts

Here is a closer look at how forests can counter the climate crisis.

How does deforestation feed the climate crisis?

Trees are some of the planet’s most

important warehouses of carbon, absorbing the element from the air via photosynthesis, and storing it in their leaves, roots and trunks.

But when trees decay or are burned, they release stored carbon into the atmosphere in the form of carbon

dioxide. This is a greenhouse gas that traps heat near the Earth’s surface, raising temperatures and propelling climate change. At the same time, the loss of trees means forests are no longer able to absorb as much carbon from the air as before, a double hit for the climate. Why is addressing deforestation and climate change so important right now?

Human activities, like the burning of fossil fuels, are pushing greenhouse gas emissions to record levels, sparking climatic upheaval, including flooding, droughts and wildfires. These catastrophes affect millions of people and cause trillions of dollars in economic losses each year. And they are poised to get worse. UNEP data shows that based on current national commitments, the planet could warm from 2.5°C to 2.9°C this century, well above the goals of the Paris Agreement and enough to trigger widespread

climate chaos.

Cutting emissions quickly by saving and restoring forests is considered vital. How much of a difference can safeguarding forests make in the battle against climate change?

A big one. To keep global warming below 1.5°C, a key goal of the Paris Agreement, the world must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 22 gigatons annually by 2030. Halting deforestation could reduce emissions by 4 gigatons a year, according to the UN-REDD Program, a partnership between UNEP, the UN Development Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. Protecting and restoring forests is one of many nature-based solutions that countries can use to limit greenhouse gas emissions. A UNEP report found these strategies could help cut emissions anywhere from 10 gigatons to 18 gigatons a year by 2050.

(To be continued) UNEP News

ORGANIC FARMING. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confers with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Deputy Director-General for Special Concerns Felizardo Colambo (right) during the distribution of Financial Assistance to Farmers, and Fisherfolks (PAFFF) at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center, San Fernando, Pampanga. Fisherfolks and families affected by El Niño in Pampanga stressed the need for further training in modern and organic farming. Colambo allocated additional scholarship slots to technical and vocational schools and non-government organizations engaged in training indigenous peoples communities.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2024

lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com

NICKIE WANG, Editor

ANGELICA VILLANUEVA, Writer

ABIGAIL ADRIATICO, Writer

TORYTELLING

Sholds a unique power to inspire and connect people across different walks of life. For young filmmakers, it offers a compelling way to channel their creativity and passion into meaningful narratives.

Film festivals play a key role by giving aspiring filmmakers a chance to share their ideas with the world. These events help new talents grow and bring fresh stories to the film industry. They also provide important and uplifting stories that spread positivity.

For audiences, film festivals offer a chance to see a variety of interesting and thought-provoking films that might not be seen elsewhere. These festivals offer a window into new, innovative storytelling and a chance to engage with narratives that might not make it to mainstream screens.

The Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival is a great example of how film festivals can make a difference, as shown in its first year. It featured a variety of inspiring stories about hope and triumph, which are more needed now than ever.

The festival recently announced a shortlist of 16 full-length films and their directors, selected from 141 entries for its second year. Out of these, seven filmmakers will receive a P3 million production grant from Puregold and become integral parts of the festival.

Puregold President Vincent Co expressed admiration for the diversity of the entries, noting that the Selection Committee curated an inspiring shortlist of projects that promise to captivate audiences and provoke deep thought. The festival aims to celebrate these unique perspectives and showcase remarkable “panalo” stories.

The shortlisted projects and their directors include: Ahon by Rafael Mina, Co-love by Jill Singson Urdaneta, Dopamine by Sigrid Polon Fleeting by Catsi Catalan, Food Delivery by Baby Ruth Villarama Journeyman by Christian Paolo Lat and Dominic Lat Olsen’s Day by JP Habac, Perlas sa Silangan by TM Malones, Princess Maryam by Julius Alfonso and Eric Cabahug, Reel Boyz by Rod Marmol, Sepak Takraw by Mes De Guzman Si Sol at si Luna by Dolly Dulu, Stuck on You by Reeden Fajardo Tagsibol by Tara Illenberger, Waiting Shed by Noel Escondo, and Washing Machine by BC Amparado The festival’s Selection Committee, which includes Puregold senior marketing manager Ivy HayaganPiedad, festival director Chris Cahilig, directors Jeffrey Jeturian and Emmanuel dela Cruz, and representatives from Republic Creative Creations, Inc., will review pitches from the shortlisted filmmakers in the coming weeks. The final seven films will be announced and screened at Gateway Cineplex 18 in Cubao from March 14 to 25, 2025. For updates, follow Puregold on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

SHOWBIZ

How positive stor ytelling shapes tomorrow’s filmmakers

FILIPINO rock legend Ely Buendia is performing live on Sept. 14 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. Fans of the former Eraserheads frontman will have the rare chance to see him perform his iconic hits in a one-night solo concert directed by Jamie Wilson

The concert will feature well-loved tracks from Buendia’s Eraserheads days, including hits like “Pare Ko,” “Ligaya,” and “Huling El Bimbo,” as well as his more recent works. Buendia’s influence extends beyond his time with Eraserheads, having also led bands like Pupil, The Oktaves, and Apartel

In recent years, Buendia has headlined solo concerts at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, including performances with the cast of Ang Huling El Bimbo The Musical Tickets for Ely Buendia’s concert are available at TicketWorld outlets, with prices ranging from P1,500 to P8,800. For more information, visit www.newportworldresorts. com or follow @newportworldresorts on social media.

ATTORNEY Annette Gozon-Valdes Senior Vice President for Programming, Talent Management, Worldwide, and Support Group at GMA Network, as well as President of GMA Films, has been named a juror for the 2024 Asian Academy Creative Awards. A board member of GMA Network since 2000, Gozon-Valdes has been instrumental in the network’s development into an

(Crocodile Whisperer) Return to Paradise, First Yaya (The First Nanny), and its sequel First Lady. Her efforts have introduced global audiences to innovative content through program syndication. Gozon-Valdes has been key in producing groundbreaking programs like Encantadia Voltes V: Legacy, and Maria Clara at Ibarra Joining her on the jury for this year’s awards are Regie C. Bautista, Senior Vice President for Corporate Strategic Planning and Business Development and Chief Risk Officer at GMA Network, and Cheryl ChingSy, Vice President for Drama under its Entertainment Group. The Asian Academy Creative Awards recognize excellence in

Rafael Mina is the director of ‘Ahon’ Jill Urdaneta has directed

such as ‘Partee’ in 2016 and ‘Firestarter’ in 2018

Sigrid Polon is known for her films ‘Hibang’ and ‘Kulong,’

Catsi Catalan has produced several films such as ‘Under Parallel Skies’ and ‘Mallari’

Baby Ruth Villarama is a filmmaker who has created documentaries like ‘Sunday Beauty Queen,’ ‘Little Azkals,’ and ‘Dance for Life’

Christian and Dominic Lat are the directors of ‘Journeyman’

JP Habac is known for

Cabahug and Julius Alfonso has previously worked together

Reeden Fajardo served as the assistant director for Cinemalaya 2024 Best full-length film nominee ‘Love Child’

BC Amparado is the director of the Cinemalaya 2024 Best full-length film nominee ‘Gulay Lang, Manong’

Dolly Dulu has directed lms

LIFE & SHOWBIZ

Actor and singer Iñigo Pascual stars alongside Allen Dizon, Cherrie Pie Picache, and Richard Yap in ‘Fatherland’

Fresh from Hollywood

Iñigo Pascual joins Joel Lamangan’s ‘Fatherland’

ACTOR and singer Iñigo Pascual returns to the local entertainment scene in the film Fatherland , directed by Joel Lamangan . The project is Iñigo’s first collaboration with the award-winning director.

In the movie, the young star shares the screen with Allen Dizon, Cherrie Pie Picache, and Richard Yap. While eager to be part of the project, Iñigo admits to feeling some nervousness about working with such a renowned director and team.

“I’m excited about the project,” he says. “But I’m also nervous since it’s my first time working with Direk Joel and such a talented cast.” According to Iñigo, being an actor in the Philippines is different from being one in America.

“I can say that it’s more challenging to act here in the Philippines. There’s more heart in the performance; it’s deeper. I can’t say much because I’ve only worked on two projects in the States, so I haven’t had enough experience to make a full comparison. But based on what I’ve done, there’s more pressure on an artist when doing a soap or a movie here in the Philippines.”

Iñigo appeared in the series Monarch and the film Homestead in Hollywood, both of which were significant breaks in his acting career.

“In Homestead, I only had a small role, but it was meaningful. I played

Shticks

Joseph Peter Gonzales

the role of a Filipino terrorist. When I passed the auditions for that role, it was a dream come true, especially since I got to speak Tagalog. It’s one thing off my bucket list because I’ve always wanted to say a line in Tagalog in a Hollywood film if I ever got cast,” he shares.

As for Monarch, how does Iñigo feel about it not getting a second season?

“Of course, I’m sad. It was a good project, but I’m also happy that it led to more auditions for me. The show opened doors for me to get recognized by some productions there, and I’m grateful for that,” the actor admits.

Speaking of auditions, the actorsinger revealed that he became accustomed to the process while he was abroad.

“At first, I thought it was hard because, here in the Philippines, we don’t do many auditions. So, I experienced culture shock when I encountered that system in the States. But eventually, I enjoyed it

because it felt like attending an acting class where I could explore various characters. Over time, I came to appreciate the value of auditions,” he relates adding that he wants to focus on his acting career in the Philippines for the time being.

* * * WITH his daughter Arabella recently joining Batang Quiapo as the new love interest of McCoy de Leon, Ricky Davao expresses his pride.

“Well, I’m happy with how her career is developing,” he said. “Her entry into showbiz was a bit late because she first finished her studies. Even when she was younger, she was encouraged by the late Kuya Germs (German Moreno), Tita Annabelle (Rama), and Mr. M (Johnny Manahan) to try showbiz.

“Before, she wasn’t interested. She focused on her schooling. But now, I was surprised that she decided to enter the entertainment field. As for me, I’m just here to support her. I get tickled pink whenever I watch her.”

The seasoned actor-director believes that his daughter still has much to learn about acting.

“That’s right! She has a long way to go. But for a starter, I think she’s doing well.”

What advice does he give Arabella?

“I tell her that a good actor should be truthful and should develop their own style,” Ricky said.

THE internet has become essential in modern life, playing a key role in everything from online meetings to entertainment.

As connectivity becomes more critical, fast and reliable internet access is no longer a luxury but a necessity. To meet this growing demand, telecommunications companies are rolling out groundbreaking technologies like 5G. Here’s how 5G broadband is revolutionizing everyday life in the Philippines: Boosting internet speed. A June 2024 report from Ookla showed that the Philippines had average fixed broadband speeds of about 94 Mbps, while Singapore enjoyed speeds of 285 Mbps. The need for faster internet is pressing, and 5G addresses this with download speeds up to 20 times faster than 4G. This leap in technology ensures a smooth online experience, even during high-demand activities like streaming and large file uploads.

Enhancing virtual meetings

5G’s low latency enables realtime interactions, making virtual meetings more efficient and fluid. This technology allows colleagues to collaborate seamlessly from different locations, improving productivity and making online meetings almost as effective as face-to-face interactions.

Supporting multiple devices

5G can handle up to 100 times more connected devices than traditional broadband. This means that in a busy household, multiple devices can be used simultaneously without slowdowns or connection

issues. Whether streaming, gaming, or managing smart home devices, 5G ensures everything runs smoothly.

Eliminating dead zones. 5G also addresses the issue of dead zones, providing consistent coverage throughout the home. Whether working in a remote corner of the house or enjoying entertainment in the basement, 5G ensures a reliable connection everywhere.

Securing the digital home. 5G comes with enhanced security features that protect digital devices and personal data. It offers peace of mind for those using smart home technology, ensuring that everything from remote controls to home security systems is safe and secure.

DITO Telecommunity is leading the way in bringing 5G to Filipino homes. With the DITO Home 5G WiFi service, subscribers can enjoy speeds of up to 500 Mbps. The company has also launched the BLITZ KABIT campaign, offering same-day installation of 5G home WiFi, making fast internet more accessible.

DITO offers flexible monthly plans, including an unlimited 5G internet plan for P1,490 per month, with a special promo rate of P745 for the first six months for those who subscribe by Aug. 31. For those on a budget, a datacapped plan is available for P990 per month with 200 GB of data. All DITO Home 5G plans include a free 5G modem/ router and a 30-day Prime Video subscription. To apply, visit DITO’s website at https://dito.ph/.

sci-fi horror film Alien: Romulus topped the weekend box office in North American theaters, showing the franchise’s continued ability to scare up sizable audiences, analysts said Sunday. The latest film in a series that began Ridley Scott’s 1979 blockbuster Alien earned an estimated $41.5 million for the Friday-throughSunday period, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported. That was “an excellent opening for a late-episode horror sequel,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

Directed by Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez (of 2013’s Evil Dead), Romulus tells the story of space colonists

who, while scavenging in an abandoned space station, encounter a dreaded, faceeating alien. Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, and Spike Fearn star. That strong result finally dethroned Marvel’s superhero comedy Deadpool & Wolverine, which slipped to second, taking in $29 million in its fourth weekend out. Ryan Reynolds plays Deadpool with Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine. That pushed last weekend’s number two – Sony’s dramatic romance It Ends With Us, based on the Colleen Hoover novel – down to third, with a stillimpressive $24 million. Behind actor and producer Blake Lively, the film scored one of the best-ever openings for a romance film, despite a public spat between

Lively and co-star and director Justin Baldoni In fourth was Universal and Amblin Entertainment’s weather thriller Twisters, at $9.8 million. Daisy EdgarJones and Glen Powell star in the standalone sequel to the 1996 classic disaster film. And in fifth was the 15th anniversary re-release of stop-motion

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2024

lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com

NICKIE WANG, Editor

ANGELICA VILLANUEVA, Writer

ABIGAIL ADRIATICO, Writer

SOUTH Korean food chain bb.q Chicken has launched its newest outlet in Festival Supermall, Alabang. The new store, which brings the unique flavors developed by Genesis BBQ’s Chicken University to Manila, is the 12th outlet in the country.

“When it was founded, the vision of the restaurant was to share the flavors of Korea with the world,” said the program host during the ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by

Celebrate coffee culture at Shangri-La Plaza’s coffee-themed events

AS THE second largest coffee consumers in Asia after Japan, Filipinos are celebrating their deep-rooted coffee culture at Shangri-La Plaza. The festivities begin with the Coffee Library at the Grand Atrium, offering a multi-sensory experience featuring local brews, books, art displays, and cozy seating. Visitors can explore an educational exhibit on coffee’s history, science, and cultural impact.

On Aug. 18, the Red Carpet Cinema hosted Kape at Pake, part of the Tingin Southeast Asian Film Festival. This event, held in collaboration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, includes a discussion on ASEAN cinema paired with a choice of coffee.

The month-long celebration continues with a musical touch on Aug. 25 at 6:30 p.m. as Filipino band Cheats performs live. Known for their indie, pop rock, and alternative rock styles, the band, featuring Jim Bacarro and Saab Magalona , will provide a fitting soundtrack to the coffee festivities.

Shangri-La Plaza’s diverse coffee offerings include the sea salt latte at harlan + holden coffee, an iced yuzu americano at MUJI Coffee Counter, unique blends at Candid Coffee, and Filipino beans at Department of Coffee. Visitors can also enjoy popular options at Starbucks, Bo’s Coffee, Figaro, and UCC Mentore.

Shangri-La Plaza invites coffee lovers to experience and celebrate the joy and connection found in every cup, showcasing the cultural and social significance of coffee in daily life.

Seoul’s bb.q Chicken expands to Manila with new Festival Supermall branch

Congresswoman Richelle Singson and 4C Salt and Light Food Corp. CEO Carleen Singson

“We’re not just here to open a new location but to share the heritage and culinary legacy of bb.q Chicken.”

Founded in Seoul in 1995, bb.q Chicken is known for its “Best of the Best Quality” (bb.q) approach, combining traditional Korean cooking techniques with modern research. The chicken is hand-brushed, hand-battered, and fried at lower

temperatures for a longer time, resulting in a crispy texture. The chain also offers a variety of signature sauces.

Former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson, along with his LCS group and Genesis BBQ Group, launched bb.q Chicken in the Philippines a year ago, aiming to make Manila a regional hub for the brand. Singson announced plans to bring Chicken University training to the Philippines, eliminating the need for local staff to travel to Seoul.

“We’re aiming to open 100 branches in the Philippines in the coming years,” Singson said of the restaurant chain’s future in the country.

Globally, bb.q Chicken operates over 3,500 branches. The new Manila location features popular menu items such as hot spicy, secret chicken, Gangnam-style, and Cheesling chicken, alongside tteokbokki platters, salads, and desserts.

How a Danish variety store chain fosters sustainability through eco-friendly products

By Abigail Adriatico

SUSTAINABILITY is one of the things that consumers, especially those in the younger generations, have been growing more concerned about in recent years.

when it comes to sustainable retail,” said Esguerra-Perez.

With its advocacy for social responsibility, Flying Tiger Copenhagen has implemented systems that aim to minimize the brand’s environmental footprint. These efforts include removing 47 percent of plastic from the packaging of its products and successfully reducing its overall emissions by 26 percent. As it removed about 37 percent of its single-use products from its offerings, it was able to significantly reduce its plastic consumption as well as have 19 percent less plastic in its products.

With many seeing the effects of practices that are detrimental to the environment coming to life through stronger typhoons and disastrous flooding to name a few, calls for more sustainable efforts from both individuals and corporations are being made. One brand that has decided to heed this call is Danish variety store chain Flying Tiger Copenhagen. Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, and opening its first store in the Philippines last October 2023, the brand offers a wide variety of products such as toys, party decorations, basic home essentials, fitness accessories, and many more. In its mission to uphold sustainability, its products utilize wood and metal as well as recycled plastic.

About 96 percent of the wood and paper products in its line of offerings had received an FSC certification, which served as a mark from the Forest Stewardship Council that indicated the materials behind products were from responsibly managed forests. The packaging for the brand’s products is also 96 percent recyclable.

With its noticeable move towards sustainability, the brand is taking things a step further through its commitment to reducing plastic products in its offerings by 50 percent in 2025, achieving 50 percent recycled plastics by 2025, and reducing single-use products by 50 percent. This would mean that it will have cut back nearly 34 million single-use products by 2026.

“We are going all-in on sustainability. We want to be the frontrunners in the green transition of the retail industry and do our part to pass on a better globe to future generations,” said Flying Tiger Copenhagen CEO Martin Jermiin

The campaign launch was held at the Ito Kish Design Food last Aug. 2, which featured a showcase of Flying Tiger Copenhagen’s line of ecofriendly products as well as various activities such as decorating tote bags and spinning a lucky wheel for prizes.

During the launch of its Planet-Friendly campaign, Flying Tiger Copenhagen Philippines marketing head Billi Esguerra-Perez shared how the brand began its circular and green transition in 2019 as it positioned itself to be an environmentally friendly brand.

“Our main ambition is to be a global leader

Flying Tiger Copenhagen stores are located at Glorietta 4, Alabang Town Center, TriNoma, Robinsons Galleria, Eastwood City Mall, SM North Edsa, SM Seaside Cebu, SM Sta. Mesa, and Bonifacio High Street. For more information, visit @flyingtigerph and on Instagram and Facebook.

Former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson attends the opening of the bb.q Chicken at Festival Supermall in Alabang Singson family led by Congresswoman Richelle Singson (leftmost) and 4C Salt and Light Food Corp. CEO Carleen Singson (center) at the opening of bb.q Chicken’s 12th outlet in the country

Shangri-La Plaza’s month-long celebration features the Coffee Library, the Red Carpet Cinema, and several musical performances

Physicist and beauty queen Karen Ibasco holding some of Flying Tiger Copenhagen’s products

The brand has removed 47% of plastic from its products’ packaging

Flying Tiger Copenhagen offers eco-friendly fitness accessories such as yoga mats and blocks